Veeeerrrrrry belated Valentines Day...

Gage had his six month well-checkup yesterday (it was postponed, because he had an ear infection last time, so they wouldn't give him his immunizations). Anyway, he is doing very well-right where he should be-maybe a tad on the "big" side. He is in the 70th percentile for weight and 90th for height-go figure! I think he is going to be a tall one, an attribute for which his father will be extremely grateful!

He is sitting up on his own, eating solid foods, laughing, and smiling constantly. His vision and hearing seem to be terrific too!

I am so thankful for such a happy, healthy little blessing. It takes all of two seconds to snap a picture like this. He is amazing!

Happy Little Guy

We have been blessed with one of the happiest babies I've ever met! He smiles at EVERYONE!!!! It is so easy to make him laugh too. He's such a precious gift!! He loves his activity center too, as you can see. I'm daily amazed at how quickly he's changing.

And please pardon the drool! He now has two teeth-bottom front and center!

Contagious Laughter

Laura Grace

It's been a while since I've posted anything about LG, so I thought I would give you a little update. She has enjoyed preschool (just two three-hr days a week), gymnastics, and kindermusik for the past several months. She will begin swimming lessons tomorrow, which will replace gymnastics (don't want to "overdo" it:). She IS only two and a half.

She gets along so well with Gage--they are just like siblings. He is constantly laughing at her. All she has to do is smile at him, and he is SMITTEN. She is very sweet to him, and I notice jealously only occassionally. Josh's aunt keeps Gage one-two days a week, so I can get the things done that I need to at work. Managing two households has been a tad overwhelming at times with two kiddos, so her help is MUCH appreciated!

Laura Grace is a brilliant little girl--speaks very clearly, knows her alphabet, days of the week, where she lives, several songs (her favorite being Jingle Bells at the moment-hard to explain to a two-year old that Christmas is OVER). She's a joy. Here is a recent photo of her, sporting her daddy's logo.

**I am going on a cruise (Caymen Islands) with them this coming Sunday. We will be gone five days. LG and I will have a room. This is the first time I will be traveling without Josh, and of course the first time without GAGE!! I'm nervous about leaving him, but it will likely be a nice break and definitely fun! Gage wouldn't enjoy it yet, so I don't feel TOO guilty leaving him out:)

Baseball!!

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Our Holidays...

Better late than never, right?! The holidays were so much fun this year. Gage has a way of making EVERYTHING even better! We had an early celebration with Josh's family here in Greenville, and then we headed north to spend Christmas Eve and the following week with my family in Michigan. We were able to spend lots of time with Gage's cousins (Stephen, Chae, and Preston), which was nice. Our week was full of Christmas parties, too many cookies (thanks to my sister in law, Trisha:), and family. Gage was introduced to snow for the first time, and Uncle David, Chae, and Daddy built him his first snowman!

He was spoiled rotten, as you can imagine, but he was a trooper for the entire trip. He cried only on the very first leg of the first flight (New Bern to Atlanta), and that was because he was hungry, they wouldn't let me take my own water, and the water on the plane was COLD! He isn't much into COLD formula:) They eventually brought me HOT water to mix with the cold, so the crying lasted only about 10 minutes. However, when you are trapped in a small area and you are annoying complete strangers, it seems an eternity. As a sidenote, I almost lost my temper when security FORCED us to remove GAGE'S shoes. Are you kidding me?!?! They weren't even real shoes-just those soft baby shoes-what in the world could be hiding in there, especially with those chubby feet... The frustration stemmed from the exhausting process of getting the shoes on his feet. Oh well. I didn't lose my "cool" too badly.

New Years Eve was spent with Shane, Theresa, Xander, and Cade. We had Laura Grace too, so the kids had lots of fun. Cade even made sure LG got a New Years kiss right at midnight (yes, the kiddos [minus Gage] made it into the new year awake)!

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday festivities, and we are thrilled to enter this new year with our precious boy!

Happy (belated) New Year to all of you!!

Yay! A milestone.

I'm silly I know, but since the doctors determined that Gage has this "left torticollis" issue, I have been anxious to see progress. I faithfully work with him every day on this, so I was excited when Gage was successful with the Bumbo seat (which my sweet sis in law, Kim is letting me borrow). I've pulled it out a couple times before to try it, and he wasn't quite strong enough to support himself, even with the help of the seat. This time, however, he was intrigued! He won't stay in it long--he gets tired, I suppose, but this will be a great tool for me to use to strengthen those neck muscles!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

This year's Thanksgiving was so much fun. We had beautiful weather (64 degrees), so we were able to spend time playing outside, the food was great, and we had a total of 18 at dinner, including Gage. While he didn't eat any turkey, he WAS there, and he counts as a whole person! Josh's oldest brother and his two kids came to stay with us for most of the week, which was lots of fun! Thanksgiving evening, Theresa (my sis in law), Mom G, and I took all of the kids (excluding Gage--he stayed back with the guys) to a Festival of Lights Hayride about an hour away. It was so much fun. The kids loved it!

Here are a few pictures of our fun week, surrounded by family. Let me add that my heart was of course overflowing with thankfulness this year for our precious son, who brings new joy to us daily! Gage is truly one of God's greatest miracles.

Left Torticollis...heard of it?!?!

We went to our appointment with the physical therapist on Wednesday morning, and she determined (after playing with Gage for a while, testing different movements and motions) that he has left torticollis, which basically means "tight neck." Spending so much time on his right side has caused his head to be slightly misshapen. He looks perfect to me, but I guess an impartial opinion was needed here:). This is not a HUGE concern, but we were assigned exercises (which are somewhat time-consuming) and changes, like lying him on the changing table the opposite direction, feeding him on the opposite arm, etc... Basically, we have to train him to use his left side as much as his right. You don't realize how much you depend on your side of strength (mine being my right side), until you have to switch gears. However, we are thankful that it is not more serious. We have an appointment to go back in two weeks to make sure that the changes made have proven productive, and then once a month to make sure this is not affecting him developmentally. I am very grateful we caught this early, so that we can (hopefully) correct it before it slows his development.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our precious Gage and strength and patience for his mommy and daddy, as we work hard at correcting this!

Laughter, the best medicine.

I have been organizing my photos/ video clips, and I came across this one I took of LG as a baby. She was nine months old. I just HAD to share it! Now, if you could just guess what I was DOING to make her laugh like that...

Recipe Tag...

I have thoroughly enjoying snagging all of the new recipes from this game of tag (thanks Kelly!-I think you started it), so in playing fair, I will post a couple of my seasonal favorites. (since I was tagged by Karen).

Spiced Fall Cider
4 c. water
5 apple-spiced cinnamon tea bags
4 c. cranberry juice
4 c. apple juice
2 c. orange juice
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 1/2 c. sugar (I actually use only 1 c.)
3 cinnamon sticks
12 cloves (whole)

Combine all ingredients. Simmer at least 1 hr.
(I love making this for fall parties; makes the house smell great!)


Caramel Fruit Dip
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. caramel ice cream topping
Assorted fresh fruit

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Add caramel topping; beat until blended. Serve with apple slices (or fruit of your choice). Gala apples are my favorite. Refrigerate leftovers.
Yield: 3 cups

Neither of these is a very "healthy" recipe, but they are both yummy staples for our fall parties. We seem to have the most parties this time of year, so they are well-used. I think they work well all the way through the winter season though really! Enjoy!

Hmmm, I will tag Kim, Jenni, Ruth, Erin, and Steph!

"Gauging Gage..."

This morning, I took Gage to his four month doctor's appointment with a list of concerns (just in my head--I didn't actually write them down). He is now four months, and he favors his right side quite significantly. He will look to his left, but only if I really make a "scene" on his left side, of which I am perfectly capable:). He also still crosses his eyes some, not a lot. He doesn't roll over, or hold him self up well enough for an exersaucer or Bumbo seat yet. So, anyway I just had a few "not SO scary" concerns.
The doctor agreed that he favors his right side, and she is referring him to a physical therapist for an assessment and possible treatment. No biggie-that is likely a very correctable issue, though of course, I would appreciate your prayers. Gage was much more cooperative with the little flashlight this time, although his right eye was a little lazy. (a problem about which they would be concerned if he had not been premature--it usually fixes itself anywhere between two-four months). Although he is four months, he is only two months past his due date, so they are not too concerned with that yet. If the problem continues, he will see an ophthalmologist. His weight, length, and head circumference were perfect. He weighs 15 lbs 10oz, which confirmed what we already knew--he's a chub! He had two shots, for which he cried all of five seconds. However, he projectile vomited all over the lobby on our departure, expressing his irritation at the "shot policy!"
I will conclude by sharing that my heart is SO FULL of gratefulness. While I am concerned (as any mother would be) about these issues and covet your prayers, they are so VERY small in comparison to what "could have been." We have been truly blessed by this miracle, and every time he smiles, laughs, or coos, I am again reminded of this undeserved blessing.

My Little Handsome

I know I'm partial, but this little man has stolen my heart! He was laughing during this photo shoot, but with my camera, you have to have a still picture with no flash or you can have motion but need the flash. I am anti-flash (just typically don't like the picture as well with flash), so I had to settle for this sweet "still" face:)

Halloween/ Harvest Fest

Well, we dressed our little monkey for a few pictures, but we did not "trick or treat" this year. We relaxed at home with some homeade chicken & veggie soup and passed out candy to the precious little neighbors. We actually ran out of candy--we had quite a few this year. As much as I hate to be non-traditional, Gage cannot have candy, we do not need candy, and as you can see, his chubby little neck kept his costume from being the most comfortable outfit:) We thought we should take advantage of the last time (at least for many years) we have the "option" of staying home. Laura Grace enjoyed the holiday thoroughly as a lady bug. Anyway, he did get good use of his costume at Harvest Fest at Greenville Christian last week (which is why Grandma Golden is dressed up--she teaches 6th grade at GCA), so all in all, it turned out to be a wonderful "holiday." (not sure it is really a holiday, hence the quotation marks...) I should add that the "loving" LG is the recipient of in this picture is from Cade, my precious nephew (would you look at those lashes!! What a doll!).

Pumpkin Patch

We took Grace and Gage to the pumpkin patch this weekend and had a great time. Grace enjoyed everything so much this year, and Gage was just "along for the ride," although he does thoroughly enjoy being outside! He was sporting his NC State wear, so he attracted quite a crowd (especially since State was playing ECU that day in Greenville). Poor kid--it was like wearing a TARGET! Oh well. He's got to learn early that supporting Daddy's team will be essential. And YES, that was the best pic Josh could capture of the three of us--think the sun is bothering him a little?

Lost Again...

I have been hesitant to even post this, but I am getting desperate for the prayer! I have managed to lose my wedding ring AGAIN! It has been gone for almost four weeks now. I somehow misplaced it when my brother and his family were here visiting about four weeks ago. I have no idea why I am so irresponsible in taking it off so often (to wash my hands or put on lotion), but I cannot seem to conquer this poor habit of mine. It is quite possible that one of the little people in my world picked it up and "hid" it somewhere (still ENTIRELY my fault for putting it within reach of little fingers). Please pray that I find it once again. I will likely hand it over to my hubby when/if I do find it and wear an immitation for a while--perhaps until I gain a little responsibility. I am curious. Am I the ONLY one out there who feels the need to constantly misplace my rings?!?!

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Annual Halloween Party

For the past three years, my sister in law, Theresa, has hosted a Halloween/Pumpkin Carving Party! This year's was lots of fun with yummy festive food that helped us all excitedly anticipate this fresh season. Our weather is even finally cooling off, so it really does feel like fall! Laura Grace had such a ball last year, that we just had to include her this time. This was Gage's first of course, and he was surely overwhelmed with all of the excitement! At the first party in 2005, Xander and Cade were the only children attendees. Even though the party has consisted of the same couples each year, the children are quickly multiplying--we had SIX this year-Seven if you include Theresa's little one (still inside:)! God has truly blessed us all, and the children have undoubtedly brought much more joy to the occassion!