Sometimes I just don't understand the ways of this world. How there can be so much joy and so much pain surrounding God's beloved children all at the same time. Today, I have the priviledge of celebrating the birth of two new, healthy, baby boys. One, our nephew Luke, and the other our friend and playmate William. What a joy and blessing to welcome new life!
Also today, I was sorrowed to hear the news from a friend that she lost her much desired baby in a miscarriage. The second good friend just this month who has suffered this loss. Seems unfair. They prayed, they asked, they recieved... but then they were denied. Why? The Lord knows, I only wish I had the forsight to see reason in life lost.
This week I got to chat with two other Godly women, our close friends, both seeking fertility treatments after trying to concieve for years on their own without success. So much disappointment, so hard to keep hoping.
Then I look down in my own little family and thank God over and over again. We were so easily given one perfect gift from God, Piper, and now another healthy pregnancy that will bless me once again with a beautiful daughter sometime in the next two weeks. I know didn't do anything to deserve these blessings, and that in God's time we are sure to see our share of sorrows.
On days like this, I just have to remember: The Lord knows our hearts, has a plan for our lives, will deliver us from the sorrow of this world, and we will spend eternity rejoicing in His goodness.

Well, I am officially the worst ever at keeping up with the blog. Although I think often about things that I really want to write about... time gets away with me. Now, I am stuck between wanting to write the millions things swimming in my head and not wanting to write a way-too-long-and-boring post. So, for the family and friends far away, I will just do a quick update on Piper and all her new tricks, and save more stories for another day:
My Piper girl is growing much too fast for her mommy! She is 20 months old now, and is growing mostly up. Her legs, arms, and tummy get skinnier all the time as her whole body gets longer and longer. She is built like her daddy, long and lean. Her hair falls just below shoulder length and I have absolutely no desire to cut it. It curls when it is damp and fits beautifully into several new styles, including her favorite: pigtails :)

Piper's brain is growing bigger too! She is learning SO much, SO fast! She can name/identify all 26 letters of the alphabet, can count to 15, knows all her colors, knows 8 shapes, is speaking in full sentences, and will respond to questions and instructions conversationally. She has whole books memorized and she will sit and "read" them aloud. She will request her favorite songs in the car and sing or dance along. Her favorite things to do are: reading, puzzles and toys, swimming, going outside for walks, drinking milkshakes, and what she calls "getting busy" which is toddlerease for "dance around the room and spin in circles until you fall on the floor, laugh, then do it again."

My days with her are more and more fun all the time. She is my little pal, and I love the interactions that we have. It is so entertaining being around her! I am mostly over the "desperate to talk to another adult before I go crazy" feeling I had when she was a baby. Rather, I feel desperate to write down or video every cute and comical thing that she does all day and save it for when she is all grown up and I miss her toddler-self and the amazing days that we spend together. This child is a blessing that I never take for granted, and I am SO thankful for the gift that is to help raise her. I know that this time is going to pass in the blink of an eye, and I am doing my best to absorb every second that I get with my girl while she is a toddler, and is still wholly mine.

Piper is 15 months old now!! I know I say this every time, but this is my favorite age so far. She is learning SO much! Everyday there are new words said and new goals accomplished. Piper knows over 50 words, and that number is increasing every second :) It has also been so much fun to see her personality developing more and more. She is starting to pick favorite things that she likes better than anything. It is so cute to see all that she comes up with! Some of her current favorites:
1. Elmo: She wakes up singing "na na na, Elmo!" She LOVES seeing him on everything when we go to the store, and of course, she loves watching him on Sesame Street.
2. Spiders: I don't know how that happened, but she loves those little creepy crawlies. She asks always to hear "Itsy Bitsy Spider" in the car and will stop even the most outrageous fit if we start singing it.
3. Cookies, Crackers, Peas, Bananas, Cheese, and Raisins: If she could, this is all she would ever eat. It is fun to see her run to her high chair screaming "cacka" (cracker) or "geeez" (cheese).
4. Shoes, hats, scarves: She loves them! I heard that most kids won't keep a hat on for long, but this kid will go to her drawer, pull out her own hat and scarf, and put them on correctly all by herself. Then she will wear them all day, even when it is 70 degrees outside. So silly :)

Just thought I'd share a little bit about my precious baby girl and how she is growing into a big kid more and more every day!

We have been so fortunate this season to have avoided all of the germs that have been going around and to have a healthy family. As I was thinking that cold/flu season is just about over, the tables turned and my sweet Piper got caught in the onslaught of everything yucky that cold and flu season has to offer. It started to hit her on Wednesday night, and has progressively gotten worse. It is now Sunday and she is one sick little girl: nose dripping like a faucet, coughing so hard she gags and vomits, has a slight fever (99-100), and has lost her appetite all together. We stayed home from church today. She and I snuggled and watched a Praise Baby DVD, took a long steamy bath/shower, and then went out to Target to see what we could find to help bust this cold.
In addition to the Vick's Baby Rub, Saline Spray, nasal aspirator, Lithy Tree and Briar Rose, Hyland's C Plus Cold tablets, and humidifier that we have already been using, I also bought: 3 kinds of aromatherapy bubble baths (eucalyptus, lavender, and rosemary), a Vick's Plug-In Waterless Vaporizer, Natural Baby Cough Soother (basically honey and water), Apple Juice, and a whole bunch of Happy Baby food pouches (which she usually only gets on special outings, but LOVES them. At this point, if I can get her to eat anything at all I'll be happy, even if I have to pay a fortune for them!).
It is so hard to see my daughter hurting, I would do anything to take away this cold and suffer myself in her place. I know it is good for her immune system in the long run to get sick young, but it sure breaks a mommy's heart. Fortunately, I have not been feeling the slightest bit sick. I don't know if it is my killer preggo immune system or just these super prenatal vitamins, but it is a blessing I am thankful for. It is much easier to care for a sick baby when I feel just fine. Here's to hoping she feels better very soon!!! We'll keep you posted.

Yep, that's right, we are going to have another blessing join our family circa August 26th! Piper is going to be an awesome big sister, and Brian and I are very much looking forward to having another child to love as much as we love Piper. So far we have had the opportunity to see our little person 3 times (sonograms). Praise the Lord that everything is going well so far! Baby and I are both healthy and happy. Can't wait to find out if baby is a he or a she, but we won't know for at least a few more months.
We did find a new doctor in our area who will take on a VBAC, and he has been very supportive. We are hoping that a VBAC will work out for us this time but we are open to the idea of a C-Section again too, if that is what is safest for baby and I when we get down to it. We'll keep the posts coming as we get closer to the due date. For now, we are going to enjoy the relative peace that is our single child home.

Here is a picture of our 9 week sonogram:


And here is one of our 12 week sonogram:

Sorry it has been so long, I have not been very good with sticking to the blog updates. But here we are, a new year, and a new opportunity! 2010 ended on some high notes: Piper turned one, we had a very busy (and very fun!) Christmas Season, and we all took a trip to CA to see my family. I could probably write 3 long posts about all 3 of these events, but I'll keep it simple:
1. Piper's Birthday: Can't believe the year went by so fast! My tiny baby is no longer a baby, but a big walking, talking, toddler. Seeing her grow and learn has been the most fun and rewarding thing in life. She just gets more fun every day. I am cherishing the moments of her fading babyhood, but also looking forward to the exicing future that awaits us in her.

2. Christmas: Now that Piper is walking, we were able to go out and do a whole lot more Christmas activities! We went to see Santa and a few different mall's, all of which she screamed and cried about. We got to walk through Frisco Fire Safety Town to see the lights and the play the games that they had there for the kids, we got to attend Christmas parties, shows, and fun activities with our church. And, we got to open up all the presents from Santa on Christmas morning. It was a very special time of year.

3. California Trip: We flew into CA super duper late on Wednesday night and we had to leave super duper early on Sunday morning, so we got to spend 3 full days with friends and family. Piper got to play with her friend Caleb Christy, see the view from the top of Mt. Diablo with Auntie Grace and Uncle Mike, go for a walk and play on the playground with her Great Grandma, visit the Lawrence Hall of Science with Grandma and Julie, and spend LOTS of time being the center of attention visiting with all of her CA friends and famiy. It was a great trip!! Can't wait to go back and stay a little longer this summer.

Okay, SO many people have been asking me about the cloth diaper system that we use that I have decided to show you some more details. Here we go:

1. It all starts with the shell or cover. This one happens to be bubblegum pink, but they come in all different colors and patterns. It is a PUL waterproof outer layer and lined with microfleece. We got the aplix (velcro) tab closures, but some come with snaps. This is the part that is adjustable. There are little elastic drawstring thingies on the inside of the layers that you can easily adjust to fit babies 5 to 35lbs. So far, we have had a very easy time finding the perfect fit for bug.



2. Next, snap in the absorbant insert. This one is micro-fleece on the top with 2 layers of terry cloth underneath. It keeps the bum feeling dry by wicking moisture away from the skin. It is extra long so that we can fold it over one time in front for a little added protection where it is needed most.



3. Then I put in a flushable liner. This is almost just like tissue paper. It allows all the wet to pass right through, but holds onto the solids. That way I am able to flush the whole thing with the poop inside. No poop goes into a stinky diaper pail and no poop goes into my wash machine. That is nice :)


4. Then just put it on just like a disposable. Easy! When it is time for a new one, unsnap the wet insert and toss into a wash bag or diaper pail, and snap in a new dry insert into the same liner. It can be used all day!