Happy, happy, joy, joy....

Resurrection Sunday

We are so glad to be back home, although we so enjoyed seeing our family and friends back in Louisiana for our very brief time there. We are still trying to recover from our 12 hour trip home on Monday...love to you all...

To Uncle Jeff and Aunt Shan--Love, Leighton

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Rainy Monday...

Just some random photos of the kids: playing outside, our friend Jackson's 3rd birthday party, mommy/ son date night to FBC Team Impact event, and just some of the many faces of the Davis three and friends too...

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

i heart my friends...

thanks for being there, girls....let's keep enjoying the journey God has laid out for us....and not just the sweet friends in this photo-- also the ones who are separated from me by distance or who i haven't talked to in quite some time--and my dear blogging buddies too! love to you all!

“Friendships need to be nurtured and guarded and fought for. We need to call one another without waiting to be called first. We need to ask how our friends are doing and really listen to their answers … we love our friends by pursuing them.” ~Stasi Eldredge (Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul)

Ugh.

Jeremy and Leighton came home from a ride in the woods with this jem. It gives me the willies, for sure. Maybe Ley will be an orthopedic surgeon or chiropractor...this kid is all about some bones...I'm okay with that in theory, but when he comes home with a feline skull--it's a bit much for me. This animal could have been someone's dear pet and now it's skull is in my backyard! We have got to get our oldest to D.C. to see the dinosaur bones...hope he doesn't ask to bring those home, too...

Ceme de la Creme: Maddie Moments

Here is Miss Madden--live and unplugged! When I look at these videos I am reminded of what a sweetie she is, but the days that she colors on the carpet with a sharpie (yeah, that ain't coming out!) or strips all the screws out of the drawer under her crib by standing in it, are quite trying for me...she is quite a handful at 19 months...I need to clone myself just to keep up with her!

Miller Diller...

That is Jeremy's newest nickname for baby brother. Just needed to let everyone know Miller is doing better. We had kind of a 'setback' and had to go back to the doctor before his 4 month checkup due to stagnant weight. I knew he wasn't gaining and became worried. That's when Dr. H kicked things up a notch for Miller. We have been testing urine (I am a seasoned pro at catching pee in a bag!) and blood, looking at kidneys and abdomen via ultrasound, visiting the pediatric gastroenterologist. Lots of 'fun' stuff to begin ruling out all possibilities...also visited a new lactation consultant who I love, love, LOVE and who is the utmost of encouraging with my need and desire to continue breastfeeding as it is truly what is best for him (even though he does consume a nice concoction of breastmilk and formula!!). Dr. H put him on Zantac but the GI doc changed it to Prevacid--he definitely seems to have some reflux-ey symptoms, but it is the silent type (he's not excessively spitty) and from what I hear, reflux is quite overdiagnosed--but we will see how it goes. He is already gaining! He was only 10 lb, 11 oz at the office on the 16th of the month on the 23rd he was up to 11 lb, 4 oz (2 %ile)!

So, God is in control and working things out for his little body! So, we are still supplementing with the SNS, but we switched to a new device that I call the 'mack daddy' nurser--it holds more and it has bigger tubing so he gets more milk a little more quickly. I am also supplementing at all feedings instead of just the afternoon/evening ones. Miller is changing so much! We love all his jibberish and he is all about reaching for whatever you have close to him! His smile just melts my heart...

Everyone else is doing well except for Miss Maddie who may have a case of pink eye. Ugh. She woke up with the reddish eye on Saturday morn. I kept her home from church today and now the other eye is pinkish too. It does not seem to slow her down or even bother her really. No rubbing or itching her eyes anyway...please pray that if it is conjunctivitis, that we can keep it at bay--that stuff spreads like the plague!

Here are a few pics of our serious little fella--

Bits and Pieces...

It's all I have time for these days! I finally was able to post Christmas pics. We had a great time with my Mom and Dad and really missed Jeff and Shannon. But, they are the proud new foster parents of a sweet, 2 month old, baby girl--so that is the best present they could have received. I wish I could post a picture of her, but believe me, she is just precious! Also, I want to congratulate my sweet sister, Jansen, and her hubby Chris on their baby news! I will be an aunt again come September!

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year--we celebrated very low key: movies, popcorn, and watching our neighbor's fireworks! That's all I had the energy for anyway!

Leighton returned to school this week. It is hard to believe his school is already sending out info for PreK 'graduation'! Yikes! Ley turned five right before Christmas and we have really enjoyed his musings on life lately; I am so thankful for his big imagination and creative side. He absolutely loves to dress up and pretend he is someone else! He gets out in our backyard and it seems to become a different world for him: a pirate ship, an ARMY camp, a land of prehistoric dinosaurs! Also, he helps me so much when it comes to M&M: retrieving pacifiers, getting gas drops, throwing away stinky diapers, letting me know when Mad is about to destroy something :). The Lord has given him such a sweet spirit! He is so loving with Miller and is all about giving him kisses these days; he is so ready to have a playmate in his little brother, but until that day comes, his little sister will have to do!

Maddie is energetic as ever. I will post a video clip when I can, of her 'dancing'. She truly rarely walks--she is all about jumping, and if she isn't doing the hop she is running or spinning...and belly laughing all the while. She is currently trying to get a few more teeth--SIX to be exact! She loves her dolls and I think she is realizing that MillerMac could be her own personal doll baby!! She is all about putting (aka jamming) the pacifier in his mouth although in the car she likes to jerk the pacifier off the clip and have it for herself! Her best trick these days is stripping down to absolutely nothing in the AM and at naptime...she can remove any type of pajamas you put on her--two piece, snaps, or zippers (i recently put a non-footed sleeper on her BACKWARDS and she couldn't get it off--I think she may find a way though!). I have also started putting masking tape on her diapers when she is in the bed because...well, I am sure all you can figure out what happened with that...I will do anything and everything to avoid cleaning up that kind of mess again!

And of course, sweet Miller! He seems to be doing well. As of last week, he was continuing to gain weight. His last weight check was 10 lb, 11 oz. He is slowly but consistently gaining. We are still using the supplemental nursing system and will continue to do so until we see the pediatrician on January 23, then we will reevaluate. He is smiling all the time and laughing some too. He is quite ticklish and you can sometimes get a giggle from him by poking his ribs. Last night he laughed at his Daddy's funny faces, which was a first. He is rolling over from his tummy to his back. He is still waking some in the night (both Maddie and Ley were sleeping through the night consistently quite a few weeks before this age)--sometimes to eat but usually he needs the paci and a little comfort :) I am hoping to transistion him to his romm with Ley in the coming weeks...should be interesting!

Well, I am sure if I had more time to think I would have more news to post but time is little these days!

Christmas Unwrapped 2007

Update: MillerMac

Miller went for his two month checkup last Tuesday and we found out he was very underweight. It has been a difficult week and a half. We had to go to the hospital and have labs drawn to make sure his electrolytes weren't off kilter (Praise God, they were not, or he would have been admitted!!) and then we went home and proceeded to pump him full of breast milk and a little formula too. The doc wanted him to get 4-6 oz every three hours and see if he gained any in by Thursday. We went back last Thursday and he had gained a few ounces. I have been nursing him as much as humanly possible, pumping as often as possible when I am not nursing or running after Madden, seeing the lactation consultant, using an SNS (supplemental nursing system) device to get more milk in him when he does nurse, taking fenugreek and other herbs to help increase my milk production....it has been even busier around here than normal and I think I have been more tired than I was after he was first born!

He had his labs drawn again on Monday to check his liver enzymes (they were extremely elevated the first time but may just be due to him being a little dehydrated) and then to see the Doc again yesterday for a weight check and to get 2 month shots. Praise our Father in heaven above, he had gained 9 ounces since the first visit to the doctor 9 days before! God is so good and we are so relieved that he is gaining. I will be checking his weight at the doctor's office every couple of weeks to make sure the trend continues.

Thank you for all your prayers and I apologize to all my friends and loved ones who have no idea what has been going on--I just had no time to post about it the past several days. But, please continue to pray for Miller to be a strong eater and continue on his way to being a robust little fella; I really think that he might be a bit of a lazy eater which is quite foreign to me! Both Ley and Mad loved to nurse and were quite good at it. I am just now coming to terms with the fact that he is different than they are in this aspect and needs a little help and extra attention. It's been difficult for me though because nursing has always been SUPER easy for me--I am very thankful for all the support I have from friends close by and far away (Helena, Ash, Terri, and my Mere--you ROCK and I love you!)...I definitely have a much better view of why many new mommies don't stick with breastfeeding. If you don't have a core group of people to encourage you and tell you "You can do this!", it would be so easy to just quit...I am so blessed to be surrounded by uplifting and prayerful people!

I am going to stop now so I can post some pics...

So you think you can dance...

Maddie thinks so. Mad loves lots of things: eating, running, jumping, talking (what she says most of the time, we are not sure), EATING (and drinking milk), laughing, undressing (the best she can--usually halfway), playing outside, EATING :). But, one thing she really enjoys is dancing! She immediately begins to sway as soon as she hears the first notes of a song. She loves it! And she doesn't even need real music--you can just sing to her and she will begin to move, twirl and jump about! We love to watch her...it cracks us up--maybe this will make you laugh, too!

Miller's Eyes!

My mom said in all Miller's photos, his eyes were closed. So, this is the best I can do right now, but at least you can see his big blue eyes. He is changing so much!






Also, since Madden didn't get to trick-or-treat this year, we dressed her up in Ley's bee costume from a few years ago (he actually wore it two years in a row!). It was a little big and she didn't really like the antennae hat so much...but we snapped a few shots anyway!

Let's Ride!

Ley received a hand-me-down bike from his pal, Alex. It is his first two-wheeler and Jeremy finally got training wheels on it. He is enjoying learning to ride and having a little trouble remembering how to BRAKE which makes any mommy a little fearful!

Photos, photos, and more photos!

Sweet Miller bundled for his morning ride to Ley's school

Who knew a box could be such fun!

I.Love.Love.Love. These.Kids!

Maddie half-dressed after her nap!


MillerMac loves his paci!

We have had lots going on the past few weeks. Hard to believe it is already November! Jeremy's mom and sister came for a visit. Jansen had never been to see us so they took in all the sights of Savannah and of course, met Mr. Miller too. We had a great time playing, talking, and we sure enjoyed having them here. I reluctantly took the two littlest ones to Leighton's field trip to the Pumpkin Patch...it worked out just fine although I must say I was nervous! Miller mostly slept the whole time and Maddie cried to get out of the stroller!

Trick or Treat (don't forget to say Thank You!!)

I so wish I had time to actually write something worthwhile on this blog...but you know, I just don't. So, photos will just have to do until life resumes some sort of semblance of normalcy...yeah, I know, when will that ever be?! Here is Ley in all his superhero glory...I am SO glad Halloween is over and we are moving onto Thanksgiving and Christmas! By the way, there are no pics of Maddie because the littlest ones stayed home with me and gave out candy (this was the plan all along and it was for the best because Maddie is coming down with a chest cold, bless her heart)... pics of Maddiebug and MillerMac soon...

One month ago today...

Can't believe Miller is already one month old!! Seems like just yesterday he was growing in my belly or I was holding him in the hospital...how time flies by, especially when you have a newborn and two other little ones!


Miller is sleeping much better which I am so thankful for, and we have a pretty good little schedule going. Mornings are hard because he gets up around 3:30 or 4 AM to eat; I am usually able to go back to sleep by 5 AM and get a couple hours to snooze before I am up again at 7:30 AM to get Ley fed and ready for school. I get Maddie out of the bed at the last minute; give her a sippy cup of milk; pile everyone in the Tahoe and we are off...I am very thankful that Ley's school has car drop-off and pick-up or it would be a bit difficult for us! Just yesterday one of the teacher's looked at the three carseats lined up across my second-row seat and asked, "Do you have enough room in there for all those kids!?"

Here is one more pics of the other two Davis offspring in the tub as well as the biggest Davis kid :)

A few recent pics...

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Miller Birth Photos

Finally, a little montage of Miller's birth last week and coming home...more to come when time permits. We are all doing well and my sweet Mom is still here and taking care of us for this next week. She is the most amazing help--I know this for a fact because this is her THIRD time to come and take care of me after childbirth. Just so you know how good she is, she took Miller last night and let me sleep like a rock and brought him to me when he needed to nurse! I feel so refreshed this morning... how blessed I am...I love you, Mama!

Enjoy the photos...

Miller Has Arrived...

...a week ago! Sorry guys, but things are a bit hectic in the Davis household, and I have just not had time to update. We are so glad he is here and arrived strong and healthy!

Miller McMurry Davis entered the world on Friday, September 21st at 12:33 pm weighing in at 9 pounds, 4 ounces and 22 inches long (yes, he is quite robust!). He is doing well and came home from the hospital after 24 hours (our shortest hospital stay yet!). Miller has not proven to be the great sleeper his sister was, but I am surviving and praying for improvement in this area :) Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers during this pregnancy, for a safe & natural delivery and a healthy, precious baby Miller! We are abundantly blessed...

Labor Day Weekend

Well, we had a very lazy weekend at home this Labor Day. We planned to do SOMETHING fun on Monday, but you know how it is with kids. You just never know what is going to happen. Ley got sick on Sunday evening and 'spit up' (this is what he calls it and I actually prefer the term to vomit, throw-up or puke) after we ate lunch at the local Mexican restaurant...I think he had something that didn't sit well on his tummy. No one else came down with whatever he had, thank goodness. He is still congested, coughing and on antibiotics for a few more days. I thought that this medicine would have kicked his cruddy cough, but not yet. Now Maddie is coughing too and I am congested as well. Not a good situation with an impending birth around the corner. Please pray for us to get well--and stay well! I finally put a few photos together from the last few days...