Happy Birthday, Nick

Today was Nick's 29th birthday!! Boy is he getting old! Just kidding...he's a great age right now (older than me!)

He got to spend his day working, and right now it is crazy busy and stressful at work. He has had half his staff turn in their notices and another one who may be put on disability. So, he is interviewing for the Wasilla branch this week, driving to Soldotna tomorrow (he went twice last week), and will drive to Fairbanks to interview next week.

On top of all that, physical inventory is only a few weeks away, and with no staff, he will have to personally be at each branch for the process. Today he was booked on a flight to and from Fairbanks on the 21st of Sept. so he can do inventory there, and then he will have to make sure Anchorage and Wasilla are done on the 22nd. To top it all off, the branch manager will be out of town during that time! I can't wait for new staff to arrive and for September to leave...Nick needs a little less stress.

At home, all we did to celebrate was make a cake for him and cover it...literally, with all the candles we could scrounge up. We did manage to get all 29 candles, though! Nick had to get Joey to help him blow them all out!

Doesn't it look like there is hardly any cake showing through all those candles?!
I had to stand by with the fire extinguisher and the towel to fan the overly sensitive smoke detector!
This picture wasn't taken today, but I thought they looked so cute, like they were having so much fun being brothers I just had to show it off.

Thank You, Lord, for the wonderful husband I have in Nick. I praise You for his strong work ethic and immense desire to take care of his family. I praise You for his tender heart for his sons. I ask that You bless him this year with a fulfillment of his greatest desires. Thank You for loving me enough to send him to me.

One Year Anniversary

Today is my one year anniversary.....of being in Alaska. I never really thought about how I would feel about today, but I did much better than I figured I would have. It was just like any other day. I can tell how far I have come in dealing with the fact that I am severed from being close to my family. I am more resigned to the fact that this is where we are...I can't change it just because I don't like being far away. I'm not saying that I have a great attitude about it yet; I still dislike Alaska with a passion, and when we finally do move, I will be able to with great joy...never looking back. The one thing I will miss (at least at this point) will be the church. Although, since I still don't have any close friends from the church, it won't be too hard to leave. The worst part about moving would be to try and find a new church that I enjoy as much.

I can tell a difference in the tone of my posts from now and when I first started the blog. (Again, there is more resignation in the current posts than before.) One day, when God wills it, we will move out of this awful state and be closer (hopefully MUCH closer) to home and family. But until then, I will put up with being here.

The boys are doing well. Every once in awhile, Joey will say, "You are my best friend." or "You make my heart happy." I love to hear him say such things. Granted, half the time he says it when he wants something...but the other half he just says it out of the blue. Baby Nick still isn't talking, but he is getting more communicative by pointing and grunting at what he wants. I also sign the "I love you" sign to the boys all the time, and Baby Nick will "sign" it back to me. He holds his hand straight out with all fingers up (instead of lowering the middle two fingers) but I don't really expect that he would be able to at this age. But I still know that he is trying to respond to me in kind.

Well, I am on strict orders from my Mom to get more sleep...so I will sign off for the night. Be blessed.

I've Got A Job

It was a total God thing. I had placed an ad on Craigslist to provide daycare, as it has become increasingly important for me to bring in some income. With the cost of daycare up here, if I were to get a full time job out of the house, I would pretty much be working only to pay the day care bill....which would make no sense at all. Not to mention the fact that each time I thought of leaving my kids in day care, I would get physically ill and panicked...to the point that I am sure that I would completely die inside and there would be nothing left of myself.

So I decided to put the ad on Craigslist and pray that God would allow the right person to see the ad and respond to it. Four days later, I finally got a response to the ad and called to set an appointment when we could meet. The parents need care for a 14 month old son, Dakota, and are looking to start right after Labor Day. So Chris (the mom) came over with Dakota on Saturday and we sat and talked while the kids played together. She, too, had been praying that God would bring the right daycare provider along, as Dakota has been cared for by friends up till now, but that friend homeschools her own children and has found that, at this age, Dakota is a little more distracting. Chris was getting to the point that she was afraid she would have to put her son in a center, something she was dreading, when she saw and responded to my ad, albeit a bit nervously. They are a very strong Christian family, she the drama director at her church, and she was so pleased to be able to leave her son in the care of another Christian family. By the time she left, she gave me a hug good-bye and was looking forward to bringing her son here.

Praise be to God. I will be able to make a little money and still stay home with my boys.

Doctor's Appointment

Baby Nick had his one year check up with the doctor today. Our doctor is back from maternity leave, but wasn't available until after the first of next month, so we saw yet another doctor today. Dr. Jones was very nice and she thought that Baby Nick was doing good. She got to see Baby Nick take three steps towards me and she said, "Oh yeah, I'd call that walking. He's a walking baby."

As far as growth, Nick has dropped a lot in the weight percentile. He is now only in the 10th percentile for weight, but for his height he is fine. Also, when the doctor came in, she said, "He's not skinny at all...I thought he would be by the chart, but he looks good. He must just be burning all those calories by being active." I asked her how much I should let him eat, as he seems to want to eat all day. After seeing him, she said that he is probably just asking for what he needs and that I shouldn't worry about over feeding him at this point. (For a one year old to be able to eat a whole sandwich is pretty amazing in my opinion...but I don't want starve him just as I don't want to over feed him.) So I was relieved to hear that I wasn't over feeding him, and that he is using what he eats.

So the growth chart breaks down this way (including a comparison of Joey's growth at this age):
Nick: 20 pounds (10%) 30.5 inches (70%) and head circumference 47.25 centimeters (70%)
Joey: 23 lbs 13 oz 30 inches and head circumference 48.5 centimeters.

So they are actually evening out in their size comparison, a bit.

Dr. Jones said that she was not too concerned with the fact that Baby Nick is still not saying much (they look for three words by 12 months) because he shows that he clearly understands what is being said and reacts accordingly. He shows great social interaction. However, she did say that they would like to see him again at 15 months because he is on the low end of the scale for weight, and that he would go into a speech program at 15 months if he isn't saying anything. So that is something we will be watching and praying about.

Baby Nick got three more shots today, which he wasn't too pleased with, but he did fine. Joey had his ears plugged because he didn't want to hear Baby Nick get upset. Joey is very sensitive, and when he sees Baby Nick do something that he shouldn't, he plugs his ears because he knows that I am going to scold Nick and talk firmly.

Nick is laying down for a nap after his traumatic end to the appointment (getting shots) so Joey and I are going to play a game. Have a great day.

Walking Update

Baby Nick is venturing more into the world of walking. Today, he was standing up holding on to the card table leg and chose to let go and take one step toward me. That was very impressive, as he hasn't instigated walking on his own yet.

Then, when Nick got home from fishing, we had Baby Nick walk between us. Up to this point, the most steps he's taken in a row is two. Today, he walked up to a total of seven steps! It shouldn't be too much longer before he figures he can do it all on his own whenever he wants. I must say that I am surprised that he is waiting this long....although I don't mind one bit. Once Baby Nick starts walking all the time, it won't be long before the kids figure out that I can only chase one of them at a time if they go in opposite directions!

Joey has been saying that I am his best friend lately. It's so sweet to hear, but I don't put much stock in it. He also says that I make him sick! Somehow, I take that one much more personally.

Well, there's not much more to say. Hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Quick Update

On Monday, Baby Nick cut his eighth tooth....the lower tooth to the left of his middle. Now finally, his top and bottom gums will look balanced! Then on Tuesday evening, he took two steps! Twice in a row!! However, he has not chosen to repeat it.....but at least its a "step" in the right direction. (Ha ha ha) [I'm such a dork!]



I also realized I never put my comparison pictures of the boys at 1 year old up...so although you have seen the pictures of Baby Nick already, I will show them again so you can see them next to pictures of Joey at the same age.

Baby Nick at 1 year old

Bubba at 1 year old

Baby Nick's cake eating technique (most unusual.)

Bubba's cake eating technique (much more common!)

Cake Picuters!

These pictures pretty much speak for themselves.

This is the sad birthday cake with which Baby Nick had to suffer. I am NOT a cake decorator by any stretch of the imagination...but I couldn't bare to have a plain white frosted cake, having no identifying marks as being for a 1st birthday. (I even attempted to draw a little "Bug")
Here he is gripping the entire piece with both hands. You can also get a feel for how big the piece was, for such a young child.
This is where he stuffed it in his mouth and proceeded to, quite literally, suck it down!
You can clearly see the intensity of quest for quick and total consumption of the cake.
Here is that cheesy smile again, complete with the allusion to the fact that he is currently in the process of sucking off all frosting from his forearm!

More Birthday Pictures

Look how eagerly he tears into Grandma Mary's gift!
This is one of the shirts from Grandma Mary. I think red is a very good color on him.
Baby Nick really enjoys his ride-on toy from Nanny and Papa Buddy. His legs are just short of reaching the floor to be able to push himself along, however, he gladly walks behind it. You can't see from the picture, but the front propeller actually spins and lights up (along with the airplane playing music) with different buttons pushed.
I know it may appear that Joey is planning on clobbering Baby Nick over the head with the baseball bat, however, he simply had it in his head when I asked to have him get in the picture.
As I told Nanny when she was here and had picked out the airplane as a gift, Joey clearly enjoys it (even though it is to Baby Nick that it was given!)

Nick's Birthday Pictures

Here he is...the birthday boy!!! It's still hard to believe he's one year old already.
This picture cracks me up! This is my son, smiling in the cheesiest, eye-squinting way I have EVER seen. He has been doing this a lot lately. In some pictures, it may appear that he is upset, however, I assure you, he is just a cheese ball!
Look at him clap in anticipation of opening gifts! Do you see the look on his face? Is he old enough to understand what 'gifts' are?
As I read the cards, Baby Nick tore into the packages. Typical.
I'm sure you can see how cute Baby Nick will be in the outfit from Josh and Stacei. Even he knows he's adorable...at least according to that cheesy smile again.

First, Some Silly Pictures

First I just wanted to put some silly pictures of Bubba. He's always so entertaining. The first two pictures are of him with he head wrapped in an Ace Bandage. He, clearly, is a head case! He is just too cute.

For this third picture, you may see a boy in overalls that are just a bit too short for him. However, these overalls are a size 12mos and are Baby Nick's! After having Nick wear them for the first time, Joey decided he wanted to wear them too; and to our astonishment, they kind of fit. Not in the way that we would actually let him out in public wearing them, but he could actually get into them and out of them without destroying them!

Look at all that hair! He is in serious need of a haircut. Thankfully, we were able to get his hair cut the next day....but my goodness! Please don't think that this was what he looked like all the time...this particular style was Daddy's doing.

Baby Nick Is One!!

It finally happened....his birthday arrived and it has been one year since I gave birth to him. It never seems to take an actual year for the birthday to arrive.

We had a very quiet day; the boys and I went to church and had a very nice time there. Upon arriving at home, I put Baby Nick down for a nap; and he slept for the next two hours. Bubba also took a fairly long nap after eating lunch, giving me an opportunity to put together one of Baby Nick's presents and baking the cake. I didn't know what kind of canned frosting I wanted (since none of them are really all that great) but I decided on a Whipped Cream flavored frosting, thinking that it would be lighter than some of the others. I knew that it couldn't be real whipped cream, but I thought it would at least resemble whipped cream. Instead, it was more like marshmallow cream! Not the great success I was hoping for. However, that did not stop Baby Nick from devouring it.

I could not stop laughing while watching Baby Nick eat his cake. I could hardly hold the camera still enough to take a picture! I have never seen a kid eat his cake like Nick did. Usually, a child might poke at the cake before deciding that it was okay to pat at it until it was a pile of crumbs, and then spend the remainder of the time trying to pick up the crumbs or just liking them off his hands. Not Nick, however. Nick goes straight for it, picking it up with both hands....whole! Of course, he wasn't anticipating the texture of the frosting, so he withdrew his hands quickly until he had sucked all the frosting off his hands. I wish you could have heard the slurping noises coming from this kid! As soon as his hands were sufficiently cleaned, he went back for the cake with both hands, shoving as much of the whole piece in his mouth as possible, then proceeded to suck it in as you would an unending spaghetti noodle, until the whole piece was finished! He was done in under five minutes! Then he spent the rest of the time licking the leftover crumbs and frosting off his hands and arms.

As for the unwrapping the presents, he actually did really well for his age and kept his attention better than I anticipated. We want to send out thank-yous to Nanny and Papa Buddy for the Pooh Airplane Ride-On, to Uncle Josh and Aunt Stacei for the very nice warm outfit (he will look so cute in it) and to Grandma Mary for the book and the shirts and pajamas.

I will spend the next bit of time posting pictures...but I won't spend as much time writing much as I have written just about everything here.

Love and miss every single one of you.

Getting Closer

It is getting ever so close to Baby Nick's birthday. Not that there will be much to do. Since it will be just the four of us, we can hardly call it a party. I will bake a cake out of a box and slap some canned frosting on it and call it a birthday cake.

With his birthday fast approaching, it also means that our one year anniversary of arriving in Alaska is coming up fast too. That is not the happiest thing to think about. I try not to think of it too often, because even though a year has gone by, the emotions attached to the day I left (and the scattered good-byes I had to say over the last two weeks at home) are still so strong. I am reduced to tears whenever I remember that time....so I try to avoid thinking of it. However, with the year mark coming up soon, I have thought of it more often than I'd like, lately. Which also means that winter is not too far away as well....and that is almost as bad as leaving home.

Baby Nick cut another tooth yesterday, the one directly next to his lower right front tooth. So far he has seven teeth! He has also been weaned off formula and is close to being weaned off a bottle. I usually only give him a bottle in the morning and before bed. Last night, though, I didn't give him one before bed and he did just fine. Hopefully, the rest of the transition will go as well. He continues to show off his new skill of standing on his own. Joey was sitting on his bucket of blocks the other day when Nick stood up and threw himself into Joey's arms. Unfortunately, Joey wasn't expecting it, nor does he have enough weight to counter the action, and they both went tumbling to the floor, bumping their heads.

Well, I don't have too much to report right now, so I will let you get on with your day and check in later. Have a blessed day!

One Week To Go

Is it possible? Can Baby Nick be only one week away from turning one? Time passes so quickly when you watch your children grow up.

Last Thursday, Baby Nick started experimenting with standing on his own. He has got very good balance! I am trying to encourage him to take a step towards me, but so far he just gets a delighted expression on his face, throws his hands high in the air, and dives for me...trusting, of course, that I will catch him. Then when he is safe in my arms, he will bend over and touch his head to the floor in hopes that I will hang him upside down. Then we do it all over again...and again...and again...and again...and you get the picture. However, I don't think it will be too much longer before he decides to take a couple steps. Occasionally, he will take a half step before diving into my arms, so at least we are on the right track!

I don't have much to say now...there is not much going on around here. We enjoy going to the library...at least Joey and I go sometimes. And if I am lucky, I get to go by myself and get armfuls of kids books to bring home and read to them. Joey loves to read, and Baby Nick loves to "read" by the sensation of how the book feels in his mouth. Since Nick was out of town last week, he drove the work van home, so we will pick him up after work tomorrow. I am hoping that we will be able to make a family trip to the library on the way home. I have finished with the series I was reading and need to find new books to read. Plus, Joey could use some new books as well...I can only stand to read the same books to him ten times, or more if he insists. So the more often we get to get new books, the better for me!