Friday, March 27, 2009

Pay it Forward Winner!!!

And the winner is...

Tami!!! Congratulations Tami!!! Email me your address so I can send your prize (rshealy@cfl.rr.com).

Everyone else can visit Tami's blog here: http://tillgodbringsthemhome.blogspot.com/

Tami is a fabulous mommy of a sweet little boy she adopted internationally less than a year ago. He is truly precious and thriving with his new family!

Thank you to everyone else who entered the giveaway! Look for more in the future!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Ian--Seven Weeks Old







Ian is doing very well! He is getting lots of chubs and began smiling a lot more today. We've even had a few "coos!" Everyone has an opinion about who he looks like, but to Roger and me...
he has Ari's eyes, and Lauren's mouth and nose. We can especially see the resemblance to Lauren when he smiles.
He is eating 5 ounces every 3 hours during the day. He is doing great at night! He is in bed around 10:30 every night and wakes up at 5:30 or 6:00 the next morning. Instead of feeding him when he woke up at 6:00 this morning I put him in bed with me, cuddled, gave him his pacifier and he slept until 7:20.
He is a wonderful gift!


Friday, March 20, 2009

Pay it Forward Giveaway!!!


This is my first Giveaway!!! I'm so excited and looking forward to doing it more in the future! I recently won a really cool scrub pad from my sweet friend, Peggy http://sharinglifewithpeggy.blogspot.com/. And now it is my turn to Pay it Forward! And these are the beautiful (but very inexpensive) earrings I can't wait to give to someone special!
Here's how it works:
1. Leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway. Next Friday evening, March 27th, I will draw one name, and announce the winner! I will let you know that you won and mail you the prize.
2. The person who wins will host their own "Pay It Forward Giveaway" and continue sharing the love! Now, naturally, this prize need not be extravagant, just a simple treat in the mail! You can choose any prize you'd like to give.
Good luck!

"Bye, Daddy! We love you!"

This is almost a daily occurrence. The kids stand at the gate and yell, "Bye, Daddy! We love you!" They stand there until they can't see him anymore. I love it!


I weighed Ian today at my friend Laurie's house...do you want to guess how much he weighs? I would have been seriously wrong!

Drum roll, please...........................


10 pounds, 12.5 ounces

Oh, my!!! He's getting so big!!!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Ian--Six Weeks Old





Time flies and babies grow too fast!!! I had my check-up this week and everything looks good! Ian gave us his first smile on Sunday. He smiled at my doctor on Tuesday. Lauren has been able to get him to smile several times, which thrills her!

Ian is still eating 4-5 ounces every three hours during the day. His last feeding is usually at 10:00 pm. He slept through the night for the first time last night. I fed him at 10:30 pm, he fussed here and there in the night, but never fully woke up, and then I fed him at 7:15 this morning! I wouldn't expect him to sleep through the night tonight, but he should be sleeping through the night, consistently, in the next few weeks. Ahhhh, sleep!

He can still wear most of his newborn sleepers, but his onesies are getting too small. So, I guess I will be packing some things away this weekend and getting out his 3-6 month clothes. All of my other kids began growing out of their newborn clothes at this time, too, but I had hoped to keep him tiny a little bit longer!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Ian--Five Weeks Old


Ian is growing! He used his last newborn size diaper yesterday and got his first haircut, too! He had lost most of the hair on the top of his head, but had a lot around the sides and back, so he truly looked like a little old man. He looks so cute with his new bald head. Actually, he still has hair, but it is really short!
He is on the same schedule he was on last week. He drinks 4 ounces every three hours during the day, eats for the last time between 10:00 and 10:30 pm, and then gets up once or twice in the night. He has only been up once in the night the last two nights.
He has a little bit of baby acne, but it isn't bad. His scalp is dry, but I certainly don't mind lathering on the baby perfume (Baby Magic!).
Miles is showing Ian a lot of attention. He wanted to hug him a lot today, and kiss him,
and touch him and say, "I love you." Very sweet! Honestly, there have really been no jealousy issues with any of the kids. I think we are adjusting amazingly well...praise the Lord!!!




Check this out!!!

http://joneseeadoption.blogspot.com/2009/03/ergobaby-carrier-backpack-and-front.html

Help the Jones Family bring home two orphans and win a really neat baby carrier at the same time!!! For every $5 you donate you are entered into a drawing to win the Ergobaby carrier. This is one of the neatest carriers I have ever seen. Check it out!!!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Today was a busy day. I did laundry, helped the kids with their AWANA verses (we ended up not going to tonight, though), gave myself a perm (my hair is naturally curly, but I wanted it curlier!), went to Walmart (my first trip out with all five kids by myself) and gave Ian a haircut. He has lost almost all of his hair on the top of his head, but it was a little thick and long around the sides and back, so he looked like an old man who had gone bald on top. Now, he just looks bald, but it actually looks a lot better. He is a cutie!

My trip to Walmart went very well until Miles threw a fit before we left. I put Ari and Miles in the double stoller, Ian in my baby wrap, and Lauren and Franklin walked next to me. It was funny to see peoples faces as they watched me with all of the kids. I could see on their lips that they were counting each of the kids and then they would mouth, "FIVE!?" Funny!

Ian is not a little brother?

Ari informed me that Ian is not his "wittle" brother. I didn't want to argue, but I said, "Yes, Ian is your little brother." He continued to tell me that he wasn't, so I asked him why. He said, "Because he's too wittle. He's too wittle to be a wittle brother." So, I told him that he is a little brother because he is the "baby brother." That seemed to make sense to him. Silly Ari!

Getting better, but who's next?

Ari and Miles are getting much better. Neither of them are having pain in their ears anymore, but still have nasty noses. And who's next? Well, it seems to be Franklin. He has a terribly sore throat, and this afternoon he complained that his ear was hurting. We'll see how he does tomorrow. It looks like I could be making another trip to the doctor's office. I wonder if they would just call in a prescription...it may be worth asking...

Monday, March 9, 2009

Not a happy home!

I took Ian to the doctor for his one month check-up last Wednesday, then Miles on Thursday because I knew he had a terrible ear infection and suspected a perforated ear drum (ouch!), and then Ari today because of ear pain. Miles did, in fact, have ear infections in both ears and a perforated ear drum, and Ari has a bad ear infection in one ear and a sinus infection. So, although it is very atypical for us, I have been to the doctor's office 3 times in less than a week.

Ari is completely miserable. He has had a nasty cold, but his ear began hurting this afternoon, and got bad...FAST! He started on an antibiotic this evening, but I feel so bad for him because he is in so much pain. He didn't go to sleep until 10:00 tonight and for the two hours previous he was writhing on the sofa in pain. I know exactly how he feels. I grew up with terrible ear infections. Roger just got home with Similasan ear drops. We've never tried these because we have been blessed with very few ear infections with the kids, but we are willing to try anything to help him. We will also keep him pain medication every three hours tonight, so it stays heavily in his body.

Please pray for healing! AND that Ian would stay healthy!

The Circus






Lauren and Franklin were very creative last week and decided to put on a circus for our family. Lauren was the acrobat and figured out how to make it from one end of the swing set to the other without letting her feet hit the ground. Franklin was the funny clown who wanted to make everyone laugh. I was so proud of the work they put into it and their creativity. They've never actually been to a circus!




Thursday, March 5, 2009

Ian--Four Weeks Old

Ian is One Month Old today!!! I cannot believe a month has already passed. He had a check-up yesterday. He weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 22 inches long. He drinks 4 ounces of formula (Nestle Good Start) every three hours during the day. After he drinks his bottle during the day I change his diaper and then he is wide awake for about 1.5 hours. He usually drinks his last bottle at 10:00 pm, I put him in bed at 10:30, and then he either wakes up at 2:00 am and then 5:00 am, or he will sleep until 3:00 am and then I often wake him up at 7:00 am to eat again. He goes back and forth between those hours at night. He enjoys sucking on a Mam pacifier quite a bit. It seems to be the only brand he likes. He is very content unless he is hungry, or wants to be held as he goes to sleep. Our family is really enjoying our "little peanut!"

Monday, March 2, 2009

Pictures!





























Ain't no mountain high enough!


This was my mountain of laundry this morning! I didn't do laundry over the weekend and it piles up fast! I thought I lost a kid in there at one point! :-)