How ya like 'DEM apples?

I gave him applesauce again today, just to confirm that it was not his soap, wipey, carpet, etc. and his face reacted again. Not quite as bad, but undeniable. So the plan now is to wait two days and try green beans on Thursday for lunch. I have a call in to the allergist to see how young babies can be allergy tested. We shall see.

In the meantime, Davis is going to HAVE to get used to taking formula... Mama can hardly keep up with his appetite, especially at bedtime. He gets pretty grouchy when the meal stops and he is still hungry.... hmm... being that it is the second week of my diet, I totally know the feeling.

An apple a day, keeps the doctor...

... on speed dial.

So, we tried solid food last week, starting with rice cereal. Davis pretty much hated it. He scrunched up his nose and spit most of it out. What he did keep in his mouth, he gagged until we finally stopped.

Yesterday, we tried applesauce (Stage One Gerber) and he ate half of one little jar. About 15 minutes later, his eyes looked a bit pink and puffy, and he started developing some sort of reaction on both sides of his temple and cheeks. For the next 45 minutes or so it covered his face and then began to fade. By bedtime, it was gone.

When I noticed his face starting to react, my heart sank. I got all upset and called my Mom. She said, "I'm so sorry, Sweetie. Start your new Food Journal." Oh, right. The Food Journal. Good idea. He was unusually fussy the rest of the night, but we can certainly attribute that to teething as well.

Jeff reminded me, "We know how to handle this. If he ends up having lots of allergies like Jack, we can do this... Actually, we're good at it!" He made me feel so much better, while reminding me not to jump to any conclusions. Let's pray this was a fluke.

More to come...

HAPPY NEW YEAR! ...again...

I am slowly but surely catching up on the blog. It's funny how this hobby can become almost stressful when I get behind. I mean, my world would not end if I stopped writing about it... or would it? I am not about to find out.

Our dear friends Darin and Marilyn (with whom we've celebrated the last several New Year's) had a New Year's party at their new high rise on the 21st floor. We looked forward to it for weeks.



We took the boys to Mom's house all fed and in their jammies. Davis wore his first big-boy jammies that read "Chicks Dig Me." I just told Mom, "Try the bottle and I will be on-call to come feed him if I have to." She never called. It was so nice to be out as a couple and not have to worry about the baby.



Left: Celeste and Joey (no kids), Right: Dave and Melissa (no kids)

Left: Darin and Marilyn, Right: Alex and Amity (no kids, no kids)

That's right, we were the only couple with kids, so we found ourselves talking about the boys A LOT. I kept telling myself to stop talking about them, but we couldn't help it. Come to think of it, I even pulled up their pictures on Marilyn's iTouch to show them. Gosh, now I'm kinda embarrassed. Oh well, we're in love with our boys, what can I say?

Four of the girls: Amity, Celeste, me, and Marilyn.



I totally failed to get a picture of how cool the fireworks were from the high rise. Their entire living and dining room are windows, so we could see fireworks all across the city skyline. At midnight, we yelled and cheered out the balcony to the dozens of people also partying on their balconies. It was a lot of fun and I felt really young again.

As we rang in 2009, I couldn't help but think... "only six weeks left of my twenties."

We left at about 12:29 am and went to pick up our babies. Davis had eaten a little over one ounce and was holding out for Mama. I was glad to see that he had missed me as much as I missed him. At 2am, we all finally hit the hay. It was a great way to start what is sure to be a great year.

Christmas '08, part three!

Our final Christmas stop was in Houston for the Lynch family Christmas at Uncle Bob and Aunt Sandy's house. It was an especially fun trip because we were able to spend time with both of my cousins, Coby and Chad, and because Davis is at such a great age. Everyone had a lot of fun with him.

When reflecting on the trip and what made it so great, I realize the biggest difference is that I did not have to pack a single food item for Jack. Without having to pack special meat, veggies, fruit, ice packs, snacks, juice... our luggage and prep time were cut in half! On top of that, I don't have to pack bottles, water, formula, bottle brushes... this nursing thing DOES have so many benefits!

Aunt Tiffany always has something special for Jack, and this trip was no exception. She brought an awesome game called, "Guess What I Am!" and we laughed so much playing it. You choose a card cutout without looking at your own, and have to guess which animal you are.

You ask YES/NO questions about features, habitat, etc. and cross off animals on your paper until you figure out who you are. After a short explanation, Jack totally got it and could mark his own card with little help. He did have to be reminded just to answer 'yes' or 'no'. Chad would say, "Do I live in the desert?" to which Jack would say, "NO... pelicans don't live in the desert. That's silly!" And one time he said, "I'm not telling you what you are, I am just singing a new song I made up: Crab.. Crab... Crab, Crab, Crab!"...

We had to hold our cards up the entire game, but it fit his little penguin face perfectly.
Thanks, Aunt Tiff - I highly recommend this game!! Apparently college-age kids enjoy it too.

Jack opened his WALL*E movie and helped Davis open his little soft wubby.

I wish my Dad lived closer, but Jack always looks forward to seeing his Pawpaw. Davis enjoyed snuggling him the entire time we opened gifts. I always feel bad that he has a December 22nd birthday because he has to settle for no separate party and some combo Birthday/Christmas gifts. Oh well, there's no one better to share your birthday with than Jesus, huh?

For the VERY FIRST time in his life... Davis got into mischief. That's right; In that one moment, my job got WAY harder. We laid him in the center of the living room and soon found that he had rolled all the way to the Christmas tree and pulled down the gold ribbon. We couldn't believe it.



All that sneakin' around wore him out, so he found the perfect place to fall asleep... his Meemaw's shoulder.

An uneventful Sunday drive ride home marked the end of another great Lynch Family Christmas.

Christmas '08, part two!

On Christmas morning, the original plan was to get up super early, open gifts, then load up and head to Grandmama's house in Marble Falls for Christmas Day. Two sick kids with fever meant we had to stay home. I was disappointed at first, but it ended up being the most relaxing day as a family. We all spent the day in our jammies and took LONG naps.

Jack woke up to see that Santa had left a Star Wars costume, a Larry-mobile (Veggie Tales)...

Two books on CD, and a Knight costume (from the Dollar Store!). He was thrilled and said, "Now I don't have to spend all my money on my Larry Mobile!" He has been saving change for the Larry Mobile for months on end.

His stocking contained these Bible figurines - Noah, Moses, David, and Goliath. The chest plate straps on the Knight armour need a bit of adjusting. It now protects him in a slightly different way than was originally intended.



I am afraid the other Storm Troopers might make fun of him if he wears this outfit without clothes underneath. You could totally see his little Spiderman undies through the thin $7.00 costume. He thought he looked tough, so I didn't burst his bubble. And finally, he showed off his "Jesus is the Reason" tattoo!!

Despite the coughing, blowing noses, changing bad diapers, giving medicine and vapor baths, it was a great day and Jeff and I enjoyed the day at home together with our boys.

We looked at each other at one point during the day and I could tell we were thinking the exact same thing; Jeff said, "Can you even believe they are both OURS?"

Will Davis - update #7

We finally got to play with Cara and the kids today. It was great to have them back in the playgroup. We visited a new park just a few blocks away. Will was able to join us and enjoyed the fresh air. He spent most of the time in his stroller, but walked around a bit at the end and seemed like a happy (albeit skinny) little boy! It was so good to see him. He had his antibiotic infusion pump attached to the little port in his arm, but was so good not to mess with it.

Left to right: Will, Miss Cara, Tug, Austyn, Davis, Miss Julie, TJ, Alli Jean, and Jack Everett

Thank you for continued prayer for Cara who is struggling to keep up with all the doctor visits, labs, pre-natal appointments, medicine infusions, x-rays, etc. She is concerned about the long-term effects these strong antibiotics might have on Will's body. She has specifically asked for prayer in regards to Victor, her oldest son. They finally decided to take Vic out of therapy (for his Autism) as they can no longer afford it. Please pray that he does not regress during this time and that he continues to function through the upset of his much-needed structure and routine.

Will, with his new glasses, receiving his antibiotics through the line.

Cara has been overwhelmed by the help she and Greg have received from the church and from readers of this blog! Frankly, I, too, have been completely blown away by your generosity and quick response. It has been so heartwarming to check my mail and see envelopes for little Will. It has also been a joy to walk them over to her and see her graciously accept God's provision.

May you all be blessed! I will keep you updated.

Apparently Davis has a lot to say.

Davis was talking away a couple nights ago, so I grabbed the camera. Of course as soon as I started filming he went silent, just staring at the camera with those big eyes.

So, you can pretty much fast forward to the :45 second mark where he sneezes and then begins the "conversation." He really gets that tongue moving at the 3:00 mark. You can see that, although he is the second child, he still totally captivates his Mommy and Daddy.

We have officially reached a new noise level in this house with the addition of the little guy voicing his ideas and opinions.

Christmas '08, part one!

Jack was excited when he tore off the next-to-last Christmas ring off his bell indicating it was Christmas Eve. He ran and did it first thing in the morning.

He also enjoyed baking and decorating Christmas sugar cookies with Mel, Hope, and Lacey - a new tradition, I believe. They called and asked if he could eat a teeny tiny part of a cookie (since the dough contains egg.) I agreed to let him try the inside of a wreath, undecorated, about the size of a quarter. Well, his face broke out a with a maroon rash, so we know eggs are still out of the question. Nevertheless, he enjoyed decorating and used TONS of toppings, especially mint.



We obliged by eating some of the cookies he brought home, but I know how he cleans his fingers while make edible crafts, so they were less than appetizing. (The date on Mel's camera was off... the cookie pic is from THIS year!)



We celebrated with the Griffin family at Nana's house Christmas Eve. Davis was pretty sick and fevery, but was a champ as usual. His little red cheeks were so pitiful but precious. He is SUCH a content little baby, even when he's sick. It's so nice to have a nurse in the family; Uncle Van kept a close watch on Davis' lungs and breathing over the holidays.

After dinner, Lacey read the story of Jesus' birth from Luke, and we sang a short song:

Jack had gotten sick by then too, so after he breathed and coughed all over the cake, we unanimously chose to enjoy one of the other half-dozen desserts.

Nana enjoyed her "brag bag" and Jack enjoyed opening a new Sandwich keeper from Aunt Mel. He appreciates the small things and I hope to keep it that way!

We sure missed Greg's family from Missouri, but we joked that Kyle and Tara looked over us the whole evening (see their engagement pic in the background.) They were there in spirit!

It was a great start to our whirlwind Christmas.

(I will feel much better when I catch up on my Christmas blogging... one celebration at a time!)

Will Davis - update #6

I just received a call from Cara. Greg's father passed away this evening. Greg's Mom and sisters were with him, and he passed peacefully in his home. Cara and Greg are still trying to decide whether Greg will fly back to Indiana for the funeral. Thanks for continued prayers for their family.

Will Davis - update #5

Guess what!? The Davis family pulled into the neighborhood last night around 3:00am - all seven of them in the Suburban! God is so good! I want to send a special thanks to those who helped with gas money to get the family home.

Will is very weak, having trouble walking, has lost a lot of weight, but he is happy to sleep in his own bed. When I called, he was "tied" to the medicine machine for his one-hour dose of meds through the tube. Cara said that the more mobile he gets, the harder it is to administer the medicine and keep the port secure.

He cannot walk up or down the stairs, and has trouble sitting up on his own, but his smile is definitely intact.

The women in Cara's Bible Study have arranged two weeks' worth of meals for the family, and they go to the Pulmonologist first thing Monday morning to determine when they think he can wean off the medicine and when they will schedule removal of the line.

He had just gotten new glasses before the trip, so I can't wait to see him in them. I will post a picture when we see him next.

Please continue to pray that Will will fully recuperate before his 2nd birthday in March, for Greg's Dad, whose body is finally shutting down, and for the fifth little Davis Baby, due in May.

Two Grandmas help bring Christmas to Life

December 7th 2008 - Mom and Jeffry performed in the Parkhills Baptist Choir Concert. Jack really enjoyed it, although every once in a while he could be heard complaining, "It's way too loud!"



Jack's favorite song (by far) was "Come on Ring Those Bells!" He's been singing his own version of it ever since. "Jesus, we remember it's your biiiiiiiiiiirthday!"



He enjoyed sitting with his Great Grandmama during the show. Here is a pic with the boys after the concert. Jack loved seeing "Mamaw and Pops' Christmas Contest."

The very next weekend we visited Nana's church, Castle Hills First Baptist, whose courtyards had been completely transformed into the streets of Bethlehem on a very special night.



Cousin Hope joined us at "Bethlehem Nights" and we were greeted outside the city gates and lead on a tour of the city. You can see that Davis totally drooled all over the Bjorn baby carrier before we even entered the gates.



Our first stop was at the village basket-weaving stand. They were selling handmade baskets and we happened to recognize one of the basketeers!



There was a pottery wheel... a table with Jewish children's games...



... jewelry for sale... live animals to pet...



... a REAL prison guarded by a testy soldier... and fresh bread (yes, eaten right after petting the animals.)



... followed by the Rabbis who had great news about a child, born in a stable nearby.



The Savior had been born... that very night. The angel of the Lord appeared, standing over the stable. His shadow, and the cross on the church facade created this memorable photo over the holy family.

Jack stared in wonder as he watched Mary, Joseph, the REAL Baby Jesus, and the live animals. He stood still in the dark, taking it all in... it really was awesome for him to experience the Christmas story, right there in front of him. It was well worth the expense, preparation, and production to see the absolute wonder in a little boys' eyes.

Oh, if only we could all maintain that sense of awe and of wonder at the birth of our Savior.