Head Under Water

Wow. With all of these new changes in our lives, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed. Chris' new job, my new job in child care, new schedules, new responsibilities in my church calling (Nixa Ward Relief Society 2nd Counselor). Add all of that with my old (yet continuing) responsibilities at home, and I have a guarantee to stay busy for a little while. I feel as though I have so much on my plate, and if I lose my grip for even a second, it may all come crashing down. But, as I strive to accomplish my long "To Do" list, I am reminded that if I keep things in proper priority with the right perspective, the Lord will help me. Today, I sang my favorite hymn, "Be Still My Soul."

Be still, my soul
The Lord is on thy side
With patience bear
Thy cross of grief or pain
Leave to thy God to order and provide
In every change
He faithful will remain
Be still, my soul
Thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end

As I sang this song, it brought me peace and comfort. I love a good, uplifting song that helps me see things as they really are and smile.

On a different note, yesterday was a No School day, so Micah stayed home with us. He played with Paige a lot, and that gave me more time to play with Devon. We read several books. (Both of my daughters love to read.) We rolled a ball back and forth. We built towers with blocks. We played with a few puzzles. Just the two of us, we had a lot of fun together.

 "Um, hello. I'm busy with a puzzle here."

How can you look at that face and not smile?

During our Family Home Evening activity, Paige was using markers to color on some construction paper. As I was getting Micah into his bath, Paige had the unfortunate opportunity to do this.

 "Aw, Mom, you didn't even let me paint my nails."

"But, I'm still so darn cute."

It's a good thing those markers were washable. My two precious daughters. What a joy they are! Life as a mom is quite the adventure!

She can't fit in the tub anymore!

Devon was amazing at the doctor's office today! We waited an unusually long time to see the doctor, and she was easy to please with a book, playing pat-a-cake, or snacks. She had two shots and not one cry, not even a whimper! The physician's assistant, Christi, was very impressed.

Devon Stats
Length: 29 in.
Weight: almost 19 lbs.

I remember when she was so tiny, giving her baths in a pink foot tub (see the above picture) or dressing her in infant clothes I thought would take her forever to grow out of. Now, she has pretty much caught up developmentally with an average one-year-old. I'll always enjoy my earliest memories of my youngest child. Even while Devon was in the NICU, I have fond memories. I enjoyed reading to her, feeding her, changing her diaper, and just looking at her. She amazed me. She still amazes me now, seeing how far she has come, and yet she still has a long way to go.

I love being a mother. Although there are difficult moments with my children, I am grateful for the opportunity to nurture and love them more than I do myself. Not only are they learning many things from me, I am learning many things from them. And those difficult moments...that's exactly what they are, small moments. Those times aren't nearly as many as the joyful times I've had raising 3 beautiful children.

Will this last forever?

Micah has developed a sense of defiance. He has a hard time obeying me. This morning, I gave him a choice to either sit in the living room or play in his room while I finished some things before waking up the girls. His response was, "I don't care!" So, I decided for him. He wasn't happy.

Later today, he had another hard time doing as I asked. I sent him to his room. He wasn't happy. I came back a few minutes later and asked him why he was sent to his room. He knew why, but then he proceeded to say, "I don't care about listening to you." I wasn't happy. I have learned the importance of listening to Micah, even if he suggests something I may not agree with. It could mean avoiding a bad argument completely.

Paige screams when she's upset. She loves to express herself loudly. It drives Micah nuts, so he yells at her for yelling. So, I'm trying to teach him to help her feel better instead of making the noise louder. And, of course, teaching Paige to not scream will come with time.

I hate to say this for risk of announcing a favorite child, but Devon is absolutely adorable! She is crawling everywhere, so the only thing I get frustrated with is her constantly trying to get into the cat food. But, oh my goodness, she is so cute! She has the most adorable giggles and sounds. While Micah's defiance and Paige's screams won't last forever, I'm hoping Devon's cuteness will last awhile.

Chris has made some great progress in his weight loss journey. He is freaking amazing!!! Check out his blog to find out where he is in running and on the scale. http://heavysteps5k.blogspot.com

Look at her go!

Devon is crawling now, and the house is her playground, maze, and jungle gym. She loves to sneak into the cat food. I have to make sure the floor is clean, or she might eat whatever is on it. Micah received a Thomas the Tank Engine for Christmas that runs by itself. He figured out that if he turns it on and puts it in front of Devon, she will chase after it. Just today, Devon used our gaming chair to hold herself up on her feet. It won't be much longer before she is walking with us.

Chris has made some more progress toward his weight loss goal. He has lost a total of 24 lbs. so far in almost 4 weeks! He started at 330 and is hoping to be at or below 300 by the end of the month. He still has a few more days to go, so we will see where he will be by then. Thanks for your encouragement and support!

Devon is 9 months-old!

It's almost hard to believe that we have had her in our family for that long. She is growing like a champ and learning many new things.

I may have mentioned this before, but Devon is cutting 4 teeth at once right now. She certainly doesn't act like it, though. She's only really cranky when she wants food, and even then she doesn't cry. She just makes loud noises, really loud noises.

Devon is rolling and rolling everywhere! It has worked pretty well for her to get to where she wants to go. She hasn't mastered sitting up on her own yet, but she is improving. Devon can get up on all fours, so Chris and I think she may be crawling soon.

She had a doctor's appointment last Wednesday. Here are her stats:

Weight: 15 lbs. 15 oz.
Length: 28.25 in.
Head Circumference: 17 in.

She is a long and skinny girl. The doc wants me to take her to the laboratory to get her checked for anemia (she was once anemic) and possible jaundice. He said her skin color looks a little "squash-y" like if she'd loved to eat lots of carrots or squash. She does eat carrots but not that much! Other than that, she looks healthy and strong.

Before the snow falls...

...the leaves fall from the trees.

A few weeks ago, I was out with my kids in our backyard. The weather was mild, but the wind was blowing fairly hard. (I'm glad we went out, because lately the temperature has been freezing. The high today was 40 degrees! For us, that's cold, too cold to go out!) Most of the leaves had fallen, and Micah and Paige enjoyed to the fullest throwing the leaves, diving into the leaves, making piles of leaves, and so on.
The leaves swirled everywhere, and then most of them ended up in our neighbor's yard, even after I asked Micah not to throw the leaves by the fence.
Paige didn't throw them so much as she did dump them.

It was tons of fun watching my little ones. If we want to go out again soon, then it's time to buy some really-cold-weather gear so we're not stuck indoors for the next few months.

On a different note, Chris and I discovered that Devon is cutting 4 top teeth all at once! That's the most I've had with any of my kids. She is hardly cranky at all, so if I didn't actually look for the teeth, then I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. She will be 9 months old in about a week. Wow.

Halloween

Last Halloween, the kids got a massive amount of candy from 2 Trunk or Treats, and they also went trick-or-treating on Sunday. There was a lot more candy than last year, because Paige joined in the quest of collecting the sweets. (I wish I had a picture of the candy in our biggest bowl.) Micah decided to be Thomas the Tank Engine. Paige was a princess, and Devon followed the tradition of being a Tootsie Roll. Chris and I were gangsters. Speaking of that, Micah sort of looks like a gangster in the bottom picture the way his hat is.

What's That In Her Mouth?

Devon is getting her first two teeth in! And now, I am wondering how long I will continue nursing her.

My 6-month-old Baby

Devon is 6-months-old as of the 11th of this month. Wow! That came up quick! She went to her doctor's office for a check-up. You know what's coming next.

Weight: 13.15 lbs.
Length: 27.5 in.
Head Circumference: 16 in.

Physically, she is doing very well. I've started feeding her solids. (She does not like rice cereal.) She still has a bit of the preemie head (more flat on the sides), and she is still wearing 3-6 month clothes. Small, yes, but she is so loud! Holy crud! She doesn't cry; she just gets our attention by making loud noises. She started out as my quietest, but she definitely also took the opposite title. It's her way of saying, "Hey! I'm here! Pay attention!" All right, I think, as I scoop her up and see a big smile on her face. I'll post pictures of her (and the other kids) as soon as our camera gets new batteries.

They're still growing!

Yesterday, I had a WIC appointment to re-certify Micah and Paige. WIC updates their records by measuring the kids every 6 months. Here are their stats:

Micah
Height: 40 3/4 in.
Weight: 35 lbs. 10 oz.

Paige
Height: 34 1/2 in.
Weight: 26 lbs. 3 oz.

For both of them, their height is about average and their weight is a little below average. There you have it. Healthy kids.

Micah has become quite the chatterbox in the presence of family and friends. It's a challenge to be patient with that sometimes, especially when he constantly asks "Why?". I thought for awhile he was past that stage but apparently not. I'm glad, though, that he is so inquisitive. Encouraging him to ask questions will help him develop a love of learning.

Paige is quickly learning new words. In the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin, she can point and tell me all the things in the scenery the moose makes for his puppet show. She loves to sing "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam," and she'll sing the alphabet song with Micah in the store. If you listen carefully enough, you can catch her even counting to ten. Today, she saw me play "This Little Piggy" with Devon's toes, and afterward, she tried to do it as well. I have to admit, that made me giggle.

Devon turned over from her back to her stomach for the first time today! It was so good to see her learning. I often wonder how Devon will develop, because she was a preemie. But, she seems to be doing alright. Overall, things are going great with the kids.

Devon's Stats

Our little miracle is doing amazingly! Last week, she had her 4 month appointment, and here are her current stats:

Weight: 12 lbs.
Length: 25 in.
Head Circumference: 15.25 in.
Overall: She is developing well. For her length, she is actually in the 75th percentile! Great news considering she was born 7 weeks early! She is a little behind on some of her motor skills, but with preemies that is to be expected or at least accepted more. My favorite discovery lately has been her random smiles. She is too precious!

The Latest on Devon

Devon is a whopping 11 lbs. 4 oz. and about 22 inches long. The young women at Mutual last night were laughing over her chubby leg rolls. (I was recently called to be the Beehive Adviser. And I just realized how weird that must sound to someone not Mormon.) Devon's cheeks are getting pretty chubby as well. It's amazing to see how much she's grown already, but she still has a long way to go. What a trooper!

Devon is a very pleasant baby. She cries only when she wants to be fed or be held. She can hold up her head when she lies down on her stomach, and she also sleeps through the night (right now). Although it seems I have more interactions with Micah and Paige, I do try to read to her when I feed her and hold her when we play outside. She's fun for me.

Balancing 3 kids, a husband, and a house is a lot of work. Plus, I'm trying to give myself more "me" time by picking up old hobbies or working out. Or blogging for that matter. It's a process figuring it all out, but I feel like I'm slowly getting there. I hope I do, because something like that is important to me.

Devon is finally a newborn!

Our little daughter is out of the "premie" stage and is now graduated to being an infant! It's strange to think that she is already 2 months old, but she is just now at the physical stage of a newborn baby. For that reason, our doctor told me not to be surprised if she is also behind in the other areas of development. Still, she is growing well, and below are her stats from her doctor's appointment last week.

Age: 2 months
Weight: 7 lbs. 12 oz.
Length: 21 1/4 in.
Head Circumference: 14 in.

Devon is even tempered, I think, until it comes to a really full diaper or a really empty stomach. She is very alert when awake. I read to her when I feed her; she benefits from that even at her age. I've also started nursing her! Before, I was pumping her milk and giving it to her in a bottle. Last week, I thought I would try nursing her, and she took right to it! Now, I don't have to pump all day just to feed our baby, only on occasions where I need food for a babysitter. That made me very happy!

Oh, and one more thing to note. Chris and I almost regret spelling her name with an "o" instead of an "i". We were told that spelling with an "o" is most common for girls. However, there have been a few times already when someone pronounced her name "Dev-ON", not "Dev-IN". I hope I don't have to correct people (in a subtle way) too often. :)

Playing in the Backyard

We recently had a fence built around our backyard. According to our subdivision covenants, if we were to have a fence, it would need to be a 6 ft. privacy (wood) fence. It is finally done, and now our kids can play in the backyard without running off too far. I can easily keep my eye on them whether I'm outside with them or inside the house. Below is a picture of the kids getting dirty. (Paige is the little speck by the fence.)

Our cutie is covered in dirt! Oh well. Let them be little.








This handsome little man is also covered in dirt. And later, he tracked it into our house!






Devon is doing very well. She eats, sleeps, and poops. She is not too difficult to take care of, but I am always watching her to make sure she is okay. It seems as though she is growing; I know her appetite is! I will have more stats on her later, after her next doctor's appointment which is the first week in May.

Our little miracle. She is such a joy and blessing. And I guess the other kids are, too. :) Just kidding!





Wow, I can't believe I have three kids. Three wonderful, awesome, amazing kids. That many children and a house is a lot of work and responsibility. Chris and I are a great team, though, so we handle it well. At least I think so.

Our Little Miracle

On March 9th, I had a little accident. Around 1:30 p.m., my water broke. I was doing some cleaning after getting the kids to nap. In the middle of my duties, I felt some leaking, more than a normal accidental amount.

That's strange, I thought.

So, I went to the bathroom and pulled up my pants only to feel more leakage afterwards.

Something's not right, I continued.

After another round of leaking, I called my doctor's office. I left a message and called Chris who also did not answer me right away. While I waited for a response, I kept cleaning, hoping it was no big deal. The doctor's office called me back, and after I had explained the situation, they told me to go to Labor and Delivery to determine if my water broke. Chris called me right after I had talked to the doctor's office and came over to the house as soon as he could. I was only babysitting Easton that day, and he was picked up not too long after Chris arrived at the house. I normally watch him and Enzo on Tuesdays, but since Enzo's grandparents were in town, I didn't have to watch him that day. It's the only Tuesday I haven't watched Enzo! Similar situations and blessings have followed us along the journey.

Chris and I dropped our kids off at Grandma and Papa's, and then we hurried over to Labor and Delivery. It was confirmed that my water broke, and I would be spending all of my time at the hospital until Devon was born. My OB/GYN said it could be 24 hours or 24 days, nothing was really certain. After 2 ultrasounds and 2 days in the PCU, my doctor and a neonatologist determined that Devon should come soon. Although she had a good heartbeat, she absolutely would NOT move during each ultrasound, even after much poking and prodding. Between the ultrasounds, I had a contraction (which I didn't happen to feel), and Devon's heart rate actually dropped. So, it was determined that I would need a C-Section to give birth to our little girl; that way, we wouldn't be stressing her out.

On March 11th, 2010, at 12:18 p.m., Devon Crosby was born. She weighed 4 lbs. 13 oz. She's been in the NICU ever since but doing well. She doesn't need assistance breathing. She is now able to bottle feed, which I have done with her twice now. Chris and I do our best to see her at least once a day, usually in the evenings when she is scheduled for a feeding. She is our little miracle, and we are now an awesome family of 5! Thanks to everyone for your support and prayers!

And they grow, and they grow...

Last Thursday was a busy day of appointments but also accomplishments.

My OB/GYN appt. at 1:00: Our future baby girl, Devon, is doing quite well. She measured at about 4 lbs. and looks and sounds healthy. The ultrasound technician tried to get a picture of her face, but she wouldn't move her hand away. Still, we are looking forward to seeing what she looks like after she is born.

The kids' WIC appt. at 3:00: Nothing too exciting. Just re-certifying them in the program. I'm grateful for WIC as it helps with grocery expenses. :) Here are some stats for Micah and Paige:

Micah weighs 34.6 lbs, and he is 39 1/2 inches tall.
Paige weighs 23.2 lbs, and she is 31 5/8 inches tall.

I was hoping Micah would be somewhere near 40 lbs., so we could get him a booster seat for the car. But, he still has quite a ways to go. Paige is a lightweight as well. Her cousin, who is 9 months younger, is only about 2 lbs. lighter! Crazy!

Paige's doctor appt. at 4:00: The most frustrating part of the day was around this point. My WIC appt. went on and on. I called the doctor's office around 3:45 to let them know she would probably be late. Finally, the WIC appt. concluded and overlapped Paige's other appt., and I was rushing the kids to go across the street where I thought the doc's office was. Well, it turns out they had moved...to the building I had just come from! So, I scrambled them back into the car to go to where I had once just been. We were 45 minutes late, and I was pretty panicky. I did NOT want to make another appt.! So, I rushed to the check-in desk to find out...

...that since I had made that phone call, they were expecting me late, and I could still keep Paige's appt. Thank goodness! I was so relieved that even Micah running around and not listening to me didn't bother me. :) Lesson learned: When scheduling appointments, do NOT set them only an hour apart, even if they are both in the same building.