The Seminary Years

Ministry, Public School, Learning to Read and Fun with Boys

2012-01-27T14:23:00.001-05:00

See my new blog www.thegouldlife.blogspot.com for more current postings!

The world of public education- Austin is in Kindergarten!

2011-08-20T21:41:00.000-04:00

I think a lot of people still have this blog on their blogroll even though I started a new website over a year ago. You can find my new blog here. I've been posting a lot lately about our oldest son starting Kindergarten in the public school system. You should check it out!

Feel free to add my new blog to your feed reader or blogroll. www.thegouldlife.blogspot.com

The Gould Life

2011-05-05T12:57:00.002-04:00

In case you didn't know, I discontinued this blog and started a new one when Joseph graduated from seminary last year. Our new blog is located at http://www.thegouldlife.blogspot.com/.

Here's how to work the Kroger Mega Event

2010-11-12T14:44:00.000-05:00

Kroger has a sale this week, and for every 10 specified items you buy, you get $5 off your total purchase. Basically, you get .50 cents off each item. Well, I just got back from the grocery and thought I would share how I worked the Mega Event this week. I purchased exactly 30 of the mega event items, which gave me $15 off my total. You have to buy in quantities of 10 for this sale to work out right.

10 Del Monte tomatoes (2 coupons for $1 off 5 cans)
8 Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soups (4 coupons for .40 cents off 2 cans)
2 boxes Nestle hot cocoa
1 Hot Pocket
5 cans Swanson chicken broth (found a coupon that someone left on the shelf for .50 off 5 cans)
3 boxes Auntie Anne's macaroni and cheese (organic section)
1 box Stove Top stuffing

Keep in mind that Kroger doubles coupons with a value of .50 cents or less.
Total cost for all 30 items after coupons and discount = approximately $10
I think I worked this sale pretty good, don't you?

Do you see the resemblance?

2010-08-31T20:25:00.002-04:00

Austin- 6 months

David 6 months

Austin- 7 months

David- 7 months old

Kisses

2010-07-25T22:25:00.001-04:00

We have a new blog

2010-07-24T17:04:00.002-04:00

See our new blog for a new post about our plans after seminary. http://www.thegouldlife.blogspot.com/.

Summer Travels

2010-07-04T21:41:00.001-04:00

We've been doing a lot of traveling this summer. Last weekend, the boys and I went to Tennessee for a family reunion on my dad's side, and this weekend we headed to Michigan for a reunion on my mom's side of the family. Joseph had to work, so we left him home alone both weekends. He was so lonely last weekend with us gone that he decided to travel to Murfreesboro after he finished work yesterday. It was a good opportunity for him to spend a few days with his parents.

I'm looking forward to having us all home together again tomorrow night.

My Dad with the boys last weekend when I went "camping" at my hotel.

Michigan trip- My brother and I with our cousins Cale and Brady, who had a blast playing with Austin and David,

Self portrait with my littlest man.

David is 5 months old

2010-06-21T17:07:00.000-04:00

David is 5 months old and doing great! He is a pro at rolling over and is starting to learn to sit up. He weighs 16 1/2 pounds. Enjoy these recent pictures. Isn't that car so adorable! We got it at a second hand store for $10. What a bargain!

Mrs. Ash

2010-06-05T13:24:00.000-04:00

Our dear friend is moving away. We will miss you greatly, Mrs. Ash!

Joseph's Older Brothers

2010-06-03T13:22:00.000-04:00

When we were in Tennessee a few weeks ago, I managed to get some pictures of Joseph's older brothers, Brian and Perry.

And here they are with their darling mother.

The Boys

2010-06-01T01:00:00.001-04:00

David is 4 ½ months old. At his 4 month checkup, he weighed 15 lb 4 oz and was 25 inches long. That puts him perfectly average at the 50th percentile which means that he is bigger than 50% of boys his age. He just started rolling over from his back to his tummy, and he is getting better at propping himself up on his elbows during tummy time. David loves watching Austin play, and Austin enjoys having his little brother around him when he plays.

Master of Divinity

2010-05-29T13:15:00.000-04:00

Joseph graduated from seminary this year! We don’t have anything in the works yet and are just enjoying a nice break as we transition out of this stage of our lives.

Beautiful Boys

2010-05-08T14:40:00.004-04:00

I am really enjoying this little baby. He is such a pleasant child. Austin loves him so much and is always wanting me to take pictures of my boys.

And a little video to demonstrate how much Austin loves his brother.

We meet to part, but part to meet

2010-05-08T14:26:00.001-04:00

When earthly labors are complete.
To join in yet more blest employ,
In an eternal world of joy.

This is the last verse from the Seminary Hymn titled, Soldiers of Christ, in Truth Arrayed. It was written for the first commencement of the Seminary in 1860. We sang it on Friday at the Boyce College graduation ceremony where I was presented with a Certificate in Ministry Studies upon completing the Seminary Wives Institute.

During my five years as a seminary wife, I have taken many SWI classes covering a variety of topics including discipleship, biblical parenting, hospitality and Baptist beliefs. Each class meets once a week for a six week term, and the material is taught by either seminary faculty or their wives. I have found this program to be an excellent way to introduce me to some of the things my husband is learning in his classes at the seminary. Not only have I heard lectures from Dr. Mohler, the president at Southern, I have also had the privilege of sitting under the teaching of his wife, Mrs. Mary Mohler. She is the director of the program, as well as its original founder 11 years ago.

Seminary Wives Institute is a great way for women to build relationships with other seminary wives, and it also provides us with many “older women” who can mentor us and teach us about growing in the faith, managing our household well and helping our husbands in their ministry.

The great thing is that SWI is very inexpensive ($10 per six week term), and they even provide affordable childcare if your husband has work or class ($1 per week, per child). There is generally a small amount of homework required for each course, and the books that we read for each class are normal books that you would find on the shelves at your local Christian bookstore.

I have met people of all ages and backgrounds in my SWI classes, from women straight out of college to women in their 50s and 60s whose husbands are entering ministry later in life. I have met ladies who are from foreign countries like Canada, India and Switzerland as well as those from my home state of Tennessee. There are working wives and stay at home moms, people with big personalities and quiet types (like me). While SWI students come from all walks of life, we all have the same thing in common that has brought us together- all of our husbands are preparing to serve in some area of Christian ministry. I’m grateful that I was able to participate in a program like SWI so that when we leave this place, I, too, will be prepared to serve with my husband as a Soldier of Christ, in Truth Arrayed.

Spring Break

2010-04-12T13:34:00.002-04:00

We had a nice weekend in Tennessee visiting with family. Here are two pictures of David smiling. He will be three months old this week and weighs approx. 14 1/2 pounds according to my mom's bathroom scale.

Joseph is gearing up for graduation next month. We are all thrilled for him to finish up his masters degree.

David is 9 weeks old

2010-03-22T14:49:00.003-04:00

David had his two month check-up last week. He weighed in at 12 lb 7 oz and was 22 1/2 inches long- 55th percentile for weight and 50th for height. Such a big boy! To give you a little perspective, Austin was almost six months before he weighed that much!!! When he was the same age as David, he weighed about 5 pounds, and we were still waiting for him to come home from the hospital. God has truly been kind to us in allowing David to be so healthy.

Go UT!

Of course, I had to post a picture of Joseph and his boys.

First Smiles at 6 Weeks Old

2010-03-22T14:42:00.003-04:00

David started smiling when he was 6 weeks old. Here are a few pictures I took to try to capture his sweet expressions.

Of course, Austin was there helping me.
Little grin.

Little tongue face.

Yay! A Smile!

Such a handsome child :)

This was a pretty typical face for David those first few weeks before he started smiling.

The Beckmans and their grandsons

2010-03-05T11:41:00.001-05:00

Take a look at those cool Washington Redskins shoes.

David's Newborn Session- 6 days old

2010-03-05T11:39:00.002-05:00

Cara graciously came to our home and took these photos as well. Aren't they precious??

Austin with David in the Early Weeks

2010-03-05T11:37:00.003-05:00

David's First Days

2010-03-05T11:33:00.002-05:00

Joseph and his boys

This was Austin's first time to see David when we arrived home from the hospital.First time in his own bed- I hadn't even taken his hospital band off yet.

Right after the c-cection. It was so sweet to be able to love on David right after birth.

Maternity Photo Shoot at 35 Weeks

2010-03-05T11:31:00.002-05:00

My pastor's wife took these pictures for me when I was 35 weeks pregnant.

5 1/2 weeks old

2010-02-25T12:39:00.003-05:00

David had his one month checkup last week, and he has really grown. He gained three pounds and grew two and a half inches, which brought him to 10 pounds 1 ounce and 21 1/2 inches long. That is the 50th percentile, which is amazing for us!

3 Weeks Old

2010-02-06T11:25:00.002-05:00

David will be three weeks old tomorrow. His due date was just a few days ago, so it has been a blessing to enjoy him outside the womb all this time. He maintains a very happy disposition (though he makes some of the grumpiest faces) and seems to be growing and thriving. I hope to post some pictures soon.

Our Happy Little Family of Four

2010-01-27T11:24:00.003-05:00

We are just thrilled to have another baby in the house. David is such a pleasant child. He is 10 days old and very healthy. He eats and sleeps well and doesn't cry very much- all things that make for a happy mommy. Austin loves his little brother, and David seems amused by Austin's affections. I couldn't have asked for a better first week at home from the hospital. I am healing quickly from the c-cection and have experienced less discomfort this 2nd time around- granted the circumstances surrounding this birth are totally different than last time.

Speaking of the details, most of you probably don't know how David came to be born a few weeks earlier than my scheduled delivery date. I had an appointment on Jan. 15th with my doctor, and everything checked out fine. David was measuring at 6 and a half pounds by ultrasound, and I had no signs of preeclampsia. I had made it to full-term (37 weeks), so the doctor said if I went into labor, they would go ahead and do the c-cection early. I had been having lots of contractions throughout the pregnancy and had a spell of preterm labor at 33 weeks, so I was feeling like I might end up having David before the scheduled date. Joseph's parents decided to come up for the weekend (I suspect on the chance that I might have David early though they said they just came to visit us :) On Saturday, the 16th, I woke up feverish and achy just like I did when I ended up in the hospital at 33 weeks- however, I wasn't having regular contractions. After having a completely miserably sick day, I went to bed convinced that I was just going to have to wait another two weeks to meet our second child.... I was wrong- an hour later, I woke up with a high fever, violent shaking and contractions. We called the doctor and headed to the hospital. They admitted me and attempted to stop the contractions which were coming 2 minutes apart and getting harder. Sunday morning, January 17th, the doctor decided to go ahead and deliver our baby since the contractions weren't stopping. I couldn't have been more pleased. I mean, they had already started an IV and pumped me full of fluids. I would have been pretty disappointed if they had sent me home to wait another two long weeks.

David was born at 37 weeks gestation weighing a healthy 7 pounds 1 ounce (half a pound more than they predicted by ultrasound!) and measuring 19 inches long. I was absolutely thrilled to have a 7 pound baby!! God has truly blessed us, and we are very happy indeed.

Pictures of our sweet little David Noah

2010-01-19T17:58:00.002-05:00

David and I are doing well. The doctor said we will likely go home tomorrow. I am ready to get into a routine at our own home. It may be crazy there as well, but anything is better than being pestered by nurses, doctors and miscellaneous hospital staff all hours of the day and night. I miss Austin and can't wait to introduce him to his new little brother. What do you think of these pictures? Who do you think he looks like? He certainly has his own sweet disposition at this point, and I am excited to see him develop and grow into his own little person.

Welcome David Noah!

2010-01-18T22:49:00.003-05:00

David Noah Gould was born on Sunday morning (Jan 17th) weighing in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 19 inches long. Isn't he adorable! We are truly blessed by God to have a healthy, full-term baby.

35 1/2 Weeks

2010-01-05T11:56:00.003-05:00

Only 3 and a half weeks until our scheduled delivery! (Save the date- Friday, January 29th.) I am so thankful that we will be having a 2010 baby. God has been gracious to us indeed.

Comparison- 34 weeks gestation v. 5 weeks old

2009-12-25T20:00:00.002-05:00

These are all pictures of Austin when he was five weeks old. He would have been 34 weeks gestation if he hadn't been delivered prematurely. I am 34 weeks pregnant with David right now, so it is interesting to think that the baby growing inside of me is likely at least this size.

Celebrating 5 Years of Marriage

2009-12-25T19:29:00.002-05:00

Joseph and I had our 5 year anniversary on Saturday, December 19th. We weren't able to celebrate on our actual anniversary (labor and delivery triage doesn't exactly count as a romantic date), but we were able to have a nice dinner on Christmas Eve at Chili's.
I am feeling much better, and the contractions have been significantly reduced this week. I'm beginning to think that the contractions must have been brought on by the flu, so that sets my mind at ease about having a recurring problem with preterm labor. At any rate, we don't have much time to wait before David arrives. I will be considered full-term in three weeks, and the c-section is scheduled for five weeks from now. Baby David will be here sometime in the next month, and we are very excited to meet him!

Pregnancy Pictures- Catching Up

2009-12-25T19:21:00.001-05:00

31 Weeks- Decorating for Christmas

32 Weeks

33 weeks

34 weeks

Lots of Updates- 34 Weeks

2009-12-24T10:39:00.002-05:00

Let's start the middle of last week...

Wed. Dec. 16- My doctor appointment went well. We scheduled David Noah's delivery for Friday, January 29th, and he weighed in at 4 lb 12 oz on the ultrasound.

Thurs. (33 weeks)- I took Austin to work with me, which would have been a fiasco in itself... however, I also came down with some form of the flu- body aches, shakes, low grade fever, weakness, etc. I was pretty well bedridden once we made it home from work.

Fri.- continued sickness

Sat.- Our 5 Year Anniversary- sickness, plus contractions- Joseph put me on bedrest for the day, but by evening, I was getting contractions every 3 minutes or so apart. We called some friends from church to watch Austin and headed to the hospital. It took all night for the nurses to slow down my contractions, which came as close as 2 minutes apart at times. Believe it or not, morphine was what finally did the trick. Who would have known that morphine could be used for such a purpose.

Joseph's parents came up late Saturday night to take over caring for Austin while we were at the hospital. We got home about 4 am on Sunday, and I spent Sunday and Monday on bedrest. Donna stayed with us until Tuesday night when my Mom came up to take over the task of caring for Austin and housework. I worked Tuesday morning and a little bit today, but otherwise, I have tried to rest as much as possible. Thankfully, bedrest has helped with the contractions. I am 34 weeks pregnant today, so we are at a safe place for having this baby- however, at least three more weeks would be ideal for David's optimal health.

I don't seem to be showing any signs of preeclampsia through all this, so that is good. Hopefully, I can just rest for the next few weeks and keep this baby inside a bit longer. He measured good last week, so he should be over five pounds by now. Babies usually gain about a half a pound a week from here until delivery, so he should be a healthy size by the time he is full-term.

So, Joseph and I didn't have much of an anniversary celebration this year. Instead of going out to eat, we spent our evening in labor and delivery triage. However, it all turned out ok. I'm so thankful to still be pregnant, and I am slowly gaining my strength back. Between the sickness, the pre-term labor and the effects of the morphine, I have been pretty weak. It has been a blessing to have family in town to care for Austin and the housework, though. Joseph has been working extra shifts at work this week because of peak season at UPS, so we couldn't have managed without our moms' help.

The rest of my family is coming up tomorrow for Christmas. It will be a nice visit. They are bringing their beagle dog, so Austin will be thrilled. If I am feeling well enough, Joseph might take me out to dinner tonight for a late anniversary treat. Mom is here to babysit, and it would be nice to get out of the house for a little bit.

32 Weeks

2009-12-12T15:33:00.004-05:00

David has made it three whole weeks past where Austin was born. That makes such a huge difference! Even if he were born today, he should be able to breathe without oxygen and take food by mouth instead of through a feeding tube. It also wouldn't take too long for him to regulate his own body temperature and sleep in an open air bed instead of an incubator. He would probably only have to stay in the NICU for a few weeks instead of the 2 1/2 months that Austin spent in the hospital. We are so thankful for this great blessing, and we are optimistic that I will go to full-term. If all goes as planned, I will likely have a scheduled c-section 7 weeks from now. That isn't very much time at all! Since Austin is fully recovered from his surgery, I have been plugging away at my master to-do list, trying to get as much organizing and cleaning done as I can before the baby is born. I've made some progress, but I still have several projects to complete.

We put up our Christmas tree last week. Austin is thrilled with it. He gets to turn the lights on every day when he wakes up, which is a responsibility that he takes very seriously. Austin has also been introduced to the world of video games, and he is already hooked. Joseph got out his old Nintendo 64 system the other day, and Austin loves to sit and watch him play Mario. I think Joseph is happy that Austin shares his love for playing video games.

Austin had his wound checked at the surgeon's office last week, and his incision looks very good. The first thing Austin wanted to do when he got home was to take a bath. He hadn't been able to take one since the surgery, so he was ecstatic to be able to splash around and play with his boats and fish. Austin can now officially resume normal activity, so we are happy to all be able to go to church in the morning, barring any sudden illness. Austin will be so happy to see his friends again.

31 Weeks and a Update on Austin

2009-12-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

Well, Baby David has made it to 31 weeks gestation. That is almost two weeks past where Austin was born. We are so grateful for the Lord's protection over our second son. Things are going well with the pregnancy- no signs of preeclampsia this time.

Austin is doing very well after his surgery last week. The incision on his back looks great, and we visit the surgeon's office next Thursday so they can check it out and give us the all clear to resume normal activities. Austin is so ready to get out of the house! Tuesday night, his friend Ali came with her parents to bring us a meal, and Austin was so excited to have a friend over for a little while. They played puzzles in the floor, and I think he would have played with her all night if she could have stayed.

One of the disadvantages of having spinal surgery on the lower back is that baths are a no-no. This makes for a very sour and stinky child. Even Austin himself is begging to take a bath these days. He told Joseph this morning that he couldn't take a shower because he had just had one yesterday. I'm sure his logic was, "Dad, if anyone needs a shower, it is me. You think you are dirty? I haven't had had a bath in a week and a half!" We gave Austin a sponge bath the other day, and he was very cooperative and happy while we wiped him down; however, it was all a big misunderstanding. He thought that once we had given him the sponge bath, he was going to be able to take a real bath in the tub with his toys. Needless to say, we had a very upset child on our hands when he realized that he couldn't get in the bathtub.

Austin's Recovery- Pictures

2009-11-27T08:18:00.005-05:00

Austin had a very hard time the first 24 hours following surgery. He wasn't able to sit up and had to remain completely flat in his bed at all times. This was frustrating to him, and he was also not tolerating the heavy pain medication very well. However, he turned a corner on Tuesday afternoon when the nurse was given the order to raise the head of his bed. This was much more comfortable for him, and the heavy pain medication had worked itself out of his system by this time as well. Here he is with a capri sun watching TV with his sock monkey.

Enjoying his first real food- a banana. I thought it was funny that he was eating the banana instead of the monkey.

Austin had a good sleep on Tuesday night and woke up to the good news that if therapy went well he would be going home sometime on Wednesday. He was so happy to get out of the bed. Here he sitting in a chair for the first time eating his breakfast after walking for the first time.Daddy happened to walk by the playroom on his way in from work and got to see Austin playing. He was like a different boy from when Joseph left the night before.

Austin had a good time playing with his Ninja Turtles balloon.

After all that activity, we had to encourage Austin to take a rest. Here he is watching TV again. It was so good to see him smiling again.

Here Austin is sleeping in his own bed again. He is so happy to be home.

Resting with Daddy on Thanksgiving.

Friday morning, painting a picture. Other than needing to rest a little more than usual, he is back to his normal self. I don't know how many times I have had to remind him not to run, jump or climb since we have been home. We have to keep an eye on his incision and make sure it doesn't get rubbed or dirty, and he is taking a muscle relaxer called Baclofen. We got a prescription for Tylenol- Codeine, but he hasn't needed it. We give him regular tylenol a few times a day when he is looking uncomfortable and before bedtime, but it is amazing what a trooper he has been. Not once has he complained or cried about pain. He just come up and wants a hug sometimes when he isn't feeling well. I am so proud of our little boy.
Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement this week. God has been gracious to us.

P.S. I am 30 weeks now. That is farther than I ever went with Austin. We are so thankful for God's protection over this second pregnancy.

Austin is home!

2009-11-25T20:24:00.003-05:00

I am so happy to report that Austin was able to come home this afternoon. He made a surprisingly quick recovery once he got some sleep and was able to get out of his bed. Physical therapy went very well, and Austin was discharged from the hospital early this afternoon. We are so thankful to have him at home and feeling well. Some of our dear friends from church are bringing us Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, and we are thrilled to be able to spend the whole day at home resting.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody! We definitely have much to be thankful for this year.

Wednesday Morning following Surgery

2009-11-25T04:44:00.004-05:00

Austin is doing so well today! He slept for most of the afternoon yesterday and ate a good dinner. The nurse was able to raise the head of his bed, so he was a bit more comfortable and able to play better. My mom helped him do an art project with some paints, which he enjoyed immensely. We don't paint much at home because it can be such a mess, so he thought it was a great treat. I was a little worried that he wouldn't sleep as well last night since he took such a long afternoon nap, but he was asleep by 9 and slept straight through until 4 this morning. I was able to get 7 solid hours of sleep myself, which was a great blessing and much needed.

Austin seems to be functioning much better on less pain medication. They were giving him morphine and valium because he was having such a hard time, but I think they mostly hyped him up and made him feel worse. He is acting like himself now, and he is only taking regular tylenol and his muscle relaxer. He hasn't had morphine since yesterday morning, and he has actually only had two doses of tylenol since then as well. I am so proud of how he is handling the pain. He seems to be coping better. It was such a joy to see him chewing on his orange UT blanket this morning. He sucks on it every night at home because it acts to comfort him and help him go to sleep. Until last night, he hadn't used it. I'm glad he is feeling more like himself.

Austin will play in his bed for most of the day and should start physical therapy later this afternoon. He has been asking to get out of the bed, so I am hoping that he will do well with the therapy.

At the moment, he is watching The Land Before Time and playing with race cars in his bed. He is ready to go home, though. He told me a few minutes ago to, "Get me out of here" and last night he was actually asking to go to the potty. He never asks to go, so I know he was really wanting to get out of the bed. Of course, I couldn't indulge his request. He has to stay in the bed until post-op day 2 (48 hours following surgery- about 3 this afternoon). Overall, his attitude has been pretty good last night and today. He is more cooperative and reasonable than before. He still doesn't take his medicine willingly, so you can pray that he will become more cooperative since we will have to give him medicine once we get home.

Austin's Recovery- Tuesday

2009-11-24T14:54:00.003-05:00

Austin has had another challenging day, but he is finally enjoying some rest this afternoon. He got about 6 hours sleep last night and was up and ready to watch The Tigger Movie at 4:30 this morning. Keep in mind that he didn't sleep at all once he was taken to his own room following surgery until about 10:30 last night. He gets more sleep than that on a normal day at home. We were expecting him to sleep for most of the first 24 hours following his surgery, so he has definitely been keeping us on our toes. We are thankful, however, that he finally settled down to sleep around 12:45 this afternoon and is still sleeping now at 3:00. I think he will feel much better after having a good rest. He will also be able to sit up this evening for the first time, and he will be able to eat regular food when he wakes up instead of just Popsicles and juice. He sure was hungry this morning after not having any solid food for a day and a half, so he was able to eat a pancake and a piece of bacon for breakfast. He missed lunch since he is napping, but he has some food that he will be able to eat once he wakes up later this afternoon.

Joseph has to work tonight, so my mom will be staying with me. Please pray that Austin will have a good night and that we will all be able to get some rest. I haven't slept much the past two nights, so I am hoping for at least a decent stretch of sleep this evening.

Tomorrow we expect to begin physical therapy, and hopefully Austin will feel well enough to get up and play. His dressing will also be removed tomorrow. Surprisingly, the bandage is very small, so I don't expect his incision to be very large at all. We have to cut the back of his diaper out at the top so it doesn't rub the incision area, but other than that, we haven't had to do anything special to it.

We have definitely not had any time to be bored the last two days. Austin has kept us quite busy. It is only a matter of time before he starts feeling better. This nap today should help, and hopefully he will be happier once he is off bedrest.

Sleep, Baby, Sleep

2009-11-24T03:28:00.002-05:00

Austin has finally gotten some much needed sleep the past few hours. I am hoping he will sleep until morning. The nurse just gave him some Morphine at my insistence, so he should sleep for a few more hours without me worrying that he will wake up in pain. Joseph is sleeping as well, and I was able to get a few precious hours of rest myself. Since I am awake, I might as well give a more complete update about our little peanut.

The surgery went well, but Austin is really struggling. It is imperative that he remain flat at all times for the first 24 hours, but that has been a bigger challenge than anyone could have imagined. Austin is a very strong child, and he has had numerous fits of either pain or anxiety since coming out of the surgery. He didn't close his eyes to sleep at all until about 11:00 or so last night. I was expecting him to sleep more after the surgery, but he didn't. It is hard to know how much of his suffering is pain and how much is from the nervous side effects of the medicine or the overstimulation of being poked and prodded by nurses all day. He has finally come to peace with his IV, I think, but he goes into a terrible fit whenever the nurses come in to give him medicine or to check his vitals. At times, it has taken three or more people to hold him down so he doesn't hurt himself. The first fit lasted for about two hours- it was exhausting. We will all be less stressed when he is able to move again without worrying about him doing damage to his spine. I am thankful that Joseph has been able to get some sleep these last few hours. He has been such a good father through all this. Physically, I don't think I could have handled Austin by myself last night. Joseph has to work the rest of the week during the nighttime hours, but my mom will be here to help me.

Baby David seems to be doing well through all this. I hadn't felt him move much during the day yesterday, but he has been more active throughout the night, which is a relief to me. I will be 30 week on Thanksgiving, and we are very thankful that the pregnancy is going smoothly, especially so that we can devote our energy to taking care of Austin right now.

Thank you all for your prayers. The surgery has been completed and was a success. Now we have several tough days and nights ahead of us as Austin recovers. It will take weeks for him to recover completely.

Here are some specific prayer requests:

1. Pray for Austin to have a calm spirit and not to be frightened or anxious during the rest of his stay in the hospital.

2. Pray that we would all be able to sleep and rest this week as much as possible. I am especially going to be struggling with getting enough rest.

3. Pray that Austin would have a willing spirit to cooperate with the nurses and doctors as they care for him and as he begins physical therapy on Wednesday.

4. Finally, pray that we will rejoice in the Lord in all circumstances and not be anxious, but that we will present our concerns to the Lord.

Austin- Monday Night

2009-11-23T21:25:00.004-05:00

Austin's surgery went well. It was completed quickly this afternoon, and we have been in a private room with him since about 4 or 5 o'clock. He has had a hard time dealing with the effects of the anesthesia, however. Whenever any of the nurses need to give him medicine or do anything to him, he gets very agitated and volatile, which is problematic since he must remain flat at all times. This has required us to physically restrain him at times until he calms down. He hasn't slept at all since we woke up from the surgery this afternoon, so we are hoping that he can get some rest this evening and feel better tomorrow. He will need to lie flat until tomorrow afternoon when they will raise the head of his bed. He will probably start physical therapy on Wednesday. Please pray for us that Austin will sleep tonight so we can get some rest ourselves. It didn't work out for us to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, so Joseph and I are both sleeping at the hospital in less than ideal beds. However, it is for the best since Austin may be a bit too strong willed for one of us to handle by ourselves this evening. I will try to update again tomorrow.

Austin's Surgery Details- Monday

2009-11-23T06:36:00.003-05:00

Austin is having spinal surgery today at Kosair Children's Hospital. His doctor is Dr. Moriarty, and he is basically the only pediatric neosurgeon around. Thankfully, he is known to be an excellent surgeon. We are suppose to arrive at the hospital at 11:00 this morning, and the surgery is scheduled from 12:30 to 3:30. Austin will go to a recovery ward immediately following surgery where he will have his own nurse to care for him until he wakes up. Once he wakes up, they will notify us that he is being moved to a private room, and we will be able to meet him there.

A little detail about the problem that Austin has can be found HERE.

Doctor Austin

2009-11-20T15:10:00.005-05:00

We took Austin to Kosair today for an appointment with a child life specialist. She gave him a little patient that he could play with and lots of real medical stuff to use on the doll. He was especially enthralled with her stethoscope, so we took a little trip to Target after the appointment to find Austin a doctor kit.

Daddy helped work on the sock monkey while Austin took care of the doll.
We had an informative visit and were able to take a tour of the surgery floor.

After we register, Joseph and I will accompany Austin to the pre-op area where they will get him all ready for surgery.

During the surgery, we will wait with the rest of our family and friends out in the main waiting room. There is a new system they have recently put in place for parents to gain information about their child. Austin will have a special code, and different information will show up on a flat screen tv in the waiting room. It reminded me of the screens at the airport that tell you stats about your flight. We should be able to tell from that information when they begin and end surgery, etc. They also told us that we are free to ask for an update at any time throughout the day.

After the surgery, we will not be able to be with him until he wakes up and is taken to his hospital room. Immediately after surgery he will have his own nurse who will care for him in the post-op area. Austin is a heavy sleeper, so I don't imagine he will be waking up very quickly from the anesthesia. I'm sure it will be a long afternoon as we wait for him to wake up.

We were able to see one of the hospital rooms, which are quite spacious. Most of the rooms are private, and they all have their own bathroom. There is a little window seat where one of us can sleep at night that is about the size of a twin bed. We will probably make use of the Ronald McDonald house some as well. It is expected that he will be in the hospital for three days and nights. The first day he will be kept completely flat on his back, but after that physical therapy will start working with him pretty aggressively. The child life specialist warned us that this will not be pleasant for Austin. He is not going to want to get up and move because it will hurt. Please pray that God will be gracious to him as he recovers.

29 weeks

2009-11-19T15:31:00.010-05:00

I can't help but remember what was going on at this point in my pregnancy with Austin. For those who are interested, I will give a little history. Conveniently, the days of the week coincide exactly with this pregnancy's dates, so I will give you a rundown of the events that led up to Austin being born at 29 weeks, 2 days gestation (which would coincide with this coming Saturday).

Monday 9/18/06: Routine doctor's appointment- My blood pressure was a little up, and I was having contractions pretty frequently. I was set up with an appointment for the next week. I stayed home from work that day and was terribly sick all night long.

Tuesday 9/19/06: I went in early that morning to visit the lab and asked if I could see a doctor since I was feeling very ill. At this point, my blood pressure was 150/100. The doctor surprised me with the information that I was developing preeclampsia and had two possible outcomes: #1 I would be monitored for a little while in the hospital, go home and spend the remainder of my pregnancy on bedrest, or #2 I would have to deliver this baby prematurely. As you can imagine, I was in total shock. I was dressed in office attire and planning on going to work after my short visit to the doctor's office. Instead, I was taken down to the labor and delivery unit where the real drama began.

Not only was I dealing with high blood pressure, I was also having pretty frequent contractions. This was of concern to the nurses who were hooking me up to monitors regularly throughout the day. That evening, my contractions were about 3 minutes apart, so they gave me several doses of a potent drug called terbutaline, which is designed to stop contractions. This drug had the terrible side effect of making my heart feel like it was going to race out of my chest. Little did we know that it was doing far more damage to my body than good.

Wednesday 9/20/06: My mom came up to be with me in the hospital since Joseph had to work at night. I don't remember anything about the events of that day. I think they told me I would probably go home within a few days and be on bedrest. However, that all changed in the middle of the night when it became obvious that something was not right. I had been having a strange feeling in my chest all day, but the nurses never could detect anything wrong with me. Finally, late in the night, I was feeling really out of breath and terrible, and one of the nurses checked my blood oxygen levels, which apparently were dangerously low. Thus began the scariest night of my life. I was rushed around the dark and quiet hospital on a stretcher in the middle of the night for various diagnostic testing to see what was wrong with me. They had an oxygen mask on me, and I seriously thought that there was a possibility that I and my baby were dying. God was gracious to me, though. He comforted me with the words of a hymn we had been singing at church. I believe it was A Mighty Fortress is Our God. I know I sang what I could remember of the hymn, though I'm not sure if it was audibly with my lips or quietly in my heart.

Thursday 9/21/09: I was very sick all through Wednesday night and Thursday. The doctors decided that I had developed pulmonary edema, basically fluid in the lungs. This caused my oxygen level to drop, which obviously had a negative effect on both my body and the baby's. I continued to need oxygen, and my blood pressure continued to rise, although nobody really told me how high it got. I was also on a diuretic medicine to get rid of all the extra fluid in my body and in my lungs. The pulmonary edema could have been caused by the severity of my preeclampsia or as a side effect of the medicine they had given me to stop contractions the night before.

Friday 9/22/09: I don't remember anything about this day except that Joseph's parents came into town to see me in the hospital. They brought a ton of baby shower gifts that had been given to us by a Sunday school class at their church. I remember that it was fun to open the gifts even though I was stuck in the bed. I think it was probably on this day that they told us our baby would need to be delivered soon- probably within the week, maybe a little longer. We talked with a neonatologist, who gave us the statistics for a 29 week preemie. He had a great chance of survival and only about a 10% chance of a serious problem like a brain bleed. He said that once you get to 28 weeks, the baby usually does pretty well.

Saturday 9/23/09 Austin's Birthday: I was actually feeling pretty good on this morning. I was able to get out of bed for the first time, and I remember eating a good breakfast of milk, eggs, etc. (You know, all the food you shouldn't eat before having surgery.) My labwork was looking pretty grim, however, so the doctor said they would be doing my labs every 12 hours or so and if they got bad enough, they would need to deliver the baby. Immediately after the doctor left, the nurse charged into the room in a frenzy, put me on oxygen and said that somebody needed to contact the baby's father because they were rushing me to the operating room. Austin was going into distress and needed to be delivered by emergency c-section immediately! Joseph was actually at home sleeping since it appeared that I was doing better earlier that morning. Somehow he managed to shower, get gas in the truck and race over to the hospital (through a flood at that) and make it in time for the surgery. I think it was like one of those scenes from a movie where they are scrubbing the dad up as he runs down the hallway to the delivery room. If he had been a few more minutes, my mom would have been in there for the delivery. I am so glad Joseph made it, though. Austin was delivered by c-section and rushed up to the NICU only moments after they allowed me a very quick glance at my new baby. For the next 24 hours or so, I was restricted to my bed again since there is a risk of seizures if preeclampsia gets too advanced. The only thing I can remember about the rest of that day is that God comforted me through some scripture verses I had recently memorized. I remember reciting them to my mom immediately after the surgery when they brought me back to my room, and I asked her to read scripture to me. Looking back, it is encouraging to remember God's graciousness to me.

The Next 2 1/2 Months: Austin had been born at 29 weeks gestation weighing 2 lbs, 8 ounces and was 14 inches long. He stayed in the NICU for a total of 72 days and he needed oxygen for about a month after he came home from the hospital. We spent many long days at the hospital visiting and caring for our fragile little son, but God was faithful to us during that trial. Austin is now 3 years old and has been relatively healthy for a preemie. He hasn't had any serious developmental problems and the spinal surgery that he faces next week is completely unrelated to his being premature.

Pregnancy #2 with baby David Noah: The doctors told us there was a risk of me developing preeclampsia with subsequent pregnancies but that there were measures they could take to reduce that risk in my case. As such, I have been on a baby aspirin and extra folic acid and have had more frequent appointments and ultrasounds than is typically routine. I am happy to say that I have made it to the point where Austin was born and am now entering uncharted territory. Every week that David Noah stays inside of me is vitally important. If Austin had been born even a week later, his stay in the hospital could have been half as long. If he had been born a month later, he would have been home in just a few short weeks. 35 week preemies sometimes even go home from the hospital when their mothers are discharged a few days after delivery. We are very encouraged with this pregnancy and are trusting that God is sovereign over the course of events that will lead up to the birth of David Noah, hopefully a scheduled c-section the end of January. Whatever happens, God is in control of the events of our lives and our hope is in Him.

28 Weeks

2009-11-17T16:54:00.002-05:00

I am 28 weeks, 5 days pregnant today. This was the day with Austin's pregnancy that I was admitted to the hospital because of preeclampsia. Thankfully, there are no signs of a problem this time. Once Saturday comes and goes, I will be in uncharted territory since Austin was delivered at 29 weeks, 2 days gestation. We are encouraged that David Noah is thriving, though. At my doctor's appointment last Friday, he measured 2 lb 11 ounces by ultrasound. (Austin was 2 lb 8 ounces at birth.) We are trusting God to keep me and the baby healthy through the coming weeks as we deal with Austin's surgery on Monday and the recovery process that will follow for him. Please pray that I will get rest and be able to take care of baby David even as I care for our precious Austin. Austin already loves his baby brother. He talks to him and asks to give him hugs.

... and even kisses. He can hardly wait for his baby's arrival so he can start playing with him. We have to remind him often that baby David is too little to come out now. He has to stay inside Mommy's belly and grow. I am so excited to see how this relationship between two brothers will grow once David is born.

Austin's Funny Face

2009-11-16T10:15:00.002-05:00

I've had a request for some new pictures of Austin, so we took a few in his room this morning.

Austin is growing up so much lately. His vocabulary is very extensive, and he surprises us with some of the things he says. It is pretty entertaining to hear him make up phrases, one of which is "last- morning." (in reference to sometime yesterday)
He is learning the concept of time and constantly tells us, "one second!" especially when he is stalling for bedtime or potty time or anything else that would interrupt his activity at the moment.
As far as the surgery is concerned, Austin seems pretty matter-of-fact about the whole thing. We've explained it to him in simple terms, and we will be meeting with a child life specialist at the children's hospital later this week. They will give all three of us a tour of the pre-op area, an inpatient room, and they will do some medical play with Austin to help him understand what is going to happen before, during and after the surgery.
One thing that Austin is looking forward to is watching TV after the surgery. We told him that he would have to lay flat on his back in the hospital and then he would come home and watch TV. He was pretty excited about the idea of having extra TV time.

Reading with Grandma and Papa Gould

2009-11-11T21:19:00.003-05:00

Ralph and Donna came up last weekend for a visit. Donna went with me to the baby shower, and Ralph enjoyed some play time with his grandson. Here are a few sweet pictures of Papa reading Curious George to Austin before bedtime.

Austin's Surgery

2009-11-11T15:06:00.002-05:00

I have been waiting for weeks to share this news on our blog, and now we finally have a date on the calendar. Monday, November 23rd (Thanksgiving week), Austin will be having spinal surgery to correct a birth defect that we have recently been made aware of called a Tethered Cord. You can click on the words "Tethered Cord" in the preceding sentence to be directed to a website for a description of the condition. Basically, the surgeon has to cut a fatty string that is tying Austin's spinal cord down when it is suppose to be free moving at the bottom. They have to correct this now before it causes him serious problems as he grows. He will be in the hospital for a few days after the surgery and will need to rest for a few weeks after he comes home; however, he should be fine once the surgery is completed. I will post more details as I receive them from the surgeon's office. For now, you can pray for these specific things:

1. For the surgery itself, that the surgeon will be successful and that Austin will recover completely.
2. For Joseph and me, as we make preparations and as Joseph wraps up the semester at Southern.
3. For the pregnancy, that the baby and I will stay healthy through this time.

If you have any questions or would like additional details, feel free to contact me at mrsjgould@hotmail.com.

More Baby Shower Pictures

2009-11-10T21:05:00.002-05:00

Lacey prepared some tasty food, and the chocolate fountain was so much fun. She put blue food coloring in the white chocolate to make it fit the occasion.

I got some very helpful baby gifts- clothes, diapers, wipes, baby toiletries, gift cards and handmade items.

We even had a few little girls at the shower. Riley is the one crawling, and Brooklyn Bebee is playing with a toy behind her. They are both around 8-9 months old now- such a fun age!

27 Weeks

2009-11-10T08:05:00.002-05:00

Here is a picture of me at my shower. I'm starting to feel more discomfort, especially when trying to sleep at night, but for the most part I really do enjoy being pregnant. It is such a joy.

Breaking in the Double Stroller

2009-11-09T19:46:00.001-05:00

Joseph's parents bought us a very stylish double stroller for the boys. Isn't it cute? Don't miss Austin's new sock monkey riding in the front seat.

Baby Shower

2009-11-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

My friend Lacey hosted a baby shower for me at her house this weekend. She did an amazing job with the food, and this diaper cake looked almost good enough to eat as well. Isn't it adorable? David Noah Gould is the name we have picked out for our son, as you can see written on the cake. More pictures to come, so check back soon.

26+ Weeks Pregnant

2009-11-01T16:50:00.004-05:00

The pregnancy is going well. Our baby is growing, and no signs of preeclampsia on my part.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

2009-11-01T16:34:00.003-05:00

Our church had a party last night to celebrate Reformation Day, and we all dressed up like Ninja Turtles. Austin even wore a shell that I found at a second-hand store for $3. If my baby bump were on my back, I could have had a shell too. Everyone thought we were a pretty humorous bunch, and the guys especially enjoyed dressing up like their childhood "heroes in a half-shell."

Fun with Friends

2009-10-28T16:13:00.000-04:00

Joseph and I kept the 3 year old nursery on Sunday, and the kids wanted to make a train with their chairs. They had a big time with it. After this picture was taken, we added more chairs so their babies could ride too. Poor Austin was the only boy, but he had a good time playing with the girls.

Last Friday, we met some friends for a playdate. Shown here are Austin, Jaylin and Amos.

It's nice that they are old enough to pose for a picture, even if it is impossible to get them all smiling at once.

My friend Lacey has gotten several of us church ladies interested in making homemade greeting cards. We had a card-making time at church on Saturday morning, and two men in the church volunteered to watch our kids. It was a lot of fun, and we made quite a variety of cards. We also made a point of sending some of the cards to elderly members in our congregation who may not be able to meet with us regularly on Sundays as a way to encourage them.

25 1/2 Weeks Pregnant

2009-10-27T16:07:00.003-04:00

Here are two ultrasound pictures that were taken yesterday. You can see his profile and his little arm resting on his forehead, and just for fun, I think it looks like he is blowing bubbles (although I'm not sure if this is possible in the womb). Everything checked out great. All his vital organs are developing properly, and his growth is normal. I am close to 26 weeks now. The past few weeks have passed by very quickly. Only about three months until our due date! Please continue to pray for a late January birthdate. January 14th is when he will be considered full-term.

Pregnancy 24 Weeks

2009-10-16T07:57:00.003-04:00

I had my latest prenatal appointment yesterday at 24 weeks. Here's the latest statistics:
1. Blood pressure is great- no signs of preeclampsia. The doctor encouraged me that my chances of going to full-term are good.
2. Weight is good- I've gained 16 pounds so far, which is healthy for a person my size.
3. Baby is measuring great- even ahead of schedule, which I am very excited about. After having a 2 pound 8 ounce firstborn, knowing that our second child is growing well is a great joy.
4. I go for my next ultrasound in two weeks. It will be exciting to see our little boy again. They will be checking his size (which seems to be healthy) often to make sure my placenta is functioning properly (which could be an early indicator of preeclampsia).

5. Hope you enjoy the latest belly picture.

23 Weeks and Growing

2009-10-11T13:45:00.002-04:00

I am about 23 1/2 weeks pregnant now, and I finally had Joseph take another picture for the blog. The last one was from when I was 19 weeks pregnant, four weeks ago.

Our baby is growing!

Of course, Austin wanted to have his picture taken with General, the dog. It is affectionately named after his Papa Gould's faithful furry pet, and the resemblance is quite striking.

Two Years Ago

2009-10-09T21:20:00.002-04:00

Here is a link to a blog post I made in October of 2007, about two years ago. It is amazing to read about what Austin was doing back then and to see how much he has changed and developed.

Good as Gould: Sweet Dreams

Free Birthday Meals at Red Robin

2009-10-06T15:31:00.002-04:00

I've got another free meal for you to sign up for. Check out the Red Robin eClub to get a free meal worth about $10 on your birthday, no strings attached. Since Joseph's and my birthdays are both in September, we both received emails for the free meals. We grabbed Austin a kids meal at Chickfila and bought Joseph a drink, and even with the tip, our total was less than $10. They serve gourmet burgers and beefy steak fries. It was definitely worth our trip down there for lunch today.

Free Captain D's

2009-10-02T12:14:00.002-04:00

Joseph and I took Austin to Captain D's for lunch today. I don't remember the last time I ate there. It was probably as a child sometime, but I've discovered that their food is so much better than Long John Silvers'. It isn't as greasy. Anyways, I wanted to let you all in on their email club. If you go to this link Captain D's Club, and fill out the form, they will email you a coupon for a free 2 piece fish or chicken meal with fries and a hushpuppy. You can do one per email address, so I signed both Joseph and myself up with different email accounts. We even bought Austin a kids meal and both got drinks, and our total was only $6. It was a great lunch to kick off Joseph's Fall Break holiday.

What has Austin been up to?

2009-09-27T18:55:00.004-04:00

This post is all about Austin, so get ready for some cute pictures and a funny story at the end.

Austin has taken an interest in putting his own shoes on, which is a great accomplishment for him. He can put his velcro shoes on all by himself now. Way to go, Austin!

I took Austin for his 3 year checkup this week, and he measured up very well in the 25 percentile, which is actually the biggest percentage he has ever had. I thought for sure that he would have fallen off the charts, but apparently 28 pounds and 3 feet tall isn't so unusual for a three year old after all.
Austin absolutely loves to read books. He not only listens to us read them, but he also can "read" them for himself. He has parts of each story memorized, and it is amazing how he knows specific words that go along with each page of the stories. His favorite series is a set of Pooh books I got at a yard sale when he was an infant, and he also loves to read Dr. Seuss books. I prefer the Dr. Seuss ones myself over the Pooh stories because they have a sing-song quality to them that makes them more enjoyable to read. (When you read to a child the same books over and over, it is nice if they are actually good books.)

I thought this was a neat picture since it demonstrates very well the priority that books have in our home. Not only are the walls lined with Joseph's books but the floor is lined with Austin's books.

Ok, now here is the funniest thing our child has been up to lately: He has started taking his diaper off at naptime and bedtime after he soils it and brings it to us (or stands at his door and calls for us to come to him). This morning I found him literally butt naked stretching in his new toddler bed with his diaper folded up at the foot of it. He had removed it at some point in the night and slept naked for the rest of it. Of course, I had some wet bedclothes to wash this morning, but it gave me quite a laugh. He did this yesterday with a dirty diaper and this evening with a wet one. I think this is progress in the potty training arena, but it sure makes things interesting around here!

21 Weeks Pregnant

2009-09-24T08:36:00.002-04:00

We had an ultrasound last week, and here is a nice profile picture of our little boy. The pregnancy is going well- no signs of preeclampsia at this point.

Pictures from the Birthday Bash

2009-09-19T08:04:00.002-04:00

We had a nice crowd for Austin's 3rd Birthday party. There were several kids from church and a few from our apartment. They all seemed to have a great time.

This is Patty and her son Micah, who just turned one last month. They go to our church.

My mom gave Austin this parachute game a few weeks ago when we went to Tennessee, and the kids had a few minutes of very intense fun playing with it. Joseph did a great job keeping the game going. See the video at the bottom of this post for a live action peek.

Joseph friend Adam came to the party to keep Joseph company and to help with the kids. It was great for me to have them both there so I could attend to the food and adult guests.

The playground was small, but a perfect size for our little group.

Two of our neighbor boys- Josiah and Daniel.

My dear friends Lacey and Charlotte finishing up lunch. We had a little sprinkle of rain, but this table was perfectly placed under a tree, so we didn't get wet.

And a short video of the older boys playing with the parachute game.

Austin's 3rd Birthday Party

2009-09-18T14:20:00.002-04:00

Austin will be three years old next Wednesday, so we had a birthday party with some of his friends this morning at a local park. He had a blast and especially enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to himself. We had a light rain for part of the time, but overall the weather was very enjoyable.

The ultrasound results are in...

2009-09-15T17:44:00.002-04:00

I am proud to say that our second child is a BOY!

19 Weeks Pregnant

2009-09-13T16:15:00.001-04:00

Here are some new pictures from this week. We go on Tuesday for our ultrasound. I can't wait to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Anybody have any guesses?

Labor Day Weekend Birthday Party

2009-09-09T07:27:00.005-04:00

September is a month for birthdays in the Gould household. Joseph's birthday was September 1st. Mine was the 3rd, and Austin's is coming up on the 23rd. Since we were coming down for Labor Day weekend, my Mom threw us a big birthday cookout and invited Joseph's family to come out for the celebration.

All three of us sisters got our hair cut on Friday. It seems we have similar taste, don't you think? Megan is on the far left, and Jane is in the middle. I had to get a picture with my brother Ben in it.

Our Transformers cake.

I thought this was such a good picture of Megan that I had to post it. She just started her first semester at MTSU in the pre-vet program and really seems to be enjoying it.

One of Austin's birthday presents was a parachute game. I hadn't played that game since elementary school gym class.

Austin was so pleased to open his birthday presents. This is a toy cash register. When I asked him a few weeks ago what he wanted for his birthday, he told me he wanted money. Isn't that funny? How does a boy his age have any concept of the value of money? Needless to say, he has greatly enjoyed having some coins all to himself.

The look on his face says it all.

cows eat chicken

2009-09-03T14:45:00.000-04:00

Austin is so busy these days, I have had a hard time getting any decent pictures of him, so when he decided to pose for a few, I was very excited.

Since Austin has a little stuffed accessory in these pictures, let me tell you how much he has been influenced by the marketing of Chickfila.

He received two cow toys during the grand opening of a new Chickfila a few months back, and they are some of his favorite toys. Whenever we have a free moment in our day, he says... "just a minute... I'll be right back..." And guess what he brings with him... the cows. "Let's play cows," he says.

He knows the phrase, "Eat More Chicken," though he hasn't quite grasped the idea that hamburgers (one of his favorite foods) are made out of his beloved cows. Just to give you an idea of the extent that chickfila has influenced out child, I've got a brief story for you:

We went to a little boy's birthday party on Saturday night, and they served the kids chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs. Austin ate quite a bit of food, but he began complaining on the way home that he was hungry. I reminded him that he already ate some dinosaur chicken for dinner, and he said very fiercely, "No Mommy, not dinosaur's chicken... cow's chicken!" Joseph and I had a good laugh over that one.

17 Weeks Pregnant

2009-09-01T16:23:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to fit into my maternity clothes a little better now. The pregnancy is going well. I've been feeling the baby move some this weekend, which is very exciting. I had a prenatal appointment today, and everything was fine. They are going to call me to make the ultrasound appointment, and I can't wait! It will be so exciting to find out if we are having another boy or a little girl. I will honestly be happy with either.

Football and Babies

2009-08-31T16:16:00.002-04:00

Joseph and some of the guys from church are playing fantasy football this season, and the draft was yesterday after church. We ate pizza for lunch, and the ladies stayed upstairs with the kids while the men went down with their laptops to the "man fort" in the basement. Here is a picture of Riley Adkins at 6 months old. Isn't she a doll! She's getting up on hands and knees and will be crawling before too long. Notice the little Titans cheerleader dress she is wearing. Can you tell her parents are from Tennessee?

Yes, Austin is sitting on a princess couch, I know, but he did have a good time hanging out with Ali all afternoon. Just look at all that beautiful curly hair! I believe she said she was Snow White for the day, and I think she could definitely play the part.

A Night Out with the Girls

2009-08-26T15:46:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, a group of us ladies from church went to a Pendergraph Women's Event at the seminary and had a great time. It is a monthly event designed to foster fellowship and spiritual growth among women in the seminary community.

These are two pictures of me at 16 weeks (well, almost 17 actually) and a freebie of Austin in his little boy boxer briefs. How adorable!

Pregnancy- 16 Weeks

2009-08-23T19:42:00.003-04:00

I don't have any new pregnancy pictures of me, but one of my websites says that our baby is about the size of an avocado, weighing 3 1/2 ounces and measuring 4 1/2 inches from head to bottom.

Playing with Jaylin over the years

2009-08-19T17:32:00.002-04:00

Have we really grown up that much?? I can't believe it!!

Austin and Jaylin are about two months apart, but they were suppose to be born within a few weeks of each other. Here is a picture of them as babies just learning to sit up.

Jaylin's first birthday party, 2007

August, 2009- Almost three years old! They sure have grown up, haven't they?

Potty Training

2009-08-17T13:59:00.002-04:00

We began the potty training process about a month ago with Austin, and I thought I would share a little timeline of our progression for all of you who will be potty training kids in the near future.

1. For the first week and a half, it was pure agony. I almost gave up. Austin absolutely hated sitting on the potty.... he would cry and scream every time... he would sit on the potty and play with toys, read books, do puzzles, color, play playdough... do just about anything but actually go in the potty. Then he would get up and wet his underwear. When he did actually use the potty, it was always a big surprise for all of us when he stood up because he never realized it when he went.

2. Then, he had a breakthrough. All of a sudden, he realized when he was going. We had our first full day of dry underwear. He would still cry every time I put him on the potty (which was about every hour or so), but he would go in the potty, and he would keep his underwear dry. At this point, we were staying home almost all the time. It was really lame since I like to get out of the house and do things, but it was a necessary practice in order to continue our potty training success.

3. In the most recent weeks, Austin has stopped crying when we take him to the potty, and this past week, he has actually used the potty at church, at a restaurant and at a friend's house. He has also started telling me when he needs to go sometimes. I am still the one who does most of the reminding though. We have had several successful outings to the store where he stays dry the entire time and relieves himself when we get home. Austin wears underwear at home, but we put him in pull-ups for naps, bedtime and when we leave the house. He usually can stay dry for his nap and when we leave the house, but he doesn't have bladder control at bedtime yet. However, he does use the restroom when he gets up in the morning now, which makes planning for morning outings much more predictable. For the first few weeks, he would wet his diaper in the morning before getting out of bed, so he wouldn't have to go for 1-2 hours in the morning.

My piece of advice is this: Potty training is a process. I don't know how many books I've read that present the idea that you can potty train a child in less than a week if you are consistent and disciplined. This is just not realistic for many children. If you go into potty training thinking that you are going to have it completed in a certain number of days or weeks, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Some children may pick it up quickly, but at least in our case, it has been a process. Expect it to be a process. Plan to stay home all the time and be miserable for awhile, but eventually the child will catch on and start making potty training milestones. Those little successes will encourage you along the way.

By the way, I have no advice for bowel training at this point because we have not mastered this skill. Like I said, potty training is a process.

Visitors from Tennessee

2009-08-14T08:16:00.002-04:00

My Mom, one of my sisters, Megan, and my brother Ben came for a two day visit this week. Austin had a blast, and he was very sad to see them go home.

You've got to love the expression on Austin's face.

Zesty Minestrone Soup- frugal recipe

2009-08-04T14:44:00.008-04:00

Zesty Minestrone Soup- courtesy of Kraft Food and Family (click on the aforesaid link to go directly to the recipe at Kraft. It may be more printer friendly)

1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1 cup chopped onions, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 can undrained diced tomatoes
1 can drained and rinsed kidney beans
2 cans vegetable broth and 2 cups water
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
optional: crisply cooked chopped bacon added to serving bowls

Heat dressing in a large nonstick skillet on medium high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots. Cook 2 minutes or until crisp tender, stirring occasionally. Spoon into a slow-cooker. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, water and Italian seasoning. Stir. Cover with lid. Cook on low 4 hours (my crock pot cooks pretty hot, and 4 hours worked out perfect for after church time. You could cook it differently depending on your time needs). Stir in macaroni. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon before serving. Makes 8 one cup servings

To be honest, before I made this recipe, I didn't even know what minestrone soup tasted like, but this soup was a big hit with our family. It is really inexpensive to make as well, which is a huge perk. It is also a perfect meal for Sunday lunch since you make it in the crock-pot. We didn't use celery because I didn't have any in my fridge, and it turned out great. I'm sure you could adjust some of the ingredients to fit your tastes and/or pantry.

an evening at the zoo

2009-08-02T15:32:00.002-04:00

We actually got Austin to sit still for half a second to take a picture at the playground.

Playing ring around the roses.

13 weeks pregnant

Playing Dinosaurs

2009-07-30T07:50:00.005-04:00

Here are two videos of Austin playing dinosaurs. One of which is of him playing with Mommy, and the other is of him playing with Daddy. I'm sure you can make a guess about which video is more aggressive.

Mommy Dinosaur:

Here's a Little Translation:
E: I'm an Apatosaurus. What's your name?
A: Dinosaur.
E: Are you a nice dinosaur?
A: Yes, I bite.
E: Oh, no! You bite?
A: I scare.
E: You are kind of scary.
A: Roar!!! I eat you!
E: Oh, no! Be nice.
Here is where Austin explains to me about big dinosaurs and horns and things. He then tells me to bite his tail. Since I have the wimpy dinosaur, I tell him that I have no teeth. Soon thereafter we become friends.

Daddy Dinosaur:

This one doesn't need much translation. It mostly consists of a big dinosaur fight with lots of biting and a little less dialog. Daddy is a little bit better at playing rough, isn't he?

Austin helps in the kitchen

2009-07-27T20:24:00.002-04:00

Austin helped me make sugar cookies a few days ago for a fellowship at church.

Here's a little belly shot for you at 12 weeks.

Austin helped stir the mix, and he even helped spoon out the dough onto the pan.

He did a pretty good job making cookie balls. I did have to fix a few, though, in order to keep them from scorching in the oven.

And, yes, Austin did get to reap the benefits of his hard work in the kitchen. He had his fair share of cookies, along with a few he swiped from the plate when I was out of the room. Such a funny kid.

Vacation

2009-07-25T11:02:00.003-04:00

Joseph had the whole week off work, and we greatly enjoyed spending our time relaxing at home. Here are some of the highlights of our restful week.

On Monday, we took a family trip to the Zoo. Austin really liked the idea of sitting on this rhino statue, but he felt a little differently once he was on its back. I guess it is a little high off the ground for the little guy.
On Tuesday, Joseph and I went out to lunch while a friend from church babysat Austin. It was great to have a little date just the two of us.

The biggest thing to note about the rest of the week is that Austin had a breakthrough in the area of potty training! He has been dry almost all the time for the past three and a half days! We still have a ways to go, but definite progress has been made this week. Hurray for Austin!

12 Weeks- a little lime

2009-07-23T16:01:00.004-04:00

The BabyCenter website has a page that lets you compare the size of your fetus to different foods. Currently, our little 12 week old fetus is about as long as a lime (about 2 inches) and weighs about 1/2 ounce.

Pregnancy- 11.5 weeks

2009-07-21T18:04:00.002-04:00

I thought I would post pictures from time to time as this little one begins to grow. I am pretty much over the pregnancy sickness now, and I am getting more energy every day.

Free Mars Chocolate on Fridays

2009-07-17T08:33:00.002-04:00

Go to the Mars Candy Bar Website on Fridays and register for a free candy bar coupon. They will send it in the mail in about 6 weeks. They are calling it the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act. Clever, isn't it?

Austin's Imagination

2009-07-13T09:09:00.003-04:00

It has been a joy to watch Austin's imagination grow over the last few months. He spends the greater part of each day playing with his cars and trucks, making them race and crash up and down our couch. We have tried several times to catch it on camera, and I was finally successful last week. You will probably have to turn up your volume to hear his little conversations, but they are pretty cute. There are several dialogues between various vehicles/trains, and you will notice that they crash into each other at times.

Pregnancy Update

2009-07-10T11:38:00.002-04:00

We are so excited to be having another baby. I hope to keep everyone updated throughout the pregnancy, and I promise to start posting pictures soon. Believe it or not, I already have a little baby bump, and I am only 10 weeks along. With Austin, I didn't start showing till probably 14 or 15 weeks or more. It should be interesting to note the changes in this pregnancy from the last one. The biggest change we hope to have is that this baby will make it to full-term. Please pray that we have a 2010 baby!

I feel like I have had more nausea with this baby than with Austin. I've also been starving all the time, but nothing sounds good to eat. I've recently discovered that salad with strips of steak on it appeals to me, along with yogurt with berries or granola mixed in. I have been eating multi-grain cheerios and drinking carnation instant breakfast as well. I can hardly stand the thought of eating any kind of sandwich, though, so I'm a little stuck as far as lunch options. When I was pregnant with Austin, I ate a pbj sandwich and a banana just about every day, but neither appeal to me this time. It's funny how things change that way.

I remember hearing the old wives tale that women who experience minimal nausea tend to have boys, and women to have severe nausea tend to have girls (because of extra estrogen or something). Based on that, I think Joseph is betting on a girl, but I think it will probably be a boy. (I mean I haven't been as sick as most pregnant women I know) Either way, its a win-win situation. If we have another boy, Austin will have a little brother to play with, and we won't have to buy any new clothes or toys. If we have a girl, I will have a daughter to dress like a baby doll, which would be so much fun for me.

All my doctor appointments have gone well so far this trimester. We have heard the heartbeat twice, once on a ultrasound and once in the office. According to one baby website, our little child is about the size of a kumkuat, weighing like a quarter of an ounce. How tiny! From this point on, he or she will start growing exponentially, though most of the baby's weight is put on in the last few months of pregnancy.

It's going to be so much fun for me to document this pregnancy through my blog, and I promise to start posting pictures/ videos of Austin again too.

By the way, in case you are interested, I put a ticker on the right hand side of my blog that tells how many weeks I am in the pregnancy. Once I get to 37 weeks, I will be considered full-term. That is our prayer.

Short, but oh so sweet

2009-07-09T06:08:00.000-04:00

We are going to have another baby! I am 10 weeks pregnant, and our due date is February 4, 2010. We are very excited about this new addition to our family!

Stay tuned....

2009-07-07T19:47:00.000-04:00

for a really great blog post later this week.

Sweet Dreams

2009-06-26T19:25:00.002-04:00

Austin's imagination has really blossomed lately. He woke up this morning and told Joseph he was scared because there was a pig in the room. According to Austin's story, the pig had kissed him. A little later in the morning, he told us the rest of the story: He had pulled the pig's tail! Ha! I told him that he was lucky the pig didn't do anything worse than kiss him after that kind of treatment.

Either Austin has a wild imagination or he has some pretty strange dreams. At any rate, it sure provided us with a good laugh.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

2009-06-17T21:25:00.002-04:00

Never before seen pictures

2009-06-15T21:29:00.005-04:00

We recently downloaded a few pictures off Joseph's cell phone from when Austin was born. The picture quality isn't that great, but the content is priceless. This first one is immediately after Austin was delivered by c-section. Joseph is the one in the scrubs.

Notice that all of Austin's fingers fit around the very tip of Joseph's pointer finger.

Austin is wearing a preemie diaper in this picture, but it is huge on him! Once they got him up to the NICU, he started wearing a size smaller.

I think this is the first time I actually got to see Austin other than the two seconds I saw him after he was born. The sad part is that this picture was taken probably 24 hours or more after his delivery. Everyone else got to go to the NICU to see Austin, but I couldn't leave my bed until the next day.

So you don't go away feeling too sad, I will end this post with a cute picture from when Austin was a little bit bigger. It is one of Joseph's favorites. What an expression he has on his face!

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

2009-06-11T08:03:00.000-04:00

Here is one of Austin's potato head creations. I found it amusing that he has two sets of eyes and an arm coming out of his mouth.

I found Austin using his stickers on his leg one day instead of his paper. He thought it was neat until I had to peel them all off.

Austin almost always eats this way, perched up on his toes. I don't think I could sit that way if I tried.

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Gould

2009-06-09T07:55:00.002-04:00

Joseph's brother Matt got married this weekend in Tennessee. It was a beautiful wedding. Here is Austin taking a snooze in the car before the ceremony.

The wedding party with the happy couple.My Mom and brother, Ben, were a big help with Austin. He sat with them during the wedding, which was outdoors, and they played with him during the reception. Austin is a very active little boy, so it was great to have the extra hands to help keep up with him.

An Oldie, but a Goodie

2009-05-31T15:34:00.002-04:00

Here is a video from last summer of Austin chasing a duck. It's quite entertaining.

First Carousel Ride

2009-05-30T15:23:00.000-04:00

Our Little Peanut

2009-05-25T10:18:00.007-04:00

For those of you who didn't know, Austin was delivered extremely premature at 29 weeks gestation due to the dangerous effects of preeclampsia. He came home from the NICU just a few days before his due date, 72 days after his birth. Here is a little slide show of pictures from the hospital.

While those days were some of the hardest times of my life, God was sovereign. In his tender mercy, he has allowed Austin to develop into the healthy two year old that he is today.

Baby Riley at 3 Months Old

2009-05-24T14:31:00.003-04:00

Austin and I watched baby Riley for my friend Lacey on Friday. She is 3 months old. Austin wanted to lay down next to her on the blanket. Look at how tall he has gotten.

Feeling Crafty

2009-05-23T15:25:00.000-04:00

My friends Lacey and Charlotte and I got together this week to make homemade greeting cards. The kids did a little art project as well. Color wonder markers are the best! They only color on special paper, not on tables, hands or clothes.

Lacey and Charlotte brought all kinds of supplies: ribbon, buttons, paper flowers, pretty paper, and stamps. They also gave me some ideas since I am not the most crafty person in the world.

After the boys got tired of running around, we put in the Cars movie, which was a big hit.

Somehow, we managed to stay over at Lacey's house for about five hours! It was great! We were delighted that the kids cooperated so well.

Look at all that hard work. The cards I made are mostly in the right hand side of the picture. I've already sent out about ten of my cards to church members. It was so fun making the cards and being able to encourage others through sending them.

A few Violet pictures I forgot to post

2009-05-22T15:17:00.000-04:00

The bride price for this little beauty is quite high, 20 thousand books if I remember correctly.

Well, we've got about eighteen years or so to collect all those books. If you have ever seen Joseph's library, you will realize that we are well on our way to that goal.

All joking aside, if these two little ones do get married some day, I will have the most adorable pictures to show at their wedding.

Enjoying the Weather

2009-05-21T07:36:00.007-04:00

You can see Austin in the bottom left hand corner. This is a picture taken at Southern Seminary.

For some reason, Austin insists on sliding down the bricks like a slide.

Sliding on a real slide at the park.

Joseph and myself enjoying the weather and the playtime with Austin.

Since Joseph was with me, we were able to take a complete video of Austin and his climbing abilities. I will warn you that towards the end, Austin makes a grand show of defiance towards Joseph. This is something we are working through. I thought I would leave that part in to give you a fuller view of Austin's exuberant personality. Enjoy!