Blessed By a Little Life

Hair Cuts and Kids Meal

2012-01-17T14:18:00.002-06:00

Eli and I got haircuts today. Doesn't he look like a big boy now?
Since Teagan sat and played quietly and nicely while we got our haircuts I told him we would get McDonalds for lunch. He asked if he could have a "Kid Meal". I said yes and then I told him that at McDonald's they're called Happy Meals. He said "No Mama it's a Kids Meal"

At 8 months you...

2012-01-10T13:58:00.002-06:00

* sit up all by yourself
* can feed yourself puffs and baby crackers
* are starting to hold your own when it comes to your brother bothering you
* are a dancing fool when music is turned on!

At 7 months you...

2012-01-07T14:54:00.004-06:00

* eat veggies and fruits along with your cereal

* are starting to sit by yourself for a few minutes at a time

* are a rolling machine

* have had major surgery on your skull and were a rockstar through the whole process!

* signs milk and waves bye-bye

Day 3 Coming Home

2011-12-04T21:14:00.004-06:00

On Friday November 25 we had been in the hospital just 48 hrs and the nurses came in to tell us we could go home! What?!? We were told we would be there 3-5 days! We couldn't believe we were already going home. Eli woke up happy and ready to play. His eyes were puffy but not swollen shut. He was doing great! The nurses told us that the neurosurgeon's nurse practitioner would be down to change his bandage and give us some instructions for at home.

Reading some books while waiting to be discharged.

When the nurse practitioner came in to change his bandage we asked her about us going home early. She said that usually with most kids by this time in the process his eyes would've swollen shut. The fact that they hadn't and that he hadn't been on much pain medication except Tylenol were both good signs for his recovery and that there was no need for him to stay. Instead of putting another turban on when she changed his bandage, she just put a piece of gauze over the incision and then a net stocking over that to keep it in place. The nurses told us when our one week post-op check up would be and then said we could go.

Teagan showing Eli his new car. They were just hanging out until we got our stuff packed up.

Since we've been home Eli has done awesome! The first morning his left eye was pretty swollen, so much so that he got a black eye, but since then the swelling has continued to go down! Until a few days ago he did seem to freak out if he was left all alone in a room and he's still not comfortable rolling, but he is loving playing in his exersaucer and his bouncy seat. He has even started sitting without any support.

One week post-op. (age: 6 1/2 months)

We have our one week post-op appointment tomorrow morning. We're looking forward to hearing what the doctors have to say. We'd like to thank you again for all of your prayers and support! They definitely did not go unnoticed!

Day 2 in Hospital/Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T14:50:00.003-06:00

Eli woke up on Day 2 in the PICU a little swollen but not bad. The doctors had told us that each day would progressively get worse so to be prepared. Dr. Iskandar came to check on him and he said that he would get a new turban because his was getting a little snug. He also said that he could move to general care. After that he proceeded to have more wires unhooked and by 11:00 am we were moving rooms.
Our families started showing up and we discovered that someone had provided a Thanksgiving dinner for anyone on the 4th floor (the floor we were on). It was a full spread, including dessert. It was nice to all be able to sit down and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together. While we were eating lunch we had left Eli in his room to take a nap. I checked on him a couple of times right after I had laid him down and he was asleep each time I checked. I went and told the nurse that we would be in the lounge if she needed us and explained that Eli was sleeping (later she told me she had checked on him not long after that and he was sleeping). My brother even went in the room to get something a little later than that and he was sleeping. As soon as I finished eating I went to check on him again and when I walked in he was still asleep but his turban was on off and so was the gauze that was protecting his incision! So I went and got the nurse to ask her if she knew what had happened and she didn't. She went with me to check on him and after seeing him she said she would call someone to come and redo his turban.

Waiting to get a new turban.

It was the first time we got a really good look at his head. And just as the plastic surgeon it was pretty lumpy bumpy! When the doctor came to redo his turban Ryan was just joking around and said something about giving him a chin strap so he couldn't get it off. The doctor took him seriously and gave him one!

With his new turban...chin strap and all!

As the day went on his swelling did get worse but he didn't seem to be in much pain. The nurses continued to give him Tylenol but he hadn't had Oxycodone since 4:30 am. The whole day he was such a good baby. He would play in his bed for awhile and then he would want to be held and play with Ryan or I. He loved having all the family around and getting to interact with everyone.

Eli's Surgery

2011-11-30T13:33:00.013-06:00

So my intention was to update Eli's progress while we were still in the hospital. The two days we were there were very busy and we actually came home a couple of days earlier than expected. A week later we would still like to tell you how everything went and how he's progressing now.

This first day is written by Ryan.

On Tuesday November 22 we started our journey by heading to the UW Children’s hospital to have Eli’s type and cross lab which is where there check his blood type and put an ankle band on him. This assigns the blood to him in case a transfusion is needed.
We then went and checked into the Ronald McDonald house to stay the night before surgery and since only one parent can stay at the hospital I would be spending the nights there.

Operation Day
We arrived at the hospital at 7:15 in preparation for the 8:30 surgery. We were checked in to the pre-OP room and then got to talk with several nurses, anthesialogists, and our two surgeons. Questions were answered and the days schedule was given. We were blessed with two wonderful surgeons, Dr. Iskandar – Pediatric Neurosurgeon and Dr. Mount – Pediatric Plastic Surgeon. We asked about the length of surgery and Dr. Iskandar said they would be done by lunch otherwise they would get hungry and need to take a break. Both Drs. did a great job of making us comfortable with the procedure. The whole time this was going on we had a very happy baby.

Around 8:50 it was time for him to be taken back to the operating room and Reneé got suited up to carry him back. She got to hold him as he drifted off to sleep. We were then off to the waiting room where we had a great support group of family and friends.
We were told that it could take an hour or so to get set up and they would let us know when the surgery started via our pager. After an hour and a half we decided to ask for status and found out our pager wasn’t working and that they started the operation at 10:20 and everything was going great.
We continued to hang out in the waiting room and found that technology made the wait easier. There were smartphones and Ipads in use. It helped to see all the prayers and well wishes.

Then at 11:45 a nurse came out and told us that everything was going great and they had started to close.
Next thing we knew the surgeons walked out around 12:30 to see us and tell us everything was done and went very well. They explained what they ended up having to do. Dr. Iskandar also stated that they took a vote in the OR and they decided to make him look more like Mom than Dad. A surgeon and a comedian. All joking aside, both of the Doctors were great, very personable and down to earth. We were told that he was in recovery and that we would be able to go see him shortly.
Around 1:00 Renee and I got to go back to the recovery room and see our Little Elijah. He was still asleep when we got there and had a little turban on. The surgeons even put a tigger sticker on it. He started to respond to our voices by cracking his eyes and squeezing our fingers. We then got to talk with the recovery nurses and the head anthesalogist who both said that he was doing very well and did perfect during the surgery. He then had to have some blood drawn to check his levels. After he started to come out of the anthesia, he was moved to the pediatric ICU.

Once we got up to the PICU we were met by several nurses and doctors who went over things with us. The attending had some concerns of him being anemic and pale. He talked to us about him possibly needing a blood transfusion, and that we would find out when the blood test results came back to see if his hemoglobin level has went up. After the results came back it was determined that he needed a transfusion. It was pretty amazing to see how much his color changed and he started to perk up during and after the transfusion which took 4 hours.

By night time of the first day he had really perked up and was playing with toys and we even got a smile out of him. It was amazing to see the changes he went through in the course of a day. He was one tough little guy.

Eli's Head

2011-11-20T13:43:00.008-06:00

When Eli was born there were a few things said multiple times in the operating room. One was that he had a lot of hair. I remember the anesthesiologist saying that they should get a barber in the nursery. Another thing they kept commenting on was how big he was (8 lbs 15 oz), especially for being a week early. They also kept saying he had a big head! Which is partly why the nurse had to lay/push on my stomach for quite awhile along with using the vacuum to get him out (and I thought having c-sections were easier than labor...ha!). When we finally got to hold and love on him we did notice how big he was but we also noticed that his head was a little misshapen. We didn't think much about it at the time because he was a c-section baby that was stuck pretty high up and didn't have a chance to have his head molded in the womb or on the way out.
Fast forward a month...his head was still a little oddly shaped so at his 1 month well check we asked out pediatrician (Dr. O) about it. They measured his head like normal. It was still on the big side but they weren't to concerned about it. Dr. O also thought the shape was due to the c-section and that it would shape out on it's own. He continued to keep an eye on it, even having us come in at 3 months to check the growth. It was still in the 95% but on the curve. Through all this Eli's head continued to grow out in length but not in width creating his head to look like an oval from the top. At 4 months we were prepared to go into the doctors office and ask for a referral for a second opinion. Thankfully we didn't have to ask, Dr. O brought it up first and said he wanted us to get an opinion from a place that treats different forms of Plagiocephaly (abnormal head shape) with DocBand Helmets. We went to Cranial Technologies, Inc in Chicago for a consultation. They took measurements and pictures of his head (that look like baby mugshots) and then after a clinician looked at them she came in to talk to us. She looked at Eli and felt his head. She said that he had symptoms of Scaphocephaly but was concerned about some ridging along his saggital suture. The saggital suture is the suture that goes down the middle of your head. She wanted Dr. O to run some tests to see what was going on inside Eli's head.
A CT Scan was ordered and an appointment with a Neurosurgeon was made. We went for the CT Scan and he did great! They did have to put him under anesthesia, but he came right out of it and didn't have any problems. A couple of days later we met with a Neurosurgeon that showed us the scan and then told us his diagnosis was Saggital Craniosynostosis (Craniosynostosis is a condition present at birth in which one or more of the joints between the bones of your child's skull (sutures) close prematurely, before your child's brain is fully formed.) The treatment for this would be a cranial reshaping procedure (surgery to fix it)! Although we were initially taken back by the diagnosis, in the back of out minds we kind of knew this was coming.

October 11, 2011 Before CT Scan (age: 5 months)

After CT Scan (happy as can be)

We decided to get a second opinion, not because the diagnosis would change but we wanted to make sure whoever did the surgery would be very experienced. So our pediatrician got us in at the Children's Hospital in Madison, WI. We met with a Neurosurgeon/Plastic Surgeon team. They agreed with the diagnosis and told us how they would proceed. We decided to go with this team for a lot of reasons, but mainly because they do this surgery 15-20 times a year, they are pediatric doctors, and they have been working together for 12 years.

November 16, 2011 1 week pre-op (Age: 6 1/2 months)

So this Wednesday (Nov. 23) Eli will be having surgery. It will be a 2-3 hour surgery and he will be in the hospital for 3-5 days. I will be trying to update on this blog throughout our stay at the hospital and the recovery after.
God has continually shown his hand in all this and we have complete faith that He will continue to through the surgery and recovery process. Please lift up the following in your prayers this week: surgeons, surgery team, nurses, Eli, Teagan, Ryan and myself. Pray that we can be a light to the hospital staff and other patients this week also!

At 6 Months You...

2011-11-03T09:02:00.002-05:00

* recognize your name when said
* recognize the sign for milk and get excited when I use it to ask if you want some
* can sit up in a folded position
* are definatly a mama's boy right now
* try to get your toys that are out of reach

At 5 Months you...

2011-10-17T13:46:00.004-05:00

* recognize when your name is being said
* crack up at your brother all the time
* reach for objects and hold on to them
* talks with inflection
* have been to both the apple orchard and pumpkin patch
* love going on walks

Flat Teagan

2011-09-13T20:46:00.004-05:00

So we do little learning activities every once in awhile and we talked about our bodies and different feelings that we have. Teagan really got into it, he now says "I'm sad Mommy" when something isn't going his way or he'll ask if I'm happy or sad. We talked about how everyone is the same and different at the same time, for example everyone has hair but it's not the same color. So to learn more about how T is made I had him lay down on a big piece of paper and I traced him. We then taped it to our basement door and I had him add his eyes, nose, mouth, hair, and color in his clothes.

When I went to hang up his guy he said to me "There's Flat Teagan". Now most of you might know the book Flat Stanley well I've never read that to him before but our church this summer did a little competition that involved our Senior and Teaching Ministers. We were given Flat David's or Flat Erik's to take places with us throughout the summer and take pictures of them doing certain things. We had a Flat Erik (who Teagan still plays with) that we took pictures of, so when I hung up T's body he naturally thought it was his Flat Self!

Here's a better picture of his drawing. I think he did pretty good at placing everything for being two. Since T already knows his ABC's I started to teach him how to spell a few words like his name, MOM and DAD. I traced out the letters with our magnet letters and then we put the paper on a cookie sheet and he matches the magnet letters to the ones on the paper.

He gets so excited to tell or show Ryan the little activities we do during the day!

At 4 Months you...

2011-09-13T20:24:00.004-05:00

15 lbs 15 1/2 oz 25 3/4 ins.

roll from your tummy to your back

talk all the time

lifting your head up while on your tummy for longer periods of time

ate cereal for the first time

He looks like he likes it but it has taken him a few days to really get into it.

At 3 Months you...

2011-08-05T21:26:00.004-05:00

*are a smiling fool

*have started sucking your thumb when you go to sleep or get really upset (mommy is trying to figure out a way to stop that :))

*are focusing more on things going on around you

*took your first trip to the lake

*are sleeping 10-11 hrs at night

2 years and 2 months, 2 months and 2 weeks

2011-07-14T13:53:00.004-05:00

At 2 years you...

*recognize all your letters

*can count to 15 and use one to one corspondance

*sing along with the radio

*pretend play with your cars and trucks

*went and saw your first movie "Cars 2"

*speak in short sentences as well as in the third person ("TT play outside") :)

*love to be my helper

13 lbs 8 oz 23 3/4 in long

At 2 months you...

*smile all the time

*like to play pat-a-cake

*talk to us with "coo's"

*sleep on average 9 hrs at night

*scoot backwards by pushing off with your feet

Eli got to take his first bath finally on his 2 month birthday! He loved it!

Elijah Thomas

2011-06-05T20:24:00.004-05:00

Meet Elijah Thomas born on May 2, 2011. He was 8 lbs 15 oz and 21 1/2 in. long. It is now 1 month later and he is already growing fast!

At 1 Month you...

*like laying on your tummy

*music calms you down

*like to watch the ceiling fans

*have started to hold your head up a few seconds at a time

*sleep 4-5 hrs at a time during the night

Boy or Girl?

2011-04-07T18:35:00.003-05:00

In less than 4 weeks we get to meet our Sweet Baby Triplett! We've had A LOT of projects going on around the house in preperation for the Wee One. We are finishing our basement and hopefully we'll be moving Teagan into his big boy room very soon! Here's one of the simplier projects I've been working on...burp clothes!
Will Baby T be a boy...

or a girl?

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T19:56:00.005-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day! Here are a few pictures from ours...

These are the Valentines for Teagan and his friends. They have a little pocket in them to put a little note and treat. I plan to use Teagan's as he grows up to put little notes of encouragement or a treat of some kind. I'll leave it on his bed or in his pack back as he gets older as a little surprise.

Our Valentines dessert...Red Velvet cupcakes with Heart sprinkles. Teagan picked the sprinkles out...he's really into hearts right now. I guess it's good timing.

All Gone!

He found his M&M's. His favorite candy right now!

My Valentines present from Ryan! More crafting fun!!

18 Months

2010-11-30T08:44:00.003-06:00

At 18 months you...
* run, jump with both feet, dance, and walk backwards
* love "peepa" (pizza)
* love anything to do with "choo trains" and Sesame Street
*can recognize the letters "O", "P", and "T"
*are getting more and more independent by putting things where they belong (like your dirty clothes)
*love being daddy's helper on projects around the house
*love to read books, especially your Bible
*have what we like to call the "fancy dance"...whenever upbeat music comes on your feet really get going

Giving Thanks

2010-11-25T20:42:00.003-06:00

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done."
I Chronicles 16:8

A Boy and His Hat

2010-07-30T22:49:00.005-05:00

Teagan has really been into hats lately. When he's in our room he always goes to Ryan's tin of hats and picks one out to walk around with. Well, I was in his room pulling clothes to pack when he found this cowboy hat that he had got almost a year ago at his cousins birthday party. He said "Hat" pulled it out and has been playing with it ever since.

This picture also shows his other thing he loves to do...sit on the register while the air is on!

Fishing for Colors

2010-07-15T18:46:00.003-05:00

I was looking at Teagan's toys the other day and realized that he didn't really have anything that taught colors. So my crafty/teacher instinct kicked in and I came up with a cute game. Ryan loves to fish so I thought it only fitting to make Teagan his own fishing pole and fish.

There is two of each color so I can fish for a color then Teagan can go fishing for the same one. The other fun thing about this game is that I had all the materials for it already at home except for the dowel rods and the magnets!

Five Years and Counting

2010-06-05T10:16:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Ryan and I celebrated our 5 year Anniversary. We've been through a lot in the last 5 years, definitely had our share of ups and downs. God has been with us the whole time and so we were able to celebrate yesterday with joy and more love for each other than when we started our journey together!

To celebrate the day I had suggested a restaurant that I had gone to with some friends. It's called Bamboo (Asian style food) and I thought Ryan would enjoy it. Ryan was so cute and to go with the Asian theme he surprised me and took me to a place called Anderson Japanese Gardens. It is a calm and serene garden surrounding a couple of ponds and a few little waterfalls. We were a little sad because we missed a lot of the plants blooming but it was nice to be able to enjoy some of God's creation Asian style! :)

Big Boy!

2010-05-27T10:56:00.006-05:00

So here's the long awaited Birthday pictures. The theme was Curious George and I had a blast planning the party.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T20:58:00.003-05:00

11 months

2010-04-23T22:55:00.001-05:00

Teagan turned 11 months today! I thought this picture would be so cute on our porch with my little wooden bench, but Teagan would not smile for anything. I can't blame him though, I think he's trying to cut more than one tooth right now. He's been very cranky and clingy. In this last month he has gotten another tooth so he's up to 7! He hasn't tried walking by himself yet. He cruises around the furniture and will walk behind a push toy but as soon as we stand him up and let go he sits on his bum! He's starting to sign more now...he will sign "please", "milk", and sometimes "more". This boy loves to eat too. If he sees his snack container or we put him in a high chair or he just sees food that he knows he generally eats he will start freaking out. We are truly shocked about the amount of food he will eat in one sitting. He also loves being outside. When we're not outside he will stand at the window a lot of the time watching the cars go by and saying "vroom," I can't believe that in a month he'll be one! He's such a big boy!

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T10:50:00.006-05:00

Happy Easter everyone! I know I'm a day late but we had a very busy day yesterday. Although it was busy it was also relaxing and fun. Teagan opened his Easter Basket from us after he got up from his morning nap. He went straight for his little Curious George. He has a big one but because he loved that one so much we decided to get him a little one that he can take with him on trips.

We went to Grammy lunch at my Aunt Merna's (which is something we do almost every Sunday) and we of course had a delicious meal! I don't think Aunt Merna has ever made a bad meal. After lunch the dads hid eggs filled with goodies while the big kids played downstairs. We had so many eggs this year that they started to just toss them around the yard. I wish I would've gotten a picture of it...Ryan was bowling with his! Teagan had his own little section of the yard to look for eggs. He loved crawling around and then shaking the eggs he found.

That evening we went over to Ryan's parents for Easter Supper and another little egg hunt for Teagan and his cousin Addisyn.

10 Months

2010-03-24T11:51:00.002-05:00

Here he is...my 10 month old boy! He is so funny these days. He crawls around the house looking for us. We can hear him crawl from room to room then stop and say "Ahh" and if we don't answer he goes to the next room. He has six teeth now. Three on the top and three on the bottom. He eats anything we give him and lots of it!

9 Months

2010-02-24T21:23:00.005-06:00

9 months 19 lbs 14 oz 30 in long

Teagan turned 9 months yesterday. It's hard to imagine that in three months he'll be one! It's starting to hit me that he's not really a baby anymore. He's crawling all over the place and pulling up to things. He definitely has a mind of his own and doesn't mind sharing it. He says "da da" and when asked what a cow says he sticks his bottom lip out and says "boo". He loves to eat anything we give him and has started to eat quite a bit of "big people food". He now has a cheesy grin when he sees the light on the camera and it is just too cute!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-16T09:34:00.004-06:00

I know this is a few days late but I haven't been feeling well so better late than never right! Anyway...I think this was my best Valentines day ever!

Here are the events of the day:
*I got to sleep in a little while Ryan fed Teagan breakfast and then made us some waffles.
*We went to some local Antique shops, we didn't find anything we had to buy but they were all very festive for the day. One of them was even having a cake walk! Every so often they would say a booth number and if you were in that booth you got to pick a cake. They liked Teagan so they told us to go into a booth and then called our name!
*We stopped by McDonald's for lunch.
*I got to take a 2 hour nap and while I was napping Ryan picked up around the house and cleaned our bathroom (more of why later).
*After naps I was banned from the kitchen while Ryan made us dinner...T-bone steaks, sauteed portabella's, baked potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce, garlic bread, and a salad. The three of us ate by candle lite which Teagan didn't seem to mind eating in the semi-dark. There were flowers, candles, and chocolates for our table decor!
*After Teagan went to bed I found out why Ryan had cleaned the bathroom...it was so I could relax and take a bath. He had candles lite, a warm drink, and some music all set up. I like to take baths but never get to because the tub has to be cleaned before I will do it and when I clean the bathrooms I usually don't have time to take a bath afterwards. So this was a very nice surprise!

All in all I felt very loved and special that day! Thanks again honey you are the best!

I wish I would've taken more pictures of my favorite parts of the day but here are a few of Teagan's first Valentines Day!

These are the Valentines Teagan gave to his friends...Dum-Dum flowers for the girls and candy and paper airplanes for the boys.

We got him a heart balloon and his cousin Addisyn got him a Monkey balloon. He likes to look at them but is unsure of playing with them!

Opening his card from us.

8 Months

2010-01-24T16:10:00.003-06:00

Teagan is 8 months now!! It is now time to put away the cherishables because he is on the move and into everything! He is saying a few words "la la, da da, ba ba" and has started to wave goodbye on occasion!

2010-01-21T09:28:00.005-06:00

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog, I haven't been really motivated the last couple of weeks. I think December just wore me out! Ryan had a lot of vacation time to use up so he was home a lot. We ended up taking a mini-vacation to Chicago. We did a little shopping the first day and then on the second day we went to Shedd Aquarium. I hadn't been there since I was in fifth grade, but it was amazing how much of it seemed familiar to me.

This is my future...the boys out in the boat fishing!

After all this we did all of our Christmas activities with both sides of our families. We spent Christmas evening with Ryan's mom and dad, sister, brother-in-law and niece. Then my family came up and we celebrated Christmas on New Year's Eve morning. It was a lot of fun to have my whole family here for a couple of days! New Year's Eve we went over to my Aunt Merna's. Ryan stole the show with being the only one to sing karaoke.

Since then we've just been getting back into our routine and just enjoying watching Teagan grow. He's started army crawling about a month ago but has now mastered being on all fours! He is everywhere! I am a little sad that he won't be using his yoga pose anymore!

7 months old

2009-12-24T10:45:00.002-06:00

Teagan turned 7 months old yesterday! He loves all his fruits and veggies that we've given him so far. He has started to army crawl and in the last few days he's gotten on his hands and knees but cries out in frustration because he doesn't know what to do next! I love this picture of him...especially because he smiled on his own. Usually Ryan and I have to make fools of ourselves to get him to smile for a posed picture. We are excited to be celebrating his first Christmas tomorrow!! It should be interesting to see what he does with all of the wrapping paper!
Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Tree Tradition

2009-12-15T21:31:00.007-06:00

I grew up with a fake tree for a couple of reasons....1. My dad has allergies and a real tree would bother them and 2. We always went to Nebraska to vist my grandpa the day after Christmas for a week. Although I do like the look of real trees sometimes I just think it would be easier to have a fake one. I could put it up at my leisure and not have to wait for a good time that works out for all of us. I don't like the cold so trying to get a tree on a semi warm day is kind of hard to do in Northern Illinois. And if you know my husbands desicion making abilities you know how the day might go! :)

With all of this said though I will more than likely always get a real tree and probably it will always be from William's Tree Farm. See 5 years ago I got engaged to the love of my life on that farm while picking out a tree for his (then) house.

This is the tree we picked out! Our first tree together! Every year since then we go get a tree and one new ornament to hang on it!

So to continue on with the tradition we went to the tree farm to get our tree. It was, of course, Teagan's first time to get a tree and just like his mom he wasn't too impressed to have to get all bundled up!

While we were there we added a new tradition to our list and that was to see Santa! My uncle Lee plays Santa at the tree farm so we thought it would be fun to get a picture with him!

I love traditions, especially the kind that remind you of something wonderful and important. This one certainly does!

Christmas Tree 2009

Day 29

2009-11-30T23:05:00.000-06:00

I'm thankful for...realizing my faults and wanting to change for the better!

Day 28

2009-11-29T19:24:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful for...quiet babies on 5 hour car rides home!

Day 27

2009-11-28T21:26:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful for...fun family time bowling!

Day 26

2009-11-27T21:07:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...$5 packs of diapers. We got 12 today on the Black Friday sale!!

(Teagan in his diaper fort after we got home!)

Day 25

2009-11-26T21:58:00.000-06:00

I'm thankful for...people who understand me and give me my space when needed!!

Day 24

2009-11-26T06:51:00.000-06:00

I'm thankful for...having family close enough to travel and see more than a couple times a year!

Day 23

2009-11-24T18:08:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for... a healthy boy! So far we've been able to stay away from any illness this fall. I'm praying that we don't catch anything over the holidays being around a lot of family.

Teagan is six months now! We took him to the doctor today for his well check and he is... 18 lbs 8 oz and 28 in long! He has started to eat veggies recently and so far likes sweet potatoes, squash, green beans and after a few days of trying carrots started liking them too! He's sitting up by himself and rolling all over the living room floor. We can't wait to see what new tricks he'll start doing in the next month!

Day 22

2009-11-23T19:39:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful...that Ryan has the whole week off!

Day 21

2009-11-22T22:01:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...a sleeping baby! Teagan has always been a good night time sleeper. He's pretty much slept through the night since he was a little over a month old. His naps on the other hand haven't been so good lately, especially his afternoon nap. Thankfully he took a 2 1/2 hr. nap today though. Maybe it's a start to a new trend!!

Day 20

2009-11-22T08:43:00.006-06:00

I'm thankful for...an orderly house! This is what my living room looks like now....

but this is what it has looked like for the past week and a half. For those of you that know me, you know that's it's been driving me crazy to have it so messy and disorganized!

This is why my living room has been a mess...I made 4 baby towels (yes I know only 3 are shown, one has already been given away) and Teagan's stocking for Christmas!

Day 19

2009-11-20T22:37:00.000-06:00

I'm thankful for...date night with my husband...even if it was only dinner and then to Babies R Us and Target!

Day 18

2009-11-19T21:39:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...music! I love music! I'm an all genre type of girl. There is always some type of music that goes with how I'm feeling at the moment!

Day 17

2009-11-19T09:27:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful for...the ability to be creative and make things for other people. Can you guess what this is going to be?

Day 16

2009-11-17T21:21:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...candles that smell like the season! This one is "Baked Apple Pie".

Day 15

2009-11-16T21:38:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful for...nice warm fires on chilly nights!

Day 14

2009-11-15T21:34:00.002-06:00

I don't have a picture for today b/c I forgot to take one of what I'm thankful for.
I'm thankful for...being able to lead others in Worship. I helped lead worship at church this weekend. I love when it's my time to do this. I get to use the gift God gave me to bring him praise and to help draw others closer to him!!

Day 13

2009-11-14T22:31:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful...that my house is overflowing with baby things!

Day 12

2009-11-13T22:40:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...friends who give us gift cards to specifically buy Teagan a toy. He loves his new Pal Scout!

Day 11

2009-11-12T21:48:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...the opportunity to bring a smile to someone this holiday season. A friend of mine arranged for our Mom's Group (and families) to make cards for families staying in the Ronald McDonald House in Madison, WI this Holiday season. These are the cards Ryan and I made.

Day 10

2009-11-11T22:28:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...my grandpa, for many reasons, but especially for serving in WWII! Thanks to all the other veterans and those serving now!!

Day 9

2009-11-10T22:14:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...downtime. I have lots of ways I do downtime...watching tv, reading, being on the computer, or playing my DS are a few of them. It feels nice after a long day to just veg out for a little bit.

Day 8

2009-11-09T20:25:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...sales and coupons. I've always been a sale and coupon person, but since I'm not working right now I feel like it's my way of contributing to our finances by saving some money. I usually buy most of our grocery's and household items at Walmart, but I do check the sales at our local grocery store and if I can get something cheaper there I will. When I do go to the grocery store I try to use coupons too. I hate to admit it but I get excited if I can get something on sale plus use a coupon plus have that coupon doubled! I went to the grocery store today and at the bottom of my reciept it said that I've saved $433.00 to date this year using my plus card! I'm going to see if I can beat it next year!

Day 7

2009-11-08T15:43:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful for...a 70 degree day in November so we could enjoy the apple orchard!

Day 6

2009-11-08T15:36:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful...that I have a piano! I'm not fabulous at the piano, but I did take 8 years of lessons when I was younger. I don't play everyday or even every week but it has proved to be a stress reliever for me. This piano has a fun story at least how I got it was fun. We had been looking for a piano in the newspaper for awhile and hadn't really found a good deal on one that I liked. Then one day I was looking out my front door and there she was. Our neighbor's across the street were having a garage sale and she was just sitting in the drive. She was in our price range and didn't have any major problems with her. So all we had to do was roll her across the street, which was made easy because she came with a piano dolly!

Day 5

2009-11-06T22:30:00.004-06:00

I'm thankful for...books. Since I was little I've always enjoyed reading. I mostly enjoy reading fiction because it's an escape for me. I also enjoy a biography or how to book once in awhile too. I know you can find almost anything on the internet anymore but sometimes I'd rather have the information right in my hands.

Day 4

2009-11-05T22:15:00.001-06:00

I am thankful...that I'm a stay at home mom and that I get to lay in bed and listen to Teagan sweetly talk when he wakes up in the morning!

Day 3

2009-11-04T16:02:00.002-06:00

I'm thankful for...my Mom's Bible Study! It's nice to be able to get out of the house a least once a week and hangout with other mom's while studying God's Word. It has been a real encouragement to me, knowing that I'm not alone and that other mom's have the same struggles I do.

Day 2

2009-11-03T20:18:00.003-06:00

I'm thankful today for...coffee! I don't have it on a regular basis but it is what I turn to when I want a warm drink on a chilly fall morning! I'm cold by nature so anything that warms me up is a blessing!

I'm thankful for... Day 1

2009-11-02T15:19:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking a lot lately of all the blessings that God has given me and not just the big things but the little everyday things too. We can plan and plan our lives but if we don't take the time to enjoy the moment what is all the planning worth? Each day I thank God for what He has given me but sometimes it's just a general prayer. I need to be more specific and continually be giving up prayers of Thanksgiving through out my day!

On that note...to help me get into the habit of doing this I plan to post one specific thing I'm thankful for each day of November. Hopefully by being accountable to doing it on here I'll get in the habit and do it for a long time to come.

Today I'm thankful for...Family! More specifically Ryan and Teagan! As I've looked back over the last six or so years I can see why God has put Ryan in my life. He has always been there for me and we've been through a lot. Especially our miscarriage and our long road to having Teagan. He never gives up on me and he never lets me give up on myself! He doesn't devalue my feelings even if my heart is breaking for a family that's lost a love one, someone I knew of but wasn't even remotely close to. Instead he holds me close and prays with me for the family. He is a great father and I can't wait to see him in action as Teagan and any other children we might have grow up.
Teagan has been my light! It's so exciting to watch him do something new in what seems like an everyday occurance. He helps me get excited about the little things...like getting his first two teeth in a week's time! His smile light's up any bad or sad day and his laugh is contagious! I'm thankful that God chose me to be his mom and with God's help I get the privilege of helping mold his life to be like God's!

First Tooth

2009-10-26T21:59:00.003-05:00

So tonight Ryan was getting Teagan ready for bed and I went in to talk to them. Well, I looked down at Teagan and noticed something white on his bottom gums. I thought it was either spit up or had gotten something in his mouth. I tried to wipe it away and it wouldn't go anywhere. It was hard and pointy. I looked again and turned to Ryan and said "I think he has a tooth." We looked once again and yes he has a tooth!

It's on his right side of his lower gum (right under his tongue in this picture). He hasn't acted like he's been in pain and he really hasn't been fussy except for a little bit today. My sister-in-law is a hygienist and she has told me before that the average baby doesn't get their first tooth until six months. He just turned five months last week so this has been a surprise to me! I definitely wasn't ready for this to happen, but I guess I can't stop him from growing up!

5 Months

2009-10-23T23:21:00.002-05:00

Teagan is five months today! He is getting so big! For some reason I can't post a video on here so I took some action shots of his favorite thing to do right now...rolling!

I was looking through pictures the other day and notice that we don't have a lot of pictures with myself and Teagan so we took some and here's the best one ( I think anyway)!

2009-10-18T21:59:00.003-05:00

Tonight at dinner Teagan was pretty winey and really wanted out of his high chair. He finally realized he wasn't going to get out of it by wineing so he sat there like this...

He looks bored doesn't he! :) I guess he was trying to tell us he was tired of waiting.

Cousin Fun

2009-10-15T21:11:00.003-05:00

This week I've been watching my niece Addisyn because her babysitter has had sick kids. As you can see Teagan and Addisyn are having a lot of fun!!

Teagan also started sitting up in his swing today and this whole week he's been a rolling machine!

4 months old!

2009-09-23T23:31:00.002-05:00

Teagan is 4 months old today! He sits up pretty good if being supported. Earlier this week he rolled over while I was in the other room (happy and sad moment). He's "talking" more and more, but we haven't got a full fledged laugh out of him yet. We don't know his weight or height yet we go to the doctor tomorrow right before we leave town. I hope the shots don't bother him too bad or it may be a long ride to Indiana!

Z is for...

2009-09-17T21:38:00.001-05:00

...zucchini. I usually like zucchini fried or grilled, but I didn't have time tonight so we just steamed it in the microwave.

Y is for...

2009-09-17T12:06:00.003-05:00

...yard. Although it looks a lot prettier in the spring...I love our yard! It's so big and I can't wait until Teagan's old enough to run around in it!

Front

Back
Back yard (view from the deck)

X is for...

2009-09-15T20:27:00.001-05:00

xylophone. I was looking for toys to put on Teagan's Christmas list today and I saw this xylophone and thought I better take a picture because not much else starts with X.

W is for...

2009-09-14T22:46:00.001-05:00

...wishes. I wish I could be on the beach right now!

2009-09-14T10:08:00.003-05:00

So this weekend was very busy for me. It was my turn to help lead worship at church so I was there 3:30-7:30 Saturday and 8:00-11:45 Sunday morning. Along with that we had other "weekend" things that we did. Anyway long story short I didn't have time to post pictures and my brain wasn't functioning and I didn't get pictures taken.

So today I am doing 2 letters this morning and one this evening.

U is for....unplugged! I watch way to much tv and I've decided on cutting back. I haven't set an amount of time for watching, right now I'm just trying to catch myself when I get bored and would usually turn on the tv and instead find something more productive to do!

V is for...Vandeveers as in my Aunt Merna and Uncle Lee. We did have Sunday lunch with them yesterday like we usually do on Sunday's but I forgot to take a picture of them! :(

T is of course for...

2009-09-11T22:43:00.002-05:00

...Teagan! Tonight we went to Roscoe's Fall Festival. The funnel cakes were very good!

S is for...

2009-09-10T22:43:00.002-05:00

...supper. Tonight I had bacon wrapped filet, red potatoes bought from the farmers market, and asparagus (that was bought on sale at Highlander aka Kroger). YUMMMMMY!

R is for...

2009-09-09T21:01:00.003-05:00

...Ryan and Reneé. Yes that's right I'm using myself for this letter! The letter "R" means a lot to me. Before I got married it was the only letter in my intials...Reneé Ruth Reedy (RRR). I always thought that was so unique and was a little sad about the change when I got married. Since Ryan starts with a "R" I guess that takes place of the "R" I lost!

Q is for...

2009-09-08T21:11:00.002-05:00

...quilts. These are some of the quilts we have at our house. I think I have 4 more than this, but they are being used. The top quilt was found in my grandma's house after she passed and my aunt had it finished and gave it to me for my wedding. The second one I'm not completely forsure but I think it was my mom's mom's. The bottom one of the ladder was made for Ryan when he was a baby. Teagan is sitting on the one his Aunt LaLa made him. All of my quilts were either made especially for someone in our house or passed down.

P is for...

2009-09-07T20:38:00.002-05:00

...peacefully sleeping! Isn't he so cute when he's asleep! He also has his Pilot shirt on so that's two "P's"

O is for...

2009-09-07T09:53:00.001-05:00

...outlet mall. This outlet mall is in a suburb of Chicago and it's an inside mall not an outside mall like most outlets. It was a fun day with just Ryan, Teagan, and I!

N is for...

2009-09-05T21:56:00.000-05:00

...niece. This is Addisyn Kaye Jackson and she is my only niece right now and she is such a doll. She is going to turn one at the beginning of October. She is at such a fun stage right now. The second picture is of her saying "What's that?"

L and M

2009-09-04T23:56:00.000-05:00

L is for Leigh Ann roasting a "M" marshmallow! Tonight we had a bon fire with a bunch of friends and family!

K is for...

2009-09-02T17:33:00.000-05:00

...kisses! This is one of my favorite pictures of these two. Right before Teagan was born Addi started giving kisses to people. On this particular night she would only given kisses to her new cousin.

This is one of the first times that Teagan knew what kisses were and he would open his month when we came close. I love baby open mouth kisses!

J is for...

2009-09-01T19:53:00.000-05:00

...jump. I saw this grasshopper on my deck and he decided to say hello by jumping onto my screen door.

I is for...

2009-08-31T22:36:00.000-05:00

ice cream, YUMMM! Ice cream is one of my favorite snacks. It is also one of the only things I actually craved while I was pregnant. I would have to say Strawberry is my favorite flavor, but I also enjoy cookies and cream and coffee flavors too. I really did have ice cream for a snack tonight, I just forgot to take a picture of it until it was all gone!

H is for...

2009-08-30T21:22:00.001-05:00

horses! I have liked horses since I was little, never knowing that I would grow up someday and have a sister-in-law that has three beautiful horses. I only got pictures of two of them today though. The top picture is Keno...she is the one that I ride when I can find the time. She is Leigh Ann's oldest. I think she's had her since she was ten. The other picture is of Leigh Ann and one of her six year olds...Kiah.

F and G

2009-08-29T21:58:00.000-05:00

So I forgot to post yesterday so I will do F and G today.
F is for...family outing! Today we went to a couple of different places and one of them is my G item. G is for...Green Akers. Green Akers is a little antique shop, country market, and cafe. We had never been there before and thought we would check it out. I was a little disappointed because I thought is was suppose to be more country market than antique shop, but there was hardly any produce there. It was a neat place though. After that we stopped by Edwards Orchard since it just opened this weekend for the season. We of course had to have a doughnut and some cider, but we also went and checked out the animals. G is also for...goats. Teagn likes looking at the animals...he's just not in this picture!

E is for...

2009-08-27T21:12:00.000-05:00

...earrings. Earrings are my favorite accessory! I have a lot of them and I hardly leave the house without some in.

D

2009-08-26T21:49:00.000-05:00

D is for diapers! This is our first major purchase of diapers! We've been blessed to be using free diapers until now. I had a lady that worked at the preschool with me that was able to get me free diapers every so often so she helped us stock up before Teagan was born. I have two more free packs from her but they are in bigger sizes. I also had two parents from the preschool that gave us some diapers. I am very grateful that God put people like that in our lives! It reminds me to take every chance I get to help someone else out that might need it!

The Letter C

2009-08-25T21:11:00.001-05:00

C is for Chuck...our Beta fish. We've had Chuck for almost a year now. I thought he would've been gone by now, especially when he didn't eat for two weeks during the winter because his water was too cold!

ABC's

2009-08-24T22:11:00.000-05:00

So a couple of my friends are doing blogs where they post a picture a day and right now they are doing a theme. They are doing the alphabet and each day is a new letter. I haven't been very good about posting pictures on a regular basis but I thought I'd try it since there is a theme. I will be doing two letters today so I can get caught up!

A is for Airplane! Ryan is really into airplanes and really hopes Teagan will be someday too! I found this shelf at a garage sale for $4.oo and thought it would look cute in Teagan's room when he gets a little older.

B is for Boat! Tonight we went out in the boat with a couple of good friends and their little girl. It was Teagan and Avenlea's first ride in a boat.

Three Months

2009-08-23T19:28:00.001-05:00

Teagan is three months today! I don't know his exact weight and length growth but we can definetly tell he's getting bigger. He is starting to wear his 3-6 mon. clothing and the car seat is getting heavier to carry! He is holding his head up more and more. He usually can get it higher than this picture but he wasn't in the mood. He is smiling more also, he'll just look at me and give me a huge grin. So cute!

Garage Sale

2009-08-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had a garage sale. These two were quite the troopers while we spent long hours in the heat of our garage. Avenlea is six months older than Teagan but b/c of their birthdays they will be in the same grade in school, along with Teagan's cousin Addisyn. It will be a lot of fun to see them grow up together!

First Road Trip

2009-08-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

I took Teagan on his first Road Trip last week. We went to my hometown in Indiana while Ryan went to northern Minnisota to fish for the week. It was nice to show Teagan off to close friends and family that I don't always get to see. We had a very busy week but it was a lot of fun!

Hanging out with great Papaw and Mamaw Pete before they went back to Nebraska.

My best friend from growing up and her little girl meeting Teagan for the first time.

Playing Pat-a-Cake with mommy.

Teagan's first playdate with my friends from high school and their kids...Sam, Ava, and Teagan.

My home church had a picnic/ pool party. Teagan loved sitting at the edge of this pool better than the baby pool.

We went and had lunch with my cousin Shell. Her little boy, Carston, wanted to play with Teagan's toy's.

Our last day there we went to the Indiana State Fair. Here's Teagan sitting in a combine tire!

Two Months Old!

2009-07-23T21:36:00.001-05:00

Today Teagan is two months! We went to the doctor today and the first thing he said was "He is HUGE for a 2 month old!" and then a little later he said "Look two chins and no neck!" He said that Teagan's doing great though. Teagan weighed 12 lbs 11 1/2 oz and 24 in long. He had 4 shots and did pretty well. This month he has started pushing himself on his back with his feet, he's talking ("cooing") a lot more and smiling more. He has also started sleeping more at night so hopefully that keeps up!

Scooter

2009-07-17T10:36:00.000-05:00

Teagan started a new thing this week. When he wakes up from his nap and he's mad, he scoots his way to the top of the crib!

This is him sleeping peacfully!
(Notice the amount of space between the top of his head and the top of the crib between the two sheep!)

Now he's mad and on the move!

2009-07-07T21:28:00.000-05:00

The last couple of days we have awaken to see Teagan all smashed into the side of his bed. He's scooting his way over there in his sleep!

Bath Fun?

2009-06-30T14:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the first time Teagan got to take a real bath, because he's umbilical cord took a long time to come off (actually the Dr. had to take it off). As you can see he didn't really enjoy his time in the bath...he screamed the whole time. I think it's funny that he's looking at me out of the corner of his eye as if he were saying "Mom can't you see I'm annoyed with you right now and you're still taking a picture!"

Six Flags

2009-06-28T21:47:00.000-05:00

We went to Six Flags Great America on Saturday with some of Ryan's extended family. It was very hot but we had fun. Teagan didn't really care for the cold water at the water park on his feet!

One Month Old

2009-06-23T22:32:00.000-05:00

Teagan is a month today! I can't believe that a month has already past. I'm already realizing how fast time fly's by and I'm really trying to slow down and cherish each day with him. It's been hard though and I know it won't be the last time that it's hard it's just all new to me. In the last 4 weeks he has grown so much, not only in size but in little milestones. Last week he started "talking" or "cooing" and he is getting stronger with holding his head up (even though he's been good at that from the beginning). We truly feel like he smiled at Ryan and I for real Monday night as there was no gas or other bodily function that came along with it. :) He is so precious to us and as much as I don't want him to grow up I can't wait to see what God has in store for his life!

Meeting Family

2009-06-21T21:26:00.000-05:00

This week Teagan met his Uncle Adam and Aunt Andrea and Aunt LaLa.

New Toy

2009-06-16T20:45:00.000-05:00

Teagan enjoys his new floor mat. Sometimes he'll hit the ball...but I don't think he realizes he's doing it though.

2009-06-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share this precious moment that I experienced yesterday. They both tried to stay awake and just couldn't!