A quick update

David had his 2-month check-up/shots on Tuesday this week. He weighs 13 pounds 13 ounces now. He is growing pretty fast. He is in the 95% in weight, 90% in height and 75% for his head. He is big for his age. He has started smiling a lot more now and cooing when he is talked to. He still gets up at least once a night to eat, but is doing pretty well in that department. He is an absolute joy to have around, we LOVE him!

Ha Ha, I got daddy to sleep!

Jessica is and always has been our extreme child(some might say "Gropp" child). When she is happy, she is ecstatic. When she is upset, she is infuriated. She expresses herself pretty well. However, it is sometimes inappropriate. I am alright if she wants to throw a fit and scream, but when she starts biting, I draw the line. The other day she came up to me and put her head in my lap(I thought she wanted to give a love) and bit me really hard on my leg. I kicked my leg instinctively and she fell down hitting her head. I felt bad about kicking her, but I didn't really have control while she was biting me. She left an instant bruise. This bite was seemingly unprovoked but she was obviously upset about something. We have forgiven each other and all is well again(until the next bite). Good news though, she has been pacifier free for 2 days now. Hooray!

Cailyn is still my little helper. She loves David and is probably more excited than I am that he is smiling now. She is happy that he is staying awake more now and loves to play little games with him.

We are going to see if we qualify for pre-school on Monday. I am crossing my fingers because she is soooo ready to go. She needs more kid time and is ready to learn more without having to have mommy do it. She is just going to take off when she starts, but we will see if she can get in.

We have started playing games together after Jess goes to bed . We are practicing checkers and tic-tac-toe. We have played Old Maid once. She didn't like that one as much. I love this. Usually she is the only kid awake and we get to do this one-on-one. I think this will be a steady thing, because I need my Cailyn time. She is getting old enough that we can have real conversations and I am excited to see the kind of young woman she will be. I love her to pieces.

Jason and Cailyn are making a new quilt for Cailyn. She got to pick out the fabric and they are working together to make it. They have the top almost done, but the project has been put on hold until Jason gets his next test done. I will post pictures as soon as it is completed.

A bunch of pictures

OK, I know that these pictures are not in any particular order,but I have a limited amount of time on the computer these days. There are more pictures from the family shots done at Beth's, Easter pictures(done by Jason-well done babe), and some random shots at home. I felt we needed to post some pictures because it has been a while. I will add pics from the zoo as soon as I can find them.


This is how the photo shoot went with the girls. I am sure that you parents out there can relate.

Mother and Son.

Even after 3 kids, we are still in love. But, does David seem happy about it? hehehe

She is so cute, isn't she?

7 happy Holloways.

My little helping "mommy."

My extremely attractive husband. No wonder I have beautiful kids, right?

Father and Son.

Three generations.

Lita, Papa, and the Texas Holloways.

Cailyn and her Lita.

David and his Papa(his namesake)

Evidence of the Easter bunny.

Look what the Easter Bunny left.

I love this picture because it shows how much Jessica wants to be like her sister. Who wouldn't, she is pretty amazing.

Our sweet Jessica.

Our gorgeous Cailyn.

David in his rafting shirt.

His cute little smile.

Is he loved or is he loved?

And finally some pictures of David from the photo shoot at Beth's house.

I cannot say it better

Watch this, it is beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc

Seeking Help

I need ideas. Lots of ideas! I am having a hard time finding foods that don't have dairy in them that we eat. There are only a handful of things. I can't even eat Ranch dressing on my salad without setting David off into pain. HELP! So please send me some ideas and/or recipes that don't use dairy. I am suffering here(alright that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I do need help).

Proceed with Caution

I just have to vent a little here. We had a Dr appt this afternoon. Jason is so great about leaving a little early from work to help with these. So, I am trying my hardest to get the kids ready, diaper bag ready, David fed, lunch made for Jason, and load the kids so we can leave on time. Jason called and said that he was leaving work to come home(different from originally planned because I was running late), so I thought I would turn the car on to get the air going(because it is already turning into Summer here--seriously it is 79 degrees in my house) only to find that the car won't start. Oh yay! I suddenly realized that we must not have shut one of the doors all the way and it drained the battery(that happens in Da's car-which we are borrowing while the AC is fixed in our van). So fun, now we get to unload all the kids that I worked so diligently to load up and switch them into the car that has NO A/C so we can drive to Weatherford for our Dr appointment which is supposed to start as we are pulling out of town. I am frustrated, Jason is frustrated and we are all uncomfortable because of the lack of cool air on us. We decided to call the doctor and tell them we are on the way, we had some complications. They then said we will reschedule you for tomorrow morning at 8:50, see you tomorrow. So, now I have to do this all again in the morning by myself. I can't tell you how excited I am for that.
I am wondering though, How many of you have had to wait more than 20 minutes past your doctor appointment and there are not supposed to be any questions asked, yet here I am calling to let them know and they are saying that is not acceptable(in so many words). I wonder if I would be able to say that to them the next time I have to wait for my appointment.
I know, this sounds like frustrations of a pregnant woman. BUT, I don't have that excuse anymore. Oh No, Maybe this is just my personality.

New weight loss program

I have decided that I am going to take advantage of breast feeding. I have heard that babies don't like the taste of chocolate so I have eliminated that from my diet. I have heard that they don't like the taste of pepperoni so I am TRYING to eliminate that(I do live in a Holloway house so this one is difficult). Most of all I have noticed that David has really bad gas problems when I eat or drink dairy products. So, this means no milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream. NOTHING! I am going through some withdrawals. I LOVE milk, cheese, and ICE CREAM. However, it is not worth the discomfort of my infant. It is not just discomfort, it is more pain. He wriggles and screams with pain after I have had a dairy product. So, I figure that if I MUST eliminate those things from my diet, I am going to take advantage of it and work really hard to lose weight. It will come off faster that way right? I am working out and watching what I eat so lets stand back and watch me get thinner. Wish me luck!!!!!! I guess I need to thank David for being such a picky eater.

Blessing #2 for April 7, 2009: A picky Breast Feeder

Wicked!

I just have to share my excitement. My friend, Heather and I(and our husbands) have just purchased tickets to see Wicked. I can't wait. The show is coming to San Antonio in
June and not a minute too soon. The next couple of months will just drag, I know it. Thank you, Aunt Dinah for your help.

Blessing for April 7, 2009: A Husband who is willing to watch a musical with me.

Personal discovery

This afternoon was enlightening. Jessica has been wheezing since last night just after dinner. We thought that she might have asthma or allergies. This morning she woke with the same sound. I watched all day(mostly because she has been either in my arms or right next to me) for any change, but none came. So this afternoon I called the pediatrician's office to see what to do. They said to take her to Cook's Children's Hospital's ER. I decided to try the clinic in our hospital first. However, apparently they stop taking new patients at 3:30 and we arrived VERY shortly after that. So, I called Lynnae to ask her what she thought. I had been trying to get a hold of Jason but to no avail. I told Lynnae of Jessica's symptoms and she said to take her to the nearest ER. In no uncertain terms I panicked and then lost all ability to make decisions. I went to the bank and we went in to wait our turn to see Jason(well, Jessica didn't wait--she went right into his office) and get some help. I told him with as much tear control as I could muster the situation and he picked up Jessica and said, "Let's go!" In less than a minute we were in the car on the way to the ER. I dropped off Jess and Jason and took Cailyn and David with me to feed him and pick up the insurance cards. Then we headed back to the ER to see what was going on. The admissions people were so nice and considerate of us. Turns out that Jessica has pneumonia. We have 2 prescriptions being filled for our sick little princess, and we will be up with her all night as well as David(hopefully at the same time--what are the chances?). The doctor said that we caught it pretty early, but I am a little scared that the other little Texan Holloways will get it as well. Needless to say I will be a bit paranoid for a while.

So, what was my personal discovery? I am not anywhere close to being the calm and rational parent when it comes to crisis. I know, I know. No big shock there. But it is sad to think that I can't think on my own when something needs to be done(especially regarding my children's health).

Oh, lets just add to our problems(actually Jessica's is the adding). We discovered David's thrush about a week ago and have finally gotten a prescription. When discussing that with my Mother-in-law I told her how I was feeling and she said she thought it was mastitis and turns out it is. So, lets count. We have Thrush, mastitis, and pneumonia at the same time here. I am not going to say it! I DO believe in jinxes!

Blessing for April 3, 2009: Modern Medicine

Funny Coincidence

I just got to thinking that I forgot that it was April Fool's Day when I posted about the carseat and I still pulled one over on some of you. Wow, I must have some inner connection with that day. I am glad that I was able to celebrate it, even if it was subconsciencely.

A little of our happenings

I am completely aware that these next few posts are out of order. However, I don't really want to leave anything out, but haven't the time to try to sort them

all out in order so here you have it.

I can't remember how long it has been, but Jessica loves to color on walls(something our first child never did) and we were left with this beautiful piece of art in out TV/play room. Just before I cleaned it off the wall, I made sure to have the artist responsible stand in front of it. Mr. Clean magic erasers really are magic. I was a first time user, but I am almost positive it won't be the last.

Look how proud she is of her artwork on the wall. I am now a strong supporter of Mr. Clean magic erasers.

Such a handsome Holloway. My sister got David and his sisters an outfit when she came to visit. I think it makes him look bigger than he really is(actually he has already outgrown the pants and onesie). This is at Da's house just before Dave and Anita(Papa and Lita) came to town, as is the following picture. We took MANY takes of the one with all the kids. It was really cold outside that day and the kids were such troopers. Jessica was having a ball with Maycie's hair and Becca is quite the model. Maycie and Keaton are soooo good with the babies. Thank you!

Da's backyard for pictures with as many cousins as we could find that day. Maycie's hair was too much of a temptation for Jess.

This was the night Lita and Papa arrived. It was perfect because the girls were already in bed so they could pay undivided attention to David. I love the look on David's face in the picture below.

While Lita and Papa were in town we wanted to get some family pictures done. We asked a sister, and dear friend, from our Branch to take them. They weather was too cold to do it outside, but her house was perfect. She took hundreds of shots, so I won't share them all with you. However I will probably show you most of them along the way. Here are just a few.

Cailyn is so good with David. She sings him lullabies and talks to him often when he is upset. She will lay down next to him for naps( I am closely supervising--in case you are wondering). She adores him. He feels the same though. As he is beginning to smile more, she probably gets the most out of him.

Jessica LOVES her brother. Every time she sees him, out comes her kissie face to shower him with love. We do have to watch her though because she doesn't quite understand limitations.

I love this picture. Our 3 children on the floor, content. David and his sisters.

Carseat dilema

Sunday we went to Granbury for a baptism. ***Remember that Granbury is an hour away from home for us. At the end of the program David was hungry so I went to the mother's lounge(so nice to have--our building doesn't have one) to feed him. While feeding everyone else left the building telling us the doors were already locked. When done I walked out with my family like normal, except when we got to the car we noticed that we had failed to bring David's car seat with us. OOOPS! Now what do we do? Jason broke a window and retrieved it for us. JUST KIDDING! He did check the doors and all the windows though. In the end we decided to go to walmart and get another one. We had some reservations about the other one anyway(it was 6 years old--ancient in car seat years!!!) So David is now in a brand new car seat--purchased on a Sunday at Walmart because his mother is absent minded.