It's been too long...

I know, I'm horrible at keeping this truly "up to date," but things really do just get so busy. So, I'll catch you all up on this last month and a half as quickly as possible! :-)


We did put the condo on the market, but so far we have not got 1 single phone call on it, or anyone look at it. It's depressing to me because Landry is confined in the house when we are here. There is no going outside to our backyard (which would be so much easier). Any trips outside are for walks, or actual trips somewhere because there is just no where here for him to play. I was really hoping for a house for my family, but it looks like that's not in God's plans....for now anyway.

Landry is crawling like a super crazy baby! He is all over the place. The gate is up and we are way behind on baby proofing! He practically runs into the kitchen when he hears or sees a cupboard or the fridge open. You have to be speed racer when you're doing something in there. It's so amazing to see though. When he wants us, he actually crawls over to us, pulls up onto his knees and pulls at our pants or shirts to get us to pick him up, or play or whatever. It's adorable to see him become so independent. (A little annoying too, because of course he's in to EVERYTHING)! I swear, I've never had to say NO so many different ways, over and over and over again. All in all, we still feel like if we never get anything else for the rest of our lives, we were more blessed then we could ever deserve to have him. He's got 8 teeth, and I know another one is working its way in. (Top and bottom 4). He's almost completely transitioned to sippy cups (only has bottle first thing in morning, and before bed), and he's eating mostly cooked adult food, no more puree! :-) We had his cardiology appointment today. The way the government program we are on works, we do his echo and EKG, and then have to wait a couple more weeks for the results....but our doc is AWESOME, and he snuck in and gave us the results right away! (We still have to go back in a couple weeks to make it "official" but....) another one of Landry's holes has healed!!!!! THANK YOU GOD! We have been praying very hard and are so happy to report that 2 of his 3 holes are completey closed, and the 3rd and final hole is almost closed. He said that when we visit in 2 weeks he will be "officially" telling us that he doesn't need to see us again for 2 years, and then probably won't ever have to see us again! It is such a relief and such an answer to prayers. I feel so blessed!

I have started a new side business to try and bring in some extra money. I'm selling wickless candles. It's called Scentsy. They are leadless, wickless, flameless candles. THEY ARE FABULOUS! I love em, and am super excited to be selling them. Robert and I are hoping that it gets moving enough to help me stay home longer, and at some point have another baby. My website is www.scentsy.com/peterson3907 check it out! I'd love to throw a party for you or have you order something. Part of why I love it so much is because since there is no flame, there is not as much danger having it around with Landry crawling. Its just wax, and when it melts, it releases the fragrance. The wax never gets hotter than just above skin temp, so it won't burn him either. And since it heats with a 25 watt light bulb, no chance of Landry knocking it over and burning our condo down! :-) At most, I just have to replace the pretty warmer. It's cheaper than candles too because the wax is only $5 for enough to burn 80 hours. Anyway, check it out, I'm loving it, and it would be a huge help for me if you ordered. I did a festival to jump start it, my booth looked great, but it didn't go so well. It was not well advertised and was not as busy as I was lead to believe it would be. Here are some pics of my booth.

Robert is still at Perry this year. He gets to teach Government again, so he's very happy about that. He has put applications in for two coaching positions, which would give him the head boys basketball position he's been dreaming of forever. We are still waiting to hear if he gets interviewed, so please please please keep praying about that!!!

Well, we hope things are going great for you! We are traveling to Idaho this summer, so I will try and post pics of our trip when we get home! As always, we love you and will keep you in our prayers!!!

Robert, Heather and Landry

Prayer Request...

Ok, so today, at 5:30 Robert and I are meeting with a new realtor to see about putting our condo back on the market. We are sure we want to do it, so unless some shocking news comes from this meeting, we will be putting it back up. The prayer request is that God has it in His timing now for our condo to sell and us to get into a house. We don't need our dream home, but it would be so amazing to have a yard where I can play with Landry and a garage where our cars are locked up. Landry loves being outside, so a yard would be awesome because by the time we get to a park, its time to turn around and go home for nap time. This way I could take him out and play, and take him on walks in a neighborhood that has sidewalks where its safe (we almost get run over a lot with the snowbirds in town)!

Anyway, we're really hoping this is God's time for us to sell and get into something else, so please please keep us in your prayers. If not, at least we'd still have our condo....but not gonna lie....we're really hoping to get out of it.

I should update on Landry since I'm here...he's doing FANTASTIC! We go for a cardiology appointment in the next couple weeks, finally got the ID# for the state chronic care program that will cover his heart visits. SO, I'll let you know the results when I find those out. This morning, while he was rolling around on grandma's bed...he put on quite the show for us. He was up and down on all 4's a TON! But...this is new....he was rocking back and forth so hard that his knees scooted up, (no hands, just knees) and one time he even got his butt straight up in the air like he was standing up and bending down. He also, for the first time, lifted up one arm by itself a couple times. So he's working on balancing and holding his weight with the 1 arm. Sooooooo close to crawling! I had a coupon for 15% off, so I bought a gate yesterday....we'll be using it soon! If he does it again, I'm going to try and record it on my phone and post it later.

God Bless!

Busy Busy...

Well, life has been hectic as usual. This month I started working again, only as an answer to some major prayer! It's a perfect fit! I got hired on by the company who supplies my grandmother's caretakers. So, now it's me who gets to take care of her, and I get paid for it. The best part is, its only 3x a week and I get to bring my little man with me. How blessed are we!!! I get to take him to work, make some money, and for him, its like hanging out with his great~grandma all day at grandmas house. Couldn't ask for it any better! We're still praying that what I make will cover what we are short each month because its not a lot of pay....so pray for us. Our savings is dwindling, and if this can cover what we're short, I can stay home indefinitely instead of just the first year.

Landry is growing so fast it scares me. Pretty soon he's going to be a big boy and won't need me much anymore. He's working on crawling very hard. He's got up on all 4's and rockin, but no movement just yet. He is starting to scoot, but not crawl. My life as I know it is over when he starts crawling! No peace for me! :-) It's going to be cute to see though. He's got 6 teeth already, which I keep hearing is crazy for a 6 1/2 month old baby. He's teething again, but I can't tell which teeth are coming in next. He's really getting picky about letting me see inside his mouth. He's eating big boy food now. Loves carrots and squash and green beans so far. (waiting to do fruits until I got him hooked on veggies)! :-) He does not like peas AT ALL!!!! But, I'm more stubborn than he knows, so we'll slowly work on them. Not going to force it, but not giving up either! :-)

Robert found out that his position next year is safe, and he does NOT have to take a pay cut, which is another blessing. We were nervous about that since AZ is going crazy with laying off teachers and he was new at this district. He's started off season basketball already (don't let anyone tell you its a seasonal sport, for him its ALL year)! :-) It's his passion though, so we love it! I'm still working on getting back to "wedding weight" a little at a time. About 3lbs off from pre-Landry weight, so that's good. I couldn't be happier being at home with Landry and getting to spend all this time with him. Any fears or withdrawals I had from not working have diminished and I'm in heaven! We're putting the condo back on the market to see if we can just break even and get out of here. We really would love a house with a yard and garage. We need to get out of here. So......pray for us about the condo! We love you all!

I attached some new pictures, hope you like em!

Whew...

Time goes by fast, so so fast. I can't believe that next Thursday April 2nd, my little man is going to be half a year old! I miss being in the hospital with him, I miss holding him as a newborn and watching him sleep (heck, I miss getting things done while he slept), I miss his "first smile," "first giggle," "first tooth," and all the other firsts I won't get back again. I love all the new things that come with the next stage....but man oh man do I miss whats passed already. I adore being a mom...and people are talk talk talking about when I'm gonna give Landry a brother or sister...well...as much as I loved being pregnant, I still want to enjoy my time with Landry a little longer. That and the fact that we're too broke! :-) I am praying God lets it work out sooner than later though.

We took Landry to Couer d' Alene, Idaho over Spring Break so he could meet his 93 year old great-grandmother. We were so proud of how he did in the car. What a long long drive for such a little man. He was fantastic! BUT...we're not doing that again. It was just too much for him and too much for us....so airplanes or shorter visits!

Landry is getting bigger, he's trying as hard as he can to crawl and is pushing up super far when on his belly. The big kicker.....he's not even 6 months yet and he's got 3 teeth and 3 more about to break thru any day now! I've heard its better to get them all at once, goes by faster....so, I'll be grateful! He's doing pretty darn good for getting so many teeth at once. Robert got news that his school will not be terminating any positions next year, so his job is safe. I'm going to be starting a new job that will hopefully keep me home with Landry permanently (more to come on that later). We are looking for a new church, and start the search this Sunday, I am excited and hope that God shows us to something that will be perfect for both Robert and I!

All in all, things are going great....busy busy busy, but great!

Landry laughing

I'm still working on time to figure out how to add Landry's dedication video here for all to see....but I wanted to add this video. I've never done this so I hope it works. I took this with my cell phone, and didn't realize the shutter was closed, so all you hear is the background noise. This was Landry just laughing away the other day. He has a cold, so I was shocked when I went to get him from his nap and he just started laughing at me...lasted about 5 minutes! Of course, I'm in here laughing too....but if you listen, you can hear Landry just going crazy! :-) It's the most precious noise in the world! Turn your volume up, its low from recording on the cell phone.

First Family Vacation

I know, I know...I'm not good at updating this thing, but its really been an insane month. Robert, Landry and I flew to Chicago and drove to Madison, Wisconsin for about 5 days. It was a gift to Robert for Valentine's Day and our 2nd Anniversary. I arranged for him to sit in on two of the Wisconsin Badgers basketball practices. Coach Bo Ryan was very gracious in allowing Robert to come and observe, he even called Robert down on the court and talked with him for a few minutes. The pic is a bit blurry, but I attached it. We had a blast! The basketball department got a ticket for Robert for the Ohio State game, and it was 6th row....they really were unbelievable! Landry had his first flight...did great, slept about an hour both ways, and his first snow. Of course we didn't play in it with him, but he did good with the cold. I got drive in snow for the first time!!! All in all, it was a great trip for the 3 of us...our first "family" vacation. We ate a ton of food, took a ton of pictures, and just thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I'm posting a few pics.

4 months

It's hard to believe my little man is 4 months old already. He has made such a drastic change in our lives, that I can barely remember what I did with my time before him! We adore him like all parents adore their baby, and swear he is the cutest one alive! :-) His heart is healing, he's sleeping 10-12 hours a night, he's eating good, he's growing great...(doc says hes 86% taller than kids his age~news we loved hearing), the other two holes in his heart are closing and we know God is healing them as well, and he's a happy baby! We are so blessed! Instead of work, gossip and drama, my days are filled with cooing, smiles, and the occasional half giggle! I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world! Being a mom was something I've dreamed about since I was a little girl, and actually having him here, holding him....far surpasses my wildest imagination! Sometimes I wonder why God thought I deserved him...but I'm happy that he did! I thought I prayed for him a lot BEFORE he got here, wanting a baby so badly....yea right, I've never prayed so much in my life as I do now that he's here. I pray he's a good boy, a smart teenager, and grows into a loving, strong Christian man. I pray Robert and I are good parents, that teach him about God, and show him thru our relationship what a healthy, loving marriage looks like.

He is more responsibility than I've ever had in my life, and I cherish every minute. From him grabbing my nose and smiling cuz he found it, to sucking on his thumb, to cooing at himself in the mirror, to talking to himself in his crib, watching him roll over, reach for his bottle, his first true smile, and the moment I first got to hold him in my arms.....these are memories I will cherish deep inside my heart forever! He's my hunny bunny, my little man, and my miracle.

Thank you God!!!!!!

First Illness

:-( It's official. My baby boy has had his first round of antibiotics...he has an ear infection! I hate seeing him so sick, but really, he has been pretty good for feeling so miserable! We are so blessed to have him...I love him so much it makes me sick! I can't believe God gave us such a gorgeous, smart, well behaved little man! I hope we are wonderful parents that teach him to be a strong Christian man....who hopefully plays sports well. :-)

We're still waiting to hear on the chronic care coverage, so keep praying for that. His dedication went great, we recorded it, and I will try and upload it soon.

New prayer request

So, we finally got approved for BCBS, but of course they declined coverage on anything related to his heart defect. Now we are filing for Chronic Care Coverage thru the state of Arizona. I am told that it is NOT income based, which is good news for us...but there is actually an application process. So, new prayer request....please pray that we are accepted. Landry would then get to see his great cardiologist, he'd just have to see him at a clinic instead of his nice office. Sucks, cuz the clinic is in Central Phoenix, but it doesn't suck enough to pay $3000 everytime we see him....so we're really hoping it works out!

He's getting so big, its unbelievable how quick he's growing up. This week, he's started grabbing the bottle and is trying to put it in his mouth. He usually ends up getting it somewhere around his nose or eye! :-) He also rolled from his back to his belly! A couple times....but he's being sneaky and when I brought the video camera out...wanted nothing to do with it! :-) I love him so much it scares me! I never thought I could love anything the way I love him. I'm so glad that Robert and I married and started a family!

An answer to prayers...

God is so great...I just want to say that and get it out there before I go on. Yesterday I called Blue Cross Blue Shield to find out if there was any progress on his insurance application, and was told it was ACCEPTED!!!! There is a catch though...they are excluding anything related to his heart. Which, we actually expected. So, Landry's pediatric cardiologist gave us information on Chronic Care Coverage to cover his heart condition. We have been told it is not income based, so we're going to be praying that when we apply for that it goes thru, then he will have FULL coverage!

Anyway, this half coverage is such an answer to prayer because COBRA was costing $439 a month and it was just too much! It was cutting out of our savings that we had for me to stay home and making that time short....so we are so happy, so excited and feel so blessed that God answered this prayer. The ironic thing is, we wanted BCBS to begin with, and they told us to not even bother applying. Then thru the time that passed while we applied for Golden Rule, the doctor updated his diagnosis to the point where BCBS would take him. So, all we needed was a little time to heal, and then we got what we wanted in the first place. (Except we didn't want any problems with the heart)! But, we'll take these blessing one step at a time. Next cardi visit is March, and we're praying to hear he's COMPLETELY healed! :-)

Some recent pics

Landry's dedication

Ok, so for those of you who haven't gotten the email....Landry will be dedicated this Sunday at the Vineyard Community Church at 11:00am. The church is located at 601 South Cooper Road, Gilbert 85233. It is on Cooper Rd., between Elliot and Warner. It will be closer to Warner, on the East side of the road.

Hope you can make it, we're very excited to have him dedicated!!!

(still no word from blue cross, so remember...pray pray pray)!

Cereal....at last!!!!

Ok, so, despite the fear of being called a bad mom....I started my son on cereal early. I got some great advice to let him be the guide...within reason. Anyway, he has just been absolutely starving!! So, my mom showed me how to mix it, I finally got the right bottle nipples...and away we went.

Last night was the first night he officially got a full serving of formula/cereal. He LOVED it! Absolutely inhaled it! And the best part...when he woke up, he wasn't screaming in hunger! We've been very blessed that he's always been a great sleeper, so it only increased his sleeping about an hour or two (which I'll take), but it did more for how he acts when he gets up.

Normally, he wakes up 2x before getting up for the day. The first time he wakes up, he's screaming crying, I can hear his tummy grumbling super loud and everytime I burp him he cries because he's so hungry. Of course, I've been nicknamed the "burp nazi" so I burp him anyway, but its a long drawn out loud, sad process. Well....last night, he woke up for the first time this morning at 6:50am. He was just laying there talking to himself, happy as could be. When I went in there I got smiles and got him up, changed him and then fed him. He was hungry still, ate 6oz of formula....but there were no tears, no tummy grumbles louder than his cries....it was perfect! And...I think its actually put him on a normal schedule. He didn't go back to sleep then because he'd slept so long, which in turn means he actually took a morning nap instead of his usual 1x a day long nap! Then, a few hours after waking up, took an afternoon nap. He's been happy all day (which is actually how he always is), and I'm so excited! Now...just gotta make sure his tummy handles it ok!

For those who think I'm evil for starting him early, oh well! I have a happy son, whose so far adjusted to it very well, and truly enjoyed a nice, full tummy. I took a poll of a bunch of people around me....and in the people I pulled, I'm actually starting him later than they did....and we all turned out ok! (Well, most of us anyway)! :-)

This experience truly makes up for having to pack up all his newborn clothes the other day. I could have cried I was so sad to pack them up. He is growing up so fast, and I love this stage so its a bit depressing. I think that's why God gives us stages, so when we're sad about packing up newborn clothes, I can be super happy about his gorgeous smile he's flashing at me all day long, and feeding him something other than formula!

Keep us in your prayers, we're awaiting word on medical coverage from BCBS!

New to blogging...

Ok, so I know a few people who have a blog, and I love love love reading them. So...after a little bit of encouraging, I've decided to set one up of my own. Although, its not as easy to create the pages as everyone said it was! :-) I think this will mostly be used as a journal/update for friends and family about our new son Landry, and our lives in general. I hope this helps keep everyone up to date, since we can get bad about calling. Enjoy!