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Where have the last two months gone????

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:39:31 GMT

I feel like I blink and a week disappears! Since Addie has joined our family time seems to fly even faster than before. Also, our new building that our church has been working on for a few years it just weeks away from being complete. Adam is on the Building Committee and I am involved in some ministries that will be starting with the new building in January so we seem to have one happy but busy family these days. Days like today where the only thing on our to-do list was grocery shopping are so very rare. It has been a nice day though!

Adam is a WONDERFUL dad and husband. Today he helped out alot with cleaning the house while I was grocery shopping and being on kid duty so I could take a nap. We celebrated 5 years of marriage last month. I never thought I'd still be falling in love with my husband on a DAILY basis after 5 years of marriage. He really is the most perfect man for me. I miss him so much every day when he leaves for work and I look so forward to when he comes home. I just really enjoy him and he makes me laugh so much.

Isaac is talking all the time now. He just spoke his first full sentence the other day. We were driving and I had to stop while several geese crossed the road. I came to a complete stop and whipped out my cell phone to take a picture real quick. As soon as I was done Isaac punched the air with his fist and said "Good job, Mommy!" It was so cute and I just burst out laughing.

We have had some struggles with obedience lately. We have been working really hard on it though and he is getting better at obeying the first time. God is so faithful to allow us to see the results of consistency immediately to encourage us to continue to work hard at training our children! He still loves his Car toys above all else. We also started a new "game". It is a Baby Leap Frog Backyardigans DVD that encourages decisions, teaches about animals, dancing and the alphabet. He asks to play it every day and we pull out to do it together but then as it starts he gets all shy and picks and chooses what he'll participate in He does love the froggy best though because you get to hop all over the living room like a frog! The monkey who beats his chest while saying "ooo-ooo-ooo" is his second favorite! He loves to count, likes to listen to music and LOVES his Puggles class. Puggles is part of our Awana program at church on Wednesday nights. He learns so much about God there and he retains so much of what they teach. I am always suprised at his retention since he just turned two!

Addie-girl is 15 weeks old now! She is still not sleeping through the night. Isaac was sleeping 11 hours at a stretch at night time. She tends to get up 1-2 times a night. She has slept through the night a few times and even did it twice in a row last week. Her sleep schedule for 15 weeks now has me very exhuasted all the time. She doesn't nap for longer than 1 hr at a time during the day so naps are pretty much out of the question.....20 minute naps don't help me these days. I end up waking up more tired and grumpy then when I first laid down.

She tends to eat every 2.5 hrs. At one point she was able to go every 3 hours but her body is like clock work! Once it's been 2.5 hrs if she's not feeding she goes from being very happy and content to angry and miserable. But she is a good feeder and is normally finished in 15 minutes.

We haven't started cereal yet. I've been debating starting it within a week or two. I know Isaac slept alot better once he started cereal.

Well, I need to get to bed. Here are a few pics of my munchkins! I am so thankful they love each other!

Family pictures

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:55:24 GMT

My precious family!

My wonderful, adoring, loving, HOT hubby!

My beautiful little angel:

My energetic, happy, loving, best li'l bud!

Congdon updates

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:50:51 GMT

Wow, the past 7 weeks have passed in a blur! Too much has happened to go into detail so I'll keep it short and simple.

Was awfully sick for about 4 weeks. Double ear infection, Double pink eye (twice), sinus infection, sore throat, ears filled with fluid so half death. This is not a fun thing to have with a 3 week old. Let me tell you. Thankfully I have AWESOME friends who brought me medicine, took my kids at a moments notice and made me homemade very YUMMY chicken soup. Adam was awesome and helped out soo much with the kids, trying to let me sleep. He even took nightime feedings so that I could try to rest a bit more. Man, I looove him!

My new news is I get to be the manager of the cafe my church is going to be setting up. I am sooo excited. It is a chance for me to use my brain again! :) I am loving it. We are in the "research" phase right now. Researching our legal responsibilities, contacting the health dept, looking at what kind of displays we want to use for our food, what kind of food, how much does it cost, banking, signs, etc. It is fun but time consuming. I feel bad becaus with all the appts I have these days with this alone I feel like I need a sitter all the time. Last week I needed a sitter every single day. Thankfully though sometimes I am able to just bring the kids. I am thankful that Isaac is so well behaved when I take him places. I am always surprised at how he is able to (at times) control all of his energy! :)

Addie is doing great! I can't believe she is 2 days short of being 9 weeks old. Where does the time go? She is getting a regular routine down more and more every day! She is awake for about an hour and 15 minutes in between her naps. Her naps used to be 2-3 hours each but she is cutting those a bit shorter now that she is almost sleeping through the night. Just last night she slept from 10:30pm after her last feeding and woke up at 5:30 this morning. My body just doesn't know what to do with that much sleep so I have up, wide awake since then. Wow, the house is VERY quiet right now except for the sound of the coffee brewing! J She started smiling and cooing around 7 weeks. It is so adorable. She is such a cutie! My little angel!!!

Isaac absolutely adores his sister. He often asks to hold her and feels the need to check on her often. I pray that his adoration of her continues always!

Isaac turned 2 and we had several birthday fun nights for him. We spent his actual birthday with his best bud Jacob and Jacob's family. It was a fun time. One of the memories we are making for our children is having a special cake for each birthday. This is really important to Adam and so I am stretching my creative talent to do this for him and our kids. Last year for Isaac's one year I made Rocket from "Little Einsteins". This year I made Lightening McQueen!

He got lots and lots of fun Disney Cars toys for his bday. He is now at almost 30 Cars and I am amazed that he knows the name of every single one. He also can tell by looking at his pile which one(s) are missing. He is truly a joy to have around and always so happy and smiley. I just adore my little boy!

Here is he is running down to open his presents which we put in his Mack tent!

Playing with some bday toys!

My mom used to let us lick the batter whenever she was baking. Isaac LOVES this! :)

Adam is still busy with church since we are nearing the completion of our new building. The next few months will be even busier for him as finishing touches are put on. It is sooo exciting to see the new things being done to the building every day. I can't wait for it to be completed and see how God is going to use it to reach those far from Him!

Addison: 2 1/2 weeks

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:41:00 GMT

Wow! Taking care of 2 kids is time consuming! Not that I thought it wouldn't be but there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done. I had intended on updating my blog more often so that I would have a better record of Addison's first few months but....just not enough hours in a day!

So after 1 week of awesome sleeping at night Addison has gone to getting up 2-3 times a night for a feeding. Although it is very tiring and leads to exhausting days I am not going to complain because she goes down so easily every time. Her last feeding is between 9:30-10:30pm. I put her right down in her crib with no fussing and she wakes up to be fed, going back down just as easily each time. Only once did she think it was supposed to be awake time from 2-4am......but thankfully that only happened one time! :)

She only has a few awake times during the day. I haven't attempted to put her down on a daily schedule yet. I enjoy having her sleep in the living room where we can see her and enjoy her. Probably when she is 4-6 weeks old I'll work on getting her to nap in her crib. But, this time just goes by so fast and I am enjoying having a teeny one around the house. One of her favorite positions to be in is propped up on her tummy...either on mommy or daddy or on her boppy. TOO CUTE!

Isaac is still SO good with Addison. He is such a proud big brother. He gives her TONS of kisses and hugs all day long. Often asks if he can hold her. It is so heartwarming to see how gentle he is with her.

Isaac has been soooo good that we bought him some Cars as a reward. He loves them and spends hours every day playing with them. I love watching him play with Chick Hicks and Lightening McQueen....it so cute how he says their names!

Adam LOVES spending time with his kids when he comes home from work....this particular day they both wanted to jump in bed and take an evening nap with him!

Well....Isaac thought it sounded fun at first but quickly dismissed the idea! Adam has been sooo awesome! One of our arrangements that just worked itself out is Adam gets up with Isaac in the morning before work since Isaac often wakes up between 6-6:30am. Then, I get up at 7am and take over while he gets ready for work.. For some reason my body literally feels like it cannot wake up or function until 7am...but then once 7am hits I am good to go! Strange, but it works for us! :)

Also, we had many many friends help us out with dinners the past couple weeks but Meg wins the prize for most creative:

This is literally how she brought our dinner! Pizza and salad complete with a movie, popcorn and candy for a movie night! I am soooo blessed to have such amazing amazing friends who love me! And a husband who I love dearly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Addison: One Week old....already?????

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:11:55 GMT

I can't believe Addison is already a week older...really, older by now! It seems like you wait forever for your baby to get here and then when they do, time just flies! Adam was able to take a weeks vacation and he has been EXTREMELY helpful around the house. I am going to miss him terribly when he goes back to work tomorrow! Really, for many reasons.....but one thing I noticed he was VERY good at (and I let him know this morning) was he was really good with spreading his time. There were times he was very helpful with housework....whether it was folding laundry, cleaning up from a dinner some kind friend brought us, or just regular cleaning. But he also had a wonderful way of making each of us (me, Isaac and Addison) feel so special. SEVERAL times a day he would be real cute or flirty with me, letting me know how much in love with me he was, then there were times where he focused on Isaac, taking him for a walk or reading to him or just playing with him and all his toys. And then he took time to just chill out and hold his new baby girl. He helped out with getting both kids ready every morning. It was W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Addison is such an easy baby. So far she has had only ONE crying fit! Tuesday night she just fussed and cried for an hour and a half. Normally she only cries for 1 of 2 reasons. Either she has gas she needs to pass or she is hungry.

She goes down for bed every night into her crib between 10pm and 11pm. Most nights she gets up once to eat around 3am or so. Then she gets up anywhere from 5am-7am for her next feeding. She goes right to sleep in her crib and doesn't cry at all! We did have 2 nights in a row where she woke up at 1am and then again at 4am but I think that was because Isaac woke up and started banging on his door while crying at 1am and that caused Addison to wake up. But, normally she doesn't wake up before 3am. It is so nice to get such long stretches of sleep. I actually feel no more tired and exhausted then while I was pregnant, so I am thankful for that!

Some days it seems her awake time is VERY minimal. One or two awake times during the day. Other days she has 3-4 good solid awake times. Often if she is having a really good day it seems she sleeps, is awake and then naps, and then starts that cycle again.

She is currently eating every 2-3 hours. I attempted to put her on a specific schedule (like every 2.5 hours for feedings) like I did with Isaac but it hasn't worked. I would spend a long time attempting to wake her up only to have her start eating and then promptly fall back into a sound sleep. I have learned that if I just wait for her she will wake herself up 2-3 hours after she last ate and it is must less work for me, since I don't need to work at waking her up or keeping her awake! It feels so good to be flexible with Addison. I was much less flexible with Isaac and all it really did was just cause more stress for me.

She was a natural at nursing. She made me feel like a pro she was so good. And she also took to her pacifier rather quickly. We don't use it all that much and she doesn't sleep at night with it but it helps for those moments where she seems a little fussy for no apparent reason. I remember Isaac had a hard time keeping it in his mouth for several months unless we held it in there for him!

So, overall, our first week was more of a success than I ever dreamed possible! Thank you, Lord!!!! :)

Addison Rose

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:16:26 GMT

Well, Addison Rose made her appearance exactly one week ago tonight. She arrived on July 30th at 7:58pm after a 27 hour long labor! Last Wednesday I lost alot of blood and went immediately to the hospital. After determining the reason they decided to induce immediately since I was already 38 weeks along. The hard thing was was that my body wasn't ready to go into labor so it ended up lasting 27 hours. Because of low platelets I was encouraged to get my epidural rather early into the inducement which initially meant absolutely no pain at all!!! When I had about 4 hours left before delivery (unknown at the time) my epidural ran out and I had an hour of awful pain before they were able to take care of it. Around 7:30pm I started pushing but was so weak from the long labor and also emotionally and mentally exhausted from how it had all started the day before. They ended up vacuuming her out so the entire pushing time was only 30 minutes. She spent her first 4 hours in the NICU because I had a fever of 104 at time of delivery. That was hard...we wanted to hold her so badly.

The time in the hospital was surprisingly relaxing. We had a few visitors but not many and it really allowed us time to rest and sleep before we came home. Isaac was the first to meet her and it was a really sweet time. He was so excited. However, being almost 2, he quickly found her to not be exciting enough and was off to explore the hospital room. Aunt Terri was a huuuuge help in staying with Isaac at the house and she brought him up to the hospital every day to visit with us! She also made sure that we came home to a really nice clean house!

THANK YOU AUNT TERRI!! Those are the best gifts! :) My mom and dad were the next ones to come visit. They just couldn't wait...I think they were sad they had to wait until Friday to see her! But I think they will agree she was worth the wait!

Proud Papa!

Adam's mom was away on vacation and couldn't wait to come back to meet her new grandaughter.

We were able to come home from the hospital on Sunday due to some tests they had taken on Addison. They needed 48 hours to get the results. It was nice to be able to soak in the Jacuzzi one final time before heading home.

Addison's going home outfit

Isaac really adores his little sister!

37 weeks and 5 days!

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:26:12 GMT

Well, the last few days have been very up and down. Weird emotions taking control when least expected. Dealing with pains and contractions one minute and then feeling great and energetic the next! Some great sleeping nights some awful sleeping nights!

Thankfully Isaac has been his old adorable, happy-go-lucky, fun natured self. For several weeks he was throwing tantrums often, not wanting to play with his toys, waking up from all naps/bedtimes screaming and just kinda being miserable. The last several days most of that has disappeared. It seems like the old Isaac is back. He is sooo stinkin' cute all the time, very rarely throws temper tantrums, has been waking up talking and playing and has been great about naptimes and plays so cutely!! (is that a word?) I am so thankful because it is really helping me emotionally!

I have been keeping busy lately with lots of playdates in the mornings, naps in the afternoons and then family time in the evening. It has been helping to pass the time and not feel bored and anxious about Addison. I think Adam thinks I am going overboard with trying to keep the house clean...I probably am but I can't help it! :)

I also took off my maternity belt b/c the way that my stomach is it won't hold the belt up anymore, therefore it is not supporting my stomach like it should. So, I took it off and the freedom I feel is GREAT!

If Addison isn't here by Thursday then hopefully my Dr. will be giving me my inducement date at my appt that day. Oh my, the end is sooo close! :)

Dr. Update

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:35:20 GMT

Went for my non-stress test today. Not as nice as last weeks. Last week I sat in a recliner with my feet up! It was sooo relaxing. Today....they put me in the recliner and RECLINED me!! NOT fun this far pregnant....THEN I had to lay on my right side while still reclined. Very uncomfortable. Then I had a 7 minute long mostly BH contraction so they left me on longer than normal. So, 45 minutes later......they took it off and announced that Addison was healthy as could be.

Went over to the Dr. and found out that I am 1cm dialated and 0% effaced! He was able to feel Addison' head. He said it was right there! He did assure me that he was very optimistic about inducing me at 39 weeks if Addison is still not here. He said it would be no problem and things would progress well! So, I am excited to know I have no more than 2 weeks left....and next Thursday when I go for my 38 week appt I should be able to get an inducement date...if I am still preggo that is! :) So, it was good for me emotionally and mentally to hear that.

37 Weeks and counting.....

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:07:18 GMT

Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks along. I am not going to lie. Labor is actually sounding appealing to me today! What on earth????!!!????

It has been getting harder and harder to sleep at night. My belly is so out there and so big that it is very difficult to switch sides. I also need a pillow between my knees and not being used to that is just adding to the frustrations! I also have alot of hip pain on whatever side I am laying down on! Actually being able to get out of the bed to go to the bathroom several times a night is more difficult then I remember!

Today is another non stress test followed by a Dr. appt. No ultrasound today. I am hoping and praying that my body is progressing. The good thing is my Dr. told me she wouldn't let me go past 39 weeks...and that is 2 weeks from tomorrow......so at least the light at the end of my tunnel is very close! :)

Isaac has actually been very good and cute this week. He has been much better at obeying and not whining as much! That is a huge blessing!!! He has been making me laugh alot! On Monday we actually spent 1 1/2 hrs outside during the day and he didn't make me chase after him at all. He just played so well in his little kiddie pool.

He repeats so many words now. Adam sat down with him yesterday and had him repeat the alphabet and for the first time Isaac was able to do it! Adam thought I had been spending time with him teaching him his ABC's but unfortunately I can not take the credit! :)

He does have a little cold that he came down with yesterday but it has not affected his playful personality. He's been doing very well playing on his own the past few days. I think he is really going to love having his cousins here for the next couple days. We've scheduled lots of playdates this week to help the week go by faster for me. I don't want to sit around at home looking for something to do or attempting to rest because then I am afraid the time will drag!

I also don't think my skin can stretch anymore so, Addison, please come soon! :) We are eager to meet you, you cute girl!!!! :):):):):):):)

Blessings

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:27:13 GMT

So, now that I have vented it is time to think about all the ways my God has blessed me!

I have an amazing God who knows every single one of my thoughts and still madly loves me!

I have an amazing God who answers so many of my "small" prayer requests just to let me know He loves me!

He never leaves me alone, He comforts me when I need comforting!

He has given me a beautiful house that I absolutely love!

I have many many mornings where I can sit on my deck and read and drink my coffee while feeling the sun's rays on me as I listen to the birds and the wind rustling the leaves that give me shade. It's always so beautiful, day after day!

I have an amazing husband who adores me. Big belly, emotions and all! He is hot!!! He is loving! He makes me laugh. He works hard for our family so I can be a stay at home mom and take care of our children! It has truly been a joy to watch my husband over the last few years as it is so obvious that God is molding him and shaping him into the man that God wants him to be!

I have a cute and adorable son. We have good days and bad days with obeying but overall he is a true delight to have around! I miss him so much when he is not with me. He has a pleasant and charming personality already! He has an awesome schedule where he still naps twice a day and sleeps through the night!

Soon my cute little girl will be here.

God has truly blessed me with amazing friends. It is truly wonderful to have such great friends who have kids around the same age as Isaac so I never feel like I am going through mommy-hood alone, trying desparately to figure it all out!

I love my pastors family! They invest alot of time into our family even though we have a large church. Their friendship has impacted my relationship with God, Adam's relationship with God and our marriage.

I loooooove my church. God is doing great and exciting things there and it is so exciting to be a part of it. I truly hate missing a service.

I am thankful for the health of every single person in my family!

I am thankful for my Christian heritage. My parents both love the Lord and instilled many of His truths in my life while growing up. I wouldn't be who I am today if not for my wonderful parents! I am thankful that after 35 years they are more in love now than ever! I am thankful for my siblings and their families and wish they all didnt' live so far away so we could see them more often and just hang out!

I am thankful for my husbands family and the great relationship I have with all of them. I am especially thankful fo rmy MIL who by just living her life teaches me about strength and grace and selflessness every time I come into contact with her. She also loves us and helps us and spoils us all the time and we are always so appreciative of everything she does for our family! So many of my friends have horrible MIL stories....I am so thankful that I can't participate in any of those conversations except to let everyone know what a great MIL looks like!

I am thankful for the desire to read. I learn so many new and interesting things from all the different types of books I read. I am thankful for the extra time in the day that allows me to sit down and read for a bit!

I am thankful for adventures, big and small! From seeing the Grand Canyon to taking Isaac to a water park!

I am thankful that God didn't create an ugly earth!

And most importantly, I am thankful for the gift of salvation and that there is NOTHING I can do that will ever, ever, EVER seperate me from my Heavenly Father. What a peace and security comes from truly knowing and believing this!

Thank you, God for being nothing like me! Thank you that your thoughts and ways are NOT my thoughts and ways! Thank you for knowing the beginning from the end and for giving or not giving what is best for me! Thank you for your forgiveness, your mercy and grace! I am so thankful that your mercies truly are new every morning! You are loving and righteous and kind and marvelous! You do not give us what we deserve!