A very long week!

So lately it's hard for me to post much on our blog...though I want to because it's one of my main forms of documentaries of all the fast happenings of our little clan around here! They are growing and changing so quickly before our eyes and I want to enjoy and soak it all in....but remember all the sweet moments too! But with piles of laundry, food to prepare, dishes to clean, kids to care for, etc. etc. I find it harder and harder to take pictures, and much less download them and sort through them and even less time to post them on the blog! But last weekend I wanted to document Reed's fun experience being apart of the "all star team" from his basketball league. He had so much fun....and it was fun to see him enjoy the fast paced sport he's come to love (he's loving we are in March Madness and brackets!)

So here is Reed and Andrew.....They are exactly a year apart and Andrew is the son of Casey's former boss, Will. So they've known each other since they were born and go to the same school. So it was fun they got to play on the All-Star team together! They had played against each other during the season....Andrew has played with his dad, Will, coaching the past couple years so his team is really good! They won the championship game, and so it was fun that for All-Stars Reed and Andrew got to play together with Will coaching! They won both their games! 

Reed made a shot in the game and he was so excited! He's number 5

Casey and Reed during the last game! He has loved playing this season.....and now we are about to start up tee ball......we definitely seem to have a little athlete on our hands!

Another big milestone....loosing the first tooth! He was super excited....our boy is just getting so big!

So also this week.....we had some bit of a scare with Reed. He came home Tuesday with red bumps and itching all over. At first I thought chicken pox......so we called the doctor...this was the beginning of a very long next 3 days! They tell us it was strep and he needed an antibiotic, and did give a steroid for his swelling....well we were still concerned because the redness and welts were increasing when he came home from the doctor. At 11pm that night his whole face was swelling up....lips, eyelids, cheeks, so we were scared and Casey took him immediately to the ER! They gave him some steroids and we were thinking it was some sort of allergic reaction. I called the pediatrician in the morning and told them what had happened and they still stood on their side of "he has strep"......I was frustrated but at least he appeared to be improving. Well, Wednesday evening the swelling started again! And by 4am the next morning his eyelids were swelling again! So we gave him another dose of the steroid and in the morning knew somebody needed to see him again! Meanwhile this is all we were seeing...no fever, no sore throat, just the itching and the swelling. Thankfully we have all sorts of doctors at our church....though we weren't sure who was best one suited to call for our situation. We ended up starting with one of the higher up CEOs of the university hospital and he helped get us in to a very busy allergist. So there he got a steroid shot (so much more concentrated dose than the oral) and said to continue the oral ones at home, but to be safe stay on the antibiotic if there is some sort of infection in the body. Finally yesterday he looked back to normal! Poor little buddy...it's just been a doozy of a week for him! But we are thankful he seems to be back to normal with no more swelling! It sure gave us a good scare! And I intend to follow up with an allergist to see if there is some allergy we don't know about that could have likely triggered all this!

So thankful for this precious little family of ours!!

3 Months

So a little over a week ago this sweet baby girl turned 3 months old! And I let myself call her 2 months probably a little longer....but hey what's the harm in that! Because when your birth day falls on the 30th and there are only 28 days in February....when are you technically another month older?? So it was probably March 2 or 3rd before I accepted she is now officially 3 months! That is the thing about the first year.....you count the weeks and then the months that they are.....I don't like that, b/c it just makes them get seemingly big way too fast!

Oh my, I love, love, love this little snugglebug! She is just so much fun and we are all just enjoying every moment with her!

I'm blessed with really good babies....I always kinda wonder those first few weeks during the "adjustment period" but then I soon realize that those were just some moments....and they seem to be on and off b/w 2-6/7 weeks, but after that they are happy and rarely fussy. And thankfully Maggie has proven to fall into this mold! 

So here at 3 months you......

*love to coo, especially back and forth with lots of "ahhhh" it's so sweet!

*smile so big and pretty--love it!

*love to watch and get so mesmerized by your brother and sisters...they adore you and i'm sure in time we'll see how much you will adore them as well!

*sleeping.....well these past few weeks (so maybe 10 weeks up until now) you are actually finally taking more real "naps!" thank goodness! you were stuck in this catnap, sleeping less than 30-45 min and that was hard, but lately you are doing much better!

*speaking of sleep you love sleeping on your belly! R and EC did too (Mary Etta did not)....I put you that way all day but still haven't braved up to do it all night....so at night you seem to wake up b/c I think you want to be on your belly : ( usually around 2-3am, but soothe quickly with your paci

*you'd been only going 5-6 hour stretches at night  (wanting to eat around 3-4 am....but this past week you have gone to 6-7am; so more 7-8 hour stretches....we'll see how the time change affects you : )

*loves lights and music.....your mobile is especially entertaining to you right now

Love this little elephant sleeper.....both your sisters wore it. Fun to see all my girls wearing some of the same sweet outfits. You're wearing more 3-6 month clothing....you sure are a growing girl!

Love this sweet girl! Trying to soak her in....every minute......her sweet smiles and coos warms my heart! Thankful for her sweet little life, and praying that another Willis will be a faithful servant of the Lord!