15 Months Old

Today Hallister is 15 months old. He is 30 inches tall and weighs 23.3 pounds. We can't really express in words the joy he brings into our lives, and those around him. He is so cheerful and loving, always wanting to wave to strangers, and has a smile on his face as he laughs and dances his way through the day. We are able to communicate with Hallister really well through sign language. He has already done the sign for diaper change before pooping in his diaper. Last week we were letting him roam the house in just a shirt so his bottom could dry out from diaper rash. He went into the bathroom, lifted up the toilet seat, and peed next to the toilet. Today, while in the bathtub, Hall did the sign for diaper change. I put him on his little potty and he peed! We are hoping it will be easy to potty train him before Baby #2 comes along. He still loves to be outside whenever he can. The highlight of Hallister's day today is that he gets to spend time with his Aunt Bekah before she returns to the Peace Corp.

Early Christmas Present

Hallister enjoys watching Baby Einstein in the mornings. He usually turns his toy over to sit on as achair or we put him on the couch. For Christmas we decided to get him his own chair and give it to him early. Here is a video of him climbing into it for the first time.

Visitors

We had our dear friends Becca, Ryan, and Levi come stay with us and we enjoyed watching 2 year old Levi and Hallister play together. They were so cute sitting in their chairs together and chasing each other. It makes us happy that Hallister and Baby #2 will be close in age and get to play together and be buddies.

Baby Update

We got to hear the baby's heartbeat last week, a strong 155bpm. At Hallister's first appointment his heartbeat was 147bpm. It is neat to compare my journals as this pregnancy progresses. After a rough weekend of nausea it seems to be tapering off. I have an aversion to chicken once again, and seem to enjoy Mexican food and pastas the most. We look forward to finding out what we are having January 22nd. We will be sure to let everyone know right after we leave the appointment. We get to take in a DVD this time and record everything, so that will be something to treasure that we can go back and watch. Get your guesses in now for our guessing game! It is always fun to see what you guess.

Big Brother

Hallister is going to be a great big brother!

Baby #2

On October 19th we found out we were pregnant with Baby #2. We had to wait a long 3 weeks until we went to the doctor to confirm the pregnancy on November 12th. Our due date is June 25th. After sharing the news with our parents November 14th and the rest of our family over Thanksgiving we thought it was finally time to post the news on the blog for everyone to see. This pregnancy has definitely been different with sickness and constant nausea, but I am thankful that is a good sign the baby is healthy. At our next appointment in December we get to hear the heartbeat. We are so excited! Hallister is going to be a great big brother!

14 Months Old

He walks, he talks, he signs, he runs. Hallister has developed his own personality now. He loves to chase the dogs and throw their toy and play fetch. He loves to be outside and has developed his own sign for this by looking at the window or door and opening and closing his hands. We finally got a swing so he is enjoying that. He is picking up signs very fast now. He consistently signs eat, drink, more, milk, all done, bath, bye-bye, and diaper change (thankful for this one). He will repeat thank you and we are working on combining more and please. He has had a pretty consistent schedule of going to bed between 8-8:30pm and waking up at 6:30-7am. His first nap is usually 9:30-10:30am and then the afternoon nap is 1:30-3:30pm. He has a lot more hair now. We are thankful for our friends The Ross who sent him warm pj's, pants, and long sleeve shirts. 12 month pants fit him good but he can fit in 18 month shirts and onesies pretty nicely. His mouth is full of teeth which helps him eat anything. Now that he has been introduced to "our food" he prefers it over baby food. Hallister still waves to people whenever we go to the grocery store. He is so social, and also enjoys his Mother's Day Out class still. We are so thankful for such a healthy and happy son.

We Have a Climber....

Hallister is getting brave and now loves to climb on things.

13 Months Old

Hallister is getting to be such a big boy. He likes food that we eat: lasagna, spaghetti, rolls, baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and now chicken nuggets. He is able to eat this food with his 4 new molars, and 8 front teeth. He drinks so much water that at night he is soaking through his diaper. We are going to try overnight diapers. He is walking faster and faster, and doesn't hold his hands out as much in case he falls. To get up from the floor he leans forward, straightens his legs, and then lifts his torso up. We are working on the signs "Help, Please, and Thank You". He has started to actually say "Tank Eww". He is so cute now saying "Bes Eww" after we sneeze. He is getting brave climbing on things and a video is coming soon of what he recently climbed on.

Worship

We have been taking Hallister into Worship time at church, which is at the beginning of the service. He really loves music and is very aware of people around him worshiping. We also do a Kid Time song in Lifegroup for the kids to sing and do motions with where he bounces and claps. The other day I was working and he was playing in his yard. I started to listen to a new worship song I downloaded. I looked over and well....he had stopped playing and was worshiping. It was such an awesome sight.

Excitement

Hallister loves music and when he hears music he gets real excited, dances, and bounces. Now he has learned to verbally let us know when he is excited by screaming.

Catch Up

I feel like we are playing catch-up with updates. Hallister is now drinking whole milk instead of formula. This is a blessing since it saves us about $75 a month. He also seems to have Italian taste buds, liking lasagna and spaghetti. We just blend it up and feed it to him. We did let him have fun with the spaghetti the other night. He is not a fan of chicken, which makes since because when I was pregnant I desired beef more than chicken, and before I was pregnant it was the opposite. He also climbs on the futon in his room and loves to jump on it. An amazing thing we discovered is how much he is understanding at his young age. I was working and Hall was playing in his play yard. I sneezed, he stopped playing and said "Bess You" (Bless You). It was amazing. Jonathan and I say this all the time to each other. And the last thing is that he waves goodbye now without prompting and says "Bye Bye." Even this morning Jonathan went to hug Hall before leaving the house and he waved his hand saying "Bye Daddy."

Walking

Hallister is walking everywhere now. Even if he happens to fall down he will get up by himself and walk again, instead of crawling. When he is put on the ground he wiggles away from you (as you can see in the video) because he is determined to get balanced on his own. It is so amazing to see him developing and learning.

Financial Peace

We have thoroughly enjoyed taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University classes offered at Antioch, the church we attend. We are on Week 8 of 13. Dave teaches how to make wise financial decisions and explains using scripture. I just want to take a minute to give God the glory for all He has taught us and thank Him for how He has blessed us. We are now on the envelope system with a certain amount designated for groceries, eating out, gas, and miscellaneous. We use cash to buy everything. This has already helped us not purchase things because we see our cash diminish. If we don't have the money for it then we save up for it. No more buying things with credit or 12 months no interest deals. Chances are we can even negotiate a lower price if we show someone the cash. We have been needing extra income since one of my clients cut back her services. We were so thankful that God brought me a temporary job through a friend that helped us, within one month, fund our $1,000 emergency fund and pay cash for new tires for the Rav. It feels so good to own those tires. After going through the budget we noticed our electric bill is our second largest bill each month. After speaking with friends we found we were paying 4 cents more per kilowatt than their rates. Dave Ramsey did a session on salespeople and negotiating. I called Reliant saying we need to get our rate lowered or we will switch. After an hour of being on the phone we got our rate lowered from 14.6 cents per kilowatt to 10.9. Praise God! The customer service person was very nice and appreciated our business. (Check rates at www.powertochoose.org) After receiving this month's bill we have already saved $150. We are thankful for the financial knowledge we now have and look forward to being debt free soon, with sacrifice and determination. We want to live like no one else so one day we can live like no one else! If FPU is in your area we definitely recommend it.

Wagons

Hallister loves being pulled in wagons. Here he is with a few friends enjoying himself in different wagons. In the leggo wagon he crawls in it and loves to be pulled down the hall.

1 Year Old!!!

Hallister turned 1 Year Old! Time went by so quickly. We had fun celebrating with family and friends. He is definitely set for the next year with all his new toys and he got a lot of cute clothes. It was so fun watching him have sugar for the first time. He is still taking steps here and there. He has learned to climb on the futon and enjoys jumping on it. We got him a kitchen for his birthday so he loves to pull dishes out of it and put them all in a bucket. Hopefully this is a sign he will enjoy "clean up" time as he gets older. He weighs in at 22lbs and just got his first molar, making that 9 teeth that he has. He is drinking half formula half whole milk every 4 hours a day, then also has yogurt for breakfast and a jar of baby food for lunch and supper. He still continues to turn heads in the grocery store. Of course he is one good looking kid but there is also just a glow that he has that people notice. He is surrounded by the presence of God and that is what makes him so attractive. We are looking forward to watching him grow, supporting him in his talents, and seeing what God does in him and through him.

Be Very, Very Quiet...Wanger is huntin' wabbits.....

So I am doing my quiet time at the kitchen table Sunday morning and notice that Wriley has been inside but I haven't seen much of Ranger. Jonathan comes in the room and I ask, "Have you seen Ranger?" He replies, "Yeah he has been sitting outside chewing on something for the last hour. It is probably a ball." I said, "I don't think so, he is always with Wriley. I bet it is another rabbit!" So Jonathan goes outside and slowly approaches Ranger. He looks down, shakes his head, and holds up so I can see the fresh rabbit Ranger has caught. "Good boy!" That's rabbit #2!

Ranger

We recently got Ranger neutered. The poor guy did not like the "Cone of Shame" but after a few days took it well. He has healed nicely and after a little special treatment of canned soft food he is back to his old self again. (And in case you didn't know he managed to get the dog flap open while Wriley was in heat.......so we will have one last litter of puppies.)

11 Months Old

Sorry this update is a little late. We have been staying busy chasing Hallister. Our little boy is growing so fast. He has attempted walking by stepping from the coffee table to the couch, or from his stand-up toy to us. When he crawls it is very fast. He loves to sit in the dog beds and jump from one to the other, when the dogs aren't in them. We have introduced whole milk by doing 1/3 milk, 2/3 formula. He has taken it well. The nurse warned it may be hard for him to poop and it has, but it is easier clean up being just solid. Now that he signs diaper change that helps us know, if he starts crying, he is having trouble pooping. Getting hungry? Hallister likes his vegetables. He eats baby food twice a day, loves his water, and is doing well drinking from a straw. He does not like chicken noodle or turkey dinner. He still does his sign for "more". For snacks he enjoys mum-mums and cheerios. Hallister crosses his legs while drinking his bottle, when he is in the stroller out for a walk, and even when he plays with a toy standing up he will put one foot up on the other. It is very cute. As I mentioned he crawls very fast, well he beat me to the dog food and managed to down a piece. He didn't seem to mind it. Of course I had just poured left over chicken broth on it so that is probably why. In addition to saying "Dadada" he finally added to his vocabulary last week "Momma" and reached out for me. It was precious. We are enjoying watching him grow and learn and look forward to the day when he walks up to us.

Diaper Change

I have been doing sign language with Hallister consistently since he we born with the normal everyday things we do, hoping he would pick up the signs as he got older. Well sure enough, repetition has paid off. Closing your fist with your thumb sticking through your pointer and middle finger, then shaking, means diaper change. Here is his version.

Weekend Highlight

We were having supper last night and Carolyn, the lady that bought Dot and Jasmine, called and asked if we would like to see the girls. They live just 10 minutes away in Woodway. We of course got very excited and said yes. The girls were BEAUTIFUL and she even said they get so many compliments on them. Here are pictures from them being 8 weeks old to now 4 months old.

They are doing well. Dot does not like being without Jasmine. They got spade 2 weeks ago and that was rough, she said, having to separate them. We brought Wriley in to visit her girls and it was amazing how similar her and Dot look. Then we brought in Ranger, and Jasmine looks just like him. It was so awesome to see how much they have grown and how happy and loved they are.

Puppy Update

Early last month we finally found a home for R.J. (Ranger Junior). The story is actually quite a good one. An older couple came up from Temple one Sunday evening to see Jordy and R.J. The woman was holding R.J. while Ranger and Wriley were sniffing around and playing. The man had been around a lab before they came to our house and apparently Ranger wanted to claim back his territory because he PEED on the man's leg!!!! Thankfully he was wearing blue jeans and boots. We were embarrassed but I guess he was not too upset because they still took home R.J. Two weeks later a lady called from Killeen about Jordy and he went to a home with a young boy to play with.

New Hall Pictures

Jackpot

Our favorite thing to do now is get up early on Sat, grab our coffee, and hit Garage Sales advertising children clothes and toys. Hallister is growing fast and will be in need of winter clothes that fit him soon.....plus he is getting bored with his older toys. We were able to get 3 shirts, 5 onesies, 3 pairs of shorts, a brand new unopened Baby Einstein Santa DVD, and a fun square bucket that has a handle and shapes fit in holes on the sides . (It also plays music which we didn't realize until we got it home) We got all of that for $10.00! Two of the onesies were from Old Navy and still had tags on them. They had been bought for $6.00 each. The Einstein DVD was worth at least $12 by itself but was only 50 cents! Praise the Lord for this great deal!

Baby Workout

Apparently our morning walks are not enough for Hallister....he still wants weight training.



That is a 3 pound weight!

10 Months Old

Our baby boy is 10 months old now. We go for a walk every morning. Yesterday morning we ventured over to the swing set in the park close by and he LOVED to swing. They had a baby swing that his legs fit in. I guess we'll need to look into getting one. He crawls everywhere, loves to push or roll a toy and then chase after it.....hmm, I guess he has been watching the dogs more than we thought. He walks along the edge of the coffee table and steps from it to the couch, and then from the couch to us or his toys that are tall enough. He has just stood by the coffee table without holding anything, and he has stepped from holding the couch to us without holding anything. It won't be long before he has enough courage to take one or two steps by himself. If he can just figure out how to support his body weight then he will be walking everywhere. He still enjoys his walker and goes 5 mph down the hallway in it, chasing the dogs, or us. He is getting more independent, wanting to hold his bottle on his own, and sippy cup. He loves little Graduate Puffs as snacks and Mum Mums that dissolve easily in his mouth. I put some on his walker tray and he will snack on them, then race down the hall and share some with the dogs. It is fun to watch him in his high chair swinging his arms as if he is directing a choir, in between snacking. We know he's sleepy when he rubs his eyes and arches his back, so he goes in the crib with one paci in his mouth and then one in his hand. He will switch them out in his mouth and then fall asleep with one in his mouth and one in his hand. The above picture was taken last night. He was out, so I carefully put his leg back in his crib.

4 Year Anniversary

It has been a wonderful 4 years of marriage. We decided to celebrate a full weekend in San Antonio. Hallister was well taken care of. Doesn't Hurt To Ask Take II - I had mentioned to our pediatrician our travel plans and he suggested a restaurant - Rosario's - he loved when living in San Antonio. Before we left I emailed them to see if they took reservations. The owner replied saying no but since it was our anniversary we should ask for "Manny" upon arriving and he would take care of us. (This story is continued later.) We enjoyed an awesome dinner at the Tower of the Americas rotating restaurant Friday evening. We felt sophisticated all dressed up, the food was excellent, and the temperature of the room perfect. (I am usually cold in restaurants.) Saturday we got up early to head to Sea World. The park opened at 9am but we were there at 8am. There was no waiting in line for parking, we already had our tickets so we walked right in, and then we headed to the back of the park where the rides were. I wanted to make sure we got all the rides in we wanted before it got hot and lines got long. Praise God we breezed thru 3 rides that were together with no wait, then went towards the front of the park to stand in line only 30 minutes. After that ride we saw the show Believe with Shamu and then paid way too much for a burger and turkey wrap and one water bottle. Although we did manage to smuggle in some water bottles there were no water fountains. Doesn't Hurt To Ask Take III - Before seeing our next show I got in line with our water bottle and just asked if they could refill it. The lady kindly did for no charge, and it was cold water. We saved $2.89 each time we just refilled it. So we saw two more awesome shows, walked to see dolphins being fed, grabbed a Lemon Chill before leaving the park around 4pm. We got back to the hotel, swam, and then got ready to head to Rosario's. Take II continued - We arrive and see that there is a waiting list but tell the hostess that Manny is supposed to seat us. She pages Manny and up walks a guy dressed in black that could be a bouncer. He asks, "Are you Elizabeth?" I nod and he says, "Follow me." As everyone waiting watches us, we are seated right away with a nice window view. I guess it doesn't hurt to ask. We felt special all night. Our waitress was awesome, made great suggestions, and the food was so delicious. Jonathan called Manny over before we left to thank him and tell him how wonderful everything was. Sunday we were anxious to get home to see Hallister. We had a wonderful, relaxing anniversary trip. Enjoy the pictures!

Rabbit Stew Anyone?

The morning started off like any other. Hallister woke up and that woke us up. Jonathan realized we were about to get hit with a thunderstorm so he opened the doggy door to let all the dogs inside, then he went to the garage. When he came back, all the dogs were huddled around the back door and Jonathan had to weave through them to close the doggy door. He moved Ranger out of the way, and then went to kick what he though was one of their toys out of the way... The next thing I heard was "Uh Liz, Ranger caught a rabbit, a REAL rabbit!" We only wish we could have seen it come thru the doggy door. We are very proud of Ranger, who didn't even need training, and are looking forward to dove season!

Missing Our Cats

We miss our cats, Coal and Leya, especially when
we're opening a can of tuna or unloading groceries and
there is no meowing or finding a cat in a bag. We
had some great entertainment with them and many
laughs. In memory of them, wherever they are,
here are some videos. Yes, Coal does eventually get
the string off the fan.

Doesn't Hurt To Ask...

Today was Hallister's 9 month appointment.
He weighed in at 20 1/2 lbs and is 28 1/4" long. He is a healthy, growing boy in the fiftieth percentile for height and weight. I told the doctor that he is now exclusively on formula and asked if they had any coupons or samples. Formula is our biggest expense right now. He said he would go look and that they had a guy bring in a truck load of samples yesterday. He also said that usually they have plenty of the regular stuff and mainly it is the specialized formulas they give out. I was ecstatic when the nurse came back with a whole box, sixteen, 8oz cans of formula. Ask and you shall receive. Praise God for providing us with FREE formula!

Pack N Play Pfun

Father's Day

I know this is a day late according to Hallmark, but really a Father should feel loved and appreciated every day and not more so on a day marked on a calendar. So Happy Father's Day to my hard working husband. You are my supporter, my best friend, and a wonderful Father to Hallister. I hope he grows up to have the same caring and giving heart that you have.

9 Months Old

SO much has happened this past month it feels like it has been a while since we've updated everyone on Hallister's new adventures. He crawls everywhere and pulls up on anything that will let him. He started with the coffee table and then a toy Oma and Grandpa got him that is just the right height for him to play around. Since he is so active we decided to get a play yard for my office so he can play while I work. Hallister still loves water so we got him a pool. He also got his first boo boo falling out of the pool. He crawls quickly even in water. His favorite food is a jar of Banana, Oatmeal, and Peaches. A food that he wouldn't even swallow is Chicken Noodle Dinner. It just sat there in his mouth and he made a hilarious face. He tried to get it out of his mouth with his hand and we wiped it off. He now enjoys using a sippy cup that he can grasp along the side. This past weekend we got him a high chair. It makes it much easier to feed him, although the Bumbo did work great and can still travel with us. Hallister loves the outdoors. We enjoy going for morning walks in the stroller when its still cool outside. Recently we upgraded to a lightweight stroller we can easily pull out of the car. He also enjoys sitting in the grass and the feel of it.

Devi and Copper have new homes....

Last week we said goodbye to Copper. He now lives with a couple who have a Great Pyrenees named Kitty, a cat, and a 6 month old grand-daughter. He will not get bored with all those play mates.

Devi went to live in Temple with a couple and their 5 year old son. He has a huge backyard to play in. The family updated us that he has been renamed Cooper. He loves shoes and a soft duck chew toy.

Goodbye Dot and Jasmine

Today we said goodbye to our two girl beagle puppies - Dot and Jasmine. We were especially close to Dot whom we fed formula. They both went to the same family and will be loved by a 14 year old girl who will be responsible for them and she wants to be a vet. Her older brothers were also excited about the puppies. They are going to send us updates along with pictures so we appreciate that. It was sad to see them go but a blessing to know they are in good hands.

8 Months Old

Hallister has changed so much in the last month. Usually we let him do the update but he is busy chewing on a teether biscuit, which he LOVES. Speaking of food he loves his veggies, especially squash, corn, and green beans. He does not seem to care as much about fruits, especially bananas. We cannot believe he has 8 teeth!!! His eighth one is on the top right and it has bothered him the most thus far. He was sleeping through the night until it started to come in almost two weeks ago. Hallister had many firsts this month. He waved bye for the first time at our garage sale. He pushes himself into a sitting position now. He has been sitting up in his bed so we lowered the mattress one level yesterday. After he went down for a nap we came in to find this!! (the picture above) He pulled himself into a standing position. So today after his nap I come in to find he did it again. (picture on right) We are so proud of him. He LOVES bath time, and usually once he sees the tub we have to fight to get his clothes off because he wants to jump in. He has many rubber duckies he plays with. He is also saying letters now....mainly baba and dadada. He now does the sign for more (putting hands together) when we feed him baby food.

Sneeze, Smack, Snot

Formula Time

We took Wriley and the puppies to the vet to make sure they
were doing alright. One girl puppy was a lot smaller than the
others so the vet said to give her puppy formula as well as to make
sure she eats from Wriley. She seems to enjoy Jonathan's
chin more. She is doing great now.

Gate Drop Off

Bluebonnets

Gate Game

7 Months Old

I've got my two front (top) teeth, making that a total of 6 teeth now. Wow! I love to walk in my walker up and down the hall. My other favorite thing to do in my walker is to ram into the dog gates leaning against the wall and knock them over. (Video coming soon.) When I'm on the floor I roll and roll, over and over, going from one side of the room to the other. Ranger lays next to me and puts his head on my back or licks my feet. He is my buddy. I am sleeping pretty consistently now from 9:30pm to 6am...yeah, Mommy gets to experience a rem cycle. I actually am wearing 12 month clothes. They are loose fitting though, allowing some room to grow. I am a healthy, happy, growing boy who brings a smile to everyone's face around me.

Puppies!

They Have Arrived!!!!

Wriley is now officially a new mom! She started giving birth at 11:20pm last night and the last one was born at sometime around 3am. She had 8 puppies, but 2 didn't make it. Ranger is an awesome dad. He was very calm through the whole process, unlike his normal very hyper self.

We will be getting a lot more pictures, and filling you in with the story as the days go on, but all I got to say is that they are the cutest newborn puppies I have ever seen!

Easy Clean Up

6 Months Old

I am 17lbs 3oz and 27" long. I now turn over in my crib and sleep on my tummy. My buddy is my dog Ranger. When I sit in my bumbo on the floor he comes to sit next to me. I grab his ears and when I spit up he licks it up. He also lays next to me on the floor when I play. Wriley is VERY pregnant and wants her space. I can't wait to play with puppies! I normally sleep from 9:30pm to 5am but have made it 6:30am some mornings. I am ticklish on the back of my neck. I now use a walker and love to roll all around my living room. At first I just went backwards but now I go forward trying to catch my doggies.

Hall and Ranger

Latest Pictures

5 Months Old

I weigh in at 16 pounds. I now have 3 lower teeth!!! I can handle the pain pretty well with teething and don't get fussy, even with a runny nose. My canines are beginning to show now! Speaking of canines....I have taken notice to these two moving spotted 4 legged animals with floppy ears in the house. They are the same height as my jumper. I love to touch their noses when they walk by. I am still trying to catch those tails. Their names are "Wriley" and "RANGER QUIT THAT!!!!". I have learned to roll from my back to my tummy. I have eaten peas, green beans, squash, & sweet potatoes. Want to hear me giggle? Just blow in my face. I now go to Mother's Day out once a week and really enjoy socializing. My teachers constantly exclaim how happy I am. Actually everyone I meet says what a happy baby I am. Well stay tuned for videos coming soon!

4 Month Checkup

Today I weighed in at 15 lbs 9 oz and I am 25 1/2" long. I have a lower incisor tooth coming in, so I drool a lot. I love to strengthen my legs with my jumper and this past week I found my toes. I know how to take my paci out of my mouth and I am still practicing daily how to spit (thanks to Dad). I still roll over onto my side but it won't be long before I figure out what to do with my other arm....

Christmas '08

What Daddy Taught Me