Jobe's Story

I haven't blogged in YEARS and so much - SO MUCH - of our life has changed that there is just no quick way to update everything so I'm just going to jump right in with our sweet Jobe's story.

In the spring of 2015, I saw that faint pink line...after 5 other pregnancies - 3 that produced full term baby boys - I obviously knew what that meant. Britt baby #4 was on his or her way. Already having 3 boys, I desperately wanted a little girl, but that wasn't what God had in store for our family. At 16 weeks, we had our gender reveal ultrasound and confirmed what I was suspicious of all along - baby #4 was another BOY! Jason, of course, was over the moon...the other boys and I, well, let's just say there were some tears. I knew that this would be our last pregnancy and that was my last chance at having the daughter I'd always dreamed of. Don't get me wrong, my boys are the most precious things ever created but I thought I needed a girl. Little did I know how wrong I was.

On December 26th, 2015, at 11:41 pm, our perfect little boy peacefully made his entrance into this world. I had an amazing pregnancy and an even more amazing home water birth, surrounded by my birth team, husband, boys, and mom. It was picture perfect. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful and easy birth.

Jobe Sheppard Britt was here! He was a peanut at 6 lbs 4 oz and 19 1/4 inches but he was perfect, happy, and healthy. BY FAR my easiest baby. He was just immediately so content with life. Loved beyond measure by his big brothers - who were obsessed with him. If I wasn't holding him, you can guarantee that one of the boys was. I don't think that there has ever been a more loved baby brother than Jobe.

This is where our story drastically changes...

"On Monday, March 21st 2016, Jason went to check on our sweet baby Jobe during his nap and he was found not breathing. Even with the combined efforts of the immediate action taken by Jason, the Taylor Fire Department, EMS workers, Beaumont Hospital (Dearborn), along with the continued care he has received from Children's Hospital (PICU), our precious, precious baby was not able to survive this horrific ordeal. BUT!!!!! HE IS HEALED AND IN THE ARMS OF HIS HEAVENLY FATHER, DADDY GOD, THE GREAT PHYSICIAN, THE ULTIMATE HEALER!!! Praise Jesus that Jobe is in no pain, for he is in his perfect body. This world is not our home and I am so jealous that he got to get there first! These tragedies are never supposed to happen to "you" and I pray that NO ONE ever has to feel the gut wrenching pain we are experiencing as a family. Jobe's story isn't over, though - he still has a big job to do, as we have chosen, through the Gift of Life Michigan, to use our tragedy to help as many families as we can. As his mommy, I am SO HONORED that God chose ME to be his mommy for the 12 short weeks we had with him...but my arms are aching for my baby more that words can say. We have a wide open, gaping hole in our family that only God can fill and make us feel whole again. We are begging that you continue to pray for us during the next few hours, days, weeks, and months as we learn how to live our new normal. Our beautiful, perfect, precious, HAPPY, easy, laid back, blue eyed boy ~ Jobe Sheppard ~ will be forever missed, forever loved and forever in our hearts. Until we meet again, sweet boy....rest soundly in the arms of Jesus."

That was an excerpt from a post to my personal facebook page. This blog post is just the easiest way I could get Jobe's story written down so it can be easily shared. There will definitely be more to follow, as we continue on this new grief filled journey that we find ourselves on. 

Job 33:4
 The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

What a Difference a Year Makes...

WOW - I don't even know where to start. This last year definitely got away from me...

Well, first and foremost, I would like to introduce our NEWEST addition: Leland Cash Britt. He is our sweet, beautiful baby boy born November 12th, 2011. I am over the moon thrilled to now be a mommy of 2. :) I waited a long time for him and still just can't believe that God blessed me with another beautiful son.

Jace is now 4 years old and a wonderful big brother. He LOVES "his baby" and just stepped right into his new role without hesitation, like he was born to be a big brother. :) I can't believe how seamless bringing a new baby into our lives has gone. It's amazing to me how everything just "fit" together. I really thought that after having just one for almost four years we would have a difficult time adjusting but it's like Cash has always been here. He was definitely made to be in our family!

We also have a new furbaby - Dixie Belle. She's possibly a boxer/dalmation mix (though we really have no idea) and is a sweetheart. Right now she's almost 6 months old, just got "fixed" on Sunday and thinks she's a lap dog. *At this very moment* she is curled up in my lap, snoring away! She's pretty "energetic" (to say the least) but is such a lover and LOVES the boys. I can't believe the stuff she puts up with from Jace! He is such a big helper when it comes to taking care of her, too...he feeds her, lets her out to go potty, gives her treats and even puts her in cage when he's had enough of her "energy". LOL We're currently looking at some different trainers and trying to decide if we should do puppy school at a local pet shop or do one-on-one training at our home because she NEEDS it. ;)

I guess that's about it, for now. I was ridiculously blessed in 2011 and am looking foward to what 2012 will have in store!!!

Valentine's Date Night

We decided to take Jace to the movies tonight for an early Valentine's Day celebration...really, it was just a good excuse to make Jay take us somewhere fun. :) We don't go to the movies often because they are so expensive and Jay is usually working or doing some sort of time consuming DIY project on the weekends during the "cheap times" but he got his work done early so we were free all afternoon/evening. I wanted to see that new movie "Gnomeo and Juliet" so I checked the times and the price was right so we packed up and headed out.

Jace had a BLAST! This was his second trip to the movies (his first was to see "Toy Story 3" back in the summer) but he was just as excited this time as he was then. We pulled in the parking lot and he excitedly exclaimed "We're here! We're at the movie theatre!!!". I'm not sure who was more excited - me or him! :)

We bought our tickets, got our popcorn (much to Jace's delight since popcorn is somewhat not allowed in our house - only for special treats), and got settled into our seats. Jace was properly propped up atop of coats, had his - or what was supposed to be MY - popcorn in hand and patiently watched as the previews played. Being the responsible parents we always are, we *of course* made sure he didn't have to potty before the movie started, because you know as well as I do how they decide they have to go 1/2 way through the movie. Theatre got dark and the movie started to roll...que 3 year old's bladder! Since Jay is such a loving and wonderful daddy, he jumped up, did not complain at all (ok, maybe a little lol) and quickly escorted Wee Man out. Oh, he also eversokindly re-buttered our already half eaten bag of popcorn. Isn't he wonderful? :)

I have got to say that "Gnomeo and Juliet" was one of the cutest kid's movies I've seen in a long time. Maybe I don't get out much and spend 90% of my television viewing time on channels like Nick Jr. and PBS kids but the movie was so much fun. Of course, given the title, it loosely tells the age-old tale of forbidden love and who can resist the romance in that? Throw in an entire soundtrack of Elton John songs, cleverly adapted to relate to the world of gnomes and you've got a super fun movie! Jace laughed at all the funny part, toe-tapped to catchy, classic tunes and sat through the entire thing like the big boy that he is. I was so proud of him and so overjoyed to be able to have such an amazing date with my two loves. It's so much fun to be able to watch movies like this through his eyes. To see the delight and wonder on his face makes my heart swell beyond measure.

We topped off our night with dinner at this very exclusive, fancy restaurant where kids eat free on the weekends (SCORE) called Steak n Shake. ;P Maybe a "dinner and a movie" date are a lot different than they used to be in our single years but I must say that this was probably the best Valentine's Day date that I've ever had.

TGIF...Thank God for FRIENDS

Let's see...well, I didn't quite make my goal of 4 blogs per month last month but this is a new month and I'm going to try agian. :)

We've had a pretty busy week full of skating lessons, birthday celebrations and play dates. We had MOPS this morning, which was a well needed breath of fresh air! I had a rough day yesterday and will admit that it wasn't my best "mommy day". It was Jay's birthday and I wanted to do something special for him and bake him some cupcakes. Baking is definitely not my "thing", even though I try. I tried a new recipe (which I planning on writing about some other time) and the bottom line was: FAIL! I was annoyed at myself for failing at my cake baking attempt, mad at Jay for something that I'll explain in the cake fail post, exploded *twice* at my son, discovered that one of my favorite shirts had seriously, inexplicable shrunk (even though I washed it in cold AND hung it to dry) and then found my favorite pair of sunglasses broken down in my purse! When you add all that up, it equals a pity party for Mommy! I think at some point in the day I even actually yelled at the non-verbal voice of the Holy Spirit!!!

When the alarm went off this morning, I snoozed it as many times as possible and *strongly* considered not going to MOPS today. "It's beyond cold today" (fyi, it was seriously 0* this morning) and "Jace was up super late and I just do NOT want to wake him up" were my excuses. I finally decided that I needed to go today, even though I wanted to stay curled up in my warm bed, with Jace snuggling quietly beside me and boy, was it worth it! I am so thankful for our little group and we even had 2 new ladies. We shared lots of laughs and encouragement, like always, and I love the friendships and sense of community we're building. It's been a little difficult for me having to build new relationships and getting "plugged in" at our church but it's been so worth it! I've spoiled by having the same friends since elementary and I still miss them, dearly, and have dug in my heels and told God that I don't want *new* friends, I want my *old* friends but I'm so thankful for my new friends!

Speaking of "old friends", I am sooo excited to spend tomorrow with one of my dearest friends, Amy, and 2 of her 4 wonderful boys!!! Jace gets to play with Blake all day and I get to meet her newest little one, Toby! What more could I ask for? Oh how about one more friend to join in on our fun??? Yep, Marissa and Colten are coming, too! 3 friends + 4 boys = 1 happy Courtney!!!

Almost February already?

So I've realized that I'm already behind on quite a few of my "resolutions" and it's not even the end of January! Ugh, I *kind of* wish I wouldn't have put them out there publically but maybe that's a good thing. I realized the other day that I hadn't posted in a while and I only wrote 2 for the month so far so here I am...watching Jace play, er...make that sit on the table with his trains (when he's supposed to be playing with the Moon Dough he so desperately begged me to get out) and listening to Dora prattle on about godknowswhat. It's a cold, snowy day here in this great mitten state and I have no energy, whatsoever, to get anything done for the day. I have managed to put in a load of laundry but it's been finished for at least 1/2 an hour now and I'm just too lazy to get up and put it in the dryer. Oh well.

(and I apologize for the HORRIBLE, grainy picture -my biggest complaint about my beloved Blackberry)

BUSTED!!!


Anyway, I also wanted to give a quick skating update...Jace is doing wonderfully at his lessons! The first week was kind of rough - he did NOT like the idea of falling - but by week 2 there was a huge improvement. I have been practicing all sorts of silly things to say with him like "I will do my best...even if I fall, I will get back up and try again!"...my inner cheerleader has had to make an appearance. LOL Whatever it takes, right? We are looking forward to next Monday, as it will already be the 1/2 way point! Maybe if I feel adventerous this weekend, I'll take him for a free open skate. We'll see! :)

Skating Lessons are Official

Today was a day filled with good food, family and fun. Jace and I had a date planned with Nanny (my paternal grandmother) for lunch and whatever else we wanted to do. On days like this I realize how truly blessed I am to have both my grandmothers in my life. They are both active, lively, fun ladies who are also good friends. Anyway, lunch at Johnny Carino's was fabulous, then we went to sign Jace up for his lessons and decided to hit up Barnes & Noble after we were finished...I could spend HOURS in there! Nanny and I are a bad combination in that store, for sure. We are both book lovers and especially children's book lovers (which is the section we were seeking today). She found some wintery classics, a snowman and a Charlie Brown Christmas wooden puzzle (to keep at her house for Jace's visits) so I would say that the trip was successful and we were able to pull ourselves away (and Jace from the Thomas train table) without too much damage! :) On our way home we decided to stop by my aunt and uncle's house to see pictures of their grandbaby - their first grandbaby - who is visiting with her momma from North Dakota for a bit. Unfortunately we weren't able to see Maegan and Emmalyn but we will get to see them on Saturday. Jace played hard with Uncle Joel, Clay and their puppy, Molly and I had a nice visit with Aunt Kai and Rachel.

On the way home to drop Nanny off, I got a text from my mom saying she and Dad were meeting up with...now stay with me here...my aunt's sister, husband and her daugther. Hey, I've grown up in a very different way than most people - I know all of my cousin's extended families and have been around them my entire life and I love it! We visited with them for a bit and then I finally headed home to get my very sleepy little boy ready for bath and bedtime.

What a Difference a Year Makes?

*sheepish grin* Hi, there! Has it really been 6 months since my last post??? Whoops...I guess this SAHM thing isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I just don't know how time gets away from me like that. Anyway, one of my New Year's Resolutions (I hate that term but whatever) is to blog more...so I'm publicly setting a goal of *at least* 4 blogs per month. Not too lofty and definitely achievable. So here is blog 1 for week 1 of 2011.

I guess I don't even know where to begin since I'm out of practice but we'll start with a Jace update. He turned 3 on 12/29/10, is potty trained (I know, I already blogged about that 6 months ago but it's still exciting), talks NON-STOP and eats (well...eats *a little*). Oh and I CUT HIS HAIR...ok, so I only trimmed about an inch and a half off the ends about 2 months ago but that's HUGE for me! After the many tears I shed after that bold move, I have decided that was enough for now. :)

I'm in the midst of putting together all the finishing details for his big b-day party (which is Sunday) so hopefully everything comes together without a hitch. We'll see...when you put 10 toddlers/babies and about 50 adults in one room there are no guarantees. :) We are putting him in ice-skating lessons (which perfectly fits my "Winter Fun" theme for the party hehe) and those will start next Monday so wish us luck! One of his little buddies will be in the class with him so hopefully that will help.

On a side note, Jay has a HUGE interview next Wednesday and I can't stress enough how desperately our family needs him to get this job so your prayers are GREATLY appreciated. I'll be sure to post updates.

I guess that's all for now...no major changes for us, just living life!

Not a baby anymore

WOW...has it really been 4 months since my last post??? I guess time really has gotten away from me. Where should I begin?



Well, for starters, Jace is POTTY TRAINED!!! Yep, we did it. It was a little later than I had originally anticipated but 2 1/2 isn't too bad. He also is talking up a storm. It's so fun to see his true personality finally coming out. He is a very funny kid with A LOT to say! (I don't know where he gets that from...) hehe

Not much else is going on with us...just trying to enjoy summer and slow down time. Jace has been enjoying our new (to us) pool and is getting more confident in the water. I know this sounds "cliche" but I wish I could just freeze time for a bit. I find myself just sitting back, watching him sometimes and realizing that he's not my baby anymore. One thing he does, though, which secretly makes my heart melt is crawl up in my lap and sign "baby". What he wants me to do is cradle him in my arms and hold him like a baby. (This is funny to me because when he WAS a baby, he hated being held like that.) No, it isn't easy to cradle a lanky, 29 lb, 2 1/2 year old in my arms like that but I do it each and every time. Those are the moments that make every ounce of stress, worry, anger and everything else just disappear.

2 year check-up

So for everyone who's been concerned, wondering or even just slightly curious, here is my follow-up to the "Eating Strike" blog. It's been long overdue but I finally am getting a chance to give everyone (or at least the handful of my faithful followers) an update...

I took Jace to his two year check-up a couple of weeks ago and here is how it went:

We got to the appointment on time, in fact we were early which never EVER happens when I have to take Jace by myself anywhere. We waited a short while before we were called to our room and Jace entertained himself by rolling on the floor (YEAH, GROSS) and flirting with a teenage girl and her mother. I was thinking "Wow, not too bad...so far so good." (That thought was short lived.)

The nurse (who was actually very friendly and caring which has NOT been our experience at our peditrician's office but I'll talk more about that in a second) came in and asked me to take Jace's clothes off down to his diaper so he could get weighed and measured. No problem...clothes removed, now just waiting on kind nurse to return.

Still waiting...Jace is starting to get cold and irritated over the fact that the door is open. *Come on lady, I have a cold 2 year old in here who cannot be contained for long*

Ok, here she is.
We take Jace to the scale...I'm feeling kind of nervous since I know my child doesn't eat.
HOLY COW - 27.8 lbs!!!
Now, to most people this wouldn't be that exciting. 27.8 lbs pretty average for a normal 2 year old, but MY son has always, always been in the low (5th-10th) percentile his entire life. I know you're not supposed to compare kids since they're each unique and different but this is HUGE for us!!!

Next we have to take him back to the room to measure him. *holding breath*
32 1/4 inches!!! WOO HOO Ok, cool, I can breathe for a moment...those are great stats!!!

Now the nurse tells me that she has to take a blood sample...oh boy, here we go.
Every time they do this he loses it! *Great*

WHAT?!?! You're going to prick his finger, not just take it from his toe like you have before? *This is not going so well...Mommy doesn't handle this kind of stuff as well as Daddy does. Where's Jay when I need him? Now I know why I used to make him take Jace to the appointments.*

So now I have to hold him AND try to get him distracted from what's about to go down. He happily gives her his finger and then IT HAPPENS...

The quick prick was nothing, it was the bright red stuff flowing from his finger that put him over th edge. PURE SHOCK (remember this kid isn't vaccinated and hasn't been to the doctor in a year). He wasn't just crying because he was scared and hurt, I truly believe he was so traumatized that this nice lady would do such a horrible thing to him.

Now we all know that she was just doing her job and I'm sure she feels bad for having to the bad guy all the time but he doesn't know this. He trusted her and she shattered that trust BIG TIME.

Ok, the nurse is long gone at this point and I'm still stuck in this room with a cold, injured (you'd think she actually cut his finger off by the way he was screaming), bleeding, crying 2 year old. This doctor better get here fast.

I'm trying to console him and also keep my thoughts together for this doctor. This is my first time seeing her. We have seen two of the other doctors in this facility and so far I have not been impressed. These doctors came highly recommended to us by someone I admire and trust and we also heard many, many other praises about this office from quite a few people we know. Sadly, we have not had these wonderful experiences that everyone else has had. The nurse we always see is rude, we can't understand the doctor's very well and they never tell us what's wrong with Jace (when he has been sick), it's always been "just a cold" when they, in fact, have previously missed a double ear infection. :/ Jace has always been a very healthy child, so far, so the couple of times we HAVE taken him in have been *what I consider* pretty serious. We're definitely not the types of parents that take him in for every little sniffle since we try to a) do things naturally to prevent sickness and b) do things naturally to help the sickness pass quickly.

Anyway, Jace is completely inconsolable at this point, the doctor is still not coming and I'm starting to get anxious.

Oh thank God, here she is. She's young AND speaks perfect English...I think I'm going to like her!

We go over the standard stuff: vaccinations (she didn't criticize me at all), what he's doing, saying, and here it comes...the dreaded eating. I'm ready for her to really give me what-for about his diet (or lack of). I talk in detail about what he will eat and won't eat, what I do to get him to eat, how often, how long this has been going on, how long he was breastfed, etc. Oh, all the while, Jace is STILL screaming and crying and grabbing my face to look at him and his finger. I'm starting to not feel as sorry for him at this point since it's been a good 20-30 minutes!

She actually told me that it's OK! Everything I'm doing is wonderful and to keep up the good work. Her only suggestion/question was if I had considered putting him on Flinstones and I told her he was on a multi from Better Health as well as one with the Omegas. She was very impressed and said that we were doing more than the majority of parents would do. She could tell how concerned I was and reassured my fears by stating the same thing that I've heard from everyone else but it was just different coming from her. I'm not normally one to put so much weight into one person's opinion but I cannot put into words the relief I felt at that moment. I know it sounds so cliche but I literally felt soooo much lighter after talking with her.

Jace never did calm down during this entire time. It wasn't until we got all the way back to the car and he was buckled in his seat and got his movie started did he finally quit crying. All that for one little finger prick...could you imagine how he'd react to a vaccination??? IF we decide later on to do one or two vaccinations, I think I'll skip that and make his daddy take him. LOL

After all the excitement from the doctor's office I decided we needed a McDonald's treat (sweet tea and fries cures all, right??) and a quick trip to Target before we went home to take a nap...I definitely deserved it, after all. :)

Eating Strike

I don't want to sound like one of those people who are constantly complaining but I cannot take it anymore...I have a child that doesn't eat. I don't mean that he's just picky, I mean he has days that he really doesn't eat much more that a couple handfuls of Cheerios! This is not a new development, either...this has gone on for almost a year!!! I have tried every trick in the book from "sneaking" food into what he WILL eat to just giving in and letting him eat junk by justifying it by telling myself that at least he's getting calories (howbeit, empty ones).

I did so good for the first year of his life...he was breastfed until 14 months (I would have nursed longer but he chose not to), I made all his baby food (and when I gave him store bought, it was all organic) and was a stickler for monitoring the ages at introducing new foods. Right around the time he went on strike from nursing is also when he gave up eating. Oh there are a few select foods that he will occasionally chose to partake of but that usually turns into a battle because I make him what I KNOW he likes and he still refuses to eat.

Tonight he decided he didn't want to eat anything we offered him until I pulled out a yogurt. He gobbled that up. I could tell he would eat more but I didn't have another individual serving. I did have a whole tub of vanilla, though. I know from previous experiences that he usually will refuse this kind (especially when it's in a regular bowl or if he sees me try to "trick" him and put the regular kind into the old one's container). I cut up, cooked and pureed a pear to add (while he was distracted), stirred that in and sat down to give it to him. He INSTANTLY refused after barely letting the spoon touch his lips. Jay suggested I throw some blueberries in (since this is on of the few foods he rarely will turn down) and again...refusal! I wanted to SCREAM!!! If this was just a phase or if he was not feeling well or something like that I could understand...but this has been going on for-ev-er!!! I have seriously exasperated every trick, tip, ruse and gimmick and so far nothing has worked. The only thing that has semi-worked has been pureeing veggies (like carrots, squash or cauliflower) into his mac and cheese but the poor kid obviously won't eat mac and cheese every day so that only works once in a while.

Proper nutrition is important to me. Ok, let's try that sentence again (LOL)...Proper nutrition FOR HIM is important to me - I am still working on applying the same standard to my life and it's not easy. I have battled weight and food issues for as long as I can remember and I just don't want my child to go down that same road. So often I fear that he is doing permanent damage to his young self by this self-induced food aversion. I scheduled his 2 year check-up for next week and will talk to the doctor about this and see what she has to say (though I'm very doubtful that it will be anything different that what I know and have heard for the last year). I'm not one of those moms that rush to the doctor for every little thing (he hasn't been in since he was sick a year ago because despite this issue, he is actually a very healthy little boy) but I just don't have any other options at this point.

So here it is, almost 9 o'clock at night and all my boy has eaten today was some Cheerios, blueberries, a Nutri-grain bar and a yogurt! Wish us luck in overcoming this!!! :)

First Haircut??? I don't think so!

I have a little boy who happens to be a pretty child and has very pretty hair. I'm talking the type of hair that is golden blonde, naturally parts on the side and has little ringlets and waves in the back. He also happens to get called a "girl" every day by random strangers. It usually goes something like this:

Random Stranger (usually someone working at the drugstore, restaurant, etc.): Oh, she's soooo pretty!

Me: Thank you. Jace, can you say "thank you"?

Jace: *signs "thank you"*

Random Stranger: Can she have a balloon?

Me: Yes, HE can. Jace, would you like a balloon?

Random Stranger (STILL not getting the subtle clues given by myself that "she" is actually a "he": What color would she like?

Me: Well, pretty much anything but pink since "she's" a boy! (With nice, friendly smile on my face and sort of laughing so random stranger doesn't feel so bad for calling my son a girl.)

Random Stranger: OH I'M SOOO SORRY...he's just SOOO pretty! I didn't realize he was a boy!

Me: That's OK, we're used to it at this point. It's happened ever since he was born.

So that's a normal day in our life. I am starting to think that maybe it has something to do with my son's long hair, but honestly, it has happend his entire life and up until this last spring/summer, he was pretty bald! I dress him in what *I* think are fairly obvious boy clothes...ok, so it's not usually planes, trains and automobiles or soccer and basketballs, but it's definitely NOT girly stuff! I can't figure this out!

My other question is this: When did it become fashionable or even *expected* for little boys to get that "little boy haircut"? Is it so wrong of me (and my husband) to not want to cut his hair? I didn't realize this decision would catch so much flak from some many people. I get the comments quite often, lately, like "Oh, are we going to take Jace for his first haircut soon??" or "Jace, you need to tell Mommy that you are ready for a little trim"...you know, stuff like that. I really dislike that passive-aggressive approach. I want to say to people, "You had your chance to raise your children, now may I have mine??". What is so wrong with me wanting to keep his hair long?

Breakthrough

We finally are having a signing AND speaking breakthrough!!! Yes, Jace is finally communicating and it has warmed my heart to no end (now if we can only get the eating thing under control, but that's another story).

Jace is the type of child who has done most things "early". He rolled over when he was only a couple weeks old (yes, WEEKS), crawled at 5 1/2 months, walked around 10 1/2 months, has excellent small motor skills (for his age) but has just not had any interest in talking. Oh he says a few words like M0mma, Daddy (though that one came pretty late), Papa (my dad and other one of his favorites and FIRST, by the way) and Nana (my mom)...in fact, all day that's what I hear and it goes like this:

Jace: Mom, Mommy, Momma, MOOOOMMMM, Mom, MOOOMMMYYY, Mom??, M0mma??, MOOOOMMMM.

Me: What, Baby?

Jace: Papa?

Me: Papa's at work

Jace: Nana? (though he has decided to pronounce it "nah-nah")

Me: Nana's at work

Jace:Daddy?

Me: Daddy's at work, Baby

Jace: ha ha (with tounge haning out - I'll explain later)
Me: Wyatt's over there, laying down (Wyatt is our black chihuahua whom Jace ADORES to no end but Wyatt is still not so sure about this person who came into our family!)

Jace: Papa? Nana? Mommy? Daddy?

(You get the picture!) And we know he CAN speak because sometimes he will say something perfectly clear then never say it again! We have tried teaching him signs since he was probably around 6 months and he never really was interested in that, either. Again, he KNEW them because I would catch him signing to himself while he was watching his signing dvd's but he would rarely do them for us as a means of communication. Needless to say, he would get easily frustrated, upset, angry and have an outburst.

I was beginning to become concerned with his lack of verbal communication and was starting to wonder if he needed to have a hearing test done. When he would "talk" or babble it sounded very muffled and most of the time he wouldn't even open his mouth when he was "talking" - like he was practicing his ventriloquism or something! :) As a last-ditch effort I decided to order him a Signing Time dvd since I have heard and read WONDERFUL things about this program. (I have also been taking a sign language class since the end of September and have really been working with him at home.) Long story short, IT WORKED!!! Something about the combination of me being more consistent (and comfortable with my new found "skill") and his new love for the dvd has really sparked something in him! I am on cloud nine! His verbal communication is increasing, as well! WOO HOO...and his outbursts are become less and less frequent since he is finally able to tell us what he wants. When he is hungry he will come to me and sign AND say "eat", if he wants milk he signs "milk", same with "cereal", "ball", "book", "more", "all done", etc! He also has learned a lot of animals which is fun to him because he LOVES animals. The other day we were driving in the car and I heard him in the back patting his leg. I knew that was the sign for "dog" but wasn't sure if that's exactly what he was doing. We pulled in the driveway and when I was getting him out of his seat I asked him if he was signing "dog". He patted his leg and looked at me like, "Duh, Mom" and also said "ha ha" with his tounge hanging out (like a doggie does). That is actually his own made-up sign that he's been doing since he was very little (he absolutely LOVES dogs...any kind - big, little, hairy, slobbery - doesn't matter to him). It was probably one of the first (and only) things he would actually "say" consistently.

All that to say, I am finally seeing the fruits of my labor. Jace is just one of those kids that has a mind of his own and runs on his own time-table! He is definitely going to give me a run for my money as the years go on, that's for sure! I am so blessed, though, to have him. He is such a joy and has the most fun personality and makes me laugh every day. I also am so blessed to be home with him. It took a while and TONS of prayer but I can honestly say it is the best decision I have ever made. I don't miss working (outside the home, that is) one bit! Please continue to pray for us as the winter weather approaches since when it is nasty outside, Jay can't work. I am trusting God to take care of us and I KNOW He will provide! God is good all the time...

I get by with a little help from my friends

I have amazing friends. The type of friends that have been together for 20 years and still will be when we are sitting around in muumuus in Boca. I like to think we are a mix of the girls from Friends, Sex and the City and The Golden Girls. Each one of us brings something different to the mix. I love my girls and would do anything for them. I have depended on them in some of the most difficult times in my life and have been able to rejoice and celebrate with them during some of the best times in my life. I have been in all their weddings (except one or two) and have the dresses to prove it - thankfully none of them picked any super hideous dresses but I have yet to find an opportunity to be able to "shorten them and wear again"! ;) In fact, we are so close, three of us even had baby boys within 2 weeks of eachother (not on purpose)!

Unfortunately, I miss my friends. They are spread all over the states, it seems. From Nevada to Virginia to Ohio. I do have one of the besties here in Michigan, but she's an hour away and between both of our schedules it's hard to plan an activity more than once every couple of months or so. I have "tried on" other friends over the years and only a couple have made the "cut" into my inner circle but most just fizzle and fade away. I almost feel guilty, at times, for trying to find "replacements" or substitutes for my girls but then I realize I will never be able to do that. They are irreplacable and have helped shape me into the person I am today.

Our pastor (Randy Wheeler - Twin Oaks Christian Church) did a sermon a couple weeks ago that made me think of my friends and as I listened to his words, I felt the Lord urging me to share some of his points. The series he's been doing has been called "Help!" and he's been using Beatles songs as a starting point! (Have I mentioned before how much I love our church?? :) The verses he used were 1 Samual 18:1-23:18 and I thought I post some of the points.

Why do we need friends?

-We need friends who will LOVE us
-We need friends who will WARN us
-We need friends who will REJOICE and WEEP with us
-We need allies who will DEFEND us
-We need teammates who will ENCOURAGE us

If you want to HAVE good friends, then you need to BE a good friend!

I hope and pray that that my friends can say the same about me. I love you guys and "thank you for being a friend"! :)

Autumn...my favorite time of year!

Ahh, fall is here! Ok, so it's been here for a few weeks, but I'm just now writing about it. :)

There's no comparison to fall...the beautiful leaves on the tree (and the ground), the cool, crisp air, apple cider and donuts, pumpkin ANYTHING and my personal favorite...Halloween! I love Halloween. In fact, I simply ADORE it...costumes, trick or treating, decorating the house - what more could you want??? One of my best friends has always joked that my favorite part is being able to wear fake eyelashes and fishnets! Truth be told, she's probably right; I love the big make-up and fake eyelashes. I secretly wish I was daring enough to be one of those women who always has big make-up and even bigger hair. I've always thought it was such a fun opportunity to get to be someone or something else for a night.

Ever since I was little, I have loved playing "dress-up". I could put on my petti-coat, some pink tights, a bunch of bracelets and Mom's high heals and I was instantly transformed into one of The Bangles, Barbie or even my own version of my mom! (No, she didn't REALLY look like that in the '80's but in my 5 year old mind, she did!)

I have realized, lately, that I have inadvertently passed this world of make-believe on to my son (who is not even 2, mind you). This should have dawned on me a little earlier when he starting using his blanket as a "cape", but I just thought he was being silly. My second glimpse into his world came a few weeks ago when we came across his Halloween costume from last year. I pulled it out of the box and he squealed in delight! He wanted me to put it on him right away and didn't take it off for TWO DAYS! Fast forward to today...we were getting ready to run some errands and I quickly opened the package we received with his new costume in it. I wanted to try it on him *real quick* just see how it looked and if it fit. Big mistake! He still had his glow-in-the-dark skeleton p.j.'s on and I knew I had to get him dressed before we left but I figured "What the heck" and went for it. I put his little costume on and it looked ADORABLE and he knew it!!! (Of course I had to snap a few pics!) Needless to say, he didn't want to take it off. So, that's how we left the house. I loaded up Baby Bear (Halloween p.j.'s and all) and off we went!

I'm sure one day when he hears these stories he won't think it was too funny that I let him out in public like that, but I DO know that today he had one of the best days ever! His behavior was amazing...no tantrums, no crying, nothing! I'm thinking that we may start having more dress-up days - Halloween or not!!! :)

AskDrSears - About Sears

AskDrSears - About Sears

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naptime

Ahh, naptime! Possibly the time of day that is looked forward to the most. But why? I begged and pleaded with the hubs in order to quit my job and stay home. This is what I wanted, right? Right. So why is naptime such a blessed time of day? It's not like I'm one of those Super Women wives who just gets all sorts of cooking and cleaning done during that time. It's normally spent catching up on old reruns on T.V., e-mails, facebook, and - if I'm lucky - my own nap!

As I reflect on our morning, I keep hearing Jace's sweet voice in my head saying, "Oh" when I showed him how to attach two of his toys together. Those that know Jace, know that he is a "man" of few words. Oh, he actually has a pretty broad vocabulary, he just chooses not to use it very often. When he does say something, it's usually pretty funny and grown up! So why do I wish for the quietness of naptime when my son is a fairly quiet child?

I wish I had the answer. I admit, I really don't like to hear mothers say that old saying we've all heard numerous times, "I just need some 'me' time". I HAD "me" time for 27 years and all I wanted was "family" time. I wish I could say that I've never said that myself, because I am guilty of the same thing. I thought before that it was maybe just because I worked full time and what energy I DID have left at the end of the day was spent on Jay and Jace. Now I stay home and I can say that I'm not NEARLY as worn out as before but I still look forward to some alone time. Are we really ever satisfied with what we have?

Happy Blogging

Ok, here goes...

So I've decided to start my own blog. Why not? It seems to me that everyone these days has one and if they don't, they certainly have one that they read and follow. Even my own mother tells me stories of "so and so's" blogs that she religiously reads! Why now? Well, it's September 1st. Though it's not technically the first day of fall, but summer (in my book) is offically over. I told myself all summer that once September started, then that's when I would start a blog. I'm in a new place in my life and I just feel like writing about it.

I'm just going to put this out there (just in case anyone actually decides to read this - I'm still pretty skeptical and apprehensive)...this may not be written in "research paper" format! What does that mean? I will write my thoughts, stories, etc., as I see fit! LOL I may use incorrect grammar, punctuation, fragment OR run-on sentences - not because I do not know how to correctly write, speak or spell (ok, I probably won't have too many spelling errors - that's what spell-check is for AND it's also a huge pet peeve for me) but because I like to write "conversationally", that's all!

Ok, now that we've got that out of they way, let's start blogging!