Pizza and other things

Last weekend Malachi began being able to stand up on his own without pulling up on anything. Now that he has found this new skill, he is walking much more. He doesn't have to crawl to the couch or coffee table to get back up. He can do it on his own. This makes my job a little bit easier. Now I just have to convince him to hold my hand so he can walk out in public without being carried (or up the steps). Malachi loves to walk, just not where Mommy ever wants him to go.

Pizza, pizza, and more pizza. The kid is definitely an all-American kid. He loves pizza. The only thing is, is that he is only allowed to eat the crust. We are still concerned about his milk allergy. It seems to be much less than it was a few months ago. I guess that he is already in the process of "growing out of it." I am very thankful. We just try things in small doses. We also make sure that when we give him something that is a milk product, that the milk is cooked/baked. He doesn't seem to have a reaction to cheese or milk that is cooked or baked into a product. Last night I gave him some of my potato soup from O'Charley's. He loved it. If you have never had O'Charley's potato soup, the main ingredient is cheese (and probably milk, too). He had a few small bites and was fine. In fact, I had to put some of my "soup" on the chicken in order for him to eat it. Praise the Lord! That is a true answer to prayer from Malachi's parents who put cheese on everything and have a motto that "you can never have too much cheese."

Hanging with his peeps

Last weekend Malachi's cousins Callie & Avery came to visit (and his Aunt Erin & Uncle Josh). Malachi was able to play a lot with Avery so Callie could play her big girl games. He loved having the friends around.

Callie & Malachi enjoyed pushing the shopping cart around

Malachi tries to share the car with Avery.

Mommy take my picture!

Aunt Morgan, what are you doing? Only my Mama is supposed to be behind a camera.

Mommy, take my picture now---so I can play with the camera!!!

It's been awhile

So before "Aunt" Donna gets on my case about not posting in awhile, here are some pictures:) I don't want the "blogger police" to come after me again!!!

Some of the pictures are from about a month ago, but he hasn't changed a whole lot in appearance in the past few months. He has just radically changed in ability.

I'm so incredibly tired that I must prop my head up to sleep
(picture taken about 6 weeks ago)

Who's the biggest cheeseball in all the world??? Meeeeeee, of course!

Don't you know that washcloths are the best snack in the world!?!

I'm Sorry

Two posts ago I said an "update on us all," but I neglected one major person in our family---my husband, Daniel. I didn't write anything about him because I figured that he didn't want me to. I still don't think he wanted me to, but he seemed a little upset that I left him out of "us all." So to make amends, first I want to say that I'm sorry. Second, I will give you an update.

You will notice in one of the pictures below that Daniel's hair looks a little lighter than it used to be. He volunteered to dye his hair any color that the kids chose if they raised a certain amount of money for BGMC (Boys & Girls Missionary Crusade). You see, one of his areas of ministry at our church is children. It was a competition between the boys and the girls (K-5th grade). The boys picked red and the girls picked yellow. The girls won, and Sunday Daniel's hair was dyed. He just bleached it. It ended up a little yellow and a little orange. The kids didn't care, though. They thought it was cool. Keep up the good work, kids, and earn a ice cream party!

Daniel has also been working 30-45 hour weeks at the Y. He likes his job, but we miss him dearly. A husband's work is never done, huh?

A Day on the Lake

Today, we went out to Lake Norman with some friends. Malachi got to swim in the pool, once, and the lake, twice. He had a lot of fun---considering he loves the water. The life jacket was a little big for him, but he had a blast (and a nap) regardless.

Update on Us All

Well, we all survived the first week of school with students. I am feeling fine. The past few days I have been way more hungry but fine. I am enjoying being back in the classroom, but I totally and completely feel left out of some of the things in Malachi's life now. I seem to have a great group of students (for the most part). I have great class sizes! I think I calculated that I have 70 total students in 4 English classes. Wow! It's like a middle school teacher's dream (minus having to teach English:) ).

Malachi is doing well. He got a runny nose for about two days. Then, Thursday morning he woke up and decided he would finally feel better. He has been walking, laughing, and smiling nonstop since then. He has also needed Mommy less since he has felt better. This is good for me. It allows me to not feel so tired at the end of the day. He is getting so good at walking. I just can't believe how far he can get without crashing to his little diapered bottom. His poops are still very runny, stinky, and often. Those of you with one child out there...Make sure that you get your first child out of diapers and off of baby food before getting pregnant again. When your stomach is always on the verge of destruction, its nice to not have to worry about that stuff.

Last Friday, August 25th, we felt the baby move for the first time! Wow! A week later now, I am 15 weeks and feeling (and watching) the baby move. It's kind of weird to not know the gender of this little one yet. We had just found out that Malachi was a boy (20 weeks) when I felt him move for the first time. So, I was able to call him little boy the whole time. Now, its just "baby" or "The Deuce" or another name that I can't spell. Anyways, I just thought that I would let you know. I go for my next appointment on Wednesday. Hopefully then we can hear the heartbeat. I think its about a month from now that we'll find out this little baby's gender. So, we'll know whether we have an "Abigail" or a.............We're not telling.

Feeling Great!

I just wanted to let you all know that I am feeling MUCH better. Thank you for all your prayers. I had a fabulous first day with students today. I had no morning sickness. I didn't have to pee at inappropriate times. I didn't feel the urge to snack. I feel like I conquered a mountain. I even came home and cooked dinner (spaghetti out of a jar). Malachi, Kiev, David, and I also all went for a walk. I am feeling pretty good.

Please keep Malachi in your prayers, though. He is feeling ok. He went through a few days of feeling bad, but I could never put my finger on what was wrong. It seems that maybe Malachi and I were sharing a "cold/flu" and now have passed it on to Daniel. He seems to be feeling better, but his stools are still loose and frequent (Malachi, not Daniel). I hope that we are coming out of this soon. Thank you again for all your prayers. They truly are/were felt!

I survived...sort of

This week was my first week back to work. It was hard. I've had a "cold" off and on. I'm not sure what I have, if anything. Yesterday and Tuesday I ended up with a low grade fever and the aches. I thought maybe it was a little stress and just moving my student desks around. My throat has been hurting today. I just don't know what I have. I am hoping, though, that I will feel better on Monday (when students return). If I don't, I guess I'll be calling the doctor. The thing that bothers me about it, is that I just had the fever (and not on consecutive days). It made my head ache and gave me the chills a few times. My main concern was that it felt like the fever was in my spine and just continually ran up and down it, which could be contributing to my back pain. I'm trying not to complain, I'm just a little confused/concerned. I didn't have symptoms like this with Malachi. I was less sick but more tired while carrying him. Maybe this just means we're having a girl!!! Or maybe it just means that every pregnancy truly is different. Please pray that I can get over this so that my students and family get the best of me and not the worst.

Back to the Grind

Today was my first day back to work in over two months. It was kind of hard at first. I am not used to the mental stimulation yet, but it will all come back soon. I did well. I didn't have to take a nap, but I was definitely tired when I got home. Malachi was taking a long afternoon nap. He allowed me to sit and rest for a little while. Thanks Dad for taking me out to dinner, so I didn't have to cook my own dinner. Arby's was great!

Malachi did well, too. He stayed with his Uncle David while Daniel and I worked. He was definitely happy to see me when I got home, though! I literally had to chase him around the house. This is the first time I've ever really had to just follow him around and keep him from getting into every possible thing. He wanted to be held first, and then he almost ran. It amazes me to see how far he can go on his own now. He can walk from floor to carpet and back again. He can even turn corners. Wow! I was truly blessed to have spent all summer with him and his new developments. Thank you, Lord for this wonderful blessing!

12 Month Portraits

These were taken about a month ago by our SUPER photographer, Faith.

My little escape artist

Who says the "mush pot" is bad?

"Cheeseball"

I can stand. Oh, ya! (and crawl and walk)

Our Schedule

I thought that I would share our schedule before it all changes on Monday. Hopefully, we can pretty much stay on this schedule, if his caretakers ablige. I have mixed emotions about going back to work. Sometimes I am ready for the change. Other times I just want the freedom to hang out with my son whenever I want. I'm sure I'll probably feel the same way in a few weeks. We'll see.

8am - Wake up (Actually, Malachi is usually awake before 8, but I've tried to make it that I don't get him unitl 8. He's good at playing and talking in his crib until its time.)

8:15 - 5 oz. sippy cup of soy milk while I prepare his breakfast

8:30 - breakfast (wheat toast and homemade fruit baby food)

8:45 - play while Mom fixes and eats her breakfast

10:30 - read a book and sing a song in the rocking chair, and then down for a nap
***This is the time where I eat lunch, vaccuum, blog, clean, etc.

12:30-1pm - wake up from nap and have 5 oz. sippy cup

1pm - lunch (cheerios and 6 oz. jar of baby food)

1:30-3:30 - play, crawl, walk, and get into all the cabinets possible (this is main time that we get out and run our errands)

3:30-4:30 - nap (Mom usually naps, too)

4:30 - 5 oz. sippy cup

5:30 or 6pm-ish -sit down with Mom, Dad, Grammy, and Grandpa for dinner (cheerios and jar of baby food)

7:30pm - bath (usually every other night, depending on how dirty he got that day)

8pm - last 5 oz sippy cup

8:30pm - Bible story, prayers, and down for the night

AND HE STILL SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT! PRAISE THE LORD!

***I promise that I will post pictures no later than Sunday.***

Dear Malachi,

This morning you truly made my heart glad. You decided to be more independent. I hope that this is a phase that will stick. Since your Counsins Callie and Avery came to visit, you have been much more clingy, longing for someone to play with you. I love to watch you interact with your cousins and others, but it sometimes leaves you wanting a playmate. I understand and try to be there for you, but you have made it more difficult to get things done while you are awake.

After feeding you breakfast, I still had to make and eat mine. To my surprise, you wandered around the kitchen on your own, talking to your reflection in the dishwasher and kissing it. Then, you crawled into the family room to play with your many toys that are set up in there. I was able to finish cooking my sausage and biscuits. Then, I sat at the table, out of your view. I was able to eat almost my whole breakfast in peace while you played with your toys on your own. You finally joined me at that table and wanted to take part in my final two bites. I didn't mind, though. I finished my biscuit and shared my OJ. You couldn't have been happier. You love to drink whatever your Daddy and I are drinking. I quickly cleaned up and walked with you back over to the toys for a few more minutes of play.

You were also surprisingly independent yesterday at church. You played by yourself with almost every single toy in the room (which made it fun for me to clean up), while I held a friend of yours who is coming up on being 6 months old. I thought you might be jealous, but you were happy to crawl and walk around the room pulling all the toys off the shelf and playing with each one for no more than a minute. I just hope that these are signs of what is to come---a more independent, self-assured little boy who will adjust pretty easily to a little baby taking over Mommy's attention. Way to go my boy! You are growing up in front of our eyes.

Also, congrats on making an easy transition from bottle to sippy cup (Nuby's are great)!

Coming Soon

So, I had my second visit to the doctor and my first ultrasound on Friday. It went really well. I am going to try to scan one of the ultrasound pictures soon, but I don't know how well that will go. The computer has really been acting up lately. Daniel went with me. He, of course, had a better angle of the ultrasound. He got a little choked up getting to see our new little bundle. I took as much joy in the moment as I could. It is a little more difficult to see from my angle and to have to deal with the distractions of an internal camera instead of an external. We got 4 really great pictures. The baby measured in at 5.71cm. For those of you who don't know metric, like me, that is a little over 2 1/4 in. long. This is a little ahead of schedule. The doctors are keeping my due date at Feb. 25th (even though they quoted the 24th before). The length of the baby was estimating my due date as the 21st. It's only a few days off, so they are not changing it.

This makes me very happy. I just don't want to have to go through the days in the hospital before the baby is born. I don't want to be induced, either. I want to rest at home as long as I can, and then go into the hospital. So, anywho, we are very excited, and my belly is beginning to pooch more. I can still fit in my jeans and a pair of shorts. Most of my dress pants still fit as long as I don't do the top button. I have like zero shirts to wear right now, so I have to come up with something soon since I have to look professional when the students return in 2 weeks (that's right I have one week left until going back to work)!

Well, in about 6 weeks we will have the second ultrasound to do the organ checks and to find out the gender of our baby. Until then, we have affectionately named the baby, "Junior the 2nd" or "The Deuce."

Update

I just wanted to give you a quick update on the baby. Right now my due date is Feb. 24th. That may change a little come Friday. I am going for an ultrasound and appointment. At the ultrasound, they will try to more "accurately" determine the due date of the baby. I did have my first appointment last week, but I just peed in a cup, and they took my blood. Nothing exciting there. We will be going for a second ultrasound in about 6 weeks to then determine the gender of the baby. That will help me to know whether I can lovingly look at pink clothes or get all of Malachi's clothes out of storage. No surprises here. If the baby is a girl, she will still be Abigail. If the baby is a boy, we will keep the name a secret until his birth. Ok, so we do have to have a few surprises.

I am feeling fine---a little nauseated during the day but nothing major. I eat about every two hours to try to ward that off, and I have to pee a lot. No movement felt or anything else yet. I am excited that I am getting close to the second trimester where I will not be as tired. I can make it some days without even thinking about a nap. Other days it becomes a necessity.

Welcome Home Bubba!

Josh, welcome home! I know that your family is excited to have you back. We are thrilled to know that you are back with them where you belong. We love you very much and look forward to seeing you soon. -Morgan, Daniel & Malachi

An Amazing Kid

I know that everyone thinks that their kid is the greatest. I don't deny those feelings, but I have been truly amazed at how quickly Malachi has changed. Just this summer he has learned to crawl, learned to walk, learned to understand more complex commands, and so much more.

Tuesday, this week, he started really being interested in walking. He tries to walk more often and gets much farther than he used to. Just yesterday he was able to walk about 8 feet on his own (and who knows how many steps it actually was). By the time I go back to work, he may be walking totally on his own for much longer distances. I'm really glad that he saved all these firsts for this summer. I have learned so much about him and feel truly priviledged to be a part of it. Thanks for being such a great kid, Malachi. I love you!

Keep up your love for reading as you get older. I love to watch you "read" your books at home.

Mommy's Little Helper

He's a little too small to help at the grocery store just yet, but he definitely loves pushing "Callie's" cart around. I guess if we got him a toy he could walk behind, it might be a little bit better, but he has so much already:) He's just in training for a few years when I'm really gonna need some help and sanity.

It's Coming...

Oh, no! It's coming! I have one day shy of three weeks before I have to return to work! Aaaaaaaggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Ok, so it's not that bad. I'm sort of looking forward to getting back to school and meeting my new group of students. I just wish I could teach part-time. Then, I would do what I love. I could teach and stay home more often with Malachi. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it, too, huh?

One Year Old Silliness

Malachi loves to clap his hands. All you have to say is "Yay!" and he'll start clapping. I always love to see the toothy grin that sweeps across his face each time.
I tried to get some pictures of his teeth, but he just wanted to play with Mommy's toy, i.e. the camera.

Why? Why? Why?

Why in the world does my son have the urge to pull every single book off the shelf, just to leave it laying there for me to pick up?
He's a child. Oh, yeah. I forgot...again.