Finger Food!!!

Jackson is now eating more finger foods. Today I cut an egg yolk (waaaay cheaper than buying and cooking chicken breasts----thanks for the tip, Kimm!) and some mango into pieces and Jackson chowed down. He is really good at putting the foods into his mouth and although he doesn't have any teeth yet, he gums it really well!It turns out that Jackson really loves eggs...I'm sure he gets that from me! :)Mangoes are a favorite too! Trader Joe's sells them cut up and frozen in a bag...very convenient!

Finally....Friends!

Cassie and Libby are finally acting like they tolerate each other. They even lay next to each other! This is a major step in their relationship! Libby still pounces on Cassie every once in a while, but at least Cassie fights back now. I think she has gained a bit of respect from Libby because of that.

I've had better days...

Here is how today went down. I woke up and nursed Jackson as usual. I still had a bit of that stomach ache that started on Saturday, but it seemed as though this stomach ache was often present lately. I ignored it for the most part. It isn't unusual to have a reoccurring stomach ache for several months, is it? By the time I carried Jackson from the nursery to the couch in the living room, the sharp pain set it. This was to be expected. This sharp pain would occur after 2-3 days of a bad stomach ache for months now. And nothing seemed unusual to me...hmmm. This time, though, the pain was extremely severe.

I decided to go to bed and put Jackson down for a nap with me. Jackson fell asleep, but I couldn't. This sharp pain hurt really, really bad and the positions that usually help just were not working. Perhaps there was something unusual about this pain. I lifted up my shirt to look at the area that was hurting. Hmmm. I could no longer see my belly button. That WAS unusual. I wondered if this golf-ball-sized lump that took the place of my navel was a hernia. I proceeded to look it up on the internet. Yup. Sure sounded like a hernia. I made a doctor's appointment. The pain was severe. I couldn't stand it anymore. I was going to vomit if it got any worse. Seriously. Me + Severe Pain = Vomit. Jackson woke up. I couldn't bare to carry him. It hurt too much. I sat him slowly on the ground and sat next to him. I started to cry. He got worried and started to try to climb on me and wanted me to hold him. It hurt too much. I got more upset and called Troy. I couldn't wait any longer to go to the Doctor. Forget the appointment! It was time for Urgent Care (which, by the way, isn't always so "urgent").

David and my mother -in-law came to watch Jackson and Troy took me to Urgent Care. It turned out that I do have a hernia. The P.A. pushed the lump back in (O-U-C-H!!!!) and continued to tell me about the hernia. This one is called an Umbilical Hernia. Lovely. Apparently, it was probably caused by pregnancy. My abdominal wall was weakened and never quite healed. The exercising, carrying Jackson and his carrier, and lugging 5 bags of groceries on each arm from the car to the apartment probably didn't help at all, either. I'm not sure if there is ever a good time for a hernia, but this certainly is not a good time! I am waiting for my surgery to get scheduled.

Most likely, the surgery will be laparoscopic. Until the surgery, I can't lift, pull, or push anything over 5 pounds. This means I can't pick up or carry Jackson at all. This is a HUGE challenge for me! I have people coming over for the first week so I won't be alone with him at all, so that is good. But, emotionally this is very hard for me. I can't pick up my boy! He doesn't understand that, either!

Please pray that I can turn to Christ in those times I feel I am going to get teary-eyed because I want to hold my boy. Please pray that I can heal quickly and that the surgery will be scheduled promptly. I may be out of commission for several weeks (that includes the time before and after the surgery). This will be hard for me. Sanctifying, but very hard. I will update you all when I get my surgery date. Oh, yeah, and I give any of you permission to force me to the doctor the next time I have chronic pain for several months!

Jackson is 7 months!

On Saturday, Jackson turned 7 months old! I know I say it every month, but I can't believe it! As mentioned in one of my previous posts, he is almost crawling and I want to say he is actually well on his way to almost walking. He takes steps with guidance and he is pulling himself to standing positions now. He has loved to stand since he was 7 weeks old, so somehow I am not surprised that this milestone is approaching so soon. I can't tell you how much I love this little boy and how sweet he is! My heart melts every time he looks at me! He has no teeth yet, but it seems like he has been teething off and on forever! He is still babbling. It seems like he has been doing that for a long time too. This week, his favorite sound is the "b" sound. I'm sure, when he starts talking, he will be a wonderful communicator because he has his dad to set an example for him! Well, without further ado, here are some 7-month-old pictures for your enjoyment!

Oh, yeah, and he is eating Cheerios now...and apparently, he enjoys wearing them as well!

Finally---A DATE!

Troy and I finally got away for a date on Friday night. It has been hard to get away mostly because Jackson went through a clingy stage and we were also trying to set him on a sleep schedule. Now that both of those issues have been taken care of, we are a bit more free to go out. On this date, we went to Disneyland. I really wanted to ride the Tower of Terror, my favorite ride in California Disney. It was great to feel myself floating off the seat as I laughed uncontrollably and held on as tight as I could to Troy's arm. For some reason, I absolutely love that feeling! We had a great time Friday night and Jackson had a good time at his Nonna and Poppy's house as well. (Yea! He didn't cry the whole time we were gone!!!) I really missed having that alone time with Troy. The circumstances were out of our control concerning the lack of alone time, but I am certainly glad that were are back in the dating groove! I love my hubby and I love spending time with him!As you can see, Troy won me by 19,000 points! I can never seem to win this game. The first time I played, I rode the ride with a two -year-old, and she won me by several thousand points!

Charles Wesley’s Radical, Fruitful Risk

Let's be honest here. It is hard to witness to folks. John Piper writes of Charles Wesley taking a huge risk in order to witness to a couple of inmates doomed for death the next day. It is a very encouraging, short read...I recommend it! Click here to read the article.

Witness My Fitness

I'm sure most of you check out my other site, Witness My Fitness every now and then. But, if you haven't checked it out in a few weeks, here is an update. Since starting Weight Watchers, I have lost 7.4 pounds, and a total of 9 inches all over. It has been about four weeks since I started, so I am very pleased with the results! I hope to loose 33 more pounds before getting pregnant again. This way, I can get a good, healthy start to my next pregnancy! I'm on my way! :)