New Videos

Here are two videos of Bethie.  She's become quite the little chatterbox, and we love it!

New Look for the Blog

Now that Bethie is well into her third year and is not changing as quickly as before, I have not been posting as much.  It seems like it's time to change this blog a third time.  It began as a fertility journey then morphed into the raising of a baby, and now I think it is appropriate to let it change again to encompass our entire family. 

2010 was difficult and very stressful, marked by money and health worries.  This year, however, has been much better.  I secured a job as an online tutor in the last week of December, and that really eased up the stress.  I spent the last several months tutoring kids in grades 1 - 11 in math and reading, and as I was able to do it at night from home, Bethie did not have to go to daycare.  We are on a break for the summer right now, but I anticipate going back to work in the fall when the school year begins.  It is nice to be using my teaching degree, even if it is only for an hour or two a day.

Jeff is working at Martin Sprocket and Gear in the Fort Worth office, and he enjoys it.  He has been there for several years now, and that has been what has gotten us through this rough patch.  Can you believe I have not worked outside the home in nearly two years?  For someone that usually had more than one job, this has been a real change.  I love being home with Bethie, though, and I wouldn't trade that for the world.

Other than this last bout of bronchitis, we have been much healthier this year, too.  I have started seeing a chiropractor and a pain management doctor for my cerebral palsy and related pain, and I do feel much healthier.  Once I get my energy back, I hope to start walking with Bethie.

In other news, we are finally ready to put our tiny condo on the market.  It will take awhile to sell, I'm sure, but we are looking forward to having more than one bedroom!  It will be so nice for Bethie to have her own room, and even nicer to have room to offer our families and friends if they come to visit.  Stay tuned for the house hunt!

Wow!

My breathing treatments leave me wired and jittery for couple of hours after they're done, so it is once again nearly 2 am, and I am here at the computer.  I spent a lot of time tonight reading over this blog from the very first post, and I am just amazed at all we've experienced.  I had honestly forgotten many things, like the fact that Jeff had to give me hormone injections.  It is so humbling to see all in one place the amazing blessings we have been given in our lives.  We never thought we'd have babies, and here we are now, the proud parents of the most incredible two-year-old girl. 

I am so glad that I have documented this journey because there are so many things I don't want to forget.  This is a good place for me to come when I start feeling like life is just handing us one bad turn after another.  I got a good laugh over the fact that I really believed that I would get a job and start teaching immediately after completing my degree.  It hasn't happened yet, and I graduated nearly two years ago.  You know what, though?  Even though the money has been tight and there has been a lot of stress, it has been worth every moment.  I have gotten to stay home and raise my child, to watch her develop and learn and grow.  I wouldn't trade this for the world, and I truly cannot wait to see what wonders God has in store for us next.

Time Flies

I can't believe it's June already!  Seems like it was just Easter, and now we're already headed for the Fourth of July.

Bethie is such a joyful girl.  She loves to tell everyone her name, which is, of course, Bethie Boo.  She used to say "Bey Boo", but already she is saying "Beppie Boo."  Her words come in more clearly every day, and there are more and more of them.  She had to go to the sitter's all last week as I'm battling a nasty bout of bronchitis, and she doesn't like that I'm sending her away.  When I went to put her jammies on her on Thursday, she said, "Go away, Mommy!  Daddy do jams."  Her first full sentence, and it was telling me off! 

She is quite the Daddy's Girl, though.  Every morning and after every nap, the first word out of her mouth is "Daddy?"  It is nice to see them together, too.  Jeff is an incredible daddy, and Bethie and I are very blessed to have him.

We've discovered a computer program called Zoodles that is a conglomerate of games and video bits for little ones.  Bethie loves to play on there more than anything these days.  After she asks for Daddy, then it's "Zoodles game?"  There are games that work on colors, numbers, shapes, letters, sorting, and pretty much anything you can imagine.  The first time she told me about a triangle I almost fell out of my chair!  She loves to sing, too.  Here she is, doing her imitation of Cookie Monster's "C is For Cookie":

She is starting to move away from the Toy Story toys in favor of the Disney Princesses and Mickey Mouse.  She likes to brush her dolls' hair and put their shoes on.  She hasn't yet discovered that their dresses come off and that their clothes can be changed, but I think that will be next.  She is chatty and happy and helpful, and she does really well with her manners.  We are just so proud of our girl!