7...8...Almost 9 Months Pregnant!

I'm a little behind posting on my pregnancy and Josey's progress.  We have been so busy with school, activities, and getting ready for Josey's arrival.  I can't believe we are just 12 days away from meeting our precious baby girl!  Here are some pictures and updates from over the last 1 1/2 months. 

September 25th ~7 Months Pregnant:

The kids are so very excited to meet their baby sister.  About 2 months ago, they started asking me every day, "How many more days until Josey's born?" So, when we were exactly 1 month away from my scheduled C-Section date (November 15), we made a paper chain with 31 links.  We are having fun tearing one off every day. 

October 15th ~31 days until Josey's arrival!

October 20th ~Josey @35 Weeks

Estimated weight was around 6 pounds, 2 ounces!



 October 26th ~Josey @36 Weeks

Poor baby girl is super squished!  I had a thorough ultrasound done to check her heart.  Praise the LORD that we were able to see the 4 chambers so clearly and from what they can tell, her heart is healthy!



October 29th ~8 Months Pregnant

My ultrasound yesterday showed Josey to be moving well and breathing on her own.  She hadn't gained but ~3 ounces in 2 weeks, but she is still at a good weight for 37 weeks.  Right now she is measuring what Lily's weight was at birth-6lb. 5oz.  My last Doctor's appointment will be next Thursday.  I have to say this pregnancy has flown by.  It is very bittersweet right now knowing that I am nearing the end of my pregnancy.  What a blessing it is to carry one of God's children.  We are so excited to meet our precious and perfect gift from Him.  Please continue to pray for Josey and our family as we prepare for her arrival on November 15th.  And may God be glorified through her birth!

This is what the LORD says:

The wise must not boast in his wisdom;
the mighty must not boast in his might;
the rich must not boast in his riches.
But the one who boasts should boast in this,
that he understands and knows Me
that I am the LORD, showing faithful love,
justice, and righteousness on the earth,
for I delight in these things.
[This is] the LORD's declaration.
Jeremiah 9:23-24

A Tiny Hello...

from our sweet baby girl!

What tears of joy I cried yesterday at my Doctor's appointment when I saw Josey's chubby, little hand "waving" at me!  It was the most precious thing!  The 4D Ultrasound is truly amazing.  We tried to get a picture of her face, but she kept covering it with her hands.  We did get this one, which shows her profile and her hand clenched:

They estimated her weight yesterday at around 5lb. 1 oz. She gained over a pound in 2 weeks which is a huge praise since she has a Two-vessel cord.  My C-Section has been scheduled for November 15th, so we are less than 6 weeks away from meeting our sweet blessing from the LORD!  Please continue to pray for Josey and me through these last few weeks, that she will continue to grow, and that I will have strength and energy to make it through each day with the many demands I have upon me.  I am praising God for blessing me with a wonderful husband who takes such good care of me and our family, but most of all praising God for His grace which is sufficient to meet our every need!

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

1 Chronicles 16:11 

29 Weeks and Counting...

I got another sneak peek at our baby girl today at my Doctor's appointment.  She is continuing to grow and they think she weighs ~2lb. 13oz. right now.  We weren't able to get a 3D shot today because she had her face pushed right up against my uterus.  She's already getting squished and we've got about 10 weeks to go! 
I did find out today that I was wrong in assuming no news was good news.  I actually failed the one hour
Glucose Tolerance Test 2 weeks ago, so I will be doing the 3 hour test this Friday, September 9th.  Please pray for God's will.  I am trusting in Him and that He will continue to take care of Josey and me. 
When I shared the news with the kids, the girls were very concerned and worried.  How sweet the LORD is to provide us with life lessons that enable us to share God's promises with our children!  The girls and I have been studying the names of Jesus during school time, and this week we are learning that Jesus is our Rock.  Our verse is:  Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.(Matthew 7:24)  I was able to share with the girls once again how wonderful it is that we serve a God who alone can give us peace and safety when we build our life upon Him.  We can praise Him for allowing us to pour out our prayers and hearts to Him daily, and that He is strong enough to take care of our every need!  He is good and He is faithful!

Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from Him. 
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will not be shaken. 
My salvation and glory depend on God;
my strong rock, my refuge, is in God. 
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:5-8

6 Months Pregnant!

I am a little behind blogging on my pregnancy and Josey's progress!  I truly don't know where the month of August went to! 

Here are some pictures of my baby bump taken by the sweetest 8 year old I know-our Lily!

How far along?: 28 1/2 weeks

Total weight gain?: 18 lbs

Symptoms?: Starting to tire a lot easier by late afternoon and have actually taken a couple of short naps recently which is NOT like me at all!  I am so thankful that we still enforce Quiet Time in the afternoons several times a week in our home with all 4 of our children.  It is a huge blessing for all of us as we all need a little break and time of refreshing!  Also, I'm having more Charlie Horse leg cramps while I'm sleeping at night, along with getting up 3-4 times to use the bathroom!

How big is baby?: ~15-16 inches and ~2 1/2 pounds

Gender?: Girl!

Name?: Josey Hope
*Josey means "God increases"
 Hope means "expectation or belief"

Maternity clothes?: Yes!

Stretch marks?: No-very blessed to not have any at all...yet!

Belly Button?: In right now....barely! It popped out with Katy and Parker!

Sleep?: I am sleeping well, just getting up to use the bathroom.

Energy?: Still have lots of energy in the morning, but losing it by late afternoon!

Exercise?: Does taking care of 4 kids count? :)

Movement?: Most movement is in the late evening when I am finally still.

Food cravings?: Not really craving anything right now, just very thirsty all the time!

What I'm looking forward to?: Holding and loving my baby girl!

Preparations?: We just sold a bunch of things at Picky Chick Consignment Sale and hoping to order bunk beds for the girls' room and bedding for baby Josey!

Labor Signs?: None

Best Moment this week?: Hearing each one of my children separately tell me that they can't wait for baby Josey to be here!  She is going to be very loved for sure!

Here are some ultrasound pictures from my last Dr. appointment that was on August 24th:

 Sweet profile!

Tiny foot!

I am getting spoiled by the Ultrasound Technician.  She is getting some great 3D pictures every time.  Parker carried around this picture for days just staring at it!

So far, she is continuing to grow and her weight and height appear to be just about average ~48%.  This is wonderful news!  Her heart is beating strong and the four chambers look healthy.  Praise the Lord! 
I passed my first Glucose Test and will now be going for appointments every 2 weeks for awhile.  They are still going to keep a close eye on Josey because of her 2 vessel cord which means we'll get a sneak peek at her every visit. 
Thank you for praying for our growing family!

Love this verse that Katy and Parker are learning for AWANA. It's short and sweet, but means so very much!:
...God is love.
1John 4:8

Got Silk?

Our Katybug had her follow-up appointment at the GI Specialist last Thursday.  We were given the results of the biopsies from the two tissue samples that they collected during her endoscopy.  I am excited to say that we finally have answers as to why she's been having so many tummy troubles!  Her biopsy from the sugar test came back abnormal for Lactose which means that she is Lactose Intolerant. Lactose Intolerance is the inability to digest the sugar, lactose.  Her body does not produce the enzyme lactase that breaks down lactose.  This is why she was having such a difficult time with milk and dairy products, especially at Birthday parties where they were serving pizza and ice cream!  If she consumes food containing lactose it causes her to have gas, bloating, stomach cramps, nausea, constipation and eventually vomiting.  What horrible feelings to have!

Since this is something that she will have for the rest of her life, I was sent to a Dietician on Monday and Katy has been put on a restrictive diet that requires the avoidance of Lactose.

We are reading all labels and avoiding the following ingredients:

Butter, Caramel, Casein, Caseinates, Cheese, Cream, Cottage cheese, Curds, Custard, Ghee, Half & half, Lactalbumin, Lactoferrin, Lactulose, Processed lunch meats, margarine, Milk (in any form), nisin, nougat, Pudding, Recaldent, Rennet casein, Sour cream, Whey, Yogurt.

When I received the news I started crying...not because I felt this was horrible news, but because I had known in my heart something just wasn't right and I was thrilled to finally have answers to help my Katybug feel better!  Yes, it is going to be challenging, especially at supper time when the majority of meals I cook have at least one dairy product in it, but we are looking forward to experimenting with some new recipes.  If anyone has lactose free recipes, please share!  I am hoping to post some on my blog after we have tried them. 

Katy is proud to tell everyone she can't have "cow's milk" and she is enjoying her new Silk, especially the Dark Chocolate flavor.  I have to admit it's delicious!!!

Thank you for praying for Katy.  God has been so good to our family, especially through this trial.  He has provided us with wonderful Doctors and also has placed so many people in my path the last several months that are dealing with this issue.  I am so grateful and praise Him for always taking care of us!

God---His way is perfect; 

the word of the LORD is pure.

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

Psalm 18:30 

Tummy Troubles

Our little Katybug has had tummy troubles since the first night she was born.  I suspected reflux and possible food allergy, and finally switched pediatricians when she turned 4 months old because we weren't getting the help we needed.  She was put on Prevacid and became a brand new baby!  We took her off around a year old, but ended up putting her back on around age 3.  Last year she started having severe constipation issues that would lead to her vomiting, so we went back to our pediatrician for advice and he sent us on to a GI specialist.  After the GI specialist examined her and did lots of bloodwork, he recommended that we do an upper endoscopy and a colonoscopy.  Wow!  Such big tests for our little girl!  We originally had the scopes set for December, but with my miscarriage and D & C falling at the exact time of her testing, we had to cancel.  The GI specialist suggested that we cut out dairy and substitute with soy so that we could get her tummy feeling better.  We were hoping and praying that would work, but after not having success with that approach, we scheduled her for outpatient testing.  On Wednesday, July 13th, I spent the entire day prepping Katy for her colonoscopy.  Bless her little heart!  But she's such a tough girl and she not once complained!  We had to be at Children's Hospital on Thursday, July 14th at 7:45 am.  I had to take pictures with my phone so they're a little blurry.  Here's our Katybug in her hospital gown:

She was excited to be lying in bed watching movies with her favorite Ruby:

The nurses gave her some "happy juice" to help her relax before putting her under anesthesia:

Katybug did very well during the procedure, and only had a little trouble coming off the medicine.  She was grumpy and wanting the IV out of the top of her hand!  When the testing was done, the GI specialist explained that from what she could tell, her colon appeared normal-Praise God!  But, that even with all of the bowel prep she was only half-way cleaned out.  My poor Katybug!  The upper scope showed reflux and gastritis and they also took two tissue samples to biopsy that will provide information on possible food allergies.  We will find out these results on July 28th. 
Katybug got to ride a wheelchair out to the van:

She was still feeling pretty "happy" on the ride home!

And she was so excited to come home to the cutest balloons from her sweet friend, Rachel!

Please continue to pray for Katybug, our family, and the Doctors that we are working with and that we will be able to help Katybug's tummy feel better.  We don't understand why she is suffering, but the LORD does and we are trusting in Him and His plans for our little girl.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Parker's Tough Break!

On Thursday morning, October 14, my sweet boy had his hands and arms full of Thomas trains as he always does.  He was trying to make his way down our stairs and lost his balance.  He came tumbling all the way down from the top, and can you believe he still had his favorite Thomas in his hand?  He cried for a little while, but mostly from the shock of the fall.  As the day went on, I noticed that whenever his right arm was touched he would wince in pain.  So, I took him to see Dr. Feld to have it looked at.  Parker loves Dr. Feld and was so good for him that he didn't even wince in pain like he did for me.  Dr. Feld thought it would be okay, but if he didn't seem better, then to bring him back on Friday.  Well, Friday he tripped on the vacuum cord and barely fell on his right arm.  He cried and kept holding on to his arm asking for a band-aid!  So, I decided to have him looked at again and although Parker's reaction to Dr. Feld was the same, he sent us on for X-rays.  I am so thankful that he always trusts my Mommy Instincts because he indeed had a break!  On Monday, October 18 we went to see an orthopedic specialist and was told Parker would need a cast for at least 4 weeks!  He wasn't too sure what was going on, but do you see he is still holding Thomas?

Look at that sad face! 

When they asked what color cast, Parker said, "Thomas blue!"

He did so very well.  I couldn't believe how patient and still he was!

Here he is outside of the Dr. office showing off his cast.  He still wasn't too sure yet...

Our sweet friends, the Sullivans, have a daughter, Grace, who is Lily's age, and a son, Miller who is in 6th grade.  He is like a "Big" Brother to Parker and he came by our house the night before Parker got his cast to visit with him and show him his cast!  So after Parker got his cast we went over to their house to pick up Lily and to also get pictures of our handsome boys in their casts!

Thank you, Miller!

Parker was loving all the attention he was getting with his cast, so when I took some more pictures when we got home, he was very proud to show it off!

Parker did amazingly well with his cast.  He only had a couple of meltdowns before the first 2 baths since he had to wear a bag over his cast, but other than that he slept well and never once complained or asked for it to come off!  We had so many people praying for Parker, and we are so grateful!  When we went back after just 10 days to get an X-ray, it showed that his arm was healing at a very fast pace, and that in about 10 more days we could come back and possibly get the cast off!  The power of prayer is amazing, and on November 8th, Parker got his cast off after just 3 weeks!  We are giving all the glory to our Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals!  Thank you to all of our sweet friends for being our prayer warriors! 

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood.  He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. 
There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.  He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."
Exodus 15:25-26

Our Little Man

On July 13th, Parker had his Two Year Well Visit and I am happy to say that Parker got a "healthy" report!  He weighed 30 lb. (75%) and was 35.5 in. tall (75%).  When I look back at where we were a year ago, I stand amazed at how the LORD has strengthened Parker's body.  Last Fall, Parker was on 7 prescription medications and I spent several days in and out of Doctor's offices, consulting with Specialists, and taking him to Children's Hospital for testing.  Right now Parker is only on 1 prescription medication (Prevacid) and I am hopeful that when we see the Allergy/Asthma Specialist later this month that he will be taken off of it also.  Parker has been back at church since May and we have been going to church both Sunday morning and evening as a family!  I am so thankful for all of our Prayer Warriors that joined us in praying for God's healing of Parker's body.  We love our little man and are enjoying watching him grow!

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Psalm 95:6-7

A Whole New World...

is what Lily is seeing now that she got her very first pair of glasses!

Knox County Schools has a Vision Van that comes to the elementary schools and checks each of the students' vision. They sent a referral home in February and recommended that Lily be seen by an Eye Doctor. On Friday, June 4, Lily and her Daddy went to have their eye exams done at the same time with Dr. Patton. Jonathan went first and Lily was able to watch so she would know what to expect. Her vision was 20/80 in both eyes which is a -125 and she also has an astigmatism. They said that she would definitely need glasses. Lily called me on the way home and said, "Mommy, I got pink glasses!" I thought it was a joke at first, but then realized she was serious!  Jonathan is so good with the girls and he had helped Lily pick out her very first pair of glasses.  Of course being the softie that he is, he let her pick out pink frames! 

She is so very proud of them!

I have to say that they are a beautiful shade of pink, her favorite color!

And they have 3 "diamonds" on each ear piece!

We are so thankful that Knox County provides free vision checks!  Lily is now able to see a whole new world! 

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Psalm 119:18

Little Boy Blue

I wanted to update everyone on what has been going on with my sweet boy.  It has been awhile since I have posted on Parker, and I am thankful for that because things have been pretty calm up until recently.  We have been so careful not to expose him to germs and keeping him home as much as possible.  We met with the Gastrointestinal specialist on March 19th.  It was not a good visit, and I was treated as if Parker was my first born and that I was just being a "nervous" mom.  I was told that Parker's constant diarrhea was nothing more than "Toddler Diarrhea."  The look on the Doctors face when I told her that Parker was my fourth child was priceless.  Things seemed to change somewhat after that, but then we were sent over to Children's Hospital for more repeat testing and new testing.  Parker had 7 viles of blood drawn and we were asked to take stool samples over the next 48 hours.  (Oh the things we do for our children!).  A week later I was told that everything came back normal.  I questioned this information and was told again that all of his levels were normal including his IGa which had been extremely low (0.8 out of 60 just at the end of January.)  I was in shock, but knew that God could work miracles and had to trust that the Doctors were being careful with double checking his immune system levels. So we had been keeping Parker away from childcare situations, including church, and decided that we would all go to church as a family on Easter Sunday.  Jonathan and I prayed over this decision and prayed that God would put a hedge of protection around him.  Well, by Monday evening Parker started coming down with what I was hoping was just a simple cold, even though in my heart I knew even a cold could turn bad for Parker. He progressively got worse and I finally took him to the Doctor and he was diagnosed with strep throat.  This broke my heart!  I felt as if I had failed him as a Mommy because I was the one who had exposed his body to germs.  Then on April 6th, I got a call from the GI specialist and they said that they had overlooked some test results and that his stool samples were abnormal.  They showed that one of his intestines was extremely enlarged but they couldn't tell me which one (large or small) and what the cause was.  They are wanting a repeat sample done a month out from the last one which would be anytime after today (April 20).  They will hopefully be able to determine the cause and if it is viral, bacterial, or something more serious.  After receiving this information I decided to take matters into my own hands and have the hospital print out all of his test results for me.  If they had overlooked this, then they could have overlooked the other ones too.  I broke down in tears when I saw that all of Parker's levels were still so low.  Not because they were low, but because we had not been told the truth.  We forget that Doctors are just human and that God is the ultimate Physician and that our faith should be in Him alone.  So, we are again keeping Parker home until at least the summertime.  On Feb. 1st the ENT said that Parker would need his tonsils out if he had any more cases of strep.  So since he has had it again, Parker is possibly facing a tonsillectomy.  Please continue to pray for Parker and that he will stay well and that his immune system will get stronger.  Only God can heal his body and I know that He will do it in His own time.  We are praying for patience as we wait on God's perfect plan for our precious boy.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Romans 12:12

He Has Made ALL Things Good!

I want to give everyone an update on my precious boy.  Parker was scheduled for a recheck at the Allergy & Asthma Specialist on February 12 and we were to receive the results of his Immunoglobulin test performed on January 28.  He had been healthy for almost 7 weeks, and the morning of the 12th, he woke up with a stomach virus!  So we rescheduled for February 19th.  We had been praying for good levels and that he would not be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition.  His levels indicated that most of his levels had improved which was a huge praise.  However, his IgA levels were extremely low.  Immunoglobulin A is one of the most common antibodies in the body and is responsible for protecting all of the mucous linings in the respiratory system (nose, throat, etc.) and the gastrointestinal tract. I was told that because Parker's levels are so low, he would 100% catch anything that he came in contact with since his body wasn't producing enough antibodies to protect him. And that it was going to just take time for his body to fight to get better. This was hard to hear about my baby's deficiency, but I know that Parker is PERFECT in the LORD's eyes.  Everything that we have gone through and will continue to go through with Parker has drawn me closer to the LORD.  It has helped me realize that I am not alone (John 14:16-17) and that the only person I need to please is HIM (Matthew 7:1-2).  God has blessed me with Parker and it is my job here on this earth to love and take care of him and train him up in the way he should go (Proverbs 22:6).  Please pray for my sweet boy as we continue on this journey.  Our next step is meeting with a Gastrointestinal Specialist which should be scheduled very soon.  Until then I am leaving everything at the cross where I know Jesus will meet me there!

...He has done everything well...
Mark 7:37

Oh Brother!

The girls absolutely adore their baby brother.  Of course, who could resist this face?

Yes, he just enjoyed his first white powdered donut (or "nut" as Parker calls them) that I left for the kids while I went away to the Children's Pastors Conference in Nashville.  Little P turned 18 months on January 4th and he had his well check this Tuesday.  We got a healthy report!  Praise the Lord!  He weighed 27 lbs. and is 34 in. tall.  He has such a sweet disposition and is already "teasing" the girls!  I want to share something with you that happened recently. I've got all of the girls' hair accessories neatly organized in their bathroom:

Parker is always standing in the bathroom watching me fix the girls' hair.  Well, the other night while I was fixing supper, he managed to get into the bathroom, climb on the stool, and dump all 3 of the drawers onto the floor!:

OH BROTHER!!!

I guess he felt left out and wanted to take matters into his own hands! 

We are so thankful for him and don't know what we would do without our sweet baby boy!

I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

Matthew25:40