Mylea Lou turns ONE!

I can't believe my baby is ONE! It has been a whirlwind year and she has been the perfect addition to our family!

Much like her sister, Mylea came into this world earlier than expected.(For me, that's a good thing. Less time to stress about the "what ifs" and more time to enjoy and love on our second miracle!) In the previous days leading up to Mylea's birth I was swollen and miserable. I also had a headache that I just couldn't shake. And I never get headaches. So, early Saturday morning ,on July 6...about 3:30 am, I decided I should probably get my blood pressure checked because this could be one of those high blood pressure headaches. Ridiculous, I know. But where do you go to get your blood pressure checked in the middle of the night? Wal Mart of course. :) Bay was with my parents as I had attended a college roommates wedding the night before so Colb and I made the trek to Wal Mart. Their BP machine was broken, but since it's Wal Mart they had one I could buy. We came back home, Colb went to bed and told me to wake him up if I needed him, and I proceeded to take my BP. I have always had a low BP, but on this day it was something crazy like 170/112. I don't remember exactly, but after three high readings I called the on call doctor. He told me to come in to Labor and Delivery and we would run some tests and go from there. So I woke up Colby, called my parents just in case, and off we went to the hospital. We were 3 weeks before Mylea's due date. I asked Colb what he thought was about to happen. His response was, "I think we're going to be here a long time, spend a lot of money, and come home." Apparently he thought I was being dramatic about the whole thing. ;) We made it to the hospital, talked to the nurses about what was going on, and got changed into a hospital gown. The mood was pretty light, but after the first time they took my blood pressure the mood completely changed. Doctors were called, IVs were hooked up, medicine was given, and I was told to expect to meet my baby girl within the hour. Wait, what?!?! The hour?!?! Then the nurses started doing their "shop talk" around me. I hate "shop talk". I appreciate everything they do, but I am the type of person who does not need to hear it.  They were saying things like, "Wow that's a high blood pressure". "I know, we've already given her a dose of ___." "Give her another. " "How close is the doctor?" "Let's start the magnisium." "Ok, now we're going to give you a med to raise your BP so you don't bleed out in surgery. "  My response: "Wait. Stop. I'm not ready. I don't think this is a good idea. We should wait until my regular doctor comes back in a few days. I don't feel so well. I can't really breathe. I feel like maybe I'm about to die. Let's just wait". Uh , yes, I was panicking. Their response, "Let's give her a dose of _____ to ease the stress. " And everything after that was sunshine and rainbows! Seriously. It was a great birthing experience after that! And the best part?



                                                                              This...

I got to kiss her as soon as she was born.  

Her daddy got to be the first one to snuggle her and hold her tight 

I held her and I never had to let go.   

She was perfect and she was ours. 

Bay's first time meeting Mylea. 

Our sweet 7lb 8 oz bundle 

What a difference 12 hours can make!

Mylea Lou, your daddy and I love you so much. You are a miracle from our God and you are fearfully and wonderfully made. We praise Jesus for the opportunity to parent you here an this earth and we pray that you would grow to love Him all the days of your life. 

And so goes another year...

Another school year has come and gone...again!

Honestly, most of this year was a blur for me.  They say that going from one kid to two kids isn't really that big of deal because you're still in "man" defense.  They say it's going from 2 kids to 3 kids that's tough because then the parents are outnumbered. Well...let me tell you..."they" lied.  Going from 1 kid to 2 kids has rocked my ever fragile world!  I love both of my children soooo much.  More than I could ever appropriately put into words, but...good grief...they have thrown some curve balls at me this year!

Baylor turned 3 last July.  3 was a doozy of a year for our Baylor girl!  She found her will, she formed her opinions, she drew her ill-advised line in the sand (daily), annnnnnd she punked us...multiple times!  You know, I honestly thought that the fact that when I got baptized and was pregnant with Baylor that that would give Baylor some kind of Holy Immunity to the hard headed genes she was doomed to inherit(from her father's side..obvs), but it didn't.  At. All.  Thankfully, along with her new sense of independence also came growth and maturity.  She has become one of the SWEETEST big sisters you will ever see...and she's only 3!  She has one of the funniest personalities (when she's in the mood) that you will ever encounter...and she's only 3! :)  She has the most contagious laugh and irresistible dimple.  Thank goodness for her dimple...it's the only thing that spares her poor bottom sometimes. ;)

Mylea, also born in July, is now 10 months old.  She is a completely opposite baby than Baylor was.  Baylor was perfect.  Literally.  Never cried.  Always slept.  Super easy going. Mylea, well...she's not so much any of that.  She's a scheduled baby. And she needs to stay on that schedule or else chaos will undoubtedly ensue.  We had to leave many a soccer games early this year bc Mylea needed her bed.  Immediately.  The silver lining though is that she looooves her mommy! :)  When she wakes up too early, she will go back to sleep contentedly on my chest.  She loves for mommy to hold her.  Now that she can crawl, wherever I go she goes.  She's my little shadow.  Although she doesn't have any dimples she still has the sweetest smile that lights up her whole face! She's a climber.  She's a put everything she can find in her mouth-er. And she loves her big sister Baylor.  If I need her to smile I just call Bay.  Bay can always get her to smile.  I love watching them together.  It's the best.  And I LOVE my Mylea girl! 

 First and last day of PDO.

A hole!  Let's see if I fit?!

 Baylor found "treasures" and put them all on.

Look Mom!  I ate a marker!

Sister love

It wasn't teeny...and it wasn't yellow polka dots, but it sure was cute!

Mylea and her friend Bowen. Same chair each pic. New born, 4ish months, and 10 months.

Mommy's chest :)

Just another day in the Land of Baylor!

Wake up Mom!

Presh.

Adorable

My: I want that! Bay: Back up sis...

Too cool for school.

Daddy love

 Laughing

Thank you Jesus for these two precious lives.  I love them so.

This and that

It's Spring Break, woo hoo!!!! Even though I don't actually have a spring break, it's still nice to have the hubs home a bit more and have family come visit us on their break!

Colb is in his FOURTH season at Poteet. Crazy that it's already been that long! Getting to the games has been quite the event for me this year. 2 kids. One mommy. Different needs. I stink at time management in general...Let's just say if you see me at a game I resemble a flustered, homeless, bag lady who happens to have two cute kiddos. :) Thank goodness Colby's mom comes to most of the games! And those of you who have more than two kids and you actually make it out of your house to go anywhere, bless you!

 The girls are keeping us busy as usual. Baylor has an imagination that makes me think she is going to be a super creative outside the box thinker OR she's going to be "that kid" who's best friend is her imaginary purple elephant...when she's 20... ;) Bay has started warming up to her role as Big Sister and it really is so sweet to see her interact with Mylea. Bay LOVES to make Mylea laugh and Mylea just lights up anytime Bay is close to her. Speaking of Mylea, at 7 months old she FINALLY started sleeping through the night! I was feeling slightly delirious and very sleep deprived when I saw where another mommy friend was using Moms On Call. It's a different way of sleep training babies that I had never heard of before but really worked for us. You can read more about them here. Now she is soooo much happier! The nursery workers don't cringe when we drop her off on Sundays anymore ( totally kidding, they're always awesome) and we have actually had people comment on what a good and happy baby she is. Shocking!

Bundled up for Daddy's soccer game

 

Mylea says,"You gotta be kidding me."

Sweet sister moment

Sooooo many rolls!!!

Big girl picked out her clothes and shoes and dressed herself!

Totally posed, but looks so cute!

My crazy funny world! 

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

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AHHHHHH!!!!!

That is how I feel sometimes. Just so completely out of control that I just want to scream, AHHHH! Make it stop!

This year has definitely been the toughest year to date in parenting. Baylor is sooooooo strong willed. And Mylea, well, she cries. A lot. And sleep is hit or miss.

This past week has been even more stressful. I found out that not one, but TWO of Baylor's Christmas gifts will not be arriving by Christmas because I ordered them online and thanks to Icemageddon 2013 the trains were all delayed.  I then found out that my credit card info may be stolen due to the in store purchases I made at target a few weeks ago.  And to top it all off, our washer broke and flooded our laundry room. Twice.

So, I prayed. I cried. I talked. I laughed. And I tweaked my thinking.

I am thankful for the mishaps. I am thankful for the challenges that have come my way. I am thankful  for this season of life. Because that's exactly what it is. A season.

I am thankful for Baylor's strong will because that is the way our Creator designed her. I am thankful for the opportunity to parent her and I pray that we teach her, and Christ molds her, to use her strong will for the glory of his kingdom.

I am thankful for sleepless nights because it means that once again God has blessed us with a miracle. Mylea Lou is cutest and chunkiest thing you have ever seen. Her gummy smile will melt your heart and I cannot wait to watch her grow.

I am thankful that even though 2 of Baylor's gifts will not be here on time, we still have so many family members that love her and love to spoil her that she will be none the wiser this Christmas season. We are so blessed by our family in so many ways. This is just one small monetary way they show their love for our family.

I am thankful that we have a washing machine that is getting worn from the wear and tear that a family of 4 can bring on it. There was a time when I was unsure if we would ever be past a family of 2. I am also thankful that it was a reparable part!

I am thankful that these petty things are my biggest stressors.

I am thankful for a Creator who loves me so much that he would send his son to save a wretched soul like me. And I am thankful for this season to celebrate his life that he so selflessly gave for us.

So take that bad attitude! And here are some pics of our little brood!



Her shirt says, " Dear Santa, Does Nice-ish Count?" I thought it was pretty funny :)

Good things come in small packages. 

What does a fox say?

She's a happy little elf!

Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Baylor's First Soccer Game

Today was Baylor's FIRST soccer game....and it was hilarious!  Well....I thought it was funny, her daddy, who was also coaching her, did not quite see the humor that I did! :)

Baylor looked so good during warm-up before the game.  She was dressed the part, made contact with the ball a couple of times, and very proud of her self for scoring a goal, even though it didn't count and no one else was around

 

 She was a great cheerleader while she was waiting her turn in the box...

And...that's about where Baylor's contributions to the game both started and ended.  She was super fast though at getting back to her line after the other team scored a goal...which they did...a lot! 

U-TURN!

 There was one moment when Baylor had the opportunity to stop the ball from going in the goal, but instead she screamed and jumped out of the way.

From there it just got worse...you can actually see her Daddy's spirit breaking in this video...

Despite all the mishaps Baylor was all smiles and had a great time running around the field with her buds, I got some good laughs, and Colby got to practice patience.

Thanks to the Baylor Fan Club for making the drive down to see her play!  Love you all!

Happy Birthday Mylea Lou!

Mylea Lou entered this world 3 weeks early at 7:51am on July 6, 2013. She weighed 7lbs 8oz and was 19 1/4 inches long.  After 3 years of just loving Baylor, I didn't see how it was possible for me to love 2 girls as much as I loved one, but,  the moment I heard Mylea cry I, for the second time in my life, fell instantaneously and overwhelmingly in love with our second little miracle Mylea Lou.

The day Mylea was to be released from the hospital her jaundice levels were too high and they decided to keep her an extra day to do light therapy. I didn't think it was too big of a deal, but when I saw the little head piece she had to wear I had a mini cry session. She looked so pitiful! I was also worried that when Baylor saw Mylea with the lights and head piece she would be scared, but in true Baylor form she said, "Oh look! Mylea's wearing a headband!"

Since Mylea's birth we have celebrated mine and Colby's  7th wedding anniversary, Baylor's official 3rd birthday (though she didn't realize it), and are adjusting to life as a family of four! We are so thankful to God for this sweet season of life!

James1:17-"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

 Here are a few pics from the hospital and life at home.

What's in a name?

Today we found out we are being blessed with a SECOND little girl! She is perfect and has already stolen our hearts! We are excited, shocked, thrilled, and so in love!

Now, the next question after, "What are you having?" Is always, "have you thought of a name? " Then if it's not a very common name the next question is usually, "How did you come up with that?" So, let me go ahead and answer these questions for you! Yes we have thought of a name, Mylea Lou Peek. Mylea is pronounced Mylee. We used the spelling of "lea" after Colby's sister Jennifer Lea. The name Lou comes from my sister as that is what I call her. I don't call her Lindsey, I call her Lou. So this sweet girl is getting named after two of the most important and influential people in my and Colby's life. Our sisters! We pray that these two are as close to each other as we are with our sisters. And if Baylor is half as good to Mylea as Jenn and Lou have been to us, well, Mylea is going to be one blessed girl. :)

Blessings- The Peeks