One year later...

Landon's first week of MDO went well. It was quite a fiasco to get him there on time. We definitely have to work on our time management skills around here now that Keaton has joined the family. Just as I got Landon loaded in the car and ready to go, Keaton had a huge blow out in his diaper. Not once, but twice. Both requiring outfit changes! I have to learn to leave myself some extra time for unexpected issues :). Bug walked right in like the old pro he is and sat down and started playing with toys. I felt for all of the moms who's children were screaming and clinging to their pant legs. I smiled, gave my baby a kiss and headed out the door thinking we were exactly where they are just a year ago. It was bittersweet.

Keaton had his first trip to church yesterday. I wouldn't exactly say he behaved himself. He slept through the worship and woke up to eat and listen to Pastor Steven's message :) Of course that included loud burping and 10 minutes of cute baby hiccups along with unnecessarily loud binky sucking. I sat in the back and disturbed the sound people, did some walking around when he got bored, and tried to get as much of the message as I could. A touch up on the website would not be a bad idea! We head back to our lifegroup on Wed. and we are excited to spend some time with Keaton's extended (church) family.

Adjustment period is still in full swing I would say. Landon is doing better, although his sassy mouth has been getting him into trouble lately. "You drivin' me nuts!" is what he exclaimed to me when I told him to lay down for the 50th time the other day for his nap. Now I can't possibly imagine where he picked up that phrase :) It's good for him to be back in school to be around other kids and to have some structure and a place to run off all of that energy! And it's great for me to get a nap!

What a difference a year makes! He starts pre school next year and I can hardly believe it.

One year later. He looks like an old pro! (a four year old pro)

Me... go to sleep?? Now that's funny!!

I know it's 2 am Mom, but lets talk. Tell me about your day!

We survived!

So we survived the first two days of Daddy going back to work. The sleeplessness is taking it's toll but we are making it. We put the boys in the tub together for the first time tonight. Keaton enjoys his baths much more than his brother did at this age. I think it reminds him of his comfortable place from 2 weeks ago. We went in for a weight check today and he's 10 lbs. 6 oz.

Landon enjoys playing with and touching everything of Keaton's. Like the swing as you can see. He's also very sneaky about it :) His very favorite time to get into things is when I'm nursing Keaton. He's very much in tune about when I am unable to chase him and he takes full advantage of it.  He also has a funny fascination with me nursing his brother. He absolutely has to be right under my feet or climbing up in the chair every time Keaton is eating. He especially likes to help me pump! Every time I drag it out he says "I want to help you with your boobs!" and he puts the pump up to me and tries to hold it there. He also wants to turn it on and I have to be careful about how far he turns the suction on!! I think "boobs" is his new favorite word.

He is a very good big brother and likes to give kisses and hugs. He starts mother's day out next week (praise Jesus!). So it will be good for him to get some time away with other kids and it will be GREAT for me to get to have a nap during the day. I wouldn't exactly call Keaton a great sleeper just yet and I haven't figured out how to coordinate their nap schedule yet either. So when one is awake the other one is asleep and vise versa. We'll work it out eventually~

Enjoy the pics!

 

And then there were four...

I have neglected the blog for some time now much to the understanding of moms everywhere :)

Keaton has been here for 9 days now. As we were sitting in labor and delivery watching TV to pass the time, we discovered that he shares a birthday with Barak Obama. It was enough to make me want to hold off for one more day... almost! His delivery, despite his husky frame, was much easier than Landon's. I was in labor for 8 hours and only pushed 4 times to get his big 10 pound self out. My doctor was fantastic. She ran up three flights of stairs to make it in time. I went from 6 cm dilated to 10 cm in an hour. When the nurse said "lets try a test push" it actually turned into "his head is almost out" push. Hence the need for Dr. Rivero to put some pep in her step. Recovery has been smoother, maybe because I am forced to deal with 2 kids and not one. 

Landon is a great big brother. Very curious and quick to want to wake him up. But he has been a challenge as well. I had no expectations of how he was going to react to having Keaton around. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the out bursts have begun. Some times I'm not sure who he is. I know it will take time for all of us to adjust. In the mean time, we are trying to spend undivided attention with him. We went to Chuck E. Cheese yesterday while my mom kept Keaton so that we could spend some one on one time with him. He enjoyed it as much as we did. 

Jeremy goes back to work on Monday and then I think my life will be hell for a little while until I figure out a more solid routine. I'm somewhat of a scheduled person and routine does me good. If I could just figure out how to teach Keaton that it is not necessary to eat for an hour and then be hungry I think we'd do okay :) I have a wonderful husband. He is so helpful and makes my life so much easier. If I could clone him I bet I'd make a fortune! He's on his way to the grocery store now to get Landon out of my hair! 

It's funny how different the boys are. Keaton seems to be much more laid back than Landon was at this age. He nurses well, which Landon never did. He does like to be cuddled and snuggled with more than his brother which is great until Landon needs my attention, which is a little more often now. 

All in all we are doing well. Despite the typical sleep deprivation a newborn brings we are quite functional. We are now one big happy family!!

Happy Anniversary!

I love this guy!! He made me the happiest woman on the earth 5 years ago today. We always talk about how fast Landon is growing up but in a sense so are we. I don't really consider myself a grown up all the time. I kinda feel like a kid sometimes too. I'm assuming that will change when I hit 30. Which is very rapidly approaching :)

Landon is spending the night in Madisonville with his cousins and grandparents so we are going to enjoy a nice dinner out and then a quiet evening vegging in front of the TV. And then.... we actually get to sleep uninterrupted for as long as we want! YEAAA!! The plan for tomorrow is to hopefully finish up Keaton's room. It is looking fantastic!

So I'll take a few minutes to brag on my husband. He has to be the most helpful man on the planet. I'm not just talking like right now since he's pulling both of our weight around here. I mean all the time. He's the best dad I've ever seen. He jumped right in with Landon and hasn't stopped since. I've never had to worry about how well he takes care of his child when I'm not around. He just does it and sometimes does it better than I do. He has the patience of no one I've ever met! That compliments me VERY WELL! I could go on and on. But the idea is I consider myself very blessed that God has a plan for my life and Jeremy is a major character in it. My life would just simply not be as fulfilled if he weren't. So happy anniversary Babe! I love you very much. 

summer days

Chuck E. Cheese's. He loves it!!

Fixin' the weed eater

I caught a glimpse of my grandpa here with his hat cocked sideways :)

My little tractor man!

Landon and Daddy playing outside

Things are going well. We get a nice shade in our front yard in the evenings thanks to the 2 story house across the street from us. So we've made playing outside a new hobby in the evenings. Especially on grass watering days. Bug loves the sprinkler. 

We went to the doctor today for an ultrasound and check up. Keaton already weighs 7 lbs. and 8 ounces with 4 weeks to go. Although I begged to be induced at 38 weeks she agreed to 39. Bummer. I'm dilated 1 cm and she promises that this induction won't be as bad or as long as Landon's. I'm holding her to it :) Other than the intense back pain, that I am trying to pretend doesn't exist, I am doing well. I think Landon is ready for his little brother to be here. Mostly so his mom can function with him again :)

Happy days!

Countdown

I know it's been a while since I've posted. But I have great news... I finally bought a new digital camera! So as soon as I learn how to download pics from it, I'll be updating more frequently. We haven't been doing much. Just trying to stay inside and away from the extreme Texas heat. I'm panting just thinking about how hot it is outside. Thankfully we got about 15 minutes of good rain yesterday. Boy did we need it. 

Landon has been his usual rowdy self. He's starting to understand that he has a brother coming, although he still forgets when he jumps full force into my lap. He continues to have an obsession with his nakedness that I am praying will go away soon. His favorite phrase seems to be "my hinnie itches!" Which leads to constant scratching. It is soooo gross. I feel like all I do is chase him around to wash and alcohol his hands. YUCKY little boys! At least the potty training is done. Other than him refusing to poop in the potty. But he tells us when he needs to go and he requests a diaper before hand so that is okay I suppose. One diaper a day is much better than 6 or 7 and I am great full for the warning he provides.

Not too much longer before Keaton gets here and I could not be more ready. I forgot how miserable the last month of pregnancy truly is. Especially with this intense heat. 

We are looking forward to a fun Saturday with our friends. Although we may not make it over there until well after the sun goes down :) kidding! Have a safe weekend! I will actually have pictures to post after this weekend. YEAA!

Surely they won't both be bad sleepers??

This is a question I have often asked myself in the recent months. I have noticed a distinct difference in the patterns of Landon and Keaton's sleep/wake cycles in utero. Landon was consistently awake between 1 and 3 am each day. I was also working full time straight night shift. He was usually only awake for small intervals. He has also ALWAYS  been a terrible sleeper. I believe it is God's way of punishing me for all of those wasted lazy hours I spent sleeping through my teens and early adulthood :) "More productivity!" He yells at me.

Keaton on the other hand rarely sleeps! This is very distressing to me. As we speak, I believe he is hoola hooping with his umbilical cord! You can actually see my belly move from his disco dancing routine. This constant movement strikes fear into my heart. Lord, can I do this sleepless thing again for 2 more years?!?!?

Since we moved Landon to his big boy bed (again) we have begun the evening struggle of getting him to fall asleep on his own. We started the sleep lady shuffle again tonight. It worked very well when we moved him back into his crib last time. He was asleep at 8:30 and slept until 8 am each day. That was the most blissfull month and a half we've had since he was born! It says in the book to try to put up a gate outside his door to discourage him from climbing out of bed. So I did that tonight after he insisted, "mom go away!" The first time, he climbed over it. So I put it high enough to where he couldn't the second time but low enough to where he couldn't slide under it either. Trust me, he tried. Thank goodness he has his dad's junk in the trunk and that's what stopped him from fitting :)

At first, he fussed a little then he pulled out every book in his book bucket and began to read to his stuffed animals. We're talking 15+ books. So we figured as long as he's somewhat quiet he'll get drowsy and climb back in bed. Nope. So we wrestled him back in bed, picked up the books and told him "BED TIME!" The book reading resumed after we left. But soon it got quiet and we thought FINALLY! So we go check on him after we hear him sneeze. Not a regular sneeze. One of those "Oh gosh grab the kleenex before he wipes the snot all over everything!" sneezes. We looked in the bed and he wasn't there. We found him huddled in the corner of the room behind the chair we sit in, trying to put on his shoes. By the way did I mention he was NAKED?

"Where is your diaper Landon?"

"There under the chair."

"Why did you take it off?"

"Wet!"

Duh mom!  This adventure never seems to end. One last thing.... we started this nightly ordeal tonight at 8pm. Presently, he is STILL awake!!

Summer birthdays!

The birthday girl! And yes, there is fire engine RED hair under that hat :)

Her daddy and I were the same way growing up! They'll love each other one day...we hope!

Believe it or not, they're only 5 months apart.

I think he has spotted the pool!

Silly cousins! 

Landon and Daddy had quite the busy social life this weekend. They had a birthday party on Saturday and Sunday. Both requiring bathing suits which is Landon's very favorite thing right now. LuLu turned 1 on Saturday and Abrie turned 2 on Sunday. Unfortunately, when you work weekends you sometimes miss the fun stuff. Thanks to Uncle David, we got some pics at Abrie's party. We still have not bought a new camera, but we only have 9 more weeks until Keaton arrives so we will have one soon :)  

Fun(ny) times!

Landon and Trevor at Moody Gardens. It was like pulling teeth to get them both to look at the same time!


Landon has been having such a great summer and it just started! Our evenings consist of playing in the back yard sprinkler and his plastic pool. It also usually consists of him running around naked which is okay with me because it's less laundry :) Sometimes I think he thinks he lives on a nudist colony. The neighborhood swimming pool opens this week so I'm sure we will be spending a lot of time in the water... with our swimsuit on :)

He started climbing out of his crib again this past week. I was hoping we could curb that but it did not work. He has been out of town with grandparents for the last 3 weekends in a row without a crib so he pretty much decided he'd had enough of it. We installed the side rail to his big boy bed and he napped in there for the first time today. After 2 1/2 hours Jeremy had to wake him up! So I guess he liked it. The only challenge for us is getting him to fall asleep in it without us having to stay with him. We took the "sleep lady shuffle" approach to getting him to fall asleep in his crib so we will start that back up and see if we can keep him in it. 

We had a funny experience at dinner tonight. It really shouldn't be funny, but it really just is. He was coloring as we were waiting on our food and Jeremy and I were talking amongst ourselves when all of a sudden daddy said "holy crap!" Need I say more?? We don't really want our son saying "crap" but HOLY!! So needless to say he started saying (actually yelling) "Holy Crap!!" Jeremy and I busted out laughing once and that's all it took. He proudly professed holy crap for the next 10 minutes! Way to go Dad :)  Once we ignored it he stopped and then we quickly changed it to "holy cow!" He picked up on that one so we seem to have bypassed the phrase.... Hopefully.

How time flies!

This is Landon's last week of Mother's Day Out. I am sad for a couple of reasons. The first is the obvious reason... I loose my 11 hours of freedom each week. The second is because he was only 18 months old when he started. Now he's almost 2 1/2. Where did the time go? 

Several people in the last couple of weeks have commented on how he is not looking like a baby any more but more like a little kid. Not even a toddler! It truly makes me so sad. Jeremy and I were looking at baby pictures of him last night and it hit me at how quickly he has grown up. I don't even remember him being that little. His independence shows through more and more each day and with it are the obvious challenges. But he is my little buddy and keeps me company during the day when Jeremy is at work. It is strange that I can carry on conversations with him and he completely understands. The guilt is hitting me harder each day as Keaton's arrival draws near. My only baby will be a big brother and my time with him will be split between two kids. I am excited about Keaton getting here, but I often wonder how I am going to show Landon that I love him as much as Keaton when most of my attention will be devoted to the little brother? I'm sure we will work it out like every parent with more than one child do. 

The video is of him counting before he jumps to my mom in the swimming pool. He kind of tends to skip 11 -13 but you get the idea. I thought the floaties and life vest were a little over kill at first but if you saw him in the water, you'd understand. There is no fear, which makes his mother scared! Make sure you turn off the music at the bottom of the screen or you can't hear him. Enjoy the trip down memory lane!

Summer time sprinkling!

I finally learned how to put short videos on here! Here's Bug with his new sprinkler from Mimi.

But he smelled sooo good!

Landon has always been a kid that entertains himself pretty well. I have taken advantage of that more times than I can count. But it seems the older he gets, the more curiosity takes over. And we all remember what happens to the cat!  

This past Thursday was crazy! I was trying to get ready for a children's ministry meeting, finish up dinner for Landon and Jeremy (who was running VERY late from work, but not his fault), pick up sandwiches for the meeting, and waiting for Allison to meet me at my house so we could leave. Landon had been watching Elmo in my room. I pulled the casserole out of the oven and turned around. Something smelled very good, yet it wasn't my casserole. I nearly fell out!! He was standing there covered in my Marc Jacobs Daisy perfumed lotion I got for Christmas. He was also holding his monkey (who had tried to help clean up the mess) and my decorative hand towel from the bathroom (that is used for... decoration). I wanted to BEAT him, but like the post is titled... he smelled SOOO good, and he was SOOO slippery, so even if I tried to pick him up to beat him he would have slid right through my hands! So as if I didn't have enough to do, I had to bathe him now. 

When Allison walked in she mentioned how good my house smelled :) The moral of the story is when your kids get quiet, check on them!!!

I hope you all had a fantastic mother's day. Mine was great! Church, nap, and grilled chicken! Fantastic!

Oh yea, the little Bambino's name:   Keaton Blayne! 

Cheesy grins!

Bug and his daddy!

My little monster!

a little update

Things are going well. #2 is very active and moves right on schedule. Usually between 8-10 every night....HMMM I wonder if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Landon's active time was between 1-3 AM every morning so I suppose it's better than that, but I was also working full time nights then as well. He very much does not like me to lay on my right side. Apparently I squish him that way and he goes to town kicking and wiggling. I happen to be a side sleeper by the way!

Landon keeps us laughing daily. He is now counting as high as 18 and very good at pointing out letters. His favorites are "H" and "M" but he can recognize as many as 10-12 letters and does pretty good with his alphabet. He always seems to get stuck around "L" and "K" but just skips them and keeps on going. I guess all the reading has paid off! And we can't forget to thank Sesame Street :)

His teachers at school last week said he keeps talking about a baby. We have been trying to tell him about the baby on the way and that he is going to be a big brother, but I tend to think he is talking about babies because he loves Izzy & Abby. They are two sweet little one year old twins in our life group and we call them "the babies." We went to the beach with them last Wed. and then every Wed evening the kiddos in our group come over to our house with the babysitters while the adults have bible study (and one and 1/2 hours of adult time and freedom :) So he likes to say "babies come to Landon's house and play Momma!" 

Other than that, things are moving along well. #2 will be here before we know it. Carter seems to be the overwhelming vote getter in the polls. I promise to stop calling him #2 soon and I will tell you all what we have decided to name him. 

Have a blessed week!

Karma

It's funny how some people brag on their children incessantly and some are hesitant, always wondering when the other shoe will drop. I tend to be the latter... The other shoe dropped!

I mentioned previously how wonderfully behaved Landon had been @ Seaworld and for the entire San Antonio trip. I picked him up at school today to find out he had been put in time out.  The kid has one month left of mother's day out and has never been in time out before! My face must have shown all of the shock I was absorbing because his teacher said "I know...I don't know what was wrong with him today, he is so good!" Apparently he refused to take a nap today (which he never does), would not stay quietly on his nap mat, and pushed another kid. GASP!! He pushed another kid???!!! My shy, quiet, cling to his mother's leg around other children kiddo PUSHED another kid? Again from the teacher, "I know, I know, I don't know what got into him today!" He usually RUNS to me when I pick him up from school. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. Today; he would have nothing to do with me. His teacher looked at him like he was from another planet then looked at me like "who is this kid you dropped off today?" I nearly had to drag him to the car. 

So we left and went and got snow cones and went to the park. I know, some disciplinarian I turned out to be. I did try to have "the talk" about not pushing other kids and listening to adults, but seriously, he's 2. That says enough. We have been stepping up the discipline lately since the independence is really starting to take effect. Everything is "Landon do it!" Lord Jesus help me! And another one on the way. By the way, did I mention he's asleep in my bed right now?

On a side note, I am looking for a new digital camera. Ours is 5 years old and slower than Christmas. When you want to take multiple pictures quickly (which you have to do with kids) it takes forever for it to reload between shots. And the viewing screen on ours is tiny. Any suggestions would be great! 

We are hopefully headed to the beach tomorrow to enjoy this beautiful weather! I'd say I'll post pics but who knows?? Thanks for all of the votes on the name. We have picked one out but I'm not sharing until the polls are closed!! Be blessed :)

Seaworld weekend

So we returned from San Antonio Saturday afternoon. Our plans to hit up the zoo were thwarted due to 60 degree weather and very strong wind. Thankfully Landon didn't know any better. Seaworld was a BIG success. We were a little nervous about the traveling and much more nervous about dropping big bucks to get in and then him hating it! The big bucks were dropped but he loved every minute of it. 

The closest we got to Shamu was the stuffed one he brought home with him. He refuses to call him Shamu, only "big fish." He has a new bedtime companion. He liked the dolphin show a lot but his favorite seemed to be the sea otters and the walrus show. It was me and Jerm's favorite too when we went for our one year anniversary (child free at the time). And of course we saw Elmo and the gang and he was quite adorable for that. I've never seen him sit and stare so intently before. 

I learned 2 things this weekend:

1-Prior to this weekend I had been pretty determined to have 3 children. After paying for Seaworld, I think I will probably stick to 2! Landon was enough to feed, change, and keep up with. I can't imagine another two! Plus it was $100 to get through the gate (hint: Landon was free!) and we had coupons for me and Jeremy to get in at a child's price. $15 to park, $12 for a locker for our camera to not get wet, $30 for lunch (hello..turkey wraps?), and $10 for a stroller.  Praise God that he had a good time, so that made it all well worth it!

2- I have a very well behaved child. He was a great traveler, which he was not until he turned one. He was one of those kids who SCREAMED in the car until we were able to turn his car seat front facing. He was very well behaved in the hotel, as long as he got to push the elevator buttons, and they sent him cookies and milk the night we checked in which made him very happy. He was great at the restaurant and even better on the way home than on the way there. We were very proud of him. I think he mostly just enjoyed being with Jeremy and I together and having our sole undivided attention. That was, after all, the entire point of the trip.

On a sad note, I am so upset!! The numerous pictures we took of our "first family vacation" have been destroyed!! Not only vacation pictures but our Easter pictures as well. And they were SOOOO cute! Somehow in the process of downloading them to put them on the blog, they got all scrambled and now I can't retrieve them. I'm so bummed!! My very computer savvy hubby is going to try to save them but has already warned me not to get my hopes up. :( 

I hope you all had a great Easter. It was the best Easter I've ever had. God is good. Jeremy is riding in the MS-150 this weekend so we are headed to Austin on Sat. to pick him up on Sunday afternoon. Pray the weather is nice and he stays safe!

Children's Museum

The bears in the boxes.

Miller thieving his admission sticker :)

He loved the light up peg board!

WEEEE!

He and Miller on the sled. Move your belly Katie!! :)

The new water works exhibit was a huge hit.

Seaworld here we come!

So we are headed to San Antonio this week for a fun filled adventure packed weekend. We leave Thursday afternoon and will head home Saturday evening in time for Easter! I love Easter. I think I officially qualify as a bad mom. I have yet to have my son's picture taken with the mall Easter bunny. This will be his third Easter!! After the fiasco we had with Santa this past Christmas, I think that may let me off the hook this year. Anyway, I digress.... back to San Antonio.

We are going to Seaworld on Friday and the zoo on Saturday. I discovered a while back that "Big Bird's Beach Party" was going to be there. Landon is very much into Big Bird and Elmo and the entire Sesame Street gang. Although it sounds more like "big bood," "melmo" and "urrrneee." He will be very excited and I can't wait to see his sweet little face light up.

The name game continues with #2. Jeremy and I can't seem to agree on anything and neither of us have a name we are totally "set" on. Although he is leaning very close to Carter. We shall see. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't pick out a name until we see him. That will officially drive my mom insane!! Hee Hee, that brings a smile to my face :)

So prayers for safe travel this week would be great. We are excited about our first "family vacation" and are hoping very much for good weather, great Mexican food, and lots of fun family time. It's Landon's big hoorah before I get huge and miserably hot, and before he becomes a great big brother. I will take LOTS of pictures and post as soon as we return!

Have a blessed week~

Baby #2

Here are the ultrasound pictures of #2.  (he still has no name!) His profile picture is identical to Landon's at this stage. I have a funny feeling the scenario will be the same. It goes like this.... 9 months of pregnancy, 18 hours of hard labor, and a child that has my nose and everything else of his daddy's. Another little Jeremy clone :) I suppose it's worth it! And yes, he has massive feet.

Bug has been good. It is hilarious to listen to him try to put sentences together. They run on for ever with cute little studdering as he tries to get out everything he wants to say. He is moving a little quicker as well. Or perhaps I'm just moving a little slower :) We were buying groceries at WalMart this week and I pushed him to McDonald's to get some juice to keep him occupied while we shopped. I paid for the juice, turned around and he was SUCKING down my Starbucks iced coffee. "MMMMM Momma's juice.... chocate mook!" (chocolate milk) The elderly man in line tried to warn him about stealing a woman's coffee but he didn't get it. A couple of isles later, he was holding his Thomas the train bubble bath and decided to pour half the bottle in his lap. I thought it had a seal on it. Guess not! We left a trail of fruity bubble smell down each isle. He is also becoming quite the baseball player. He and his daddy work almost every night on hitting the ball off the tee. I'm more and more convinced he might be a lefty. I know that kids usually don't decide what hand they are going to use until closer to 3, but he really favors that left hand. If he does become a lefty that will be in his favor with his batting skills and his eye. He's really cute to watch. If I can ever figure out how to put a video on here, I will.

So we are off to the children's museum this morning. I'll post pics soon.

Changes are a comin'

So these pictures are a little over due! We took Bug to the rodeo last week. It was really hot and he was very grumpy. Not so much fun but at least he posed well before we left. I think next year we will NOT go during spring break. If this was any inclination of how our San Antonio Sea World trip is going to be next month, we may be in trouble :)

On another exciting note... we found out that Landon is going to be the big brother of a sweet little boy. We had our big ultrasound today and to say the least, our second child was quite hyper, uncooperative, and large. His feet and belly alone measure 2 weeks bigger than I actually am. Overall he is measuring 21 weeks and I am only 20. The doctor assured us should prepare for another big baby. DUH! have you seen me?? LOL

Tomorrow will be 365 days since my baby Bug poked his eye with the night light cover. Of course it wouldn't be for another 2 days until we put all the pieces together and went into surgery at midnight. I sit and think about it and find it hard to imagine that we've come so far, that my child has shown unimaginable strength and endurance. I cannot fathom that God loves us so much that He brought us through that terrible storm and then some. "This too shall pass" rings very loudly in my ears right now. I love my child more than I can even put into words, and to think that God loves us that much more blows my mind. I am so incredibly great full for His mercy and grace. How great is our God!