Stone of Joy: July 2011

Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Newest Marrieds

The Marrieds have just gotten a bit bigger!!!

As you can see the Marrieds are growing by leaps and bounds. Little Alessandra Mae was only able to be the youngest Marrieds for about 8 months. In this post here, Katie was already about 9 weeks pregnant with our latest and greatest Marrieds addition!

Please welcome our newest addition to the Marrieds,

Mr. Brady A+ Turbo Margs

He came into this world a whole 6 lbs and 10 oz, 19 3/4 in,

and handsome as handsome can be!!

Both Momma and her Little Man are doing fine!!

I just wish I could be there to squeeze these two.

Brady's stint as the youngest Marrieds will be the shortest stint of all the kiddos so far, as little Keagan will be making his big debut before we know it. So Brady relish this month of being the littlest Marrieds because it won't last for very long.

Love you guys!!

Charmian

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Happy Birthday to...

Me!!!

My birthday was AMAZING!!!

It started at 12:02 a.m. when Jon and I were finally heading to bed. He turned to me and sang me Happy Birthday, it was pretty sweet.

I woke up just after 8:00 to my happy little family. About ten minutes after we made our way out of bed my Mom called me on Skype. So by 8:30 a.m. I had already been sung to twice. I opened my birthday present that my parents sent me all the way from Texas. I immediately tried it on, it is so cute. You'll see what I got by the time your done reading this post. I got ready for the day and what did my reflection show me on this glorious birthday of mine - well 2 new zits, yup - you would think I was turning 13 not 32. :o) I cleaned up the house a little bit and made my way over to Katrin's so we could get some sunshine at the lake.

The lake was so much fun!

Alessandra enjoyed her time in the water and

I enjoyed getting my little present and cake.

Thanks Katrin!!

:o)

I had to add this picture sequence -

Alessandra didn't want her hat on -

meanwhile Sofia's just wondering where her shirt went.

I love these girls!

We were running a bit late, but we made it home so I could...
get cleaned up,

and into my brand new birthday dress (thanks M&M),

find another birthday present (a cute, red, mommy basket),
and hustle out of the house just in time.

In time for what?

Well, a 1961 Opel, that's what.

All original - All awesome!

You would have thought we were getting a ride in a space ship the way everyone was checking us out.

I felt like royalty, so I waved at everyone and they all waved back.

I Definitely felt like a princess!

Jon had arranged for the owner of mondschein, a little restaurant here in Leipzig, to come and pick us up and take us to his restaurant. He got out of his 50 year old classic, bowed and told me Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag. I just turned to Jon with a blank look on my face and then he mouthed "Happy Birthday". I blushed and told him Danke. Then he asked if English would be better and I said "Yes please, if that's okay with you." He gently helped me into the car before popping a bottle of bubbly for Jon and I to share on the way to his restaurant. While he drove he told us what we could expect from the evening.

At his restaurant they do dark dinning. We would be able to pick our menu but we wouldn't know what was on our menu until after we had finished the meal. He told us about the restaurant and how he started it. He explained that we wouldn't be able to see anything and that all of the wait staff is blind or seeing impaired. I had an idea of what to expect but nothing prepared me for what it was.

First of all unless you have been to mondschein, or spelunking without lights you won't understand what I'm about to explain to you, but I'll do my best. The waiter led us into the room, he held onto my hands while Jon held onto my shoulders. We went around a few corners and as we turned left, then right, then left again, I couldn't see anything AT ALL. It was pitch black. The darkness crept in all around me and the emptiness began to have weight. It almost felt as if I was being smothered. But then it gave way, or rather I gave way and just accepted the darkness. It was so strange and yet so comforting.

It's amazing how things change when you can't see. Jon and I talked like we did back in college when we would fall asleep on the phone with one another. Because we couldn't see each other we automatically walked more carefully through the conversation just like we had learned to do so many years ago. We held hands and fed each other our food, and because we couldn't see we ate most of the meal with our hands. It was so romantic and messy, grown up and fun. I loved it! I never realized how much seeing your food or the knowledge of what you're going to eat plays into the taste of the food. When you don't have your eyes there telling you what your eating you taste everything with a new tongue. It was so much fun trying to figure out what it was that we were eating.

Our meal was over before we knew it and we made our way back outside to find all of our friends and Alessandra waiting to sing to me one more time. So by 8:30 p.m. I had been sung to three times (it was definitely a great birthday). We enjoyed one more drink and a few more hugs and then we headed home.

Jon needs to be very careful because every year he out does himself from the year before and he makes it even harder for himself the next year. All I have to say is he better start planning now if he wants to keep up this streak!

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who helped make today so memorable. And a special thank you to Alessandra's very first babysitter Anne (you're the best!)!!

Charmian

Monday, July 18, 2011

My Sweet Pea is Eight Months Old

8th Month Milestones

I can't believe it! Maybe it's because I haven't done one of these posts in a couple of months but regardless here we are at eight months already.

HEIGHT/WEIGHT

At your last doctors appointment which was actually closer to your 7 month birthday than your 8th month you were weighing in at 6.72 kg and 65.5 cm. My only frustration is they weigh you so quickly that the weight is still wiggling back and forth when they pull you off so I'm not sure just how accurate it is. Regardless you are now at about the 15th percentile for height and weight down quite a bit from the last time we weighed you. The doctors aren't worried and honestly I'm not really either, here's why. I was much bigger than you were when I was born and I simply stopped growing until I was at my perfect little petite size and then I started growing again. I soon became the smallest in my class where I stayed until I graduated from high school and had my "BIG" growth spurt putting me in at 5'3" which is still below average. Well, although you aren't being as dramatic as your mommy (thank God) you are following the same trend of wanting to be on the more petite side. You still have your oh so adorable rolls and double chin so like I said, I'm not too worried.

SLEEPING

This last month has been quite interesting. It was REALLY hard for both of us to get re-acclimated to the time zone change from the States to Germany making our first week back a very sleepy one. We were both taking VERY long naps in the afternoon and then not sleeping a wink at night. You were even going 5 hour stretches at night without sleeping which is very strange because even during the day when you aren't all messed up you nap more frequently than that. I finally had to just suck it up and not take any naps so that I was exhausted enough that I slept at night. Once that happened you decided to follow suit.

You've been on a pretty good routine as far as nap/bed time goes. You let me know when you're sleepy by getting louder and starting to rub your eyes and yawn. I put you down and you "play" in bed for a bit until you fall asleep. Sometimes you fuss and those times are hard because all you want is for me to hold you. I don't want you to need that from me to fall asleep so I just lean over the edge of your crib and cuddle with you for a little bit.

You are down to just about two naps a day one at about 10:00 a.m. (for about two hours) and the other at about 2:30 to 3:00 (for about an hour to an hour and a half). On the days when you do have a third nap it's usually only for about 30 to 45 minutes around 6:00 p.m. After your night time routine of eating dinner, and getting ready for bed, you nurse for a little bit and then snuggle until you're sleepy. Then you're down for about six hours before you want to nurse again (yes, you're still not sleeping all the way through the night yet). When you wake up to nurse I bring you to bed with us and we all still really like the snuggle time. You are usually up smiling and cooing, ready for the day at 8:00 a.m.

EATING

When we got back from the States we started you on solids, and boy oh boy was that funny. You were not a fan. It's not your favorite thing but your starting to enjoy your solids much more. So far you've had carrots, potatoes, avocados, tomatoes, apples, pears, nectarines and some cereal that's a mixture of oatmeal and cornmeal. Whenever we give you a new flavor you make some of the most hilarious faces, but then you settle into it. Your favorite flavor right now is nectarine. You did go through a two day period where you didn't swallow a single bit because you spit it out everywhere (I am so glad you stopped doing that.) Your food routine is as follows. You nurse at 8:00 a.m. when you wake up, after your morning nap you nurse again and have some fruits and veggies, after your afternoon nap you nurse again. At 7:00 p.m. you eat your dinner of cereal and fruit and at 8:00 you nurse before you head off to bed. You enjoy tea or water at every meal and you love drinking out of your new sippy cup.

PLAYTIME

Your new favorite toys are the cups that your Uncle Jeremy gave you from Good Times, your moose, "Mortimore Monroe Morison", your pink spoon from Twists, and your Sophie the Giraffe. You haven't started to crawl yet although you are definitely trying. While you are sitting you'll lunge forward onto all fours and rock your hips back and forth. Then you get mad that you're not actually moving and you plop down on your belly.

Because of our weekly Baby Schwimmen Unterricht you've been able to hang out with your best friend Sofia a lot which we all love!!! Speaking of Baby Schwimmen, you love the water and I'm so glad you do. Every time we get in, you start squealing with delight and splashing all around. You already "dive" in and go under without a second thought.

WHAT'S NEW

Your two front teeth on the bottom (they actually came in during your seventh month but I didn't do a post so I'm letting you know now) are what's new. They are so cute, and white, and shiny, and your Daddy is always telling you so. You have also grown a little bit of an attitude and have figured out just how you think everything should be done. When things aren't done that way, well, how should I say this, you "let us know". ;o) The thing that get's your diapey in the biggest wad is when your Daddy demands to give you kisses even when you've told him you don't want any. This is especially true when he hasn't shaved for a few days. It's actually pretty funny, but we do our best not to laugh in the moment because we REALLY don't want to encourage the behavior.

You are still the sweetest little girl though and you still love, Love, LOVE spending time with people. In fact, whenever I need to redirect your attention while we're out and about, any kiddo under 4 feet tall will do the trick. You are still a talker and this month your words of choice have been dadda, thatha, ja ja, and nein, nein. And yes your Daddy and I are pretty sure you are using "nein" correctly (which I didn't think I had to look forward to until you were two.)

Just remember we love you. We love your toothy grin and stink face. We love your giggle and your scream. We love you more than you will ever know and we can't believe you are already 8 months old!!!

Happy 8 month birthday Sweet Pea!!

Love,
Mommy & Dad

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Two Years

This is a string of emails between one of my best friends Renee and myself when I was just finding out I was pregnant with Pearce. Here is the back-story. Jon and I had just bought a house in November 2008. Shortly after, the company (e2) that Jon and my Dad started was starting to go through a hard time due to the economy and Hurricane Ike. This resulted in Jon not receiving a salary, cutting our income in half. So here we are in our new home, with only one income, and a positive pregnancy test.

From: cme797@
To: reneemkelly@
Subject: It was positive!
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:20:41 -0600

Okay you’re the first to know, and I have to be honest I don’t know what to do now! Help!!! Since you’re still pregnant I figured you would know what I am/will go through.

Excited/Scared and waiting for some sort of response!

Charmian

From: reneemkelly@
To: cme797@
Subject: RE: It was positive!
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:48:41 -0700

ohmygosh!!!!! I'm so excited foryou! if it weren't so late, I'd call you rightnow... I'll try tomorrow. :)

hugs to you!!

Love,

Renee M. C P

Mary Kay Consultant

719-352-
Website with Shopping: www.marykay.com/reneeporras

Email: reneeporras@

From: cme797@
To: reneeporras@
Subject: RE: It was positive!
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:51:23 -0600

Unfortunately my phones on the fritz so you can't call me right now but I have so many questions.

First off my worries, I have been spotting a tiny bit yesterday and today, did you have that, I looked it up and I found everything from it's normal to you may be losing the baby.

Jon is so cute. So I told him I may be pregnant but we had just had that scare a few months ago and I don't think he wanted to be disapointed. Well I had my annual check up and my doctor said I wasn't pregnant (urine test and at that point my period was just due), but I really felt like I was, my boobs were really sore, heavy, and huge (which is not a PMS symptom for me.). She called a week later to give me the results from my blood work up, I am the picture of health, but I ask if the blood test showed that I was pregnant, it was negative (at this point I am a full week late, my boobs are even bigger and still super sore.). I tell Jon that it was negative but that I still feel like I may be pregnant. He doesn't want to get his hopes up but we got a pregnancy test on Sunday night, I got home and took it and viola I'm pregnant. I have another appointment with my doctor on Friday to confirm the result. So anyway back to Jon, this week he has been so cute. Very protective going out of his way to do things for me. Things he hasn't done since we were dating and trying to impress me. He's opening doors, helping me more around the house, telling me even more than normal how much he loves me and thinks I'm beautiful. Oh and cutest of all I asked if he thought we would have a girl or a boy and he said I don't know let me ask. So he pulled up my shirt and kept tickling me with his lips on my belly until I pulled away and said well I'll never be able to tell because you won't hold still. Then he said well come here I need to listen to what the baby says and then he tried to blubber my belly - so cute. Well anyway at this point I am just praying everything goes well, I guess we'll see when I go to the doctor on Friday.

Oh and by the way I think it's so silly that I was two weeks pregnant at conception so weird!

Charmian

Renee called and when she did I had just experienced a miscarriage. I was shaken - really upset - and a little relieved (which made me even more upset, because I felt guilty for feeling relieved.) We talked for nearly an hour, she prayed for me, my family, and our situation and that God would bless us through this hard time.

From: reneeporras@
To: cme797@
Subject: RE: It was positive!
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:59:19 -0700

Charmian,

I love your story about Jon and his blubbering your belly! It's so funny to me how men get when you're pregnant. It's like going back into the courting stage all over again, except with all the married benefits! :)

I've been thinking about you constantly over the past day and a half. I'm so glad you let me know the progress today. What an emotional roller-coaster you must be on! ...not fun at all... I imagined some mixed emotions you may feel that I wanted to remind you would be normal:
Well, there's the guilt you mentioned you felt at a feeling of relief at the possibility of not being pregnant during the financial crunch. Remember that it's ok to feel relief when we are relieved of stress. Remember that your stress was about providing for the baby because you want to be good parents, not because you don't want the baby in any way. Remember that feeling worry if you are pregnant is totally ok too. There is a lot to consider and plan for when a baby is coming. Worry is normal, and it is also not associated with desiring or not desiring a child. Same goes for stress or panic at the shock of realizing a baby is on the way.

Then there's the emotion of wanting the baby. Oh that longing that God puts in our hearts. And the aching if it turns out you are not pregnant. I remember when I thought I was pregnant and wasn't, I ached and felt so sad. I was heart-broken. I took comfort in the thought that it was God's choice for my life right then. If you did miscarry and are not pregnant, remember that God's hand is in that as well, that He has taken the baby Home, and that He knows what is best for you and Jon right now. He also knows the purpose for that short life. Already the experience has served to bring you and your Mom closer, which could serve to reconcile your relationship eventually. If the baby doesn't make it and if God's purpose in that short life was to draw you and your Mom together, and then to bring him or her immediately Home to paradise in His presence, would that be unjust or would God be any less Gracious? I don't understand all the answers, but I do trust His will. I also remember how the heart-brokenness I felt when I learned I wasn't pregnant prepared me for the time when I learned I was. It helped to prepare my heart and to place my worries and stress in His hands and trust His timing and provision.

Here's another conflict you might feel: Longing for this baby and this life. And yet anxiety about a high-risk pregnancy with lots of limitations. If it crossed your mind to think, "if I were not pregnant but could try again soon, I might feel relief about that." That might be followed by immediate guilt and wondering if you are somehow "bad" for not wanting this pregnancy and all it involves. Know that this emotion also is normal and that you need not feel guilt about that thought either. Remember that there are separate emotions: Love for the baby is one. Anxiety about a difficult pregnancy is another. Don't confuse the two. And praise God that it's not YOUR choice anyway! It is the Lord's decision whether or not this baby is to be yours on earth or not. It's totally in His hands.

Regardless of what happens in the near future, Charmian, I know what an amazing and wonderful mother you already are! I believe that just as the life of the baby is a life from the moment of conception, I believe we are moms and dads from the moment of conception. And all of these experiences and emotions (which feel more like preparation than parenthood) are part of that. As long as I have known you, you have had a huge heart for little ones. That is a talent and blessing from the Lord, given by His Grace, and which He has prepared you for well.

I love you and continue to pray for you. We can't wait to see you and Jon soon!

Love,

Renee M. C P

Mary Kay Consultant

719-352
Website with Shopping: www.marykay.com/reneeporras
Email: reneeporras@

From: cme797@
To: reneeporras@
Subject: RE: It was positive!
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:51:23 -0600

You are so amazing and such a blessing in my life. Thank you so much for the time you spent putting all of this down. I will save this email forever. Our friendship has been such a blessing to me and my only hope is that I can give you what you have given me.

So updates. I have a Dr appointment at 9:00 am tomorrow morning where I will find out for sure if I am pregnant. The results from my Dr appointment last week was that I do have the "pregnancy hormone" at levels that would indicate pregnancy however they could still be high and lowering and I could have lost the baby or they could be high and raising and I still could be pregnant, so all I know now is I still have that hormone but luckily tomorrow I will know one way or the other. I'll give you a call and let you know.

Thank you again for everything.

Charmian

I had experienced a miscarriage but I was still pregnant with Pearce. I lost one of the twins I was pregnant with. I saw/heard Pearce's heartbeat that next day and the doctor was shocked at how early we were seeing it and how strong and steady it already was. He was strong from the moment he entered this world fighting his way into our arms. I am so grateful for that.

Renee's prayer was answered. We had to shut down the business, rent out our house, move in with family, and lose our son. But through all of that I can still say that we were and have been blessed. I miss Pearce so much. My heart still aches for him. I still cry when I see boys loving on, helping, or playing with their moms. I would give anything to have him here with me now but I can see how much good he has done. I can see how he has changed my life, my outlook, my marriage, my husband, my family, and my relationships. I am more present moment by moment because I have experienced first hand just how short life truly is. It really does go by in a blink of an eye.

Pearce, Mommy loves you and misses you so much. Thank you for all that you taught me. I can't wait until that day when I can hold you in my arms again. Happy Second Birthday! I love you!

Charmian