many things

to finish out being tagged...i couldn't & still can't pick one last thing, so here's a quick summary of the last few bits of me:

6. A) gift giving is my primary love language (does that mean gift receiving is too?). B) birthdays are still pretty important to me. this may have to do with the gift thing. i discovered this this year, when i felt my birthday was mostly forgotten. :o( the good news is, i've had some pretty incredible ones in the past, so i'll just remember those. C) the Lord often uses dreams to speak to my heart, usually for the purpose of intercession. i really love this & have missed it with so many sleepless nights. D) i just want to say again that i am crazy in love with my Jesus, my husband & my baby!

on to more important things...DREW!

well, since the rolling over from tummy to back, we've had a few more milestones:

Solid food! it was really nowhere near "solid" to start, but hey, it's more than just mommy milk. she really loves it. we had a setback in there when she got a tummy bug & was sick for a little while. it took her a few days to want solids again. ps- that tummy bug spread through our whole house & was our first experience with such an illness that plagued us all. we had to call for reinforcements. thank you, grambee beth, for coming to our rescue!

here's a pic from our parent dedication in november.

we had our 4 month check up on nov. 30th. this is drew & toph looking out the window while we waited on the dr. Drew was 15 lbs 12 oz and 26 3/4 inches long. that's our tall girl!

we got to meet Drew's greatgrandma Lou over thanksgiving break. this was very special to me because i am so thankful she has greatgrandparents, and i have a special relationship with my Mamaw. Great-Mamaw Lou lives in Whitney, TX and was so excited to see her great granddaughter. she gave Drew the sweetest little "Baby's First Christmas" red velour sleeper. Drew loves it.

yes, this is actually Drew sleeping! it's been setback after setback as far as sleeping goes. the reflux, family vacations, holiday travel, vaccinations, illness...on & on. my dear friend Donna came to stay while Topher took the college students skiing last week & she first gave me a couple of nights off, then stayed up with me for the "cry it out" nights. what an amazing gift. drew is still waking a couple of times at night, but now they are very brief & i only nurse her once, after she's been down for about 8 hours. it may sound like a lot to some, but for a girl who used to wake more than 12 times, it's a little peace of heaven. Thank you, Lord! and, thank you, Donna!

Jill tagged me...

ok, so i know this was a while ago, but that's my world...a bit behind on most things. what's the deal? share 6 things about me? that's a lot. hmmm...here goes:

1. i crazy love being a mama. it's so hard & so great all at the same time. drew's not been the easiest of babies, so in just our short almost 5 months, we've been through a lot already. don't worry, i know there's much more hardship to come, but these first few months have been no cake walk either. yet, they've been incredible. i love feeling so flipping tired i could just die, but yet loving & wanting to cuddle with my little snuggle bug all at the same time. seriously, she drives me mad with the fussing, but i just want to gobble her up & smooch all over her chubby little cheeks. i often sit in awe of the fact that she's really mine, while at the same time feeling so inadequate about the fact that i have no clue what to do with her. it's wonderful & overwhelming.

2. i miss living in tennessee. it was such a "mountaintop" experience for me. the Lord took me to intimate, peaceful, exhilarating, new & unimaginable places with him & i miss walking that path. i can't even put into words all i learned while there. i have to cautiously guard my heart now & be careful not to spend time distracted by what i fear i'm missing. He's been so faithful to gently show me that where i am now is also part of the plan & he has plenty more to show me & that all the greatness didn't stay in beautiful tennessee. while it was so hard at first, i am now incredibly grateful both for the time i had there & for what lies ahead here. still...i miss it. a lot.

3. are you ready for this? i gained almost 60 pounds while pregnant! seriously. shhh...it's my little (big) embarrassing secret. turned out my baby was HUGE (10 lbs 5 oz) so that had a lot to do with it. also, i never had morning sickness. no during-pregnancy weight loss for me. just call me jenny mccarthy, i guess (except for that whole playboy thing). on the up side, it really was a ton of water retention, as evidenced by the speed with which the weight disappeared. i lost 20lbs the first week & 10 the next, then steadily until now i'm realizing that no matter what the scale reads, my body will likely never be the same. pity, really. stretch marks? none on my tummy.

4. i LOVE college ministry! i have since i myself was in college & involved in the college group as a student. to be doing it now is a great blessing. our students are incredible. i pray for mind-blowing things for them & long for the Lord to take us to incredible new places. i imagine a love for Jesus that spreads like fire & so changes us that our worlds are never the same again. freedom...constant abiding in him...loving his word...loving other people...being so in love with him that we can't help but talk of & about him. i long for that for our college students.

5. i miss my parents a lot. they are in alabama & i haven't seen them since drew was born. many, many days i just wish they were close enough to drive up for a visit. i've needed them a lot in the last few months. thankfully, i can call & chat & be encouraged by them any time. they often call to check on me, which always makes my day.

6. i can't decide what to share here. i've typed & deleted 3 different things. what should i settle on? that fact that it's getting late at the time i'm writing this...that my baby's asleep & so should i be...i'm quite exhausted as usual...so, good night!

C'mon Mavs! C'mon Refs!

These pics were Drew's first time watching the Mavs with her daddy. Thanks, Gossetts for this great onesie, so she can show her support. Her expressions were very fitting...for the games of late.
Seriously, they can't buy a bucket. They're down by 3. Ooh, go Dirk. Now it's tied. Two more threes! Will they pull it out?
What the heck?! Ref, if you had another eye, you'd be a cyclops. I'm with Avery...and, if i was there, you'd be throwing me out, too. I'd make my uncle Lamar proud, I would. Is it bedtime yet? Oy, Vey. They lost. Now I'll never sleep (I'm just like my dad). Where's my paci?

Roll Over

she did it! this past saturday, my little girl rolled from her tummy to her back, unassisted. it's really cool to watch things happen for the first time. it's also amazing to realize how much our kid is learning, literally day by day. from one day to the next she picks up new noises, gestures & quirks. i love it. she keeps me on my toes, too, because with the learning comes constant change & as soon as i think we've settled into something, there she goes changing it.

she is beginning to sleep better at night. mostly only waking twice to eat now. that really beats the 15 times she was waking & crying for the 2 weeks after we got back from trent & bethany's wedding & moved her into her own room & own crib. yikes! i still feel like i haven't recovered...but, will i ever? by the way, if anyone has sleeping tips...do share.

our "parent commitment" service is this coming sunday night. it will be a time when we stand with our friends, family & church and promise, with the help of the Lord, to raise Drew in a home that loves Jesus, and to teach her about that love. will you partner with us in prayer for that pursuit? if so, i'd love to hear from ya.

we can't wait for thanksgiving! we'll be back in the great state of Texas to visit family & see friends. i just love the holidays...don't you?

too cute not to share

ok, more of my favorite pictures thus far...

aren't we cute? mommas & babies
tyler loves his cousin drew & pledges to look out for her always. daddy time! i think this was around toph's birthday in august. notice drew's outfit...bought by her daddy!
oh my goodness, this was one of those heart melting moments for me & tops my list of fave pics.
we met uncle josh for the first time in september. he was great & loved cuddling with drew. she kept licking his arm like a little cat...and, what's funny is that she licks things all the time now when something's near her mouth.

lucky me

in the spirit of an actual web log, here's the scoop on our last two months:



well, you know about the reflux. the sad news is that the pediatricians have recommended i refrain from most of all of my favorite foods in case they aggravate her reflux & upset her tummy. the worst of it? NO MILK! honestly. if you know me at all, you recognize the travesty of that. so, no dairy (man, i miss cheese), no chocolate (i discovered on my own that this gives her much gas), no peanut butter (not sure this really bothers her) & now...no juice, especially apple. without the milk, i had seriously upped my juice intake. when i scoffed, the pedi asked, "what's wrong with water?" NOTHING! that's what's wrong with it. anyway, the first pedi assured me i'd not be subsisting on only water & boiled chicken, while the second seems to have no sympathy for me (the second one is female...go figure). of course, trying to be proactive about the whole sensitive tummy thing, i am staying away from spicy foods. it almost seems like i'm staying away from flavorful foods, essentially. woe is me.



ok, for the good stuff...the stuff that makes it all worth it:

when she was one month & one day old, i witnessed my daughter's first real smile. since birth, she seems to smile & laugh as she falls asleep, but kept the responsive kind to herself. it was the morning & she woke up in a good mood. i had her laying on the bed & we were chatting face to face & there it was! are there words for that kind of feeling?! SO SWEET. for the last several weeks, she's continued this happy morning ritual with me & even added in her own conversation. i love to talk with her, as she coos & babbles & makes all kinds of great noises, most resembling a cat and sometimes a chicken. she really is talking to me in her own little 2 month old vocabulary. does it get any better? yes! this past friday, she laughed aloud on purpose for the first time. this time, daddy was the witness, as well as the cause. sadly, i missed it, as i was taking full advantage of "daddy time"& soaking in a bath. that didn't stop topher from calling me out of it twice to witness drew's latest milestone...only to miss it both times. oh well. i actually love that it was shared between the two of them, as he isn't privy to our morning conversations usually.

my friend debbie was right. seeing your husband with your child is one of the most intense sights you'll ever behold. has he ever been more attractive & sexy than then? oh my goodness, i love it. i was actually surprised by how the daddy in him came out. our second night home was when drew decided it was time to show us what this new parenting stuff was all about. i think she learned to cry that night, i really do (a lesson she's not stopped sharing). well, toph's response to that left me worried at first. soon enough, though, he realized that she didn't quite speak english yet & speaking it louder did not help her understand him, nor him understand her. (turns out you're supposed to speak soothingly to calm a baby, not yell at them). from that moment on, he's a whole new man, i think. and, i too, am a whole new woman. one with a beautiful baby & the sexiest husband alive. lucky me.



wanna see what i see every morning? this sweet face...

more new old pics

so, is it ok to just do a few posts now that i have a minute or two? i'm really not good at this yet & it takes me too long, so i'm not sure how to be more efficient at it. anyway, the blogging continues...

remember when your dog was your only "kid"? i love these of my Angel & my sweetie pie together.


the dogs have actually been quite good with the new addition. we're still cautious, of course. and, i'd say the dogs have more outbursts of stubborness than before, but all-in-all, they've done well. it must stink to be demoted like that. as sweet as can be. we love aunt jillie & uncle lamar!
silly time...tyler & uncle toph. i love to watch them play together. topher's really a great daddy & uncle, too.



ok, gotta go...it's diaper change time!

got a minute?

so, apparently the blog will post even when i'm not finished with it, as that last one did. well, i better hurry & get some more things posted. sweet drew is now almost 14 pounds & 25 inches long. she's really growing too fast for me...while i can't wait for each new stage, i'm kinda sad they fly by so quickly.
some more of our fave pics:

more of the famous Willie T...
baby feet are so sweet!
since lamar & jill are old pros at parenting, we asked them to show us the ropes on taking baby out. this was our first outing. drew was a couple of weeks old & we decided to go to the mall. it turned out to be tax-free weekend, so everyone else in tulsa was also at the mall. the kids were great, though & slept the whole time. i kept wondering about germs...

Catching up is hard to do

well, since i'm so far behind getting pics & updates posted, i figure i'll just browse through the last few weeks & pick my favorite snapshots to share.

Drew with Paw Paw. this pic melts my heart!
Meeting cousin Willie T for the first time...
...he was so sweet... ...and she made him cry!

Two Months!

Time really flies, doesn't it? Oh my goodness. well, i only have a sec to throw up these pictures of my little sweetheart, who is now two months old. can you believe it?! this weekend, our Grambee is coming, so we'll have time to sit & share what's been happening the last few weeks. there have been a couple of heart-melting moments for me. Mommyhood is incredible, i say. what a blessing. it's crazy hard & so fulfilling at the same time. well, she's chirping for some attention, so i'll bid farewell for now.

ps- her 2 month check up is friday & we can't wait to see how she's grown!

Rolling along...

Well, keeping up with the blog is tough when you have a fussy baby who cries a lot. Looks like she's got acid reflux (GER) which makes her very uncomfortable & causes some major crying spells. It's possible there's some colic happening, too, but we're trying to treat the reflux to get that out of the way first. It's really just a matter of time for the other, right? I hear they outgrow it. I hope so!

Enjoy the pic. A good friend of mine took it on a recent visit & i think it's absolutely beautiful! i'll try to get more up when the crying stops.

Quite the social butterfly!!

Drew's new friends

We made it home

After 4 days of starring at hospital walls and eating the finest of the hospital's delicacies it was good to go home. The first night at home was a little rough because we had our days and nights confused, but Drew and mom survived and have made a pact to sleep at night and play during the day.

Looking better after a bath

I think we all looked a little better after the alien goo was gone...

Say Hello to Little D.

We're not sure where the dark hair came from but there is no doubt she has mom's chin