'Mommy Salami'

I love this nickname that Walker gave me a few weeks ago! He has been on a ryhming spree for almost a year, and is getting pretty inventive. He even calls me his 'beautiful queen' sometimes. I don't remember Miguel or Karizma ever calling me anything other than Mommy (which I totally miss) or Mom. Walker is our 'slick' child. He is quite charming and he knows he has me right where he wants me when he calls me his queen. However, Mommy Salami is my favorite, because I find he is saying it more to try and be funny, but it is starting to stick.

"The Most Fun I Have Ever Had, Mom"

This was Miguel's first comment to me after his 1st practice for football. Many of you know he is on the homeschool centers flag football team and he was so excited to get started. I truly am filled with pride where Miguel is concerned. As I watched him practice, I saw so much heart and commitment. He is taking this seriously, as he should, by giving it his all each and everytime. Thanks to all of you that have sponsored him so generously this football season! He is so humbled by your kindess. We all are. He is looking forward to making you all very proud. We will keep you updated on the team's name, progress, and games.

On another note, my 3 other sons also had a fun first today. Thanks to Tim's parents, they are all taking swim lessons. Most of you know I am TERRIFIED of the water, so watching my little guys learning to not adopt my fear is such a blessing. Walker and Christian were very brave and respectful of their teachers. They were a bit apprehensive, but did their best to not show it until they were in Mommy's arms. Zack was a champ!! At 8 months old he was a bit startled when taken under water, but would recover quickly and never cried or seemed upset. They all did a few times under water...at their 1st lesson! Awesome! Miguel and Karizma will take lessons on how to improve their swimming, starting next week. I had them learning how to swim as infants as well, but after awhile I did not have access to a pool, so they could definitely use a refresher. My wonderful in-laws have offered to have me take lessons as well. Tim has not given me the option of backing out this time. I have 'promised' I would learn to swim by our wedding...then postponed for my 30th birthday...and then again postponed until my 40th. Looks like God has other plans and seems like I may finally get my feet wet at 35 years old. I will make sure to keep you updated on that one, since it is sure to be interesting!

This was the day that the Lord had made, I truly rejoiced and was glad in it!!!

Mama's Milk All Gone

Well, I did give it a wholehearted try. However, Zack and his tooth were just too much. Plus, Zack seemed to treat me more like a chew toy than a source of nourishment. I knew he wasn't going to be getting his meals from me, but I was hoping to be able to get the comfort nursing up again. I realized there are many ways to cuddle and bond with my sweet little boy, so I bid goodbye to nursing Zack much sooner than I had hoped, but thanking God for the opportunity to have shared this with my son.

p.s. He popped his 2nd tooth yesterday, so I definitely don't feel bad!

I Will Post Pictures Soon, I Promise!

OK, I finally had a very dear friend show me how to list things on eBay yesterday. Thanks, Tara! So, my next thing on 'things to learn' list is how to post pictures on my blog. I can't wait to display pictures of my sweet 5 arrows and be able to give you all a REAL look into our lives.

Thanks for your patience!

To Nurse Or Not To Nurse

I was reading a magazine I love today, Above Rubies (a magazine meant to encourage mother's) and it hit me. I am not ready to give up nursing my Zack. I have had to supplement him with formula since he was 4.5 months old and he had started to show signs of weaning himself from the breast. So, I nursed him for the last time almost 3 weeks ago. In this magazine there were some cute stories about nursing babies, and I thought to myself, "I wonder if Zack would still be willing to indulge me in this area." I so love to nurse my babies. I have been able to nurse my last 2 sons until 14 months of age. I am just not ready to give up yet. So, tomorrow morning, I will reintroduce mama's milk and see what Zack thinks. Should be fun now that he has a tooth. That may be the deciding factor.

Pain Continues

Well, Tim proves to be a remarkably strong person as each week passes. He seems to go through a new hurdle everytime I turn around, but handles it all with such strength. There are days where I feel so overwhelmed and have to rely on family and friends to bring me back from my pity party. Tim's parents are always helping out and available to us. My parents have gone as far as to start taking Walker and Christian 1 day and night a week to give me a breather. I am very blessed.

However, his back pain continues....in FULL FORCE. I know I must rely on God and will do my best to focus on that when I see him suffering. He is taking a whole lot more pain medication post op than he was taking before. Please keep him in your prayers.

Recovery...Long Road Ahead

We went to see Tim's neurosurgeon last week, and he reassured us that recovery is a very long process. I suppose we had hoped for instant gratification and were dissapointed when it did not go as planned. The doctor told Tim to expect to maybe not feel a lot better until 6 months after the surgery, and to add a little more time because he had to undergo the 2nd surgery, as well. As crazy as this sounds, this gave us hope. We know that his surgery was very invasive and that having your ribs spread apart would be a long healing process. He is taking stronger meds than last time, however his pain seems better managed. He does complain of more pain, though. I worry about him, because he masks so much and I am afraid he will push himself too hard, and possibly put any progress he has made in jeopardy. I take that back; he actually has been really good about resting when he needs to, and not working to long at the office. His firm has been so supportive and understanding. We owe them so much. I thank God for them. Well, I suppose now it is a waiting game. A game of just trusting the Lord and praying for 2008 to be pain free...or to have God help us deal with whatever lies ahead.