Dandelion Blessings

My New Friend

2011-04-05T09:51:00.005-05:00

Mommy introduced me to a new friend this week. She keeps calling him Elfie...I wish I could talk so I could tell her that he is an elephant. Poor Mommy...not sure what an "Elfie" is. I will have to break the bad news to her that she doesn't know what she is talking about when I get a little older.
I am not quite sure what she expects me to do with this "Elfie." (we will go with the name for Mommy's sake) Right now I just kind of stare at it. I keep waiting for it to talk to me since everyone else that puts their face in front of mine usually turns into a silly talking goober. :) But as of now Elfie is the quietest friend I have. We like to have staring contests, but that is about the extent of our game playing right now. He looks extremely soft and at times I attempt to touch him, but then I decided not to at the last minute. I am just not sure what will happen if I do. So for the time being I will just enjoy our quiet staring contests until one of us decides to talk. Although now that I am thinking about it, that could take a while. HMMMMM...I better think of a new plan.

Special Delivery

2011-04-05T09:27:00.006-05:00

I received a very special package in the mail last week. It was a surprise to both me and Mommy. I was just excited because my name was actually printed on the box. How fun is that?!!!
Mommy noticed right away that it was from Ohio. This is where my Grammy Arnold is from and where her family still lives. Mommy began opening the box so I could see what was in it, until she suddenly stopped and began to cry. Women can be so emotional sometimes. The suspense was killing me...I just wanted to know what was inside!!!!!
Anyways, I found out that she had seen just enough of what was inside of the box to know that Aunt Gail had sent something to us that was my Great G-Gpa's. It was an antique car that my mommy had played with all the time growing up. My mommy told me how she and my Aunt Alli used to put their Barbies in it and drive it around for hours. It was one of their favorite things at G-PA and G-Ma's house.
And now it had been sent to me. I must say I feel very special. I don't plan to drive it around with Barbies in the front seat, but it will be so much fun to see how many army guys I can stuff in there.
But the package did not stop there. Great Aunt Gail had been busy knitting and sent me an adorable hooded sweater with little bear buttons. It is so warm and cozy. It has been the perfect jacket for me right now since I swim in all the jackets Mommy and Daddy have for me. I wear it every time I venture out to my doctor's appointments. I absolutely love it!
Thanks for sending us such a special box Great Aunt Gail! We loved the surprise!!!

My gift from G-GPA & Aunt Gail

Looking so cute in my new sweater!

Bath Time!

2011-04-01T13:29:00.011-05:00

Doctor's Visit and Mommy Outing

2011-03-29T15:02:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Daddy and Mommy took me to the doctor for my 1 month check-up. I decided to pass the time in the car by taking a short snooze. It is amazing how the car has that effect on me. I usually get in the car awake and leave the car asleep. I think it may be magic...I am just not sure how it does that. I need to get me some of this "magic" stuff...anybody know where I can pick some up?
When we first got to the doctor they decided to make me really mad and take off all of my clothes. For some reason they think they constantly need to be putting me on this cold white object that mommy told me is a scale. Unfortunately they did not do a lot of celebrating this week when they put me on there. Last week I weighed in at 6lbs 6oz which was 2 oz over my birth weight and yesterday I weighed in at 6lbs 6.8oz. So the doctor told my parents that they need to do some extra feedings each day in order to help me gain weight. I thought this sounded like a fantastic idea and could not be happier about getting to eat more.
I have grown 3 1/4 inches since I was born. I am now 21 inches long. Mommy and Daddy are not sure where I am getting the height from, but I may be taking after my Uncle Jordan. I keep warning my Daddy that I am going to be taller than he is. :)
The doctor felt that everything else is looking great. He still hears the heart murmur that I have had since birth. We won't do much about that until 3 or 4 months.
The doctor finally let me put my clothes back on once he was done messing with me. I'm just wondering...how many times do I have to go back to the doctors? Mommy hopes that we keep our visits to a minimum over the years, but I gently reminded her that I am a little boy that plans on keeping her very busy. :)
When we got home from the doctors Mommy and I took a nap while Daddy had to go back to work. It sure was nice having him home for the day though even if he did have to work.

I decided to kick my Mommy out of the house last night for a few hours. I know how hard it has been for her to not be with her dance girls these past few weeks. My Auntie has been doing an amazing job while she has been gone and keeping her informed with everything that is going on. But I know how much it means to my Mommy to spend the last few weeks she has with this team before her seniors graduate and the new season starts. So Daddy and I cuddled up on the couch and watched some DIY network. Mommy managed to stay away for a little over two hours. I wish I could go with her so I can meet the team, but right now it is best for me to stay home for a few more weeks to stay away from germs. I already feel like I know them...I listened to them for 7 1/2 months while I was in Mommy's tummy. They are full of personality! :) I am sure I will love them as much as Mommy does :)

Mommy's Last Post

2011-03-28T17:26:00.004-05:00

Life has completely changed over the past 5 weeks. We have now been home for 2 weeks. It is hard to believe Bronx will be 5 weeks old on Wednesday. I am not sure where the time goes. When I first started this blog to share about my life and my very own dandelion blessings, (see my first post) but that direction has since changed since giving birth to Bronx. As many of you know he was born 5 1/2 weeks early and spent 17 days in the NICU. During that time Tyson and I created a Caring Bridge site to keep our family and friends up to date on his progress. (if you have not seen it here is the link: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bronx
We decided to write each post from Bronx's point of view. It was a way for us to feel a little closer to him while we could not be with him and also gain a better perspective of what he must be thinking about with all that was happening to him in this new world that he had just entered. So hence, this is where the new direction for this blog was born.
So from here on out you will be invited into our lives through the eyes of a little man. I think we would all look at our lives differently if we tried to see our surroundings and experiences through the eyes of our children. It is my hope to do this and in a the process become a better mommy to Bronx and the girls!
We look forward to you all coming on our journey with us as we continue to grow stronger through faith, family and friends! May we continue to celebrate our dandelion blessings that God places in our lives!

First Baby Shower and more to come…

2011-01-11T10:01:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I had my first baby shower. A great group of ladies from my church in Olathe hosted it for me. (Thanks Sidna, Karen W., Karen B., and Barb) My parents were able to make it down for the day so my mom was able to come as well, which really meant a lot to me.

I felt so loved by all the people who showed up to support me and my little man. Baby Harker was given so many wonderful things. It still amazes me how much a little one needs. :)

This weekend we are traveling up to Council Bluffs for a shower that my hometown church congregation is hosting for us. Looking forward to seeing everyone who was part of the wonderful “village” that raised me. We are so blessed to have have two church families that will be part of our little man’s journey.

GOOD NEWS!!!!

2011-01-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

I passed my Glucose Test!!!! Yippee! :)

Baby Update

2011-01-02T09:59:00.000-06:00

Tyson and I can hardly wait for our little man to get here. It is hard to believe that we only have 12 weeks left. (that is if I go full term-Tyson and I were both early, so who knows what may happen) So I thought it was about time to start a blog to keep everyone up to date on what is going on with our family.

At 28 weeks pregnant I am feeling my little man kick and wiggle all the time. He is a mover! Maybe he will be a dancer. :) It is an incredible feeling to know that you have a little person that you were part of creating inside of you. A true miracle! It is so worth all the morning sickness, fatigue, body aches, etc. to know that God has blessed you with one of your biggest dreams…to be a mom. It amazes me daily how much I already love him. :)

We have been busy working on the nursery and getting things ready for his arrival. Tyson got it all painted over Christmas break and it looks wonderful. Thanks to my wonderful parents the baby has a beautiful new bedroom set complete with crib, dresser, and changing dresser. They completed the room with a mattress for his Christmas present. Thanks Mom and Dad!!! You are the best!!!!

The decor of the room is going to be vintage cars. I am blessed to have an amazing artist for a sister that is helping me with a few projects. We have also found some great treasures to hang on the wall and place on his shelves. I will be sure to post pictures as it is completed.

Tyson got the car seat installed in the car last week as well. You can never be too prepared. :) Plus it gives the girls a chance to get used to it being in the car. The big obstacle now is them both wanting to sit by their brother. :) No one wants to be sent to the third row.

Many of you have been asking us about the name. We are not going to share the name until he is born. Sorry…we want there to be some element of surprise.

Thank you to all my family and friends that continue to pray for us to have a healthy pregnancy and baby and who continue to support us through this wonderful and exciting time in our lives. We are so excited to share this joy with you all. We can’t wait for you to meet him as well. He is already such a blessed little boy to have so many people that already love him and care so much about him.

Welcome to Dandelion Blessings!

2009-07-25T09:57:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Dandelion Blessings! Some of you may be asking yourself why the name “Dandelion Blessings?” So many times in our lives we face hardships and weeds sprout up at the most inconvenient times. But when we stop to look at what we are to learn from these moments and how we are to go through these hardships we discover in the end that these moments ARE truly blessings.

As a teacher and now a parent I am frequently reminded of the value of “real” dandelions. Words can’t describe a bouncing, bright-eyed, smiling child running towards you with a dandelion bouquet in their hands. As their small hands reach up to yours it is apparent that their heart is swelling with the utmost pride in the gift that they discovered at their tiny feet and have now given to you. To them it is not about whether they are giving you a dozen red roses or a beautiful pot of tulips. It is about their moment of discovery in something they believe is beautiful. We all were children once…when did we stop believing dandelions were beautiful. More importantly, why?

My hope is to use this blog to share my dandelion blessings with all you. May I have the eyes of a child to see all I am supposed see on my journey and always find moments to stop and be thankful for the dandelions.