Sunday, February 28, 2010

Trying to be a good and sustainable homemaker....

You know, my thoughts on homemaking/being a mom have changed over the last few years. Especially when it comes to what I feed my family and the every day routine of our lives. I see us moving closer and closer to a type of living and eating where we make/grown our own food. My mom jokes with me about being "Ma Ingalls" form Little House On the Prairie. She even bought me a Little House cook book. Truly, I wouldn't really want to live in those times, but the principles and work ethics from that era are extremely appealing to me. I find it very fulfilling to feed my kids a meal where the eggs are from our own chickens, the bacon is from a pig we had butchered and the bread was made by me a day ago. I love that. Simple, pure, perfect. I guess maybe the best word to use would indeed be "simple." Not to be confused with easy.

I will spare you the details of how I have come to this place, I am not even sure I could explain it if I tried. I will say though, living that way, as much as we can, just seems right. I feel it is what is best for our kids.

Also over the last few years I have really struggled with organic food, processed food, being frugal and a mix of those things. I think there are valuable points on all sides. I feel as if though I am coming out with a "side" that seems the best for us. I really hate processed junk, but sometimes it is in our lives and that is ok. I am probably ending up with a view that the least processed the better and the more frugal the better. Organic is great if it is on sale. :) Really this fits really well with my life these days. My garden is getting bigger and better each year and I am learning to can more and more. We already butcher local beef and eat the chickens we raised. My next big goal is to grow our own beef and pork. I would also love to have our own milking cow for fresh milk and stuff, but that is a huge responsibility.....

The chickens have proven to be a good project for everyone. The kids don't always love it and their have been some sad times, but it is a great family project. I think we might even do poultry in 4H this year! Having livestock and caring for them is such a great things for the kids to know and learn, it is almost as if the eggs/meat are a bonus!

Ok, enough of this for now, but don't be surprised if future posts have a little more "essence" of homesteading/frugality to them!

Julie

Hot cocoa and new pets!

I think this might make me a pretty negligent mom, but Anna, Gideon and Madeline got their first taste of hot cocoa with marshmallows a couple days ago. They really enjoyed it, and they got a double dose of mini marshmallows once the first batch melted. I picked up the mallows at the bulk food store last week (I LOVE that store) and they were destined for hot cocoa. Anyways, I had to snap a few pics!

I know I say this a lot about the kids at various times, but Gideon looks really old to me in this picture. How cute is he though?


Madeline is the queen of cheese these days when you ask her to smile.


Anna with a chocolate mustache.




Ok, so this was an impulse buy...... I was wanting to do something with just the 3 little ones. Just a little special time for us. Ryan and I were watching Wonderpets with them Saturday morning and I got the idea to get Anna, Gideon and Madeline their own little pet. They are old enough to start learning to care for an animal (they already help Logan with the chickens) and I thought they would just love a little critter. Also, since Flirt passed away, we seem to need a little something fuzzy around here. We plan to get another dog some day, but not anytime real soon. So, I guess hairy rodents just seemed to fit. Ryan was surprisingly easy to convince. Within about an hour of making the decision, we were off to the pet store in bellefontaine, just me and the 3 little ones. We ended of get two boy hamsters (we did not want baby hamsters), but the kids are convinced one is a girl. Oh well, you pick your battles. It was fun. We made it a big secret that only mommy and the 3 and 4 year olds knew. I let the kids pick them out and then we went to Burger King for some kids meals. It only took like an hour and a half and was just a really nice time of connecting.

All the kids, even the big ones are enjoying our new pets.


Let me introduce Ming Ming (the she-male). This hamster is seriously going to give itself a heart attack running this wheel.


Let me introduce Linny. This one is probably also going to die of a heart attack, but not from exercise, from extreme laziness and gluttony.



Yes, for you Wonder Pets fans, we are minus a "Tuck," maybe another day........

Julie


Thursday, February 25, 2010

Recent Pictures

So, this week is visitors week at gymnastics. Our poor kids have missed way more classes this quarter than they've been to. Oh well, next quarter will be better.... Here are some pics Logan snapped for me.

Madeline on the beam.


Anna


Gee


Here are some cute pics of Asher (pay no mind to the bare tushie).


Ok, so I wanted to show off his two new teeth coming in. I swear he was screaming before I even touched him. I just jumped on the opportunity since he was mad anyways.


Just a sweet sleeping picture.


He is hooked up to his IV in this pic. He doesn't look real phased huh? (Man I love those eyes)



Asher got his PICC line out yesterday and we are glad to be done with all that. I just felt like celebrating! On a side note, Asher has sleep through the night since we got back from the hospital, until last night. I don't know what the deal was but at about 4:00 am he got VERY unhappy. And, he is one of those kids that when he is mad you know it. You wouldn't think so by looking at the above picture.

Julie

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Thinking back

A few funny things happened during our hospital stay that I was thinking about today. When we were first being admitted to our room (early Sunday morning) the doctor on call came up and did her initial work up. At the end of everything she asked us, "now, are his eyes always that big?" That was funny to Ryan and I, even at the time. Asher's beautiful big eyes seem to always be a source of conversation. Another funny was when the nurse came in the room in the middle of the night to do something to Asher. Ryan was sleeping on the chair and he woke up and asked the nurse "do you want me to hold you?" He says he meant to say "do you want me to hold him for you" (meaning Asher obviously), hmmmm............ Another funny was when Asher was sitting on my lap during morning rounds and we had our doctor and about 8 interns in there. He pooped (the poor boy has nasty poops these days) and it literally shot out the side of his diaper and made a puddle on my leg. Gross? Yes. But still funny. Lastly, probably the funniest/sweetest things I remember was Thursday morning, when again the doctors were doing rounds. Asher was asleep and our main doctor started examining him. He sat him up, which obviously woke him, and Asher just flashed the biggest smile to all the interns. It was like he had been bitten by the happy bug, it was so cute!

Asher is doing great. I am still praising God for that! He is still tiring more quickly, but besides that, he is pretty much back to himself. His PICC line is going smoothly and things are just good.

Oh and I must add a GREAT BIG CONGRATS to my sister and brother in law. They have given us a new nephew. Truett Scott King (I need to confirm the spelling in that) was born yesterday evening at like 6:04 pm. Yeah! I can't wait t see him!

Julie

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Pictures of Asher today

This is "the cage." Maybe they plan on some baby WWF going on? Slight overkill? I added the mobile when he seemed to get to the point of caring about such things.



I love this look. The big eyes and biting his bottom lip.....



Look at how happy! I just cannot express my awe at our last few days. It is hard to comprehend how he seems so well, so fast. I guess I don't need to understand, I just know that it is God.



You can see his PICC line in this one.



Chill-laxing with daddy. I thought this picture was so cute for some reason.


Again, thank you so much for your prayers and keep them coming! I know, probably more clearly than ever, that God directly intervened on Asher's behalf. He healed him and he healed him fast. We still have a little more healing to go, but we are just completely praising God.
We will leave to go home either after his daily antibiotic dose at 2:00 or 4:00 (it is still up in the air).
Oh, and for those who care, the type of bacterial meningitis he has is Haemophilus Influenza, non type B. If you get your kids vaccinated, you will see a HIB vaccination on there these days. This is what it is vaccinating against. Asher had a HIB vaccination in Ethiopia (thanks to our agency) so they were sure he didn't have HIB. Well, he did have the Haemophilus Influenza, just not the type "B." I think that is why they didn't expect this type and it is rare.
Julie



Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The Best News Ever!

Asher is going home tomorrow!!!! Can you believe that? I am so thrilled, I can't even really explain it. It is all God, that is all I know right now. I will spare you the details (for now), but God has totally been lifting Asher up through all of this. Your prayers have lifted Asher up. Grateful doesn't adequately describe how this feels.

We really could have lost our son. I am not even sure how to totally comprehend that, but I know how serious his illness can be. The doctors made that very clear to us. God has carried this sweet boy through this whole process. At some key times in this process things could have easily gone another way, but they didn't. Looking back I just know that God held Asher's hand through these last few days, and for some reason, he led him to the path of recovery. I feel extremely humbled.

We should go home later in the day tomorrow. They will show me how to care for his PICC line and home health (probably) will help us some. We are going to have to have Asher's hearing tested, as that is one of the most common side effects of meningitis. We also need to watch him more closely when it comes to reaching his developmental milestones. He seems ok to me though. Certainly he is hearing, but I can't say whether or not it is 100%. I think it is too soon to say whether or not we are seeing any developmental delays. He needs some time to heal before I am going to worry about whether or not he can pincher grasp a cheerio.

Again, I am so humbled by all the prayers. I don't know how, but I know they impacted our current outcome. Please continue to pray for him though. It would be amazing if he could leave this horrible illness completely whole.

Julie

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Tuesday Update......

I think I am going to try and update once a day if I can. Asher tends to sleep more soundly in his crib, so when he is in there, I have a little time to do things.

He is doing about the same as he was yesterday. Certainly no worse and maybe slightly less uncomfortable, but still very irritable. His vitals are still good and I think the doctor is happy with how he is doing. We found out today that the bacteria that is in his ear from his ear infection is not the same bacteria that is in his spinal fluid. Therefore, the ear infection is not related to the meningitis. We'll never really know for sure, but even though his type of meningitis is rare it looks like he got it here in the good old US of A. So, we are having to treat his ear infection seperately. His iron is also low so he is getting suppliments there.

They decided to install a PICC line and that is scheduled to be done at 8:00 am tomorrow. This is also know as a central line (I think). This will allow easy access for the antibiotics, blood draws, etc. I am glad they are doing it because he hates his IV and they struggle to keep it in good shape because his little veins are so small and hard to find. He will have to be under sedation for this which I don't like, but......

I know this is just part of it, but I grow weary of seeing my baby so sick. He is normally such a little piece of sunshine and so active. Even though he is acting appropriately, he still seems like a shell of himself. The few smiles we are getting are just so precious.

The kiddos at home seem to be doing well. We are blessed with wonderful people that are willing to help out however they can. I fell like my other 5 babies are getting great care (some of it is daddy care) and that is such a relief. Leah and Logan are such troopers and I know they are doing all they can to keep things going smoothly while I am not there. Leah is so funny because she knows what I like and even though I would never ask her to vaccuum the floor and wash some laundry, she has done that and more (like making homemade waffles this am) because she wants things to me easy on me.

Well, I need to go because I need sleep and since Asher is sleeping right now, I should try and get a snooze.

Julie

Monday, February 15, 2010

Update....

Asher is holding his own. He is acting pretty much how you would expect, sick. It is kind of sad because he isn't acting at all like the little guy we know and love. Yesterday he had moments later in the day where he was smiling and playing and clapping, it was so good to see. There really has been none of that today. He managed a small smile or two today but it was very short lived. He is quite irritable and uncomfortable and has thrown up a couple times. Clinically speaking though he is pretty good. His heart rate is a little high and has been since he was admitted, but his other wital signs are fine.

The results of the bacteria culture have come back and they were able to identify what kind of baterial meningitis he has. It turned out to be a type they don't see as often and it wasn't either of the types they thought it might be. The good news is that it is not contagious. That is so good to know! Now I can stop worrying about our other kids and every kids Asher has come in contact with over the last week.

I will say again, please keep praying for him and thank you to all of you who already are. It looks like we will be here for a while. I am still pretty scared for our little guy. The peace of God has not left me though and I am so grateful for that!

Julie

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Asher is very sick, please pray for him.

Asher has bacterial meningitis. He started showing syptoms yesterday evening and was diagnosed early this morning. We are scared, but trusting God. Could you please pray on Asher's behalf? He has been admitted to Columbus Children's and he is being very closely monitored amoung other things. It is extremely frightening to see him so lathargic and sick. We are unsure at this point the exact kind of bacteria we are dealing with. The cultures should be in tomorrow. It appears that he has the type of bacterial meningitis that is not real contagious and obviously our prayer is also that this remains true. We should know more tomorrow.

I feel like my heart is on my sleeve. I do feel some level of peace that I know is coming from God, but this is really hard. I am scared for him. I have no doubt that God loves Asher even more than I do. Asher has the Great Phycisian watching over him, this I know, but I am still scared.

Julie

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Snow....enough already!

Ok, not really. I am a snow LOVER. The more the better. Especially if I can just coop myself up in the house and I don't have to drag the kids out in it. Actually, I love snow until about early March. All I need is one semi-warm, springy day and then I am done with the white stuff. We have gotten a LOT of snow the last few days. Last Friday/Saturday we got 10 plus inches and now we have another storm coming through that they are predicting 8 or so inches for us. That is quite a bit for central Ohio. Plus it is blowing everywhere. We have spots in our yard where you can (or at least could until this new storm) see the grass a little and then some spots where the drifts are 4 ft high. Crazy I tell ya.

Ryan and Logan went over to his parents property last night to get the truck with the snow plow. Their property is only a mile away, but they have a long lane and no one had really been back there since the first big snow. They got stuck. Like really stuck. It actually turned out to be a pretty scary experience. They had to walk quite a ways to the barn, Logan lost his shoes and had to be carried some, the barn vehicles wouldn't start and it was kind of a mess for multiple reasons. Finally they got the truck with the plow started, but it was a long haul and the jeep is still stuck over in the neighbors field (getting covered with more snow now). I think maybe Ryan doesn't love the snow as much as I do. :)

Oh, on a very good note. Asher slept through the night last night! WOOHOO! That is so good!

Julie

Monday, February 8, 2010

A little rough, but getting better.

Honestly, this last month has been pretty difficult for our family. We are so blessed, but adjusting can be hard. It has been especially hard for me for some reason. I think part of it is just a lack of sleep, but I can't put my finger on what the rest of it is. I have just been kind of dazed and a little emotional too. You can tell that the kids are out of sorts also. Asher is finally feeling a little better, which is really good, but he is still waking a lot at night. I feel like he is just still off somehow. I think maybe he is a schedule kind of guy and this no schedule thing is not good for him. So, I am working on getting him on a schedule. I have always felt that is the best was to go with kids. Anyways, things are getting better every day. Especially every "normal" day where we can start getting back in to our groove, but we are not "back to normal" yet. I just don't remember it being this tough when Anna and then Gee came home....

Oh, and I just have to say that Ryan has been so amazing through all this. He is my rock and he couldn't know how many times I have praised God for him, especially these last few weeks. He is such an awesome daddy and husband!

Julie

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Tons of pictures!

So, my baby girl turned "12" on Sunday. Hard to believe doesn't even really describe how it feels. She has grown up so much and is just this spunky and beautiful soon to be woman. I love it and hate it all at once. We celebrated Leah and Ava's (my 2 yr old niece) birthday in Florida. Aunt Emily made this delicious boston cream pie. Yummy!


I made this easy peasy chocolate chip cookie "cake." (Leah doesn't generally love cake)


This is Leah this past Sunday (on her birthday) celebrating with hot fudge brownie sundaes. The girl has good taste!


Asher lounging around the pool in Florida. Daddy bought this walker the day after we got back together and Asher loves it! We use it all the time.


Gideon actually wanted to meet Chip and Dale (he is only so-so with the Disney characters, they often times freak him out), so we waited in line to get a pic. It turned out great!


You got to love Stitch (check our Gideon's face).


We did t-shirts again for Florida. Asher is lucky number 13 for the Cole side!


I just love this picture of Leah and Ava. It was taken when we were celebrating their birthdays.


How funny is this picture? It reminds me of about every picture we got of Asher while we were waiting! Have I mentioned lately how much Gideon loves his little brother? Gideon is such a sweetie and he always loves the babies. Now he has one of his own!


Asher and cousin Lucy (Asher is a little over 3 months older).


Disney World wiped the poor guy out. We were sitting along side the road watching the lights parade and he was so tired, but the lights were so interesting, finally he gave up.


My gorgeous girl watching the parade (she got her face painted like Sleeping Beauty).


My other gorgeous girl watching the parade (she was painted like Tinkerbell).


The girls were a blast at Disney this year. The princesses were just so exciting to them!


I just think this picture is funny......


Prince Gideon riding his stallion!


A um, family picture, I guess......


The Cole side crew all lined up. We've got 1, 2, 6,7,8 and 13. Yep, we've done our share.


First "real bath" in Florida. It didn't even phase him.


The three littles loving on Asher the day we got home.


Monday, February 1, 2010

He is just so perfect...

Oh man, I could not be more in love with this little guy. He is just perfect for us. He is so fun to be around and we all feel so blessed to have him as part of our family.

All the kids seem to be adjusting to Asher so well. All 5 just want to help in any way they can. I am sure that will wear off in time, but it is so cool to see the kids (old and young) so taken with him. If any one kid were struggling at all it would be Madeline. It isn't super obvious, but she is very much needing more time with me. She is still amazing with Asher and she wants more time with him also, but she is sticking a little closer than normal to my side. Like, she would not even go to her class at church on Saturday. Plus she keeps coming up to me out of the blue and giving me a kiss or telling me she loves me. It is quite sweet and I feel a little bad for her. I hope I am supporting her through this like she needs.

Unfortunately Asher is sick right now. He has a fever and a nasty cough. I can hardly believe how quickly this sprung up on him, but he is pretty miserable. I think I only got 4 or 5 smiles out of him today, which is totally not the norm. He sleeps in a pack and play in our room, so last night was tough for me. He was up a lot coughing and just whining. Poor thing. I just want my happy guy back, although we are getting a little more snuggle time together!

This may sound silly, but I wish everyone could/would adopt. Obviously Ryan and I feel passionate about this, so I am sure it is no shocker to people that we would recommend it. But, I feel like we have hit the jackpot (adoption wise) 3 times now and how can we not want other people to share the same joy? Our births and adoptions have been equally amazing experiences and I praise God for how each of my 6 kids came to us (truly I do not take it for granted). Our adoptions however seem to have been filled with such unexpected joys. You know, little things that I think we take for granted with biological kids. For example, I still marvel at how our first 3 kids just unconditionally love our last 3 kids. When I was pregnant with Logan, I never wondered if Leah would love Logan, I knew she would. The same when I was pregnant with Maddie. When we adopted though, I wondered each time what the "other" kids would think. I wondered how easily love would come. For the most part it is easy to love a newborn. They are cute, have very little opinions, etc. But bringing two 14 month olds with established personalities, schedules, etc., and now an 8 month old with the same "baggage" well, you can't help but wonder how easy the love will be. Ever time, I am amazed. The love is just there, regardless of personality, nationality, whatever. Seeing that kind of unconditional love is something I will never forget.

Julie

Psalms 10:14, 17-18

"You are the helper of the fatherless.  LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more."