i don't claim to know it all. i don't claim to be perfect. i just claim to love jesus.

Thursday, January 09, 2014

updates on the family

i can't believe fletcher has been here for FOUR weeks today!! these past four weeks have flown right on by. i guess with Christmas in there it helped the weeks go by. i snapped this picture of him the other day after he finished eating. i JUST love these snuggles after feeding him.
and then those cheeks that are filling in. i could just bite them. lol. yesterday he weighed almost 11 pounds! so he's growing quite nicely. ((at his 5 day check at the doctor he was down to 7lbs 10oz...and we had to do a weight check a few days later...he was 8lbs 3oz...i'd say he's growing quite nicely, considering he's gained 3lbs in the past few weeks.))

i'm still having to sleep in the recliner because of my pelvic pain. my husband is a superstar and has been sleeping downstairs with me...for almost five weeks! the other night he was cuddling with fletcher before we "officially" went to bed...and i caught this picture of them.
 
i love these daddy and baby sleeping pictures. i'm pretty sure i have one of these for all six of the kids. ((six kids! i have SIX kids!! it's still sinking in!))

speaking of the other kids...
amelya is doing her first research project for our homeschool co-op. she looked so big to be looking stuff up on the computer the other day...
i can't believe she'll be nine in a few months. these past four weeks may have flown by...but the past NINE years have definitely zoomed on by! 

breigh has been loving the role of big sister to a baby. the other week fletcher was awake and she told me i should take a picture because he was awake. 
it's so fun seeing her be a little momma to our baby. she loves momma-ing the babies at church, but i think she thinks it's awesome to have her own baby to momma. 

to say that dustin has fallen into the big brother to a little brother role quite naturally is the understatement of the year! this about made my heart melt into nothing the other day...
he loves his little brother. and i know his little brother just loves him.

evaleigh has also fallen into the big sister role quite well. i was a bit worried, seeing she was our baby the longest...but she's had no adjustment issues. and for that i'm very thankful. she got workbooks .for Christmas this year and also feels "cool" because she has more school work to do. 

miss caitlyn. i don't have a picture of her! well...i don't have one that i've snapped on my phone and posted to facebook recently. she's been doing great. she's really coming along on her reading. which makes me happy. i've taken a real gentle approach to teaching her reading...and it's WORKING. the other two attempts i've made have not worked. so yesterday, when she read me her entire first story with minimal help...i was elated. she...and i...have come a long way in this process. and it makes me happy to see that it's finally working. 

shaun has been stuck working in the arctic blast weather we've been having. of course i know he needs to work. but i feel bad that he has to work outside sometimes. his lungs hurt the other day because of having to work on something outside the other morning. and of course more things have been broken at work. and he's been working ridiculous hours. sometimes i think if he were paid overtime or even given a (much much MUCH deserved) raise i wouldn't care as much when he gets home at 7PM after being called in at 5AM. i'm thankful he has a job...i just wish that he felt appreciated at it. it's a struggle to listen to him some nights talk about things from work. i just keep encouraging him that he doesn't work for "work" he works for the Lord. and that we need to remember that we won't feel appreciated all the time...and that it's OKAY! that we're working for the Lord and unto the Lord and our reward will be beautiful in heaven!! doesn't mean it's easy to do...but it's something to always work on.

me. i only have 10 pounds to lose to be at my prepregnancy weight. that made me sort of happy...well has happy as one can be when her prepregnancy weight was still about 35 pounds MORE than she wants to weigh. my goal is to get back at the treadmill. once fletcher is sleeping a bit better at night. right now i feel that an extra two hours of sleep is more important for all of us than me getting a walk in on the treadmill. last night he was a true newborn and up every two hours. it was by far the "worst" night of sleep since he's been born. and by worst i mean that he was up a lot to eat. i can't complain though, he doesn't really cry to eat, he just starts grunting and  moving around, so then i know he's hungry. i feed him, and 9 times out of 10 he goes right back to sleep. it's that 1 time out of 10 that he may need some snuggling time to go back to sleep. or i just rock the rock and play to put him back to sleep. or it works out that daddy is already up for work and they get some snuggles in before he leaves for work. :)

AND! i had my MRI the week after fletcher was born. 
the spot on my brain is still there. BUT it's smaller. so the neurologist just wants to keep an eye one it and do another MRI in 6 months. so...i really don't have any answers, but it doesn't seem to be anything to "worry" about either. i'll admit, i'd much rather know "what" it is/was...but to have no answers, but nothing to worry about...i'm okay with that, too. 

emotionally i am doing pretty well. i keep trying to evaluate myself when i get emotional about things. i'm not scared of having post partum depression again, but yet i'm scared i'll wait too long if i do have it. at any rate...i just keep praying for my hormones to balance out just fine. 

before i start to ramble...i'll stop while i'm ahead! :) 




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