Elisha Barrett's Arrival

Yes, I was ready to have a baby, but when you are giving the option of when to have one, you start to feel slightly different.  Last Monday, Dr. Child's decided he would induce.  I could go in on Wednesday or Saturday.  I decided on Wednesday, April 16.  We went in at 5am.  By 6:45 I was having pretty hard contractions, so I asked for the epideral, knowing it would take a while for them to get ready.  They gave it to me at 7:45, but it didn't work, so I got to experience natural childbirth, which I wasn't prepared for.  I had told my parents to arrive by 8:30 even though the nurses had said I could expect the baby at about noon.  My parents didn't make it until 9:15.  My mom came in to see me experience a few painful contractions, accompanied by a few screams, and four pushes.  All I could say was, "Thank the Lord," when he finally arrived in this world.  He was 7 pounds 6 ounces and 21 inches long.  He arrived at 9:48.  

Since he has arrived, we have been trying to adjust to having two children.  Caleigh is adjusting well.  She wants to be little momma, involved in everything, but she doesn't understand be gentle, be careful, even though she tries so hard.  She  likes to steal wipes, pacifiers, diapers, and the bulb.  We've given her her own for her babies.  He is doing great.  After the first three nights, he has just wakes up to eat in the middle of the night, which is good because I need my rest to take care of Caleigh.  Hopefully, the Lord continues to bless us with a "good" baby.  

 had

Smile Mon!

"Showing Off When He Made Me" with pigtails that lasted less than 15 minutes

"Smile Mon! Jamaica" with pink snowflake boggin

Caleigh now "demands" she pick out her own sleep and play shirts.  She loves the, may I say, tacky ones you get in the gift shop on vacation instead of her cute, girlie pajamas with flowers and lambs.  We are still determined to make a real girl out of her though as you see in the pre-picture picture below.

Tennessee Snow in March

I woke up greatly surprised to see snow on March 8.  When Caleigh first went out, she cried because she slid and fell down, but the second trip out she enjoyed somewhat.  She liked raking the snow off the swing and the wood around the raised garden beds.  Rusty even let her slide down the front of the car several times.  Of course she ended up with snow all over her and whined for us to wipe it off her shoes.  Overall, I guess she enjoyed the Tennessee snow.  

Caleigh's New Expression:  Fish Face

First Women's Ministry Event

We called it "Where Our Hearts Are" to go along with the name of our women's ministry, "Sisters in Heart."  We each brought a dish that reminded us of those we love, so we had lots of starches. (Only one person brought a green vegetable.)  There were also a few cheesy games with even cheesier prizes involved, but no one complained.  I did a devotion on Matthew 6:19-21 about storing up treasure in heaven, which raised a lot of questions about the practical application of the passage.  The fellowship was encouraging, and we hope to get a group together to plan a few more activities.   

Caleigh Being Caleigh

She has decided to act like a baby, crawling and carrying a pacifier, which she never used, after seeing the babies in the nursery at church.  Who knows what she'll do when Brother Bear gets here.

Isn't she pitiful.  She busted (burst) her lip twice in one week.

Again, she has the pacifier and is ready to take it to church.

Week 30

I don't want to gross anyone out, but here I am as big as I was the day I had Caleigh with 10 weeks still to go.  The doctor said my belly is out of room, so I'm not sure where Barrett will go now.  I'm hoping he will come a little early.  I'm already to the point that I can't bend over or sleep, and I can barely pick Caleigh up.  

New House

Our Bedroom

The Dining Room

Caleigh's Bedroom (soon to be shared with Elisha Barrett)

The Full Bath

We have finally moved -- after much waiting to find a house -- praise the Lord.  We spent one week painting, a day moving, and a week organizing.  Then, we did a little decorating, which we still haven't finished.  Now, we have to paint Caleigh and Barrett's room, the 1/2 bath, and the full bath's cabinets.  Right now, we are loving being in our very own house.  It is nice to know I'm cleaning my own dirt and not thirty years of someone else's.  These pictures show the post-organization, pre-decorating phase of the move.

Caleigh in the 1/2 bath cabinets 

Kitchen with cabinets Rusty sanded and painted

Living Room

Multipurpose Room - toys, sewing, office, TV