2015 Prayersolutions Answered

Dear Heavenly Father.... (January 2015)

Family
Help put in place the people and resources as we prepare to welcome a new family member. Please let this birth experience be a positive one with better healing and recovery after surgery. May our baby be healthy and strong. Also for Nolan, to transition well into his new big brother role.

God came through for us in a huge way this time around. With having a mentor mom from our MOPS group take our kids for 2 nights for the birth of Alden...it was a great weight lifted. Another person also fell into our laps for some day coverage. Nolan loves his little brother too. Healing also went much smoother and enjoyed recovering in the summer verses winter. Our Aflac coverage also came with a big financial discovery that enabled us to pay some debt down and cover bills. A much needed blessing after little to no tax return and having to unexpectedly purchase a new vehicle.

Space
As much as I have tried to be content in our starter space here in New York, it is becoming evidently clear that something has got to give. I desire to have a place for people and things, instead of cluttering up on each other. The winter months are long and having a finished basement for family time and play would be a wonderful blessing. To have the space means, being able to keep things clean for longer periods of time and use the new place to host gatherings of fellowship.

An interesting discovery came when after the snow melted and new neighbors were discovered. We had a new community of friends who had children and liked to play outside and open their homes to others to enjoy. I had become content with our home and loved the perks among the pits it came with. But with the city taking ownership of the properties, it pushed us to put on our grownup pants and purchase a home!

I would have never dreamed this day would happen back in January, and will answer many of our problems of living in a small space with 3 messy children.

New Beginnings?
We've spent about 5 years in one place....the longest for myself at least since moving away from home. We keep wondering when you will open the doors to a new state perhaps that will be better for our family's future outcome. I know it would be a mixed blessing, as I have made some wonderful friendships over the years, as have my kids with theirs. Help us discern what your will is for our family.

With deciding to stay in Rome for a little longer with the house, I think God has closed many a doors to moving away, while opening the financial ones to finance a house. Matt was also offered a promotion after interviewing for a new position at DFAS. I thank the Lord for his job security and benefits offered.

Health
This last half of the year was rather eventful when it came to our health. Besides the birth of our 3rd child, please keep us healthy and well, with no hospital stays. We are grateful for your providence when these surprises have popped up and for the insurance Matt has with his job.

Our health has been very uneventful in this department! So happy to have healthy and thriving children :)

Six Months!

My my my....how six months has flown by....and yet it feels like Alden has been part of our family forever. He really does help balance out the older two, giving them a distraction from fighting with each other...some of the time.

In this last month, we've celebrated Thanksgiving, moved out of the infant carrier to a convertible car seat and spooned our way into the world of solids!

.....yes, I know...riveted reading material here folks.

He can still fit into a few 3 mo onesies, but mostly in 6 to 9 mo clothes. And I think we are on the way out of size 2 diapers, but not till our last pack of 2's are used up.

Right now we are working on sitting up unassisted without the boppy or sitting in a high chair. I think this is where the world really opens up to them when they master this gross motor skill.

Our Well Baby stats are as follows

height: 30 in 97th %

weight:18.3 58th %

head: 91st %

Nolan at 7 months 

Weight: 18.5 lbs. (41st%)

Height: 28 inches (76th%)

Head: (78th%)

So weight wise, they are pretty much spot on. But on the height...yeah this kid certainly grew. Our boys also seem to carry on with the big head trend :) Our next appointment will be at 9 months.

Heaven's Baby Boy

Life

It's unpredictable and many times unfair when you think about it.

A phrase we tell kids many times when they are not happy or the situation was not fair.



Sometimes we don't know when we are going to have to use the resources we prepared for. Sometimes we have lots of notice for when we will be required to use it...and then it may be sprung on you on a normal everyday kind of day.

For me...that was a Thursday I will never forget.

I had just recently put Nolan down for a nap after giving him a haircut and a special mid day bath time. Eliza was away at school, but expected to return soon on the bus. Alden was rather clingy due to teething, so I kinda ran with it and wanted to enjoy some non kid tv time. A real luxury.

Then I found my front door opening. It couldn't have been Matt, as he had already come home briefly on his lunch break and there were no other therapists scheduled to come in the afternoon for Eliza.

It was my neighbor.

She had a baby in her arms, one who I knew and had held at just hours old in the hospital. You could see a frightful look in her eyes. At first I thought she needed some help with some first aid supplies for a bloody nose. But as she came closer, and proceeded to hand him in my arms....there was much more going on and he was limp.

For a split second, it dawned on me, "Oh my God, I am actually going to have to use my cpr training for real!"

I immediately took him to the floor and did a rescue puff. Then as my training was flooding back to me, I remembered to try to locate a pulse. No pulse. As I gave rescue breathing, I could hear fluid in the lungs and there was a bloody discharge coming from his nose.

Well now...they certainly didn't go through this in class!?

 So as I continued rounds of CPR, my neighbor was continuing her call with 911 and ensuring the emergency help came to the right house. I continued with this until a paramedic took over and I assisted with the oxygen until the ambulance arrived and they didn't wait for them to come in the door. He was scooped up and rushed inside it.

It wasn't until I was at the police station, giving a deposition that I was able to get an update on the baby and his passing. A flood of 'what ifs' came gushing. Did I do the CPR right? Was my rescue breathing strong enough or too strong?

One would hope for a positive outcome to result in having this sort of training for his life to be saved. But despite how the day ended...God was in the details.

He helped me remain calm

He helped bring my training back to memory

He had a doctors appointment for Alden canceled before hand that morning. If this hadn't happened, I wouldn't of been home when she tried my door.

He helped Matt be able to get off work to help watch the kids and give a place for our neighbors to crash at our house for the afternoon and evening while the police did their investigation.We had food to eat and warmth from the outside.

No one but God could see this coming. Life can be too short and there are no guarantees about the one you are given. But I do know where this little baby boy is sitting, and it gives me hope.

So please, hug your children tight. Love them all the more despite the times they are driving you nuts and crying over anything and everything. Because they are alive and well to do those things. There is so much brokenness going on, but I have faith in The Almighty who will use this and good fruit will be produced. Maybe not right now, but with time....anything is possible with God.

We're Expecting!

Come January, we'll be adding a mortgage to our family!

Part of the lack of posts on here has been partly due to house hunting and going through all the highs and lows of that process. And I'll add...trying to do so with 3 children with you makes it real interesting to say the least.

So far we've done everything on our end. The house has already been inspected and came back with glowing comments despite it being built in 1899...but it doesn't matter when the previous owner has lived there for 50 years and raised her family in it.

I'm thrilled to have my laundry out of my kitchen..

Eliza is giddy about having her own pink room

And Matt is delighted to have a second toilet ;)

....Well I think we're ALL happy about that last one!

We never thought we'd ever buy a home here in Rome, but with a family of 5 and the cost of renting a larger and still well kept house just wasn't in the financial cards. So I guess we are going to put some roots down for a few years and go from there.

More details will follow when things get even more real with a closing date and such.

Now the fun stuff starts with packing up all our crap we can't part with and having to do it after 6 years and 3 kids later.

At least it beats having to pack for a cross country move!