Jacob's 2 month update

Jacob turned 2 months old on May 27th, and today we went for his check up.

His stats were:
Length--23.5 inches (68th percentile)
Weight--13 pounds 5 ounces (82nd percentile)
Head circumference--16 inches  (82nd percentile)

For comparison purposes, Quinn was only 12 pounds 8 ounces, but was over 24 inches long at his 2 month checkup. 

Not much has changed in the "milestone" department yet, although he has more head/neck control now; less of that "wobble head" baby issue!!  One thing he has learned to do is sit up in his Bumpo chair and share those precious, gummy grins!

While he may look very similar to his brother, Jacob is definitely his own person, complete with his own personality, quirks, etc.  He's a little more fussy than Quinn, who was content to just chill out where ever he was. Jacob tends to let you know "vocally" how he is feeling, especially when he needs milk or a new diaper!  Sometimes he even has his afternoon grumpus, where he just whines or scrunches around for seemingly no reason. I wouldn't say he's colicky, since these grump sessions happen at different times of the day, and not for long periods of time.  But when he gives smiles at me, it just melts my heart!

Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

I've read on several websites about how easy it is to make homemade foaming hand soap.  Since I   had an empty hand soap container, I decided to try it and see for myself. And it was SO EASY!! 

And I took pictures so you can see how easy it is too.

Items you need:
Empty Foaming Hand Soap container
A bottle of body wash (I used the liquid kind, not the creamy kind)
Warm water

First add about a half inch or so of the body wash to the pump container.

Then add warm water until almost to the top. Some suds will form!

After you add the warm water, swish the liquid around in the container for a few seconds so the soap will begin to dissolve.

Finally, add the pump to the container and there you go! Foaming Hand Soap.

This would be a great way to use up a bottle of body wash with just a little left over, or a way to use a scent that you aren't that crazy about.  I may never buy foaming hand soap again!!

Quinn's K-3 Awards

Quinn received several awards for his K-3 school year.

A preschool "diploma" and perfect attendance!  I am so thankful that Quinn was not sick at all this school year and was able to attend every day...even when I was in the hospital having Jacob, my parents made sure he went to school on Tuesday and Thursday!

Good conduct and Bible Verse awards

I am so proud that Quinn memorized 15 Bible verses this year. And I forget that for half the year he was only 3 years old!  I want to always remember the verses that were first in his life, so for my own memory, I'm writing them all down....

Genesis 1:1--"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."   (August verse)

John 1:3---"All things were made by Him."  (September verse)

Psalm 139:14---"I am fearfully and wonderfully made."  (September verse)

Psalm 18:30---"As for God, His way is perfect."  (October verse)

Psalm 23:1---"The Lord is my Shepherd."  (October verse)

Phillipians 4:19---"My God shall supply all you need."  (November verse)

Genesis 26:24---"Fear not, for I am with thee."  (November verse)

John 3:16--"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."  (December verse)

Psalm 106:1--"O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good."  (January verse)

Luke 11:28---"Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it."  (February verse)

James 1:17---"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. (February verse)

I John 3:23---"Love one another."  (March verse)

Matthew 8:27---"Even the winds and seas obey Him."  (March verse)

Matthew 28:20---"Lo, I am with you always." (April verse)

Psalm 56:3---"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee."   (April verse)





And finally, Quinn received his 2nd report card.

Once again, he got all "G"s for good progress, except for those dreaded scissors.  I guess we will be cutting things this summer....if only he was big enough to cut the grass! Ha ha.

I am so proud of the progress Quinn made this year. He started out as a cute little toddler boy and has really shown maturity this year. He's still all boy, but his vocabulary has increased and you can even have a conversation with him now. He has developed a sense of humor and can tell you why something is funny.  I am so proud of my son!

K-3 ShowOff Night

Quinn's first year of preschool has ended, but not before he and his classmates had a chance to show off all that they had learned this year.

(I apologize in advance for the horrible condition of these pictures. My camera made everything look orange, Buddy's iPhone gets grainy when you zoom in too much....but it's better than nothing!)  I really need someone to help me take better pictures inside our church...anybody out there have any ideas of what I'm doing wrong??

Back to Quinn's night.

Quinn was allowed to hold the flag during the start of the program! All the children from each of the 3 classes were on stage together and recited The Pledge Of Allegiance and sang "My Country Tis of Thee."

After that, the other two classes left the stage and Quinn's class did their show.  They counted to 50, sang several songs and said little rhymes and poems that were part of their morning routine. The other two classes had similar programs.

Quinn really enjoyed "school" this year. Every morning when I would wake him up, he asked "Mommy, do I have school today?"...even on the weekends! He always wanted to know if it was a "Mrs. James" day.  Mrs. James is his K-3 teacher and hopefully he will have her in the fall for K-4. She's been teaching preschool for the past 24 years and she does an amazing job.  Quinn has truly loved being in her class and he has learned so much. Many times he would come home from school telling me some kind of story or something I had never heard him say.  I would ask him "Quinn, who told you that" and he would quickly reply "Mrs. James did!"

Thank you Mrs. James for loving my son and teaching him so many things!  He has learned and grown so much this year and I know it is because of you!

And to quote Quinn's last song of the evening....

"This is my special day, special day, special day. This is my special day....I'm moving up to K-4!"

Dixie's First "Date"

While the family enjoyed a post-baby dedication lunch, Dixie got to have play time outside.  When Buddy went to check on her, we realized our neighbors must have visitors because there was a dog in their backyard.  Our sweet neighbor Gina has a sister who was visiting, along with her boyfriend and his dog Glider.  Buddy invited Adam and Glider to come in the yard so the dogs could play.

Dixie had a blast!  I think Glider did too!
















Although, since she and I are the only females in the house, I've got to teach her not to kiss on the first date!

Jacob's Baby Dedication

Sunday was Jacob's baby dedication day at church. This year there were 8 babies dedicated, and all families but one came from our Sunday School class!  Well, technically, two families, but one of them was in our class when their baby was born, so that still counts in my book.  There was definitely something in the water in the Home Builders Bible Fellowship class a year ago!!  All the babies were born last summer and the Sunday after the last baby was born, Buddy and I announced we were pregnant with Jacob. So even though he's nine months behind all these babies, they were all dedicated together!

We were so blessed to have the following family members attend with us: My mother and grandmother, Buddy's parents, sister Kristel and niece Maddie, and sister Dawn and husband Ron.  Unfortunately my dad couldn't attend due to a prior commitment.

With Jacob being the youngest, we were the first in line.

Right after the dedication...this is what happens when my mom is on one end of the pew, and Buddy's mom is on the other end....neither of us look at the same camera!!  Still a good picture though!  I love how we coordinated (by chance) with Jacob's outfit. He wore Quinn's first Easter outfit....pale green shirt with a green and blue sweater vest. My dress has green and blue, as does Buddy's tie!

Jacob was such a good boy and slept during the entire service. I just can't keep my eyes off of him!

And a couple more pictures of just Jacob!

The verse we chose for Jacob's dedication was Ephesians 3:14, 16-18

"For this reason I kneel before the Father....I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power to grasp how wide and how long and how high and how deep is the love of Christ."

Jacob, I do pray that Christ will one day live in your heart and be your Saviour.  I pray that one day you WILL understand how much God loves you. He loves you even more that Mommy and Daddy do....and that's A LOT!!  I pray this verse for you every day for the rest of your life.

Love, Mommy



Goodbye, Tillman, Goodbye

Sunday, April 29th, was a very hard day.  We had to say goodbye to our sweet dog, Tillman Lee.

Tillman has been our dog since Buddy and I were students at Clemson.  Buddy got him in December 2002, right before I graduated and moved back home. He still had another semester and said he needed a dog so he wouldn't be lonely without me there.  So he brought home this cute little minature pinscher puppy. I'll be honest, I was a little mad that he picked a dog without my input, especially since we would be getting married in a few months and the dog would become ours. A few days playing with the puppy before I graduated and I was in "puppy love"!  Plus, I got to name him, so I named him Tillman, after the oldest building on Clemson's campus.  This happened to be the building where all my classes were held.

You know how they say every dog has its "human" that it seems to love more than the others? Well, for 6 and a half years, that person was me.  Maybe it was because I was home more often than Buddy? With my schedule as a teacher, I left for work later, I get home earlier, and I'm home all the time in the summer, so I got to spend more time with Tillman.  I was booted from the spot as Tillman's #1 human right around the time a certain boy named Quinn came into our lives!

For the past few weeks, Tillman was having trouble getting around. He started limping and such with his front legs, and it progressed to trouble in his back legs as well. Basically, after discussing with our vet, and attempting some medication, the doctor determined that his problem was some sort of neurological disorder, and without some very expensive tests...think thousands of dollars worth....., we might never know exactly what the problem was. But with it affecting all his limbs, it was a very likely chance that he would lose his ability to walk. Buddy and I both love animals too much to watch them suffer, and for that reason, we made a very hard decision.

If you had told me Sunday morning that I wouldn't have my dog anymore, I would have said you were crazy.
Here are some of my favorite pictures of Tillman.

 

The Bible doesn't say if dogs go to heaven, but there are some subtle references to animals. In Revelation, John says he saw "heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse..." (Chapter 19, vs 11).  In Isaiah chapter 11, there are references to these animals: wolf, lamb, leopard, goat, calf, lion, bear, ox, and a cobra.  God created all the animals on earth, and He gives us some of them to be our friends.  I can't imagine that He would give us these sweet creatures on earth to be such a part of our lives and not have that same privilege in Heaven.  At least, I HOPE that is part of His Plan!

So, sweet Tillman Lee, until I see you again, I hope you know how much we loved you. I'm sorry that you got sick, but I'm glad your legs work again. I hope you are having fun running and playing with brother Brady and Desi.  You were our baby before those boys Quinn and Jacob came along.  You lived a great 10 years in our family, but you will always be in our hearts.  Rest easy, little friend!

Tillman Lee

2002 - 2012