Jake's PDO Christmas Program

So we've all been fighting "the crud" around here. It has seemed to hit Dawson and I the hardest, but we're hanging in there. Jake has been the last to catch this ugly bug. Luckily it doesn't phase him or slow him down one bit. We went back and forth about whether or not we should let him be in his Parent's Day Out Christmas Program. He has no fever, just some yucky snot. Honestly, if you're just watching him, it's pretty much impossible to even tell he's a little under the weather. So, we decided to let him participate anyway. We took him late to school and after the program we brought him home. He did SO GOOD!! I really expected him to take one look out at all the people and refuse to go on stage; he's never been a performer. But he marched up there and performed his heart out. I'm so proud of him and SO GLAD we made the decision to let him go.
Jake PDO Christmas program 2012 from Gerald Miller on Vimeo.

Ready to go...

 Making his grand entrance.... LOVE IT!! To think we weren't sure he would even walk out on stage, much less perform.

Singing "God Cares".... they pretended to ride a donkey in this song. I know that because J has talked non-stop about the donkey song.

Riding a donkey is hard work.....

 Singing "Away in the Manger"

 "...the stars in the sky look down where He lay..."

 "The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay..."

Catching up - Dawson

*I wrote this several weeks ago, so some if this is old news. It just took me forever to get pictures together*

So our little guy is SIX MONTHS OLD!!!! What????? Where has the time gone??? I don't even know where to begin! The first 4 1/2 months or so were ROUGH as far as sleep goes. (lack of sleep = lack of brain power = lack of blog posts). It's amazing how two boys can have the same Mommy and Daddy and be so different. Sure, we had the normal sleep issues with Jake, but ultimately by 3 months he was a pro at sleeping. Not so much with Dawson. He's not a paci baby, no matter how hard we try. I've lost count of the number of paci's we tried with him. He might suck on them for a little while, but would rarely suck on them to go to sleep and he eventually would get mad if you put one in his mouth... even still, we continued to try. We were pushing the paci so hard because he wasn't really sucking his thumb either. So when he was sleepy, there was no comforting him. He didn't want to be rocked, swayed, bounced, nothing. So all we could really do was put him in his crib and let him fuss himself to sleep for EVERY nap and EVERY bedtime. It's amazing how just listening to a baby cry can be so exhausting! We did sleep him in his bouncy seat for the first few months, so when he would wake up, one of us was just bounce him in his bouncer. Sometimes it would work and sometimes we just had to let him fuss. There were times I could nurse him to sleep, but then he wouldn't transfer into his crib, bouncer or bassinet without waking up. Probably around 3 months we started trying him on his tummy. Getting to sleep was becoming a LITTLE easier, but getting him to stay asleep was the challenge. He was only sleeping 20 MAYBE 30 min at a time, which if you know babies, that's not even considered a nap. He was still waking up multiple times during the night as well. SLEEP DEPRIVATION was evident in this house. I think everyone was feeling the effects. Finally we decided, he is just BEYOND over tired, somehow we had to help him catch up on his sleep. So we decided his bedtime would be 5:30 if not earlier. Well, the first night we put him down at 5:30, he was asleep by 5:45 and slept through the ENTIRE night until 6:30 the next morning. (Unfortunately this is the one and only time he has slept through the night). Even still this was the beginning of a little bit of sanity returning. As his night time sleep got a little better, his naps got progressively better and longer as well. I have to say I also had a dear friend come over and pray over Dawson, this house and specifically his room. I'm very much a believer in spiritual warfare, and if you could see Dawson at some of this naps/bedtime, it did seem as though there was something else going on. Call me crazy, but this house we're in now was lived in ROUGH before we got here. We dont' know what kind of things went on here and therefore, what kind of "doors" were open for the enemy. That day, Thursday, October 18th was a HUGE turning point in his sleep. God is SO GOOD and SO FAITHFUL to those who call on Him. We're still not where we want to be as far as sleep is concerned, but it is MUCH better. He now goes down for most his naps and bedtime with very little fussing and naps are between 1 - 2 1/2 hours long. He's still going down around 6:00 at night and waking up at 10 and 2 to eat. Pretty soon we're going to be dropping one of those feedings, but right now we're all getting over some yucky congestion and coughs, so we're leaving it alone as of now. Oh, and he's also cutting his two bottom teeth. I feel like they have been coming in since he was 4 months. They are just under the gum and he is a drool machine. He chews on everything and has had some fussy days when I think they are bothering him the most. He did have a double ear infection about a month ago, but we got though that and have a clean bill of health. Speaking of health, did I ever post that he does NOT have Long Q-T Syndrome?? Well, if I haven't posted about that we are THRILLED that he was spared a lifetime of meds... which is a good thing (not only for the obvious reasons) but because he is not a fan of any kind of medicine... Tylenol, Motrin, gripe water, mylicon... you name it, he makes these awful faces, often spits it out and sometimes gags.
Other than fighting sleep issues with D, he really is a GREAT baby. Even when he's tired... make that EXHAUSTED, he's still happy and all smiles. Really the only time he ever fusses is when we're trying to get him to sleep or when he has missed some naps and is WAY over tired. (or is in the car for an extended trip)
He is rolling over both ways and has discovered that if he keeps rolling he can get where he wants to be. And, yes, folks, he thinks he's ready to crawl. This boy is going to be on the move WAY sooner than this Mommy is ready for.  He gets up on all fours, and rocks back and forth and often throws himself forward. He "planks" all the time. (He's going to have great core strength). Pretty much anytime he's awake, he's practicing. If I put him on his back, it's not long until he rolls over and is trying to get up on all fours. He's getting to the point where I'll put him down in one spot and when I come back he's not in that exact spot anymore. He's not traveling too far, but he is in motion. I'm enjoying this less mobile stage and praying it's not over too soon. He's not doing a whole lot of babbling, but enjoys doing his best Chewbacca impression. It cracks me up every time. He loves to watch Jake and finds him quite humorous at times. He is similar to his brother in the fact that he LOVES his doorway jumper and his exersaucer/jumper. I'm pretty sure he would stay in those two things all day if I would let him.
He is able to sit up unassisted.... when he wants to put forth the effort, ha. He still tumbles over after a little while, usually because he decides he needs to chew on his feet. His feet are his favorite toy these days. If he's on his back he's playing with those cute little toes. He is enamored with faces too. If you're holding him, watch out because he'll go after that nose and give your cheeks a good squeeze. If you're real lucky he'll plant a nice, wet, slobbery kiss on you.
At his last weight check (~5 mo) he was 18 lbs 10 oz, so a BIG boy. He actually outweighs where Jake was at 5 months by over a pound. I think we'll soon be moving him out of the carrier into a big boy car seat... we just need to find a new seat for brother first.
Having two kiddos has definitely been a challenge in the "getting out and doing things" department. (especially with D's difficult and unpredictable sleep patterns.) I still have not managed to get J and D napping at the same time either, so that's difficult too. So we get out on an occasional walk or a short trip to the mall, but it doesn't happen very often... another reason I'm SO thankful that we've been able to put Jake in PDO. (Parent's Day Out) twice a week. It's a GREAT outlet for him and good bonding time for D and myself.
We have made two trips to Dallas in the past 5 months. Once in August and the other in October. The one in August we went to the Dallas zoo (it was HOT), but Jake had a ball. He was especially excited because we got to ride the dart train. He still talks about that train ride. Our next trip we got to get out to the Arboretum and see all the pumpkins and enjoy a little bit cooler weather. (it got warm by the afternoon). The second trip was smoother for both boys, there and back, so we're looking forward to Thanksgiving being a  breeze.... hey, a Mom can hope, right?? Anyway, I know there is a lot I've left out, but I think this is long enough. Since this, kind of, catches me up, I'm going to TRY and stay a little more consistent with the posts... Hmmm.. have we heard that statement before?? I'm doing my best. I REALLY don't want to miss posting what's going on. I keep this blog, for me just as much as I do to keep family and friends in the loop. I want to do my best to make sure Dawson's early years are documented too. These early days go by SO FAST and I don't want to miss a moment or forget a detail. Well, I hope I haven't bored you to death and hopefully the cute pictures will make up for all the reading. Enjoy!!

Gotta catch up... Jake

I can't believe I've let so much time pass by before updating the blog. I know I haven't posted much about Dawson, but I'm going to dedicate this post to Jake and the next one will be D's. Having two boys keeps you on your toes for sure. They are doing fabulous. Jake is adjusting so well to being the big brother. He is such a character these days, you never know what will come out of his mouth. He loves to sing and he'll dance if he thinks no one is watching. One of his favorite phrases these days is "we'll see...."

J: "Mommy, can I play on the computer when we get home?"

M: "No, buddy. When we get home it's going to be time to eat lunch."

J: "We'll see, Mommy, we'll see..."

Hey, if it lets him hold on to a little hope and avoid a major meltdown, more power to him.... the answer is still no, ha!

He is doing SO WELL at playing by himself when I'm busy with brother. For the first few months after Dawson was born (UNFORTUNATELY) the TV was Jake's main entertainment. Coincidentally that's also when we had the most discipline problems with him. I have definitely found that with Jake, if he has too much electronics (TV, computer, InnoTab) time during the day, it COMPLETELY effects his behavior. Yes, the first few months with a newborn you are in survival mode, so I had to use what was available and allowed me to get done what needed to get done. At that time, playing by himself was NOT J's forte', now, he's FABULOUS at pretend play, puzzles, playing outside and anything else he can find to do on his own. I'm so proud of the boy he is becoming. He has so much fun at PDO (Parent's Day Out) two times a week. They have told me on several occasions that he has great manners :-) Music to a Mommy and Daddy's ears. Though we might have a battle in the morning now and then about getting chores done etc., there is NEVER a battle about going to "school". He LOVES it and he LOVES his teachers. He did have some issues with sharing at first (what 2-3 yr old doesn't?), but through their help and loving on him he is doing so much better.

His favorite thing is still taking long walks when we can... he'll settle for a short one too if that's all we've got time for. He has learned to ride his tricycle and has almost mastered swinging himself on the swing. He's still our climber and climbs on his swing set ever which way except the way you're supposed to. He's just like his Mommy in the fact that he NEVER wears shoes. It doesn't even cross his mind to put on shoes before running outside. (sadly it often doesn't cross mine either to have him put on shoes... guess that will change with winter arriving, ha!!). He still collects rocks wherever we go, as well as sticks, twigs, leaves, acorns, pecans and whatever else he might find.

Can you believe he is THREE YEARS OLD?!? The time has FLOWN. We haven't had his party yet, but we did make his special day all about him. He woke up to a streamer covered doorway and a flurry of balloons outside his room. He was welcomed at the breakfast table with mini dinosaurs from brother, breakfast "cookies", and strawberry milk. He got to open his first gift from Grammie and Granddad and enjoyed playing with it for a good portion of the morning. Next, G took him to the Science Spectrum (I stayed home so Dawson could take his morning nap). He had fun, as always looking at the airplanes and playing in the model cockpit. Next we all met up with some friends to eat lunch and play at Chick-Fil-A. If we had realized it was Columbus Day and his friends were all out of school we would have made this his birthday party. They all had a blast and we brought a Chocolate Chip Cookie cake that G and I made the night before. (a story within itself, ha!). After a fun filled lunch, we headed home for a much needed nap. After rest time we just did our normal afternoon routine of snacks, a show, and outside playtime until G got home. (He had to go to work after lunch). We then had his FAVORITE meal, MEATBALLS for dinner. After dinner he got to open his gift from Mommy and Daddy, an InnoTab. He was pretty excited, so needless to say it was InnoTab play time until bath time. (Oh, I forgot to mention he's been opening more gifts throughout the day as well. Bible Stories/DVD's from Bauchi, and Adorable Books from The Nuzum Clan). When bath time rolled around he was excited to see a glow-in-the dark bath waiting on him. (Sm. glow sticks thrown in the tub and lights out) He had a BLAST. A few balloons also made it into the tub with him, he had so much fun. Needless to say, he crashed pretty hard that night. We're having his actual birthday party this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it, especially since he never got a second brithday party due to pregnancy woes.
Other than his birthday, I pretty much missed posting about all his summer fun. He LOVED spending time outside this summer on his trampoline, swimming pool, and swing set. We took our first trip to Mesquite as a family of 4 in August. During that trip we had a chance to ride the Dart Rail to the Dallas zoo and spend a morning. Though it got HOT, we had a great time. Jake actually rode a camel, I was in shock. We've tried to get him to ride a pony at the Science Spectrum here and he would have nothing to do with it.

In other news, he's just about potty trained!! G took off work on Friday to stay home and help out, he’s been a TREMENDOUS help, don’t think I could have done it without him!! We had a rough start Friday morning, but by working his magic, G managed to convince J it was what he wanted to do. We’re now on day 2. As long as he’s running around naked, he doesn’t have accidents, but is a little more accident prone with underwear on, though even that is getting better. We were taking him every 15 min to potty, but have spread that timeout to more of 20-30 min depending on how long it’s been since he’s gone last and how much he’s had to drink. He gets a sticker anytime the timer goes off and he’s still dry. Then he gets two stickers plus a treat (a piece of Halloween candy, life saver gummy, skittles etc.) if he actually does something on the potty. We haven’t had any poop success yet, but he’s doing great with the other J We’re SO PROUD of how well he’s taking to this and it’s so much easier with G and I doing it together! I’m so very blessed to have a hubby that’s willing to get involved and help out. Other than the morning of day one, it’s been a lot more pleasant than what I ever thought it could be.
Now here are just some random pictures taken over the last few months. I'm sure they're all out of order, but I've gotta catch up somehow, ha! Enjoy!!

Jake 3yrs from Gerald Miller on Vimeo.

Our True Texan

So while Grammie and Grandad were here for the birth of Dawson they couldn't help themselves; they HAD to buy Jake his first pair of cowboy boots. He LOVES them. So I just had to share a picture of our little Texan model. Isn't he the cutest!?!

Thanks Pinterest...

So my big boy will soon be THREE!! I can't believe it. As we exit the two's and journey onto the three's, we've been having some tough days here at home with the words "no!" and "I don't want to!".  I'm sure no other parent has EVER heard those words come out of their child's mouth before.

I think a lot of the behavior comes from the changes we've gone through in the last several month. A pregnant/sick Mommy, moving into a new home, having Grammie and Granddad here for several months and then *poof* gone, then to top it off a baby brother!! Poor guy was use to getting out at least once a day before little bro was born, and now with D's naps and such we hardly EVER get out. I think that even though he was "playing" with is toys he was bored out of his mind. So Mommy tried to get creative. I LOVE Pinterest and I just might have an addiction. BUT thanks to pinterest I was able to make some fun things for us to do... First was Finger paint...

He enjoyed it, but preferred to use the craft stick over his fingers. This was a little more popular as days went by. This finger paint doesn't have much of a shelf life, but it's pretty cool and easy to make.

 

Next was liquid sidewalk chalk...

He had fun with this too. I think he liked it better because it involved a paintbrush. We didn't just keep it on the porch, we also ventured out and decorated the trampoline and back fence. This was a lot of fun for Mommy too.

 

Last was a mixture of cornstarch and water. If you have kids and you've never played with this mixture, you MUST. It's SOOOO COOL!! I'm not sure what it's called but it entertained Jake the longest... Mommy too. It's mesmerizing.

It can get messy, but the clean up is really quite easy. I can't wait to make this again. I might try coloring the water first before mixing it together next time. Thanks again Pinterest!!

 

Though we've been having fun moments together at home, G and I decided it was time for Jake to venture out into the world of "school". He started PDO (Parents Day Out) last week. After a rocky start at Open House he did AMAZING on Thursday. The words his teachers used to describe him were "friendly", "active", and "talkative". Yep, that sounds like my boy. We are so proud of him and pray that his excitement for "school" continues. He'll be going every Tues and Thurs. I'm so excited for him to have this experience and make new friends! I'll keep you posted on how it's going and will be back (hopefully soon) with an updated post on our D-Man... He's getting SO BIG!!! Until then..... Happy Almost Fall!!!

 

The second child....

Ya know, when I found out I was pregnant, and probably even before then I was DETERMINED that he would get just as much attention as Jake did.... well obviously I did an awful job at holding up that ideal. I've been going back through posts from when I found out I was pregnant with Jake, all through my pregnancy with him and his week by week posts. WOW... Poor Dawson. I think he got one lousy post while I was pregnant and that was, hey, I'm pregnant. Not even one pregnancy shot of my belly.
So here is Jake and I taken 3 days before Dawson was born.

I will say this second pregnancy was ROUGH to say the least. I just never really got over the nausea and extreme fatigue. Pregnancy does not agree with me. I thought about posting, but just never did. When Jake got to bed at night I was DONE. Gerald as with Jake's pregnancy was a GOD SEND. Not ONCE did he complain about the condition of the house, the lack of groceries in the house, the lack of dinner on the table, having to hear me whine and complain all day every day, the lack of ANYTHING getting done outside of keeping Jake alive and surviving myself. His heart to serve me was humbling. If I needed something, he got it. If I needed him home, he was there. If I needed a break, he took Jake. If I needed sleep, he made it happen. OHH.... and I haven't even mentioned the fact that we moved at the end of March (in my 3rd trimester) and he practically packed up the entire house by himself even though I was home all day.... STILL not ONE complaint. Thankfully he did have help from my parents and some friends when it came to actually moving. He still did the brunt of the labor though.... while I sat... and sat... and sat... and entertained Jake as much as I could. It was an emotional time to move... I wouldn't suggest it, ha! I still miss that home sometimes, but I think it's because we moved in my 3rd trimester and had Dawson right after, I just haven't had a chance to really make this house a home. I did (with the help of my friend Lucilynn) get the boys rooms done pretty quick after we moved, so that made me happy.

So back to Dawson... He is a sweet sweet baby. His smile melts my heart everyday. Ya know, I had a hard time, like most Mom's, thinking about loving another boy as much as I love Jake. Just as people told me though, you just grow another heart.

This was his first real smile and I caught it on camera!! (June 24, 2012)

Our hospital stay was pretty uneventful, which was a nice change from Jake's. First off, I've had several ask if Dawsone also has the Long QT Syndrome. The short answer is... we don't know yet. They did the blood draw for the genetic testing in the hospital, but somehow it was delayed getting sent off and we're still waiting to hear the results. He has had two EKG's and both were normal, so we're hoping that's a good sign. He's currently not on any meds. 

I'm going to try and just focus on his first month during this post. So, we were welcomed home to a house full of cousins! We were SO BLESSED to have my sister and her family DRIVE all the way from Charlotte, NC to spend 9 days with us. If you're wondering where we put everyone, we put the three older cousins (Josh - 9, Caleb - 5 and Ella - 3) in the RV with Grammie and Granddad. Then Aunt Tonya, Uncle Donnie and Erin(18 months) stayed in Dawson's room. (I need to do an entirely different post just talking about the time that Grammie and Granddad spent with us before D was born) Anyway, the kids had a BLAST!! We were worried that they would get bored... and maybe they did at times, but for the most part I think everyone had a great time just being together. Jake ATE IT UP!! He still asks to have his cousins come back and play :-(  Anyway, luckily they were here during fairly mild temps, so the kids were able to spend a lot of time outside playing in the pool, on the swing set and jumping on the trampoline. I can't even begin to list all the ways I was blessed while they were here. They helped with Jake, cooked ALL meals, did the grocery shopping, cleaned my house and took care of me while I took care of Dawson. His first month was rough when it came to sleep. He wanted NOTHING to do with a paci, yet couldn't get his hand/fist/thumb/finger in his mouth either. So it was tough to comfort him at times which broke my heart. He spent a lot of time nursing and wanted to nurse every two hours. The nights were REALLY rough because wanting to eat every two hours equaled Mommy sleeping about 45 min at a time between feedings. He wasn't speedy at eating. Now as I write this I wish I had kept up with the blog because this first month is now a blur in my rearview mirror. Of course I guess not much happens with a newborn, so there wouldn't be much to tell, just cute pictures to look at... so I guess that's what I'll let you see now...

 

Dawson month one from Gerald Miller on Vimeo.

Count it ALL joy....

This will just be a short entry of some things that have been on my mind today. (Don't worry, as I type this I'm uploading pictures of Dawson's first month to share with you)... yes he's 3 months old.. I'm trying to catch up.
Anyway, this parenting thing is a challenge some days. You look at these precious gifts that the Lord has given you and sometimes you want to eat them up because you're so in love with them and other times you want to go run away... far away, and pray they don't follow. This is one of THOSE days. I can't say there is one thing that has caused this behavior, but a combination of several. First, Jake is done with his paci (YAY!) He finally bit the tip right off and well... they don't work so good like that. So the #1 issue is sleep. He's just not sleeping as well so therefore not the most rested happy boy around. 2. He's a big brother now and unfortunately for him that means sacrifice of Mommy time, sacrifice of having his wants met immediately, sacrifice of getting out of the house as often as we use to. 3. Changes in weather 4. Mommy's lack of sleep and slightly shorter fuse.. obviously Mommy's problem, not Jake's, but unfortunately he's at the other end of the short fuse at times. I've had to ask for his forgiveness for raising my voice more times that I would like to admit. All that to say, counting it ALL joy has been a challenge this week.
I'm reading a book now (if you are a parent, it is a MUST READ) called "Don't Make Me Count To Three" It talks about the fact that when we are dealing with our children and their behavior, it is not our child presae that we're dealing with, it's the SIN that lives in them. I mean, admit it, they are sinful little creatures. "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,...." Proverbs 22:15. The behavior a child/person exhibits is an expression of the overflow of the heart. Simply put the heart determines behavior. It's our responsibility as parents to help them discover and realize that sin in their heart is what's causing them to behave the way they do. It's our responsibility to show them their NEED for a savior, their NEED for forgivness, their NEED for CHRIST in their life.
This is where I'm suppose to "count it all joy..." (SO much easier said than done) Because each time there is a need for discipline and instruction during the day, it is another opportunity to point Jake towards Christ. Isn't that our ultimate goal in ALL situations anyway? I need to be thankful to be able to point my child(ren) to the ONE who can change their heart, change their behavior, change their way of thinking, change their LIFE. It's not always easy to remember this school of thought in the midst of the battle, but if I can continue to remind myself of this goal when we're NOT in the middle of a battle then it will be easier to recall when I need it most. Okay... so I kind of got off of the track I was intending to go down. The words and actions that my 2 year old displayed to me today were hurtful... VERY hurtful. It's amazing how words and actions from such a small person can hurt so much. Through it all, I was finding it hard to forgive him. (That's something I've started when time out or whatever is over. We've always prayed and asked God for forgivness, but now I have him ask me for forgivness.) Today it was hard to say, "yes, I forgive you".... because I confess, I was BITTER. This took me by surprise because how in the world could I have a hard time forgiving my child who I would EASILY give my life for?!? Of course I have now forgiven him, but it has caused me to look at my relationship with The Lord and how many times I have disrespected/disobeyed Him through words/actions/behaviors, yet he ALWAYS forgives me.. no questions asked, no hesitation, no second thoughts, no bitterness... just MERCY and FORGIVNESS. How undeserving am I? To think that God KNEW how I would behave, he KNEW how I would sin, He KNEW when I would disobey yet He STILL sent His ONLY Son to die on a cross for me. Humbled and undeserving are the words that come to mind. To think of the way I felt today and the behaviors I was dealing with and the grudge I was wanting to hold, how dare I not give the same Grace that has been given to me. Boy am I glad that The Lord does not deal with me as he should. YES, there HAS to be discipline, and it's not fun, but that's not the issue. The issue is my heart in "dishing it out". Today my child caused me to be that much more thankful for what I have through Christ and His love and Grace towards me.

Let's Rewind...

February 2012
This was a fun month that deserves a blog entry. I hope you can follow my random posts going back and forth in time. Starting in February my parents came West from Dallas to Caprock Canyons State Park to do some camp hosting. We got some crazy weather during their time there. My February/March folder goes from pictures in the snow....

...to our weekend at Caprock Canyons State Park with Grammie and Granddad. We were able to go twice, once at the end of February, and once mid March just Jake and I. Both trips were a BLAST. Jake just LOVES being outdoors. He would walk until his legs fell off if we let him. The first trip was spent playing at a park, throwing rocks it the lake, watching the Bison and riding around in the back of Granddad's truck.

The second trip was more hiking than anything. Jake enjoyes rocks, dirt and cactus, so he was in heaven. I was waddling by this time, but still enjoyed myself. Jake got to experience his first hot dog roast and his first smores. YUMMY!!

 We kept Jake away from Grammie while she literally ROASTED her marshmallow

 It was SO GREAT to be able to make these memories with Grammie and Granddad.

Just a side note... Jake has changed SO MUCH just since these pictures. Where has my baby gone?? He's turning into a little boy. He is such an amazing kiddo. He has the sweetest spirit, a servants heart, he loves to make others laugh, and he lights up a room with his smile. He is such a blessing to our family!

A Family of FOUR

So I'm overwhelmed at the thought of actually catching up on the blog... not going to happen. I hate that you have all missed out on so much of our goings on... lots of cute pictures. Jake has changed drastically over the last 6 or so months and we've obviously grown by 10 fingers and 10 toes. Instead of talking about everything that's happened, in one post I'm going to DO MY BEST to create one post a day this week.
So I'll start with the obvious...

WELCOME DAWSON RAY MILLER

6 lbs 11oz

19"

Believe it or not the delivery was easy. I had contractions for several days before he was born, but nothing major. Then the evening of Mothers Day the contractions REALLY started. I had no idea how fast my labor was actually going. I kindof wish now I hadn't had the epidural because apparently I was in the thick of it before I got the epidural and didn't realize it. All I knew was that the contractions were much more painful than what I had ever experienced with Jake and I THOUGHT they could only get worse. I progressed faster than the nurses expected me too as well. They left the room around 4:30 a.m. and didn't intend to even come back until 7:00 to check me and see how things were going. Well, Dawson had other plans. His heart rate dropped around 5:30ish which caused the nurse to come into the room. She rolled me over onto my side and I FELT a VERY strong contraction, lots of pressure. So she decided to go ahead and check me. To OUR great surprise my water had broke and I was ready to go!! I had another strong contraction, she checked me again and he was "heading out". There was no time for the doctor to get in the room. One leg in the stirrup, not even a full push and he literally fell out into the waiting hands of the nurse. Shortly after the Doctor walked in, ha! It was a whirlwind for sure. Dawson was good minus low blood sugar. So they had to give him some formula directly into his little stomach... he had already been nursing for almost a full hour before this. He also had a hard time keeping his body temp up so he had to chill under the warmers for awhile as well as some skin to skin with Mommy which I loved. There are more details to this crazy night, but I want this to be a blog post, not a novel. Maybe I'll tell the whole story later... but you know I probably won't. 



Christmas 2011

What an AMAZING Christmas we had! We decided this year that instead of us buying 3 plane tickets and flying all the way to Charlotte, or the Nuzum clan buying 5 plane tickets and flying to TX that we would all drive and meet at a central location. Thanks to Gerald's sister, Merry, we were able to get hooked up at an AMAZING hunting lodge just outside Tuscaloosa, AL. It's called Zidon Avisha and owned by an the sweetest couple you could meet. We were truly blessed by them.
So our journey began on Thursday, Dec. 22nd around 8:30 a.m. We were COMPLETELY loaded down.

We didn't even care that we had such a LONG drive ahead of us, we were SO EXCITED to FINALLY be with family again after a long 7 months. The first day we drove from Lubbock to Shreveport, LA (with a stop to stretch our legs in Mesquite) where we stayed at a hotel for the night. This was our first hotel stay with Jake and he did GREAT. We all slept surprisingly well. We got up, had a yummy breakfast and got back on the road around 9:00. Jake was such a trooper in the car. He is NOT a fan of sleeping in the car so he never got much more than a 45 min. nap each day. It never phased him though, we brought along plenty to keep him busy, plus the DVD player, of course.
So, we all arrived at Zidon Avisha within 20 min of each other.... pretty good considering we were all coming from 3 different directions. It was SO GREAT to be together again. It was a little chilly when we arrived, but not too bad. We were all in awe of this beautiful house we were staying in. (Mom and Dad stayed in their RV right outside, not that there wasn't PLENTY of room for them inside).

The first 3 days it was cold and rainy outside so most of the fun was had inside, where there was PLENTY to do. There was a pool table, ping-pong table, two huge TVs, a sun room where the kids could run and play, we brought our Wii along, and of course, just good 'ol cousin fun.

Once the weather cleared up, though, out we went and pretty much stayed for most of the day. We did a lot of fishing, walking, exploring, rock collecting, and "tractor" (golf cart) riding. We all loved being outside, it was BEAUTIFUL, and there was PLENTY of room to run.

Dad went fishing for a little more than fish... a basketball, and the end of a fishing pole to be exact.

Christmas morning was a blast with all the cousins together. We listened to Tonya read and Josh recite from memory the Christmas story. Our family has always made it a priority to remember what CHRISTmas is all about. The reading of The Christmas story has been a tradition for as long as I can remember. Then we got to open presents, Jake really got into it this year.
As you will see, there were plenty of presents to be opened.

A fun time was had by ALL! I couldn't ask for more. We are so incredibly blessed. I just wish we didn't all live so far away so that we could get together like this more than once a year!!

By the end, we were wiped out, but our hearts were full!!