Casey just had to get these pictures since Gabe loves them so much. Gabe did get a very big kick out of seeing these pictures!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
He loves Fire trucks
Gabe loves everything having to do with Fire trucks. My friend Karen posted pics. of her boys on her BIL fire truck which reminded me that I needed to post about this. It's been in the past couple of months, probably April that this all really came about. We discovered this show on our cable's Sprout's Video On Demand. It is Fireman Sam. It is made by the same people that produce Bob the Builder (I think) but is based in the UK.
Gabe cannot get enough of Fireman Sam. He even likes it when Casey and I sing the theme song. (It's Fireman Sam or Bob the Builder).
Mommy on the other hand gets tired of it pretty quickly. They have only about 5 episodes to choose from so over the course of a few days/week I am pretty tired of Fireman Sam. Gabe calls him "Firetruck sam." So cute!
We also have a book "Firefighter Frank" that he loves. I picked this up at Half price books and he has had us reading this to him every night at least twice. I've learned to improvise the story to make it go quicker. I hit all the high pionts. There is one page in the book where it shows a picture of all the school children who come to visit... well here is the story..."When school children come to visit, Frank loves to show them around..." There are several children on the fire truck and others standing around the truck. Gabe always slaps the page and says, "NO, NO." very angrily. I of course say, "no we are happy that the cildren get to sit on the fire truck." Well after many attempts at this I finally pointed to a boy in the picture and said, "Look, there's Gabe." He's been happy for the children ever since and now when we read the story he points to several of the boys and says, "Dabe." Sure, why not? We point to other little boys aand say, "Look there's Noah. and cousin Abby and Emily." Kids are so funny. Now he points out Noah, Abby and Emily. At least he isn't hitting the page anymore.
Well, all this to say that last night as Casey was putting Gabe to bed, I looked into the family room and noticed torn pieces of paper all over the floor. At closer inspection, it was the Fire fighter Frank book torn to shreds. He must have been angry with us at some point in the last day. I can't even recall when he had been up there by himself in the last couple of days. Who knows. Needless to say, the book is in the trash. I'm not sure we'll replace it although I am sad about it since it was his favorite. Casey reminded me that he is only 2. I wasn't that upset about it but was really just inquiring as to why he would tear up his book. Well, I always remind myself about the time I got mad at my sister and cousin Lang at my Mamo's house in Ardmore. I was about 8 and I was so mad at them that I carved into a wooden bench the words "I hate you." My Mamo found the bench and her feelings were hurt. I can remember that like it was yesterday. She still has the bench and she never refinished it or tried to fix it. It's funny now. Gabe reminds me a lot of myself and my mom thinks so too. He doesn't like it when people watch him play or look at him for that matter. (Of course this really depends on his mood). But if he catches someone looking at him while he's playing, he'll say "No." in a growling voice. I remember being this way when I was 4 and 5. I'm not sure why but I didn't like people to watch me play. I guess I thought they were making fun of me.
I can't believe I went so long without blogging. Hopefully I can keep up.
Gabe cannot get enough of Fireman Sam. He even likes it when Casey and I sing the theme song. (It's Fireman Sam or Bob the Builder).
Mommy on the other hand gets tired of it pretty quickly. They have only about 5 episodes to choose from so over the course of a few days/week I am pretty tired of Fireman Sam. Gabe calls him "Firetruck sam." So cute!
We also have a book "Firefighter Frank" that he loves. I picked this up at Half price books and he has had us reading this to him every night at least twice. I've learned to improvise the story to make it go quicker. I hit all the high pionts. There is one page in the book where it shows a picture of all the school children who come to visit... well here is the story..."When school children come to visit, Frank loves to show them around..." There are several children on the fire truck and others standing around the truck. Gabe always slaps the page and says, "NO, NO." very angrily. I of course say, "no we are happy that the cildren get to sit on the fire truck." Well after many attempts at this I finally pointed to a boy in the picture and said, "Look, there's Gabe." He's been happy for the children ever since and now when we read the story he points to several of the boys and says, "Dabe." Sure, why not? We point to other little boys aand say, "Look there's Noah. and cousin Abby and Emily." Kids are so funny. Now he points out Noah, Abby and Emily. At least he isn't hitting the page anymore.
Well, all this to say that last night as Casey was putting Gabe to bed, I looked into the family room and noticed torn pieces of paper all over the floor. At closer inspection, it was the Fire fighter Frank book torn to shreds. He must have been angry with us at some point in the last day. I can't even recall when he had been up there by himself in the last couple of days. Who knows. Needless to say, the book is in the trash. I'm not sure we'll replace it although I am sad about it since it was his favorite. Casey reminded me that he is only 2. I wasn't that upset about it but was really just inquiring as to why he would tear up his book. Well, I always remind myself about the time I got mad at my sister and cousin Lang at my Mamo's house in Ardmore. I was about 8 and I was so mad at them that I carved into a wooden bench the words "I hate you." My Mamo found the bench and her feelings were hurt. I can remember that like it was yesterday. She still has the bench and she never refinished it or tried to fix it. It's funny now. Gabe reminds me a lot of myself and my mom thinks so too. He doesn't like it when people watch him play or look at him for that matter. (Of course this really depends on his mood). But if he catches someone looking at him while he's playing, he'll say "No." in a growling voice. I remember being this way when I was 4 and 5. I'm not sure why but I didn't like people to watch me play. I guess I thought they were making fun of me.
I can't believe I went so long without blogging. Hopefully I can keep up.
Cleaning out toys
The other day I was in Gabe's "choo choo roooom" with him while he played. He has given his play room this name ever since he could start talking. We got him a train table at Christmas and I suppose that is the focal point of the room. I was attempting to clean up and cull through the toys without him noticing. I had a small plastic bag that old toys went into quickly. Before I go on I should mention that he doesn't like it when I clean up his room. Somehow it is not a habit of Casey's to make Gabe clean up at the end of a night of playing in the choo choo room. So in the morning, I'll go up and the place will be a complete wreck. Every box or bin has been dumped. If I try to clean up while Gabe is in there playing, he will come over and dump whatever box I've filled with toys and walk back to wherever he was playing. ugh. I don't understand the desire to have every toy you own on the floor. :)
Anyhow, I inconspicuously was able to go through most of his toys and gather up a box full of trash/junk toys to throw out or give away. I put the toys in a box in another room and halfway closed the box so he couldn't see what was in it. Later that day I was catching up on the phone with my good friend in Houston. I was downstairs chatting it up while Gabe played upstairs. He would come to the top of the stairs occasionally and I heard him playing in the family room and in his choo choo room. At one point in my conversation, I see him run to the other side of the upstairs where the bedrooms are. I then see him cross the top of the stairs pushing the box of trash toys across to his choo choo room. He looks down at me and says, "Bye Bye, Mommy. Bye Bye." I laughed out loud then and now every time I think of him doing this. If it wasn't so funny, I would have been very frustrated. Because you know what he likes to do with boxes of toys, right? Yep, that box was dumped into his choo choo room and all those toys were strewn across the floor.
He is so precious! Wow I love being a mommy.
Anyhow, I inconspicuously was able to go through most of his toys and gather up a box full of trash/junk toys to throw out or give away. I put the toys in a box in another room and halfway closed the box so he couldn't see what was in it. Later that day I was catching up on the phone with my good friend in Houston. I was downstairs chatting it up while Gabe played upstairs. He would come to the top of the stairs occasionally and I heard him playing in the family room and in his choo choo room. At one point in my conversation, I see him run to the other side of the upstairs where the bedrooms are. I then see him cross the top of the stairs pushing the box of trash toys across to his choo choo room. He looks down at me and says, "Bye Bye, Mommy. Bye Bye." I laughed out loud then and now every time I think of him doing this. If it wasn't so funny, I would have been very frustrated. Because you know what he likes to do with boxes of toys, right? Yep, that box was dumped into his choo choo room and all those toys were strewn across the floor.
He is so precious! Wow I love being a mommy.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Counting
Gabe woke up in a good mood this morning. Gabe and I were out in the back this morning playing. He came up and said "sweeng high." He loves to swing but doesn't always like to use the swing at home. So I put him in the swing and was moving chairs out of the way. All the while he had started to count which he does a lot. In Galveston he counted to 10 or 12 for the first time. Today I noticed he had gotten to 16, 17, 18, 19!
It was so precious!! I said, "Gabriel! You counted to 19! I'm so proud of you!" He got the biggest smile on his face. He had his Diego sun glasses on. So sweet. I took a picture of him but with the old camera that takes film. So I'll have to wait to post when the film is developed. I love being a mommy and have recently been thinking about how blessed I am to have Gabe and be able to spend everyday with him. He is the sweetest boy!
And there is another precious boy on the way. He moves a lot and has at times made me 10x more uncomfortable than I was when pregnant with the twins. He has gotten the hiccups a lot and I never noticed the hiccups with the boys. His head is positioned right next to my left hip bone so it is a strange sensation when he hiccups. Weird but he is so sweet! We have yet to agree on a name. None of the names either of us has come up with is one we LOVE! yet. Although Casey may disagree. He does have a name that he likes a lot but I do not like it. Maybe I'll come around. Per a friend's suggestion (she is planning on doing the same if she has a boy next time) we are giving this little boy the middle name of Nathaniel. I loved the idea of Nathaniel's name being carried on. That's all for now.
It was so precious!! I said, "Gabriel! You counted to 19! I'm so proud of you!" He got the biggest smile on his face. He had his Diego sun glasses on. So sweet. I took a picture of him but with the old camera that takes film. So I'll have to wait to post when the film is developed. I love being a mommy and have recently been thinking about how blessed I am to have Gabe and be able to spend everyday with him. He is the sweetest boy!
And there is another precious boy on the way. He moves a lot and has at times made me 10x more uncomfortable than I was when pregnant with the twins. He has gotten the hiccups a lot and I never noticed the hiccups with the boys. His head is positioned right next to my left hip bone so it is a strange sensation when he hiccups. Weird but he is so sweet! We have yet to agree on a name. None of the names either of us has come up with is one we LOVE! yet. Although Casey may disagree. He does have a name that he likes a lot but I do not like it. Maybe I'll come around. Per a friend's suggestion (she is planning on doing the same if she has a boy next time) we are giving this little boy the middle name of Nathaniel. I loved the idea of Nathaniel's name being carried on. That's all for now.
Monday, July 07, 2008
July 4th weekend
We went to Mimsey and Grandpa's lakehouse for the 4th which has become our annual tradition. All the family, including my parents and siblings go out fo the day and enjoy the lake and fire works. We stayed the weekend to enjoy some time with Casey's parents and visited Fossil Rim Wildlife Park. You drive through and get to feed the animals from your car. I think Gabe enjoyed it!
Here's a picture of Emily and Abby with Gabe. These are his 2 favorite people in the world besides Mommy and Daddy. :)
Here's a picture of Emily and Abby with Gabe. These are his 2 favorite people in the world besides Mommy and Daddy. :)
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Baby Brother
In an attempt to help Gabe understand what's going on with the baby, we bought a book called "I'm a Big Brother." The entire book basically talks about how baby brother is too small to play and all he does is cry, eat and sleep. At the end of the book, baby brother finally interacts with Big Brother by taking a train away from him. Big brother says, "Mommy make him stop!" And mommy explains that baby brother is trying to say, "I'm ready to play now." Well all Gabe has taken away from the book is that baby brother takes away choo choo. Anytime we mention baby brother, Gabe says, "babe bother take Dabe choo choo?"
It's funny except I need a book that puts baby brother in a more positive light. :)
It's funny except I need a book that puts baby brother in a more positive light. :)
Monday, May 05, 2008
Thursday, May 01, 2008
I've gotten way behind
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I'm going to start updating this blog in the next few days. I've gone a full month without an update...yikes! Gabe turned 26 months this past week. He is talking a lot and MOST of it we can understand. But then there are those times where he'll say several sentences in a row and Casey and I look at each other and smile and then say, "Really, Gabe? That's very interesting!"
He is so precious!
I am 27 weeks and realized today we have not taken any pregnancy pictures of me. Oops. I guess that's what happens with the 2nd pregnancy. I couldn't tell you how many pictures we took with the boys. I think it was every other week. :)
I'm going to start updating this blog in the next few days. I've gone a full month without an update...yikes! Gabe turned 26 months this past week. He is talking a lot and MOST of it we can understand. But then there are those times where he'll say several sentences in a row and Casey and I look at each other and smile and then say, "Really, Gabe? That's very interesting!"
He is so precious!
I am 27 weeks and realized today we have not taken any pregnancy pictures of me. Oops. I guess that's what happens with the 2nd pregnancy. I couldn't tell you how many pictures we took with the boys. I think it was every other week. :)
Monday, April 14, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
It's a .....
Ok. So I was wrong. I thought for sure it was a girl but it's a Boy!! There was no question. :)
Now we have to come up with a boy name. He's the cutest little baby I've ever seen! He looked really good and healthy! I'll post pictures later.
Now we have to come up with a boy name. He's the cutest little baby I've ever seen! He looked really good and healthy! I'll post pictures later.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy 2nd Birthday to My Boys!
The boys turned 2 today...Easter Sunday! I have a precious 2 year old boy in heaven and a busy toddler here with me. We celebrated Gabe's b-day on Saturday. We had a party here at the house and rented a jump house. I think it was a big hit!
When the jump house arrived Gabe kept looking out the window and saying "dump" and then pointing to himself. "Es, Es, Es!" He had lots of friends and family come to celebrate his birthday with him. He loves Bob the Builder and any construction trucks so we had a Tonka party. All week when asked what he was getting for his birthday he would say, "cupcake." So I ordered a 24 cupcake "cake" from a local store with a construction scene. My dad went to pick it up for us and they could not find our order. Well that's because they were looking for cupcakes. So instead of a cupcake "cake" we got a real cake (The cake was cute given it wasn't what we ordered.) but it was only a 1/4 sheet, which serves 15 people max. We had about 30 people here. The store did give us the cake for free and some extra cupcakes so it worked out. They even put a cupcake on top of the cake. So Gabe got his cupcake afterall.
I think that's the first time we ever finished off an entire cake. I hope everyone got a piece. :)
He had so much fun playing with his friends! He even kissed his friend Ellie when she was leaving. So sweet!
And Gabe got lots of presents. Last year I copied my friend Leilanni and decided to ask people to not bring gifts. At that time Gabe had plenty of toys and really didn't need anything. Well, I caught a lot of flack for that last year and since he is older and understands more about what is going on I decided I wouldn't "deprive" him. Well boy did he get presents! Oh MY! Lots and Lots of gifts.
Well 2 is a big one...but I guess they all are! He has grown so much just in the last 2 weeks even! Everyday he shocks me with a new discovery, word or funny thing he does! He jabbers a lot while he's playing on his own and seems to always have a smile on his face.
We have tried to teach him to pray before every meal and so now he even reminds me sometimes. We'll be sitting there and he'll put his hands together and say, "pwaaayy?" My parents, Nana and Papo kept him last Friday for a little bit so I could get some birthday shopping done and they said when they sat down for lunch he reminded them to pray and then 4 more times while they were eating wanted to pray again. :) So sweet!
Casey and I can't believe it has been 2 years since our boys came into this world and one of them ascended to heaven. When we think back to that day and the week to follow it seems so surreal. I will never forget Casey sitting next to me and holding Nathaniel while they delivered Gabriel. I remember seeing tears in his eyes and a look on his face of overwhelment...not just of being a daddy for the first time, holding his child for the first time, but also grief that this child would not be here with us for very long. He was trying to take it all in. And then the doctors came over with Gabriel and told us to kiss him before they took him to the NICU. That was the last time the boys were together alive. There are no pictures of them together outside of the womb. I'm slowly getting over that.
Casey is such a good daddy. He slept hardly at all those next few days in the hospital. We kept Nathaniel all night and placed him in a bassinett the next morning and watched as a nurse rolled him away. While Casey wanted to be there with me to support me in my overwhelming grief, he wanted to be with Gabe in the NICU worse. And I wanted him there with Gabriel. So he spent hours on end in the NICU and then would come back and tell me about him. He really encouraged me to go up to see Gabe with him. It wasn't that I didn't want to but I was having a hard time recovering from my C-section and the pain medicine they were giving me was making me sick. But when I did finally get up there the evening after the boys were born it was the most precious moment. This child, though he did not know it, would provide Casey and I with a reason to get up every day and provide us with the most incredible sense of appreciation of life and of our Father in heaven. That amidst the most painful experience of our entire lives, it would also be the most joyous. March 23, 2006...the best and worst day of our lives. Thank you, Lord for providing us with the most precious boys in the world! I know they are not ours, but Yours and I pray I am a good steward of this blessing of motherhood you have bestowed upon me.
When the jump house arrived Gabe kept looking out the window and saying "dump" and then pointing to himself. "Es, Es, Es!" He had lots of friends and family come to celebrate his birthday with him. He loves Bob the Builder and any construction trucks so we had a Tonka party. All week when asked what he was getting for his birthday he would say, "cupcake." So I ordered a 24 cupcake "cake" from a local store with a construction scene. My dad went to pick it up for us and they could not find our order. Well that's because they were looking for cupcakes. So instead of a cupcake "cake" we got a real cake (The cake was cute given it wasn't what we ordered.) but it was only a 1/4 sheet, which serves 15 people max. We had about 30 people here. The store did give us the cake for free and some extra cupcakes so it worked out. They even put a cupcake on top of the cake. So Gabe got his cupcake afterall.
I think that's the first time we ever finished off an entire cake. I hope everyone got a piece. :)
He had so much fun playing with his friends! He even kissed his friend Ellie when she was leaving. So sweet!
And Gabe got lots of presents. Last year I copied my friend Leilanni and decided to ask people to not bring gifts. At that time Gabe had plenty of toys and really didn't need anything. Well, I caught a lot of flack for that last year and since he is older and understands more about what is going on I decided I wouldn't "deprive" him. Well boy did he get presents! Oh MY! Lots and Lots of gifts.
Well 2 is a big one...but I guess they all are! He has grown so much just in the last 2 weeks even! Everyday he shocks me with a new discovery, word or funny thing he does! He jabbers a lot while he's playing on his own and seems to always have a smile on his face.
We have tried to teach him to pray before every meal and so now he even reminds me sometimes. We'll be sitting there and he'll put his hands together and say, "pwaaayy?" My parents, Nana and Papo kept him last Friday for a little bit so I could get some birthday shopping done and they said when they sat down for lunch he reminded them to pray and then 4 more times while they were eating wanted to pray again. :) So sweet!
Casey and I can't believe it has been 2 years since our boys came into this world and one of them ascended to heaven. When we think back to that day and the week to follow it seems so surreal. I will never forget Casey sitting next to me and holding Nathaniel while they delivered Gabriel. I remember seeing tears in his eyes and a look on his face of overwhelment...not just of being a daddy for the first time, holding his child for the first time, but also grief that this child would not be here with us for very long. He was trying to take it all in. And then the doctors came over with Gabriel and told us to kiss him before they took him to the NICU. That was the last time the boys were together alive. There are no pictures of them together outside of the womb. I'm slowly getting over that.
Casey is such a good daddy. He slept hardly at all those next few days in the hospital. We kept Nathaniel all night and placed him in a bassinett the next morning and watched as a nurse rolled him away. While Casey wanted to be there with me to support me in my overwhelming grief, he wanted to be with Gabe in the NICU worse. And I wanted him there with Gabriel. So he spent hours on end in the NICU and then would come back and tell me about him. He really encouraged me to go up to see Gabe with him. It wasn't that I didn't want to but I was having a hard time recovering from my C-section and the pain medicine they were giving me was making me sick. But when I did finally get up there the evening after the boys were born it was the most precious moment. This child, though he did not know it, would provide Casey and I with a reason to get up every day and provide us with the most incredible sense of appreciation of life and of our Father in heaven. That amidst the most painful experience of our entire lives, it would also be the most joyous. March 23, 2006...the best and worst day of our lives. Thank you, Lord for providing us with the most precious boys in the world! I know they are not ours, but Yours and I pray I am a good steward of this blessing of motherhood you have bestowed upon me.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Singing in the Rain!...well just playing actually.
It was raining today if you hadn't noticed. When Case got home we decided to get our rain gear on and play in the front yard. He didn't mind standing in the rain which I was surprised, after his reaction to the snow...and by the way it is almost midnight and it is still raining. But here are some cute pics. of Gabe playing in the rain. Case has showed him how to pick the berries off of our bushes (don't ask me why). :) Hopefully he'll also teach him not to eat them.
Easter Eggstravaganza
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Snow Day
It snowed in Texas! Can you say, Shut Up? Oh my goodness. This reminded me so much of our winters in Chicago! I always used to LOVE the very first snowfall! It's so pure, white and beautiful. Of course in Chicago it would just keep snowing and would be cold for what felt like forever.
We had so much fun playing in the snow! Casey and I had a snowball fight while Gabe watched. Gabe did not like the snow...at least not enough to get in the snow. He would not touch it or walk in it, even though he had shoes, double socks and double pants on. (we fully anticipated rolling around in the snow, hence all the double layers).
But ever since it snowed he looks on the ground (no matter where we are) and says "noh." It took me a bit at first to figure this out but he holds his hands out to his sides palms up as if asking a question and says, "noh?" I finally said, "Oh the snow." "Jes." "All the snow melted." This is not a concept that 2 year olds understand because he is still asking about the "noh" and it has been a week now. :)
I just love that little boy. Lord, how could you have blessed me with such a sweet, bright, precious little boy? I'm so humble by the calling to be this little boy's mother. Thank you, Jesus!
We had so much fun playing in the snow! Casey and I had a snowball fight while Gabe watched. Gabe did not like the snow...at least not enough to get in the snow. He would not touch it or walk in it, even though he had shoes, double socks and double pants on. (we fully anticipated rolling around in the snow, hence all the double layers).
But ever since it snowed he looks on the ground (no matter where we are) and says "noh." It took me a bit at first to figure this out but he holds his hands out to his sides palms up as if asking a question and says, "noh?" I finally said, "Oh the snow." "Jes." "All the snow melted." This is not a concept that 2 year olds understand because he is still asking about the "noh" and it has been a week now. :)
I just love that little boy. Lord, how could you have blessed me with such a sweet, bright, precious little boy? I'm so humble by the calling to be this little boy's mother. Thank you, Jesus!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Me and Gabe took our cat Harpo to the vet today because he had an ear hematoma. Basically his ear had bubbled up into a huge blood-filled blister (it looked like a sopapilla). :)
Anyhow, the vet had me carry him back and Gabe was so good and just stood quietly by me as I carried Harpo and placed him on the scale and then into the cage. As we were going to leave him for the day so they could do a minor operation to fix his ear, Gabe stood in the lobby and said, "Harpo." (I should interject here and say that anytime Gabe is asking whether he will be able to go do something he puts his hand over his heart and sort of grunts). For example if he points to a plane he'll say, "pane" and I'll repeat it and say, "yes that's a plane." And he'll put his hand over his heart and say, "uhh?" And I'll say, "Does Gabe want to go on a plane?" "Jes."
So we are in the lobby at the Vet's office and I said let's go, Gabe. He said, "Harpo?" I said, "Yes, Harpo is going to stay here and we are going to leave to go to bible study." He put his hand over his heart and said, "uhhh?" "No, sweetie, Gabe is not going to stay. We are going to bible study and Harpo is staying here. We'll come back in a little bit to pick him up." Tears welled up in his eyes and he started to cry, "Harpo." It was so sweet. He did not want to leave his kitty there. He was really upset. I had to get down and talk to him for about a minute before we could leave. He's so tender-hearted.
Anyhow, the vet had me carry him back and Gabe was so good and just stood quietly by me as I carried Harpo and placed him on the scale and then into the cage. As we were going to leave him for the day so they could do a minor operation to fix his ear, Gabe stood in the lobby and said, "Harpo." (I should interject here and say that anytime Gabe is asking whether he will be able to go do something he puts his hand over his heart and sort of grunts). For example if he points to a plane he'll say, "pane" and I'll repeat it and say, "yes that's a plane." And he'll put his hand over his heart and say, "uhh?" And I'll say, "Does Gabe want to go on a plane?" "Jes."
So we are in the lobby at the Vet's office and I said let's go, Gabe. He said, "Harpo?" I said, "Yes, Harpo is going to stay here and we are going to leave to go to bible study." He put his hand over his heart and said, "uhhh?" "No, sweetie, Gabe is not going to stay. We are going to bible study and Harpo is staying here. We'll come back in a little bit to pick him up." Tears welled up in his eyes and he started to cry, "Harpo." It was so sweet. He did not want to leave his kitty there. He was really upset. I had to get down and talk to him for about a minute before we could leave. He's so tender-hearted.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Picture of beautiful baby
We went to the doctor this morning and the baby is PERFECT! When I saw the perfectly round head, tears streamed down my cheeks. Thank you, Lord for such a miracle!! 12 week sonogram.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tomorrow is the day we've been waiting for.
We are 12 weeks pregnant and visiting the Doctor at 9:30 tomorrow morning. I've felt an immense amount of peace and feel good about everything, but am anxious to see the baby tomorrow. Somehow I just feel prepared no matter what happens. I will post more tomorrow once we've seen the doctor. Thank you to my sweet friend that called to check on me today. I appreciate you so much!
Music has always been a big part of my life. Casey laughs at me because I can sing words to songs from the 70s that he's never heard. When I was growing up my parents would have their radio alarm wake them up to 103.7 KVIL. This was the easy listening station in DFW at the time.
But I am a recorder. Once I hear a song I start to sing it over and over again, and most the time I don't even realize I'm doing this. Casey likes to play tricks on me sometimes and will start singing a song ON PURPOSE...and he'll wait to see if I start singing it. I fall for it everytime! :)
It's really cruel because he always seems to choose one of my least favorite wiggles songs or he'll start singing the theme to Bob the Builder.
Anyhow I said all that to sort of explain how music effects me. This is proably the same for everyone, but when I listen to music I make very stron associations with memories and stages of my life. I can hear a song that I listened to back in Highschool and it will illicit all sorts of memories from that time. "Nothing Compares to You" by Sinead O'Connor takes me back to highschool and me and my 2 bf Tam and Jen belting it out as we drove around. "Life means So Much" by Chris Rice takes me to a specific time of running on Lake Michigan in 2003 right after we found out about Casey's cancer. I ran and cried the whole way listening to that song and felt so alone. At the time that we found out Casey told me he didn't want us to tell anyone. (Of course that only lasted about a day after I later confessed to him that I had told my parents).
The same thing happened to me the other day. A sweet friend from Chicago sent me a Lullaby CD as a pregnancy congrats present. We decided to play it at bedtime to see if we could get Gabe to go to bed easier. "Brahm's lullaby" came on and I began to sob. It took me back to April of 2006 when I would rock Gabe in our room as we lsitened to a similar CD with this same song on it. I would rock him and cry, grieving for Nate. It's so amazing to me how our brains work. It has probably been at least a year and a half since I heard that song. And it immediately took me back.
Gabe loves music too and it's so precious to see him enjoy it at his age. A lot of the time, I listen to The Word or other Christian talk radio. But occassionally I'll put a CD in of Chris Rice or The Beatles. He starts to clap everytime!
Music has always been a big part of my life. Casey laughs at me because I can sing words to songs from the 70s that he's never heard. When I was growing up my parents would have their radio alarm wake them up to 103.7 KVIL. This was the easy listening station in DFW at the time.
But I am a recorder. Once I hear a song I start to sing it over and over again, and most the time I don't even realize I'm doing this. Casey likes to play tricks on me sometimes and will start singing a song ON PURPOSE...and he'll wait to see if I start singing it. I fall for it everytime! :)
It's really cruel because he always seems to choose one of my least favorite wiggles songs or he'll start singing the theme to Bob the Builder.
Anyhow I said all that to sort of explain how music effects me. This is proably the same for everyone, but when I listen to music I make very stron associations with memories and stages of my life. I can hear a song that I listened to back in Highschool and it will illicit all sorts of memories from that time. "Nothing Compares to You" by Sinead O'Connor takes me back to highschool and me and my 2 bf Tam and Jen belting it out as we drove around. "Life means So Much" by Chris Rice takes me to a specific time of running on Lake Michigan in 2003 right after we found out about Casey's cancer. I ran and cried the whole way listening to that song and felt so alone. At the time that we found out Casey told me he didn't want us to tell anyone. (Of course that only lasted about a day after I later confessed to him that I had told my parents).
The same thing happened to me the other day. A sweet friend from Chicago sent me a Lullaby CD as a pregnancy congrats present. We decided to play it at bedtime to see if we could get Gabe to go to bed easier. "Brahm's lullaby" came on and I began to sob. It took me back to April of 2006 when I would rock Gabe in our room as we lsitened to a similar CD with this same song on it. I would rock him and cry, grieving for Nate. It's so amazing to me how our brains work. It has probably been at least a year and a half since I heard that song. And it immediately took me back.
Gabe loves music too and it's so precious to see him enjoy it at his age. A lot of the time, I listen to The Word or other Christian talk radio. But occassionally I'll put a CD in of Chris Rice or The Beatles. He starts to clap everytime!
Monday, February 18, 2008
The struggle with food
I do not want to make it a struggle, but sometimes he won't eat anything. So tonight we had chicken pot pie and he actually took a couple of bites but that was it. So he kept asking for a "cook" and we said no cookie until you have this last bite of chicken. He was coloring at the table because that was the only way we could keep him seated. I said, "Gabe, you cannot have a cookie unless you eat this one bite, do you understand?" He looked at me and took a bite of his crayon. I could not help but laugh. He of course proceeded to spit it out immediately.
He really is a pretty good eater. He just won't try certain things. Some foods he loves:
Guacamole from pretty much anywhere but began eating guac from Chipotle.
apples (not the peel)
oranges (but sucks on them and spits out the fleshy part)
loves mixed nuts (go figure...this seems strange to me)
raisins
grapes
pudding snacks
any kind of juice...apple, mixed Dole juices etc.
Silk soy milk
cookies (but who doesn't)
mashed potatoes
steak sometimes
chicken sometimes
any kind of bread
goldfish crackers
fruit abu snacks
any kind of snacks
there's probably more but now I'm tired. :)
It's funny how he has selective hearing. All in the same sitting he had gotten up from the table and was climbing on the couch, pulling a clean comforter off the couch...etc... Casey and I were snickering at the fact that we knew he could hear us but chose to ignore us. "Gabriel, come and sit down and have one more bite. Come and sit down, please." I whispered to Case that if we said "do you want to watch the wiggles?" he would acknowledge we were speaking to him. Casey decided to test this theory. Of course, Gabe said, "jes." hee hee. That was cruel on our part because we were not turning the wiggles on.
He's just so darn cute!
He's saying so many words. He can count to four but he skips number one. "too, tee, poh" So adorable. Being pregnant gives me a very short-term memory so I need to start jotting the words down when he says them. I can't think of them now.
He really is a pretty good eater. He just won't try certain things. Some foods he loves:
Guacamole from pretty much anywhere but began eating guac from Chipotle.
apples (not the peel)
oranges (but sucks on them and spits out the fleshy part)
loves mixed nuts (go figure...this seems strange to me)
raisins
grapes
pudding snacks
any kind of juice...apple, mixed Dole juices etc.
Silk soy milk
cookies (but who doesn't)
mashed potatoes
steak sometimes
chicken sometimes
any kind of bread
goldfish crackers
fruit abu snacks
any kind of snacks
there's probably more but now I'm tired. :)
It's funny how he has selective hearing. All in the same sitting he had gotten up from the table and was climbing on the couch, pulling a clean comforter off the couch...etc... Casey and I were snickering at the fact that we knew he could hear us but chose to ignore us. "Gabriel, come and sit down and have one more bite. Come and sit down, please." I whispered to Case that if we said "do you want to watch the wiggles?" he would acknowledge we were speaking to him. Casey decided to test this theory. Of course, Gabe said, "jes." hee hee. That was cruel on our part because we were not turning the wiggles on.
He's just so darn cute!
He's saying so many words. He can count to four but he skips number one. "too, tee, poh" So adorable. Being pregnant gives me a very short-term memory so I need to start jotting the words down when he says them. I can't think of them now.
This picture is after Gabe ate a ring pop. :)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Must see this Video
I don't watch Oprah but my friend sent me the link to this video. Amazing! You must watch this. A very good reminder of what is really important in life.
http://video.stumbleupon.com/?s=ithct48cqw&i=ufcchmyxqsuj9vwsemax
http://video.stumbleupon.com/?s=ithct48cqw&i=ufcchmyxqsuj9vwsemax
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Gabe is learning more words
Well I've posted a lot lately without pictures because our still camera is not working. We've instead taken lots of video and I intend on posting some footage soon. (Don't hold your breath, though cause it might be a while). :)
Gabe has learned the word obey. I was putting him to bed, which is out of the norm. Casey had gone to meet some of our friends from Colorado for dinner and I was putting Gabe to bed tonight. I'm not a bad mother I promise. We got into this routine a long time ago as a way for Casey to be able to spend time with Gabe in the evening. And now we've figured out that towards the end of the "night, night" routine I cannot be in his room or it is MUCH harder to get him to sleep without a lot of crying. He just will not let me leave. But when Casey puts him down, he goes to sleep peacefully right after he says "Ameen." He obviously has learned to manipulate me. But tonight I had no choice. We went through the whole routine and he said "Ameen" at the end of our prayer. By the way I want to jump in here and mention something so sweet! When we are about to pray we ask Gabe who he wants to pray for. It's always Mama and Dada first and then "Ab" and "Em", his 2 cousins. Abby is his favorite right now. She is 4 so they play together very well. Anyhow, he said "Ameen" and I said "night, night. Go to sleep." Well to make a long story short, he did not let me leave and was in and out of his bed." Finally I said, "You are going to time out if you get out of your bed again." SO to time-out we went. And I asked at the end if he was going to obey mommy and stay in his bed. He said "bey, bed" and kept repeating it. He would start to get out of his bed and I'd say, "You are not obeying mommy." And he would jump back in and lay his head down and say, "bey." It took everything I had to not laugh out loud. Well after being up there for an hour I finally laid in his toddler bed to keep him from getting out and we both fell asleep. Ahh, the joys of motherhood. I love being a mommy!
Gabe has learned the word obey. I was putting him to bed, which is out of the norm. Casey had gone to meet some of our friends from Colorado for dinner and I was putting Gabe to bed tonight. I'm not a bad mother I promise. We got into this routine a long time ago as a way for Casey to be able to spend time with Gabe in the evening. And now we've figured out that towards the end of the "night, night" routine I cannot be in his room or it is MUCH harder to get him to sleep without a lot of crying. He just will not let me leave. But when Casey puts him down, he goes to sleep peacefully right after he says "Ameen." He obviously has learned to manipulate me. But tonight I had no choice. We went through the whole routine and he said "Ameen" at the end of our prayer. By the way I want to jump in here and mention something so sweet! When we are about to pray we ask Gabe who he wants to pray for. It's always Mama and Dada first and then "Ab" and "Em", his 2 cousins. Abby is his favorite right now. She is 4 so they play together very well. Anyhow, he said "Ameen" and I said "night, night. Go to sleep." Well to make a long story short, he did not let me leave and was in and out of his bed." Finally I said, "You are going to time out if you get out of your bed again." SO to time-out we went. And I asked at the end if he was going to obey mommy and stay in his bed. He said "bey, bed" and kept repeating it. He would start to get out of his bed and I'd say, "You are not obeying mommy." And he would jump back in and lay his head down and say, "bey." It took everything I had to not laugh out loud. Well after being up there for an hour I finally laid in his toddler bed to keep him from getting out and we both fell asleep. Ahh, the joys of motherhood. I love being a mommy!
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