Fall Has Arrived

So last Saturday, it was 85 deg, and we could have gone to the beach. Today, it's 30 degrees cooler and we are definitely in the "Autumn" mindset. After a cold, rainy week, it was nice to have some sunshine today. We went to an orchard hoping to pick apples, but it wasn't that kind of place, I guess. Oh, well, we still had fun picking out some nice pumpkins. Our neighbors threw an early Halloween party, so the kids got to take their costumes for a test drive. Pretty cute, if I do say so.

Picking our pumpkins for Halloween

I like this one!

Halloween Preview: Party at the neighbors.

Braden doesn't know why I call him "Jr."

Hayrides are always fun, even if they are

pulled by a lawn tractor in the front yard!

Happy Fall!

Day 21

Well, things have calmed down somewhat around the Crazy House. Lincoln is 3 weeks old today, and we have had 2 pretty good weeks. He has been sleeping at night between his 2-3 feedings, but has more awake time during the day. All normal, but he is not very happy when awake sometimes.

Grandma Hassenzahl and Gr. Grandma Foster came to stay and help out last Monday and Tuesday, which was very much appreciated! They got to have some alone time with Jena, Asia, and Lincoln, while Cathy and Braden went to get Braden's 5-year pictures. I think they had enough "fun" during that time, and were ready to head home!

I did not get in pictures of big sister Asia in previous posts, so here she is. She is not sure what to do with Lincoln sometimes, but is the first one to come runnning when he is crying. She even tries to grab him and hold him when he is crying in Mommie's arms.

Asia has been quite the handful these past couple of weeks and has become quite the climber. We have found her on top of the kitchen table, the computer desk, and the kitchen counter. She can climb into her high chair, which none of her older siblings could accomplish at her age.

She has adjusted very well to the transition, though. She has become much less needy and can be held by almost anyone now. She goes into the nurseries and sitters without any fuss, which makes things much easier.

As an added blessing, the project Cherokee (#4, I think) sold on Saturday! Yea! It has been here since January, and really needed to go. I worked pretty frantically for the last 2 months trying to get it finished, but didn't make it before Lincoln was born, and had to finish it on a couple of late nights. It was alot of work with not so much gain. I am probably done doing this for a while. It's just not worth it.

OK, I apologize for the long interval between updates, but time flies when you're....something...something...... Anyway, I will try to do better. We will be attempting family pictures in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for those.

Happy Monday from the Crazy House.

Day 14

We can't believe Lincoln is 2 weeks old already! So much happened during the first week that made it seem like it was only a day. Just to recap, for anyone who didn't hear the story: Cathy had a doctor's appointment on Thursday, 9/6 and found out that Lincoln was breech and that she would probably need a C-Section. Friday we had an ultrasound, and Monday, 9/10, was a follow-up appointment. The doctor scheduled the C-Section for Tuesday, 9/18. The rest is kind of a blur. Cathy's water broke later the same day, requiring another trip to the doctor. The doctor said the baby had to come out right away! The kids went home with a church friend, Cathy called me at 4:00 and said "Meet me at the hospital!" By 5:30 she was in surgery, and at 6:00, Lincoln Timothy was born, on his big brother Braden's birthday. We came home on Thursday to a well taken-care-of home and kids, thanks to Cathy's sister Becky and Tim's sister in-law Wendy and Grandma Foster.

On Friday morning, we noticed that Lincoln seemed a little warm, so we grabbed the good ol' tailpipe thermometer. 100.4 deg. A little worried at this point, but maybe it will go down on its own. At 8:00, we checked again. 100.9 deg this time. Maybe we should call the doctor's office. After 40 minutes of after-hours run-around, the doctor told us to take him to the ER. Great. Another church friend came over to house-sit while we headed in for what we thought would be a few hours of check-over. 3 days later, he was able to come home! During that time, he had IV's, 3 antibiotics, chest x-ray, urine and blood tests, and a spinal tap! Lincoln took all the poking and prodding like a champ, probably not understanding why his sleep was being so rudely interrupted. Here is what he looked like in the hopsital with IV and wires attached. Poor guy!

It has been a good week since then. God has blessed us with another healthy, beautiful baby, and we know that many babies go through much worse trials when they enter the world. He has been sleeping pretty well at night for the most part, except for a couple of feedings. Today being Lincoln's first Sunday at church has been show-off day. It is always fun to have the newest little one, but it doesn't last very long at our church (there is already a new baby born on 9/17!)

We will leave you with a parting shot of our little guy. We hope and pray that our friends and family are well and worshipping our awesome God today!

Day 10

Welcome to our "Crazy House"!

Lincoln Timothy was born on Sept. 10, and is now 10 days old (Hence "Day 10" of Crazy House).

Braden (5) and Jena (3) are very excited to have a new baby brother. They just can't hold him and kiss him enough. Jena is quite the Mommy and cannot keep her hands off of him!

Asia (14 mo) does not know whether to hit him or hug him most of the time. She does know that Mommy doesn't pick her up as much as she used to.

I am just getting started, so there is alot more that I want to put in the blog. That will have to wait for another night.