Doctors and school updates

Sweet Cheeks just went for his eye check up to make sure he doesn't have any optic nerve degeneration, so we took another trip to St Louis to get it all checked out.  He is very blessed to be doing just fine and through it all he still enjoys going to the doctors (which I just can't fathom but am very thankful for).  He does however have to get glasses. I am not a big fan of the toddler glasses I have seen before as most of them are the perfectly round circles that in my humble opinion don't look good on anyone!!. So we went and picked out a pair of rectangle frames in blue. I hope he looks as cute a I think he is going to.  He is still the sweetest baby ever except he is starting the typical two year old tantrums and whining. I am trying to keep ahead of the game and not let him get away with it, but this pregnancy is really taking a toll on me (that's right pregnant with number 6 yay!!). I am exhausted and nausious most of the time.
 
As for the other kiddos they just started back to school and are doing really well. My aunt has offered to help home school my oldest two since my daughter and her granddaughter are in the same grade.  My son is a couple grades under them, but she wanted to help me since Wild Thing still needs an immense amount of attention and one on one help.  I am very excited for this year but greatly miss having all my kiddos here with me although my aunt only lives two houses down it seems forever away some days.

I hope all is well with your family and that the school year is getting off to a great start for you too. God bless!!

3 months Craniosynostosis Post Op (2nd surgery)

Mommy and MeWell it has been 3 months since lil Sweet Cheeks had his last and hopefully final surgery on Nov. 30, 2011. Thank God all has been well. We just took the 3 hour journey to St. Louis to the children's hospital for his 3 month post op check-up. We love this hospital and our doctor so that makes the trips much more bearable! Sweet Cheeks is a great little travel companion too. He is often times sleeping or singing :) Once we got in to see the doctor he said everything is healing well. Praise God! His plates and screw are dissolving like they are supposed to, but he also said that Sweet Cheeks has a "stubborn brain" lol. I must admit that this runs in our family. His head has always had the tendency to grow out the front and back more than the sides which made his head look very oblong. I used to refer to it as aerodynamic. Although he has had two surgeries to open up the sides (by creating spaces in the bone and allowing it to regrow to fill them in)  his brain still wants to grow the same directions. Soooo, I am really really hoping and praying that since he isn't growing as quickly now that it won't affect him as much and we will not have to go through a third surgery. He is still as cute as a little bug and makes me smile many times every day!! I have included some updated pictures of his progress. :) Until next time - count your blessings and remember we are only here on this Earth for a sliver of time and soon we will all fly away from all of our troubles an burdens to become heavenly creatures!!


The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.Psalm 90:10

always smilin' :) My temples are still indented though :(

lookin good from the back

I don't think most people would even notice...I hope not anyway

not aerodynamic like it used to be...can't even see scar from the top

you can see the back is starting to grow out again and my flat little forehead that is also starting to grow out again. You can also see the weird way my hair grows now, but not bad and I think it will get better as he grows.

 

left side can't really see scar

Home School and Craft Area Now Officiallly Deemed Natural Disater

This is looking from the stairs into the crazy great room.

This is the view from the opposite side. Under the table is where the boxes of crafts and sewing supplies live.

Hoss playing in the play area. No, I didn't clean up for the pictures so you could get an accurate account of what I 'm dealing with.

This is where I can sit and sew while still occupying lil Sweet Cheeks and helping big kids with their home schooling. My desk is to the left.

These are the boxes we bought at Wal Mart to keep our books in. One or two for each kid.

My desk and sewing area in the corner. Have a few bills to pay lol.

I bought this bench with basket storage at Target to hide some toys in but it is too small to help out much.

    

Hold Your Tongue

Well I have been too busy to even type! I am trying to keep my business on Etsy going and also not neglect my kiddos which has definitely become a full time job that I always end the day feeling as if I haven't even come close to meeting my goal. I am attending a Bible study on Shepherding you Child's Heart and am attempting to not resort to screaming which for me is really hard. I come from a family that yelling is the way you show you care about someone... you wouldn't yell if you didn't care, right??? I have seen those moms who are always soft spoken no matter what and have been green with jealousy wishing I had that much control over my tongue. So.... I am really immersing myself into scripture and studying up on the ways God wants us to parent, instead of just going by what I have seen or what seems good to me. It was very shocking to me to find out that my way wasn't always the right way!! lol. I am one of those personalities that, as my husband can attest to, is not always that easy to live with. I am however, trying to change and striving to become the perfect mother and wife so I am excited to see what 2012 will hold in store for us.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.Ephesians 4:29

End of Times

I have started a great Bible study on the end of times by Irvin Baxter. I have been going with my mom on Tuesday evenings to a pentecostal church not far from our house. It has been really eye opening and I suggest it to anyone who has had trouble understanding Revelations in the past. I have been enlightened to so much information that I am really glad to know and that also makes me so fearful for the ones going through this life as if they have all the time in the world to prepare their souls for eternity. Our life is not promised; our next breath could be our last. Please if you don't have a personal realtionship with our Father Jesus Christ get one now! It is so easy all you have to do is believe that Jesus died for you to be saved and so that you could become princes and princesses in His kingdom! Ask him to change your heart and make it new so that you can have true life and peace with Him.

I love this salvation poem from the kid's Superbook movies. It describes all you need to know:

Jesus, You died upon a cross

And rose again to save the lost

Forgive me now of all my sin

Come be my Savior, Lord,

and Friend

Change my life and

make it new

And help me, Lord,

to live for You

Sweet Cheeks 1 month postop

I can't believe it has been a month since Sweet Cheeks had his last surgery. They reconstructed his head from the ears forward. Shaved his forhead down and removed all the skull in the front and repeiced it together trying to make a more normal shape. Since there wasn't enough skin to do what the doctor had wanted to do he doesn't look as good as we had hoped, but I am not complaining! We still have our sweet lil man and all is well. Once his hair all grows back no one will be able to tell -I think. He is still the sweetest lil guy ever! He loves to cuddle and to lean in for lots and lots of kisses. The rest of my boys were never into cuddling for very long- I had to fight them away from swords and remotes for my time with them. However still sweet, he is absolutely spoiled rotten!! He wants to be held constantly and he is no light weight -pushing 30 lbs- quite big for a 16 month old. He also still refuses to quit nursing. I love nursing and all but it has been 16 months!! I am ready for my body to be mine again!! He is the hardest baby to nurse too- always looking around and letting go and relatching constantly. He won't eat solid food, but instead constantly gives me the sign language for "more" and "milk." I feel like I am one of those crazy people you see on tv breastfeeding til their kids are ten! My boobs are going to hang to the floor by the time he's finished with them! Oh well, I guess I'll put up with it for a little longer and hope food gets more enticing now that he is off all pain meds and antibiotics (which gave him the worst stomach pain and diaper rash!) Thank you God for letting me keep my lil man and protecting his sweet lil life through all of this! Praise God for my many, many blessings!!

New Job Update

I have been working for almost four months now and I must say that although I had serious doubts about working outside the home it is working out well. I work in an office with developmentally disabled clients doing paperwork mostly. I only have to come twice a week (10 hour days) to get in my hours, so I am home with the kids as much as I can be. I wake up extra early while they are still asleep so I can get home before it is very late to spend time with them. My aunt who is homeschooling my cousin and happens to live two doors down offered to take ;my oldest two on the days I am working so that they don't get behind in their studies. She does math and spelling with them for the whole week in those two days and that leaves me to do Bible, reading, english, science, handwriting, and history the other three days. We double up two days and then on Fridays just do one lesson in each. Although I am still extremely exhausted I am not miserable like I thought I would be. It is nice to get away from the house a bit and it makes me appreciate the time I do have with my kids. I don't feel as if I am neglecting them and my job is only ten minutes away. My coworkers are nice and my boss is a joy to work for. I guess God knows what he is doing afterall!! I am still learning over and over to just put all my trust in him. He is always there for me and has the best life in mind for me. I praise him for all my blessings once again. :)

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."
1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV