Beach Trip #2

My mom, dad, sister, and two of my nephews came out during the week of the 4th of July to spend some time at the beach. We went to Surfside, SC which I have to say was wonderful. Jacob LOVED spending time with his Nana, Grandpa, Aunt DeAnne, and cousins Matthew and Daniel. On the 4th we went to the beach and enjoyed a nice firework show on the water. There were so many people setting off their own fireworks plus the city of Surfside that we ended up with a really great show. It was really a nice experience to sit and feel the ocean breeze, hear the waves and see the fireworks. What a way to celebrate our freedom and our country's birthday.
We also wen on a helicopter ride. It was both mine and Jacob's first time riding in a helicopter. We both loved it. We also attempted to take Jacob to his first movie by taking him to see Toy Story 3 at the Imax. He lasted about half way through the movie and when the popcorn ran out he was ready to leave. So mommy and Jacob left the movie so daddy, Grandpa, and Daniel could enjoy the rest.

First beach trip of the summer.

This past weekend we went on a family camping trip to Myrtle Beach State Park. It was HOT but we still managed to have a great time. Do you ever really have a bad time when the beach is involved? We spent Saturday and Sunday mornings at the beach and had the best time watching Jacob fall in love with the ocean. He loved being out in the water with us and jumping the waves or as he called it bouncing in the bouncy water. He also loved being able to run around in the shallow part and play in the waves splashing on the sand. Here are a few pictures of him playing at the beach.

Trip to the zoo with mommy and daddy.

Jacob got a zoo memebership for his birthday from his Mawmaw and Papa and we put it to use a few weeks ago. Here are some pictures of our trip.
(pictures are in no certain order)

All about Jacob

Jacob had his 2 year old well visit the first part of May. He is doing wonderful and in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. He is 29lbs and 35 inches tall. His head measured at 19 inches (50th percentile). I was concerned about his weight because he has stayed between 29-31 lbs for the past 4-5 months but the doctor said he was right where he needed to be. He continues to learn more words and is currently talking with 3 to 4 word sentences on a regular basis. He knows his shapes- triangle, square, circle, oval, rectangle, star, heart. He can recognize his numbers through 9 and can sometimes count to 9. It depends on his two year old mood and attention span if he will count for you or tell you the color of something. His favorite TV show is Handy Manny and that leads to his favorite toy which is his Handy Manny tool box. He still loves to eat broccoli, chicken, spaghetti, cheese, watermelon, tomatos, cucumbers, grapes, strawberries, and many more. He is also obsessed with peoples cars and is constantly telling us whose car belongs to who. All in all he is your typical 2 year old little boy, full of energy, curiosity, and excitement most of the time.

Jacob's story.

Wayne and I both knew we wanted kids when we got married but we weren't sure how many or even when we would be ready. About a year after we were married I found out I was pregnant but just 6 weeks in I had a miscarriage. We were both devestaed by this but we also knew then that we didn't want to wait any longer to start a family. For the next year we waited and waited but nothing ever happened. Due to our ages we were referred to a fertility specialist to see if there were any problems. One of the top ranked fertility specialist in the country is located in this area and we were excited that we were lucky enough to get referred to her clinic. We had our first appointment with her and in that appointment she told us that age didn't matter and that if we wanted a baby she could make that happen. We scheduled our next appointment and then had the preliminary blood work done. I remember being so excited and visioning myself pregnant within weeks (anyone one of you who has been through this knows what I am talking about). I also remember thinking that the women in my family don't have problems getting pregnant so our trouble must be on Wayne's side and just new that any issue would be an easy fix.
When we went to our next visit I was sure we would be ready to start any process needed to begin our journey. I was not prepared to hear the doctor tell me that I had some medical issues that would prevent me from getting pregnant. She continued to tell us that she would not even allow us to attempt IVF (or any other treatments). She went on to tell us that she knew IVF would not work and that she would really just be taking our money if we tried. She told us we needed to find another way to have a family if we really wanted one. We both left her office that day deflated and completely broken. Why would God put the desire to be parent's in our heart if we weren't meant to have kids?
During our appointment she suggested I go see a Rheumatologist about the antibodies that were found in my bloodwork. Evidently it was the antibodies that she was concerned with. I met with the Rheumatologist a few times and at my last appointment I was told that I did have a very elevated level of ANA antibodies but showed no signs of any illness that is caused by these antibodies. He also told me that while I would be able to get pregnant I would not be able to sustain the pregnancy and would end up having another misscarriage. He also told me that I could be pregnant and have a misscarriage and never know because my body would automatically attack the pregnancy as if it were a disease. One of the last things he told me was that if I was able to get pregnant and carry a baby to term then the baby would be born with multiple heart problems and would most likely have multiple birth defects. Once again I left a doctor's office feeling devestated. I was really upset because I was the one responsible for us not being able to have a family and there wasn't anything we could do to fix the problem.
We both watched our friends start and expand their families and didn't understand why we were picked for this journey but at least we knew we had each other. We eventually decided that adoption would be our only way to have a family and started down that road full force. About 5 months into the adoption process I had a feeling that something was different and thought I might be pregnant. I remember buying the tests and Wayne asking me why we needed them. I think I took about 5 home tests, all positive results, and still didn't believe I was pregnant. I thought I had some other medical problem that would cause a positive result. I just knew that the doctor would tell me I was sick and not pregnant when he received the lab results from the blood test. The minute they told me I was pregnant I was not only excited but also immediately started to worry. Each week was a milestone for us and when we finally made it out of the first trimester my worries changed from possible misscarriage to what would be wrong with our baby. I tried my best to keep my worries to myself but I am not sure how well I was able to do that.
Wayne and I decided not to do any of the prenatal testing for birth defects and would instead rely on the ultrasounds for any information. We both agreed that God gave us this child for a reason and no matter what we would love this child with all of our hearts. Our decision did not make my worries go away and I remember praying that God would give me the strength to care for a baby with medical issues. At every appointment I asked if we would have an ultraound and was told that we would only get the amount the insurance would pay for and only have more if they felt we needed one. I worried the entire duration of my pregnancy and prepared myself for the news that something would be wrong with my baby once he was delivered. I remember when Jacob was born (via c-section) all I wanted to hear was his cry but also was preparing for the news that he had birth defects and a bad heart. When I heard his cry I immediately started crying (like I am sure all mothers do) but never heard any more news about his condition. I remember thinking, could it be possible and he be perfectly healthy? Wayne and the nurse brought him over for me to see and at that moment all I could see was the most beautiful miracle from God. He had blessed us with the most beautiful little (big) baby boy in the world. He had great lungs and was the size of a month old baby already (born 9lbs 12oz). My worries were gone. I knew after seeing him that he was healthy. That day there was no looking back and we began our journey as a family of 3. Wayne and I are still amazed at how God has blessed us. We know that it is only by God's grace that I was able to carry the pregnancy to full term and that he was born without ANY problems. Jacob is a living breathing miracle in our opinion and we give God all the glory. There isn't a day that goes by that we are not thankful for our miracle we call Jacob and know God has great things planned for his life.
Happy 2nd Birthday Jacob! We love you more each and every day. We pray that you grow up knowing and loving God the way he knows and loves you.

Playtime at the park.

My mom's group had a playdate at the park today. It was perfect weather to go to the park. Jacob had a great time this morning.

"Daddy's Home"

One of Jacob's favorite times of the day is when his Daddy gets home from work. He always shouts "Daddy's home" and gets so excited. What is funny about this is Wayne can sometimes be home all day and Jacob will still get excited and shout "Daddy's home" when he walks into the room.
He really loves his Daddy!
Here are some pics of Jacob's excitement when daddy got home the other day.

The time has come - no more baby crib.

We have officially converted Jacob's crib into a daybed. He had begun climbing into his crib and we knew it was only a matter of time before he figured out how to climb out. These past few weeks we have been out of town over the weekends (pics and posts of the trips to come) and noticed that he was not sleeping well in the pack'n play so we ordered him a toddler air mattress. The air mattress has raised edges so he is not supposed to be able to fall out very easily but he can crawl in and out as he pleases. We used the air mattress this past weekend while we were in Myrtle Beach and he did wonderful and slept a lot better. He did not fight us with wanting to keep getting out of bed and when told it was time to take a nap he immediately went and laid in the bed. We had commented to each other that it would not be long before we would be converting his bed at home. Well we never dreamed it would be the same night we got home. He wanted to be able to climb in and out of his bed without help and was upset with the side rail being there. Last night Wayne took the side rail off the bed as a trial run. We place stuffed animals and pillows along the side of the bed just in case he fell out. When it was time for bed he is usually carried to his bed by Wayne but not last night. Instead he walked to his bed, crawled in and immediately snuggled up with his blanket. He did not try to get out of bed at all. We think he fell out of the bed 2 times during the night but when we got to his room to check on him he was back in his bed. Today I was worried about nap time being an issue but when it was time for his nap he went and crawled in the bed without a fuss. He laid in the bed and talked for a good while but never tried to get up. After he fell asleep and had been asleep for about and hour and 20 minutes he came in the living room carrying his blanket and had a big smile on his face. Our little boy is growing up! I am praying that this transition remains an easy one.


Taking a nap on his travel bed. He moved to this position while he was asleep.


First night sleeping in his converted bed. He is a restless sleeper and tends to sleep all over the bed. He scooted down to this position.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Found out today that Jacob held hands with a girl in his class during church this morning. Isn't he to young for that?

It Snowed!

It started snowing at our house around 4:15 and has not stopped yet. We probably have about 5-6 inches of snow at this time and who knows how much by the morning. This is awesome. In South Carolina you NEVER see this much snow. Seriously, flurries are all we ever see. The news reported that this is the most snow they have seen here in SC since 1973. This is Jacob's first snow, at home, to actually get to play in. It snowed a little last year but was all gone two hours later. He has had so much fun playing in the "know" and we can't wait to take him out to play again in the morning. At first he was hesitant to go out because he told me it was raining but he quickly learned that it is fun.
Tonight after dinner we went out to play for a second time and decided to toss some snowballs around. Jacob thought that was great even if his idea of hitting someone with a snowball is grabbing some snow and then touching your leg with the snow.

Here are some pictures of Jacob in the snow...