Been A While?

I'm not sure 'Been a While' is sufficient language when my last post was the first quarter of last year! I think of posts all the time, but always find something else to occupy my time. Because I was hoping this blog would serve as a family diary, marking the days that make up the journey God has us on,  this post could become a little on the ridiculously long side ; )


Asher, or Little Dooks as we call him,  has more than caught up since he was born premature. At his 15 month appointment he weighed in at 23 lbs so we signed him for lightweight boxing. He is B-U-S-Y all day long unless he is sleeping and has gotten really good at emptying every cabinet and every drawer within seconds of being put down. Seriously, our house looks like many small tornadoes came through on a daily basis. He loves Tennyson so much....They share a room and we typically put Asher to bed before Tennyson but Asher patiently waits for Tennyson to come to bed. He will stay up an hour to an hour and a half playing in his bed and then Tennyson will come to bed and Asher is out like a light within minutes. I love that they have each other. He's super close to walking and I think the fact that he hardly ever wears shoes may be one of the reasons he hasn't yet, but I can't find shoes to fit his fat little foot. He says Dada, ma (mama), tin tin, ut (light), no and although I know for sure he says more than this....we can't interpret it yet.  He loves music...especially the piano and his body starts moving almost every time any sort of beat occurs. I call him my little love bug because he loves to love on people (kissing, leaning his head on, squeezing tight, etc), however, his quick temper is certainly emerging and last but not least I've noticed he does most everything with gusto (crawling, loving, playing, coming down stairs, squealing, playing with the big kids, etc)

Tennyson, or Mr. Chlazy as we call him, just turned 5 and is in his 2nd semester of his first year of school. He has done super with school....Mrs. James is his teacher and he frequently talks about playing with Jason, Michael Robert Black and Isaiah. We have gotten 2 progress reports that have both talked about how well he listens, how he often offers to pray, how much he cares and looks out for his classmates and how well he's progressing academically. The things to work on have been: tattle telling often, questioning the teachers decisions and taking a really long time to accomplish certain things like bathroom and snacks. He does like to do things leisurely so I chuckled inside when the teacher told us this because I knew exactly what she was talking about. The boys and I always seems to be 'running' somewhere which has not proven conducive to his leisurely lifestyle ; ) He went through a Tom and Jerry phase and now he loves to watch superhero clips from the 1960's. He loves to play with his men (batman, spiderman, green lantern, the riddler, penguin, two face, captain america, joker, army men, transformers, etc) and the true initiation of a new toy is taking a bath with Tennyson and the others.  Speaking of baths, Tennyson loves a good bath and will often spend 2 hours in the bathtub playing. He also loves writing, playing with his batman house or samurai castle, reading or looking at scientific books (bugs and sharks in particular) and playing with legos. I've always said Tennyson was an old soul in a little body and it's proven to be true. He understands a lot about life, recognizes maybe too much, and knows how to articulate emotions. He often asks for the definition of a word and can accurately use bigger words in a sentence. He's also getting into politics often using the phrase, "Hi, I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message."




Other highlights since my last post: We moved out of my in-laws home (the highlight was gaining a space of our own...not moving out of my in-laws : )), Tennyson took swimming lessons and participated in Soccer Shots, Oscar and I celebrated 10 years of marriage, Oscar started working at a new company (he's still leading worship at Columbia Crossroads Downtown and waiting tables at Ruth's Chris on Friday and Saturday nights), my brother moved out into a house of his own (again...him moving out was not the highlight but that he was able to get a place of his own ; )) and became engaged to Allison (such a great gain for our family), our nephew Gresham was born, I participated in my first precept course (Isaiah), we got some egg-laying hens, we purchased a couple of hermit crabs as the boys very first pets and then decided to release them back into the ocean a few months later, and the boys and I started volunteering at The Hope Project on Tuesdays. This list is definitely not inclusive but the ridiculousness that I referenced at the beginning of the post has begun so until next time,  

Asher's Entrance

So I know it's been almost 5 months now but as I was talking to my MIL this morning I realized how much I wanted/needed to type out the details of Asher's birth so that our family can remember everything God has done. I was reading a segment from someone else's post referencing “Let the Nations Be Glad” by John Piper. It says, “when it looks as though He is buried for good, Jesus is doing something awesome in the dark. ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.’ The last 3 years of Oscar and my life has been interesting to say the least. We knew He was doing something in us that would be life changing. Peeling back another layer(s) of self to reveal more of His spirit. He has literally been turning the world as we've known it upside down. And then, for me, the last 6 months or so have been breath-taking. It has become so clear how he has/is guiding our steps literally a step at a time. Part of this journey has been Asher's birth. Here are some of the details: 


 Last summer my friend Carla had an idea for the children's ministry to take a couple of verses and see how many of the kids could memorize them. At the end of the summer there would be a party celebrating the efforts of the children. One of the verses was, 'For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go' Joshua 1:9. Tennyson and I worked on the verse all summer long and one of the amazing parts of this was that the Lord kept bringing that verse to my mind over and over again. I would hear someone speak and inevitably they would use that verse somewhere in their speaking. I would be reading other scripture and the path would lead me back to that verse or the other places in scripture that reference that verse. I would be listening to the radio and that verse would come up, etc. It came up so much that I started thinking 'oh no Lord, what is about to happen that i will need to be acquainted with this verse as well as I am'. Fast forward a couple of months and Oscar, who waits tables at Ruth's Chris, waits on one of the Dr's that is a part of the practice I was going to but hadn't seen yet. In fact I wasn't even aware he was a part of the group. Oscar came home telling me about how nice he and his wife were. Oscar wondered in jest to the Dr. if he would be the one to deliver Asher. Fast forward a couple of weeks. I notice Asher isn't moving like he had been moving. Asher was pretty intense in his movement especially when I ate something so it was odd that I hadn't felt him much. I also was having what I thought were braxton hicks but they started occurring a little more and a little longer than I was comfortable with. I also just had a feeling that something wasn't right. After a couple of days I called the nurse and explained the situation to her. She had me monitor how many kicks I was feeling, how often the contractions were etc. for about an hour or so. The nurse said she thought it may be a good idea to go up to the hospital so that the baby and I could be monitored for a little while just to make sure nothing was going on. It sounded like it was optional so I really debated whether I should go. I finally decided it was better to be safe than sorry so I went up to the hospital thinking I would be monitored for an hour or so and then sent home with some instructions. Within about half an hour it was clear the nurses didn't hold my same sentiment and that not only would I not be going home but I would most likely be having this baby that day as soon as possible. It was de ja vu all over again with how I had Tennyson except I was at 34 weeks instead of the 36 weeks I was with Tennyson. Oscar had a break in between shifts and he came up to the hospital. He was pretty shocked when he realized what was going on. I was moved to the labor and delivery floor for the dr. on call to come in and explain what he had decided was the best course of action. Dr. Estes walked in which is the Dr. Oscar had waited on a couple of weeks before. He recognized Oscar and remembered their conversation about having Tennyson early due to preeclampsia....Dr. Estes turned out to be THE.BEST.DR.EVER. He was so reassuring but confidently said we had to get Asher out of my womb as quickly as possible and that it had to be by cesarean because Asher wouldn't be able to handle the labor part of the delivery. Another half hour later and I was being wheeled into the delivery room. Everything was happening so fast...we had no camera, wasn't able to warn my in-laws (who we currently live with) that another member would be moving in with them 6 weeks early, hadn't even told my sister who was watching Tennyson for 'an hour or so'. As soon as I was in the delivery room I remembered the verse the Lord had very clearly given to me. 'The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go'. He was there. I believe he hand delivered Dr. Estes. I believe he hand delivered the nurse that was also a believer and was whispering in my ear through it all words of encouragement and comfort. Asher came out and was small and would need some attention but he was perfect. No oxygen needed. He was a 3.9 lb fighter. I have heard the phrase before that God works from the future and now I have seen it.  'Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.' Isaiah 65:24 Originally the pediatrician said that Asher would most likely stay in the special care nursery until his actual due date which would be over a month's stay; however Asher stayed in the special care nursery for 9 days and then was sent home. Dr. Estes said that one more day could have made a difference in life and death for Asher. I am beyond in awe of God. Tennyson and Asher are really His and I hope I always remember that. I'm so thankful for the time I have with them. There are soooooo many other details that have blown us away of God's love and faithfulness but this is turning into the longest post ever so for now, Auf wiedersehen!

Day of Asher's Birth (Thank Goodness for iPhones)

During Asher's Special Care Nursery Stay

Family of Four

All I Wanna Do

I have clothes to wash, clothes to fold, a kitchen to clean, food to put away, bills to pay, a floor to mop, books to finish reading, studies to get caught up on, people to call back, messages to respond to, exercise to start and I really need to go to bed soon....but all I want to do is hold this little guy (taken just a second ago sleeping on me): 

Yes, Asher is here and came about 2.5 months ago...sorry readers (aka: mom and dad and now my brother-in-law David who obviously already know this news). I hope to blog about his coming soon. And I can't leave without mention of my other little guy who came up with this fabulous Darth Vader outfitting all on his own: 

Sisters

The Days That Make A Life

Tennyson likes to make his own bed now ; ) I think he does a pretty good job!

He's also "Super Sibling Certified" now! Lexington Hospital offers a class to children who will become a big brother or sister. We toured the hospital, watched a silly video, practiced caring for baby dolls, wore Dr. outfits, met nurses and finished with a snack and a certificate.

He refused to put the mask over his nose

Preparing for baby #2 (Yes we still have to refer to him as baby #2 because I can't make a decision...much to the husband's disappointment)

It's a pretty rare occurrence these days that Oscar and I are able to get away just the two of us but a couple of weeks ago he happened to have a night off where nothing else was going on and I took full advantage! I had some free movie tickets so we ate at a very posh restaurant otherwise known as Zaxbys ; ) and saw Inception (super movie). 

When I married him almost 9 years ago I knew life would never not be interesting....case in point....has your husband ever started a conversation out like this, 'For me electron orbitals are the clearest comparison to the spiritual life'? If you need a refresher course on what the heck 'electron orbitals' are please see below: 

Summer Sweetness

Here's a little of what we've been up to the past couple of months: 

Camping at Table Rock....let me just say that I really think you should be able to tell a person's campworthiness by the type of hair they have while camping. I managed to avoid all cameras while on this brief venture but just imagine the biggest/frizziest hair with bangs that you've seen and you may have a glimpse of what took place ; ) The temp was either in or very close to the 100's so it was pretty stinking hot but we found an incredible waterfall that was freezing and wonderful at the same time. 

Tennyson with his 'fire stirring/snake killing' stick. Mr. Chlazy as we often call him was not feeling well (fever, cough, super runny nose....which he had the beginnings of right before the trip and I thought would be resolved by some quality outdoor time...who knew ridiculously/suffocatingly hot weather actually makes these things worse?....lesson learned) 

And here he is again....I'm thinking this was after we had the snake scare (a pretty good sized snake slithering from our campsite to the next) and then said 'ok, time to go night night!' This face says it all.

Our friend Sophia's birthday party was the next stop. She turned the big '3' and had a Toy Story themed bash. Tennyson and I headed down to Myrtle Beach for the night to celebrate with our friends....It was a fantastic time of celebration and catching up with old friends. I'm sad I didn't get any pictures of Tennyson and Sophia together but here's Tennyson dressed up as a pretty fabulous Woody.

Some friends from our beach days

(Lisa, Me, Meggan - Sophie's mom hence the fun woody shirt and Christie)

Last but not least Oscar, Tennyson and I took a road trip to Washington DC. It was our homage to the days of being 'just the 3 of us'. We stayed with some friends who lived right outside of DC, took a tram around DC, ate at Uncle Julios and Coastal Platts (best lobster roll and grilled corn I've ever eaten), strolled around Georgetown, walked around the National Cathedral and took in the overall culture of DC (super different place)

What has everyone else been up to? Over and out.

And Then There Were 2 : )

So.....I am 22 weeks and finally had an ultrasound!! It has been a long haul getting to this point and I could write a book or at least a chapter ; )  on why I should just fly to India, deliver this baby, fly back and it would still be less expensive than having an ultrasound and a couple of blood tests without insurance....but i digress. Oscar and I took my mother-in-law with us because she had never experienced an ultrasound before (when you have all your kids at home with nothing but a little wine an ultrasound seems a little less important) and we got to see our second baby for the first time! The ultra sound tech looked at all the anatomy that she needed to check/measure, etc and then with no warning announced:

We are so excited at the thought of two little boys running around and know that God has and is forming him to be the perfect next puzzle piece to our family, us to be the parents he will need and Tennyson to be the super big brother I know he will be. So there it is folks....baby #2 is a boy and weighs approximately 1 lb 1 oz right now.  He was moving quite a bit during the ultrasound with one of his arms resting on his forehead and is in a breech position right now with his head close to my belly button and his body resting on the cervix (had to get some stats in there so we can remember by reading one day).