Ears Pierced

I can't believe I forgot to right about a very important day in a girl's life...Taylor got her ears pierced! I took her last Thursday with my friend Marissa. Adam told me he didn't want to be there when I took her, because he couldn't stand to see her cry. Little did he know that his little girl was so strong and only cried when I had to hold her still so they could mark her ears. A look of shock came across her face when they actually pierced her ears and that was it. I was so prouf of her and I'm so glad we did it.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Yesterday was the very first day we had any sort of Fall weather. For the past three weeks, the temperatures have been 100+ and I was starting to get jealous of the weather in Houston for once. It was a gorgeous day yesterday and we spent almost the entire day outside.

Our friends picked us up and we went to the Kern County Fair for Preschool Day. It was free and all the kids were able to be up close with the animals, watch some animal races, play and run around. By the end of the day, Mason & Taylor were exhausted.

When I went to check on Taylor this is how I found her sleeping.

Have I mentioned that I love when she sucks her thumb while she sleeps?

The Turkey Races at the Fair

Mason had so much fun watching the Turkey Stampede

Braden riding the tractor

Luke on the tractor

Mason is talking so much these days. There are still moments when I have absolutely no idea what he is saying, but that is very rare. He repeats almost anything he hears and he recognizes letters. Just the other day I pointed to the letters and asked him to tell me what they were and he told me almost the entire alphabet.

I absolutely love his laugh. It's so mischievous and and contagious. He gets so proud of himself and he thinks he is so funny, and usually he is. We have a class clown on our hands. He is definitely an entertainer. Anytime he comes near Taylor and smiles her way, she is laughing and just in awe of her older brother.

Taylor is doing so well eating her solids. Right now she is eating Avocado, Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Pears, Applesauce, Banana's, and Squash. She is still nursing, but she will take a bottle, but we have only had to do that a couple of times. I was starting to worry that she would never take a bottle, but now my worry will be when I need to ween her from nursing at year. I guess I still have some time until that happens.

Last week, she started rolling all over the place. She has been able to roll either direction since she was 3 months old, but she usually just stayed in one place. Now if I set her down on the floor, she is all over the place. I'm trying to teach her to sit up on her own, but she usually just falls forward every time I try.

While Mason is in a phase where he doesn't want to take a nap at all, Taylor is napping very well in the morning and afternoon. Since Mason isn't taking naps, I usually put him and Taylor down at the same timein the evenings. All morning, he runs around and plays hard, so I have no idea why he isn't taking naps, but at least he does stay in his room the entire time and play quietly while Taylor naps.

Since the weather has been cooler, I'm sure we will be taking advantage of being outdoors a lot more in the coming weeks. October is already going to be a busy month with a birthday party, a trip to the pumpkin patch, and the Harvest Festival at church. Be sure to check back for a bunch of pics.

Flashback Fridays

This is Adam at a year old.

Flashback Fridays

From the age of 6 years old, Lauryn & I were inseparable. We did everything together. She was my very best friend. For our 10th birthdays, her mom Dru, made us these cat shirts. We loved them and wore them all the time. The summer before going into 5th grade, my family moved 20 minutes away to Katy. It would be the first time we wouldn't be in school together or live down the street from each other. I was crushed.

Lauryn was an only child and Dru was diagnosed with Lung Cancer that year. Even though we didn't live down the street from each other anymore, we made it a point to get together as much as possible. I loved her and her mom very much. Dru passed away when we were in 6th grade.

That was one of the hardest days of my life. I had lost someone I loved and my very best friend was left without a mother. Lauryn went to live with her Dad, which made it difficult to get together. We would talk on the phone, but didn't get to see much of each other. After High School, we lost touch.

A few weeks after I found out I was pregnant with Mason, I came across her profile on Myspace. I sent her a message and the next thing you know, we were on the phone talking for hours. Both of us were in tears, sharing about our lives and how much things had changed. I'm so glad we reconnected.

Lauryn & I celebrating our 10th birthdays!

Adoption PRAISE!

We found out some great news today:


Debra and I were selected as the best match for Kristofer by the Lubbock CPS staff and we have been approved to move forward with the matching process. Praise God! He is faithful! And a BIG thank you to everyone who has been praying for us.

The next step is to review Kristofer’s CPS records and it will take approximately 30 days before the records are available to review. After we have reviewed Kristofer’s records we will begin pre-placement visits so that we can all get to know each other.

After our pre-placement visits Kristofer will get to decide 1) if he wants to be adopted (he currently wants to be adopted) and 2) whether he wants Debra and I to be his adoptive parents. The boys ranch is all that Kristofer has ever known and it will be a tough decision for him to decide to leave. Second, Kristofer is only 13 years old and it will be very difficult for him to understand the lifelong implications of staying where he is versus choosing to be adopted.

We know that God can direct his heart and mind and prepare him for the transition so we are asking for your continued prayer support.

Our prayer requests at this time are:
For God to prepare all of our hearts for the pre-placement visits and provide Kristofer, Debra, and I with an strong sense of attachment
For God to provide Kristofer with the wisdom, courage, and strength to make the tough decisions he will be required to make over the next few months
For God to prepare Kristofer for the transition away from Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch
For God to continue to prepare and direct the hearts and minds of everyone involved as we continue the matching process (Debra, me, Kristofer, CPS workers, workers at our agency, foster parents, etc.)
For God to continue to equip Debra and I as we continue our journey through new and uncharted waters
Thank you for your prayers and support!
Greg & Debra

Happy Half Birthday!

Taylor,

Six months already?!?!?!? It was almost a year ago that we learned we were having a little girl and our lives have never been the same since. Honestly, I never questioned that I was having a girl. Call it mother's instinct, but I knew before we were even pregnant with you that my next child would be a girl. We always knew that we would call our first daughter Taylor Reese and my instinct seemed confirmed when I realized your due date was March 28th, the same day as my cousin, Taylor, your name sake.

The last six months have been a pure delight in my life. Not only did I have a fun and loving little boy, I now had my little girl. It didn't take long for Mason to warm up to you. Besides, he was giving you kisses long before you were born. I'm glad to see that hasn't changed at all. He adores you and I know he is going to be a great, protective, older brother. Anytime he walks by you, gives you a hug or decides to play with you, you begin to giggle. You can tell that you adore him as much as he does you.

Over the last month, you have learned to express yourself more. Whether it's you "talking" to whoever will listen, or your infectious smile, you light up the room. Anytime you get excited, you start throwing your arms around and squealing at the top of your lungs. I can only imagine what it will be like when you are a teenager.

You have definitely become a Daddy's girl over the last few months. Whenever he is home, you always want to be in his arms. Nothing makes you happier. You already have him tied around your little fingers and I don't see that ever changing. We love you baby girl and I can't wait to see what the next 6 months brings us!

Love,

Mama

Adoption Update

Email sent out by my Dad today:

Our interview went very well and Kristofer’s caseworker made very positive comments regarding Debra and I as potential adoptive parents for Kristofer. The caseworker stated that she planned to discuss our family with her supervisor and plans to contact us again in the next few days. With her supervisor’s approval she would like to have additional conversations with us regarding Kristofer’s adoption.

This type of interview is very atypical and our DePelchin representative advised us prior to the call that she did not know what to expect. At the close of the call our DePelchin representative stated that we had just completed the equivalent of a RAS session. For those who aren’t familiar with the adoption process, a RAS session is conducted between the caseworker and the adoption agency. The adoption agency uses everything they learned during the home study process to represent the family to the caseworker. We now believe that God used this atypical interview process to allow Debra and me to speak directly to Kristofer’s caseworker so that she could truly see inside our hearts. God is good and faithful!

Kristofer has spent most of his life at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch and he considers the ranch his home and it is his comfort zone. Kristofer wants to be adopted and have a forever family but he also wants to continue to go to school at the ranch. Kristofer’s caseworker and other Cal Farley personnel have told Kristofer that he cannot continue to participate in ranch programs and
activities once he is adopted.

Our prayer requests at this time are:

1.That God will continue to prepare and direct the hearts and minds of everyone involved as we continue the matching process (Debra, me, Kristofer, CPS workers, workers at our agency, foster parents, etc.).
2. That God will equip Debra and me as we continue our journey through new and uncharted waters.
3.That Debra and I will let God work and shine through us - that we won’t get in the way.
4. That God will begin to prepare Kristofer for the transition away from Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch (regardless of who adopts him).

Thank you for your prayers – they are truly making a difference!
Greg & Debra

Flashback Fridays

It's Flashback Friday and I have several pictures to choose from and don't plan on posting in any particular order. This is the only picture I have of a toothless grin. I was in 1st grade and missing my two top teeth. Happy Friday everyone!

Adoption Update

I copied the email sent out to our family by my parents:

This email is to formally bring everyone up-to-date on our adoption status since our ability to communicate was somewhat hindered over the last month or so due to a inoperative computer.
In late July Debra and I inquired about a boy named Kristofer who is in foster care in Lubbock. We have been praying earnestly, and asked many of you to pray, that God would open doors if it was His will that we begin the matching process with Kristofer. The good news is that we did receive information on Kristofer today. Praise God! Debra and I have reviewed the information provided by CPS and we still believe that Kristofer is very likely a potential match for our family.

We notified our agency that we desire to continue to the next step in determining if Kristofer is a match for our family. We are so excited that God has opened this door and we ask for your continued prayer support. We specifically need prayer in the following areas:

1. That Debra and I will be patient with the process and wait upon God’s timing.

2. That God will prepare and direct the hearts and minds of everyone involved as we continue the matching process (Debra, me, Kristofer, CPS workers, workers at our agency, foster parents, etc.).

3. That God will equip Debra and I as we continue our journey through new and uncharted (at least for us) waters.

4. For God’s protective covering over Debra and I as we serve Him and follow His call upon our lives.

Thank you so much for your prayers and ongoing support!
Greg and Debra

Labor Day Weekend

It's it just our luck that when we have a long weekend, everyone is sick but Mason. We didn't really have too much planned this weekend, besides hanging out with friends and watching college football, which we were able to do, but the last thing I wanted was for any of us to get sick. Adam travels so much these days, that anytime extra time we get with him, we cherish.

Thursday evening, I went to check on Taylor while she was sleeping noticed she felt warm. I took her temperature and she had a fever. I gave her some Tylenol and chalked it up to teething because she had her fingers in her mouth all day and didn't have much of an appetite. Since this was her first fever, I was a little worried and didn't sleep well . I checked on her throughout the night.

Friday she woke up and wasn't necessarily her normal self, but acted okay for the most part. I really though it was teething when she refused to eat any of the baby food I made her. She would tighten her lips and act like she was in pain anytime I tried to feed her. At least she nursed well all day. That evening her temperature reappeared, so we cancelled our plans to go to one of the local high school football games. Later that night, her fever broke and never came back.

Saturday she was cranky all day. She had her hands in her mouth constantly. You can see two teeth buds under her gums, but still no luck. We went over to our friends Rachel & Kirk's house to hang out and watch college football. Taylor just wanted to cuddle all evening and by bed time, she was done. That night she cried all thru the night, waking up screaming at times. I didn't know what else to do.

I told Adam that I wondered if she had an ear infection. The only time Mason didn't sleep well at night was when he had his ear infections and although she wasn't pulling at her ears, I wondered if her temperature was part of it. We decided that if she still wasn't feeling well by Tuesday, we would take her to the doctor.

Sunday morning, we stayed home from church. It was a really rough night for me and I asked Adam to stay home too, so I could get some extra sleep. It's a good thing, because we both came down with a stomach bug. What are the odds that both of us are sick at the same time? Poor Mason didn't have a very fun weekend hanging around the house, but he was such a champ and didn't complain one bit.

Taylor didn't sleep well again last night and when I went to take her out of her sleeper this morning, I noticed she had a rash all over her stomach and back. I really began to worry at this point. She just had her vaccinations, but I thought too much time had passed for her to have an allergic reaction now.

I called her doctor's office to talk to the doctor on call. He suggested I take her to the PediCenter, which is just like an Urgent Care office, but just for children. With it being a holiday weekend and with doctor's office's closed today, the place was packed. We waited for 2 hours before we had a chance to see the only doctor working today.

I explained how I first thought teething and then how I thought she had an ear infection due to the temperature and how I now had no clue what to think with this rash. He was so sweet and explained that she has the Roseola Virus. It occurs in children 6 months - 3 years of age and starts out with a high temperature for a couple days, showing no other symptoms at all. In severe cases, infants can have seizures due to the high temperatures. A couple days after the temperature goes away, a rash appears starting on the trunk of the body and can spread to the legs, arms, and head. It's contagious, but there is not treatment except for Tylenol to keep the fever down. She should be back to normal in a couple of days.

Adam & I are feeling better today. It was a rough night, but we were able to eat today and not feel sick. We are cleaning like crazy and hoping Mason doesn't get sick. I start potty training this week and the only thing that will post pone it if he comes down sick. I did snap a few pictures Saturday before we headed over to our friends house. Mason wasn't in the mood to take pictures, but we did at least get one of him.

Wearing our team shirts

Adam with his little girl

Mason wasn't interested at looking at the camera

With my precious baby girl

Flashback Fridays

The other day I was thumbing thru some old pictures I have and decided this would make for a fun, yet embarrassing weekly post. If you can't laugh at yourself, who else can you laugh at. So every Friday, I will post a photo from back in the day. Happy Friday everyone!

May 1994 - About to leave for my 8th grade dance. I loved this dress and still have it. My mom & I found the pattern and she sewed it for me. I helped a little, but my sewing skills weren't polished at that time. Well I don't think they are polished yet, but I will get there.

Is that a spoon?

I was eating my Boston Cream Pie Yoplait Yogurt the other day and Mason really wanted his own. He hasn't always been that great at using his fork or spoon. He atleast tries, but for the longest time, if it wasn't working for him, he would hold the utensil in one hand and then use the other one to eat his food. He has gotten a lot better at using his utensil's and about 75% of the food ends up in his mouth. The other 25% gets on him, the chair, table, or the floor. Have I mentioned that Mason doesn't like messes? Every time he got Yogurt on him, or the table, he tried to clean it up...with his messy hands of course.

Mason was not happy that I was taking a picture instead of cleaning up his mess.

4 month & 2 year Stats

Yesterday I took Taylor in for her 4 month checkup and Mason for his 2 yr. check up. It has been a little delayed due to us being out of town the entire month of July, and then our doctor was out of town, and then I had to reschedule because Adam was out of town and then again because they forgot that our main doctor had hospital rounds that morning. I wanted to make sure Adam would be there for moral support. I have taken them both to the doctor at the same time before, but it was always just for Taylor's checkups.

Unfortunately, Adam had a last minute change in his work plans and had to leave town early and wouldn't be able to make the appointment. I wasn't about to reschedule again, considering Taylor will be 6 months old in a few weeks and we have been waiting for a long time to get in. I knew I would be okay, but I was very nervous to say the least.

Tuesday morning, I loaded the kids up bright and early and headed out the door for their 8:15am appointment. Our main pediatrician was on rounds and there were issues with the scheduling, so we saw one of his new partners, Dr. Self. She was really nice, but seemed a bit distracted by Mason's dancing, reading, or talking.I guess she didn't expect a 2 year old to have that much energy early in the morning.

He was having a good time until he had to lay down to have his ears checked out. Since he had so many ear infections as an infant, he never likes to lay down for the doctor to look at his ears, it scares him. So there were a few tears at that point. Taylor was a happy baby as well. She laughed and smiled and flirted with anyone that looked at her.

When it came time for their shots, I gave Mason a sucker ahead of time. He seemed distracted by it, so that was good. He only had to have one shot and a finger pric for the iron blood test. He did cry, but it wasn't long at all and he was back to smiling once it was Taylor's turn for her shots. She had one oral vaccine and three shots in her leg. Poor girl cried and cried, all the way to the car. She was so upset about it, but I'm sure it was a combination of being ready for her morning nap.

Mason at 2 yrs.
Weight: 30 lbs. (75th percentile)
Height: 38 in. (100th percentile)
Head: 49 cm. (50th percentile)

Taylor at 4 months (really 5.5 months)
Weight: 17 lbs. 2oz. (95th percentile)
Height: 26.5 in. (95th percentile)
Head: 40 cm. (25th percentile)