Trusting the Lord

When I was pregnant with the boys (my first pregnancy), I went into every appointment prepared to hear bad news. My mom had four miscarriages and two successfull pregnancies, and my grandma had seven miscarriages (that are in her medical records, maybe more) and one successful pregnancy. So, I was surprised that I not only had a successful first pregnancy, but it was a multiples pregnancy. I thought, "Praise the Lord! I don't have my mom's and grandma's problems." I delivered the boys at thirty-five weeks in July 2010 and have two handsome twenty-one month old boys.

I got pregnant May of 2011 and was a little overwhelmed because I would have three under two. But I was definitely up for the challenge not matter how daunting it looked. Since my last pregnancy was problem free, I really had no worries that this pregnancy would be worry free. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I began having complications on July 6, 2011; and the baby was gone shortly thereafter.

It took us nine months to get pregnant again which is the longest it has ever taken us to get pregnant. Again, I was a little overwhelmed because I would have three under three, but I was still up for it. I couldn't wait. I heard the heartbeat during my first ultrasound which never happens for me. I was overjoyed and definitely optimistic for a problem free pregnancy. Unfortunately, I began having complications again on Saturday around six pm. I knew that it was a miscarriage but tried to stay optimistic. I knew the baby was gone the next morning. This morning, I went in for an ultrasound, and there was nothing on the screen. I've never felt that disheartened. A blank screen...and a sympathetic look from Kristy our ultrasound tech...even though she couldn't tell me, I knew and went downstairs to make an appointment with my doctor.

I went this afternoon to see my OB. He told me that it's nothing to be worried about yet and told me that 35% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. So, I'm still well within the average. I got my rhogam shot and card which completed everything for this pregnancy except for paying the final bills.

It's been a long day...and one I hope to never repeat. I'm resting in the comfort of my God and praying for another opportunity to have a new baby in the family. God's Word holds true even through the loss of my child. Romans 8:28-29 states, "And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." I can rest assured that things happen for my good not only because I love Him, not only because I'm called to do His will, but also, and most importantly, because I am being conformed or shaped into the image of His Son. Because of these hard times in my life, God's shaping me to look more like His dear Son, my Savior. Yes, God could stop bad things from happening in my life, but I would miss out on the blessing of becoming more like my Savior. Oh how I dread becoming stagnant and never becoming more like my Savior!

Slavy baby #3 - we'll meet in Heaven!!

Life Just Isn't Easy

Sometimes, I wish I could hit a rewind button and get a do over. The past two weeks have definitely been do over weeks. April 10, I lost a dear friend. Many tears have been shed over his passing by family and many, many friends. While the family tries to hold onto the fact that he's with our Savior and they will see him again, losing a husband and dad is very hard. He left behind scores of people who remember his Christian example. He used to tell his real estate clients that he put in their contract that they had to visit his church after buying their house:) They laughed, and many did visit our church. His smile was contagious, and you couldn't help but smile when he was around. As I've watched his family cope, I've asked the same questions that they have. Why him? Why now? I don't know or understand why this happened, I do know that God has used his death to bring more souls to Him. At his funeral, over 25 people trusted Christ as their Savior. And while we still mourn his death, we can rejoice in those who will one day be in Heaven with Gary.

We miss you Gary Silva!! Every time I go to church, I still expect to see you there. I miss your fist bump while I'm playing the piano during hand shaking time. I'll see you again.

20 Months!!

I can't believe my babies are only 4 months from being 2 years old. Where have my little 35 weekers gone? They've been replaced with toddlers who are all boy. They love playing in dirt, puddles, fountains and sand and playing with sticks, cars and balls. Soon, I'm going to have to start checking pockets for bugs before putting them in the washer. Peter loves being dirty; Titus does not. The picture of Titus bending down with the water hose is showing him trying to clean himself off.

Their 1st time playing with the water hose.

Again!

Well...he has it again...Titus has bronchitis. This is the 3rd time that he's had it, and I just don't know what to do with him. Do they sell bubbles that he can live in? That would be the perfect solution. He's been running a fever and coughing since Thursday, but I wanted to try to treat it myself before going to the doctor. He got worse over the weekend; so, I made an appointment this morning. As soon as I made the appointment, he didn't run a fever all day! He's been between 100 & 102.5 all weekend and no fever for the doctor, a perfect 97.3. Go figure!! But anyway, he has meds in him now and is sleeping great. He hasn't even had a coughing fit tonight, YAY!

Going to the doctor was a bit more traumatic this time. As soon as we walked through the doors to get to the scale, he started crying. He's starting to remember the doctor's visits now. I tried to tell him that there would be no shots today, but he never would believe me. You should have seen him run out the door as soon as I opened it. He was ready to go.

Mom kept Peter at the house while I took Titus to the doctor. Since we left while he was still napping, he didn't know we had gone anywhere. Mom said that when he woke up, he started playing with his toys and then looked around like he just realized Titus was missing. Then, he went to their bedroom and looked for him. Apparently, he thought that Titus might still be in bed; so, he pulled the blankets out of Titus's bed looking for him. He didn't fuss because Titus was gone; he was just a little confused. On the other hand, Titus didn't care that Peter wasn't with him. He was glad he didn't have to share mommy's lap:)

Wedding Pictures

As promised, I have pictures from the wedding. Even though the boys didn't make it down the aisle, they made adorable ring bearers for pictures.

Spring Is Here Unofficially!!

I can't believe that it's already spring weather down south. It just seems wrong to have the AC going full blast in the car and to wear shorts and t-shirts in March. The good part is that we've been able to play outside and have plenty of park time. Both the boys love playing outside especially when Pa or Uncle Stephen are there. Mom's just not as cool as they are: probably because I don't throw leaves in my hair:)

I'm officially boycotting the air show this weekend. If I could ring some people's necks, I would. This weekend is the air show, and today was the final practice. Unfortunately, their practice route is directly over my house. All afternoon, my entire house was shaking. This also means that there was no nap time for Peter and Titus. There was absolutely no way they could sleep through all the noise. I have a feeling that it's going to be just as bad Saturday and Sunday. Ugh!!

On the bright side, Daniel and I were able to enjoy a wonderful date night without the boys. Thank you Uncle Stephen and Aunt Karissa!! Apparently, they wore the boys out because they were in bed and knocked out cold when we got home at 9. They took the boys to Chuck E Cheese!! They had tons of fun; and of course, Aunt Karissa took tons of pictures. Here's a few.

I also have great news that we got a new dryer...well, a new to us dryer, but it works great!! Pa came over and "helped" me get it hooked up. Actually, there was no helping involved; he did it all. He had two sets of eyes watching his every move as he switched out the cord on the back of it. One day, he'll have two sets of eyes not only watching but also asking 100 why questions. But nonetheless, he was still one proud grandpa as he showing them what he was doing.

Daylight Savings!!

It's that time of year again...Daylight Savings!! I wish it didn't fall on Saturday night/Sunday morning. It makes for a very hard Sunday. We put the boys to bed at 8:30, and they talked to 9 and finally fell asleep. So, it didn't work out too well trying to get them to bed 30 minutes early. That morning at church went well, but you could tell that they were dead tired by the end. They went down for a nap at 2 and passed out immediately. Peter woke up in a great mood; Titus, on the other hand, was not in such a pleasant mood. I had to wake him up to get ready to go back to church, and he was not happy about that. Fortunately, we have wonderful nursery workers who didn't strangle my grumpy son. Thanks Mrs. Steward and Breauna!! You are both awesome!! Today hasn't been too bad, but Titus has been dragging a little.

Peter started trying to do flips today. He gets in the flip position, but he can't quite get his legs over his head in order to flip.

Titus has become such a little helper over the past few days. He loves to throw trash away and shut doors for me. I've also figured out how to keep him from getting distracted while walking to the door. As long as I give him something to carry for me, he'll go straight to the door. If he's empty handed, he can't remember to make it to the door. Ah, the attention spans of toddlers!