Moving Day!

Wanted to give a quick update on my break from non-stop packing!! Tommorrow is our big moving day, finally! We have made several trips already taking odds and ends, but tommorrow we will have a truck and move everything. I took a load last night, which helped, but I am really struggling with anxiety over this move. We do have a cute house and it is in a great area, so fresh and clean (it was recently renovated, so it feels like new on the inside). But I still think the whole overall process is so overwhelming, as I ponder the petty things like will everything fit, will we have enough room (the biggest size difference will be the kids' rooms--they are much smaller than what they have now), will we adjust and adapt to a new home, etc. etc. My sleep, of course, is affected by all this--or the little sleep I'm able to get right now. I'm just trying to stay focused on getting us packed, and not worry about what is out of my hands. Praying and asking God to get us through this transition, and for me to trust Him that this is what is best for our family!
Anyways, all that to say as we disconnect our cable and internet at our current house tommorrow, at some point we will be back online but I'm not sure exactly when---so as soon as I can I'll post some pics of the new place, and hopefully by then it will somewhat be put together.

Bob/Reed the builder....

Reed loves the Bob the builder song.....I don't think he's ever watched it but we've read some books and the song goes "Bob the builder--can we fix it?!--yes we can!" So he loves singing it all day! So with our poor quality camera/video and possible weak volume that is what he is saying here at the table.

Georgia boy and a big girl!

So I'm really behind and have slacked in blogging over the past week---I have barely pulled out the camera to be honest, so not much to put on here. And between trying to somewhat maintain normalcy with meals, picking up, laundry, etc. and of course the biggest time consumer PACKING TO MOVE, well, needless to say I haven't had tons of free time to do whatever. Funny how things work out because actually this week (which should have been my most productive seeing that sometime probably next Tuesday or Wednesday will be our big moving day) has really slowed me down. Reed started throwing up Monday night at like 1:30am, "oh no!!" we thought, here we go again. But it was only about 3xs, and then around 3am we all fell back asleep, with him on towels on the floor of our bedroom. By the next morning he seemed totally fine! I definitely made sure he ate lightly, but wondering if our "breakfast" dinner the night before just didn't sit well with him?? He has been fine ever since, thank goodness! And then late Wednesday night I started feeling awful--no real symptoms except I just couldn't sleep and had horrible stomach cramps. So I slept on and off all day yesterday not eating much myself. But today is a whole new day, I definitely feel back to normal--so maybe we did have some sort of "bug" in our house, who knows?! So this weekend will be full of lots of busyness to pack, pack, and more pack to be ready for next week. So here are just a few pics of the kids as we spend our last week at this current home---kinda sad I suppose, but I never completely felt too attached to this house as I always had a feeling we really wouldn't be in it for very long--funny how things work out, huh?!

Reed in his Geogria attire---yes, don't be too mad all you TN fans out there reading this. But his daddy is proud to see him wear his favorite team attire. And we do have a boggin' the exact same as this one that is TN, and he loves wearing it just as much!

Finally--our girl has mastered sitting up all by herself--yeah!!! We've really tried to work alot since we've been home from the holiday traveling. She is doing such a great job, and really appears to be developing all around! So much more vocalizing and babbling--Casey swears he's heard "dada", but sounds more like "yahyah" to me.

Playing together--we've really been working on the concept of "sharing", which is not easy for Reed (but is it for any toddler?) As he cries and falls apart when it's "her turn" to have a toy.

Happy January!

Now that the holidays are over and of course it's freezing cold outside, and will be for like the next 3 months!!, what does one do with their time? Packing and preparing for a move is one thing..... After coming home from our very long travels and finally seeming to be on the mend, oh we did go back to the doctor last Friday to find out now the kids have "Adenovirus"
another fun sickness to deal, but it seems it is passing and definitely was nothing compared to what we went through with the rota!


I don't have much really to update about our move at this point, but wanted to just post some fun pictures from our beginning January very cold month! So hopefully we will have a closing date set in the next few days and I can update from there our exact plans as far as the move!
Having fun in the exersaucer.

Reed laughing at Casey's dancing, he thought it was hysterical!

Playing in the new Thomas train he got from Gigi and Pops for Christmas! It was a sure hit today on this cold and rainy day! He couldn't get enough of it and continued to giggle and go in and out of it all afternoon! He also got to attend his first Mommy and Me Gymnastics class today! It was the first one (also one of his Christmas gifts) and once he finally warmed up he appeared to have a great time. So I'm hoping each week he begins to look more and more forward to it. It is such a great way to be active and get to run around when it's too cold and yucky to be outside.

And last, but not least, our newest announcement for 2009.....oh yes, we are crazy, but don't think this was at all planned (at least by us it wasn't, now the Lord has other plans that is for sure!!!) We will welcome the newest Willis (baby #3) sometime in late July! Emery-Claire and this baby will be just 14 months apart (and Reed still won't be 3 until September). I know the Lord knows what He is doing, apparently stretching both of us that is for sure! Even though it isn't our ideal timing of when we would have planned for #3 (I definitely would have chosen to wait a little longer) we still know this is a great blessing and God knows what is best for us---which obviously includes another baby 14 months after we just had a baby! We are excited nonetheless and pray for this baby to be healthy and strong....so here is a picture of our little peanut (this is as technically savvy as I get since we don't have a scanner on our printer)! I am now a little over 12 weeks...feeling good, as I really don't have rough pregnancies, tired, but hard to know if that is pregnancy or having a 2 year old and 7 1/2 month old!

Our girl is 7 months!

Well, here is another catchup post.....since it's December 31, Emery-Claire did turn 7 months about a week and a half ago! I've been so immersed in sickness it is hard to think of all the things she normally is doing. Obviously since not feeling well, she has been more fussy and clingy. She is just a tiny, petite little girl. She is doing well and enjoying her solid foods. We've had sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, pears, prunes, bananas, and green beans. We have been stuck there since she's been sick, and had to lay low on some of the solid foods.
She still needs help with sitting up, and I try not to be concerned because motor wise I feel she is going to be at a slower pace than Reed was. At her 6 month, 2 week old checkup, she was only 12 lbs., 5 oz. (since that has been several weeks ago I feel she had put on some more weight, well, until maybe the virus hit!) So she is just a little girl and feels more like a 5 month old to me. I know when she's ready she'll begin to sit by herself, take an interest to be up on all fours and attempt to move. But most of the time she is a happy girl, and continues to love for everyone to talk to her and interact with her. She loves watching Reed, and laughs and giggles at him, as he does with her. She is just mellow and seems to sit back and soak it all in, babbling some, but I feel is often more quiet than Reed was. And what's funny is I felt worried about Reed's speech development at times!

Some Christmas pictures and Happy New Year!

Well, what else can one on a lovely New Year's Eve (so bummed to miss the party all are friends are at :(--- when your family has been sick for almost a week now?! Stuck out of town and a camera full of pictures, so download and blog of course! So here are some of the pictures we captured before the dreaded Rotavirus struck our family on Christmas day, last Thursday evening. A little out of order, but these two pictures are Reed with his favorite pasttime at my mom and stepdad's house....trains! Donnie loves trains and has a entire moldel railway system he is always working on and building in the basement. Reed asks constantly to go down there and "go see the choochoos!" These pictures are from Monday night after getting discharged from the hospital, so he was so happy to go down there and watch the trains for a little while.
Trying on new boots from Nana.
Reed posing with Grandpa and Grandma (my dad and stepmom).

The adorable newlyweds, aren't they so cute and snuggly!!

Well, after we get moved and settled, hopefully we'll begin some potty training. So here is Reed already making some good practice, as he totally just sat down on his new potty with this book---is this just innate or something?!!

My crazy sisters and newphew, Brody!

The best picture we could get of everyone at my mom's....of course the kids are all looking all different directions, oh well.

Aunt Nee-Nee and Emery-Claire....wish I had been more in front of them as they are both smiling so big, so cute!

The boys having a blast decorating cookies at Gigi's.

Showing Pops his Chick-Fil-A gift card that was in his stocking. Oh and I did do the applique on his shirt, thanks so much for the helpful pointers Em! The ones I've done since then have turned out so much better!

It's been a doozy....

Well, I know I wrote earlier this week about having sick kiddos. Well, since then it has gotten so much worse over the past 4 days. Saturday night about 9:30pm we decided it was time to have Reed see a doctor. He was almost lifeless, so lethargic, practically refusing to drink and had laid on the floor at my mom's all day long in and out of sleep, with constant diarrhea. So off to the ER Mom and I went, leaving Emery-Claire in the bed with my stepdad who was at home. Thank goodness we got there when we did (besides the fact that it was so packed out and we thought we'd wait there forever!) After being there probably 30 minutes the minimal Gatorade we had gotten Reed to drink earlier that day was coming out both ends, as we're sitting in the waiting room! Oh, poor little buddy, it was awful! About that time we were called back to finally see the triage nurse, where they gave us more towels and and a gown, since his pajamas had vomit and diarrhea all over them. Then finally around midnight we were called back to a room. We had wonderful nurses and a great doctor, who were great with Reed! So we were thankful for that! They did some blood work and determined he was definitely very dehydrated and in need of IV fluids. I thought he would freak out with getting the IV put in, but he did great! Though I know he was so weak and out of it, he probably didn't have much in him to fight against it. His labwork revealed he had the dreaded Rotavirus. I listed it as a link because it is a very serious virus that affects so many kids, and another factor he had against that an x-ray revealed an Ileus in his abdomen. So this making it basically impossible for him to digest anything on his own, basically his stomach was so overworked from the virus there was nothing more it could do on it's own! So the doctor felt he needed to be admitted for continuous fluid and be monitored closely to make sure all his stats improved. So up to the 3rd floor we went finally about 3am. The doctor also told us we were all exposed to this virus, and will probably have some form of it. Maybe not as severe as Reed, but some symptoms. Reed continued to improve Sunday, and little by little was drinking more and more fluids. Sunday morning Casey came to be with us as well, so I was grateful to have him be there. I know he was pretty scared that our little guy was so sick. Monday morning they felt they could stop the IV fluids and see how Reed did drinking on his own. Then by Monday afternoon they felt we could leave, yeah! So far he is doing so much better today, perking up more and more as the day went on. He is drinking well on his own, and hardly any diarrhea! Emery-Claire has had a little diarrhea since Friday, just occasionally though, and thrown up probably 2xs in the past 4 days. So the doctor said she may just have a more mild form, which may be due to the antibodies she is receiving in the breastmilk. So I am praying she stays the same and doesn't get any worse.

But as we thought we were overcoming the hump of illness, Casey started vomiting last night. He slept some and acted as if he was better this morning (with his now turning to the diarrhea), but again this afternoon he began to go downhill finally telling me he needed to see a doctor. So my stepdad took him to a walkin clinic, and he practically passed out in the waiting room! So they immediately took him to the back and gave him some IV fluids for his dehydration. He is home now and sleeping soundly.

I am the only one with no symptoms at this point. I suppose the Lord knew I needed to remain strong to take care of everyone! And I am so thankful we have been with my family, because I definitely couldn't have handled all this without my mom's help! So if everyone is doing better tommorrow, we may finally head home. But for now it's a wait and see thing. I am mainly just exhausted, so off to bed I will go soon to get a long night's sleep! Thank you to all our friends and family who have been praying for us and checking on us. We appreciate it and are thankful for you all! This is one nasty virus and has definitely been a Christmas we will never forget!