Second String Christmas Card

I am not an advocate of digital Christmas greetings because I love getting and sending normal ones through the mail...however...this year, in order to save time and money, this is what we are going with. We sincerely hope you have a Merry Christmas with friends and family and remember what it's all about - God sending his Son for us! Click below, and enjoy! (sorry for the ads...)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Boy with the Bow

I guess I should win some kind of slack-blogger award. I can't believe it's been six weeks since my last post. Thanks for checking back.
Although leaving D and me extremely exhausted, the kids are doing well. Who knew babies were such work? Eli is growing like a weed and is finally showing signs of sleeping through the night. Notice I said "showing signs" and not "IS" sleeping through the night. I'm definitely ready for it. Although it's been longer than what I anticipated, it hasn't been so bad b/c after having Charley, I see how quickly everything goes by! I'm trying to cherish all the moments with him as a baby baby, even at 3am, b/c they don't stay baby babies very long. I don't even know how many weeks he is anymore, but I do know he turned three months on Monday. I lost count of weeks with Charley during month three as well, so I don't feel too bad. Eli is such a cutie pie. Usually full of smiles and rarely fussy. He hasn't felt well this week...he had his third cold (already, in such a short life), and was put on an antibiotic yesterday for an ear infection. Thanksgiving weekend was when he first noticed Charley, and ever since, he grins ear to ear when she catches his eye. And of course that tickles Charley to pieces. Eli has very dry skin as well as cradle cap, so the poor thing is always so itchy...we cover him with lotion twice a day. He also has a very sensitive gag reflex and the slightest cough makes him chuck his cookies. Hoping he outgrows this or kids won't want to sit in front of him at school! ;)


Charley is giving us a run for our money with her attitude. She is a very sweet little girl but also very, and I mean VERY, strong willed. Today we had enough tears and snot to fill a mop bucket. We are trying our best to be consistent with discipline and teachable moments even though it would be MUCH easier just to let things slide. As I mentioned in an earlier post, our goal is for her to reach a maturity level that she will be able to say no to herself and put others first. That's nowhere on the radar right now. May the Lord give us strength and endurance so that we will not fail her (and Him) by taking the easy route. And let me take a moment to emphasize that while she has her moments and is clearly a sinner, Charley IS a sweetheart. I don't want to mislead you into thinking she has devil horns (don't we all at times??). Her first "sentence" was "Ooo, Thank you, Mama" when I handed her a snack a couple of weeks ago, and her second sentence, and favorite, is "Ut-oh Baybeee" when Eli drools. She will often say, "Ut-oh baby" and then search for a rag of some sort to wipe his slobbery chin. The cutest thing she has done so far was last Sunday. She came to us with a Zip-lock that contains all of her bows and hair things asking in her own little way for us to get one out. Donald gave her the jockey-lot bow, a cute little white one that she wore a ton her first year of life, and as soon as it reached her chubby hand, she exclaimed, "BAYbee!" and proceeded to chant, "BAYbee, BAYbee!" all through the house, down the hall, through the den, kitchen and dining room until she found him, the baby, and bent down and stuck it right in the middle of his head. She then marched on, satisfied, as I looked down at my cute little boy with a bow in his hair. It was PRECIOUS. No, not the bow in his hair, but the big sister -- proud of taking care of him... her sweetness and innocence, so young that the world has not yet taught her that boys do not wear bows. I love all of the connections I'm seeing her make. I could sit here and type them all, but I won't, especially since I'm wiped after two 12-hr shifts here at home, practically daddyless. Today I took both kids to the UPS store because I would not dare try the post office with its crowd right before Christmas (I was convinced the fat double stroller wouldn't have fit through the zig-zagging line) so I opted for the usually-empty UPS store. There weren't too many customers, but you better believe they all stared at the mom who obviously hadn't showered, toting her screaming baby and grumpy toddler who just got in trouble for poking her brother in the face. But we made it out alive and then spent 20 minutes walking aimlessly around Rite-Aid because you better believe if I pack those two in the stroller, there's a 30 minute minimum ride. You got to make the five minutes getting them and the five minutes getting them out worth it!

A pic of the boys, Eli and Emrick, after their baby dedication on the 5th. Thanks to Grammy Sue for the matching socks!

We hope you have a Merry Christmas! I don't think I'm doing Christmas cards this year. Sad. I love them. I love getting them and sending them. Maybe I'll send them late. Maybe not. Maybe. Until next time...peace. Thank you Lord for sending your Son for me! I need your Truth daily!

Happy 18 Months!

Our "baby" is already 18-months-old! That's crazy talk. Wasn't she just born?! She is such a delight. We love her so very much. Here are some updated pics of our silly girl.

yes, that's a snot bubble.

Our "Apple" Patch

Both of our kids were apples this Halloween... I mean pumpkins. For some reason, Charley calls pumpkins "apples" (yes, we've tried to correct her, but to no avail). She made a cute paper-bag pumpkin at school, which she affectionately calls her "apple," and she knows her "apple" had candy in it. Her "apple" had those little candy pumpkins in them, which I made the huge mistake of giving her half of one before we starting carving our pumpkin. She then spent most of her time not enjoying the pumpkin carving but rather whining for an "apple." She rarely ever has sugar, so that little tiny half a pumpkin candy left her salivating for more (as her sugar-crazed Mom, I don't blame her). Anyways, she does know what a real apple is, and most the time when she asks for "apples" she really means "apples," and even if she doesn't, that's what we give her!

So, we had a fun, festive Halloween weekend, with some great pics I just have to share (here you go, Haley).

Our Sweet Pumpkins

Doesn't it look like he's saying, "Charley hit me!!" and she's saying, "No, not sweet little me!" Well, she did try to shove him over, but his look of concern has more to do with his empty belly.

Mom. Seriously. A pumpkin?

Miss Pumpkin Patch. She wore her costume to school* on Thursday and was such a cutie pie.

We went to three neighbors' houses to Trick-or-Treat. She loved it!

Pictures from our carving adventures Friday night. Charley's job was to put the inside gunk into the plastic bag, which she surprisingly did a great job at. The best part was her saying, "Ewwwww" as she did it.

The final product (with Charley's paper-bag "apple" in the background).

*if you ever hear me mention Charley going to "school," I am referring to the Mother's Morning Out program she has been attending twice a week since September. I'm guessing we call it school b/c school is one syllable as opposed to five. :) She LOVES going!

Six Weeks Plus

Eli is already six weeks old! Here's the latest on our little man.
-He's a big boy! Two weeks ago at his one-month check up he weighed 11 lbs. He's already fitting 3-6 month clothes, and it looks as if they will be too small, definitely in length, by Christmas...possibly Thanksgiving.
-He LOVES to be held and does not like being placed in a bouncey seat, swing, car seat, you name it. He'll usually give me about 5 minutes max before letting me know he's sick of it. This is the area that he and Charley differ the most, so it has been an adjustment. Especially in the car. However, I have noticed that as his vision improves, he is looking around more and not getting fussy as quickly.
-He's a master at pooping out of his diaper, through his clothes, and onto whoever's holding him. This is nearly a daily occurence. Thank goodness for washing machines.
-He started smiling last week! Sweet enough to make your heart melt. His favorite thing to smile at, other than mom and dad, is the bottom of the shelf that hangs over his changing table. Kinda freaky.

A couple of weeks ago, Donald's mom came up and spent several days with us. Here's a picture of Frenchiemama meeting her 11th grandchild.

Eli's Newborn Photo Session

Click on the photo for Eli's slideshow, done by Kim Deloach Photography.

From Zero to Walking...

Well, the time has come. Charley is a walker!! At 17 months, she has entered the upright world and is walking around like a big girl. She's been walking pretty proficiently while holding our hands for a few weeks now, but she just wouldn't let go. Last Tuesday she took steps on her own initiative without us coaxing her on and by Friday she was walking around the house like it was nothing. She's not mastered it completely, but the progress she has made is amazing. I captured a cute video of it last night...her finding her daddy at the end is the best part. Forgive the poor quality...it's from my phone.

One Week Old!

Eli is one week old today! Despite the sun not showing its face, we've had a great week. Eli is adjusting well to living in this world, Charley is still trucking along, seemingly un-phased by the new member in our family, and D and I are doing just fine (so far) with the exception of the highly anticipated sleep deprivation part.

Mema and Granddaddy with grandchild #6, grandson #2
(finally another boy!)

We kinda figured this would happen, but Charley seems HUGE and so "grown-up" after being around a newborn. When I first saw her after being in the hospital for a couple days, I was like, "Who is this little girl?!" She no longer seems like a baby to us. She's really enjoyed daddy being home these last few days, and has been so great with her little brother. She's nothing but smiles when she sees him, and she doesn't seem to be bothered by the fact that I am holding him and feeding him all the time.

Here Charley is handing over her beloved Lambie to Eli.
We were impressed!

Cheesin' with Daddy
Coloring like a big girl
sleepy boy

Eli is Here

Our sweet little baby is here! And we can finally call him Eli...son...brother...little boy. He is no longer it! And he is precious! His full name is Elijah Barton, named after his granddaddies on both sides. He was 8lbs 6oz and 21 inches long, born 10 days early, just like Charley (we think he looks a lot like she did too!). More to share later, but for now, here are some pics!

No Baby Yet

Well, the baby could be here any day. A week ago I was 3cm and 80%, so we'll see what the doc says tomorrow. I was about that far along with Charley for 12 days, so who knows when this baby will make her/his grand entrance.
Here are some pics of the nursery...

Apple Time

Saturday we decided to head up to Sky Top Orchard to pick some apples and have some family fun before the baby comes. Three words: Apple Cider Doughnuts. Mmm.

"I'm Soooo big!"

Good thing they didn't have something measuring width!! :)
"How Big's Your Bottom this Autumn?"

How Many Wipes Does a Mommy Wipe?

I was laughing the other day about how my life consists of lots of wiping. Wiping hands, wiping, paws, wiping floors, wiping counters, wiping booster seats, wiping faces, wiping butts. What am I forgetting? Wiping little finger prints off of things. Anyways, that's random, but I've never really thought about how "wiping" is a huge part of being a mom.

look how long my hair is!

Charley will be 16 months on Sunday and is getting to be such a big girl. Still not walking, but I think at this point we may be dealing more with fear rather than ability. This month she started walking behind push toys and being more relaxed and efficient with "cruising." When holding our hands, she practically runs, which is hard for me to keep up with considering I'm waddling more and more.
She is starting to understand more and more things and make more and more connections. For instance, if I say, "You wanna get the mail?" she will drop what she's doing and crawl at full speed to the door to the garage. If I say, "You wanna swing?" she will drop what she's doing and crawl at full speed to the back door. We are working on a simple, "Yes please, mommy." Yesterday she and I were sitting in the living room and we couldn't see the door to the garage, but we heard it open and she squealed very loudly "daa-deeee!!" It was so precious. She loves her daddy.
We are currently making the transition to one nap a day. Her morning nap kept getting later and later (b/c she would just sit in there and play), and then she wouldn't even take an afternoon nap, so I figured we should try to combine them. The first few days of it resulted in one 30 minute nap, which was horrible, and then she had two days of 2.5 hour naps, which was actually worse! She tends to be grumpy with too much sleep. We're on day three of napping 1-3pm. Yay! Maybe that will stretch out even longer the more active she becomes, but for now, it seems to work best for her.
Charley is still pretty reserved in public and just kinda stares at people who talk to her (although she does wave to any and everybody and says hi to them. It's when they actually pay attention to her, she doesn't know what to do!). She loves being silly and laughing, she's in to absolutely everything, and is quite the talker. She is very strong willed, loves being independent (trying to be independent) and will pretty much cry if you try to help her with things. She is generally a very happy little girl and we LOVE being her parents (even during her most stinkiest of moments, literally and figuratively).
And there you have it -- thanks for bearing with me! I hadn't given a Charley update in a while and wanted to do so before the chaos begins! Less than 29 days to go! Oh, and I guess at that point, my "wiping" will double!

Confectionery Confessions

After two months of "being good" by not eating sugar, I have completely blown it these last two weeks. And by "blown it" I mean BLOWN IT. After weeks and weeks of denying myself any sugary goodness, I have recently been indulging in almost as much as I can get my hands on. I went from snacking on almonds, avoiding sweet tea, banning sweet cereals -- even any type of granola bar -- to having a dessert of some sort pretty much every day. Argg. I knew when I started this it wouldn't be a permanent thing, and that sugar would inevitably re-enter my life. However, I was hoping that 8-weeks of sugar constraint would at least help my body "be okay" with just "a little" sugar now and then when everything was said and done. But -- apparently I'm an all-or-nothing type of girl when it comes to baked goods and the such. Tisk tisk. I have four-ish weeks left in this pregnancy and I hope to get back on track (after I eat the cupcake a friend gave me today...apparently it's the mother of all cupcakes and will totally be worth it. *well, it's now a day later, and yes, I ate the cupcake, and yes it was in fact worth it). Another hurdle to jump over (or just knock over and fall on my face) is that I have two loaves of zucchini bread in the oven right now. Mmm...zucchini...sounds healthy, right? Well, 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of oil later...not so healthy. However, I did substitute half of the oil with applesauce, so that "helps" according to the ladies on the website where I got the recipe. Yes, by adding the applesauce and subtracting oil, I am decreasing the amount of fat but increasing the amount of sugar. Fabulous. But it just sounds healthier than chocolate and ice cream (my weaknesses), so I will just pretend it's good for me. Not to mention, I just had to make the bread b/c D grew the zucchini in our garden and it was massively huge...better for baking than stir frying.

So I finally took a belly pic the other night, purposely wearing the same thing I had on when I was about to pop with Charley (well, I purposely took the picture when I remembered I had the same shirt on). My only observations when comparing the two are that even though the current pic is two weeks sooner than the Charley one, I do seem to be carrying slightly differently (but I still think it's a girl!)

37 weeks - Charley - 2008

35 weeks - Baby 2 - 2009

It's funny to guess what this baby is and when he or she will come...especially when you put it in writing and can go back and look at it. The day I went into labor with Charley, I had posted a blog and a poll about "when the baby would come." I had NO CLUE it would be within 24 hrs of that post. At this time in my pregnancy with Charley, D was in Kenya and I really wasn't very apprehensive (I credit the Lord for that). If he, Donald, had to leave today for Kenya, I'm not so sure I'd be confident that he'd make it back in time. But only the Lord knows. I may be sitting here on October 1st with no baby. We will see! I am just grateful for the miracle of pregnancy and don't ever want to take it for granted.

Bridging the Gap

We spent some time in Charleston again this past week/weekend for Donald's biannual family reunion (themed Bridging the Gap). We are very close to his family who lives in Charleston, and see them quite often, but this reunion was comprised of people from all over the country...Texas, California, New York, etc. I figured out over the weekend that Donald's grandfather's mother had 8 brothers and sisters, so it was all of their children and grandchildren, etc. who participated. The last time they held the reunion in Charleston was 1999. D and I had just started dating, so in attending the reunion, I was just trying to survive! This time I was trying to learn more and more about my husband's and my children's family and the history behind it. What a difference 10-years makes. Anyways, the week was fun...it was a four day event, which definitely puts white family reunions to shame! Here are some pictures to enjoy...

The whole group at James Island County Park...yes, I know you can't see faces, but just giving you an idea of the size of the family

Cousins Jrew and Charley, held by their daddies
Here we are in our family reunion t-shirts
Happy First Birthday, Jrew!

Here is a pic of Donald's mom, grandfather, and 7 of his 8 aunts and uncles. No, it wasn't a coincidence, everyone was instructed to wear white on the last evening. :)
From left to right: Myra, Darryl, Frenchie, Alice, Granddaddy Thomas, Andrea (Novice), Ron, Kenneth and Evelyn (uncle Leo is missing in the pic)

Here's the family after church on Sunday. The family has been members of this church ever since times of slavery. The church was founded in 1818 and is referred to as Mother Emanuel because it is the oldest AME church in the south. Remember the story in history class about Denmark Vesey? He was a founding member here, and during the Vesey controversy (planned but unsuccessful slave revolt), the original church building was burned. After the church was rebuilt, worship services continued until 1834 when all-black churches were outlawed (that's insane). The congregation continued the tradition of the African church by worshiping underground until 1865 when it was formally reorganized (after the Emancipation Proclamation, I'm assuming). Just an interesting piece of history for you. Hopefully the Lord has received almost 200 yrs of glory and honor from the people of the church.

5 lbs 9 oz

About 14 months ago, I had a post titled "5 lbs 8 oz." That was the approximate weight of Charley about 30 days before she was born at week 38. Today we got to see Baby 2, who weighs approx 5 lbs 9 oz. Will this baby be born early? Who knows. I am not counting on it (but it'd be nice to shave off a week or so).
We were careful not to look and see what this baby is at the ultrasound today. I still have my suspicions, which are based on pretty much... nothing. I guess I can put it in writing...I think it's a girl. Of course I will be just as pleased with a boy, shell-shocked, maybe, but happy. We would love for Charley to have a brother and a sister at some point, and don't really care the order. We'll see what God has in store. Maybe she won't ever have a brother...or maybe she won't ever have a sister. It's cool that the Lord already knows this.
It totally is year-of-the-boy around here, which is a small factor in my it's-a-girl theory. Not including first-half of '09 babies like Jackson, Emma and Emerson, the ratio of boys to girls that we know of this summer and fall is like 7 to 1. We have welcomed Hayes, Emrick, Liam, Walker, and Joshua; we're waiting on baby plaid-shorts Jackson and Zachary. So. I really can't imagine that we would be having boy number 8. We'll see!

On the Pot

Although we are not even close to potty training, Charley likes sitting on the pot. Her smile turned into a frown when she realized she couldn't get out very easily.


July has been a good month. It actually has been fairly pleasant temperature wise, with many days in the upper 80's, which is a welcomed change from mid-90's (which I think we are having this week. blah). Our good friends, Jonathan and Bailey, had their son on the 12th, and we are so happy he's here and healthy! Charley got to meet him when he was five-days-old. She liked rocking his carrier and trying to swipe his paci.

Charley and Emrick

We traveled to Charleston last week to have a "baby moon" vacation before the baby arrives. My parents watched Charley for us so that Donald and I could spend some time together, baby-free, and we had a wonderful 24-hrs of walking around the city, eating good food, and not changing diapers. It was lots of fun and reminded me of the 7+ years I spent in Charleston, walking around the city, eating good food, and not changing diapers. I am grateful for those times, but absolutely love where the Lord has me now. Of course I thought about Charley quite often on our getaway, but I did refrain from calling to check on her (Donald did it for me...but only once!). :)

Pregnancy update: At my last appointment, my doctor didn't act as alarmed with my condition as she did the previous time. She cleared me to travel short distances, and told me to continue to stay away from sugar. Ahh! I think she's going to do the ultrasound at 36 weeks, which I'm looking forward to, but I think we are going to have to keep our eyes closed most the time if we want this thing to remain a secret!

And Another

So we all know that I've been horrible at posting lately. Part of the reason is because I don't really like posting without pictures, and uploading pictures is an absolute chore. I have now resorted to posting pictures that have been emailed to me, which is much easier to do, and buys me some time before I have to actually go through the process of uploading ones from my camera. Please bear with me. I'm sure I will be better with pics once this baby gets here (or maybe I'll be completely horrible and not take many pictures at all, as me and Andrea, another mother of two babies, were discussing last night).
So, here's another picture of the belly. This time, it's Bailey, the day before she was induced, and me at 29 weeks. Bailey persevered through the weekend and had her little boy, Emrick, last night. He's such a sweet miracle!As for me and the no-sugar-fest, it's going well. I am on week four! However, I went to the doc last week, and I am still measuring 6-weeks ahead (35 weeks). She told me to stay off the sugar, not to lift anything over 10-lbs, and that she wants to see me again in two-weeks. My cervix is not in the most favorable of conditions right now, so the doctor is concerned about it a little, hence the no-lifting decree. I passed the glucose test thing with flying colors, so she is not sure why I have a big belly (apparently gestational diabetes could have been one of the reasons). I'm assuming she will do an ultrasound in the next month or so, as she did with Charley, to determine the baby's size and verify the due date. As for not lifting things over 10-lbs... Hmmm. My daughter weighs over twice that amount, so it's not going so well. I do try to limit picking her up by just lifting her into the crib, into the booster seat, into the car, and onto the changing table (several times a day -- each). I'm sure that doesn't qualify as "limiting" it, but what else am I supposed to do? On another note, I thought my brain was doing better this go around, as I haven't been as forgetful and horrible at spelling, however, I just caught myself spelling "weighs" w-a-y-s, and "once" w-a-n-t-s. W-o-w.
So, Charley is doing well. She was really sick last week with croup, a nasty upper respiratory virus that causes the esophagus to swell, causing bark-like coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing. It was scary! D was in New Jersey for work, but my mom was here, thank goodness. Charley is much better now, but has a residual cough that we were told may linger for a couple of weeks. Nice. But she's no longer contagious if you see me out in public. :)
So, that's it for now! The summer is flying by, as I'm sure you can attest to!

Finally -- A Picture

So here it is, folks. My pregnant belly. Here I am last night with my friend, Ellen, who is 36 weeks, due with a little boy late July.
I am now 27 weeks and feeling pretty good. At my 25 week appointment, I was measuring 31 weeks, so following doctor's orders, I have cut sugar out of my diet to see if that's the culprit. Considering I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world, it has not been easy. No desserts of any kind, no sweet tea, no juice, no sweet cereal. It has been 12 days, and I have 10 more to go before I see the doctor again. I am so anxious to see if it has helped any!
The baby seems to be doing well. Heart rate in the 140's. Very very active still. Also, I felt the hiccups for the first time the other day and heard it say, "mama...what's up with this no sugar thing?!" haha. Poor thing probably went through withdrawals like I did! Other than one or two trips to Charleston to see family, we are pretty much lying low until the baby comes. We were supposed to leave this past Thursday for a 10-day trek around the mid-west, visiting friends and family in the Chicago area and Iowa, but we decided to cancel last minute b/c I am having some discomfort after sitting for more than 20 minutes and the doctor said I would have to get out of the car every hour. That would make for a very very long car ride! So, perhaps we will make the trip another time...with two children. Hmmm. Maybe.
Can't wait to meet this little baby! Only 89 days to go!

June Update

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

I totally have writer's block. So much is going on, and I have so much to say, but it's just not happening. Here's an attempt at blogging, so bare with me if it's horribly written.
We had a roommate in June, who was absolutely wonderful and so good with Charley, that I wished she could have moved in permanently. However, she went off and got married and spoiled my plan. Actually, we've been waiting on this wedding forEVER and are so happy for them, that I guess we will settle for a visit every now and then.
The second week in June was our annual beach trip with my family. We had a great time chasing Charley around in the sand, eating good food, and relaxing (although relaxing doesn't happen much when you have 8 children in the house). I may post some pictures when I get some from my mom and/or sisters, because mine are pretty doodooish.
As for Charley, she's growing so quickly and learning new things every day. One thing we are in the process of teaching is that the world does not revolve around her. She didn't have to learn this concept, she came out of the womb thinking this, just like you and me. Most of the time she's a sweet heart, but cross her, and sin will rear its ugly head. How can such a sweet little thing who has only been shown love and who has never been exposed to violence, anger, etc, etc, be so defiant and selfish? Because she was born with a huge need for a Savior, a concept that most modern day psychologists and parents, for that matter, would scoff at. However, nothing will convince me otherwise. So don't even bother arguing with me if you disagree. D and I love her so incredibly stinkin much that we hope we can teach her to love others before herself, serve them, and reach a level of maturity that she can say "no" to herself as well as hear it from others. Some books I have read/am reading/intend to read on this subject are, first and foremost, The Bible, followed by "Child Training Tips," "Don't' Make Me Count to Three" "Parenting by the Book" and "Shepherding a Child's Heart." All based on scripture. Especially the Bible one. :)
On another note, we think Charley will be walking before sisbro comes. She has three months, give or take a couple weeks, and she's pulling up proficiently, starting to cruise, and is able to walk pretty well when holding our hands. It will happen when it's supposed to.
She loves laughing and talking jibberish, although she does have a vocabulary of about 10 words. Her favorites being "ut-oh" ball" "bye" and "dada." When we take walks, she likes waving at the cars going and saying, "bye!" She loves reading books now, but has her favorites, so we end up reading the same ones over and over and over again. She's still pretty shy and stoic in public, but occasionally will ham it up and flirt with people who give her attention. Her sleeping routine is still pretty much the same... still napping twice a day, although they vary in length and if she misses one, it's not detrimental, she usually can hang in there, pretty agreeably, until bedtime (mommy is usually more tired than she is).
So that's it for now! Looking forward to seeing what she will learn and do as a 14-month-old!