The last month

I know this is a long overdue update. Karis is already 5 1/2 months old - hard to believe! She's rolling over and sitting up a little while supporting herself with her arms. It is hysterical to watch her with her brother. Just the sight of him brings a giant smile to her face. He can make her stop crying just by talking to her, even when I can't. And as soon as he starts laughing, she joins him with the cutest giggles. She's already trying to take his toys from him, sometimes rather aggressively (which is pretty funny to watch), and he is already trying to let her know that they are his toys. We talk lots about sharing our toys these days.
Our biggest struggle lately is that she is still not taking a bottle and she has been super fussy lately, which I think is due to teething. She doesn't stay asleep for long, at naptime or night time. So I'm kind of worn out. The other night she woke up at 11 and just screamed for an hour, and we had no idea what was wrong with her. She's also decided that she only wants to be put to sleep one way - that is being held upright with her head on my chest while I walk around with her. Yes, walk around. If I dare sit, she starts screaming, which I've decided is just a royal fit if that's possible at 5 1/2 months. So, we're about to have to start making some changes with sleep stuff and do a little sleep training I guess, though I am dreading it. I think I'm going to try some methods from The No-Cry Sleep Solution - we'll see how it goes.
Anyhow, my precious little girl brings so much joy to our lives. Here are some pics of her recent activities. She has discovered that she has ten little appendages that are fun to chew on, especially the big ones!

She loves her Mimi very much!
What a big girl - Karis can sit for a minute or two

She likes to play on her tummy
Though when she's had enough of it, she's had enough.


She likes to sit on her big brother's car with him, which he frequently requests for her to do
Caleb loves to hold Karis and most days asks to hold her on the couch
Caleb has had a great summer. He took swim lessons with Grammy and really enjoyed it.
Caleb also rode on daddy's bike for the first time, which he loved!
We went to the children's museum at the nature and science center, and I'm pretty sure his favorite was the fire engine!
And most days he enjoys one of the best parts of the summer - a yummy homemade popsicle. So easy - just 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup organic whole milk yogurt, 1 banana, and 1 mango. I just learned how to do this a few weeks ago - so glad I did.
Caleb continues to amuse us with all the funny things he says. He's speaking in full sentences and asks about every 5 minutes "mommy, whatcha doin'?" It's fun to get to talk to him about all sorts of things and to have him interact so much in the conversation. He's so smart and curious and energetic, as well as sweet and kind, and yes, strong-willed and determined, too.
Those sweet moments are some of my favorite. The other day I came downstairs in a skirt (which I never wear lately!) and he said "oh, mommy that's beautiful dress you have on. I love you, mommy"! The best part is I didn't even know he knew the word beautiful. I had never heard him say it until that moment.

Rheumatoid Update

I got so many positive comments after I posted about my RA a few months ago. And so many people have asked me about it since, so I know this update is long overdue.
After I posted about the RA a few months ago, it just kept getting worse. I went to see my rheumatologist but just did not have peace about getting on the meds yet. I wanted to try something else first, but I just didn't know what. One day Marc was at the seminary and ran into an old friend. He was updating him on our lives, including my RA. A girl sitting nearby starting telling him that her mother has RA and she has lots of stomach issues, and that they both did a diet and had tremendous results. The diet is called The Maker's Diet. Funny, several years ago I had purchased the book for $3 at Half Price Books just out of curiosity, but had never even opened it.

So I began to read the book and really just pray about whether or not this was what the Lord wanted me to do. And I absolutely had peace that it was. So I have been on this "diet" - really just an incredibly healthy lifestyle - for about 6 weeks and have had some really amazing relief from the rheumatoid. It has been just absolutely amazing to me to see how the Lord is using it to heal me. I am so incredibly thankful for all that He is doing through this new way of eating. He is using it to bring out a lot of things in my heart that need to be dealt with as well.

Lots of people ask what the diet is all about. Basically, I eat nothing processed, organic fruits and vegetables, grass fed beef with no hormones or antibiotics, free-range chicken/eggs, sprouted grains (Ezekiel bread), nuts, raw honey etc. The author's theory is that all of the pesticides, hormones, antibiotics etc that we put into our bodies is one of the main reasons we have so many diseases now compared to 100 yrs ago. And after seeing how much it has affected my health, I am a believer. It has opened up a completely new way of life for me, and it's so exciting. Some days I feel like I would kill for a Dr. Pepper or Chick fil A, but then I remember how much better I am starting to feel and that I don't need RA meds at this point, and it keeps me going. Besides, most of the food tastes so much better than what I was eating before. And as an extra bonus, I have lost 13 lbs so far!

The Lord is so faithful. I don't know if I will ever be completely free of RA, but I am continuing to feel better as I follow this diet. It is an amazing thing to see that He is my healer.

Karis Update

I love this picture of Karis! She's such a happy girl, and one of the best things about these few pics is that she's wearing an outfit my sister, Emily, wore as a baby. I just think that's really special. Karis looks so comfy in her Mimi's arms - completely stretched out - sound asleep.
She's 4 1/2 months old now, but just had her 4 month Dr. visit. Karis weighs in at 13lbs 9 oz, which is the 50th percentile for baby girls her age. It's funny b/c strangers stop me and talk about how they "just love those fat babies", but Caleb definitely had at least 2 lbs on her at this age. Anyway, she's doing great, sleeping pretty well and still fairly laid back. She's just such a smiley girl, which always makes my day when she looks at me and gives me that big, cute grin. The only quirk we're dealing with is that she won't take a bottle lately. Usually Marc could get her to take it, but last night she wouldn't even take it from him. It just makes it hard for me to get away for more than 2-3 hrs, but if that's all we have to deal with, then I'll take it. We are so thankful for this sweet girl. She is such a blessing and adds so much joy to our lives.

I think this is such a sweet picture of Karis and her Grammy.

She sucks her thumb sometimes - I think it's really cute.
Karis is trying to roll over from her back to her tummy, but she's not quite there yet. She's funny - definitely laid back. She tries a few times, and then decides to play with something instead.


I'll work on posting pictures more often. I know Karis' aunts would especially appreciate it! But I can't make any promises :)

Where to begin?! This kid just cracks us up constantly. The pictures are better than words. But here are some of the funny things he says/does lately:
- Caleb has only had about 4 spankings total in his short little life, and it's always something major that merits a spanking. Well, a few weeks ago he got mad at me for telling him to go to time out. In his anger he turned around and kicked Karis in the head (she was playing on the floor). She, of course, was screaming, and he, of course, had a spanking coming his way. So anyhow I took Karis to her bed to lay her down and told Caleb to wait in his room for me. As I walked into his room I saw him laying over his chair swatting his bottom saying "Caleb spank myself". I had to turn and walk back out of the room so he didn't see me laughing.

- When Karis is crying in the car (which thankfully is becoming much less often!) Caleb starts telling her "almost home baby girl, almost home baby girl". It's so sweet.
The other day I set Karis on the couch to run and do something in the kitchen. She started crying and Caleb came over to her and started patting her leg and saying "It's ok. Mommy be right back baby girl." He's such a good big brother!

- Caleb is really into baseball right now, and he can hit and throw really well. The funny part is that he always wants to wear his baseball cap AND his helmet, so this is what we get :)


Is this not the epitomy of summertime?!
We went to visit Marc and his students at the end of the school year. Caleb was such a ham and had lots of fun playing baseball w/the students.

Bluebonnets

These pics are from a couple of weeks ago, but I still had to post them. My fave is the last one of Karis. I don't know if you can tell, but her eyes are almost the same color as the bluebonnets!

Is this just the sweetest face you've ever seen?! I know it's been so long since I've updated everyone with pictures, and I've had several asking for some...so here's another marathon blog. Life has been pretty crazy in the Rose house lately. Karis is growing so fast. She was almost 11 pounds at her 2 month visit, and now she's almost 3 months old. I think she's about 12 pounds or so right now. Her first smile was the day she turned 6 weeks old, and she's been all smiles ever since. She's a very happy baby and still fairly laid back, though she doesn't seem to like to be in her carseat too much. She sleeps pretty well at night, thankfully, and not all that much during the day, which I am still trying to figure out!
Caleb is 30 pounds and just a bundle of energy. He talks non-stop in long sentences and keeps us laughing with the funny stuff he says. The other day he was sitting on the floor playing, stood up and announced "Caleb go poop. Under table. Bring train"! So he proceeded to grab his train and walk under the table to do his business. Too funny. He's also helping me to understand why they call it the "terrible twos". Don't get me wrong - this stage is lots of fun, but it's also really hard. He's very strong-willed (hmmmm....somehow I think he comes by this one honestly!) and is not easily deterred from what he wants to do. Some days I feel like all I do is discipline and send the kid to time out. But I know that the consistency will pay off eventually. It is so amazing to watch him absorb everything around him. The other day I was reading my Bible and he pointed to it and said "Bible. Jesus." Then later that day in the car he said "Jesus Loves Caleb. Jesus Loves Mommy. Jesus loves Daddy. Jesus loves Karis". Filled my heart with joy.

Ok, so here's our sweet Karis - getting to be such a big girl already
Karis and Pappi - sorry I forgot to rotate the picture!
Caleb loves to play outside. Playdough, color wonder, crayons, and the new water table are his favorite activities. Our "backyard" is keeping him happy and occupied.
Thanks for this adorable outfit Aunt Janice!
My sweet babies!
LOVE this pic - this was a dress that I wore when I was a baby! And what is it about ruffled tights that are so stinkin' cute?!

Easter egg hunt in Mimi and Pappi's backyard. We scored big this year - there was cash in the eggs along w/some jellybeans!

Caleb turned 2 at the beginning of April. It was a sports theme. I made this yummy cookie cake - I was pretty impressed with myself :)
Caleb even had a bounce house...thank you Grammy!