Count your many blessings see what God has done.

I realized with our problems getting Titus to gain weight, I have been preoccupied with worrying and measurements, instead of just enjoying the blessing that Titus is. We have been so blessed by this little man. He is so easy going and so darn cute too. We truly are blessed with a very happy kid who is so fun to cuddle.

Titus went to his first Bronco game on Sunday. It was hot, so mommy and Titus stood up in the shade through most of the game. It would have been more fun if the Broncos won, but it was still a great time. Uncle Josh and Aunt Alexis were in town and went to the game with us.
Last week, Titus weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. Daddy is so excited because he can now fit in the front pack. Now Jeremiah wants to take Titus fishing.

We are looking forward to a visit from Grammy, Papa and Auntie Heather in a couple weeks. Please continue to pray the Titus would take better to breastfeeding and that he would continue to grow grow. OH, and Titus is starting to smile at us. We keep wondering if he is smiling at us, or if he is just doing an inward smile. They are fleeting, but they are oh so cute.

And some more drama

Well, Titus has put on some weight. He weighed 7lbs. 7 oz. at the Dr. on Wednesday. But, I met with the nurse practioner who works with breastfeeding moms. She found that Titus has a tongue thrusting problem that is causing him to not get much milk. He pushes the nipple out when he sucks instead of sucks it down into his mouth. So, this explains why I was having pain and probably why he wasn't gaining weight very fast. He wasn't getting very much milk. This is a problem that can possibly be fixed. He has to relearn how to suck. So we are giving him bottles and working on teaching him how to suck properly. I am pumping away to give him as much of my milk as I possibly can, hoping to eventually be able to give him all my milk. Wednesday was a very hard day for me because I was expecting good news. I had weighed him at the breastfeeding clinic and felt encouraged so I was disappointed that there was still a problem. I really want to breastfeed him and I am committed to getting him breastmilk, but I'd rather it not be permantly from a bottle. My big fear is that after a few days of bottles, he won't want to go back to breasfeeding. So, I am cheating a little bit and letting him nurse after his bottle a couple of times a day. He still is interestd even if it's just for comfort. As you can imagine, pumping every 2 hours is quite a time committment and I am struggling to figure out how to make it all work. There are lots of moms who have pumped exclusively long term successfully, so I know it can be done. My friend Chelsea had to do it with her first, so she has been a great support in all of this. But, there is some good news. Titus' newborn screen finally came back with everything normal. Thank you Jesus! After all the pricks and scares(Thank you the State of Kansas), we now have peace of mind that everything is fine.

We appreciate all our prayer warriors out there that remember us and lift us up. Here are some specific prayer requests for this week. First of all, that Titus would learn to suck correctly and that he would be able to go back to breastfeeding. Second, that I would figure out how to juggle pumping, feeding and taking care of him and the household chores. Third, both Jeremiah and I are feeling pretty worn out, so prayer for energy and strength for the both of us. Lastly, the church is getting ready to move into their new building. This means a very exciting but busy time for Jeremiah. Please pray that things would fall into place for the move and that it would be a place that lives are changed and people meet Jesus.

I look forward to seeing many of you this weekend in Topeka. Titus loves to be held so I hope your arms are ready:) I am thankful for the blessing that sweet Titus is in our lives. It is hard right now, but he's so precious it's all worth it. It is all because of what Jesus did on the cross that we live and we have reason to celebrate.

Just to let you know

Thanks to Kathy, I figured out how to allow people to post comments on my blog without being a registered user. If you click on the comments tab and then choose anonymous, it will let you post. Hope everyone is having a great day!

A trip to the doctor, and another and another....

Well, between Titus and I, we have been busy going to the doctor. Titus still continues to have trouble gaining weight so we are trying to figure out why that could be. We are trouble shooting and are wondering if it is a supply issue (not enough milk), or that maybe he has acid reflux so he is limiting his intake. If it is a supply issue, we are wondering if the medicine I am on for my blood pressure is causing me to have a low milk supply. I take him back next week to get him weighed again. Hopefully, we will be able to solve this problem soon. Then I had another doctors appointment and my blood pressue is still high so we are trying another medicine. Hopefully it will work, and my blood pressure will return to normal soon. Some women (I am one of the lucky ones) have more problems with high blood pressure following delivery than they did when they were pregnant. So it is not abnormal, just annoying. SO, please continue to pray that Titus would gain weight and we would figure out the cause of the problem. Also, please pray for lower blood pressure for me, so that I can go off of the blood pressure medicine. Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we continue on this journey of parenting. There's always something to worry about, huh? I am feeling pretty tired and worn out from all of this, so I would appreciate your prayers for that as well. Thankfully, we have a beautiful baby boy who is so easy to please. I hope you enjoy the latest pictures of Titus.

A fun weekend with Family

This weekend Jeremiah's brother Josh and his wife Alexis were here on their way to Colorado from Virginia. Titus had a great time meetin his Uncle Josh and Aunt Alexis. He was such a good boy and really loved to be held by his Uncle Josh. We made our first trip to Cabelas and laughed a lot together. Titus continues to grow. He is getting more and more interested in his surroundings which is fun to see. We're still trying to get him to put on a little more weight. We're going to the doctor tomorrow to have his weight checked again and hopefully he will have gained sufficient weight. Please pray that he will have gained weight and we can avoid supplementing him with formula or even breast milk in a bottle.

We are lucky he is such a happy baby. He is pretty easy to please. Feed him, change him, and hold him and he is happy. He loves to cuddle, which doesn't bother mommy. And he loves to hear daddy sing. We have been truly blessed. Please continue to pray that we will have wisdom as we parent Titus and that he will remain a healthy baby. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers.