Do You Believe In Miracles???

I was watching a show last night on OWN, Oprah's new network, called Miracle Detectives. I thought it was really interesting. The premise is that 2 people, one a believer and one a sceptic, go around the world investigating claimed miracles.

This particular episode was about miracles surrounding 9/11.  The first story was one I had actually heard before about a group of 5 or 6 firefighters in stairwell B. They were headed up when the first tower collapsed and they knew they had to get out, so they turned around and started down. They came upon a woman named Josephine who physically couldn't walk down anymore stairs. She was basically just standing in the stairwell waiting to die. The fire-fighters couldn't leave her there so they pretty much dragged her down the stairs with them. They were still in the stairwell when the building started to come down. After the rubble settled... they were all still alive.

So was it a miracle? Later, they talked to a structural engineer who explained that had they been anywhere else in the building they would have perished. The specific structure of the building created a void in Stairwell B. There was an area of I think 10-15 floors they had to be on to survive. They were in that zone and they survived.

One of the firemen was asked... "Do you think God was with you that day?" He said he had a hard time believing God was there with him that day. Why wasn't he with the thousands that perished? Why was he chosen?

Another firefighter, John, had a story. John was in one of the buildings that collapsed and walked away with a few scratches and that's it. He said later, as he was walking over a bridge, I think it was the Brooklyn bridge but that's neither here nor there, he met a construction worker who said he was working on a roof in Brooklyn and saw both of the towers collapse. John told him he was in one of the towers and he survived and was lamenting the tragic casualties that day. The worker told him that God had a way of doing things and God made him survive for a reason and to go out and tell his story. The construction worker then walked off somewhere. When John got to the other side of the bridge he mentioned the worker to some officers wondering where he went. The officers didn't know what he was talking about. They said they saw John on the bridge and John was walking alone.

I'm sure there are many more miraculous experiences that day. Were those experiences just coincidence? Just a handful of lucky people to survive a great tragedy perpetrated by evil men? Or was it something more?

My opinion is this.... just because one person survived and one person didn't doesn't mean God was with one and not the other. Maybe God was with them both. Maybe God has a plan for each of us that we don't necessarily need to understand. Sometimes Logan will get mad at me for making him do something that he doesn't understand.... like keeping his seatbelt on in the car. His mind can't comprehend the fact that he's not safe if he's not wearing his seatbelt properly or not at all. Just as our minds might not be able to comprehend what God's plan for us is. Logan feels safe because he's with me and he doesn't understand yet that bad thing can and do happen. I have a plan for him that includes him not flying out of the windshield if we were to get in an accident. Do you get what I'm saying? :)

I'm not implying that God had anything to do with that terrible tragedy that day. That was the work of downright evil men. Plain and simple. However, I do think God was there that day. Just as He is with us all in our times of need.  Do I think that God chose specific people to survive that day? I'm not sure. It's hard for me to understand how God could do that if we are indeed his children. Could you choose which of your children to save and which to die?

Anyway, enough of my rambling. What do you think? Do you believe in miracles?

It's Been A While....

It appears it's been a while since I posted anything. Well, you're just going to have to wait a bit longer. I hooked up my camera to download pictures and it seems there are 162 images.


While you wait I'll leave you with this lovely image courtesy of peopleofwalmart.com. Enjoy! 


The Mighty Jungle


There isn’t enough camouflage in a freakin’ jungle to cover up that body hair bro!

Halloween Festivities.....

This year we carved pumpkins with Kristin and Tanner. Logan was super proud of his pumpkin. He drew on the face and then I carved it out. 

The finished products. From left... Luke's, mine, Kristin and Tanner's, Logan's, and Kristin's

You can't really tell in this picture but Luke's pumpkin is eating a smaller pumpkin. 

My friends and I get together every Halloween. We've gone to Witches Night Out in Gardner Village the past few years but this year 25th Street had Witchstock so we decided to try that out. It was rainy and cold but still fun. 

Next we have pumpkin carving at my parents house. See how they're concentrating really hard!?!

This night was less than successful. My pumpkin broke when I was almost done with it, essentially ruining the design and Jesse didn't get finished with his.  

 Here we have Ben's, Logan's (again, he drew the face and I carved it), Alicia's and Luke's

And now we've made it to Halloween night. Logan was Venom (from Spiderman) and Isabel was a Ladybug. Her costume was huge but it was the smallest one I could find!

Now a few pics of my kids thrown in for the fun of it...... :)

6 weeks.....

 I meant to post at 1 month but I tend to procrastinate so 6 weeks will have to do! 

Isabel is 6 weeks old this week and the time has flown by. She's growing like a weed! She's starting to get the chubby little baby rolls, especially on her legs! She's also starting to sleep better. We feed her about 9:00 then she wakes up between 2-3 and then again between 7-8. 

She's such a calm baby, I'm still amazed by her. It's funny how siblings can be so different. I wouldn't go so far as to say Logan was a nightmare but he was close! ;) Logan was really fussy, always wanting to be held. Starting at about 2-3 weeks he would start to cry (by cry I mean scream!) about 5 or 6 at night and not stop until 9 or 10 when he fell asleep. This lasted for months! He would also not tolerate being held by anyone but me or Luke. That lasted for years! Isabel will go through periods through out the day where all she wants is to be held but she's equally happy sitting in her chair when I need to shower or make dinner. 

Isabel is definitely a daddy's girl. She loves to lay on his chest. She'll get all relaxed and clasps his shirt with her fists. It reminds me of baby monkeys clinging on to their parents. If I want her to go to sleep all I have to do is hand her to Luke. 

Logan has been really good with her. He's really helpful getting me diapers and burp rags and such. He loves to give her kisses and he tells me all the time... "Mom, I love my sister." So far, he doesn't seem to be jealous of the time Luke and I need to spend with her every day. He's been doing really well at preschool and I think that helps. He can get out and play with kids his own age. We're to the point where I can drop him off at his classroom and say goodbye and he doesn't even blink. He really likes his teacher and there's another kid in his class that's just as obsessed with super-heros as he is! 

So far we've all transitioned from 3 to 4 pretty well. Life is good!

 First bath. Not too happy but now she loves it!

Yes, I blocked out her privates. I didn't think she's appreciate her nakedness all over the internet! :)

A couple days old

 6 weeks old.. and none too happy to be propped up by a giant bear! 

Introducing Isabel....

What's the difference between giving birth to a 9 lb 1 oz baby and giving birth to a 6 lb 4 oz baby? A LOT!!!

Here's the story: I was scheduled to be induced at midnight on Wed. night. Luke and I got to the hospital and got settled in our room. My doc got there about 12:45 to break my water and start the Pitocin (sp?). At this point I was dilated 4 cm and 80% effaced. My contractions started really soon and strong right after the Pitocin started. They checked me 45 minutes later and I was 5 cm and 100% effaced. I labored for a while and got the epidural. About 45 minutes later the nurse come to check me again... everyone was surprised to find I was a 10! So everyone was rushing around setting up all the equipment and I'm laying there trying not to push. My doc finally gets there and they put my feet in the stir-ups and the nurse says to Luke, "Oh, look you can see her head!" I hadn't even started pushing yet! At the next contraction I pushed 3 times and she was out.

It was such a different labor experience than I had with Logan I think I was in shock a little bit that it happened so fast. With Logan I was in labor for 14 hours and I had to push for an hour before he would come out. Stubborn right from the beginning! :)

We're enjoying our little Isabel. She's so different from Logan it amazes me. She looks a lot like Luke and she has hair which we're all really excited about! Logan didn't have hair until he was 2. She's a super good baby... she gets a little gassy and fussy at night but otherwise she's really relaxed and doesn't cry too much.

Logan is adjusting to Izzy really well. We were a bit worried about his reaction to her. He still won't hold her but he will consent to having his picture taken with her and he seems interested in all her little noises. He started preschool on Monday.. a thing I've been stressing about for months... and he did so well. He actually asked if he could go to school today. I think it will be good for him to have something that's his own and not have to stay home with mom and the baby all day.

Here are a few pics:

Cousins....

Logan has not warmed up to Jackson very well. He generally wants nothing to do with him. In fact, the other day Logan called Jackson "that stupid baby". :} Naughty! Anyway, Alicia has been watching Logan for me while I go to my doctor appointments twice a week for the last month and I think it's paying off on the Logan/Jackson front. She said Logan was making faces at Jackson to make him laugh and she even got him to get close enough to Jackson to take some pictures.

So here we have it folks... the world premiere of the very first pictures of Logan and Jackson in the same proximity. Enjoy!

35 Weeks.....

Face and hand at 33 1/2 weeks.

Definitely a girl! From my ultrasound at 20 weeks.

Below: Face, abdomen, and hands at 20 weeks

I had an ultrasound a couple weeks ago to check on the size of the baby and fluid levels. As I mentioned before, babies of diabetic mothers can get quite large so this is of particular interest to me! It appears she is doing fine. She was 4 lbs 11 oz, which my doc informed me places her in the 35 percentile.. which is good. She thinks she'll be a 7 or 8 lb baby, so not small but not large by any means! I really don't want to have to push out another 9 lb child! When it's coming out of your body, even a pound or two makes a really big difference.

I'm doing well handling the diabetes. Diet and exercise ended up not being enough to control my blood sugars, they were still too high so I have to take a medication and that seems to be helping. My doc said that can happen. Sometimes the hormones of pregnancy make it too difficult for some women to control their blood sugar. I still have to be careful about what I eat but I can have the occasional treat! :) I have to admit, at first I was a little ornery about not being able to have my daily can of Coke and having to cut out sweets and cut down on carbs. Now, though, I think I'm getting used to it. I do still get the Coke craving, I think it's a Cripps trait. The Coke gene is in our DNA. I was never a huge sweets girl, it's the carbs I love. I love a good plate of pasta and delicious, warm, buttery, flaky bread. Wow, my mouth is watering as I type ! :) Anyway, developing diabetes has forced me to develop healthier habits which has helped me keep the weight off this pregnancy. Since I was overweight when I started that's a really good thing. In fact, I'm only a few pounds heavier now than when I found out I was pregnant with Logan. Excellent!

At my appointment today I was surprised to learn I am dilated to a 3. I guess that doesn't really mean anything.. I could be a 3 for the next 4 weeks but it's encouraging nevertheless. If I remember correctly at this point with Logan I was a 1 for 2 weeks then a 3 for 2 more. Maybe this baby will be more cooperative. If she doesn't decide to come early, we're still on track to induce at 39 weeks.

Oh and for those of you who haven't heard... we've decided on a name.

Isabel Marie Soares

Isabel is a name we considered for Logan before we knew he was a boy. We'll be calling her Izzy for short.. NOT Belle or Bella!! Marie is a family name from Luke's side of the family.