Posted on this category page: Family Life in Our Blessed Home

I had another ultrasound today. We found out we will be blessed with another baby girl! Thank you Lord!

Awed,

Posted on this category page: Family Life in Our Blessed Home

Currently we are stationed in Alabama but our orders run out in a few months. We had expected to serve another year here, but the Army changed those plans. We applied for another duty station but were turned down today. We are very disappointed and a little disoriented. We know God is in control and he will take care of us. Not sure where we'll be a few months from now, but resting in God's care. Still trying to let go of my need to plan!

Posted on this category page: Family Life in Our Blessed Home

Another ultrasound. Baby's development is right on target. Praise God!

Blessings,

Posted on this category page: Family Life in Our Blessed Home

I had an ultrasound to determine the baby's due date today. Baby looks beautiful!

Blessings,

Posted on this category page: Family Life in Our Blessed Home

We are surprised and humbled at the news that we are expecting another baby! God is so gracious! Baby is due March 8, 2010. We'll keep you posted on the pregnancy and birth!

Humbled,

Posted on this category page: Family Life in Our Blessed Home

Some of my readers know me in the real-world, not just the cyber-world. So they know my name is not actually Layla. Liam, Luke, Lucy, etc., are all also aliases. Obviously, these fake names are chosen to protect our identities, mostly our children's identities, from the 'bad guys' who lurk on the internet.

Just for the fun of it, I thought I would write about why I chose these names. First, I chose Layla as my alias because it is a name that my parents almost named me. I like the name so I thought it was an appropriate A.K.A. When it came to choosing names for my children, Luke was a natural choice for my Star Wars-fanatic first-born. Lucy was also pleasing to my daughter who enjoyed the character from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. We had an instant theme of "L" names! I chose Liam for my hubby because it is a name I've always liked. When I realized they were all (except mine) 4-letter L names, we followed suit in choosing names for each of the children as they were born. It's been fun naming each of my children twice! So there you have it.

Lots of love from Liam, Layla, Luke, Lucy, Leif, Levi, Lily, and Leah. Logging off now for a leisurely lap around the lush lawn . Don't laugh at my languishing alliteration. I'm no linguist, just a lady up too late with a lexicon.  This is likely becoming lousy so I will leave you with this last thought: Is it logical to linger in the library with a lunch of lemonade and loganberries?

Later,

Posted on this category page: Family Life in Our Blessed Home

My 3yo is potty-trained through the day but still wears a pull-up at nighttime. Tonight I was preparing the children for bed and tossed his pull-up on top of his comforter before I sent the boys into their room. Then I went into the girls' room to pull out our 2yo's trundle bed.

I returned to the boys' room and found Levi proudly standing on his bed wearing his pull-up. I said, "Hey Baby, did you put your pull-up on all by yourself?" He said, "Yes, I put my pull-up on." "Great job! Lay down now." So I tucked the boys in, kissed them good night, and walked back to the girls' room to tuck them in.

When I walked back past the boys room I found Levi standing in the middle of it. He said, "I poopded, Momma." Ugh. I was tired and ready for bed. But I grabbed the wipes, laid him down, and opened the side of his pull-up. OH NO! To my dismay, I found that he had put his pull-up on over his underwear, then proceeded to poop in the underwear!

 Life is never dull around here!

~ Layla

Posted on this category page: Family Life in Our Blessed Home

We adopted a little guy a couple years ago. He was only 4 days old when we met him. He was just over a year old once his adoption was finalized. We already had a little guy, just 10-months older than him, whom I was nursing. I wanted to nurse both of them, but technically wasn't allowed to while he was our foster child. Still, I managed to squeeze in a few nursing sessions with him before he was "too old."

Our little guy is of another race than our own. His skin is a little darker than ours and we think he knows it now. Somehow, he senses that he is a little different.

Unfortunately, I'm terrible about developing film. I have a bag full of 35mm film waiting to be developed. Now that I have a digital camera, I've all but forgotten about the film. I realize now that I need to get it done because our adopted boy has rarely seen a photo of himself as a baby.

I pulled out some old home videos the other night, ones we took when he was about 8 months old. He saw himself as a baby in our home. He saw himself close to the same age as our newest child is now. Things started to click for him. He was amazed watching the video. He said, "Momma. That me? A baby?" I said, "Yes, baby, that's you." He said, "Me a baby, like Leah?" I said, "Yes, you were a baby like Leah." Then he asked a most important question. He said, "Momma, you nurse me a baby?" Wow! Of course, he sees me nursing the new baby every day. He doesn't remember me nursing him, but somehow he knew that I should have nursed him. And I'm so glad I did, even if it was only a handful of times, because I was able to answer him, "Yes, honey. I nursed you when you were a baby." He continues to ask me this, several times a day, everyday. And I continue to reassure him of his place in our family.

I love this little boy, my son!

~Layla