Daily Schedule

Everyone has some type of schedule. Scheduled Doctor appointments, scheduled meetings, scheduled dinner time, breakfast and so on... but what about a daily schedule? A written out plan to follow with your kids for daily activities. This has worked so well in our family, first with our oldest and now with all 3 kids, it is a must!

Here's why I think kids benefit from having a daily schedule:

1.) They know what's next.
   
        Junior knows that when he gets up we head to the kitchen to cook (if I am behind that morning he will constantly remind me.. 'Mama, Eat! I help cook.') He also knows after dinner he will play, get ready for bed, say his prayers and go to bed; most times he tells me 'Mama, Night night.' This definitely makes things so much easier for me and limits the amount of tantrums.

2.) It keeps them entertained.

        Since we are constantly going to the next thing on our schedule, it helps to keep their little minds working and they don't get bored as easily. I have noticed less tantrums when we follow the schedule more closely than when we divert from it. However, I do think that it is good to go off schedule some days to keep the children flexible and help them learn how to cope with changes.

3.) It brings excitement.

        Junior most always gets excited when we move on to the next thing. We will go from talking about ABC's to singing and dancing, then we will talk about numbers and say some poems. His face will just light up. It's such a great experience for me and him both and that little smile definitely keeps the stress level down!

Does a schedule work for your family?

Do you have any tips for other mothers who are trying to find a schedule that works for them?

       

To my son

        The time has flown and here we are.. you are two. Your life brightens mine each and every day. Your smile fills my heart, and others, with great joy. Your love for life is such an inspiration to my own life.

       I know you do not realize, and will not for a long while, but time goes ever so quickly. I want you to take note of these things (in no specific order):

1. Continue being  joyful, happy and excited each day.

        You have such a happy way of doing things. You smile constantly. You are excited over things as small as having the opportunity to go outside, help cook, and you even find excitement in putting your dirty clothes in the hamper. I believe that God sent you to us to show me that I need to slow down and soak in all the joys in life. I pray that the Lord will keep reminding me in these ways. #FindingJoyinTheJourney

2. Always stand up for what you believe in.

        Times get rough and it will not always be easy, but keep faith. God is always there for you, always, even when you think you failed. He will lift your spirits and give you the courage you need to get through. Read His word and seek guidance from it, you will go far. I will be praying that God leads you in the right direction and that He guides me in raising a polite young gentleman that strives to be more like Jesus with each passing day.

3. You can do anything you put your mind to.

        If you want to do something in life, apply yourself, have determination and motivation. Your Mimi taught me a good motto... 'The can't man never could.' You can, and you will, if you put your mind to it. For this, I will pray that you keep a positive outlook and that God will give you the confidence you need to accomplish great things and meet your life goals. Also, that I will be there to support you in whatever you may choose to do.

4. Be a good example for others.

        Always say please and thank you, yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir, and you're welcome. Forgive others when forgiveness is necessary. Admit when you're wrong and apologize when it is needed. Hold doors open for those walking close behind, even if you do not know them. Always speak when spoken to and answer when a question is asked. Go out of your way to talk to the elderly, hug your friends when they need it and listen when they need to talk. I will pray that God will give you guidance in these things and that God will help me be more of an example for you in these ways.

5. Be confident and humble.

        Know that you can do whatever you set your mind to but be modest and appreciative when others give you praise. I pray that you will have a soft heart and a strong mind.

1 Peter 5:5 (NIV)

5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
       

Thank you for being who you are. Thank you for being obedient (most times). Thank you for showing your big imagination. Thank you for being goofy, hyper, and particular.  For helping me learn to stop and 'smell the flowers' (even if we were at the beach and there were no flowers in sight.. I guess those weeds count.). I treasure you. I treasure your smile and your laugh, everything about you. And today, you are turning 2, I am so thankful for you and who you are. I cannot wait to see where God takes you from here! 

        Happy birthday, son! Your Dad and I are so proud of you! :-)

Junior - Summer 2013 in Foley, AL

The Mother I Want to Be

        Days like this I find myself sitting on the sofa, thinking. Two warm babies nestled closely to my belly. I hear their little breaths and feel the warmth from it. They breathe at the same pace, one after another. They look so peaceful and I don't want to move an inch. I enjoy being in their company and watching them sleep. Although, I have so many things I should be doing..
Laundry
Vacuuming
Dishes
The list goes on and on.. we are all too familiar with this. Still, I sit. In the quiet. This moment is only few and far between so I may as well take advantage of it, right? 

        I look into their faces, they are content. They feel comforted knowing that I am right there and they feel the warmth of my skin. So much alike, yet so very different, even at this young age. I think about how their different personalities are blooming and how what I am doing today will forever affect them in the future. I think about taking them places and teaching them new things. I think about them having the same relationship with their dad as I had with mine. I just think about being there for them whenever, where ever and how ever I can. 

        I look forward to watching them grow and become who they are meant to be. I want to be an encourager, a mentor, a teacher, and good listener so they feel like they can come to me just to talk. I want to be a mother who is compassionate, empathetic, energetic and motivated. I want to be an example for our girls of a godly, nurturing wife because one day the mother and wife that I am will be evident in their lives as a mother and wife. Now is a better time than ever for me to pour into our children these qualities. They learn so much by example.

        Today, as I sit here in the quiet, without the normal chaos, I am making a commitment to my husband and our kids. A commitment to be the best wife and mother that I can possibly be. I will fail sometimes, but there is always tomorrow. 

       Philippines 4:13 'I can do ALL things                     through Christ who strengthens me.' 
       

Clubfoot Journey: Part 2

        We had been through a total of 9 weeks worth of weekly re-casting and Junior was in his final cast. This cast had been placed after his surgical procedure where his achilles tendon was severed and would grow back together, he had to wear this cast for the past 3 weeks. I was ready for the next part of this journey to begin so that our son would no longer be in casts. Those casts got us many strange looks and stares. I remember being asked countless times 'What happened to him?' I have to admit, after being asked so many times, I pondered giving a smart remark. I resisted the smart remarks and each time I would try to explain what clubfoot was and that this was the treatment used to correct his feet. 

        The days of his casts were about to come to an end, we loaded up and headed to the doctor to have the final cast taken off and to pick up his Dobbs bar. We had no idea what to expect. How was our son going to react to the bar? Would he fight wearing it? Would he be uncomfortable? The doctor came in and removed his casts, he was quite pleased with how well everything seemed to have healed. We got his boots and Dobbs bar, the nurse began to show us how to put them on correctly. 'Sit Junior on your lap facing away from you and use the pressure of his foot hanging down to make sure his foot is completely back in the shoe. If you do not tighten the straps enough, he may get blisters or sores. Also, make sure that the bar is shoulder width.' Trying to strap these boots on a 3 1/2 month old was not easy at times but luckily he never fought it. We were instructed to leave the boots and bar on for a total of 23 hours a day for the next 3 months. That hour without the bar would give our son a break and allow us to bathe him. 

        Our son weighed just over 10 pounds and the bar was 1 pound. Junior seemed pretty fussy throughout the day. It was not in his character to be overly fussy and even though he was trying to cope with something new, we were sure something just wasn't right.  The more we looked at the bar, we realized it was wider than his shoulders. The next day, we headed back to the doctor to have the bar checked out again. We were told that it's better to be too wide as opposed to not wide enough and that the bar one size smaller would work but it would have to be fully extended. This would mean that when Junior grew, he would need a new bar. I insisted we try the smaller bar just to see if he would cope a little better. Junior slept all the way home so we were unable to tell if he would cope better but when we got home and watched him play, he was moving around a bit more, we knew we had done the right thing.

         It took a while to get used to putting the boots on; I began to wonder 'how will we ever put these on every night and at each nap, especially if we have another child.. it takes so long! ' As the days went by, taking the shoes off and on became significantly easier and quicker to accomplish. We had it down to a science. As I would put his boots on, we would sing songs or I would just talk to him about our day. He seemed to enjoy these moments. We were very fortunate that he did not fight putting them on. The weeks went by and, for Junior, this became routine. He even seemed to act better when he had them on. He learned quickly, though. I can remember many times having him on my lap after the boots were on, I would snap the bar in place, he would pick up his feet then quickly slam the bar right on my shin. 'Ouch!' I would respond... He would turn, look at me and just giggle! After a few times of that, I was ready and could catch his feet before he could get me. 

        When the 3 months of 23 hour wear was over, we headed back to the doctor. The doctor was very pleased that his feet had been responding so well and told us that one main reason this treatment had gone so well thus far was because we stuck with it and continued putting the boots and bar on 23 hours each day as instructed. The doctor transitioned Junior to night and nap time wear and we were to follow up with the doctor in 4 months. 

        The hardest part about the boots and bar wear is the discipline it takes to make sure they are put on at each and every nap time and night time, never skipping. When I went back to work,  I had to make sure that each caretaker knew how to put them on correctly and never skipped putting them on him. 

        During this transition, we began to see Junior play with his feet more and begin to crawl. It was such an amazing thing to watch and even though it was hard to stick with the treatment, we were so glad to see our little man develop and to see his feet begin to look more 'normal.' 

        What were some of the problems you faced with continuing or sticking with clubfoot treatment? How did your child cope with the treatment? Did you use the Dobbs bar?

Delivering a breech baby

        We found out that we were expecting on December 9, 2013. We had already discussed having our children about 2 years apart but had not really begun planning for our next child... needless to say, we were a bit shocked to find that we were expecting for the second time. 

        The pregnancy started out pretty smooth. I felt great and seemed to have passed through without morning sickness, or so I thought. Then it hit me, about 8 weeks in. There was never a moment that I did not feel sick. If I ate, I felt sick and if I didn't eat it was way worse. When I went in to have my first checkup my due date was set to August 15, 2014. The doctor mentioned the possibility of hearing the heartbeat echo or hearing 2 different heartbeats. I quickly assured the doctor that being pregnant with twins was impossible since they didn't run in our family; the doctor wanted me to have an ultrasound just in case. They were booked for the day in the ultrasound department and I did not feel like driving to their other location, so I decided to schedule my ultrasound later in the week (especially since, in my mind, it was not possible that I could be pregnant with twins!) 

        Two days later, I showed up to my ultrasound with my mother and son who was 15 months old at the time. And there we saw it, 2 babies! What!? Yeah, I was pregnant with TWINS! I had not only 1 miracle growing inside, but 2. Unbelievable! (I am still shocked just thinking about it and they are 2 months old now...) My mind was racing and my hands were shaking. I immediately called my husband to let him know; he seemed to be less shocked than I was. I let others know by a call or text message before having a quick lunch with my mother and heading back to work. No wonder I had been feeling so sick.. There were 2 babies! The morning sickness lasted for several more months and by the time it decided to go away, it was not noticed too much since it was replaced with complete exhaustion. Every week that I got through was an accomplishment for me and I took it one week at a time. 

       By around 31 weeks, it began to be hard for me to get around. My hips hurt and my back was aching so bad. I was in constant prayer and tried to maintain a positive attitude. My husband would remind me almost daily that when the pregnancy was over, I would miss it. I would miss their movements and their little hiccups. I would miss rubbing my belly and watching them move. I cherished each moment, even when I was uncomfortable, and I tried to sleep as much as possible. (Definitely hard to sleep when you have a small toddler running all over over the place with what seems like endless energy!) 

        I continued working full time. My mom and mother in law were such a big help, especially in the last few months. They would provide us dinner and help keep the house picked up.. such a blessing to us in this time! I began working only 6 hours hours a day about 2 weeks before the twins were born. 

        On Monday, July 14 , 2014, (at this point, I was 35 weeks and 3 days along)  I went into work and around 10 am I thought I felt my water leaking. I just ignored it thinking 'surely my water isn't really leaking.' I noticed it again about noon but I was leaving at 2 so I just continued working. When I left work at 2, I called my mom and told her that my water may be leaking but I really needed a nap before calling the doctor. She insisted that I call the doctor immediately; I called the doctor and had an appointment about an hour later. Sure enough, my water was leaking and I was sent right to the hospital. I was induced throughout the night and my doctor arrived about 10 am the next day to talk to me about the babies. Baby A was doing great, head down and ready. Baby B was breech. The doctor said that if everything continued going well with both babies (stable heart rate and able to be monitored) then we could continue with the plan of vaginal birth. She asked if I would be willing to deliver a breech baby, if they were unable to turn baby B, and I agreed - any thing to keep from having a  C-Section, especially paired with a vaginal birth! 

        Time seemed to pass slowly in the last few hours before delivery but the time had come. The doctor and several other staff members came in to take me to the operating room. The plan was to deliver in the OR just in case something went wrong and I needed a C-Section. The room was cold, the walls were white and everything else in the room was stainless steel. My doctor was ready to deliver the first baby while another doctor from the practice was to my left keeping an eye on baby B through ultrasound. My husband to my right, I began pushing. Baby A, Avery, was born at 11.56 am. They handed her to me, she was so perfect! The doctors then attempted to turn baby B, pushing and pulling on my belly, but turning her was unsuccessful.  The doctor broke my water and let me know that she was going to deliver baby B breech. The doctor began to feel for baby B's feet and when she was sure, she had me push. I was so nervous and I do not remember much about pushing, all I could do was pray. A few moments later, 12.02 pm, there she was. Bri was here and delivered breech successfully; I was so relieved that I was able to deliver twins vaginally. They let us see her for a brief moment before taking her to the NICU for her breathing. 

        They wheeled me back to the room and we spent time with Avery while Bri was in the NICU. I was released from the hospital on Thursday and Avery was released Friday. Bri was kept in the NICU for a total of 10 days. Thankfully, while she was still admitted, Avery and I were able to stay in a hospitality room. In this extended time, we were able to somewhat get used to having twins before adding our toddler to the mix! 

        Stay tuned for more updates, along with tips, on how to cope with 3 kids under two years old.  Thanks for reading!

Clubfoot Journey: The beginning

        We found out that we were expecting our first child on February 6, 2012. After taking a pregnancy test and seeing the results, I was shocked! I went to the doctor a few weeks later and our due date was set.. October 5, 2012.

         I had no idea what to expect in the weeks and months to come.  I felt nauseated 90% of each day for the first 3 months but I enjoyed being pregnant. Knowing that a little life was forming and developing inside me along with a little prayer is what kept me going most days. My cravings were usually simple and nearly always involved some type of mexican food. When I was hungry I had to eat right then or I would feel worse quickly.

        I worked 40 hour weeks plus two Saturday's a month. My bed time began usually before 8 pm.. on the couch, I would wake up and move to bed about 11 each night. It seemed like I couldn't get enough sleep. 

        I began feeling slight movements at about 15 weeks. Time went by quickly. We had the first ultrasound at 18 weeks and the doctor requested that we return to have another ultrasound at 20 weeks since they couldn't get a good view of the baby's legs. We began to worry.. What if our baby didn't have legs? What if he would never be able to function like a 'normal' kid? 

        When we went back, the ultrasound showed that our son had bilateral clubfoot and they referred us to a specialist. We had no idea what clubfoot was. Different questions kept flooding our minds.. Will he have toes? Will he ever walk?  How could this happen to us? We had several ultrasounds to check on his growth and development in the following weeks.  We also had the opportunity to meet with his orthopedic doctor and discuss the treatment for clubfoot. 

        Weeks continued to pass quickly and on October 4th, at 10.30 pm, my water broke. We arrived at the hospital around 11.30 pm and Junior was born at 12.45 pm the following day.. on his due date. He was perfect. He had a very round head, 10 fingers and 10 toes. I fell in love immediately.  Yes, his feet were turned in but I really didn't even notice initially.. it wasn't something I really looked for even though I was expecting it.

         He got casts to begin his clubfoot treatment when he was just 4 days old. We took him weekly to get a new cast (where the doctor would stretch his foot and cast it in the new position) until he was 9 weeks old. At this point he had a little procedure done where his achilles tendon was severed and a new cast was placed to stay for 3 weeks while the tendon grew back together and healed. This procedure would allow the heal bone to drop down into the heal where it belongs. 

        When the 3 weeks were up, we headed back to the doctor to get his final cast off. This was just the beginning of his treatment but the doctor was pleased with the way his feet responded so far. The doctor then placed Jr. in the Dobbs bar for 23 hours daily for 3 months. We went for a follow up when the 3 months were up and the doctor transitioned Jr. to wear the clubfoot bar at night and nap time (which he  still continues wearing up until about age 5). Junior will be 2 in just a few short weeks and I can hardly believe how fast time has gone. His feet seem to be perfect and and the scars from the procedure are nearly unseen. 

        God has blessed us with a son who handles everything so well. He is the happiest child I have ever been around.  He is kind and compassionate. He seems to be very empathetic for someone so young. He has such a heart and loves to help with nearly anything you give him the opportunity to help with. 

        My prayer is that I can be more like my child in life. Easy going, joyful, and compassionate with with a heart of gold and and a smile that will melt your heart. He is not perfect by any means and there are days that are harder than others. Each day is new with different challenges and I learn something new from him each day.. lots of days I believe God is trying to teach me patience but we continue to be blessed by Junior and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Where it all began

We were married on April 1, 2011. Yes, that is April Fool's Day and we did pick this day intentionally.  It was such a beautiful day with a slight wind and the sun was perfect! We met at the church to have pictures taken before the wedding began. He wore a black suit with tiny white pinstripes and I wore a very light pink strapless dress (found this dress for $25.. what a deal!) We had many pictures taken and before we knew it, it was nearly time for the ceremony to begin. We headed back to the church to prepare. Since it was April Fool's Day I had a little something planned.. A different dress! I walked down the Isle with a creamy white strapless dress that was full of ruffles from the waste down. He was completely surprised by this! (Since he knows me so well I believe that he had an idea I would be up to something.) After the ceremony, we had our reception at Soda Pop Junction, in Lynnville, TN, complete with an old fashion float toast! Our wedding and reception was casual compared to most but, for me, it was perfect and I enjoyed every minute!