Giving Thanks

In the Bible it says to give praise to the Lord in both challenging and good times. There have certainly been times, especially in the last 12 years, when I have been challenged in my faith. From my parents divorce, deaths in the family, depression to my mother's cancer diagnosis...there were definite times when I wondered, "what next?" I sat and waited for the next bit of bad news or expecting to be betrayed by someone I loved instead of focusing on what was going right in my life. This year I give thanks for being delivered from that destructive and limiting mind set. I'm not saying I don't have relapses from time to time (just read my post below). After all, life can be a challenge. I could list all the challenges we face from day to day, but it is in those sometimes very small, brief good moments that God shows his face in a very clear way and those are what I choose to focus on. Giving thanks for the big as well as little things preserve my sanity. In God I can always find hope that things and situations here are just temporary. I found an interpretation of hope in my study Bible that I felt really defines what it means to have hope:

Hope means going beyond our unpleasant daily experiences to the joy of knowing God. We live by trusting in him, not in the benefits, happiness, or success we may experience in this life. Our hope comes from God.....

I just love that interpretation. Hope is a gift and is always there.

So on Thanksgiving there I was with tired circles under my eyes (and probably very little color in my face) looking around at my family fixing meals, feeding Molly, chasing after Addy, and sharing the joy of our togetherness and thought, "How blessed am I?" The fatigue is only temporary, but the memories of the support we receive through the love and graciousness of our families, friends and our God are immeasurable. Despite the challenges...life is so good. For that I am thankful.

We spent the Thanksgiving at my mother's farm in Brenham. I wish I would have taken a picture of how packed our car was. We were only going for two nights and the back of our Suburban was completely filled.

Thanksgiving was a very cold day. Of course the kiddos didn't care. They still wanted to be outside the whole time. Why don't they feel the cold like we do????

My grandfather feeding Molly

This is one of the few times

my grandmother sat down.

We decided my uncle Kent and Molly get the littlest-biggest award.

My aunt Kathie giving me a hand feeding and burping Molly

Aunt Meredith also giving me a hand with the other two (my sister is the best!)

The girls loved the "mule" ride. They came back with red faces, hands like icecicles, and BIG smiles on their faces...poor Scott. The things we do for them to have fun.

As you can see, we had no shortage of hands and good news, Molly has been sleeping for FIVE hour stretches at night meaning she is only getting up once! Yeah! We are definitely heading in the right direction. I won't even mention the LSU game except that we had to ride back home with Scott after that disappointing game....He must have said, "I can't believe they lost that game" over the course of two days.

We got back and had My dad, Eleanor and my college sister with her boyfriend over for lunch

Eleanor, Kristin, and James loving on Molly

Mary Ella getting in some Daddy Boo time

Mary Ella is counting down the days for aunt Kristin's return.

One Month and my Tearful Plea

ONE MONTH

Another little brown-eyed girl

Well, we have one month down. It seems like Molly Kate has been with us forever already. Isn't it amazing how in such a short period of time you can't remember what it was like without the new bundle there? It just fits. It has been a month of excitement, adjustment, elimination diet and experimentation. Yes, Molly appears to have a very sensitive gut....just like Addy. I gave up dairy, soy, eggs, wheat and nuts. We saw some improvement, but she still couldn't get over the hump. So I went vegetarian for 2 1/2 weeks. Addy reacted to poultry, maybe this one does too? No go. The conclusion....multiple food protein intolerance. Therefore, we attempted to put her on Nutramigen (partially broken down protein)....no go. Poor thing developed a horrible diaper rash within 24 hours and was fussy for the first time in her short life. Back to nursing I went. Now have her on the same formula Addy was on (Neocate). It is an amino acid formula (protein is totally broken down into the simplest components). I'm not complaining, but GOLLY that stuff is expensive. So for the last two days I've been eating like a carnivore again and actually got my soy latte from Starbucks this morning...mmmm!

Now for the brutal honesty....I'm just plain tired and have had many foggy mommy moments over the last month. I've tried to put Addy's shoes/socks on Molly, put things in the refrigerator that didn't belong there, etc. I haven't slept more that 2 1/2 consecutive hours in over a month (well, one night she gave me the gift of 3 1/2...I felt like I'd slept 8). Anyways, Scott was on call yesterday, I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and I was spent. Unfortunately it showed. Let's just say my fuse was probably (unfairly) short, but everyone survived. Then last night Molly had trouble going down, she usually just goes down by 9pm (I know, I'm spoiled). I had planned to go to bed around 9pm, but instead didn't get there until I had shed some tired tears praying that God would settle her and give me a good stretch of time to sleep...it was 10:30pm. Remember me saying motherhood isn't always glamorous? This was definitely one of those not-so-glamorous moments. Well, God answered, I was in bed at 10:30pm and she did not wake up until 2:45am (4 hours and 15 minutes!), then again at 6:45 am! Ahhhh, God is so faithful to us tired mommas!

Now for the funny story.....It took me THREE hours to get out of the house yesterday to go pick up the Neocate from the pharmacy? What took so long?...here is the sequence of events:

1. Woke up...fed everyone (we're all on different diets, so I made 3 meals)

2. Finally was able to get in the shower by 9am

3. Got out and tried on several outfits because I have very few clothes that fit.

4. Molly wakes up...still haven't found something to wear

5. Molly is immediately hungry, so I sit down to feed

6. 30 minutes later I'm able to put her down and finally find something to wear

7. It is 10 am, the girls have clothes on, but need hair brushed and shoes on, so I begin that process

8. I complete that process and have to get my shoes, socks and make-up on..get that done

9. Start putting Molly in the car seat and notice she has a dirty diaper, so I go change it and she tee tees all over her clothes, so we change clothes

10. Restart the process of getting her in the car seat, then realize a smell emanating from Addy's diaper

11. Go change Addy's diaper....if she'd stay still it wouldn't take so long...

12. I finally get us all in the car by 11 am....

(All of you with three or more children have every right to laugh at me by this point)

We got to Walmart and Addy is falling asleep sitting up. I guess I need to work on being more efficient, huh?

We hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving. We certainly will as we give thanks for all of you!

No Fits

We are all sitting in the kitchen serving up some apple pie I made for dessert. Scott throws a purple spoon in Mary Ella's bowl and gives it to her. She begins to protest about the spoon Scott gave her wanting a "princess spoon". I anticipate the escalation of the protest and repeat to her what they say at school which is:

"You get what you get and you don't throw a fit. Remember that rule?"

Her response?

"You get what you get and you do throw a fit....That is my rule."

It was hard not to smirk at that point, but then I looked up and saw the smirk on her face indicating her intention to crack a joke. Fortunately, she took the spoon that was given and shoveled the pie in her mouth as fast as she could. Oh yes, we have a witty one...

Burlison Family Public Service Announcement

Just when you think your child wouldn't do something totally random and crazy, think again. Mary Ella, nearing 4 1/2, has done a lot of maturing over this last year. We've had many of the "talks" about stranger safety, bicycle safety, car safety, and fire safety. Being the fearful child she sometimes can be, we often repeat the talks over and over again (she perseverates on things like this). She knows the lectures backwards and forwards. That is why the story I'm am about to write comes as a "shock" (no pun intended...read further).

So it was a normal event. Molly awoke expecting an immediate feed. My routine is to pick her up, close doors, and get the kiddos occupied to decrease the probability that I will have to rescue, mainly Addy, from some sort of "no, no" activity. As I sat down Mary Ella did something that required a "time out" to think. She went to the time out spot and a few minutes later she began crying like she had been hurt. I called her in and she said she hurt her knee, but was very vague about what caused it. I inspected the knee and there was no sign of injury, so I sent her on her way. After feeding Molly, I fed the other two and got them down for a nap. I proceeded to the computer where I found no power. I thought, "that is weird", so I checked the surge protector...again, no power. Changed out surge protector...no power. I looked over to my right and saw a metal key sticking out of the electrical socket with a black ring around it....it would be appropriate to gasp here. I wasn't sure whether to cry or be angry...maybe both???? Mary Ella had been shocked. After working in two burn units and seeing the devastating effects of electrical shock injuries, I had a total visceral reaction.

As the day wore on, more details came out about how she saw fire. I thought, "she knows to come get me if she sees fire..." but the fact is that she didn't because she was afraid of getting in trouble. Now fortunately the fuse blew quickly avoiding significant injury and it looks like the key ring took the bulk of the blow, but oh my goodness...what if??? Usually the sockets are all covered, but when Scott and I put up some of the Halloween decorations the socket cover didn't get replaced. The bottom line is, I never would have thought my 4 1/2 year old would still be curious enough to do something like this. Guess I was wrong. So learn from us....replace those socket covers because let's face it, sometimes kiddos can do totally random and crazy things.

Laugh with me please.....

Ok, so the transition to three children has been much easier than I thought it would be. Yes, I said it and I mean it. Don't get me wrong. We are busy, but Molly is really a great baby. She only fusses when she's hungry and at night???? She wakes up a couple of times to feed and goes right back down. Sometimes I have to remind myself to interact with her because otherwise she'll just sit and look around. Yes, we've been fortunate to have three pretty calm babies.



Mary Ella and Addy??? They are still incredibly loving toward their new sister. Actually, they often compete over who gets to sit right next to her. They hover over and Scott nearly has a heart attack because Addy has either just had her fingers up her nose or Mary Ella is coughing and sneezing in her face. There is NO pristine air around here nor is there personal space. So Molly survived her first cold and I'm sure another is in the near future. I think Scott has already been through a couple of Lysol cans. He chases us all down. It is really quite humorous. I told him the other day we'd rather have snotty noses than cancer :). Our home smells like a hospital at times.



Here are some funnies I've experienced other the last three weeks:



1. I rarely get time do my usual computer stuff. When I do sit down...their seems to be a 60 second limit.


2. I've been getting in bed by 9-9:30 every night and by the time Molly wakes up for the first feeding, I'm sleeping so hard I find drool on my pillow (pretty gross, huh?).


3. When I'm walking to her room for our twilight feeding dates, I couldn't pass a field sobriety test. I swear I bump into every wall, door frame and piece of furniture.


4. Laundry has tripled with the addition of one more child because at every diaper change Molly either dips her heel into her diaper or decides she's not finished doing her business.

5. I keep calling Molly "Addy"...oh goodness, I am my mother's daughter. Let the roll calling begin!

6. When Molly is wiggling on the changing table, I keep attempting to give her something to "play with" like I do with Addy. Talk about the fog of motherhood!



7. I have nodded off several times while feeding Molly. One night I awakened a couple of hours later with her in my lap sound asleep having only completed half of her normal feeding...oops. Guess it didn't bother her too much.




There have also been sweet moments:



1. Mary Ella said, "Mom I love you soooooo much. I love you because you brought home a new baby sister for me."


2. Smelling cookie drool (from all of Addy's love) on top of Molly's head when I leaned down to kiss her in the middle of the night.


3. Having my husband tell me what a good mother I am...ugh, he is so sweet even when I'm totally spent and don't have much left to give.


4. Watching Molly smile in her sleep and get excited when she hears my voice. She's got a huge dimple in her left cheek.


5. Addy surrounding Molly with all her prized blankies and babies. We do have to remind her the blankets can't go over her face though :).

Here are some captured moments that I felt summed up our three (very different) personalities:

Addy (AKA "the bandit") Burlison. This little, opportunistic girl sits, waits and pounces on every opportunity to steal what you are about to use, are using, or have just put down. Then she runs with a big smile on her face feeling like she has totally accomplished something special. She waits for every door, cabinet or drawer to be left open and quietly sneaks in.

Mary Ella "the babysitter" Burlison. She takes every opportunity to mother us all from explaining the rules to Addy....nurturing Molly....to telling us what needs she notices around the house.

Proof that she is loved. No, that is not a bruise on her head, so don't call child protection. It is a marinara sauce smack courtesy of Mary Ella.

Two weeks down

Well, the first two weeks are over. I've found the first two weeks are often the most challenging as I am trying to get to know a new little person, new routine, and just plain taking care of a newborn. I've already changed countless poopy diapers and definitely had my share of sleep deprivation over these last two weeks. However, each day I have fallen more in love with little Molly Kate and her little (sometimes big) noises. Her sisters rarely leave her side leading us to impose some private time for our new little bundle in an effort to not overstimulate her (yeah right, but we have to try don't we???).

After three days at home, I noticed Molly's diapers were looking eerily similar to her sister Addy's who suffers from protein allergies. We had to take Molly to the doctor anyways due to jaundice and the doctor confirmed my suspicions. It looks like Molly also has some allergy issues. Thankfully, we have caught Molly's so early that it looks like it will be managed relatively easily. I've given up dairy which has helped tremendously. I have also limited several other things in my diet until she is fully healed so she does not develop sensitivities to anything else. I will gradually add these things back in over the next week. Hopefully she will outgrow this much earlier than her sister since we have an early diagnosis. Addy is still off dairy and we have recently discovered she can tolerate eggs in baked goods, so she has been enjoying some pumpkin muffins. Pretty good for a child who could not digest milk, soy, eggs, chicken, etc a year ago. She has definitely come a long way. So Addy and I are essentially on the same diet. This should help me shed my extra prego pounds I'm still carrying around which is a good thing.

Last night we put Molly in her room for the night due to the c-section pain virtually gone and the fact that all the noises tend to keep me up wondering if she is about to arouse or not. She did fabulous! She got up at 12:30am and 4:30am to feed, but went straight back down. This is what I like to refer to a "functional". Therefore, today I don't feel quite like a zombi and I actually have make-up on. So yes, the two week hump is almost cleared.

Here are some moments from the last couple of weeks we have captured

This was Molly's first sponge bath at home. Doesn't she look pleased??? Yes, I'm one of those that likes to bath and lather them up with lotion just to make them smell good.

Mary Ella and Addy wore their "big sister and princess" t-shirts to school with Molly Kate's footprints on the back. They took cookies and pink M&Ms (thanks to breast cancer awareness month). It turned out to be perfect because Mary Ella told her class the "m" on the candy was for Molly.

Mary Ella showing off Molly's footprints. Molly Kate definitely has looooong, skinny feet. Poor thing got that from me. It basically comes down to this:

Long, skinny feet=very expensive shoes

Our great friends, the Sumlins, gave these big sister dolls to the girls. They also made the trip down for the birth and brought me a chocolate cake. Aren't they good friends????

Overall, we have had a great couple of weeks with our new family member. We are all doing well and beginning to come out of the two week transition. The girls have been wonderful in accepting their new little sister sharing many hugs and kisses probably resulting in Molly's first snotty nose. It is amazing how I've learned to let go of these things. With Mary Ella I immediately tried to track down where she possibly could have picked it up. With Molly, it is just another snotty nose that could have come from anywhere...me, sisters, Walmart...who knows. She's handling it remarkably well though. Oh well, guess I need to go tend to diapers and feedings. Until next time....

Trick or Treat?

It was definitely a treat as the Burlison girls hooked up with the Greifenkamp boys to do a little trick or treating. Austin, Thomas and Mary Ella took off running and Andrew was not far behind. Andrew and Addy hung out in the wagon and taste tested all the treats (well, Addy got to have a sucker and some Teddy Grahams...). Addy finally realized how much fun running up to the door was the last couple of houses. Notice Addy's costume...it is about as close to dairy as she can get :). I am so glad the Greifenkamps, along with our other dear friends, the Hiltons, will be joining us in East Texas next year. Mary Ella is already planning next Halloween!

Mary Ella had her Halloween party at school. All the kids were precious. Most of the girls were dressed as fairies or princesses and the boys were dressed as superheros...mostly spiderman. It was too cute.