Monday, November 28, 2011

Day in Napa

One of the best parts of living in the Bay Area is how close we are to Napa. On Friday, we wanted to get out and do something with the kids. We headed to Discovery Kingdom and found out they were closed until 2pm. Jason mentioned Napa (since we were pretty close), so we decided to take an impromptu trip to the vineyards.

We went to 2 of our favorite spots; Rombauer and Mumm. They both have some great spots for Roman to explore and we enjoyed some great Chardonnay and deli sandwiches. Is it easier to travel to Napa without kids, FOR SURE! But we had such a nice day enjoying the beautiful scenery and amazing grounds.

Roman in exploration mode

Happy boy enjoying nature

Paisley hanging with the dinos

Our favorite Napa spot

Doesn't get more gorgeous than this.

Her 1st reindeer ride

Sunday, November 20, 2011

A Very Lewis Thanksgiving

We did an early Thanksgiving celebration in Grass Valley with Betty's family. They got an awesome house for the weekend and it was so fun to be with family all under one roof. I especially loved all the help with the kids. I was actually able to relax a little and catch up with some wonderful family.

Betty has 3 younger brothers. It is always fun with all of them around.

The cousins. We missed Melissa who is at college at Chapman.

Paisley loved learning a new dice game.

Aunt Barbara on a hike with Paisley.

Roman's favorite part of the vacation was going on nature hikes with Grammy. My little explorer.

Jason and his Grandma

Handsome Duo

Grammy and her girl

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Update

Tyler's surgery is postponed (again, 2nd time). Something happened to his surgeon and he had to cancel all surgeries for the week.

Prayers for Tyler

Our nephew, Tyler, will be undergoing open heart surgery tomorrow morning. This is the 3rd part "the fontan" of the series of open heart surgeries due to his congenital heart defect, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). Please pray for him, his surgeons and Heidi and Danny. Prayers for comfort, peace, strength, healing and for them to feel the love of their friends and family.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Parenting 101

Sometimes I wish that there was a Parenting Coach or hotline that you could call for advice. I guess that is what friends are for. I think that would be a successful business. You pay a monthly fee and someone is always there to help you along the way.

I've got 2 current parenting issues with this little rascal.
NOTE: I chose this pic since he looks Oh so innocent.

About 95% of the time this guy is such a loving, sweet, funny boy. He is full of energy and definitely a character, but so, so sweet. But he can be mischievous.

Issue #1
He thinks it is funny to run away from me in public. AND usually I am holding Paisley, so I go running full speed while also holding Paisley. It is not only embarassing, but can be scary because he is often a few feet from the street. He has yet to go into the street, but I simply don't trust him that he wouldn't. He usually does this for me at parks and church. The look on his face when he does it is pure enjoyment and he thinks it is hilarious. I have tried everything (timeouts, yelling, speaking calmly), but disiplining Roman is not always easy because he thinks NO is funny. I am open to suggestions because I am getting nowhere.

Issue #2
He is starting to give me a really hard time when we have activities to go to, especially school and church. We will get ready and then he doesn't want to leave the house or the car. Today it happened in the church parking lot. He likes to refuse walking and sometimes lays down in the parking lot. This is always fun since about 50 other woman who are in my Bible Study are also entering the building at the same time, so they see my parenting in action. I don't give in and we usually make it to the classroom after 5 minutes of fussing, laying on the ground, crying and me carrying 2 children.

It can be so hard to know how to parent sometimes. I know the challenges get harder and harder as they get older, but I also understand that toddlerhood is all about establishing boundaries, rules and order. The good thing is that the other 95% of the day (which is a lot) are filled with laughter, happiness and fun. Roman woke up this morning and said, "The Sun is up. Roman did that." I could just melt with statements like that.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Graham and Carson Kelling

We did a quick trip down to San Clemente this weekend to meet Graham and Carson Kelling.

Hello I'm Graham

And I'm Carson

AREN'T THEY THE CUTEST!!! SO CUDDLY!

And proud Big Sis, Hula

Roman loved the donut selection, the freeways, the hotel and seeing Uncle Ry Ry and Aunt Laurie.

How did my baby Paisley get so big? Seriously she seemed like a giant.

The men watching football. Jason wearing his women's Adidas sweatshirt. (ha ha CK)

Cheers to the Kellings

Pit Stop on the way home for a milkshake. Roman couldn't have been happier.

We had such a wonderful time seeing Ryan and Lauren and meeting their adorable boys. To see some of your closest friends become parents is the very best. We are so happy for them and their beautiful new family. We are so excited to watch these boys grow up and can't wait for more adventures together.

We love you Kelling Family!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Guess who we get to meet this weekend?

Carson and Graham Kelling! Can't wait to meet these little loves. See you tomorrow!!!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Our Loss


I debated writing about this, but realized it was theraputic and I wanted my family and friends who visit my blog to know what has been going on this past month. It is easy to write about the good, but I want my blog to reflect the true reality of our life. I also hope to be a support to anyone who may go through something like this in the future. I have a dear friend who was such a help to me when I struggled with multiple miscarriages and gave me so much information. Without this friend and her advice, I don't know if Roman or Paisley would be here right now. So my hope is that I can be that friend or inspiration for someone else. Maybe now or maybe in 20 years. I have realized that this is a big part of me and this blog is really about our life as the Maddox Family. The good, the bad and sometimes the sad.

Jason and I found out the week of Paisley's 1st birthday that we were pregnant again. To say we were surprised would be an understatement, more like shocked since we were not planning on having another baby quite yet. After the news sunk in and truthfully my anxiety began to wear off (a little), we became excited and told our parents and a few friends. I had my pregnancy hormones tested and everything looked great. My numbers were doubling and I started taking progesterone supplements and baby aspirin (as I did with both Roman and Paisley). We had a busy month that included Paisley's 1st Birthday, a trip to Cleveland, working and some Halloween parties. All the activities helped to keep my mind off worrying and keeping positive. When you suffer multiple miscarriages, you really don't celebrate a pregnancy until you hit the 12 week milestone so I am always very cautiously optimistic.

A few days ago I started feeling like my symptoms were not as strong. I wasn't really that tired anymore and just didn't feel very pregnant. This is what had happened with my previous miscarriages. I went to my doctor on Monday morning and he did an ultrasound. Sadly there were no heartbeats and with the calculations the babies should have been almost 8 weeks.

The reason I say babies was because it was TWINS! AND here is the big shocker...there was actually a 3rd sac, but no 3rd baby was ever formed (you can see 3 sacs in the picture). So my doctor told me it may have originally been triplets. I laughed (at the thought of having 5 children that would have been 3 and under), I cried and I felt a sense of relief that my worrying could be lifted.

This was my 6th pregnancy and 4th miscarriage. I am definitely an emotional rollercoaster (probably due to the hormones), but feeling very at peace with everything today. I prayed throughout this pregnancy for comfort from my worrying and that God would have a plan. I am such a true believer in God's plan and I knew that worrying wasn't going to help change anything.

On the positive note, we are reminded of how grateful we are for Roman and Paisley. My 3 other miscarriages were before Roman and I had such a fear and sadness that it would never work out. Part of the reason I wanted to write this was because I wanted to remind everyone that there is hope, even with multiple miscarriages. I have 2 healthy, amazing and wonderful children. They have brought such joy into my life and truly were miracles (as each baby really is). Roman came into my life when I so desperately wanted a baby. When I look at him, I always remind myself that I would do it all again just to have him. He was the baby that I was meant to have and there was a reason why we went through the journey to have him. And then came Paisley so quickly after. She was such an easy pregnancy and I realize how lucky we are to have her.

Miscarriages are very sad. They are actually quite common and can be very heartbreaking no matter when they occur. Multiple miscarriages (considered 3 or more) are not as common. There really isn't a lot known as to why certain woman have tougher times carrying babies. I went thru testing years ago and never found out the actual problem, but the doctor prescribed me extra hormones and aspirin as a precaution to help.

We feel comforted and know that our 3rd baby will come someday. We are not even going to think about it again until next summer. Some of our closest friends are getting married in June 2012 and I am excited that I will now be able to travel to their wedding. We feel so blessed with such wonderful friends, family and children and are reminded that even during the hard times, it is most important to count our blessings. Life is such a journey, but I couldn't be luckier than to have Jason go through it with me. When you marry someone you never imagine what the future holds. We have had our share of tough times together while dealing with health issues, family illness and our pregnancy losses. I can honestly say that all of these trials have brought us closer and fallen deeper in love. I would never be able to get through all of this without the love and support from Jason. I am so lucky.