The TerBlog

Introducing our sweet baby girl...

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Paisley Ann TerBlanche

Friday, March 25th, 2011

4:22 a.m.

7 pounds, 3 ounces

19 1/2 inches

4 days old

This moment was indescribable!

Absolute perfection!

My amazing midwife, Diana, a sweet new baby girl, and a SUPER happy mama!

7 lbs, 3 oz. of deliciousness!

3 days old

Our sweet Paisley joined our family three weeks ago. She has been an absolute blessing and a delight and it is already very difficult to remember life before she came into our lives. She has such a calm and sweet disposition. She is a wonderful sleeper and nurser...every mommy's dream! Porter is absolutely in love and is such a wonderful big brother to her. He wants to hold her and kiss her constantly, which melts my heart every time. We are so thankful that she is part of our family! We love her so, so much!

Here are the details of how she came into this world!

I went to the doctor on Wednesday, March 24th, for my 39 week appointment. I was 1 cm and 70% effaced, same as 2 weeks earlier at my 37 week appointment. She was still VERY high, which was my biggest concern as the shape of my pelvis was the reason for my scheduled c-section with Porter. I had started seeing a chiropractor to help her engage in my pelvis, but it didn't seem to be helping. I still left feeling optimistic. That night, at 3:00 a.m. on the dot, my water broke while I was in a dead sleep! At first I thought it was blood and then I realized VERY quickly that it was coming too fast and there was too much of it and I immediately figured out my water had broken! I yelled to Craig "Honey, honey, honey! My water just broke, and I am NOT joking!" He flipped on the light and I ran to the bathroom as fast as I could! I was SO excited that my water broke! I had been hoping for this all along, because then I would really know it was time without having to worry about timing contractions and wondering if it was real labor. That, and I knew I would have some time to take a shower and get things in order before we left for the hospital. Poor Craig spent a good while scrubbing our carpet from the bed to the toilet :) We called Granny and she immediately came over to sit with Porter so we didn't have to wake him, and we left for the hospital around 4:30 a.m. We stopped at Craig's office to pick up his laptop and then at a convenient store to pick up some snacks and drinks. I was having mild, irregular contractions. We arrived at Littleton Adventist Hospital at 5:00 a.m., and were admitted immediately. My sister called me as we were being admitted and told me she was on her way from Pennsylvania! I really hoped she would make it in time!

The excitement of the morning started to die down after we got admitted. It was clear the my contractions were not strong or regular, so I began walking. And walking. And walking. In a very short and boring hallway. Dr. Graham came to check on me around 9:00 a.m. and decided not to check my cervix since my water had broken and he wanted to reduce the risk of infection. He felt my belly from the outside and said she was still VERY high. We knew it would be a long day.

Sometime around 11:00 a.m. my midwife, Diana, came to check on me, and nothing had progressed, although she did not check my cervix. She and I talked about pitocin, which I wanted to avoid if I could. By 1:00 p.m. it was clear that my body needed a little push to get things moving along. They started me on the lowest dose of pitocin (1 mL per hour) and my body responded well and my contractions picked up in intensity and frequency. I was so thankful that they were willing to try pitocin, since they normally won't with a VBAC attempt. About every hour, they raised my dose by 1 mL because my body was getting used to the amount of medicine, and the contractions eventually faded. At around 2:00, I called my friend Ivy to come and be my doula, since I was beginning to feel a lot of pain. Unfortunately, by the time she got there, I was in one of those periods where the contractions slowed and I wasn't in any pain, so I felt like she was bored for a long while, but she sure helped keep my company, which gave Craig a much-needed break. This cycle of regular, painful contractions and then periods of no pain went on for a few hours until they found the right dose of pitocin for me. My sister arrived at the hospital around 5:00 p.m. I was so thrilled to have her there! By around 7:00 p.m. I was in active labor...finally!

Ivy, Tori, and Craig were very helpful in keeping the atmosphere light and helping me get through lots of very painful contractions. Craig's mom and sister, Shannon, came for a visit, too. It was so nice to be around people that I love, and who were so supportive of this labor and delivery! Diana came to check me around 9:00 p.m. and I was 1 1/2 cm dilated and a -3 station. Paisley was still very high, which was my concern. I was fine with the dilation, as long as they would let me continue to labor and let my body do it's job. There was no time limit on when they would make me have a c-section. As long as I was fine and the baby was fine, I could labor. And labor I did. I was so excited to still be going, and as long as it took would be fine with me.

I told Diana I didn't want an epidural yet. The contractions were ridiculously painful, but I was breathing through them by trying different positions, and visualizing my baby girl coming out the way I wanted her to. I thought I was being pretty tough :) She really wanted me to have one, and she really thought I would start to dilate with one, so I agreed. I wanted to go as long as I could without one, so when she left at around 9:45 p.m. I told her I would try for a little while longer medicine-free. By 10:20 p.m.I asked for the epidural because I realized it was in my future anyway, and at this point it seemed silly to torture myself for a few more hours if I was going to have the epidural anyway. I received it around 11:00 p.m. and the nurse checked me a few minutes later and I was 3 cm. If I had only known how the night would play out, I just may have had a baby au natural! No regrets, though :)

Around midnight we all decided to try to get some rest. I felt much more comfortable, but I could still feel my contractions (and my legs) which I was very grateful for. I didn't feel out of control. I got a tiny bit of sleep and then realized my contractions were becoming painful again, especially down low. They were very tiny on the monitor, which was strange and misleading since they were again becoming more and more painful. My nurse, Joanie, told me that the anesthesiologist didn't use a lot of medication in my epidural, so if it became painful, she could call him to administer more. By 2:00 a.m. I was having to breath through my contractions again. I wanted to call for her to come, but I didn't want to wake everyone up! By 3:00 a.m. I was in so much pain that I had to call for her! She decided to check me, and I was 10 cm! I was SO surprised! I never had the 'pressure' feeling that women describe when they are fully dilated. I really anticipated an afternoon baby! It happened so fast, and I felt foolish that I had been laying there in so much pain for a couple of hours because I was fully dilated and ready to push! Craig called Granny, and she came right away to witness the birth of her newest granddaughter!

At this point the baby was still very high, a -2 station. Joanie called Diana at home and gave her an update, and she said to have me push for a while. She had me push 3 times and called Diana back for her to come in. She arrived around 3:40 a.m. and I started pushing again around 3:45 a.m. I was SO determined to push out that little girl that I almost popped my eyes out :) I was so concerned that I was pushing wrong since my face hurt so bad, but she assured me that I was being very effective and gettting that VERY high baby to come down. At one point, the nurse asked if I wanted a mirror and Diana answered for me and had her bring one. It was really helpful to see my progress, although I didn't watch when she came out, for fear of seeing something get damaged! Around 4:15 or 4:20 I asked Diana how much longer she thought it might take. I was willing to push for hours if I had to to get that baby out, but I needed to be mentally prepared. I was still cautiously optimistic for a VBAC, but I knew at any moment they could whisk me into the operating room for a c-section. She said she thought it might be another 45 minutes. Well, I set out to prove her wrong, and our sweet Paisley came quietly into this world about two minutes later at 4:22 a.m. It was an overwhelming moment. I had a perfect and beautiful daughter, and I was so proud that I had actually PUSHED her out! I did it! It was the most amazing moment. Paisley didn't cry, but no one worried since she was breathing. They laid her on my chest and I held my daughter through uncontrollable sobs of joy. They eventually took her over to the warmer where she made tiny little noises to assure everyone of her health, but no cries. They promised me she was perfect, and they were right.

We are so thankful to our Father in Heaven for the blessing that Paisley is to our family. She has brought pure joy into our home and into the lives of our families, and we will forever be grateful for the sweet and precious spirit that she is.

Baby Girl Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 04:09:00 +0000

I know it has been FOREVER since I have updated the blog... I have a couple (lame) excuses. One, I am pregnant, and I can get away with it...right??? Two, I have lost my camera cord!!! SO SAD! I really don't believe in blogging unless you have a picture to share, so for this much-needed update I included a photo of Porter on the very day we found out he would be a big brother, July 16th, 2010! He wore this shirt and surprised his Daddy when he got home from work! I always thought it was so cheesy to do the big brother/sister shirt for announcing a pregnancy, but once you have your first, it is super exciting that they will be a "big"! I couldn't help myself :) It is crazy to me that SO much time has passed since this photo was taken, and all of the excitement of having a new baby was buzzing! Now, we only have 10 days until my due date!

As for little sister, she is doing really well! I have enjoyed this pregnancy MUCH more than my pregnancy with Porter for lots of reasons. I still feel pretty good and I only complain at night when I am sore from the day...right, babe??? ;)

Here are some reasons this time has been more pleasant:

~I have gained HALF of what I gained with Porter. 60 lbs with him, 29 with this one, and my goal weight gain was 35 lbs...I am proud of this!

~I feel MUCH better than I did with him, probably because of this lesser me at 9 months.

~I have clothes that fit me...I borrowed lots of maternity clothes with Porter, and I actually bought more of my own this time that fit right, so I have lots of comfy clothes that still fit, and I don't stand in the closet and cry that I have nothing to wear like I did with him...wah.

~I am not working this time around, so I can stay in my jammies or sweats all day if I want to :)

~I have learned to control my heartburn better this time, even though it is JUST as bad as with the boy. Hopefully she will have hair like he did :)

~It is cool here, NOT like Florida in June when P was born. I will never, never, never do that again. Swell city.

~Speaking of swelling, my wedding rings still fit me, when with P I outgrew my rings AND the 'fat ring' I wore towards the end.

~Doctors and a midwife who actually give a rats about what I want! What a feeling!!! Love them all.

~a VBAC!!! I am really, really hoping and praying not to have a cesarian this time around. My midwife and doctors are WONDERFUL and SUPPORTIVE and I am looking forward to the birth experience I have always longed for!

Things about this pregnancy that are worse:

~NEW stretch marks. How rude is that?!? Half the size and NEW stretch marks??? Totally and completely not fair. Hiss.

~The low/no sugar carb diet that has helped me not be as much of a heifer. Not fun, but worth it. I only started at 28 weeks, so don't feel too bad. But feel a little bad.

~Stressing about my birth experience. With Porter, I blissfully thought I would have the experience I wanted which was shattered at 37 weeks when I was told I had to have a cesarian (booooooooo to you, North Florida OB/GYN!)...this time around I have been optimistic about having a VBAC, but hoping and not knowing has been a little stressful. Better than being told what to do, though!

~Not having a super simple time choosing a name, like we did with Porter. We do have a name now, though (I think)! It will be a big surprise to lots of people on the day she is born! :)

I am so super excited to meet our little girl! It doesn't seem like it's right around the corner, but it is! I have lots to do to keep myself busy and I hope I can finish it all before she arrives! I am excited, too, at the thought of going into labor and driving to the hospital in excruciating pain...okay, maybe not so much that part, but the excitement of the unknown is really fun. I am also really happy that my Mommy will be coming out to visit us on the 29th! It's a little weird not knowing if she will be here for the birth or not (I'm due the 30th), but I am almost as excited for her arrival as the baby's!

I am also REALLY looking forward to seeing Porter as a big brother. He is such a wonderful and sweet boy. It will be so fun to see him in such a new and wonderful role. He is really excited about her arrival and he talks about her ALL the time. I can't wait to get a photo of my TWO babies together!!! What a blessing!!!

We will keep you updated on baby girl's arrival! I think I will bite the bullet and buy a new camera cord tomorrow, so I will have more motivation to update, but the news will definitely be posted :)

Can't wait to meet you, little girl!

The first snow!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 06:06:00 +0000

It snowed for the first time this year on November 9th, as opposed to September 21st last year! I, for one, welcomed this change with open arms! It has been fun seeing Porter get SO excited about the snow, even though it has been sparse so far.

And where there is snow, there is hot chocolate! Cheers!

Here's to a warm and cozy winter, snuggled up to these two cute boys :)

Goodbye, old friend.

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:59:00 +0000

Thankfully a material friend, but a friend nonetheless. I think this picture explains itself for the most part. This is Porter kissing the t.v. goodbye before the garbage men took it away. (Actually someone still took it off the curb before morning...do you REALLY think we put it out there without making absolute sure it was broken?!)

Neither one of us saw what happened, as I was making dinner and Craig was changing clothes upstairs, but we like to think it was an accident. Sigh.

Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:26:00 +0000

This year our little man wanted to dress up as a firefighter! My friend, Amber, let me borrow this adorable jacket and Porter was THRILLED! He wouldn't take it off for hours at a time!

We attended our ward Trunk or Treat, which was INSANE. I think 5 times more people came than they expected, but surprisingly they didn't run out of food or candy, so a good time was had by all! Porter even won a prize for having one of the top 3 cutest costumes in his age group!

Here is Porter getting deadly peanut m & m's...don't worry, Mommy ate...err, I mean confiscated them to protect the little guy :)

Here is Daddy helping him go from car to car. Daddy was dressed as a baker, and I wore my "bun in the oven" costume from when I was pregnant with Porter. It was a big hit! I only have a few pictures from that night because it was pitch black and all of them are of the back of Porter.

On Halloween night we spent the evening with Craig's family. The kids had a blast trick or treating and came home with tons of loot!

Here are the pretty princesses!

I had to carry Porter's bucket for him because it got so heavy with candy that he couldn't pick it up!

This is our wonderful neighbor, Tom. Can you see how concerned the little firefighter is with that raging fire?!

The kids doing their Halloween duty!

Afterwards we decorated Halloween sugar cookies. Our neighbor, Kaleb helped the kids trick or treat and decorate :) Porter ADORES him!

Check out Lissie going straight for the icing! Who needs the cookie?!

It was indeed a Happy Halloween!

Anderson Farms

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 04:48:00 +0000

On October 30th, Porter and I headed out to Anderson Farms for a fun day at the pumpkin patch with Granny, Auntie Shannie, Abby, and Lissie. We had an absolute blast and came home exhausted! I have never seen a pumpkin patch with so much to do! The kids had a ball and it was definitely worth the hour drive.

This was my best effort at getting a group shot!

I think Porter's favorite part was this huge wooden train (did you know he LIVES for trains?!) He inspected and played on every car, starting at the back. When he made it all the way to the front he pretended to drive and, of course, shouted out the window "ALL ABOARD!"

Riding this little guy was fun, too! He kept yelling "YEE HAW! YEE HAW!"

Now this is not a pumpkin patch view we are quite used to yet. This picture does not do justice to how gorgeous the mountains were in the background. This was taken from one of three different rides that day, and Porter was pretty darn excited about that green tractor!

Granny likes to have the kids help her find the ugliest pumpkin in the patch. I think Porter may have the winner, here!

They had pedal cars which the kids went NUTS over. Abby was an absolute natural and Lissie only needed a little help from time to time. Porter couldn't reach the pedals, but he did a fair job at steering. Unfortunately Granny and I had to take turns pushing him, and we got pretty wiped out! Especially since the kids asked to do this about 5 times that day :)

We did so many fun things that day! They had a barrel train, hay rides, wagon rides, pedal cars, a sort-of-petting zoo, pumpkin patch, we got to feed a buffalo and some cows, and mostly enjoy time with family and the gorgeous weather. I think we will definitely make this a tradition every year!

AND....now I shall leave you with the final outcome of trying to get your two year old to LOOK and the camera and SMILE!

Oh, well. They sure make me smile now!

A Boy and his Blankie

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 04:25:00 +0000

I am taking advantage of this night without my husband to get some serious blogging done. I really feel strongly about journaling about our family, and I wish I had never gotten out of the habit! I hope to be better at documenting our lives not just for our far away friends and family, but so our own little family will have the memories that one day I know we will cherish. Now, onto the recent-ish happenings in our lives!

The other morning (okay, like a month ago), Porter was watching for the garbage truck to come and pick up our trash, which is one of his favorite things to do (almost as much as helping Daddy take it out on Thursday nights). He had his blankie with him and I couldn't help snapping a few photos of him with his best buddy.

The satin edges are almost disintegrated from being loved and washed so much. I have noticed that in the last few months he loves to stick his fingers underneath the torn satin, especially when we snuggle in the chair and read books before bed.

He adores his blankie, although he is happy to leave it in his bed unless he's not feeling well or extra tired. He doesn't carry it around or leave the house with it. He lights up when he snuggles with it, though! Another funny thing is he won't go to sleep unless his "blue blankie" is spread across his pillow in his crib. He will ask me to "fix it" if it's not on his pillow so he can sleep on top of it. I wonder how he ever got into that habit, but it's been months that he has been sleeping that way!

We are thankful for "blue blankie" and for the sweet friend, Cathy, who gave it to Porter when he was born, embroidered with his name and birthday. We are definitely going to get one for his little sister when she arrives so they can have matching blankies!

It's a...

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:53:00 +0000

We were super excited (and I was TOTALLY SHOCKED!) to find out today that our little bean is a GIRL!!! I was 100% sure it was a boy, so there goes Mommy's instinct! The baby looks wonderful and perfectly healthy. We are so excited, and it's a thrill to think about bringing a little baby girl into our family!

Here is her sweet little profile today at 20 weeks, 2 days... Do you think she looks like Porter?

The classic alien face :)

Her perfect little beating heart :)

Her fingers on her left hand.

And, of course, the money shot :) It's a GIRL!!! I can't believe it!

Here is an awesome video where you can see her move her tongue, open her mouth, and swallow, as well as see her perfect little heart just beating away :) It is so amazing!

We are already in love with our little girl. I still am in total shock and I can't believe I'll have a daughter of my very own! I am so excited, and can't wait to fall in love with her even more.

As far as the pregnancy is going, it has been a breeze. I suffer from horrid, horrid, nasty, evil acid reflux, but medication helps a ton, and I feel great when it's under control! I am feeling wonderful, and I hope it continues to go as smoothly as it has been. Heck, I may even do this again :)

p.s. I know I haven't blogged much AT ALL. I have some seriously cute photos of Porter's fall and Halloween, and I promise to be better about posting!

Surprise!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:54:00 +0000

Craig and I are so happy to announce that we will be adding another sweet little one to our family!

I am due March 30th, so I am a little over 12 weeks along. I am feeling great and enjoying the pregnancy so far! My doctors/midwife are AMAZING...a much different situation than in Jacksonville and I couldn't be happier with them! We had our 3rd ultrasound this morning and everything looks really great with the baby. The ultrasound tech tried really hard to give us a guess on the gender, but it's just too early (which we all knew :) We are just so excited that our little one looks really healthy!

Porter is very excited and talks about the baby a lot! He says the baby will "grow bigger and bigger and then come out!" He and Craig both insist the baby is a girl, but I have other feelings :) I even asked Porter what we should call the baby and he said "Cinderella!" It doesn't matter to me...I just want to know!

Here are a few pictures and a sweet video of our little one! It was moving around SO MUCH that she could hardly take measurements this morning :)

We are so thrilled and excited to bring another sweet little person into our family! We are so thankful for such an amazing blessing!

House photos

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:07:00 +0000

Here are a few before and after photos of the house...

This one was taken in October, before the house was even ours. Quite possibly the worst paint job I've ever seen. We saw it's potential :)

This photo was taken in June, after the much-needed paint job, new light fixtures and house numbers, and some landscaping. You couldn't really tell how bad the grass was since it was snowing in the before picture :) This was before the roof was replaced.

And here is the after picture! This was after the new roof, and some new plants on the baker's rack (finally!). We are very happy with how things have turned out. It doesn't look like the "foreclosed house" when we come around the corner anymore! We feel so blessed to have this home and we love it so much! We are very happy with the progress :)

Aaargh, matey.

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Ships ahoy!

Cheesy little swashbuckler.

Porter's Birthday Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:14:00 +0000

We had a blast at throwing Porter a big birthday party for his special day! Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy, so the outdoor festivities were relocated indoors. We didn't get to put up the bounce house, and Craig had to grill under an umbrella, but we still had a great time!

This is the birthday banner I made for his special day!

Cupcakes!!! I spent many, many hours on those cupcake toppers, but I just love how they turned out!

A close-up of said toppers. Nothing can make a cupcake cuter than my boy's face right on top :)

Party time!

I hung 2's from our light fixture and it looked so cute! The party favor was two little goldfish for the little ones to take home.

I fancied up a party invitation and displayed it along with some fish food for the little fishies that left with Porter's friends.

More party favors. The boxes contained stickers, goldfish crackers and, of course, a cute picture of the birthday boy!

Porter's family that loves him so much :) He is a lucky boy to have family so close by!

Our neighbors, the Kaylor's. They are precious in every way!

Opening presents :)

Loving every minute of it!

A semi-failed attempt at getting a group shot of all the little ones. This was the best of all of them.

Shay and Lissie are turned around. Lexie and Abby are at the top. Slade, Brock, and Tylie are in the middle (how awesome is Tylie? She was so ready for pictures!) The bottom row is a relatively unhappy Peter, a perfectly-posed Ayden, and an I-refuse-to-sit-down Porter! This picture cracks me up!

Here is a video of the birthday song. I love this so much! Look how happy he is!

Thanks to all of our friends and family for making it a special day for Porter!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Porter!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 20:07:00 +0000

June 10, 2008. 12:54 p.m.

Happy Birthday, Porter Davis!

1 month old

6 months old

One year old!

18 months old

Two years old!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Noonie!

How is it possible that two entire years have passed since this sweet boy joined our family? Undoubtedly, the best two years of our lives!

Porter is the brightest spot in our days. He has added so much joy to our family, and continues to do so on a moment-by-moment basis.

Here are a few of our favorite things about our little man:

-He loves to make people laugh.

-He is a great talker, and we are constantly surprised with the things he says!

-He loves his family.

-He remembers what kind of cars people drive, and points them out to us when we're out on the road. "That's like Aunt Shannie's car!"

-He sometimes asks for a time out if he's feeling overwhelmed.

-He LOVES to read books. He soaks up what is on the pages and can fill in words and answer questions about the stories like a pro.

-He is gentle, and very rarely gets aggressive, but he knows what he wants and is opinionated.

-He has perfected drinking out of a big boy cup. It still looks funny to me seeing such a little guy drink like a big guy.

-He is a peanut...23 lbs. 8 oz. and 33 1/2 inches tall. 25th percentile for height, 5th percentile for weight. He is still in 12 month clothes mostly, with some 18 months tossed in the mix.

-Speaking of peanuts...he is deathly allergic.

-He has good manners, which I think is handsome in a boy. He says "bless you, Mommy" when I sneeze, and mostly always remembers to say "please" and "thank you."

-He is a great cheerleader. He says "YAY, MOMMY!" When I finish a task like blow drying my hair or taking a shower. When my car goes from the dirt road onto the pavement, he yells "YAY, MOMMY'S CAR!" He is so encouraging!

-When I ask him if he wants a baby brother or sister, he says "No." and it makes me feel better about not being quite ready for another.

-He is learning to be reverent in church and we hardly ever have to take him out. He also loves nursery. (Which is good for me, since I just got asked to be the nursery leader!)

-He can count to ten with a tiny bit of help, and he can say his ABC'S.

-He loves his baby stroller, basketball hoop, T-Ball set, and anything Thomas the Train. He also loves to build towers and climb on anything.

-He is a Mommy's boy, but he sure loves his Daddy, too.

-When he's being stubborn, he'll get moving with a threat of taking away one of his naptime or bedtime books.

-He loves to be outside, and he'll keep his sunglasses and hat on while he plays.

-Milk is his favorite thing ever.

-His favorite thing at the park is the swings, although he conquered the big swirly slide this week and kept saying "I'm BRAVE!"

-He calls his favorite blankie "Mankie" (main-key) even though he can say "blankie" just fine...so sad will be the day when he says it correctly.

-He loves ice and will try to fish it out of anyone and everyone's glass. I make him "homemade" ice pops and he thinks he has won the lottery every day when he gets one. Or two. Or three.

-Sitting in the front seat of Daddy's car and pretending to drive is something he would rather do than anything else on the planet.

-When he goes to sleep, he has to have his mankie spread out over his pillow. If it's not just right he'll say "I want Mommy to fix it." He rarely says this anymore, though, because I've perfected just how he likes it.

-He loves to listen to music, especially in the car. He is always asking for "moomics" which I think is the greatest thing ever.

-He's really, really cute :)

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!!! Our lives would not be complete without you! Thank you for making us smile, and bringing us immeasurable happiness!

XOXOXOXO

best conversation ever

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:30:00 +0000

Before bed tonight, while rocking Porter in his chair...

Me - "I love you, Porter."

Porter - "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, Porter."

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, Porter."

"I love you, Mommy...

I love you, Mommy...

I wanna lie down."

Family Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Fri, 28 May 2010 03:53:00 +0000

We had our family photos taken a few weeks ago. Here are a few we liked the best!

Why I love my Granny's house

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Wed, 19 May 2010 04:30:00 +0000

I love going to my Granny's house for LOTS of reasons. Here are just a couple!

She lets me eat whatever I want. Even the whole tomato that she was going to use in the salad that night.

She goes outside in a hail storm and gets some for me to play with.

And eat.

I always sleep well after spending time at Granny's house!

I love you, Granny!

First Big Spill

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Wed, 19 May 2010 04:20:00 +0000

A few weeks ago Porter was playing in his sandbox and he fell right over the tallest edge and landed full-force-face-first on a rock. Unfortunately, I saw it happen, and I was sure he had a broken nose, neck, or both. He didn't even cry for too long, but he was left with a nasty battle wound! Thank goodness it's mostly gone now, just a little scar on the bridge of his nose that I am hoping will disappear! Hello, Mederma!

p.s. Aren't you PROUD of me for blogging?!?! I'm trying out uploading pictures to the Mac and using this bad boy instead of our PC. So far, so good! Don't give me grief. I'm a creature of habit!

Porter's Goodnight Song

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:23:00 +0000

As I was rocking Porter in his chair tonight before bed, I was humming "Reverently, Quietly" and he started singing along. This is his version of the song:

Grannyyyyyyyyy and Grandpaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, caaaaaaaar, waaaaall, go bye bye in mommy's caaaaaaaaar, go bye bye in mommy's caaaaaaaaaaaar. Milk all goooooooooone, Milk all goooooooooooooone. Daddyyyyyyyy. Doggieeeeeeeeeeee. Poooooooopy. Diiiiiiiiaper chaaaange. Waaaaaall.

It was so hard not to bust up laughing! At least he seems to have a love for singing.

Do you use coupons?

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:42:00 +0000

BECAUSE YOU SHOULD!

People often take photos of the good deals they have scored and post them on their blogs. I've never done this before, but after the haul I came home with this week, I couldn't help it! I was so excited!

The retail value of everything shown in the photo above is over $160.00, and what do you think I paid???... (drum roll, please)...

$18.19!!!!!!!!!

How BOMB is that???

This was a combo of Walgreens, Safeway, King Soopers, and Target. It was so much fun! Using coupons and saving my family big bucks has become a huge hobby for me, because it's so fun and addicting! I love doing it!

SO...get a Sunday paper and start saving!!!

Spring Reading Program

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:46:00 +0000

For several weeks now, Porter and I have gone once a week and picked out about 20 new books to read throughout the week. We've made a great routine of reading before naps and bedtime, and we LOVE spending this time together!

I am amazed at how much he enjoys reading time. He asks to go to the library and read his "libary books" all the time. My favorite part is when we finish a book, he always says "The End (whatever book we just read)" Today before nap we read a book about Old MacDonald and he said "The End Old MacDonald Book." It NEVER fails and it makes me smile every time :)

Some of our other favorites are "Llama Llama Red Pajama", "Happy Baby Colors", "Jamberry", "Trucks Roll", "Freight Train", "Firefighters to the Rescue", and "Whose Nose and Toes?" among MANY others. He is also really into the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" books. He likes all of them, especially the "Piggy Pankcake Book." He's in a great stage, because he still enjoys the simple phrased "baby" books, but he's starting to really enjoy lengthier books that tell stories as well, and he will sit still for at least 20 minutes at a time. I get some great snuggles in this way, too :)

He is super observant, and sometimes after reading a book only once, he will fill in words when I leave them out. He also notices things in the pictures that I overlook quite often.

During one of our recent visits to storytime at our local library, we heard about the Spring Reading Program, and I was super excited to sign up. For the program, we have to read 12 hours together and then we get a free book as a prize. We started 2 1/2 days ago, and we've already read over 120 minutes together!

We are both enjoying it so much, and I'm grateful for this quality time I get to spend with my favorite little guy! Can't wait to see which book we get to bring home!

p.s. Sorry no pictures! I'm having issues trying to sort out how to get them onto this mac! (In a user-friendly way!) Any advice?!

The boy's longest sentence to date.

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:35:00 +0000

I had to blog this...I don't want to forget!

A couple of days ago, Porter was coloring in his high chair when he chucked a crayon over the side. We have a general no-throwing-stuff-overboard rule, so I reminded him "Porter, if you throw your crayons we have to put them away, okay?"

My mouth fell open, and a giggle escaped when he replied "Okay, mommy color throw it all gone."

Uh, yeah.

Our Journey to Pukeville and Back...Don't go. It's not fun.

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:35:00 +0000

I am one thankful Mommy. Let's just start with that. You'll see why when I explain the last four months, attempting to leave out most of the gory details. Oh, and did you know I have a serious phobia of vomit? Cause I do...a SERIOUS phobia, which obviously God wanted me to get over...stat.

The last week of September, 2009, Porter started acting funny when it was time to eat, often saying "owie" and then crying so hard he would throw up. This went on for a few days, so I took him to the doctor. She said that he probably had a viral sore throat, and just to keep an eye on him. Later that week, Porter and I flew to Florida for two weeks. The week from you-know-where. Throw up is bad enough at home. Much less in other people's houses and cars. I called his Dr. from FL wondering what the HECK was going on, and he had me take him to the ER to see if there was something lodged in his esophagus. Luckily, there wasn't anything in there, but this began the journey to specialist after specialist to try and find out what was making Porter throw up every day, and almost every time he ate.

Over the weeks, it got worse and worse. He could only tolerate stage 2 baby food and yogurt at his worst point, and even that was a battle with tons of gagging and ugliness. We were referred to an ENT after we got home from FL and went there immediately. They recommended a barium swallow study, and a modified swallow study, where he eats solid food as well, and they watch and take x-rays to see what happened when he swallowed. All went normally, despite the fact that they saw him aspirate some of his milk into his lungs.

This was taken right before they shoved barium down a tube in his nose into his stomach, and then made him lie still for 3 minutes!

And this is how he felt about that. Aren't I rude for taking his picture? Poor noonie. He pulled the tube out while they were squeezing barium in, hence the white stuff all over his face. He kept saying "bye, bye! BYE, BYE!"

After that, the ENT suggested an upper endoscopy to look for anything abnormal in his throat and esophagus that they may have missed during the swallow studies, and to test the 'gunk' in his lungs to see if he was aspirating on a consistent basis. He also got a Gastroenterologist on board to be there at the same time and look further down into his stomach and small intestine. The GI also decided to fo a flex sigmoidoscopy (up his little bum) to rule out infection in that end. This was ot a fun experience for our family, as you can imagine. It was supposed to be an overnight stay in the hospital, but luckily they let us go home. Seeing Porter come out of anesthesia was one of the hardest things I have done as a mommy. He was crying so hard and I could tell he didn't know where he was, and he just felt terrible. They left a tube up his nose and down his throat called a Ph Monitor to measure the amount of times he refluxed. We had to write down the exact minute every time he sat up, laid down, woke up, went to sleep, coughed, gagged, or vomited. Phew. They gave us one page to journal on, and we filled out four. They also saw bronchitis when they were in there that we didn't know he had, so we wrote down LOTS of couging. In a nutshell...all test results came back normal, except for one tiny biopsy in his small intestine came back inflamed for an 'unspecified' reason. In other words, it wasn't Celiac Desiease (one of the many theories), and they thankfully found out he wasn't aspirationg chronically, so he didn't have to drink thickened milk...ewwww. We also made it through the 24 hours with the probe in his nose successfully, and that test came back normal as well...no reflux or GERD. Meanwhile, my 'healthy' baby is throwing up at least once a day, every day.

We have lots of sad pictures of him crying from that day. He looks only semi-sad in this one. The nurses were wonderful, though, and they tried so hard to halp him feel better. They even let me go back and hold him as he went to sleep. This is right before the surgery.

He was so upset, they had to give him double medicine to put him back to sleep.

See the little tube in his nose? It was taped to his face and the back of his neck, which was the worst part for him. He was such a trooper!

Alright, moving along...the GI then decided to order and ultrasound and stool tests. The ultrasound ended up showing some swelling in the ureta, so we were referred to a urologist...YAY! More doctors! He said it was how Porter was born and it would probably go away on it's own and they want to see him in a year. The stool tests were negative for infection.

At this point, I'm sure you can imagine the frustration as a parent not being able to figure out what is wrong with your child. I called the Speech Pathologist (in tears)who originally did Porter's swallow studies. I could not clean up puke one more time. I was exhausted. By the grace of God, she referred me to someone, who referred me to the Oral Feeding Clinic at Children's Hospital in Denver.

I knew in my heart of hearts this was the right move for us. Porter hadn't eaten normally in over three months, and I knew his issues were becoming behavioral. He forgot how to feel hungry or to chew and swallow properly without it weirding him out. He still had the oral skills, but it made him uneasy, so he wouldn't even try to eat. I was SO thankful to get an appointment just a couple of weeks out.

Miraculously (seriously, nothing short of a miracle) Porter began to make gradual improvements on his own in those two weeks before our appointment at Children's. He started acting interested in our food and would take a bite and then spit it out. He began throwing up less and slowly eating more. By the time we got to the Oral Feeding Clinic, he had made great improvements, and the four professionals at that meeting really helped us capitalize on the improvements he was making on his own. We saw a dietician, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, and a developmental pediatrician. They were all so helpful, and in answer to MANY prayers, the pediatrician sat down with me and said "I'm going to tell you what happened to your baby." I wanted to hug her. Hug her and kiss her and hug her again. I had waited SO long to hear that.

Basically, what she said is that Porter did indeed have a viral sore throat waaaaaay back in the beginning of this nonsense. It hurt to eat, and it made his gag reflux work seriously overtime. Then, either that same sweet virus, or another equally charming one moved it's way down his GI tract into his small intestine (hence the swelling, which the GI doctors told me not to worry about). Well, this doctor disagreed intensely. She used the term "the perfect storm" to describe what happened to our little noonie to cause him such pain and discomfort that he couldn't eat anything of substance. Then, he learned to not eat.

We have been spending the last few weeks teaching him to eat again. Teaching him to get hungry again. He is doing REMARKABLY. The day after that appointment, he was a different child. Not only does he eat like a normal 19 month old, but he SLEEPS. It's amazing how babies act differently when they feel better. Porter is on medication for three months to help the swelling in his intestine, and they say he will never even know this happened, or have any effects from it.

All I can say is THANK YOU to my Father in Heaven for hearing our pleadings and prayers to help our baby. I really think that when your baby eats and sleeps, there is not much else to worry about in the world. It is a miracle, and we are so, so, so thankful to have a healthy boy again.

We had his 18 month well visit this morning (so he's 19 months?! I was a little preoccupied!) and he is doing so well. He is 22 lbs. 5.5 oz, which is the 8th percentile for weight. Not surprising, since he hasn't had many meals since he was 15 months old! He is 32 inches long, which is the 30th percentile for height. He is, understandably, completely and utterly terrified of doctors and screams as if they are pulling out his fingernails as soon as we come into the waiting room. Nevermind when the nurses or doctors weigh, measure, or even look at him from across the room. Hopefully now that he is through having things stuck inside of him, he will slowly realize that not every doctor's visit is miserable (and there was NO WAY I was letting him get shots today for that reason). He is doing fantastically in all areas of development now, and we are so thankful!

So, after a loooong 3 months, and probably over 120 throw ups...there is no more throwing up. There is food ingested and many hours of great noonie naps. I. am. so. happy.

Here is living proof that my child actually eats!!! It's awesome!!!

Yay, noonie!!!

Cousin Love

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:00:00 +0000

How sweet is this???

More blogging to come, I PROMISE!

I'm a Christmas Bum!

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:48:00 +0000

I know, I know...I never blog anymore. I've taken such a massive break that I'm having a hard time getting into the swing of things.

Here are some things the TerBlanche's have been up to that may or may not get their own post in the weeks to come:

1) Porter is awesome. And he's 18 months old, which is pure insanity. HOW has it been a year and a half since he was born? I don't understand!!!

2) He has dramatically improved in his throwing up/not eating department. Oh, I haven't blogged about that??? That's going to be a looooong post, so brace yourself. Sigh.

3) I should dedicate a post to hilarious things he says. Tonight he was riding his little ride-on car and he busts out with "hold on tight!" Where did he even hear that? A few more favorites are "toilet paper" which he says perfectly and we laugh our fool heads off every time, "nope" instead of "no" which I am a huge fan of. It seems less rude. I ask him if he wants to sit in time-out if he's being naughty, and he politely says "nope" (he's only had three time-outs so far, and they work like a charm...for now!) And pretty much anything else you want him (or don't want him) to say. It's like a fun game that never, ever gets old.

4) WE MOVED!!! We bought a rockin' house and we have more space than we know what to do with. When I think about where I'm going to put something, a place comes to my mind, and then I put it there. It's the craziest thing. I have a playroom and a craft/guest room and my husband has an office. I LOVE IT and I am SO HAPPY here! We moved in last Saturday, the 12th, and most of the boxes are gone, thanks to my anal...eh, I mean motivated hubby ;)

5) Craig's awesome boss gave us two FREE awesome desks that are AWESOME, so now I can't use the excuse of not wanting to sit on the floor to blog anymore.

6) I am super stoked about Christmas and mostly seeing Porter open his gifts :) Santa told me he's going to bring him a cozy coupe, and I'm pretty sure he might have a little baby heart attack from excitement! I can't wait!

Hope you have a Merry Christmas! Hopefully I'll be updating before the new year!

Things I don't want to forget

noreply@blogger.com (Barbie and Craig) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:32:00 +0000

I wish my brain could remember every single little wonderful and adorable thing that Porter does, but it's been proven that even though I try, I just can't. I think that my heart won't let me forget, but I can't seem to keep all the memories intact that I wish I could. So here are a few things about today that I never, never want to forget.

-Lately, after family prayer when Craig leaves Porter and I alone to read and cuddle before bedtime, the noonie will yell "LUH-LOO, DADDY!" (love you, Daddy) over and over until Craig responds. It's so, so, so cute. I can feel his little body arching as he yells as loud as he possibly can so Daddy will hear him, and he smiles so big when he hears his Daddy tell him he loves him back.

- I brought Porter to our bed this morning to wake Craig up, and he laid his head on his chest and said "morning, Daddy."

- Just after I buckled Porter into his carseat this afternoon, he looked at me and said "luh-loo, mommy." There is nothing better in the whole wide world, I'm convinced, than hearing your baby tell you he loves you. Makes me melt just thinking about it.

-Porter threw up (yet again) tonight, so I stripped him down to his diaper and socks. I never, ever want to forget how delicious he looked running around in the almost-nude. He ran around and squealed and said "nakie!" I have no physical pictures, but I have mental pictures that are too cute to describe :)

Does it seem like I love him more and more every day? Because I do.