Daddy calls me Chomper…

Asher looked so pink and plump this afternoon that I put aside my long (um, endless) To Do List and took a few “naked baby” pictures of him instead. Little Asher was very cheery during our photo shoot, but he would not take his chubby hands out of his mouth! At first I thought the pictures weren’t what I’d hoped for, what with a slobbery hand in every shot,  but then I realized that these picture capture a really sweet time in this baby’s life, one that will probably be quite brief in the grand scheme of things. I am sure that someday soon I’ll look back on these pictures and get all wistful and nostalgic and teary-eyed as I remember my darling son in his hand-chewing days. Rick has affectionately bestowed the nickname “Chomper” upon our little guy, for very obvious reasons. His hands, wonderfully chubby and plump, rarely leave his little mouth.

“Look, Mom! No hands!”

“Just kidding!”

I love Asher’s rolly-polly little arm in this next picture. Just look at all those darling creases! 

Next I tried to get a picture of Asher’s cute, fat feet (might as well capture all appendages, right?) Asher kicked his little legs and I ended up with this picture instead, which I thought was quite cute.

 

And then I zoomed in on his precious face…

And, finally, I snapped a close up of the sweet, chubby, perfect little hand that Asher so adores. 

My Joshua

Here’s my Joshua, my first sweet son! What a handsome boy he is, with a good heart, a brilliant mind, a sense of humor, a strong work ethic, and spiritual understanding far beyond his years. The complete package! Lucky for me, this little man is still quite young so he’s “all mine” for a few years more. But someday in the future, he will make a beautiful girl very happy, I’m sure! I hope by then (for her sake) I have successfully trained him in all things toilet related… good aim, putting the seat down, flushing, washing hands, all of which is still a work in progress. But toilet skills aside, this is one fantastic little boy! How I adore him!!

Epilepsy

Asher’s neurologist has diagnosed him with Epilepsy. I sort of expected this, but I still find myself reeling from the news. Dr. M is a wonderful doctor and I am grateful that Asher is in such good, capable hands. She’s sending Asher for an MRI, we’ll keep in phone contact as needed, and we’ll follow up in her office again soon.

Once again, I find myself struggling to stay afloat in a huge sea of emotions. Disbelief, fear, worry, sadness. But more importantly, faith, hope, gratitude, love. Faith in Heavenly Father. Hope for the future. Gratitude for my Asher. Love for my precious son and love from so many other sources as well.

Prayers and Great News!

I have received emails and comments from several sweet people who had told me they’d keep Asher in their prayers. I just wanted to let you know how much that means to me! I can literally feel the love and support and blessings that these prayers provide. And I know that prayers are always heard and answered! Thank you, friends, for all your prayers on Asher’s behalf!

Asher is doing well. He started his meds on Friday night, had one seizure on Saturday, and has been “seizure free” since then. So, even though I hate knowing that those were actually seizures (ha, I guess I’d prefer to hold onto my denial for as long as possible), I am so relieved that we seem to be controlling them!

And, in major Asher news, he just reached for an object for the first time ever!!!  It was incredible to see this sweet, almost six-month-old boy actually LOOK at a toy, and then slowly extend his hand to touch it. He worked so hard! His movements were wobbly and uncontrolled and he struggled a lot to simply brush his fingertips against the toy, but the INTENT was definitely there. He SAW the toy and he WANTED to TOUCH it!  What a miracle! And Asher also just started rolling from his back to his side! He can’t get past the halfway point, but this is major progress for our little guy!

Please keep praying for our sweet, precious boy. The prayers are working!

A Snowy Lunch

While we played in the backyard snow, Braden grabbed a large handful of snow and took a big bite of it off his mittens.

“This be my lunch,” he told me. “Kay, Mom?”

Kidisms

I think it is so adorable when kids misunderstand common phrases. For instance, when we first sang We Wish You a Merry Christmas, our kids kept singing, “Good tithings we bring, to you and your king.” It’s easy to see (or should I say hear) why they would make this simple mistake. Madalyn said another one recently that made me smile.

Madalyn kept shouting, “A button away!!” Then she’d take off running. She had done this quite a few times before Rick and I realized that she meant, “Up, up and away!” She was simply saying it the way she thought it was supposed to be said. Too cute!

The Mo’Teese Mystery

For several hours tonight Braden kept begging for “mo’teese.” Braden normally speaks very clearly, but this time I had no idea what he was saying. Braden was very persistent. “I want mo’teese,” he pleaded over and over and over again.

Mo’teese?

More cheese? More of these? More treats? More keys? Nope, nope, nope, and nope.

“You want more…” I began again.

“Yes!” Braden interrupted. “I want more mo’teese!”

Now we were getting somewhere. Braden wasn’t saying he wanted more of something. Mo’teese was something all by itself.

Mo’teese??

Milkies? As in, a diminutive form of milk? No.

Soy cheese? As in, a type of cheese that we currently don’t have (so please don’t be asking for it)? No. (Whew!)

Mikey? As in, Uncle Mike? No. (Yeah, it was a stretch anyway.)

Finally, desperate to understand, I scooped Braden into my arms and carried him around the house to find out what he wanted.

Is it upstairs? No. Is it downstairs? Yes. Is it in the living room? No. Is it in the kitchen? Yes.

I pointed at lots of things in the kitchen before Braden finally indicated the bowl of candy on top of the fridge and proclaimed, “Mo’teese up there!” I got the bowl down, looked inside, and instantly knew what Braden wanted.

Smarties?

YES!

Someone…

Braden approached me, grabbed my pants, and announced, “Someone pooped!!”

“Who pooped?” I asked.

“Um…” Braden looked sideways at me and grinned. Then he answered with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, “Braden did!”

What I’m Reading

I had planned to read the Twilight Series again (for what? the third time?) but then decided against it. My personal time is so limited that I felt the need to focus on more spiritual things instead. Of course, there is nothing wrong with light, fun reading (I did read the Twilight books TWICE afterall) but I find myself in such great need of spiritual nourishment. I pray frequently, read my scriptures often, and attend church every Sunday, but I feel like I am literally starving for more.

Motherhood is so demanding and so constant. (It’s is incredible and miraculous and the best thing I’ve ever done with myself, but it is still demanding and constant at the same time!) I think sometimes I get so caught up in all the homeschool, laundry, dishes, errands, cooking, cleaning (and so on) that need to be done, that I forget to MAKE TIME for the things that truly matter. A little time to sit quietly and read an uplifting book is sure to be soothing for me.

I am currently reading The New Testament as a part of my scripture study so I will continue with that. But now I am also reading A Joyful Mother of Children, by Linda Eyre and Believing in Christ, by Stephen E. Robinson. As far as gospel-oriented books go, I’d say these two are fairly light. But they contain such simple and beautiful truths, and they uplift and inspire!

I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father. I know He is there. I know He listens to my prayers, and I also know He answers them- always and in the best possible way. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and I am so grateful for His sacrifice on my behalf. I am thankful for the love and guidance I receive through promptings of the spirit. I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation and the sealing power of the Temple. 

A world that seemed so “upside-down” a few days ago, is not something I can change. I cannot “fix” Asher. I can’t make him see and I can’t make him stop shaking. But I can strengthen my faith in my Heavenly Father. I can place Asher in His hands. And I can be grateful for the many, many blessings in my life. Because, honestly, my blessings are too numerous to even count!

Christmas Morning

Waiting at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning…

Sweet Asher on his first Christmas…

One of our many attempts at a cute picture…

Brenna, Joshua, Madalyn,  Braden, and Asher…