Flying Solo with Landri

So ... today was my first test with Landri. Leigh is back to work, and Landri had an 11:00AM doctor's appointment for her 2 month check-up. This meant that I would have to go it alone all day without Leigh there to "bail me out" with breast feeding should she become overly upset.



The day started really sweet with lots of smiles ...





Of course, I had to get a little help from one of Landri's big brothers. Laken was a big helper!




But just when I thought it was all under control, she had a blowout. I'm talking FULL diaper ... and stinky!

I was good, though, because after cleaning her up with multiple wipes, Landri was still smiling! I was thinking, "I can do this!" Then she got hungry. I had survived the morning well with mama's breast milk, but how would she take the bottle?

I told Laken I needed to feed Landri, and he said, "You don't have a big girl boobie, dad!" Ha! After a a good laugh and a little explaining, I fed her the bottle with no troubles. What a good girl. I was sittin' pretty at this point, so I loaded her up and took her to the 2 month doctor visit.

Dr McGehee was very gentle with her, and she didn't seem to mind the exam much at all. But then he ordered her to have 3 immunizations.



Ouch! Three shots in her little two-month-old legs ...





... and she DID NOT like that at all. Neither did Laken. He cried because he felt sorry for his sister ... what a sweet boy! Of course, then I had two kids to console while flying solo.

She was pretty fussy, deservedly so, after we got home, and I thought I was in BIG trouble. This is where I would REALLY miss Leigh Ann, and it WAS rough at first. She took her bottle well and fussed while I tried to get her to sleep, but finally she gave it up.









I thought I was in the clear, but she woke up hungry ... again. This spelled T-R-O-U-B-L-E because there was no more milk thawed out. So I scrambled to get it ready ... while she was wailing. The milk didn't settle her ... YIKES! It must be the pain in the legs ... I thought. Finally she took the milk with the recommended dose of Tylenol mixed in, and she fell asleep on my shoulder ...




... then she smiled again.




Flying solo is a piece of cake.

Our Little Landri

We have a daughter! Landri was born January 31st, 2009 at 5:06PM. She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 20 inches long.

The boys adore her! They compete over who gets to hold her, and they continually want to love and kiss on her. I think she will have two very good protectors when she gets older, so little boys out there ... you don't have a chance!

Leigh Ann only has a couple of days left for maternity leave, and it saddens us that we will have to use childcare for the last couple of months leading into the summer. Fortunately God has provided us an excellent option, so we are confident Landri will be well cared for.

We have had lots of family and friends demonstrate their love and care for our family by praying for us, providing meals and visiting our baby. We are so blessed! Thank you all, and thank you Lord! I don't know what we would do without this wonderful support.

A New Tool

Since our family and friends are all over the globe now, I thought I would try this blog thing for keeping people up to date on our family. Here is our latest news:

Laken is too big for his britches!!!!!! He is now 2 and talking up a storm. His favorite movie is The Incredibles (although The Wizard of Oz is a close second), and he loves to read a book called No David. You should hear this boy sing! He has memorized several scriptures through music in the car and Bible classes, and he has memorized some of Daddy's music too, like We Will Rock You by Queen and Down on the Corner by CCR. Laken currently goes to daycare while Leigh Ann and I are working, and he is learning lots of new things like the alphabet, counting, and fighting tooth and nail for toys.

Caden is one smart kid ... and active, too. He is in the first grade (age 7) and is learning to read. He enjoys math and science and came home with a stellar report card from the first six weeks. Caden dressed up like Count Dracula for Halloween, and boy did he look scary. He helped me build a pumpkin launching catapult last year, and after a few modifications for 2007 we launched a pumpkin 133 feet at our church's annual fall carnival. Caden loves playing sports. Lately, he has been playing some tackle football with some of his friends at church gatherings. I like to watch him battle against some of the older kids. Lately he has really been into SSX3 on the playstation. He amazes me at how good he is at these games.

Leigh Ann has been a hard working woman lately. She is taking grad school classes on Wednesday nights while completing her masters in counseling, and she is serving as the counselor at her school. Last Friday her school hosted an awesome Career Day that she planned that included tons of presenters and really cool exhibits for the kids including a helicopter, a harbor patrol boat, exotic birds, and much more. She went straight from that to teaching an abstinence-based sex education class this week called "Worth the Wait". Besides all of that, she takes great care of the three kids (which includes David).

David recently completed his masters in counseling and continues to work as a Marriage and Family Minister. He is in the process of planning marriage enrichment and family events for his church and community for 2008. One of the events is our annual Family Ski Trip over the New Years holiday that will include 30+ people. Since graduating in August '07 he now has the time to play golf a little more often, but surprisingly he has not improved his game any.

We recently moved to a new home that has a little more square footage and is in a better neighborhood. Of course, as soon as we moved in Leigh Ann said we now have room for another child. Yikes! I've mentioned that I thought it would be nice to try for a little girl sometime, but somehow thinking about it in the immediate was scary!!!!! Anyway, the kids love the new house, and it is a great place to raise a family.