Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Monday, February 28, 2011

14 Months

No, I don't have some cool and catchy title for this blog....plain and simple, my baby is 14 months old today!! Wow, we've made it...and done pretty good thus far! Here are the fun things my baby girl is doing:
She is talking up a storm now! Here are the words she can say, and the things she can do, split into catergories...I know I've probably forgotten/skipped some:

She can say: Hat, Socks, Shoes, Shirt, Jacket, Blanket, Diaper
She can say: Eyes, Nose, Tongue, Hair, Teeth
She can say: Dog, Duck, Turtle, Fish
She can Moo like a cow, Tweet like a bird, Blow her trunk like an elephant, Rant like a monkey, Neigh like a horse, BAA like a sheep, Roar like a lion/bear/tiger, Ruff like a dog, Open and Close mouth like a fish
She can say: Hot, Cup, Nana, Apple, Cheese, Juice
She can say: Book, Ball, Baby, Bible, Peek-A-Boo, Bubbles, Bottle, Bow, Balloon, That, This, Uh-Oh, Wall, Light, Owies, Poo Poo, Purple, Flower, Peek-A-Boo, Phone, Sassie, "The End", bracelet, "A" for amen when you say..."In Jesus Name"
She can do the hand signals for "This little light of mine" and "Patty Cake" and "Peek-A-Boo"
She will go in circles while I sing "Ring around the Rosey"
She can say: Mommy, Daddy, Papa
She can shake her head "Yes" and "No." She can also say "no no"...and she points and shakes her finger!
She can do sign language for: Please, Thank You, More, All Done
She can blow Kisses,wave Bye-Bye, sas "Hi", headbutts, Rocks and Give Hugs to her Baby
She can look/point to the light, wall, ceiling, floor
She can put her hands together when you tell her it's time to pray (although not every time!).
She can turn the pages in the book.
She can ride a scooting bike.
She can climb the stairs.
She can rock her baby, and feed her baby with a bottle or with a spoon.
She still eats left-handed.
She can point to: Hair, Mouth, Eyes, Nose, Teeth, Tongue, Hands, Feet
She loves to dance...and to read!
She can toot louder than any man! LOL


She's SO amazing! God created her just the way He wanted, and I am so glad He did! I never knew how much I could love until I met my little Miss Natalee Grace! She is such a blessing to our family! 

Thank you Lord for these 14 months.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13

On another note, today is also my Papa's 76th birthday! I love him SO much! Happy Birthday sweet old man!

Krystole


Natalee Grace 14 Months

Papa, Natalee, and Myself at an Aggie football game!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Sacrifice

I don't think I ever thought I would be blogging about a hospital stay (outside of giving birth) but here I am! Natalee was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday the 23rd! Let me start from the beginning...


Friday, I left work early, because she was running a 101 fever. I took her to the doctor where we found out she had double ear infections (go figure). We can't get rid of the ear infections to save our lives! She was supposed to already have tubes put in, but our insurance is still not covering her...so we are going to have to wait until that gets all cleared up. Anyway...ear infections...anti-biotic...check. Saturday she starts running a 105.2 fever...that gets as high as 105.8! Talk about SCARY! We end up at Northwest ER about 6pm. Just for the record, if you ever have an emergency, don't go to the ER, it seems nothing is deemed urgent enough there...just a little irritated! Finally, 4 hours later, we are in a room. Really? Do you not think a 106 fever for a one year old is a little more urgent? Anyway...blood was drawn, a cath was put in for urine, and a x-ray of her chest was taken. All tests came back negative. We left the ER, and the fever was down to around 101. It made for a VERY long night. Monday the doctor calls. She said that in the cultures that were taken, mono cells were found amongst her white blood cells. Mono seemed to fit the bill of her symptoms too. Mono is very contagious so I had to call into work for the REST of the WEEK! We would go on Tuesday to get the blood drawn to see if it was mono, but the tests wouldn't be back until Friday...meaning we wouldn't know if we were contagious until then. Talk about a weird conversation with your boss..."I'm calling in for the rest of the week because Natalee might have mono." Thankfully, she was understanding about it. Tuesday, we go to the lab at Northwest to have blood drawn AGAIN! :( She was not a very happy camper, but it was done quickly. Wednesday, we get a call from the doctor. The blood work showed that she was severely dehydrated. We had to go back to the doctor's office, where we were then admitted into the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. Our stay at the hospital was not enjoyable! We got there, and she got an IV. My mom and dad came and Jeremy and Kara were also there. I cannot describe to you the look of fear on her face. It was just awful. She refused to drink anything on her own and wasn't having many wet diapers. Thursday we hope that we are going home, but find out that we will be staying yet another night. I notice the tape is coming off of her IV, and I don't want it to fall out, so I ask the nurse if she can re-wrap it. We hold Natalee down, and I promise you also don't understand how STRONG she is, and when we get all the tape off, the nurse says that the IV will have to be moved because there is swelling taking place. My heart just dropped. This was the one thing I was trying to avoid, and instead, it's the one thing we are going to have to do! I hated knowing that she was going to have to go through that again. The first time was bad enough! The nurse says that she is going to have some college observers in the room, so only one parent will be able to go. Jeremy volunteered for the nasty job of helping hold our baby down. I walked down and stood outside the door with her blanket, so that when they were done, I could comfort her. For the next 15 minutes, they were trying to get an IV in. They had to poke her THREE different times. I am a wreck outside of the door, because I realize that it isn't over, and I hear her crying out in fear and pain and desperation. I finally have to walk away...it was just too hard. The nurse said that she was so strong, that as soon as they would get the needle in, the vain would blow. They finally got one to go in, and stay in, in her foot. This made the rest of the stay miserable, because now, she couldn't even stand up or walk around. Natalee had to go through all of that to have the IV in a whole other 10 hours before we were released! I was so heart broken for her. Why was that necessary? Was she still even dehydrated at that point? No one new the answer, but Natalee had to be poked. Talk about an experience that I hope and pray we never have to go through again. We were released on Friday. She was poked a total of 7 times! I'm glad that this is all behind us.

As I sat in the hospital on the night where the IV would not go in, I just started to sob. I realized that it took three times to get the IV in...and that Jesus had three nails placed in him. I could picture the look of terror on Mary's face as she stood there helpless and watched her son be crucified. Three needles in my daughter broke my heart. Three nails in my Jesus killed him. I cannot imagine sacrificing my one and only daughter for a world that did not love. I cannot imagine the pain that He went through for ME.  What an eye opener it was....comparing three needles to three nails. The ultimate sacrifice. Natalee hurt for a while...but Jesus died for me. Nothing compares to his death. Just when I thought we had reached the worst of the worst....Jesus and the cross were brought to my mind. The best part of the story...Jesus isn't dead. He didn't go through that pain in vain. He went through that pain for ME. Now, we can share in eternity with him. What a mighty GOD we serve. I love that even at a low "mommy moment," Jesus was there.

 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." John 11:25-26

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Romans 6:8-11
saddest picture ever!

Krystole

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Outside

YAY! A beautiful February day! At CDO today, we were able to go outside and play on the playground. Natalee LOVED it! I was so nervous with how high the play set is off the ground, and all the open areas where she could just fall off, but she did great...of course I was following her the entire time! :) I took some pictures of her enjoying the free play!

"God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

Krystole
Look at my shades!
This is AwEsOmE!
I love her!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Lil' Lovebug

February...what can I say about this month "dedicated" to love? I know that I have bought more things with hearts on them this year, than in all my years! I love buying things for Natalee! It is so much more fun to spend money on her that it is to spend it on me, or on groceries for that matter! :)
Love list: No particular order!
1) My husband. He's so devoted to us and to God. He never stops showing me how Christ loved the church...he is SO awesome to his bride (that's me!).

2)My daughter. Wow...I have one of those? Still doesn't seem real sometimes, but I love the title of Mommy. She is such a joy to my heart!
3) My friends. I have wonderful friends, who would do just about anything for us, and love the Lord. What a blessing they have truly been!
4) My family. I know that everyone always says that they love their family...but I really mean it! They are SO amazing.
5) My church family. We love Central, and the way that they show God to people!
6) GOD! None of the other stuff listed would even matter if I didn't have/know/love God! What a mighty GOD we serve!

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8

Krystole

Here are some of the best pictures of Valentines' Month...we don't just celebrate the 14th! She's been bleeding red, pink, and hearts all month long! LOL We've had several love bug photo shoots, and I LOVE every picture! So, here is a list of my so far favorites:
Sweet little lady!


Where's Daddy?


Look at my cute heart chucks!


Blowing Kisses!


Playing in the front yard!


LOVE


Too cool for school in my shades!


Family night...making snow ice cream!


Family night...with home made pizza rolls!


The Valentine Trail Mix goodies we made for friends at CDO!


Valentine's Day Party at CDO!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

New Discovery

Today we took our first family trip to the Discovery Center! It was SO much fun! Natalee loved all there was to see and do! I have not been to the Discovery Center since I was a child, and it was awesome! I'm pretty sure that I liked it more than Natalee! We had a great time walking around each exhibit. Natalee really liked the "clouds" (dry ice). She was afraid to touch the smoke though! We watched a movie in the Planetarium. It's a dome-shaped movie theater. The seats are reclined and you watch a 3D movie above you. Natalee seemed a little over-whelmed by it at first, but by the end was dancing and pointing to all the different objects. They have a little kiddie corner. All Natalee wanted to do was play on the matted area. She had a ball walking back and forth over the textured mats. There were books, puzzles, stuffed animals, blocks, etc in this gated off area. We made a lot of new discoveries today! We also got a year membership. Today's price cost us $20...and a family package was only $40/year...and our first $20 went towards that. So, for $20 more dollars, we get to go unlimited times for the next year. I so look forward to going and exploring again, especially as she gets older, and her interests change!

Even though this was a family fun day, I can't help but think of how the Lord loves for us to learn things that are right! Growing in His word, His wisdom, and His love should be our ultimate goal! We should be just as excited to grow in knowledge of the things that really matter. Lord, help me to grow for Your kingdom. Help me to remember why I am here, and that this is not my home. Amen!

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:7
Krystole

Natalee playing on the mats!
Looking at the "clouds"
Watching the movie!
Making new discoveries...
YEE HAW!
She was worn out!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Snow Place Like Home

Today was a snow day! We had a great day with just our little family! I was so happy to have this time with the two of them! We started out with breakfast....biscuits and eggs! We watched an episode of Wipeout while we ate. We let Natalee play around all morning long. Jeremy still had to do some work, so he worked on that the majority of the morning. We then snuggled up on the couch and watched an episode of Veggie Tales. Natalee laughs at some of the stuff now, I wonder what she is thinking? We then let Natalee down to play, and next thing you know, her hands are covered in poop!! I asked Jeremy, "what is she doing, she is really quiet?" She had gone behind the couch and stuck her fingers in the top of her diaper! GROSS!! Luckily, we caught her at the very beginning, so it didn't get messy at all...this time! LOL We then ate lunch, and laid Natalee down for her nap. When she awoke, we got all bundled up, and took her outside to play in the snow! Well, there was very little "playing" that actually took place! She could not even walk in it! The wind was still blowing pretty hard too! She tried to walk, fell, and then cried! She didn't really want anything to do with it! I bet next year will be another story. We went back in, and started on supper. We made home-made pizza rolls! They were really yummy! We all sat at the table, and enjoyed each other's company. We've been working on praying before we eat with Natalee. We've always prayed before eating, but now, we are trying to get Natalee to fold her hands, and say amen. So far...she will say..."A" at the end! LOL I love teaching her things about Jesus. It makes my heart happy! After supper was over, we made snow ice cream! It was SNOW much fun (pun intended)!! It tasted like the soft serve ice cream! It was delicious!! 1 bowl of snow, 1 cup of sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and milk poured in until it looked like ice cream! I can't wait to do this tradition every time it snows now!! We all ate ice cream, and really enjoyed it. After such a fun day together as a family, I can't help but be reminded of how truly blessed we are! It is just amazing to see God's hand at work on my little family! We take such joy and delight in Him! I am eager to teach Natalee more about God and His love for her! Since having Natalee, I think I have such a greater sense of the sacrifice that God gave us...the death of His ONLY son! I can't imagine giving Natalee up, for the sake of a sinful world. I thank God that He chose that sacrifice.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, whosoever shall believe in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

Quick mommy note: Every time I sing Jesus loves me to Natalee...and get to the part where it says, "for the Bible tells me so" she will start saying Bible over and over again! I don't remember if I already mentioned this in another post or not, but I LOVE it that much!! I'm trying to teach her the little hand motions that go with the song. Also, when singing, this little light of mine, she will try to hold up her 1 little finger...and she always starts laughing before I can even shout NO in the second verse (hide it under a bushel: NO!)! She really is such a joy to me! I am so thankful that God saw me fit to be her mommy!

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Krystole

Poop Fingers!

"Playing" in the snow!

Home-made Pizza Rolls!

Making Snow Ice Cream!

Natalee helping me stir!