New Babywearing pics

Got my new Kozy Mei Tai in the mail today. It's a silk Kozy, and is soooooooo yummy. It's got velour straps/inner and silk brocade outer and tips. I am soooo in love with this carrier. It's the first time I've tried a Kozy. I don't know if the regular twill/cotton Kozy's are this comfy or not, but I have never felt anything so comfy! the SAD thing is, the straps just aren't long enough for my fluffy self :( I need XL straps to do a good back carry. So looks like this gorgeous yummy carrier will be going back up for sale. Unless I can find someone willing to trade for another one with XL straps. I'm not even sure it comes in XL straps. Anyway, I look like death 10x's over today, so I took some pics of PJ wearing Nate with it :) I thought they were too sweet not to share :)

New Pics :)

So, back to your regular programming :) Took Nate's 9 month pics yesterday. It was an interesting day. As I was standing there at the edge of the bed blocking (or so I thought) him from going over the edge, I turned my head literally two seconds to pic up a prop, and around me and OVER the bed he crawled, head first into the floor. So after a half hour of calming him down and checking himt o make sure he was ok, we were ok to finish taking the pics. I learned a valuable lesson yesterday... Nate is FULLY mobile. We bought baby gates last night! Now he's safe from the kitchen! I bought one for the hall/bedroom door too, and JRay found it rather fun to repeatedly go over it. It was hilarious. The things that entertain that boy baffle me!

You can view the rest of them at my photosite, the link is to your right.

Ok, here are a few of them...


Those tears were just too cute not to capture :) look at that bottom lip!


This one didn't focus since he was moving, but it was just tooooo sweet not to keep and share :) Looks like he's praying!


I love that "awestruck" look on his face!


And, of course, that sweet little look he gives when he's being so sweet!

My Awesome JRay :)

So since a loving, considerate stranger has decided to point out that most of my blogs are primarily about Nate, and that I only speak ill of my precious JRay (and those who know me know this is so very true, right?) Here's a post all about JRay :) The things that make me fall in love with him more and more with every day that passes.

1.) He is my son :) That's enough to end the list, but I"ll keep going.
2.) He is such a trooper. 2 eye surgeries, tons of ophthalmologist appointments, tubes, speech therapy, ADHD, divorce, and he's still an amazingly sweet, respectful, caring little boy. My heart swells with pride every time I even THINK about him :)
3.) Those snuggles. He gives the bestest snuggles ever!
4.) He's such a hard worker. He gives everything 110% :) I never have to worry that slipping grades are a result of not trying. He ALWAYS tries :)
5.) Those big gorgeous blue eyes :) I could get lost in them.
6.) The way he absolutely ADORES his baby brother. He can't spot Naynay without totally attacking him with lovin' :) I love seeing them love each other so much!
7.) He is a Christian. He was saved by teh Grace of God on Oct. 8, 2006 after church :) They had discussed salvation in children's church, and he was questioning us about it on the way home. After we got home we sat down on his bed with the Bible, went over it all, and prayed the prayer of salvation :) I am SO BLESSED to have been able to be the one to lead him in that prayer. He loves God, and has a strong desire to do God's work. Many times he comes home from school with questions to things answered with things about being a Christian and showing God's love :)
8.) He's forgetful :) I love it because it reminds me so much of me! The boy has a worse memory than I do! It's one of the many things that make JRay unique, and those are all the things I love most about him!
9.) Because you just can't meet JRay and not fall in love with him :) He just rocks my socks!
10.) and because God loaned him to me :) He is not MINE. He is God's. And Sunday when I dedicate him and Nate back to the Lord, I'm committing myself, PJ, our families, and our church family, to raising him in a Godly home, and teaching him those things that he should know to go out and do the Lord's work :) I may find much disfavor in many eyes, but I found enough favor in God's eyes to be loaned two very precious boys, and I know in my heart that God has great plans for the both of them :)

I'm sure that those who know me know there is no doubt that I love my children with all that I am. I dont' even pretend to be perfect. I know I"m not perfect. But the great thing is, I'm forgiven :) And God continues to forgive. All I have to do is ask Him :) I struggle in my Christian walk EVERY SINGLE DAY. It is not easy to walk the straight and narrow path. And I know that many times my failures become stumbling blocks to others, and I will have to answer to God for that on the day of Judgement. But, I know that God forgives me for those mistakes, and still loves me no matter what. Through the times I've taken His love and pushed it back at Him and refused it, He STILL loved me. He always has, and he always will. I"ve learned lot in Revival this week, but the biggest thing I have learned is that my attitude affects my ministry. And we all know that my "attitude" has always been a big part of who I am. So I need ya'll to pray for me, and encourage me when you see me getting angry. I want to live a life that is pleasing to God. I want to win souls for Christ. I want to see EVERYONE make it to Heaven. So, God, please forgive me for the sins I've committed, even since reading the first response to my blog below. Cleanse me of unpure thoughts. Help me to be righteous. And ya'll encourage me to do the same! I love you all! But not as much as God loves you, because I don't know that I could give my son to die for you, but He certainly did, without hesitating.

Nate's Checkup

Went rather well :) He weighed 21.4 lbs and was 28 inches long. (I guess, she had a pretty hard time getting him to sit still and straighten out his leg! He kept trying to roll away!). He's in the 25th percentile for length, and the 60th percentile for weight. It's definitely a change going from JRay, who has always been off the charts for everything, to one who's actually in the low brackets! I guess we're gonna have us a lil shorty on our hands :) It was bound to happen sooner or later with all the shorties in our families! He's still the most handsome baby ever though :) And JRay the most handsome boy ever! I'm so blessed to have such handsome fellas in my life! It's funny how often I hear how much he looks like JRay, because to me he looks just like PJ. I mean, yeah, JRay actually favors PJ a good bit, even though he's not his dad, but in that sense I think JRay favors me more than Rob. *shrugs* crazy, isn't it? So yeah, my lil 10lb "sack of taters" as Papa so lovingly named him is actually not so big anymore! Doesn't matter, they'll both always be my lil babies! I talked to Dr. Hull about JRay and what's been going on with him, and we're going to up his Adderall dosage next time we refill. I hate doing that, but he really does need it I guess. He's really struggling lately, and I know it's not for lack of trying. Even at home when I have him doing extra work, he's working SO HARD and still missing A LOT of the questions, and it breaks his heart when I tell him how much he missed. He understands it, he's just missing so many things that he SHOULD be seeing. Punctuation, capitalization, etc. Things that he understands, he just misses them in the sentence. I honestly thought that maybe we were wrong with his ADHD diagnosis, but now I believe that's not so. I can see that the older he gets the more prevalent it appears.

Have to go run make some Avon deliveries now! I'll get to those pics tomorrow hopefully! It's snowing today! WOW! I don't recall EVER having this much snow in Bama... not since the couple of snowstorms we had back in the 80's, anyway!

Forgot to mention..

Nate went to the eye doctor for an infant screening last week, and he is having to go see an ophthalmologist on March 28. His left eye is turning in, and he is a tad farsighted. Dr Drake
said it was probably nothing to worry about, but he wanted to be sure. So ya'll be praying for that. He goes in the morning to Dr Hull for his 9 month checkup, so I'll be sure to post an update on that when we get back :)

My baby's growing up

Wow... so Nate is 9 months old today. It's so hard to believe that it's been NINE WHOLE MONTHS since my lil guy was growing in my womb. Where on earth has that time gone? Sometimes amidst all the joy of his precious little life, it is so sad and depressing to look at him and know the buck stops here. I really do regret getting a tubal, but know ultimately it was the best decision for us with my health and our financial situation. Still, those dreams of a large family with 10 kids running around... *sighs* it's just hard to admit that I have to hang up those dreams. But, as I just now got back from rocking my sweet little man to sleep, and I stared at that innocent face, and kiss those gorgeous cheeks, I remember those dear to me, both friends and family, who are struggling with being able to even have one child, and it's in that I realize how blessed I am that God found favor to give me two very wonderful little boys :) Now, onto those blessings...

So, he's 3/4 a year old now. Only 3 months to his first birthday. As much as I don't want him to get any older, I find myself planning that first birthday party in my head. He's such an awesome baby. I just love him so much. He brings out the best in all of us. Tooth #5 is just about to pop through. You can see it, it just hasn't broken the skin yet. He's crawling EVERYWHERE, usually where I don't want him to be of course. He HATES the playpen, hates for me to leave the room, and LOVES to pull my hair :) He's starting to try to pull up. He's eating everythign you put in front of him (unless it's green!).

I've started making my own baby food. Not fully yet, but little by little. I've made butternut squash, pears, applesauce and dutch apple, and sweet corn. He loves them all, of course. I just feel like they add so many preservatives and other things to the jarred baby food, he's just not getting the best he could. I mean, I dont' think the jar stuff is BAD for him, but after researching, I find a lot of the natural nutrients found in fruits and vegetables are lost in the preserving process. We are still cloth diapering and babywearing. We're actually doing alot more babywearing now than we were. Nate has gotten really clingy lately, and the separation anxiety is starting to kick in, so when I need to get things done around here I throw him on my back and have at it :) He loves being close to mommy! He loves playing with my hair and squealing and just being a happy little baby boy! He's drinking a lot less formula these days and eating a lot more food. He is pretty much only taking approx 3 bottles a day now.

JRay is doing well. We're having a few "issues" with school, but nothing I can't nip in the bud. He's hada couple of C's recently, so he's grounded this week, and is doing lots of boring math and language and handwriting worksheets after he finishes homework. He's lucky we have Revival this week, or he'd be doing a lot more worksheets! I'm having a hard time dealing with having to play the "mean mommy" role, but it's necessary. I'm sure it's just a phase he's going through. Anyone who's been through this age with boys, I'm open to suggestions! His attitude is starting to stink like a pond full of dead fish, and his carelessness is getting out of control. I had him in tears 3 times this morning before school. It is REALLY HARD for me to be so hard on him. Most of you know how much I love him and how sensitive he is and how hard it is for me to be hard on him! But, I do it because I know it's essential to him developing into that Godly young man that I know he will be. He's so loving and compassionate and just all around good. It almost seems to me that he's not TRYING to be this way. That he can't help it. But, I do know he can. He's currently being evaluated for TAG (gifted) so hopefully he'll get in. I think it would make a HUGE difference in his behavior at school, since i feel most of the issues are stemming from him just flat out being BORED. So ya'll just pray for us as we continue to tackle this little feat. Oh the joys of parenting!

Like I mentioned above, we're in Revival this week. Bro Carl Cureton is leading it, and all I can say is WOW. This man has some seriously Divine information coming down. We have really enjoyed the last two nights, and look foward to the next three! The Spirit of God is really moving in our midst.

Oh, and before I forget, we will be dedicating Nate and JRay both next week at church. Service starts at 10:30, and we'd love for any of you to come share in this with us :) It's very special for us! I was never able to officially dedicate JRay when he was a baby because of mine and his dad's spiritual situation at the time, so I feel that it's only right that I do this with him alongside his brother. We will also be joining the church at the same time. We realized after leaving FIMC to venture into a world of Baptist vs Methodist vs Bible and whatnot, that we were just happy at FIMC. I could care less about this denomination thing. I care about what the Bible says, and as long as the church preaches the Bible, and preaches to LIVE by the Bible, I'm good :) So we've been going back to FIMC for the last few months, and have been so happy there :) They are such a loving church family! And well, you can't not sit under Bro Hal's messages and NOT miss them! That man is so full of the Lord! We've been getting pretty tickled at him this week :) It's always a joy to be able to watch him sit back and enjoy hearing the Word :)

ok, this has been long, SORRY! just trying to catch everyone up! I had planned on taking Nate's 9 month pics today, but it's overcast today so the lighting stinks. We'll see :)

And now some more bragging pics...

Since I've neglected the blog department, I'm catching up! So deal with it :) Here are Nate (and JRay's) Valentine/8 month pics :) I had a BLAST taking these, and am LOVING my new camera, the Canon 40D. It's a big camera, and easy to shake, so it's taking some adjusting to keep a steady hand :)

Both of my precious boys being silly yet sweet!

Nate and those sweet innocent melt your heart baby blues :)


And the perfect picture made better with all sorts of slobber sweetness!!

And just being his sweet little self

And lastly (but of course you know there are tons more pics) my lil flirtacious thing sticking that tongue out and smiling! Melts my heart when he does that!

The rest of the pics can be found here at my photo site

My Sweeties :)

So, we all know I'm just a little biased when it comes to my boys. And JRay got to have his first babywearing experience today :) (ok, yesterday, but who's looking at the clock?) and I just have to share some pics of it :)

The staredown of the century!

Bubby was getting mauled and attacked by Nate!

BW'ing Daddy in the making!

And I have a couple of pics of me trying out a new carrier we got, and pics of the pod we've had a while, but just re-found the love for. The Mei Tai is a Bundle O'Baby wrap style MT. It's a great affordable MT, and can be bought here from Kara at Mom and Baby Naturally

Don't you love that fake smile?

He's just too darn cute for words!

Wow I forgot how comfy this thing is! Pods RULE!
BW'ing leaves room for lots of Mommy kisses!And Mommy Snuggles!

The Great Milk Debate

So, a thread on BBC really got my goat going tonight. I'm so tired of how people say this is the cause of that. Am I the only one fed up with all the so called studies that put down EVERYTHING we do for our kids and claim that doing them is killing our children? I mean SERIOUSLY? Now giving babies cow's milk before a year of age causes them to have diabetes! How the heck do you even come up with that ridiculous idea? And I DARE ANYONE to try to debate me on diabetes related issues. I'm very up to date on all things diabetes study related. I stay in the know of these things in hopes of one day having a cure for myself and being able to plan on living a very long life, maybe even having GREAT grandkids. Type 1 diabetes is essentially an autoimmune disease! Your body's immune system goes haywire and attacks the islet cells in the pancreas. Those are the insulin producing cells. Can someone please explain to me how COW'S milk causes your immune system to attack your pancreas? I really can't wait for PROOF of that one, not some stupid study that uses THEORY. I'm SO SICK of theory. I'm a facts based momma. I could give a rip about theory! Theorize all you want, but until you give me FACTS, I'm not listening. Just like the great aspartame debate. Get over it. Those "studies" were PROVEN (there, again, with FACTS) wrong years ago. Aspartame is as safe for you and your unborn child as any other artificial ANYTHING you consume.

Get off it people. I'm so sick of everyone who reads some stupid study taking it for fact without doing their own research, then when a momma makes a decision that has her baby's best interest at heart, attacking her for her decision because she can't possibly be as good a momma as you since she doesnt' believe every single freaking thing she reads. So, if that be a case....

Drinking water causes you to grow a 3rd nipple! OMG! Ya'll, stop drinking water now! Spread the word! This is a study from the University of WackJob Tech!