Cousins!

I'm not really sure how we got so lucky to have the kids all in one area but it turned out pretty good! Austin (10), Ethan (2.5), Keziah (16 mo.), Bennett (11 mo.). We really do have a fantastic bunch of kids!

All Done! All Done!

Kezzie has decided that's it for breastfeeding. Last time she nursed was yesterday morning. I am so thankful it was on her own time, although it is going to be hard for me to adjust. She keeps asking for it because she thinks it's a good idea and wants that oh so familiar comfort, but when we get all set to go she puts her hands up and signs all done over and over! I feel such a peace knowing that she did it because she was ready and I think that will help me move onto the next phase of life! I know that sounds weird but when you have nourished in that way for over a year every single day, and then just instantly you are no longer needed, it is an adjustment. I'm excited to see what other ways we find to bond and to maybe even leave her overnight with grandparents for the first time ever!! Change is good...sometimes I just have to keep telling myself that!

16 months and a Doctor Visit...

A day later she was in a little better spirits so I snapped a couple more...

Kezzie turned 16 months old today. I can't believe how big she is getting. It's a yucky, rainy, windy day and she's sick

:( We will head over to the doctor at 11 to make sure she doesn't have an infection. I must say we have been very blessed to have a healthy little girl so far and hope to keep it that way. Hopefully it's just a cold and it will pass. She is coughing from the depths of her body though and the mucus is practically gagging her! We had a rough night last night but overall she did better then expected. *UPDATE* Kezzie checked out just fine at the doctor. Weighing in at a whopping 23 lbs..."She must just have a nasty drainy cold" is what the doctor thinks. Her ears are clear as can be and her lungs sounded great! Great News!

This morning I was reading books with her and we came to a page that had several different household items on it. We are in the quizzing Kezzie phase of life because I love seeing what she knows. I started out with a pretty easy one,

"where is the phone?" She pointed to it. I next asked,

"where is the computer?" She pointed to it. And last I asked, "where is the saw?" And she even pointed to that. I am amazed at the things she comprehends and how easy she learns things. We have similar animal books and she has no trouble pointing to each requested animal (ie. pig, horse, snake, turtle, rabbit, sheep, etc.). She even knows what a butterfly and bee are. She absolutely loves reading books and almost every day empties out our book basket. I hope that never gets old for her and she grows up to be just as smart (or smarter) as her daddy!

Kezzie is following Austin more and more these days and thinks she should be able to do just as much as him and do it the way he does it. While outside she tries to copy Austin while he shoots hoops and if Austin is running around the yard with a friend, she is close to follow. Another thing I have noticed is she doesn't have a fear of heights. While sitting at the top of a slide she will kick her legs to push herself off or just turn around as if she is going down a set of stairs and slides down feet first on her belly. It's so fun to watch her go-get'em kind of attitude!
Keziah is almost ready to give up her morning nap. I have had to limit it to an hour and no more then that to ensure that she lays down for her afternoon nap. I'm sure it won't be long and she will be done napping in the morning altogether. She also occasionally only nurses once a day leading me to believe she really could be done nursing. Since she has gotten this cold it seems like the only way she is taking in fluids is through nursing so she has been nursing 2-3/day. Before that she wasn't nursing at night anymore. I am pretty sure it's harder on me to know she is growing up then it is for her to be done, but gradually we are getting there. She oddly still signs 'milk' at each nap time but I know she really doesn't want/need it. My baby is growing up!

Bennett's Genetics Appointment

I think it is just easier to post what Emily wrote on their blog about Bennett's appointment. I don't understand everything that she writes about and probably couldn't get the verbage right if I tried so here is how it went...
On Tuesday we went back to U of Iowa Hospitals to follow up with the genetics department for Bennett. They measured his arm span and length again. The doctor that we met with feels that Bennett is still displaying some shortening in both his arms and legs. They took his blood to see if his growth hormones are at the right levels. They also took his blood to do a more in-depth study of his chromosomes. We won't get the first results back for a couple of weeks and the chromosome test takes 6 weeks. She made it clear today, I think, that we could be facing some sort of syndrome or skeletal dysplasia in Bennett. She also noticed that he only has a single crease in his hands which could be a sign of a disorder as well. We will have an x-ray of his bones done through St. Luke's soon and they will also look at his bone-age at that time. They are considering sending off all of the information to that Dr. they sent to before- they took pictures of him too.
Please pray for Bennett as we try and distinguish what may be affecting his growth. Pray for the doctor's as they work to come to a conclusion. Pray for us as we try and do what is best for our sweety. We are on a new journey again...but God has plans for Bennett. When I think back to almost a year ago, the doctors weren't even sure that Bennett would live after birth. We continue to thank God for our little miracle.

Grilling Out!

Last night Brian and I got invited over to Jamie and Keith's to do some grilling out. They also invited over some mutual friends of ours, Brian and Heather, and they have a daughter named Stella who is about nine weeks older then Kezzie. The girls had fun together. They really liked watching each other's actions and following each other around. They are both working on getting the same two teeth in and weren't in the best of spirits, but overall they had fun together. Us adult girls had fun chatting about motherhood and the guys had fun watching basketball! We could only stay long enough to grill and eat but it was a good time! Thanks for having us over guys!

New Car Seat

A part of me feels guilty knowing that Kezzie's infant seat can technically hold her for another inch or so, but honestly, I am tired of the rear facing seat as much as she is! At 22 pounds Kezzie doesn't even come close to the 30 pound mark that her infant seat supports, but she's really close to exceeding the height so we decided to get her a new seat! When we got it all put together and had it sitting in the living room, she couldn't get enough of it. She would get in and out of it and play with the buckles (she is in a buckle loving phase) and say 'bye-bye'. I even tried to put her in her high chair for snack time and she threw the biggest fit (arched back and all) while pointing at her car seat indicating she wanted to eat her snack in there! Needless to say she didn't love it as much when it was sitting in the car and we were on a half hour trek to Waverly Wal-mart. She assumed that since she could see me I was available to play with her and her toys. I think it will just take some getting used to!

Weekend Family Fun!

We went to Chuck-E-Cheese on Saturday night. Kezzie hadn't ever been to anything like that before other than a McDonald's play land so we decided to introduce her into the chaos and fun of this place. It has changed a lot since we last went so I was a little disappointed but the kids had fun. It was a good waste of an hour and a half and a lot of energy! There were way too many people there but that was to be expected on a Saturday night. Austin played Brian twice in basketball and beat him twice! Ski ball is always a favorite of mine and Kezzie really enjoys throwing the balls even if they do only land inches in front of her! It was past Kezzie's bedtime and tokens were running out so Austin cashed in his tickets at over 145...whohoo! It was off to mom and dad's to spend the night. We are so thankful for family letting us stay and after getting the kids to bed we enjoyed a nice relaxing movie with mom and dad!

Taken care of!!

Austin and I were in CF for dentist appointments earlier today. I had mine at 7:50am and on the way to the appointment Austin said to me, "Mom, you don't need to worry about me and Kezzie when you are in your appointment. We are going to be just fine." It was so matter of fact and sweet that he would think of my worries and reassure me that he was going to take good care of Keziah at a time when I wouldn't be able to! I hadn't even expressed any worry about it but he knew I would be worried and wanted to make me feel ok about it! He is such a great kid with a big heart!

Bennett update

It turns out there is a reason for Bennett not having an appetite lately. Despite his trips to the doctor in the last week and a half, an ear infection went undetected or wasn't showing itself until now. Emily took him to the doctor yet again yesterday (a different doctor) and a double ear infection was found. Maybe now he will really be on his way to feeling better and eating better...it's time to pack on the pounds!

Yippee!

Well, I am going to be an Aunt AGAIN! Mat and Steph Coyle (Brian's sister and brother-in-law) are expecting their second child. Brady turned one this last January so he won't quite be two when he becomes a big brother! We are so excited for them and really looking forward to meeting our newest addition to the Uglum family! Congratulations guys!

Prayer Request...

Please keep my nephew Bennett in your prayers...

There isn't a specific incident that has happened that needs prayer, it's just things about Bennett that are concerning. For instance, he hasn't really been growing very well. He is barely on the charts for his length and isn't even on the charts for his weight. Ever since he was developing in the womb there was talk that he was going to be small. He just recently lost almost a pound while getting over a cough/cold. He hasn't been wanting to eat his solids or nurse. He doesn't have any teeth yet so that could be why he doesn't want to eat, but it is super stressful for my sister and her husband because he isn't growing as it is. It's so hard to know and understand that God is in control and has his arms wrapped around little Benne. Bennett has an appointment in Iowa City on the 17th of March. He will be seeing some specialized doctors. This was a planned visit ever since he was born. It's basically to see how he is developing and growing now that he is almost a year old. Please pray that Bennett will begin/continue to grow, that he will get over this nasty cough, that he will regain his appetite and that the doctors will have some answers for their family. One thing is for sure, Bennett doesn't think he's small. I captured him at just the right moment of him showing off how big he really is!!

Warm Weather...

What a fantastic day...we actually were able to get out and enjoy this beautiful sun-shiny day! It was close to 60 degrees here in New Hampton. It felt fabulous! I think I was walking on cloud nine the whole day and still am today! Next week is supposed to be much colder again so we had to enjoy it while we could. We started out our adventure with a walk in the stroller with the dogs on their leashes. This turned out to be a mistake because it was quite muddy and the dogs kick a lot of dirt up onto their bellies since they sit so low to the ground. Needless to say they couldn't go into the house without first being dried and brushed off with a towel (a bath was out of the question at the moment). Kezzie displayed a lot of patience in the stroller as mommy did all this! Continuing on our adventure, we blew bubbles outside. This is one of Keziah's favorite things to do. She got bubbles for Valentine's day and even though they are a bit messy, this is something we have been doing inside on the kitchen floor while it has been cold outside. It was nice not to worry about the mess for once and just let her give it a try...stickiness and all! To finish out our adventure we played on the playground in our own backyard. Kezzie had a blast going down the slide and climbing on the jungle gym. She also thoroughly enjoyed her swing. I can't wait to be able to do this every day! God blessed us with this day just when we needed it most too! What a nice break from the dreary winter weather!