Photos from Weekend at Granny's

Here are some photos from this past weekend taken by Leland’s great-aunt. She is a semi-professional photographer. The last photo is Leland holding his great-great-grandmother’s hand. It is such a blessing to have so many generations on Robert’s side to love our little man.

Christmas Blessings

We had a great weekend visiting with my husband’s family. We spent Saturday night with Leland’s Mema (Robert’s grandmother / Leland’s great-grandmother) and visited on Saturday and Sunday with Mimi (Robert’s mom), Grandpa (Robert’s dad), Mema and Granny (Leland’s great-great-grandmother who is 93). We also went out for lunch on Sunday to celebrate Robert’s birthday. We had such a great time. Here is a funny picture we took at the restaurant:

Although we had an amazing time visiting with family, the best part of the whole weekend was going to church on Sunday morning at our old church. So much as changed for us in the past year. Last September I applied for a job in my hometown, about 2 ½ hours from where we lived. I applied on September 1, interviewed on September 3, accepted the job on September 8, put an offer on a new house on September 13, and stared the new job on September 15. We moved on October 23, 2010, and three and a half weeks later traveled to the NEDC for our transfer. To many of our friends and acquaintances, we seemingly disappeared overnight.

It was such a blessing to be able to return to our old church and introduce Leland to so many wonderful people. When I carried Leland up to the alter for communion I just started crying as I was overwhelmed with what an amazing blessing God had given us. Throughout the sermon the vicar kept asking us to think about the present we wanted most and then related that to our greatest gift, Jesus. Every time he asked us to think about the gift we wanted most for Christmas I thought of Leland. God has given us this wonderful gift and a pray that the miracle of this gift is always apparent to me. I am truly overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness and blessing and I pray that God will bless all of you this Christmas and always. 

First Mommy Ornament

When we arrived at daycare yesterday, Leland’s teacher said that Leland had a Christmas present for me and presented me with this adorable homemade photo ornament. Now I know his teachers actually made it, but I love it. I hope it is the first of many homemade Christmas ornaments.

The first Christmas after I got married I took some of my ornaments from my parent’s house for our tree. My mom was acting a little funny and asked if I was going to take “all” of my ornament. I told her she could keep some if she wanted, not sure which ones she was concerned about me taking. It turned out that she was concerned that I was going to take the handmade ornaments that I had made and given her when I was little. To me they were just some of many craft projects I had done over the years. But now, with my first mommy ornament in hand, I understand just how special they are.

12lbs 4oz

Leland went for his five month shots today. He weighed in at 12lbs 4oz. He’s such a little guy, but he’s healthy and that’s what really matters. I just plugged it into my growth tracker app on my phone. It shows he has dropped from the 5^th percentile to the 1^st percentile. Of course this doesn’t adjust for his being born early. But hey, at least he’s still on the charts.

Here are a few photos from the week of Thanksgiving: 

Hanging out with Nana in "France" at EPCOT. Check out his really cute Mickey shirt!

Napping in the carrier with Daddy. Everyone loves his baby sunglasses. 

Mommy feeding him lunch. I nursed him twice and had two bottle of pumped milk with us for the other feedings.

First Thanksgiving pajamas.

4:00 AM

So I mentioned in my Five Months post that Leland has starting waking around 4:15 am or 4:30 am. It’s getting complicated and I wanted to see if any of you wonderful mamas had any thoughts or advice.

The difficulty with waking around 4:15 am or 4:30 am is that it is not really early enough for a whole additional feeding, but it’s not late enough to just be a slightly earlier / slightly longer morning feeding. If he were waking at 3 am, it would not be fun, but it would be simple. Eat at 3 am, go back to bed from 4 am to 5:30 am, and then eat again at 6 am – simple. But if he eats at 4:30 am, he’ll be hungry moments after we begin our morning hour long commute and won’t be able to eat until about 8:30 (4 hours later) when we get to the daycare. If he eats from 4:30 – 5:30 am, it gets complicated. I could feed him again from 6:15 – 7:00, just before I have to load the car and get on the road. This would give me 45 minutes from 5:30 – 6:15 to get ready. The problem is I would be getting out of bed every day at 4:15 am. I don’t think I can do this and still function.

With our old schedule of him starting eating about 5:30 or 6:00 am, I was getting up at 5:30 am every day. It’s early, but doable. I just don’t see how I can get up at 4:15 am, when I don’t get home in the evening until 6:15 or 6:30 pm. By the time we nurse and take a bath he doesn’t get to bed until around 8 pm. I then wash bottles, clean the kitchen, do laundry, and try to spend a bit of time with Robert. I get to bed around 11 pm.

For the past week I have been handling this by coaxing him back to sleep. On Sunday morning he woke about 3:45 am. Since it was Sunday and since it was earlier in the morning I was able to just fit in an additional feeding. Otherwise, if he wakes after 4 am, I have been holding the pacifier in his mouth and rubbing his back until he falls back to sleep. Sometimes I have to do this every 30 minutes from 4 am until 5:30 am when I get up and feed him. Let me make it clear that he is not crying. He is stirring and making a very quiet fussy noise. Still, it makes me feel really guilty, like I am denying him food or something. So, any advice or encouragement you all have would be great.

Five Months

Leland was five months on Saturday. We had such a nice weekend decorating for Christmas and having family Christmas photos taken. I love lounging in the living room just watching the Christmas tree and am really looking forward to doing this with Leland this year.

Leland seems to be working on a tooth. It’s on his lower right side. Leland spent Thursday and Friday home with Robert and Robert called Thursday afternoon to tell me he could feel a little bump from the tooth and that Leland was being really fussy about the tooth. I can tell it’s really starting to bother him as he constantly has his hand in the spot and keeps rubbing his tongue over the spot too. During his two days with daddy, Leland has been working on mastering rolling over. He did it a few more times for Robert (I still haven’t seen it) and even did it once without encouragement while he was suppose to be napping in his crib.

It’s been such a blessing that Robert takes off two days (almost) every week right now to spend with Leland. Since I returned to work Robert filed for intermittent family leave so that for the first few months Leland won’t have to spend as much time in daycare. This week it was an added blessing. I found out today that last week there was an outbreak in Leland’s classroom of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Today four of the babies are out sick and two others have sores on them (apparently once there are sores and the fever breaks they are no longer contagious?). It appears the contagious time frame was the end of last week (and over the weekend) and Leland, being home with daddy, was spared. It things like this that make me feel so thankful he is only in daycare a limited number of days, but feel so guilty that he has to go at all.

Leland is growing wonderfully. He is finishing up his last few size 1 diapers right now and is using primarily size 1-2 diapers. He has just recently started wearing some size 3-6 month onesies, but still wears many 3 month onesies and all 3 month or 0-3 month pants. On Thursday, he has his next round of shots, so we’ll get an updated weight then.

Leland’s head control is great. He can sit in the Bumbo or a “sassy seat” for 15-20 minutes unassisted. His grasping is also developing wonderfully. Leland’s favorite toy is the O-Ball. When I offer it to him he will actually reach out and take it from me. His other favorites are still his frog soothie and mobile over his changing table. He also loves spending time on his play mat.

Leland is still eating about the same. He takes 4 oz in the bottle about every 3 hours while at daycare. I nurse him in the morning for about an hour, at lunch for about 40 minutes and in the evening for about 1 ½ hours. Just recently he has stopped sleeping through the night. It started last week with waking up a little early – maybe 30 minutes. Now he is waking up around 4:15 or 4:30 am. When he wakes he is not crying, but rather just stirring. So, I am trying to convince him that he still wants to sleep through the night, but it is only working so well. But more on this later and hopefully you will all have some advice for me.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a really cute video Robert made of our fun this weekend decorating the house for Christmas. He emailed the video to his family who will be joining us at our house on Christmas day.

Embryo Adoption Finalized

We finalize the embryo adoption in superior court this morning. You can read more about how this works in this post.

I was a little nervous. I chose to file the paperwork myself and serve as our attorney. I currently practice in the juvenile court where I do deprivations (child protective services cases) and delinquency (crimes by juveniles), so adoption work is a little outside my legal expertise. The judge was so sweet and Leland was a doll. It was really a great experience. So we are now even more official, with one more legal protection proclaiming us as Leland’s parents. God is so good.

Here is a photo we took with the judge: 

Bronchitis, Vomiting, Santa (almost), Florida / Thanksgiving, Disney World & Mastitis

BRONCHITIS

It has been a crazy two weeks. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving my throat started to hurt and I just knew I was getting sick. I got sicker by the day and by Sunday I was cough and blowing dark mucus (TMI?). Since we were about the leave town to visit my parents in Florida in a few days and I wasn’t sure when I would have time to go to my doctor I went to a local after hours clinic on Sunday afternoon. They were nice enough and gave me an antibiotic. The nurse practitioner I saw knew I was breastfeeding (I had Leland with me at the appointment) and assured me that the antibiotic was safe for him and would not cause any problems with breastfeeding.

The weekend before Thanksgiving was spent resting, packing, and trying to get better. I used the vaporizer, the netti pot sinus cleanse, gargled with warm water and salt, took hot showers - every home remedy I could think of. In my spare time, I was clearing Leland’s nose and praying he did not get sick too. My nose was so red I looked like Rudolph.

VOMITING

Monday before Thanksgiving I went back to work. Robert is a teacher and had the whole week off work, so Leland was home with him. Monday, just after lunch, Robert called and said Leland had thrown up. I only half believed him. I questioned him about how much and was it just a lot of spit up rather than actual throw up. By the time I got home from work Leland had thrown up a few more times and Robert had thrown up some too. (The smell of throw up makes Robert throw up). When I got in Robert and Leland were cuddled on the sofa with Leland asleep, both drenched in Leland’s throw up. Robert had changed both their clothes several times that afternoon, but after the last round Leland fell asleep and Robert did not want to disturb him.

I called the pediatrician on the way home and picked up some Pe.di.alyte. Once home, we bathed Leland and then I tried nursing him. He did great, but about an hour later he threw up again. I gave him two ounces of Pe.di.alyte and he fell asleep for the night.

SANTA (ALMOST)

Tuesday morning I was supposed to be at work again. And, at noon we had family photos scheduled at JC Penny for Christmas pictures and pictures with Santa. I wasn’t originally going to take Leland to see Santa as that’s not really when Christmas is all about. But the day we scheduled our Christmas pictures happened to be the day Santa would be at the studio so I figured it could be fun to get a traditional Santa picture for Leland’s first Christmas.

I gave Leland Pe.di.alyte and he held that down. Then I nursed him and he seemed to be fine. Still I decided to call in sick to work and to cancel our Christmas pictures so I could monitor Leland’s progress. I was hopeful it was just a little 12-hour stomach bug.

FLORIDA / THANKSGIVING

Since Leland seemed to be doing well and I had called into work, we decided to get an early start to Florida by late Tuesday morning. At this point I was still fighting a nasty case of bronchitis, but feeling a teeny bit better than I had over the weekend. Leland did great in the car for the first stretch. We made it about 200 miles and he slept the whole way. Then we stopped for a bite to eat. Since Leland had not vomited in 16+ hours I resumed his normal feeding schedule. But, not long later, he threw it all up! The second half our out trip to Florida was marked by hourly (approx) stops to change Leland’s wet clothes and to offer another 1-2 oz of Pe.di.alyte to keep him hydrated. I have to note that the odd thing about the stomach bug was that other than the vomiting Leland had no other symptoms, he was his usual happy self. We staying in touch with our pediatrician through this whole ordeal and he just said we had to ride it out and keep him hydrated.

We spent a lazy day Wednesday visiting with my parents. Leland continued to vomit on and off. He would be fine for a few feedings and then he would start throwing up again. We would start back with Pe.di.alyte and then transition to breast milk with no problems. Then he would throw up again. During this ordeal I was pumping to keep my milk supply up during the times Leland was not eating. I figured the upside to this mess was that I had increased my breast milk stash substantially.

Thursday morning – Thanksgiving – a light bulb went off. It had to be my antibiotic that was making Leland throw up. Nothing else made sense. I had considered it earlier in the week but didn’t think it was the answer. But by Thursday, it was the only thing left. Without access to my freezer stash at home, Leland spent Thanksgiving alternating between Pe.di.alyte and formula, neither which he was at all happy about. I figured 24 hours would be enough to get the antibiotic out of my system, and was able to successfully resume nursing at bedtime on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving morning I made pancakes with my dad. My dad makes the best pancakes. He doesn’t cook at all, but his pancakes are a rare specialty. Sadly my dad is suffering from unspecified dementia, with some Parkinson type symptoms. It’s getting harder for him to do simple tasks like make pancakes, so I am savoring every last tradition I have with him. We watched the parade and when over to a family friend’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. My parent’s loved showing off their newest grandbaby (he is grandbaby #10) to all of their friends and we had a really great time.

Friday morning Robert, Leland, and I ventured out to Toys R Us for some mid-morning black Friday shopping. We got a Fisher Price Jumperoo for $45 (Reg. $100) and a Fisher Price Space Saving High Chair for $30 (Reg. $60). Thankfully the store wasn’t too crazy and we got both items we wanted. Friday afternoon my Mom and I went shopping at the Coldwater Creek clearance center in Orlando. I was in desperate need of work clothes since I am still about 20 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. I spent about $170 on clothes and got 4 pairs of pants, 2 suit jackets, 3 t-shirts, 10 blouses / sweaters. Mornings will be so, so much easier now!

Friday also confirmed my suspicion about the antibiotic causing the vomiting. With it out of my system Leland did not throw up at all. That was the good news. The bad news – I had to dump 50 OUNCES OF BREAST MILK! I cried a little.

DISNEY WORLD

Saturday both Leland and I were feeling much better. We ventured out to spend the day at Epcot with my parents. I have always wanted to go to Epcot at Christmas and it was so beautiful. We skipped the stroller and just went for a front carrier and backpack. It worked great. Everyone pointed and commented on Leland in his little sunglasses. Soon after he was born I ordered baby sunglasses. I never go out without my sunglasses so why would I want to strain his eyes?

We had a relaxing day wandering and eating our way through the countries. We had churros is Mexico, pastries in Norway, roasted nuts in France, Bratwurst & soft pretzels in Germany, chocolates in Italy, and fish & chips in England. We would just get one of each item and split it. It was so much fun. In the past at Epcot we have gone to a different sit down restaurant each time. The sit down restaurants are nice, but you only get to experience one type of food. Eating / snacking our way through the countries was a lot more fun.

We were also able to see several shows and ride several rides. Epcot has several continuous movement rides and slow boat rides that were a lot of fun with Leland. He just rode in the carrier. His favorite was probably the Nemo ride because of all the music and digital effects. (Anything that looks like a TV screen fascinates him these days). We had a really great day overall. We left the park about 7 PM and we were all asleep by 9 PM.

MASTITIS

Sunday I woke up feeling awful. I was so tired and just ached all over. I assumed that spending the day at Epcot the day before had been harder on me than I had expected. I was burning up, drenched in sweat at church, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I was feeling nauseated and a bit dizzy too. Something just wasn’t right. After church, I took a nap while my mom and Robert packed the car. I had also noticed that my left breast was tender. Similar to being tender when I first wake up in the morning, but it did not go away with nursing. It got more painful as the day went on. I felt so awful, Robert drove the entire trip home. Thankfully Leland slept the entire way, waking only once to eat. Sunday night I assumed the breast tenderness was from so much pumping and that the exhaustion was from the busy trip. After all I had never made the trip before with an infant.

Monday, I barely dragged myself out of bed and to work. Honestly, if it weren’t for Leland I would have called in sick. But the thought of caring for him at home all day seemed more difficult than taking him to daycare and going to work. Thankfully I don’t have any scheduled court this week. By lunch Monday I realized there was a serious problem. My left breast was bright red and very swollen on one side. And it was so, so painful. I called my doctor and scheduled an appointment for Monday afternoon. As I had worried, it was Mastitis.

I started a new antibiotic Monday night praying it would not cause Leland to throw up. Thankfully, he is doing well. Unfortunately, the antibiotic caused me to have an excruciatingly bad headache. It felt like my brain had swelled to twice the size of my skull. I spent most of yesterday huddled in my office in the dark just waiting of the hours to pass so the antibiotic would get out of my system. When I got home last night, I nurse Leland and put him to bed early. I then got in bed by 8 PM.

Today I am feeling much better. I have stopped the antibiotic and am waiting to hear back from my doctor’s office about what I should do from here. It’s been an eventful first major holiday, with some stressful stuff and some really fun, memorable stuff. I will try to post some pictures soon. Thanks for hanging in there with me through this really long post. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Photo Update

Here are some recent photos of my little man:

Teething?

Sleeping on Daddy

 In his nightgown

Ready to Go!



One Year Ago...

One year ago today, Leland was transferred into my womb. He was one of five embryos frozen in 2002. All five embryos were unfrozen, but only three survived the thaw and were transferred. We are so thankful that God blessed us with Leland. I am in awe of God’s plan for my life. To know from the beginning of time God picked Leland to be my son. Simply amazing.

In honor of this wonderful milestone I thought I would share our special song I sing to Leland. I wrote him this song when he was a few weeks old. It has the same tune and shares some words with a song I sung during college:

"I Prayed For You – Leland’s Song"

I prayed for you

Even then I believe I knew

The joys I’d share with my Leland

His whole life through

You came to me

Open arms were waiting for you

And each day I happily say

I prayed for you

This is also one year from when Aaron and Jennifer where blessed with the transfer of their twins. (We were at the NEDC the same day). And, today is also the transfer day for Kristine if you’d like to stop by her blog and share some well wishes.

10 Step Fertility Action Plan

I was sitting in the doctor’s office this week. I looked down and saw across the top of a magazine “Your 10 Step Fertility Action Plan”. I knew it was pointless, but I opened it anyway. So, here’s some fertility advice ladies:

1.  Give up vices. (caffeine, tobacco, etc.)

2. Get your home ready.

3. Exercise.

4. Go organic.

5. Eat good fats…

So the list went on, but I stopped reading. Really? These will solve your fertility problems? They are good, healthy lifestyle changes, but fertility solutions they are not. Maybe it is just to empower those ladies who have been trying to get pregnant for 2-3 months with no success. Either way, had I written a 10 Step Fertility Action Plan this is what it would say:

1. Save up $12K. (our total EA cost)

2. Locate and select EA program.

3. Complete home study.

4. Lose weight. (to offset fertility drug weight gain)

5. HSG

6. Practice abdominal injections. (lupron)

7. Become friendly with the u/s “wand”.

8. Insert the pill where? (estrace)

9. FET

10. Practice intramuscular injections. (progesterone)

But I guess this wouldn’t make for a good magazine article…

Petition for (Embryo) Adoption

We have filed our Petition for Adoption. Say what? Yep, in Georgia there is a relatively new law (2009) called the Option of Adoption Act that allows (but doesn’t require) embryo adoption parents to file a Petition for Adoption in Superior Court. (Here is the STATUTE if you’d like to read it - the new law is under Section 2).

The law itself has the policy implication of attributing life to unborn children. Because of this, when the law pass in 2009, there was a lot of pro-choice backlash claiming that the law was just a pro-life attempt to give rights to unborn children. Either way, in Georgia embryo adoptions are not simply a transfer of property anymore as we can now legally adopt embryos. The law even allows for the Petition for Adoption to be filed and finalized prior to the birth of the child. Here is an ARTICLE from the Christian Examiner about the law.

In addition to the benefits of recognizing my child as more than just an item of property transferred from our donors to us, the law offers one more legal protection to solidify us as Leland’s parents. It also provides an Order of Adoption which can be submitted to the IRS to document the adoption for purposes of the Adoption Tax Credit. I do want to note that there is some disagreement about whether or not an embryo adoption qualifies for the Adoption Tax Credit even with the Georgia law to support it. (If you are into technical legal reading, check out this LAW REVIEW ARTICLE). But, we’re willing to take the risk and see if the IRS will approve it.

Our petition was officially filed yesterday. We have a court date on December 1^st and hopefully it will be finalized on that day. And, on a final note, if any of you Georgia mamas want more info or help with this, let me know.

4 Months

Leland is 4 months today and still just a little peanut. We had his four month check-up yesterday. He is 24 inches and weighs 11 lbs. 13 oz. He has only gained 4 oz. in the last month, but is growing taller by the day. His weight is at the 2^nd percentile & his high is at the 17^th percentile. At least he is on the charts. As I expected, our doctor wants us to start solids right away. I told him Leland was not ready. The doctor assured us he would be ready within the next two weeks. We can discuss this at his six month visit, but for now I’m committed to 100% breast milk.

Leland has really discovered toys in the past week or so. Last week he stayed home with his daddy on Thursday and Friday. They played all day. He loves the Oball that I bought him. He tries to put it in his mouth and ends up licking the inner side with his tongue. I have added a Lamaze toy to his car seat and he really enjoys pulling on some of the rings to make the rattle jingle. I went back and forth about adding a toy to his car seat, with the safety concerns and all. Ultimately, I decided to pick a soft toy. He just need something to entertain him during our 2 hour round trip commute each day. He still loves his playmat and looking at his mobile, hung over his changing table.

Leland still has not rolled over again. He did it twice that one day and hasn’t done it again. He is getting better head and neck control. Last Sunday I caught myself carrying him on my hip like a “big baby” rather than my shoulder or in the crook of my arm like a newborn. It made me really sad the moment I realized this. It’s the little things that show how much he is growing and developing. Also this past week, Leland has really found his voice. He is generally a rather quiet baby unless he is hungry or upset about being in his car seat. Now, he is cooing and babbling away. He is also practicing a fake cry. He will “cry” while we are changing his diaper. But we know it’s not a real cry because he has a big, wide smile on his face as he checks out his mobile.

Another recent first – his first tub poop! It happened last week in his bath bucket. First there was a loud noise and then big bubble. Gas we though and even giggled a little. Then, poop everywhere. Luckily it was a night Robert was home. I moved Leland to the sink to complete his bath / rise the poop off. And Robert washed out the bath bucket. Moments like these are so memorable and even a little funny when you look back on them. It makes me think of when Leland was only about 3 weeks old and Robert was changing his diaper. He lifted his bum to wipe and more poop come shooting out across the changing table and onto the nearby bookshelf. This of course was at about 3AM. Projective poop is only funny in hindsight.  

We are getting very excited about our first Thanksgiving and Christmas with Leland. I know it will come and go so quickly. We are planning a trip to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. It will be our second road trip and actually our third overnight trip. Next week we are going to a conference. Well I have a conference, and Robert is taking off work so he and Leland can tag along. It should be fun and a good chance for a first swim in the hotel pool.

I'll post some new photos soon!

My Little Pumpkin

What I Love

I realize this week that Leland will be 4 months next week. It has made me a bit nostalgic. So I wanted to share a list of what I love right now:

1) Leland’s Morning Stretch. When I wake him up in the morning, he has the cutest stretch. He puts his hands behind his head and points his little elbows out as he arches his back and puckers his lips. Cutest thing ever.

2) Squishy baby bottom. Usually when I pick him up he is wearing a diaper, but when we are coming to or from the bath he is just wrapped in a towel. When I put my hand under his bottom to carry him his little bottom is just so tiny and squishy. It bothers my husband that I find this so cute.

3)  Leland’s Milky Face. He’s a messy eater. When he gets done nursing he has milk ear to ear and dribbling down his chin. He always looks so full and content and it makes me feel great that I can provide him such great nourishment. It also reminds me of when my milk finally came in on day four and the first time I saw milk dribbling down his face.

4) Lunch Dates. On days Leland is at the daycare I stop by for lunch. We nurse and rock and just love on each other. It’s one of the best parts of my day.

I have so much love for this little man. We are so incredibly blessed!

Baby Brain

I have had one of those weeks. I swear pregnancy brain has nothing on baby brain. I have been so forgetful this week. On Monday, I showed up for a court hearing at the wrong time. Thankfully, I was 2 hours early rather than late. Then Monday night I left my pump parts at work. Again, thankfully, I have a spare set of parts.

Wednesday night I left my entire breast pump and the milk I had pumped that day sitting in my office. I had packed it all up and had it sitting with my stuff to take home. Then, I left without it. Three days this week I forgot my lunch. And yesterday I left my hair dresser without paying her. (I stopped by today to pay her).

I have really just gotten out of sync this week. Generally, I am really efficient and it has been like one thing getting off has caused a ripple effect. Thankfully it is Friday and in typing this post I realize that even though it’s been a rough week I have solved each problem as it has come about. I am hoping that Saturday will bring an opportunity to regroup and maybe even a short nap.

Breastfeeding Inspiration from Moses

Growing up, the story of Moses was always my favorite Bible story. As a young child I could tell you the whole story start to finish, all about the burning bush, the plagues, and the parting of the sea. I remember one time at vacation bible school the teacher asked if anyone knew who Moses was. I raise my hand and proceeded to recite the story in full. The story of Moses was one that always stuck with me.

Through most of my life Moses has reminded me that sometimes God calls up for tasks that we don’t feel we are qualified for. Moses told God that he should send someone else – someone better – to free the Israelites. I never thought that Moses was telling God no because he did not want to do what God asked. Rather, I always perceived that Moses simply felt unqualified, as if there was someone else who could do a better job. I have felt this was many times in my life. I felt this was when God called me to go to law school. And its’ only now – almost seven years later – that I am beginning to see what he had planned for me. Many times in my life I have reminded myself that just like with Moses, when God calls us, God will provide us with the skills necessary to do what Gad has called us to do.

Recently I have found new inspiration from the story of Moses. I have had trouble with milk production. Actual, medical trouble with milk production. There were even a few weeks (about weeks 2-5) when we had to supplement a few ounces a day of formula. I am now producing just enough milk. I pump 4-5 times a day just to get the 12oz Leland needs while he is at daycare. I get frustrated sometimes. I get sick of the pump. I get envious of those women who have a freezer full of extra milk form just pumping once or twice per day. But then, I am convicted.

I am reminded that God provides just what we need. More specifically, I am reminded of Moses and the Israelites in the desert. God provided manna from heaven and told the Israelites to collect just enough for the day, no more. God was teaching them to trust Him. So when I get frustrated or envious, I focus on Moses and thank God for providing enough breast milk for Leland each day. It doesn’t matter that it is just barely enough, it is enough. God will provide. God will not let Leland go hungry. God is good!

DWP

Driving While Pumping. I do it. Anyone else?

I commute one hour each direction to work. And many mornings I am in court until almost lunch time. So, pumping mid-morning is often not an option. Plus, with my hands free nursing set-up (I get everything set up before I leave the house, not while driving) it’s really out of the way (I am able to buckle up normally) and it's not a distraction. It seems like a good use of time to me. It’s so discrete with my nursing cover; I’ve even pulled trough a drive through once (was that too much?). But, most importantly, I get so much milk at that time of day (about 7:30 AM). I usually get 4-5 oz in the one pumping session. The other 3-4 times I pump in the day only adds up to about 6-9 oz TOTAL (about 2-2.5oz each time I pump).

So there is my confession of the day. I just hope I never get pulled over and have to explain this to an officer.

Fifteen Weeks

My little boy is getting bigger. We measured him last week at 24 inches. I don't know his weight this week since he has outgrown our kitchen scale that only measured up to 11 pounds. Two weeks ago he weighed 11.5 pounds, so I figure he is easily over 12 pounds by now, if not even bigger. We'll find out when we go back to the doctor for his 4 month check-up on November 2.

We spent last Saturday with my husband's family celebrating Robert's brother's 25th birthday. It was a long day, but we had a really nice time. Leland is so enjoyable and just loves spending time with his Mimi (grandma), Mema (great-grandma) and Granny (great-great-grandma). He let them all hold him and love on him while he ate, played, and slept.

Leland has really enjoyed his play mat this week. He is getting better at grasping the toys to make them rattle or shake. He still loves looking in the big mirror on the play mat. Leland hasn't rolled over again, so I still haven't seen it. He is finding his voice bit by bit and chatters a bit more each day. He is sleeping and eating great. Here is a typical weekday feeding schedule:

6AM - nurse 45 minutes
9AM - 4 oz bottle at daycare
12PM - nurse 30 minutes + 4 oz bottle at daycare
3:30 PM - 4 oz bottle at daycare
6:30 PM - nurse 45-60 minutes
8PM - nurse 20-40 minutes

I worry sometimes that I am not sending enough to eat at the daycare, but that don't report that he is hungry and everything I have read says I am sending the right amount. Sometimes it is just hard when I know so few others who have exclusively breastfed while pumping after returning to work. This also affects our approach to solids. Our pediatrician told us that we would be discussing introducing solids at the 4 month visit. And so many of the babies at the daycare are eating solids at around 5 months. My mom even commented last weekend that he was watching people eat and will be ready to start solids very soon. It just doesn't feel right to me and I'm seeking support and advice (thanks Jen!).

Leland's likes right now are the mobile on his changing table, his play mat, being outside, watching fans, bath time, and looking in the mirror. His dislike are his car seat (still!) and being hot. He sure is fussy when he gets hot! He still enjoys his swing and prefers his afternoon nap to be taken in the swing:

He slumps over when he sleeps in his swing. If we prop him back up he wakes up upset and then slumps back over to sleep some more.



Leland's Baptism

Last Sunday, Leland was baptized. It was a wonderful day. My parents flew into town for the weekend and we had about 20 friends and family join us for the joyous occasion. Every time I think about committing my little miracle to God I get teary. God has blessed us so much and has not only protected Leland against the odds, but has allowed Leland to grow and thrive. Here are some photos from the baptism:

I wanted to baptize Leland sooner than three months, but we had to wait on his godmother (my cousin) to come home. His godmother is a missionary at a Christian Missionary hospital in Honduras. You can check out her blog HERE. (If you do check out her blog please don’t mention that I sent you over because I have not shared my blog with anyone in real life). Missionaries can only get travel visas and have to leave country every 3 months. She had her last “visa trip” home at the beginning of July. One of the neat blessings about Leland being born 5 weeks early is that she was able to meet him and hold him the day he was born. Had he been born on schedule she would not have met him until she returned home for his baptism. It was so wonderful that she was able to meet him. And again, it was wonderful having her home these past two weeks for his baptism.

Being surrounded by so many friends and family for Leland’s baptism was such a blessing. Leland was a doll and just loved on everyone. It brings me so much joy to see others rejoicing in our blessings. My parent stayed through Tuesday and had a nice visit with us. Here are some cute photos from Leland’s bath time that my mom took:  

Mimi Day

Today is Leland's first Mimi day. As part of our plan to only have Leland in daycare 3 or less days per week until he is six months old, my mother-in-law has agreed to keep him at our house a few days each month. My mother-in-law lives about an hour and a half away from us. We used to live only a mile away from her until last year. At the beginning of September last year I got a job offer about three hours away (actually in my home town). We were living in my husband's home town. I accepted the offer and in October we moved halfway between my new job and my husband's job. Now, we both commute an hour each way in opposite directions. At the time I accepted the job offer and we decided to move we had not yet told my husband's family about the embryo adoption. Throughout most of our infertility journey we have been very private. But, we had decided that we wanted to share the news of the upcoming transfer with his family soon. So, on a Sunday evening we went to Robert's parent’s house to share ours news - we were moving and we were trying to have a baby! Although they were sad we were moving, the news of a possible (first) grandbaby was overwhelmingly exciting.

Since Leland was born, his Mimi and Grandpa have visited frequently. We are so blessed that they are making such a effort to build a relationship with him. Everyone in Robert's family was so excited about the first Mimi day that Grandpa came too and Leland's Uncle Daniel (Robert's brother) is coming to the house after he gets off work today. I am sure Leland is enjoying his first full day with his Mimi (and Grandpa and Uncle Daniel). Here is a photo they sent me earlier today:

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...

Leland rolled over for the first time this morning. Robert is home from work with him today and called me on my way to work to tell me Leland rolled over. Robert was playing with Leland on the bed, with Leland propped on a pillow. Leland flopped himself over off of the pillow onto the bed (this was more of falling than rolling). After flopping of the pillow, he was on the bed on his stomach and rolled over onto his back. He then gave Robert a big smile. So much for my assesment yesterday of showing no signs of rolling over soon. He is full of surprises.

I hate that I missed it but i am happy that Robert got to experience it. Better him than daycare or my mother-in-law who will be watching Leland on Friday. (Though I do like my MIL for the record). Plus, I figure daddies deserve a few firsts. Hopefully he will do it again soon!

Three Months

One minute I look at him and think, wow, he’s grown so big. The next, I remark at just how tiny he is. At three months he is weighing in at 11 ½ pounds and about 23 inches. He had his third round of shots last Friday. It was his daddy’s first time taking Leland for shots.

He is doing well going to daycare. I miss him so much, but am so thankful that he is adjusting well. I get to go nurse him every day at lunch, so we are really only apart for 3.5 – 4 hours at a time. One of the things I have learned from sitting in the daycare class room an hour a day is that if you are going to send your child to daycare, send them with the instruction to feed on demand with a general idea of how often. Everyday there is at least one child who is crying hysterically because he or she is hungry and mom sent a strict eating schedule.

Leland is eating about every 3 hours. We nurse about 6AM. He takes a 4oz bottle at about 9AM. We nurse (on days he is in daycare) and he takes a 4oz bottle at NOON. He takes a 4oz bottle about 3PM. Then about 7PM we nurse, followed by a bath, and then nursing again until he is sleepy and full. He goes to sleep about 9PM. He was getting a 2oz supplement bottle (pumped milk) after the bath, but we have been phasing this out over the last several days. Until recently, he took a 2oz supplement bottle (pumped milk) after every feeding except his first feeding of the day. Over this past weekend, each day he only needed two 2oz supplement bottles (pumped milk) each day throughout the day. He is making great progress in getting more milk from the breast on his own. I also have more confidence since I know he is growing. There is also pressure not to use up my pumped milk in the supplement bottles knowing he needs the milk for daycare.

We had his three month photos taken yesterday evening. We went to J.C.Penny again for the $7.99 deal. We finally got a picture with a bit of a grin. Also, it’s a photo of him on his belly, which he hasn’t been agreeable to take in the past.

Leland’s likes right now are the fan, the mobile over his changing table (lots of smiles about this), bath time, his frog soothie, grasping soft items (burp cloths, etc.) and spending time outside. His dislikes are being dried off after bath time, having his finger nails cut (he used to not even notice), and his car seat. He his neutral in his opinion about tummy time, but shows little interest in rolling over. We prop his arms up and he looks around. Then he lays his head down and fusses to be picked up or rolled over. If we leave him for a bit to encourage rolling over on his own, he just lays there. His leg muscles are getting stronger. He enjoys pushing up with his legs and trying to stand.

Every day, every moment I spend with him is such a blessing. I praise God everyday for blessing us with such a miracle.

My sweet boy is such a good sleeper.

Ready for the big game!

(I can't figure out how to turn my photos?)

Good doctors are hard to find...

I have a confession. Until last week, I had not had a Pap Smear in three years. I know, it's crazy. All the exams, scans, tests, and such. Sometimes it seems like a month couldn't go by without putting my feet in stirrups, but I had avoided the Pap Smear. Well, I wasn’t really avoiding the Pap. I was avoiding the OB/GYN.

In May of 2009, I had gone for a visit to my OB/GYN to discuss my hormone replacement therapy (HRT). In March of 2009, I had made the trip to the National Institute of Health (NIH) for their Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) / Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) study. While at the NIH I had been placed on a HRT regiment. The doctor at the NIH - who had been studying POF since before I was even born - believes that his particular HRT regiment is the optimal combination for encouraging spontaneous pregnancy. He really stressed to me that if I did not get a period, I could be pregnant.

So in May of 2009, I followed up with my OB/GYN. I was concerned that the regiment was not quite right because I was not getting my period. Now, the thought of being pregnant had crossed my mind, but I was convinced it was the crazy talking. There had been plenty of other times that my mind had somehow been convinced I could be pregnant when I knew for certain I was not. When I was honest with myself, I knew it was just that my hormones need to be adjusted. Since I hadn’t had my period, my OB/GYN insisted on doing a pregnancy test. The result: POSITIVE. She did a happy dance (literally). I stared blankly at her in disbelief. She made phone calls to other OBs for advice on sustaining this pregnancy. I was still in disbelief. It was a Friday afternoon, so she scheduled a blood test for Monday morning.

I went home. In the foyer of our home, still dazed, I told my husband I was pregnant. He hugged me. All weekend, we had our little secret. We shared knowing looks. We made plans and just let the unbelievable news soak in. I consulted Dr. Goggle about the possibility of a false positive. Dr. Goggle said a false positive at the doctor’s office was practically impossible and I let myself start enjoying the wonderful news.

Monday, I had my blood test. Tuesday, I spoke with my OB/GYN office and they scheduled me for my first OB appointment on Thursday morning. Thursday morning, I sat in the OB/GYN office for the first time with all those big bellies, finally feeling like I belonged. But when I saw my doctor, she told be my blood test was NEGATIVE. She was sorry that she hadn’t had a chance to call me and that I that I had to make a trip into the office for nothing. I was ushered out the back door of the office in tears. The nurse who walked me out gave me a hug and told me to call her if I needed anything. When I called the next week for a copy of the record to take to my reproductive endocrinologist (RE), she acted like she did not know who I was or what lab record I was talking about.

I cried all summer. And my husband took the news even worse than me. My RE said that high LH levels (cause by the POF) can mimic HCG and can produce a false positive on a urine pregnancy test. So it was really was a false positive and not an early miscarriage. Still, it felt like a miscarriage. Sure, we hadn’t seen a heartbeat or felt a kick, but we’d been told  by a medical professional whom we trusted that I was pregnant. We’d begun to let ourselves dream. Making things so much harder was that was the summer that many, many of our friends became pregnant. One weekend, I found out three friends were pregnant.

I vowed to never go back to that OB/GYN. And honestly, I was scared to go see any other OB/GYN. I rationalized that Pap Semars weren’t really that important. I was not going to risk being misdiagnosed pregnant ever again. But last week, I did it. I had a Pap Smear. My high risk OB, whom I love, love, love and trust more that any doctor I have ever seen told me that I can stay on as his patient for GYN care. He will do my yearly Pap and address any GYN problems that fall outside the realm of my RE. I can finally relax, knowing that I have a competent doctor who understands all of my medical conditions. Finding a good doctor can be hard and it is such a blessing when you do.

11.5 Pounds

Leland went for his three month shots today and we had them do a weight check. He weighs 11lbs 8oz. Yea! I had been so worried that his weight has stagnated there for a bit, but he was otherwise healthy and thriving, so I went with my gut and just kept pushing forward with how he had been eating. I am in awe of how God continues to bless us with a healthy, happy, and growing baby!

12 Weeks

Wow. 12 weeks. Such a huge milestone. I went back to work this week and he started daycare. So far daycare is going well. The daycare is two blocks from my office in downtown, so I am able to go by at lunch and nurse him. His first day, at lunchtime, he seemed a bit frazzled, but calmed completely after nursing. By the end of the day he was exhausted. Today he was calm at lunch and in the afternoon I found him just chillin' in the bouncy seat just taking everything in.

I don't have an exact measurement this week, but when I weighted him a few days ago he was still hovering around 10 pounds. He really hasn't gained much weight in the last two weeks- I'm trying not to panic. He is about 23 inches long. Now that he is at daycare he is eating 14oz a day of breast milk in the bottle and nursing four additional times per day for about 40-60 minutes each. He is sleeping great at night from about 9-10 PM to 5:30 AM. Now if I could just get to bed before midnight.

Right now he loves taking a bath, eating, his frog soothie, the giraffe rattle, and swinging on the front porch swing. He hates changing clothes and his car seat. His head control is getting stronger and he is spitting up less.

Rainbow

Today was my first day back to work. Leading up to today, I kept thinking that I can’t go “back”.  You can never go back, only forward. So while I was returning to work I wasn’t “going back”. I’m now a working mother. Getting out of the office on time, if not early, has never been so important. And this can be a difficult task for an attorney. So, I’m moving forward in my new roll as working mom, as I tackle the transition of returning to work.

It was as if he knew I was going to work today. For weeks he as been sleeping until about 5 AM. This morning, he woke up at 2:45 AM to sneak in an extra feeding, allowing him to nurse twice this morning before I left. Making today easier was the fact that my husband took off work to stay home with him. Monday may be harder as he starts daycare and I have to drop him off and leave. The plan for this fall is for my husband to take off two days per week, and for me to take off a day about every other week so he is only in daycare 2-3 days per week. He will start full-time in daycare in January.

As I pulled out of the neighborhood this morning, feeling a little teary, I noticed a rainbow in the sky. Another reminder of God’s faithfulness though this whole journey. I missed him so much today and held him for hours this evening. I’m told that it gets easier with time, but the ache and longing never really goes away. Every minute I spend with him is an incredible blessing.

One final praise. Including what I am pumping right now, I have pumped exactly the same amount as he took in the bottle today. God is good!

Squeals of Delight

Leland showed off a new skill today. He is squealing when he is happy or excited. It's really very sweet, especially when paired with his adorable smile. About three week ago, we discovered he has a dimple on his left. I'm now thinking he has dimples on both sides. Now, if I could only get a picture of him smiling. Until then, I'll leave you with a serious one. He really loves his frog.

Our Journey

Here's the recap of our journey:

1999 - age 15 - diagnosed with Oophoritis (inflamed ovaries) after 18 months of no periods. Told to take BCP and see a doctor when I was ready to have kids. Is this really a diagnosis?

2001 - started dating my husband

2006 - married

2007 - age 23 - got a real diagnosis of Premature Ovarian Failure. My ovaries look like raisins. Told donor egg IVF would be our only option.

March 2009 - Traveled to the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD for Premature Ovarian Failure study. Concluded Premature Ovarian Failure was likely autoimmune. Introduced to the option of embryo adoption.

May 2009 - "diagnosed" pregnant by my GYN. One week later - negative Beta.

December 2010 - started embryo adoption process

February 2010 - accepted with the National Embryo Donation Center

September 2010 - home study complete. Matched with 5 embryos.

November 16, 2010 - FET#1. Thawed 5 embryos. 3 embryos survived and transferred.

November 26, 2010 - POAS. BFP.

November 29, 2010 - Beta 993

December 15, 2010 - First u/s. One heartbeat.

July 3, 2011 - low amniotic fluid. Leland born at 35 weeks.

September 23, 2011 - first day back at work (more on this later)

Through this crazy journey I have found strength is God, trusting in His perfect timing. I have also found strength in my amazing husband and in the incredible group of women bloggers I follow. At times when I felt my journey wasn't progressing, reading their stories kept me going. In comparison to so many my journey has been short, but it hasn't been easy. And while having my miracle baby heals many wounds, it does not make me fertile.

Finally, a few things about me. I'm an attorney - I practice juvenile law. I have three furbabies - 2 cats and a very spoiled Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Daisy). I enjoy traveling, sewing, baking, and kayaking - and any adventure with my husband by my side.

Ten Years

Ten years ago today I started dating my husband. He was 18 and I was 17. We met at a boy scout camp where I had been a camper (through a co-ed program sponsored by my local girl scout council) every summer since I was 13. We met the summer I was 16, but did not really get to know each other until the following summer. The summer I was 17, he was my camp counselor. I was smitten. I had never met anyone like him. After that week of camp I couldn't stop thinking about him. I even wrote about him in a letter to a friend that I wrote several weeks after camp.

Come September, I started working weekends at camp as a climbing and ropes course instructor. To my surprise, the first weekend I worked, there he was. When I saw him we exchanged hellos and he left. I quickly followed. That night we stayed up all night sitting on the deck talking. I had never laughed so hard with anyone, except maybe my cousin/best friend.

We stared dating. We were long distance for several years. Then for two years in college we only lived 50 miles apart. Five years ago he graduated from Georgia Tech and we got married the next day. He told me after we were engaged that when he went home after that first weekend he told his best friend that he had met the girl he was going to marry. When he married me he knew about my fertility issues, but never made an issue of it. He was always optimistic and supportive. Ten years later I can say it has been a great decade!

On the Charts

Leland had his two month appointment this past Monday. It was scheduled for last Thursday, but I did not want him to get shots a day before going out of town. This was a good call since he did run a low fever and was a tiny bit cranky for a day. Leland got his meningitis and pneumonia vaccinations. We are doing a modified / delayed schedule focusing on the most likely to contract first.

Leland had a great check-up. The best part is he is finally "on the charts" and is making great strides in growth. He weighted 9lbs 13oz and was 22.75 inches tall. His head was 15 inches. Plus it was great to report that we haven't had to supplement in over a month. Our last formula bottle was on August 12th. God has continued to bless us!

Weekend in Tennessee

This past weekend we ventured on our first road trip. We went to Tennessee for the weekend for my cousin’s wedding. We stayed on my family’s farm, where my aunt lives. Our little one did great. Although he hates his car seat and screams much of the time he is in it, he actually slept most of the way. Once coaxed to sleep, he stayed asleep. We had a short, but very nice weekend visiting with family. My parents had flown into town from Florida for the weekend and I was excited for them to visit with our little one. He was so mellow on Friday and Saturday that when he started crying on Sunday, my aunt said she was glad he could cry.

Visiting the family farm was very special. Our little one is named Leland after my granddaddy (my dad’s father) who owned the farm and built the house that is currently on the farm. My granddaddy was a great man. Unfortunately, he died before I was born. Had I been a boy (and they really though I was) I would have been named Robert Leland after my granddaddy. Interestingly, my husband is named Robert. My husband is a Jr., so my father-in-law is also Robert. Our donor father is also Robert and they have a son Robby. There are a lot of Roberts in the mix, so we decided to name our little one Leland, which is the name my granddaddy was actually known by. Even though I never knew my granddaddy, I have enjoyed stories from my dad, my aunt, and even my older sisters. I know he was a very special man. I am so thankful to my granddaddy for raising my dad. Only a remarkable man could raise a man as wonderful, kind, hard-working, and strong as my dad. I was so excited to find out we were having a boy, so we could use the name Leland.

Events like weddings and visiting with family we don’t see often make having our little one so much sweeter. These were the events in the past that made infertility sting even more. Not only does Leland bring us so much joy on his own, but he helps us find even more joy in other areas of life. This weekend I found out my younger cousin (also a Robert) and his girlfriend are unexpectedly expecting. In the past this would have been tough to hear. But now, I welcomed the news with joy and excitement. Even better, my joy for them seemed to be just what they needed. Those closer to them were focused on the unexpected aspect of the pregnancy. My focus on the joy of the pregnancy and my sharing how wonderful being a mom is with his girlfriend was wonderful for them. They really need someone to celebrate the wonderfulness of a baby even if it was unplanned.

We did have one nasty run in with one of my older cousins. She’s in her late forties and not a very pleasant person. Within minutes of seeing her (and we don’t see her but every few years and this portion of my family does not know about the embryo adoption) she asked if Leland was planned. My first though was, we’ve been married five years, and he sure wasn’t an accident. So I said yes he was planned. She then made a nasty comment that my husband and I can just plan everything; we can just have a baby anytime we want one. I was shocked. I muttered something to the effect that we had actually had a lot of difficulty having him and that it had taken some time. I then walked away to visit with other family. Some people really shock me.

On Sunday, we went to church in the very small unincorporated township where my dad and aunt grew up. It was nice to introduce Leland to members of the community who had known my granddaddy Leland. Overall it was a wonderful weekend. I hated saying bye to my parents, but they will be back to Georgia in a month for Leland’s baptism.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Me with Leland at my cousin's wedding

Our little family with my cousin

Leland with his great-aunt on the family farm

Leland with his Granddaddy on the family farm

And finally a close up of my little one in his Grandaddy's arms.

Leland at 10 weeks.

Good Day: Sleeping & Pooing

Motherhood has brought a new perspective on a good day. In all honesty, yesterday was a not so good day. He was cranky and irritable. No matter how much or how long I fed him, he still acted hungery. No matter how much I rocked him, he still cried. At one point I held him while he cried and I cried too. I love this little guy so much that I hate when we waste our precious time together on a bad day.

Today is a new day and a good day. God is so faithful and never gives us more than we can handle. After my exhausting day yesterday, God blessed me with sleep - so much sleep. My little one slept until 7:30 a.m.! Then, later this morning he pooped all on his own. Woo hoo! Pooping on his own is a huge victory since for the past two or three weeks he has only pooped every four to five days and only with the help of a suppository. I hate using the suppository and only give into it when his discomfort and gassiness get severe. Maybe suppositories can be a thing of the past. Either way, praise God for this wonderful day with my amazing little one!

Two Months

Yesterday marked two months (9 weeks today) and our little one sure is growing. He weighs 9 lbs 9 oz and is getting long. He graduated into size one diapers yesterday. The size one diapers seem so big, but the newborn diapers started to leak. We are out of all newborn clothes except pants.

He has begun smiling socially this week. We were taking pictures of him today and Robert (my husband) was shaking a rattle. Every time he would shake the rattle our little guy would start to grin. It wasn't a full on grin, but the movement towards smiling was definitely intentional and responsive to the rattle. We have also got several full on smiles this weekend.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We started the day with our weekly Saturday breakfast date. Every Saturday all three of us go out to enjoy a long and leisurely breakfast. It has really become a highlight of my week. In the afternoon we went to JC.Penny to take advantage of their $7.99 photo package. We had some sweet 2 month pictures taken. In the evening we went to our friend's house for a cookout. These are friends I have know as far back as grade school and are really more like family. All together there were four couples with a total of five children under three. It felt so nice to be a part of the "club" with our little one. I'm really looking forward to watching this bunch grow up together and hope that they are as close as we all were growing up.