The rest of the story.

As promised, here is the rest of what has been happening in the Phelps family.
After 20 years in the Air Force, Jeremy is now in active preparation for retirement. It has always been assumed, by everyone including us, that we would go back to Texas to settle down after all was said and done. But as the time for the REAL decision drew closer we found ourselves second guessing that forgone conclusion. After months of quiet discussion and weighing all the pros and cons we decided, that after 6 years in New England, and all that comes with life in New England...

THE PHELPS FAMILY WILL BECOME NEW ENGLAND TRANSPLANTS.

While we know this is not exactly happy news for a lot of you, we believe that you love us enough to know we didn't make this decision lightly and that we truly believe this is what is best for us at this time.
On this note, we have put a deposit down on a new rental home in Hudson, New Hampshire. We will pick up the keys on the 15th of this month and move in on October 21st. We are very excited to start this new chapter in our lives. The new house will allow us to continue to be actively involved in our wonderful church (One of our main reasons for wanting to stay in New England), as it is only about 30 minutes away.
The house is a 3-bedroom, 1 & 3/4 bath detached condo. Meaning it is a separate house, but with the amenities of a condo. All of the living area is on one floor, which we are all very happy about. In addition to the bedrooms and bathrooms on that floor we have the living room, dining room, kitchen, and laundry. One of the things we love about this house is that the 2-car garage is automatic so we can drive in out of the elements with the baby and the basement is partially finished. So on the lower level we also have a room we will use for Austin's "little man cave" and a room that extends almost the entire length of the house that I will get to have as my craft/scrapbooking room (so ladies, as soon as I'm settled feel free to come and crop anytime.) There is also a small storage room off of my scrap room, so we shouldn't need to store much(if anything) in our garage.
Here are some pictures of the new house from the rental listing. I will take more pics after we get the keys and get moved in.

This is the front view.

The side view from the street.

The living room.

The kitchen and edge of dining room and slider to deck.

Dining room and slider to deck. (no. chandelier is not in corner, just a weird angle on pic)

Well that's the big news. Other news is David had his 4mo check up on October 7th. He weighed 14lbs 1oz and was 25 3/4 inches tall. He got his 2mo shots. (I know they were late, I waited until he got thru the weight crisis. We'll catch up.) We also got the results of the hip ultrasound from last month. They think he might have Developmental Displasia Hip. Which means that because he was breech, his hip joint/socket didn't form correctly. So he has an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon on the 23rd. During his 4mo check up the Dr examined the length of David's legs, because this problem tends to make one leg shorter, David's were the same length. I didn't ask, but she also didn't mention hearing the "hip click" which is one of the signs/symptoms of DDH. I have everyone I know praying for David. I believe the ortho doc will not find any signs of DDH either. David's dr. didn't mention any results about the echocardiogram. So I'm thinking no news is good news. I will have to remember to check at the 6mo check up.
On a more fun note...David started solid food this past week. On Wed evening we introduced rice cereal for his bedtime meal. He LOVES it. He ate it all. He took to eating off a spoon like he'd been doing it for years.

"No silly baby, don't eat the bib."


"Hurry up Mommy! I need food NOW!"


Open wide!


"Hmmm. This stuff is pretty good."


"I like my food."

He did so well that I added a second meal this morning. So now David has cereal twice a day in addition to his bottles. He is such a big boy now.
Also, in addition to praying for David's hip, please pray for me. The doctor diagnosed me with Postpartum Rheumatoid Arthritis on Friday. While it's nice to have a name for the pain, the treatment is slow and can be difficult. So if you could keep me in your prayers I'd appreciate it.
I will do my best to update at least every couple weeks with pics and stories.
Right now the Phelps family is anxiously awaiting a visit from Nana and Gramps. They will be here Tuesday. We are looking forward to having family here for a little while.

"And now you know... the REST of the story!" ~Paul Harvey

"It's been HOW LONG since I updated the blog?"

Wow! As you can probably guess life got VERY busy after my last blog update. I can't believe it has been almost 3 months. So bear with me, this will be pretty long but I'll try to be brief.

Let's see, I'm just gonna start with the end of July and try my best to share all that God has brought our way.
July 18th- Austin was Sir Lancelot in King Arthur's Quest presented by Missoula Children's Theater Group. The group travels as teams of two adults from place to place putting on plays. They hold auditions, cast the show, and hold their first rehearsal on Monday; rehearsals are Tuesday thru Friday; then they have two shows on Saturday. This is the second time Austin has worked with them.














(Sir Lancelot & Lady Guinevere)















"My Lady!"
(Raven, Talisin, Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere and King Arthur)


(Arthur, Dragon, Guinevere, and Lancelot)

August was a very eventful month.
It started out simple enough, with David meeting Maddie.
As always Maddie is a great big sister who loves her little brothers and is loved in return.

Maddie with her very "serious" baby brother.


Maddie and David playing at the commissary. Maddie had him so happy that he laughed, out loud, for the first time.

We also took the kids to Six Flags while Maddie was here. We all went to Hurricane Harbor, the water park at Six Flags New England, the first day. I realized after that first day that David was really not ready for theme parks. So he and I stayed behind at the hotel the second day. I had my new laptop so I was good to go. It was very relaxing for me and David, yet Jeremy and the kids were able to go and have fun without us holding them back.

Here I am with my boys at the water park. (Isn't David's little swimsuit adorable. Although he didn't actually get wet he was dressed for it.)


Here are Daddy and David with Marvin the Martian. David's first character greeting.


Jeremy and Maddie were thrilled to finally meet Yosemite Sam.

Jeremy had a busy month. After we took the kids to Six Flags, had family pictures taken, and reluctantly sent our daughter back home, Jeremy also had the Med Group Picnic for work and then he was able to finally see one of his dreams come to life. He has wanted to put together a wrestling show for the troops on the base for years. He was finally able to see that happen. With the help of Chaotic Wrestling, Hanscom Air Force Base hosted The Minuteman Brawl .


Here are my boys at the Med Group Picnic.


Jeremy was one of the med group members voted to receive a pie in the face and I paid $50 for Austin to be able to do it. (Don't worry, the money went to a good cause, the med group booster club.)

At the Minuteman Brawl, Jeremy ended up in the ring partnered with Chaotic wrestler, Rick Fuller. They defended the honor of the men and women of the United States Air Force, which had been attacked by The Golden Greek Alex Arion and The Real Deal Brandon Locke.

Jeremy and Rick get ready to do business.


Jeremy manages to slow down Locke with an arm wringer.


Fuller paces the apron waiting for an opportunity to help Jeremy, as Arion drives his knee into Jeremy's back.


Jeremy and Rick Fuller finally have their hands raised in victory after Col Mac counted the pin because the ref was injured.

We finished off the month with a family outing, with our church, to a Lowell Spinners game. The Spinners are a minor league baseball team here in Massachusetts. In spite of the rain at the beginning of the game, we had a great time.

Here's David all snuggled up in his new blanket and under his Spinners rain poncho.


Our family at the game.


Random pictures from the last couple months.

"Wait a minute! Didn't we lay him down on his tummy?"


"You come to me with this on the day of my only daughter's wedding?"
I didn't know The Godfather wore pooh bear diapers.


"Since I can't eat popcorn yet, this is the next best thing!"

David also had his 2mo checkup back in August. When he went for his 2 week checkup he was in the 25th percentile for weight, however at the 2mo. checkup he had dropped to the 2nd percentile. He had only gained a couple of pounds. So I had to quit nursing him, pump & measure, and supplement with formula. After lots of prayer & many weight checks David's weight has been on a steady climb. He was up to 12 lbs 7 oz at his last weight check, so the Dr said he was doing fine and we could follow up with his 4mo check up.
At the 2wk checkup the Dr had ordered a hip ultrasound because David was breech in utero. We did not get the appointment before the weight issues began. At the 2mo checkup the Dr thought she heard a slight heart murmur. So she ordered an echo-cardiogram to find out. We had them both done Sept 24th.

David may have a career in medicine some day. He insisted on helping the ultrasound tech and did not want to watch the Baby Einstein video she put on for him. Instead he watched the ultrasound machine.


By the time we got to the hip ultrasound, David was tired and hungry, but he still managed to hold his own bottle for a minute or so.

Well, since this is so long I will stop here and I'll post again in a day or two about what has already happened in Oct.

2 family visits, 1 dedication, and 5 days at camp...

July has brought us lots of fun.

We've had visits from grandparents ready to meet their newest grandson.

1st my mom came to spend 10 days with us. This visit was wayyyy too short. I missed her as soon as we got her from the airport.

(Shelley's mom aka Grandma)

(Grandma & David at church)

(Grandma & David getting in some last minute quality time.)

Jeremy' parents also got to come visit. Their visit was too short, too. They were only able to come for the weekend.

(meeting Jeremy's mom aka Nana)


(cuddling with Jeremy's dad aka Gramps)

I wish they all could've stayed longer.

Although these visits were much too short, they were all here to share in a very important moment in David's life...his dedication. Here's a couple of pics from it.

(Thank you Sandra and Stephy for taking pics for us.)

(Austin, Gramps, Nana, Grandma, Daddy, Mommy, and David)

(Pastor Rick presenting David to the congregation.)

After the grandparents left it was time to start preparing for Austin to go to Jr. High Youth Camp in New Hampshire.

He didn't take any pictures because he was having too much fun, he said, but here's some links to videos taken by someone at camp. They are of all the different youth groups there, but Austin is in all of them.

Monday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qpg3pPcFpk

Tuesday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO9ktcGwN7E

Wednesday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwLtY_HRDrI

Thursday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfhyUOoOpz0

While Austin was away at camp...which by the way, made the house too quiet...esp. during the day...David and I survived our 1st week truly alone (during the day). Not that we have needed anyways near the amount of help that I had feared we would, it was nice having the company.

We (well Jeremy and Austin) are busy at VBS this week. David and I went the first night, but I think we'll sit out the next couple ones...it's just too much for him. We will go on Thursday for the closing night. I'll try and get some pics...esp of Jeremy in the skits. Jeremy enjoys being a part of VBS in this way.

Firsts and Father's Day

This week marks a few firsts for our happy little family.

We welcomed our first out of town visitors, my friend Valori and her daughter Sami. It has been very nice having help and company. I think they're enjoying the visit, too.

(David cuddling with Aunt Val and Sami)

And today, the 21st, marks a few more firsts...Jeremy's first Father's Day with David, Our first Sunday morning church service with David, and David's one month birthday.

It's hard to believe it's been a month already, but on the other hand, it's impossible to remember life with out him.

Thank you Lord for our beautiful miracle.

(Daddy and David enjoying their first Father's Day together.)

My First Trip to the Doctor...by David Timothy Phelps

Today was my first appointment with my new pediatrician, Dr. LeBlanc.

When we got there I was awake and happy. Just enjoying some time with these people, I think their names are Mommy and Daddy. It was good. Then we went for a walk to a new room I've never seen. Mommy?, we'll call her that, because I don't know her by any other name, took my nice warm clothes off, but the room was warm so I didn't mind too much. Then she laid me on a hard table thing and some one told her I had gained weight. I weighed about 6lbs 12oz when I left the hospital and today I weighed 7lbs 11oz, so I almost gained a pound. The funny part came next. When I was born they told Mommy and Daddy that I was 21.5 inches long...pretty tall, maybe I'll play basketball or do something else tall. Today, even though they checked twice and Mommy helped, I am only 20.5 inches....some thing's fishy here.

Here I am on the scale... Height and weight check...

Then we went over to another very colorful room...but I still only had eyes for Mommy and Daddy...maybe in a few months when I start tracking objects that room will be more fun. This is where I actually met Dr. LeBlanc. She seems pretty nice. She gave me a thorough exam...some of it I didn't exactly enjoy, but in the end she says I am doing great. My weight is in the 25th percentile, my height is about 30th percentile, and my head circumference is in the 25th percentile.

All tired out from the busy visit with the doctor. (too tired to even turn the picture.)

Overall, my first visit to the doctor wasn't too, bad. Mommy and Daddy were very glad to hear I was gaining weight and doing everything I'm supposed to. I will make sure they keep you all posted on all the fun new things I do.

Until then, here are some pics of me:

Cuddling is one of my favorite things to do...doesn't look like Daddy minds, either.

Here I am checking out some of the cool things Mommy and Daddy bought me.

Here are some pictures from my first bath at home. The bath part wasn't too bad, but it was really cold afterwards....brrr.

Life as we know it, is no longer the same...

A lot has changed since my last post.

At that time we were waiting for test results, praying for God's hand to be on me in the final days of pregnancy and during the delivery, and wondering when we would be welcoming our new little bundle of joy.

Well, the test on Sat. came back with elevated protein (a sign that pre-eclampsia was looming on the horizon), but my blood pressure was doing fine...so the doc said we could wait until Thursday to deliver, as long as blood pressure was still ok on Monday. Baby was still breech so c-section was inevitable. Blood pressure stayed ok, so Thursday morning it was. May 21, 2009.

I was so nervous about the c-section...well, actually about the recovery from it. The recovery after Austin's birth, while not as bad or as long as some, was quite painful and difficult. And considering my weight gain since then I was concerned this one would be worse. So I started calling everyone I know asking them to pray for me and the baby and the surgery and the recovery...etc.

Guess what???

GOD LISTENED!!!

Just so you understand how amazing this is to me... I have to give highlights of the delivery and recovery with Austin.

Oh wait, I can't. I was so heavily drugged before hand I can't remember the first day and I was in such pain after the surgery I formed an unnatural bond with my morphine pump...

With David it was totally different.

We got to the hospital at 6am on Thursday, May 21, 2009.

Awake, alert, and uncannily aware that we were having a baby in a few hours. It was awesome. Jeremy & I kept looking at each other saying "Wow! we're having a baby".

My nurse, Mandy, was there. (We met Mandy at our 1st NST back in April and we hit it off. She requested to be the nurse at my delivery and was.)

Dr. Rubin got involved in delivering another baby so our "scheduled" c-section started about an hour off schedule, but it all went well.

At 9:09am they began prepping me for surgery and at 9:34am they delivered my baby boy, David Timothy.

He weighed 7lbs 4.5oz and was 21.5inches long. He is beautiful and perfect and definitely created in God's image.

Our first "family" picture.

Later this summer we'll have to get some with big sister and big brother so we'll have a complete family picture.

The rest of the time in the hospital was amazing. I was never IN PAIN...uncomfortable and a little achy, but no real "double ya over" pain.

We are home now and starting to adjust to our new life. Jeremy had to go back to work yesterday, so we will have our real test next week when David and I brave the days at home alone.

We will be welcoming friends and family over the next month to 6 weeks as they come to meet David and we'll keep everyone posted as he grows and reaches new milestones.

I want to end this post giving credit where credit is due...

God is good. He is faithful. He is always with us and never forsakes us. He hears our prayers, listens to our pleas, and when it is in accordance with His will, he grants us the desires of our hearts.

I have prayed for this baby over the last 9 years. I have pleaded with the Lord and begged. I have bargained and I have lost hope, but when I finally opened my heart to accept His divine plan and truly submitted to His perfect will, He showed me that He was there all along listening, and waiting for me. He blessed me beyond measure with my baby boy and He proved that he never forsakes me by taking care of me through this pregnancy, delivery, and recovery. Our great physician is even greater than I realized. He provided a level of care for me that was greater than I could even conceive. Not only did I not develop pre-eclampsia...Not only did I have an uneventful, and very comfortable delivery....Not only did I recover in record time...but he let me truly enjoy every second of it and I am still in blissful awe of how wonderful my life is.

Thank you Lord.

"Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4