Time to Thrive

Three years ago, (will be four in January), I started my business, 3 Strands Graphics. I had enjoyed designing invitations and birth announcements for friends and was approached about designing a magazine, besides the one I already did for my full time job. I had fun designing all day and then even when I got home. My full time job dissolved, so it worked out that I already had my business and my then boss would become my client. Three months later we found out we were pregnant, but unable to live on one income. God worked it out so that I could stay at home with Hallister and still work. Jonathan got to explore his talents by building me a website and setting up a network in our home. I started the business wanting to glorify God and have been very thankful for all the people I have met and got the opportunity to pray with. I have learned patience, with clients wanting change after change for an ad. I have learned forgiveness, by not receiving payment after doing many hours of work. I have learned how to design better and be more efficient. With all of this being said, there is a time for everything.

Last month I attended a Women's Conference at my church with the theme of Thrive: Unlocked to Live your Destiny. I attended the break out session on Thriving in Motherhood given by Rachel Lee. I felt like God spoke to me that I need to simplify my life. I need to stop working and focus on being a mom. It wasn't what I wanted to hear but it would be a grave mistake to disobey. I am a multi-tasker and like to stay busy, but lately I have been getting overwhelmed. I realized I have been doing too much. The most important job I have right now is to invest in my kids, and I don't want to look back and regret missing this time. In the break out session Rachel talked about getting up early and how important that is for your kids to see you reading God's Word. She use to let her kids wake her up and she was grumpy and would tell them to go get their own breakfast. Then she would wonder why her kids would whine and misbehave the rest of the day. They were just following the example set for them. Rachel started getting up early and speaking Bible verses over her kids throughout the day. She said of course, if your mornings are going to change your nights have to as well. I came home ready to Thrive. I am trying to get into bed by 10pm every night and I get up at 5:30am every morning to make sure I get in my time with Jesus. I really feel lately God is honoring me with more sleep. Preston is waking up less during the night.

At the end of this month I will be closing my business. Since I have not had much business since Preston was born I am just trying to make enough to pay bills anyway. I am finishing up a prom magazine and will be designing a few Christmas cards and then will be done. Perhaps, on occasion, I will still design for friends if I feel peaceful about it. I am excited about having more time with the kids and with Jonathan. I want to invest in them and enjoy the time I have to teach them, before sending them out into the world. I want to make sure they have a firm foundation to stand on. Once the kids go to school perhaps I will be able to reopen or go back to school and develop my skills. Only God knows. For now, 3 Strands Graphics is getting put in time out.

Preston's Dedication

"For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition, which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord. And he worshiped the Lord there." 1 Samuel 1:27-28. Just as Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord, this past Sunday we dedicated Preston. Two church members and our good friend Jeremy Heimbach prayed over Preston. They received these pictures from the Lord: 1) Picture of the cross covering him even in the womb, the cross and blood of Jesus will cover and protect him all the days of his life. 2) Picture of a reed planted in water; Preston will be rooted in pure, living water, he will never dry up, and even be a source for others. Jonathan and I chose Psalm 127:3-5 for Preston and our Pastor ended up mentioning it on Sunday: "Behold children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. how blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." We are so thankful for both our boys and pray they grow up to become men of God.

November Update

Instead of just updating everyone on the boys I thought it would be more fun to give a family update.

Preston - 4 months old. The past month has been rough with him getting two top teeth. He wakes up about 4 times at night, but usually twice I just put the pacifier back in. He likes to be held looking out so he can see everything. If this doesn't help calm him down then usually taking him outside will. He loves walks and always falls asleep or is content playing with his rings. He is 25 1/2" long and weighs 16 1/2 pounds. He has been eating every 2 - 2 1/2 hours, but the doctor said to stretch it to every 3. We will try rice cereal to see if he is ready for it. Preston now turns over, from his back to stomach, and can pull his pacifier out of his mouth. He likes a different pacifier than Hallister did. It is one we got at a shower and didn't even register for - Mam brand. It is neat to see the differences between these brothers.

Hallister - 25 months old. He has learned many new words. He says socks, shirt, and tells the dog to sit. The problem sometimes is that he leaves the "r" out of shirt or pronounces sit with a "sh" sound. It is amusing and so innocent. He can now count to 5. He was sitting in his high chair this past Sunday eating lunch and just started counting. It is nice to know he is listening when we teach him things. He goes to bed at 8pm and has been waking up a little earlier, at 6:30am. His new favorites are vanilla wafers and raisins. I have been watching a friends 2 1/2 year old the past month who is potty training. This has helped Hallister gain interest in it. He goes potty every day, about 3-4 times. We ask him sometimes and other times he will say potty. He has a morning poop after breakfast and he has started to do that in the potty as well. We have some candy in the bathroom for a reward. He often asks to hold Preston and kisses his head. He says please, thank you, hi, and bye ALOT. We have tried to teach him 'You're welcome' after someone says thank you, but he will run them together saying, thank you welcome. It is very cute. He is a sponge and just soaking up the world around him. That is why we are careful to watch what he sees and what he hears.

Jonathan - 368 Months old. Jonathan changed jobs last month. He now works for Curves International. (Curves is the work out place for women. And no I do not get to work out there for free, I have to be an employee. ) Teaching at TSTC was starting to wear on him, long hours and not enough pay. This opportunity came up just in time. There are 3 airplanes and 1 helicopter he gets to work on, but he never can tell what each day will hold. The first week he worked on a boat and lawn mower. He also assists with their hot air balloon, sometimes chasing it in the Curves van when in flight, having to guess where it is going to land to help dismantle it.

Elizabeth - 349 Months old. I joined MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) this Fall and have really enjoyed meeting other moms, hearing speakers, and making crafts. To help us out financially, I started to sub at Austin Ave United Methodist Church for their Parent's Day Out program on an occasional Monday or Wednesday. It was convenient because I could take the kids, and I actually subbed in the 2 year old class so I was with Hallister. I also kept our friends Jeremy and Sarah's daughter Emri twice a week. Sarah was due with their third child this month, and with Hanan in preschool, this allowed Sarah to have a break and rest. Praise God for providing for us once again with Jonathan's new job. Things have been tight since bringing Preston home and with the hospital bills starting to come in. We prayed for change and the Lord heard our cry and provided. Next week will be my last time of watching Emri, since baby Chloe has arrived. As for my business - My x-boss let me know about a wedding store needing a designer. I am excited to be designing a prom magazine, with the deadline in mid-December. It is fun to get these creative juices flowing again.
Wriley and Ranger - They are on a weight management food. We don't feed them people food, but they have cleaned up after Hallister one too many times. At first the food made them throw up. Now they are used to it and it has definitely helped them lose weight. Hallister has not felt well the past few days so I thought putting Ranger in with him for nap time would cheer him up. They both slept very well.

Superman

Who climbs up inflated slides, bounces with joy in jumpy houses, and throws bean bags through holes......It's Superman! Jonathan and I are not big fans of Halloween. We did want to give Hallister the opportunity to dress up and safely have fun still. Thanks to some friends giving us some clothes their son had grown out of we already had a costume - Superman pajamas. We attended a Fall Festival and a Trunk or Treat. The Fall Festival was indoors at the church where I go to MOPS. It was full of inflatable slides, jumpy houses, bean bag games, ducks in a pool, cookie walk, just games for all ages. It was very crowded, but fun. Hallister's best buddy Jacob ended up dressing as Superman as well. They had toddler specific rooms with games and toys. At each station Hallister received a piece of candy after playing the game. At the Trunk or Treat we had free hot dogs and then people handed out candy from their trunks. Jonathan taught Hallister very well. He said thank you after receiving the candy and told each person bye....and he will keep saying bye until you acknowledge him and repeat it back. Preston liked being outdoors. So we enjoyed these Halloween festivities and are using the candy Hall received for potty training.

Birthday Weekend

On my birthday Jonathan surprised me by taking off work. I woke up to Preston already being fed and breakfast being cooked. He also got me a new Bible. I had mentioned wanting an updated one since I have had mine since high school. We enjoyed lunch at Chicfila, my favorite fast food place. That night my good friends Sarah and Ann said they were taking me out and to be ready by 6pm. Much to my surprise they took me to get a pedicure, and then to Red Lobster to eat. I felt very blessed to be pampered, and to just feel like a woman. Jonathan took me out for dinner the next day. We tried a new restaurant in Waco called Z's Bar and Grill that was excellent. It was a fun birthday weekend.

3 Months Old

Preston is getting so strong. He is really pushing with his feet and sometimes he has even turned himself 90 degrees in his crib, when he is not in his sleep positioner. He was sleeping quite well during the night, only waking up once, until teething hit. Yep, it looks like he is going to be an early teether like Hallister. Preston's first tooth has been working its way in and broke through his gum yesterday. He tries to suck on his hand all day. Thankfully he has not had a fever yet but we can tell it bothers him. Orajel and Tylenol seem to help so he can at least get some sleep. Maybe we will have a break before the next one comes in.

Preston has 3 distinct cries - scared, in pain, hungry. I try to catch his signs for hunger before he cries. The one for pain we have not heard except for when he got shots and now with the tooth. The scared cry is the worst, very shrill. A lot of times he will startle himself.

Preston loves to be held looking out at the world. He is fine sitting in his swing but seems to enjoy being held more these days, now that he is teething. It is obvious who Preston takes after with most of his features when Jonathan holds him. Those gorgeous blue eyes and his smile just melt my heart.

Faith Rest Ranch

We celebrated Hallister turning 2 at Faith Rest Ranch in Crawford with a Thomas the Train themed party. His birthday is close to his friend Aaron's, so we shared the celebration and doubled the fun. We had pony rides, then enjoyed hot dogs and cake. Hallister ate his first hot dog! He was timid at riding the pony at first but after watching his friends do it he finally rode.

Lawnmower

Hallister has always enjoyed being outside when Jonathan mows and likes to push on the mower. Last month there was a Just Between Friends consignment sale in Waco. I was a consignor and volunteered which allowed me to shop before the public. My one goal was to find Hallister a lawnmower for his birthday. I was so excited when I looked under a table and found one. At Toys R Us they are $16 and this one was $4.50!! I could not believe the deal I got. What made me smile even more was seeing Hallister's face when he saw it. He now gets to "help" daddy and watch bubbles come out of it as well.

Hallister Turns 2!

We have a 2 year old! Hallister is such a blessing to have as a son. He has learned so much in the past year, from walking to new signs to talking. Some of his favorite things: cheetos, spaghetti, Jammy Sammy's, playing outside, watching Thomas the Train and Bolt, playing with his friend Jacob or older children, cars, balls, slides, swinging. Yesterday we celebrated many of his favorite things for his birthday while Aunt Bekah was here. We went to the park to slide and swing. He got to help lick the batter from making cupcakes, and put the icing on a few cupcakes. We had spaghetti for supper. Today Hallister got to play with Jacob, his best bud, at MOPS, then had a Jammy Sammy and cheetos for lunch. The pictures above show him doing all these things. Since Hallister is now a big boy we have said goodbye to the pacifier. We cut the tip off of it so when he sucked on it, it collapsed. He then threw it. We have also stopped giving him milk in a bottle. He gets it in a sippy cup but does not drink near as much before going to bed. This should help with potty training which we want to try again sometime this Fall. Hallister's chores are feeding the dogs, watering the hanging plant we have in the front yard, and handing me the clean silverware from the dishwasher to put away. As far as his personality he is very happy and outgoing. He does seem to feel like he has to compete for attention when around younger children. The past 4 months have been difficult with a lot of discipline after he throws things or takes toys from others. We are praying for break through and perhaps God is having us, as parents, experience this to teach us patience and perseverance. Hallister is very sweet to Preston. He likes to kiss him and lean his head against him and say "Aww". We look forward to the day when they can start playing together. We are so proud of Hallister and can't wait to see what God is going to do in and through him.

Preston Meets Aunt Bekah

Preston finally got to meet his Aunt Rebekah. She is home from the Dominican Republic, where she serves as a Peace Corps volunteer, for 2 weeks and got to stay with us two days, also celebrating Hallister's birthday. Preston has been constipated for three days and twice when Bekah was holding him he pooped. I guess she has the magic touch. She will end her service with the Peace Corps in May 2011 and be home in time for Preston's 1st birthday! One thing on her agenda after getting back is teaching our boys Spanish. :-)

Great Grandparents

This past Saturday Preston got to meet his great grandparents, my dad's parents.

2 Month Checkup

Preston had his 2 month checkup today. He weighs a whopping 15.2 POUNDS! He is 22 3/4" tall. He looks chunky because he is short. At 2 months Hallister weighed 13.9 lbs and was 24" tall. Here is a picture of him zonked out after we got home from the appointment. Poor guy had 3 shots! Before he cries he does this horrible quiver of his bottom lip and turns it upside down. It is so sad. He did not cry long though and the Tylenol kicked in. I asked the doctor about the constipation and he said 3 to 4 days is nothing to worry about. Actually he had a lady wait 12 days of her daughter not pooping then calling him, but she went the next day and was fine. When he does poop as long as it is soft then he is fine. (I know TMI.) Preston is getting so good at sleeping through the night! The past two nights he has slept 9-10 hours. Amazing! Hopefully this continues.

2 Months Old

Preston is now 2 months old. He is such a good and happy baby. It looks like Jonathan's blue eyes beat out my brown eyes for him. He has very nice blue eyes. He has started cooing. He loves to be held where he can look around the room. He rarely cries. Like I mentioned last month he grunts when he starts to get hungry, and he now puts his hand in his mouth. The last few days he has been constipated and gassy. I guess the gas is pretty rough on him because that has made him cry. During the day he chills out in the swing or kicks on the play mat where he looks up at lights and toys hanging down. He eats every 2 to 3 hours during the day. Thankfully at night he still has a long stretch, usually from 8pm to 3am he sleeps, eats, then from 3:30am to 7am he sleeps. He likes being dressed warm and his room being pretty cool. We won't lie, he is chunky, but so very cute. Preston is now in size 2 diapers. The only brand of 0-3 month clothes that fit him are Garanimals. He mainly wears 3-6 month clothes and even some 6 month clothes are comfy but a little loose on him.

First Haircut

Hallister got his first haircut Saturday and did not like it one bit. I thought he would enjoy sitting in the car. He did not cry but fussed and moved. It turned out pretty good though. He looks like a 2 year old.

23 Months Old

It is hard to believe our first born is almost 2! He has grown so much this past month. He is now sleeping in a car toddler bed some friends of ours gave us. He sometimes still gets out of it and walks around but we put a door knob holder on the door so he can't get out. He still sleeps through the night once he falls asleep, which is from 8pm to 7am. He naps from 1-3pm. His new words with signs are 'swing' and 'cup'. H also says Nana and PaPa. He has ventured out with new foods eating cornbread and pancakes (not together). He has gone from wearing size 5 shoes to 7. His new favorite video is of one that has actual trains. He also enjoys playing with his cars and lining them up. His cute light brown curls are getting fairly long. We may need to get his hair trimmed soon, especially with this heat.

1 Month Old

Wait for it.....okay now change his diaper. Preston is already teaching us patience. We have learned this past month that once he starts to "go" we need to wait about 5 minutes because one time is just the beginning. After going through 2-3 diapers in one change many times we figured him out. Preston is growing fast and really filling out. During the day he eats every 2 hours, sometimes 3. At night he has done quite well the last 2 weeks. He sleeps 4-5 hours the first stretch, eats, and then sleeps another 3-4. Now if I would just go to bed when he does, between 8-9pm, I would get more sleep. Preston grunts and squeaks as he wakes up and stretches. He also usually does this when he starts to get hungry or is working on pooping. This is a nice heads up for us, rather than immediately crying. His umbilical cord finally came off at about 3 weeks. He still has blue eyes and some reddish brown hair on the back of his head. He raises his left eyebrow at times (just like his mom can do). He loves to kick his legs and enjoys just being held and looking around the room. He has successfully taken a bottle 3 times now so it is nice to know we can have our first date in the near future.

New Playground

For about 3 months we have been trying to find Hallister an outdoor playground. He loves to be outside and loves to slide. I have been looking on Craigslist just about everyday and when I have called about something we like it has already been sold. Well yesterday I noticed a garage sale that had a playground for sale and in really good condition. I stopped to check it out and realized it was exactly what I had been looking for. I called my friend Sarah who lived close to see if she would get it for me with their Expedition. They were asking $75 for it, which was actually a good price since brand new they are $350. I stopped by Sarah's and then going through my envelopes realized I only had $59. I sent it with Sarah and hoped they would take it. Ten minutes later she pulled up with the playground loaded in the Expedition! To make a long story short Hallister loves it and I can't believe the awesome deal we got on it.

Brothers

Here are the brothers, Hallister 22 months and Preston now 3 weeks. Hallister is very sweet with him. When Preston cries Hallister brings us his pacifier. If the blanket is not on Preston when he is in the swing Hallister will put one on him. He also tries to swing the swing with Preston in it, but we have discouraged this since he can get it going pretty fast. Hallister has seemed to want attention when I am nursing Preston, mainly wanting to be held. We make sure to play with him as much as we can, and still do "big boy" activities he enjoys like going to the park. They are going to be great playmates.

22 Months Old

Well this update is a little late, but as you can imagine we have been a little busy. Hallister is becoming such a great helper. He cleans up his toys, most of the time without being asked. He now helps put silverware away out of the dishwasher by bringing it to us, and then closes the dishwasher. He really enjoys "swiffering" the kitchen floor. Hallister now says many words....please (which he says while doing the sign), thank you (he says after being given something he asked for), pizza, video, bless you. We were all in the car and Preston sneezed. Hallister said "Bless you", which sounds like "Bess you". It was so cute! We immediately gave him praise. He learns so quickly and it is obvious he is watching what we do and say, especially when he repeats it like that. He is trying more food. He now eats grilled cheese sandwiches and feeds himself yogurt and sweet potato baby food. He won't eat regular vegetables so this way we know he still gets his veggies. We keep him in the high chair until he at least takes one bite of new food. It has helped if we place it in front of him and instead of hounding him we go about eating ourselves. Once he does try new food we make sure we clap and say good job. His love language is definitely words of encouragement. We have decided to keep letting his hair grow. It is cute how it curls in the back. His favorite things are Thomas the Train and slides.

Two Weeks Old

Yesterday Preston turned two weeks old and we had a doctor appointment. He now weighs 9 lbs 12 oz and he is 21 3/4" long. He is eating well and already growing so fast. He has had a few nights of sleeping 4 - 5 hours, but they have not been consistent. Right now he is sleeping in our room in the pack-n-play at night. We keep it pretty dark and have our box fans blowing to block out noise. Thankfully he goes back to sleep pretty easily after waking up to be fed. During the day he sleeps in the swing in the living room without it even swinging. This way he gets used to light and noise and realizes it is day time. He is on his last package of Newborn diapers and ready for Size 1. He is such an awesome addition to our family.

Preston Conner Senn

He's here!!!!!!! So after a long, long, long, long wait our second son arrived July 6th at 4:39pm. I guess having an extra 10 days to cook allowed him time to grow another pound and a half. He was 8lbs 5oz and 20.5" long. Of course upon seeing him we immediately compared him to Hallister. He was shorter and chunkier than Hall, but most importantly very healthy. Birth Story - Let me back track though and tell you about his arrival. After our appointment July 5th it was decided that I would have a scheduled c-section at noon on the 6th. I was disappointed that Preston would would not be choosing his own birthday but we were very ready to meet him. So I wake up Tuesday morning to find that I am leaking water. This really excited me that we may shot at a VBAC. I called my midwife and she said to make sure the baby is moving but that contractions need to start so the baby will drop into position. She called back later to tell me that I needed to go ahead to the hospital to start the antibiotics for Group B Strep. This is something I have but it does not affect me, only the baby. I needed to go through 2 doses of medicine before the c-section. Upon arriving at the hospital I went to check in and was drinking water from a water bottle. The lady looked puzzled and asked if anyone had told me that I should not eat or drink after midnight. I said no. She said she would have to phone my doctor and that the c-section would need to get pushed back since I also had had breakfast. I got a room and they started to administer the antibiotics. I did have some contractions but they were not consistent. My midwife came in to check me at 3:30pm and said the baby was still not engaged in my pelvis. So on to surgery we went. I was glad at least this time I knew what to expect, although I received a spinal instead of an epidural, so I would not be able to feel from my chest down for 3 hours. The anesthesiologist was entertaining. He talked to us about taking his kids to go see Toy Story 3, even their 10 day old daughter. This was a nice distraction. Finally he told us they were about to pull the baby out. We heard the doctor and my midwife say Wow when they broke the water and were vacuuming it out. Apparently there was a lot still left. Then we heard the most awesome sound of Preston crying. He had healthy lungs that is for sure. Christy held him up over the drapery so I could see and I could tell he was going to weigh a lot. Finally Jonathan had him in his arms and brought him over so I could touch him. We then went to recovery and it was very hard to hear Preston cry. I was not able to nurse him until about an hour after surgery for risk of getting a spinal headache if I set up too soon since I could not feel my legs. Finally I was able to sit up just enough to at least hold him and then to finally nurse. He ate for 45 minutes! We finally got a postpartum room and got to enjoy just staring at our new bundle of joy and to study all his features. We feel very blessed. Name - Jonathan's Grandmother's brother was killed in WWII and his name was Preston, so that is who he is named after. I chose Conner for the middle name because it means wise. He is going to need wisdom having Hall as an older brother. :) We look forward to sharing more news on how our boys are getting along soon.

Tomorrow is the Big Day

Today I went in for another doctor's appointment where they did tests on me and the baby. We are both very healthy. (We got awesome pictures of Sweet P.) My midwife came to the conclusion that the baby's head is too big to fit down into my pelvis. That is why contractions have not started. So tomorrow at noon at Providence Hospital I will have a c-section. We are enjoying spending time with Hallister today and look forward to meeting Sweet P tomorrow. Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, and support. This has been a long pregnancy and we are just ready to meet our son. At least now we know what to pray for for our next child......small head. We will share our son's name and of course his weight and length tomorrow as soon as we can. Now our prayer points are: quick recovery for me from c-section, healthy baby, Sweet P will have no problems breast feeding, and smooth adjustment for Hallister being a big brother. We are so excited and feel very blessed that tomorrow we will have two children!

8 Days Past Due....

I had a long doctor's appointment yesterday. They did a sonogram to look at my placenta and amniotic fluid. They did measurements on the baby and made sure he was breathing. Sweet P also had a stress test done on him. Thankfully he is healthy and so am I. After all the testing was finished my midwife shared news that was hard to hear. Usually the doctor's do not want someone going more than 10 days over the due date. It is possible I can still go into labor, but if the baby does not arrive by Tuesday, June 6th on his own, I will have to have a c-section. In a way it was a relief to know that there will be an end to this pregnancy, but on the other hand it was very sad to think of not having a VBAC when I so badly want one. Also, I am still dilated to 2 cm but the baby is not engaging my pelvis. My midwife said it may be that the baby's head is too big to fit in my pelvic area, and that may be why Hallister turned. It took me a while to process the news but I felt better once I started to thank God for His many blessings. We did not have trouble getting pregnant. The baby and I are healthy. I am thankful for how advanced medical technology has come and that I can have the baby safely without fear of I or the baby dying. And lastly I just looked at Hallister. God truly blessed us with a wonderful, joyful, and loving son. We look forward to seeing his reaction to Sweet P and know he will be an awesome big brother. So with all of this said, at the latest, by July 6th we will be the parents of two. We are excited about Sweet P coming into the world, no matter how that may be.

Train Table

We found this awesome train table on Craiglist. Hallister has been into Thomas the Train lately. Now he gets to enjoy playing with his trains while watching Thomas. The actual table is not pictured, it still needs a little work done to it, but it has slots for 6 baskets underneath to hold all the train pieces. This will also be a nice distraction once little brother arrives.

40 Weeks

At my appointment today I found out I am dilated to 2 cm, so some progress has happened over the past week. My midwife still believes the baby is going to be small but said that out of her feeling on him, doing a sonogram, and a mom's intuition, a mom's intuition always wins. I do believe (and pray) he will be a small but healthy baby. I think Sweet P wanted us to have more time to get things ready and now that we have he will arrive this weekend. We were able to find a comfy recliner for his room and finish organizing things around the house. His room is officially ready. The theme is "Baby Aviator". The bedding has a dark and light tan that was the same as Hallister's Twinkle Little Star. It also has stars in it. We just changed all the green in the room to blue. It turned out really nice. Our bags are packed and we are ready whenever he is.

21 Months Old

We decided to have some fun in the sun today and visit a Spray Park nearby. Although Hallister did not go near the water unless I took him he enjoyed circling the park by pushing his wagon with his trains. He is now really into trains and likes to watch Thomas the Train. He wakes up around 7am every morning (hallelujah!) and is sleeping through the night without waking up. His two naps have become one from 11:00 - 1 or 1:30pm. We are amazed at how quickly he learns. Before disciplining him Jonathan started to count to warn him that he had up to 3 to stop and obey. Well now when we say 1 he will say 2, so that doesn't really work anymore. The most important things we are teaching him is to "stop" and "come here", since those words can mean a matter of life or death, (for example walking in the street or a car backing up). We expect him to obey the first time and not hesitate. He does now say 'Okay' instead of 'Yeah'. I am working with him on bringing me items so that when Sweet P arrives he can be my big helper. We know he will be a great big brother. He is very loving towards other children, especially when they are crying, he goes over and hugs them to try and console them. It is hard to believe his next monthly update will include how he is adjusting as a BIG BROTHER!

39 Weeks...

Well here we are at 39 weeks and counting. I am really hoping I do not make it to the 40 weeks mark. I am still dilated 1 cm but Christy (my midwife) reassured me that things can go much quicker the second time. That was encouraging to hear. It is just too hot to be this pregnant. Plus I am tired of the looks and the comments of how big I am.....actually I am just plain tired. Chasing Hallister and trying to beat the heat every day wears me out. I am thankful for family and friends checking in on me and giving me breaks. I am enjoying my last few days of just having Hallister. It is fun to reflect back on his arrival and bringing him home. I have learned so much and I am thankful that I know more of what to expect this time around at the hospital. Although my labor did not go as I had hoped with Hall I was thankful to have a healthy son and speedy recovery. Please be praying with us: 1) that the VBAC would be successful 2) we would once again be bringing home a healthy baby 3) Hallister will adjust well to his new brother and not feel left out. Hopefully the next baby update will be our son's birth news!

38 Weeks

Time seems to be going by slow now. I can feel (and I am sure everyone else sees) that Sweet P is growing. Thankfully I don't have a job that I have to dress for every day. Shirts are now barely covering my growing belly.....baby. I am now dilated 1 centimeter so some progress is happening! The baby is moving a lot and I can tell he feels crammed. I occasionally get a stitch on my left side. Sweet P seems to be placing his elbow or hand in a certain position to cause this. Thankfully it is not on the same side as my once hurt rib, which is now completely healed. As we patiently wait for him to be born we are enjoying spending these last special days we have with just Hallister. What a blessing it is to know God is entrusting us with these two precious lives, to love and raise.

Not Ready Yet

I borrowed a friends book that talked about potty training in 3 days. I thought it might be nice to potty train Hallister before Sweet P arrives so we are not spending a ton on diapers. Well the first three ways, in this book, to tell if a child is ready to train are: they show you a sign when they need to go, they do not need a bottle before bedtime, and they wake up with a dry diaper. The first sign Hallister has had down for a while, telling us when he is about to poop or is in the process, but the other two he does not yet do. I put him in underwear one day to see if he would tell me when he peed so we could rush to the bathroom. He peed but did not seem to mind it going through the underwear. He also pees right when he gets in the bathtub. I tried dipping his feet in the bath and then putting him on his little potty, but he did not want to pee in it. We realized he is not ready to be trained yet. After Sweet P arrives and we get Hallister a big boy bed we will try again. He does look cute, and like such a big boy, in his underwear.

Anniversary Trip

Our actual anniversary is July 9th and we will have been married 5 years! Since we will be a little busy with a newborn at that time we decided to celebrate early. On Friday (June 4th) we left later than I had wanted to but thankfully did not run into much traffic. Once we got close to the hotel we got a little lost. Thankfully the GPS on Jonathan's Iphone was a tremendous help and we found the hotel. We always stay at La Quinta because they have free breakfast and we are enrolled in the rewards program, so we get emailed discounts and once we get so many points we can redeem them for a free night's stay. Well right when we pulled up I could tell the hotel was not what I had in mind. Even though it was an Inn & Suites it looked old and run down. We got checked in but needed to shower before going to dinner. I realized we had no towels. The front desk person said they were in the drier and would take 30 minutes. So we waited on towels and showered. As we started to get ready I saw a bleach stain on the front of the shirt I had borrowed from a friend. Jonathan realized his pair of black socks were different socks, different thicknesses, and one had a hole in the toe. We just had to laugh wondering what else was going to go wrong. Thankfully I had grabbed another nice shirt as we headed out the door. We enjoyed a nice seafood dinner at Pappadeaux, which was not crowded, and we managed to make it to Wicked at 7pm and get a great parking spot. It did not start until 8pm so we walked around and found our awesome Orchestra seats at the very back, so no one was behind us. What made the show even more interesting was that two understudy's were filling in for two pretty important parts, one being the Wicked Witch. She was so good, I cannot imagine how much better the regular person sings. The show was awesome. I was so glad Jonathan enjoyed it, not being a fan of musicals. We had listened to the soundtrack on the way up so that he would understand more of what the story was about. Saturday morning we got to sleep in until 9am. I can't remember the last time I did that.....college maybe. Something I was looking forward to at breakfast was yogurt and muffins, neither of which this La Quinta offered. We had to wait on coffee to be made and there was only one waffle maker. We were thankful though for a free breakfast. I enjoyed bagels and cereal, and Jonathan a Texas shaped waffle. We had no plans for the day, which was very rare for me. I usually have a set time for things and a plan mapped out for the day. It was a different feeling not knowing what we were going to be, but nice and relaxing. We headed to Northpark Center mall, not too far away to walk around. Since we got there by lunch time we headed to the food court. I spotted an interesting place labeled Which Wich. It was pretty neat. You wrote on a bag which sandWICH you wanted and checked off the toppings, similar to Subway but better. We enjoyed our sandwiches and strawberry shake, then decided to see Robin Hood. After the movie we drove around a found a nice park by an airstrip. I fed the ducks some crackers and Jonathan enjoyed seeing the planes land. We headed back to the hotel to freshen up before going to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, which Jonathan had never eaten at before. I ordered Herb Crusted Salmon and Jonathan Filet Mignon. Oh how good it was. Thankfully Waco doesn't have one though or we would go broke. We then enjoyed a scrumptious Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cheesecake. I am so glad we split it! We then went back to the hotel STUFFED, ready to relax and wade in the indoor pool. Much to our dismay our keys did not work on the side door to get in the building or for our room. Another strike against this hotel. It was just crazy how things kept messing up, but we didn't let it get to us. It was actually pretty funny. We then headed to the pool, which turned out to be only 3'4", so wading meant getting on our knees. The hot tub was out of service, not that I could get in it, but it would have felt nice on my feet. Jonathan then noticed a light floating in the pool but still attached to the wall of the pool. Thinking that is not very safe we headed back to the room to relax. Sunday morning we got up and headed to the church plant from the original church that we met at. Jonathan's best friend, Thomas, and my roommate from college, Johanna, attended there with their spouses. We enjoyed visiting before church. After church Thomas introduced us to a roofer who was going to be heading to Hewitt due to the recent hail damage in the area. He wanted to see our roof and give an estimate. We were thankful for this connection and left church looking forward to seeing Hallister. It was a wonderful trip. We are so thankful for Hallister and now look forward to being parents of TWO children.

37 Weeks

It seems like yesterday I was just writing my 36 week update. The baby's heartbeat was 144bpm today. He did measure 35 for the fundus height (rather than 37), but my midwife was not concerned. This means he has dropped, which is good, and that he is still small. I tested positive for Group B Strep, which does not affect me, but does affect the baby. When I am in labor I will be given an antibiotic through my IV so it will pass to Sweet P, and we will just need to stay in the hospital a full two days for him to be monitored. I am not dilated.

We are so excited about our (early) anniversary trip to Dallas, and will post pictures when we get back. We are going to see WICKED! tonight, tomorrow just relax with no agenda and SWIM, eat at the Cheesecake Factory, and Sunday enjoy visiting the church where we met and our friends there.

36 Weeks

It is hard to believe I am already 36 weeks pregnant and going to be visiting my midwife once a week now. At my appointment today I found out the baby is still head down (PTL), heartbeat is 133bpm, and he weighs a low 5 pounds. I was excited to hear that, because I have felt smaller and do weigh less than I did with Hallister at this point in the pregnancy. She even predicts that Sweet P will be a low 6 lb baby when he is born, so that is encouraging! I am not dilated any, which is fine by me. We have an early anniversary trip planned next weekend and I don't want to go into labor while in Dallas. Also, since we are praying and planning on having a VBAC I will not be induced, so this baby will come when he is ready! We look forward to sharing updates each week until that day arrives.....

Sweet "P"

For being a faithful blog follower you get a hint at our baby boys' name. His name begins with a "P".

We call him our little Sweet P.

Rollercoaster

We went to a garage sale Saturday morning and found this awesome toy. Jonathan had the brilliant idea of putting it at the top of our hill in the backyard so Hallister would be able to coast on it even longer. He absolutely loves it!

20 Months Old

Already 20 months old....time flies when you are having fun. I sleep most mornings until 7am, but sometimes still wake up at 6:30am. Most days I still take two naps, at least an hour long. The first is around 10am and the second around 4pm. When I don't take both naps I get overtired at night. I have had a few night terrors where I cry and grab my B.B. and I just want to be close to Mom and Dad, so I get to sleep with them. I still sleep with a pacifier, but seem to still be getting teeth as well. My favorite thing to do is go in Mommy and Daddy's closet to put on Daddy's shoes. I don't eat a whole lot, still Fruit Loops or Oh's for breakfast along with a banana. For lunch it is peanut butter crackers, PB&J, peaches, and animal crackers. For supper I tried steak the other day and really enjoyed it. Mostly I like pasta and still have sweet potato baby food since I won't eat regular vegetables. I am getting better using a fork and spoon. When I am done with my meal I sign "all done" and hand mommy or daddy all that is left on my tray. There is a talk of someone else coming into our home soon. I know I will be a big helper with my little brother....sharing the toys I once used, the room I once had, and telling him how to get what he wants with these people called "grandparents".

Fruit Loop Dance

Hallister almost puts the fruit loops in his ears, but then decides it is more fun to dance with them.

19 Months Old

Hallister is only two months away from being a big brother! He is getting more hair now. It is very cute after he takes a bath how his hair curls up behind his ears. He has been sleeping until 7am almost every morning, Praise The Lord! For breakfast he now likes the "Oh's" cereal along with banana, which he calls nana. I found a basketball goal at Goodwill and he has really enjoyed playing with that. He now says "ouwside" without the "t" and will grab a ball or is riding toy and head to the back door. If it is too hot or wet outside he enjoys being chased and playing hide-n-seek inside. His favorite movies to watch are Toy Story and Toy Story 2.

30 Weeks!

Wow this pregnancy has gone by fast. It is hard to believe it is almost May, and then I will be able to say my baby is due next month. I now go to the doctor every two weeks and at 36 weeks she will check to see if I am dilated. Baby Senn has always had a good check up. I, on the other hand, have been fighting a cough the past two weeks. The first week was miserable not being able to sleep and throwing up mucus. Everything was draining down my throat. After a week of having it, and a z-pack not working, I went to the doctor to find out that I most likely have whooping cough (or pertussis). He had seen many patients that had had a cough for 3-4 weeks and prescribed them a steroid. He first wanted to try a strong cough medicine with me plus suggested I take Sudafed to dry up the drainage. Thankfully they have both worked. I still have a little cough, but not near as bad. The only downside has been that the cough medicine makes me sleepy. I am thankful Hallister still takes two naps, so that means I am able to get in tow naps as well. With all of my coughing, and making the baby bounce around so much, I was thinking I would go into preterm labor. We have started to get stuff ready for Baby Senn but are not quite ready to have him here. I am enjoying feeling him move inside me for now and look forward to meeting him (in June) to see what he looks like.

Farm Day

Well we still can't find the camera, but thankfully Jonathan's iphone came in handy this weekend at Farm Day. We went with our friends Liz and Ben Strot. They have two boys, Austin (2 1/2) and Aaron (18 mo). Austin was very cute helping us keep up with Hallister by holding his hand. Hallister really liked the chickens.

Easter 2010

Bye Bye Explorer

Praise God we sold our Ford Explorer yesterday after having it listed on Craigslist for one month. We are so thankful to no longer have a car payment. The Explorer was a great, reliable vehicle. We now look forward to saving up and buying our next vehicle with cash, probably one similar in size to the Explorer. For now we will enjoy our '01 Chevy Cavalier and '99 Toyota Rav4. Both cars run great despite their age and mileage. I am thankful to be married to a mechanic who maintains our vehicles so well. The Rav will be cozy with two boys, but still work great for road trips.

New Car

So about a month ago we met with our financial advisers, Sarah and Jeremy, from the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class we took. They also happened to be our Lifegroup leaders. We decided to be vulnerable and show them our monthly budget to help us figure out where we could save money. We are tired of living month to month and barely having any money left. After reviewing a few options for saving money on our homeowners insurance we figured out the biggest way we will save is if we sell the Explorer and get rid of a car payment. Although it would be tight fitting both boys in the Rav we were willing to sacrifice the space to get out of debt. By going on a Kelly Blue book we realized the Explorer was worth more than we owed on it. We could actually take the profit from selling it and pay off our foundation repair, leaving us only with the debt of a small student loan. Jeremy mentioned that some friends of ours were selling their 2001 Chevy Cavalier for very cheap. We decided we could purchase their car for Jonathan to drive and that I could use the Rav. We were a little concerned that buying the car would use up almost all of our emergency fund, but wanted to get the Explorer on the market ASAP and try to pay off debt before the baby arrives. We put in a call to our friends, told them not to list the car, that we were ready to buy it. To make a long story short on Sunday we were supposed to meet with our friends to buy the car. That afternoon the doorbell rang and our whole Lifegroup was standing outside, along with our friends that were selling it, surrounding the car. One of the kids ran up to us and said, "We bought you a car!" We were pretty overwhelmed. Everyone had chipped in to buy us the car so we didn't have to use up all our savings. We felt very blessed and loved. God is so amazing to provide this gift to us through our dear friends. We are hoping to sell the Explorer soon and Jonathan is enjoying getting 27mpg driving the car to work. So we are saving on gas money as well. (We will post pictures once we find our camera.)

18 Months Old

Hallister is growing up so fast. This update is a little late because we have misplaced our camera. This picture was taken early March. Hall has really thinned out, is getting taller, and he has more hair. His routine consists of eating banana and rice chex for breakfast, or if we make muffins or biscuits he will eat those. Thankfully now instead of throwing food when he is done he will gather up as much as we can and hold it out. When we place a plate in front of him he will load up all the remaining food on the plate. He plays until 9am or 9:30am and enjoys watching Baby Einstein or his Music Praise videos. If we don't put these on right away he will bring us the remote. He then takes an hour nap. After napping an hour he enjoys goldfish or Graduates puffs as a snack. For lunch he enjoys a PB&J sandwich, peanut butter crackers, and a nutri-grain bar. Around 1:30pm Hallister will take a 2 hour nap. We got him furniture from Craiglist and moved him into what was formerly the office. (The baby will have his old room.) He has been sleeping quite well in his new bed, even until 7am some mornings. He loves to go outside. We have been enjoying the slide that is at the school right next to us, in the evenings or on weekends. Hallister also loves bubbles. His newest sign is "help" - making a fist and hitting it on the other hand. His newest word to say is "yeah" which we are trying to turn into "yes", and eventually "yes mam or yes sir".

17 Months Old

This update is a little late. We have been enjoying the snow. (Hallister is like his father though and did not enjoy being out in the cold very long.) Our little Hall is so big. He jibber jabbers to make conversation, he still loves to use sign language, and the sign for eat has also become the sign for his pacifier. He his pretty attached to his paci, probably because of his mouth full of teeth, but we are thankful that it just helps him sleep at night and soothe him when he gets a boo boo. We do not want him to have it after 2 years old. His new favorite food is called Sammy Jammy. It is a pre-made sandwich that only HEB seems to carry. One kind has strawberry jam and peanut butter, another grape jam and peanut butter. The crust is not bread, but rather a nutri-grain type substance. He loves them and will not eat a regular PB & J on regular bread. Hall also likes peanut butter crackers. (Like his mom, he loves peanut butter.) Something new we tried is oatmeal squares, which he enjoys for breakfast, and a nutri-grain bar with berry, messy but good. He has been good about setting his sippy cup down on the high chair or table, rather than throwing or dropping it. His normal sleep schedule is into bed by 8pm and he normally wakes up at 6:30am, but here lately we have had a few 7am mornings, (when he did not take 2 naps the day before).
He drinks his milk three times a day and still likes it in a bottle. His new thing is to hold his sippy or bottle upside down on the coffee table and watch the substance come out.
We are trying very hard to discourage this. The front glass door became decorated with milk last week. He loves to color with his markers on paper, but still likes to also put them in his mouth, so it doesn't last long when we do allow him to color. Lately Hallister has been throwing a tantrum when he doesn't get his way, or when we approach him when he has something that he shouldn't he throws it. We have been told this is normal though when a sibling is on the way. He can sense that something is changing. We believe he will be a great big brother though.

Silly Boy

So I am sitting at my computer working. Hallister is in his play yard. He does not last long these days in there before wanting out. He has outgrown the space. Today he played quite well for a while and then I realized it was quiet. I look over to find he had turned over his toy to use it as a chair, he has one paci in his mouth, the other in his hand, B.B. in his hand, AND a strainer on his head!!!!!!!!!! He was just sitting there. I laughed hysterically, he took the strainer off and started laughing. Silly boy!

"B.B."

Meet B.B. or Bunny Bear, Hallister's lovey. (He has bunny ears on his hood.) Hall has started sleeping with him and carrying him around everywhere. Anytime he hurts himself he wants to hold B.B. close. It is very sweet to see him love on B.B. He will pick him up and say, "Awwww".

20 Weeks

Well we have hit the half way mark - 20 weeks! The baby is the size of a mango. In the next month he will gain a pound! This pregnancy is going by a lot faster than the first, but that seems to be typical. Of course working from home and chasing around a 16 month old helps the days go by very quickly. Besides being tired in the afternoons I am feeling pretty good. My next doctor's appointment is Feb 18th. I love to hear the baby's heartbeat. I have not felt as much movement as I did with Hallister, but I was also able to exercise more with him as well. I am ready for it to warm up so I can get out there and walk.

Trip to the Zoo

Here are pictures from our trip to the Zoo. We had fun with our dear friends from Lifegroup: Ann, David, and Jacob Foster, and Liz and Aaron Strot. Look at all those boys! Poor Hallister had a runny nose but was a trooper and thoroughly enjoyed the slide. He also liked looking at the "big kitties" but they were too far away to get a picture with him.

16 Months Old

Today was a big day, Hallister turned 16 months old, I am 18 weeks pregnant, and we found out we are having a boy. We celebrated by taking a trip to the Zoo. Poor Hallister has had a runny nose the past three days. Thankfully he is still sleeping OK at night. He is not a big fan of baby food anymore, he likes macaroni or mashed potatoes, and loves spaghetti still. He still likes his milk in a bottle and warmed up. His new thing is turning his bottle or sippy cup upside down on the high chair or coffee table and then playing with whatever dribbles out. He still sleeps with his pacifier, but we try to only give it to him when he is in his crib. We have said 'baby' to him and I have patted my belly. Now when we ask him where is the baby he will lift up my shirt and shove his finger in my belly button - OUCH! At least he knows the word, but little does he know what is in store.

Baby Boy Senn

Hallister is going to have a.......

LITTLE BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!

Baby Senn #2 Update

Today I went to my midwife and we heard a strong heartbeat at 158 bpm. I can definitely tell the baby is higher this time, since I can still wear pre-pregnancy pants. I take Zofran right when I get up and have not had a problem with nausea. I was sick this past Monday evening but after pedialyte and going to bed at 7:30pm I felt better on Tuesday. Working and keeping up with Hallister really wears me out. I am thankful though for a happy and healthy son I get to play with during the day. A daily nap seems necessary.....or going to sleep as soon as Hall does. We are so excited that two weeks from tomorrow we will find out what we are having! The next baby's post will be the gender! Until then.....