Christmas Time in San Antonio

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. We spent most of the week in San Antonio with my family then headed back to Cedar Park for Christmas dinner with Frank's parents. Below are just some fun shots of Caroline with some of her gifts. My family was so very generous with what they gave Caroline this year. Needless to say, she is set on toys for quite a while. I hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating this year.

This is a big giraffe floor pillow that my grandmother got for Caroline. She loves it! She just lounges on her pillow. She is adorable.

My sister got Caroline her very first tutu. It is so girly. I can't wait until she is actually old enough to take ballet.

Caroline's first cell phone courtesy of her Uncle James.

Caroline got her first baby doll for Christmas. She loves it. We are hoping this will help her to practice being "gentle" so that when baby number 2 comes along she won't throw it on the floor.

Grandmother

I am writing this post as a way to request prayer for Frank's Grandmother. She is 89 and in what seems to be the last season of her life. She has recently been having a lot of breathing complications and low blood pressure, not to mention she is down to 80 pounds. We covet your prayers for her. We do not know if she is a believer which makes this a very hard process. Please pray for her as God brings her to mind.

More Details on Baby Number 2

Ok, so apparently I got a little flack from the hubby about my brevity in my previous post, so I will attempt to give more information about baby number 2. I am currently at 13 weeks and starting to feel better. I have not felt awful but I have definitely been more nauseated with this pregnancy. I have also been really tired which is due in part to being pregnant and in part to my rambunctious 17 month old. We were trying to get pregnant and were very blessed to get pregnant quickly. We should be finding out the sex of the baby (hopefully) the week of Christmas. We would love to have a boy, but having a girl already makes me want another girl because they are so great. I am excited about having another baby, but it doesn't seem real all the time. It is hard to think about it because Caroline consumes my thoughts.

We covet your prayers for the health of our little baby. Making it through the first trimester is a huge relief for me, but as we all know, things can still happen.

I have included some recent pictures of Caroline. She has grown so much, and she is so very active and expressive.

Caroline is going to be...

...A BIG SISTER!!!

We are expecting baby number 2 in May.

Up and Running Again

I finally have a computer. Some of our wonderful friends offered us a computer they weren't using, so I am back in business. More to come soon.

Computerless

Hey Everyone--I know it may seem that I have completely rejected the blogging world, but I assure you, I have not. I recently experienced a computer crash and am waiting for a computer that some friends are giving us. I am currently posting from Frank's work computer. Please pray that I will get the computer quickly and that all of my pictures from my other computer can be recovered. As you all know, losing pictures of your child's first year would be devastating. Love to everyone.

Fun in the Tunnel

We found this great tunnel at Ikea. Caroline loves to play in it. It is a great purchase for a toddler. I think it was only $18. It also folds up for easy storage.

Caroline's One Year Old Pictures

Photos Courtesy of Amy

Caroline's First Birthday

Caroline's birthday was actually June 7th, but I haven't actually posted any of her party pictures. We had a swimming party at my grandparents' house which was really special to me because I have pictures of my own early birthday parties at the same house. Enjoy the pictures.

This is Caroline chillin' with her pal Jack in the pool

Caroline was so happy that her new pal Wyatt could come to the party. We loved seeing you guys!

I decided to do cupcakes for Caroline's party instead of a cake. As you can see, we chose citrus colors for her party.

Here she is totally fascinated by the wrapping instead of the present itself.

Caroline is checking out her new piano courtesy of Frank's parents.

Caroline loved her cupcake! She was quite a mess when it was all over.

Seizure Info

Hey everyone, I found this info on WebMD and it is pretty much what we experienced with Caroline. Before all of this happened I was not very aware of what a febrile seizure was, but I wanted to pass along the information. What was most surprising to me was that seizures are a result of how fast a fever climbs not how high it gets. I hope this information is helpful.

Fever Seizures - Topic Overview

Fever seizures (sometimes called fever convulsions) are uncontrolled muscle spasms that can occur in children who have a rapid increase in body temperature. You may not even know your child has a fever. The rapid increase in body temperature in a short period of time is the cause of the fever seizure. Once a fever has reached a high temperature, the risk of a seizure is probably over. Most children who have a fever seizure have temperatures above 102F.
Fever seizures can be frightening but they are not usually harmful to the child and do not cause long-term problems, such as brain damage, mental retardation, or learning problems.
Fever seizures affect 2% to 4% of children. About 30% of children who have a fever seizure will have another one, usually within a year of the first seizure. These seizures are not a form of epilepsy.
A child who is having a seizure often loses consciousness and shakes, moving his or her arms and legs on both sides of the body. The child's eyes may roll back. The child may stop breathing for a few seconds and might also vomit, urinate, or pass stools. It is important to protect the child from injury during a seizure.
Fever seizures usually last 1 to 3 minutes. After the seizure, the child may be sleepy. You can let the child sleep, but check the child frequently for changes in color or breathing, or twitching arms or legs. The child also may seem confused after the seizure, but normal behavior and activity level should return within 60 minutes of the seizure.
A seizure is more likely to have been caused by a fever if the seizure occurred within 24 hours of the start of a fever. Fever seizures usually affect the whole body, not just one side. Most children have never had a fever seizure before and they also do not have other nervous system (neurologic) problems.
Review the Emergencies and Check Your Symptoms sections to determine if and when your child needs to see a health professional.

Our Brave Little Girl--Sorry Long Post

Some of you may have already heard about our very scary day with Caroline, but for those that have not let me share with you our last few days. Caroline began running a fever on Sunday, and it continued through Monday. Her fever was peaking at about 101.9, and she had no other symptoms. Needless to say, we weren't terribly concerned. Monday she woke up from her afternoon nap, and her lips were a little purple as were her finger nails. At that point, I thought we might as well take her to the doctor to check for an ear infection or a UTI.

The doctor examined her, and all the normal places to see an infection were clear, so he asked us to come by the next morning so they could get urine to test for an infection. We left thinking everything was okay at that point.

Not even ten minutes later, I turned around in the car to check on Caroline, and her lips were dark purple and she wasn't breathing. We pulled over immediately and realized she was having a seizure. She was conscious but unresponsive. We rushed to the emergency room where I absolutely lost all composure with the woman at the front desk. Through my gushing tears, I explained what had happened and a nurse came to see us right away.

We sat in the exam room and watched helplessly as the nurses put an IV in Caroline's arm, attached a bunch of sensors, and tried unsuccessfully to put in a catheter. Caroline was completely hysterical which, for those of you who know her, is so uncharacteristic of her. When we arrived at the ER her normal heart rate of about 130 had climbed to about 220. This was very scary for us because our medical expertise comes from the show House.

Afterall of the monitoring, they determined that Caroline had a febrile seizure which is basically a fever-induced seizure. We left the hospital at about 9:30pm (we had been there since 5:30), and Caroline's temperature had gone down. We went to bed when we got home only to wake up to Caroline crying at 1am. We took her temperature, and it was 103.1. As I took her temperature, she began throwing up. We immediately went back to the ER to be on the safe side. When we arrived they took her temperature, and it was now at 105.7. Thankfully, she did not have another seizure. They monitored her and gave her medicine to reduce the fever, and we left at 3am.

We are still waiting on results from her lab work to tell us if she has a bacterial infection or just a plain old virus. Unfortunately, if it is a virus there is nothing we can do but manage the fever. The pediatrician told us that her seizure was completely related to the fever and in no way means that she will have problems with seizures in the future. We just know now that her threshold for fever is low.

This experience showed us so much how in control God is of the details. Thanks to the generosity of my sister and brother-in-law, we had a forward facing car seat for Caroline. I wouldn't have been able to see her otherwise. Another detail that did not escape my attention was the fact that Frank was there with me. I have been so frustrated lately about the fact that we only have one car, and I often am left alone without a car. If Frank hadn't come home to take me and Caroline to the doctor's office, I would have been alone when all of this happened. God is in complete control of our lives. Frank and I are so thankful to the Lord that what happened was not more serious. Thank you all of your prayers.

These are some pictures we took at the hospital.

Mario Bros Cake

This weekend my nephew, Nathan, turned 12 years old. To celebrate, I made him a birthday cake with a Mario Bros theme. He loves video games, and I think he really liked the cake. Everything on the cake is made out of fondant which means you can eat the whole thing.

Pixar Cars Cake

I made a cake this weekend for a friend's 2 year old son. I had so much fun doing it. I am trying to do cakes for people as often as I can for the practice. I thought it turned out pretty well.

Just Plain Cute

This is a first for me. I actually took pictures and am posting them the same day.

These are just some cute pictures of Caroline in her pjs.

Oh yes, I am a walker. That is what I do; I walk.

Pretty please mom, can I have a phone too.

I have to be fashionable first thing in the morning.

This is her red carpet I don't care what you people think I am beautiful pose.

So many to choose from (or from which to choose)

Ok, so I need some help. All suggestions welcome as long as they come with an explanation. We need to buy Caroline a big girl carseat. I am so lost in it all. Should we get a convertible carseat or a booster seat? What are the pros and cons of the seats you all have chosen. Please let me know asap. She is getting a little long for her infant carrier. Thanks in advance for the help moms.

Decisions, Decisions

Ok so lately Frank and I have been discussing the topic that most couples would be discussing at this stage in the game: when will we be having baby number 2. This is not, by the way, my way of telling you there is a baby number two yet. I have been very ambivalent about the idea of having another baby. It just looks so hard. I have always wanted children, but I see people with more than one and think to myself "how do they go to the grocery store"? Although, my beautiful friend Amy makes it look so easy. Ok so the point of this post is to say that after my trip to Chick Fil A yesterday, two babies look very easy compared to the mom that I met there with 2 year old quintuplets. Oh yeah that's right, five 2 year olds. For any of you out there that are scared of having baby number 2, just remember it can't be as hard as five.

Bathing Beauty

Caroline and I recently went to the most fun park with some of the moms and kids from our small group. Very close to our house is a sprinkler park, and Caroline had so much fun. I hope to go again soon since the day we went was a little cloudy. Lord knows I need some sun. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the pics of my sweet girl in her little bathing suit. PS--Swim diapers are one of life's mysteries. How do they do what they do?

She has the cutest little tushy!

Caroline's Dedication Day

"For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him."

1 Samuel 1:27

Caroline was dedicated at our church here in Austin on May 3. We have been so blessed by the church here, it was an amazing experience to present our child to the church body and to ask them to help us as we try our best to raise her to love Jesus with all of her heart. If you notice, I normally refer to the church we go to in Austin as our church "here" or our "new" church. I do this because in many ways we still have a church family in San Antonio. I want those of you reading this from SA to know that you have had a part in the people that Frank and I are today and we are so grateful for you. Caroline will grow to be the woman God designed her to be because you all have impacted our lives.

This picture was taken with our dear friends Justin and Katie and their little man Caden who was also dedicated that day. They have been such a huge blessing to us. We have loved getting to know them this past year, and we have been so blessed by the experiences we have shared.

Frank and I are so blessed by our parents. We are fortunate to have parents that love and support us and are there for us any time we need them. We loved having them present with us when we dedicated Caroline. It was such an amazing thing.

Four Generations

We were also blessed to have my grandparents with us at the dedication. My grandparents have played such a huge role in my life, and I am definitely a better person because of them. They have challenged my to not only love my God but to know who he is and to understand the intricacies of His Word.

We also had some of our closest friends with us at Caroline's dedication. I have been trying to add a picture of them but I am having trouble, so I will just tell you about them. Amy and Ben are amazing people. We have been so blessed by their friendship these last several years. While our relationship as married couples dates back only to 2005, my relationship with Amy began in 1997. She has been an amazing friend to me. When I thought about who I would want to ask to be the spiritual godmother for my child, Amy came to mind immediately. There is no woman I trust more to love my child and to help me as I try to guide Caroline through life. Amy, please know that you are so very dear to me and it meant so much to me and to Frank that you and Ben were there with us for such a wonderful day. We love you both so much and we love you children and would do anything for them.

During Caroline's dedication, I was struck by something. I didn't think this would come up for me but it did. While the pastor was praying my mind drifted to the baby that we lost. I was saddened by knowing we did not have the chance to dedicate our first child to the Lord. I know that my child is with the Lord, but it was still a difficult moment for me. I say all of this because I know that I have friends that have walked in those dark places. Losing a child is so difficult. I know that God was glorified through my child and through those that my friends have lost. To those friends, I weep with you. I have said this before but I feel that you get through the experience of losing a child but you never get over it. Love to you all.

He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter everyone. I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend rejoicing over the resurrection of our Lord. We had a great time this weekend with family. My parents came up from San Antonio for the weekend, and Sunday, after an amazing time of worship at church, Frank's parents joined us for Easter lunch. Caroline has learned how to wave and does so constantly. We love it! Caroline looked beautiful in her Easter dress. Although, she did have to learn how to crawl in a very interesting way to avoid getting caught up in her dress.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for my Easter Basket.

Yes, I love bows. I am a girl afterall.

Who needs a present; I love my eggs.

I do think this will look lovely on me.

Thank you Grandmama and Grandpapa for my sweet bunny.

Sitting with my awesome Dad. Mommy thinks he is so cute.

Look how much I have grown.

I love to wave. I wave at everything. The fan, the door, the cabinets, etc.

This is how I keep from stepping on my dress.

Here I am about to eat some yummy carrots for Easter. Love to all.