whats been going on

Okay, so there has been so much going on lately I hardly know where to start. I will start with Matty. He is finally finished with his EMBA. It was a long, hard road for him getting this Master's. Instructing full time and going to school, and homework left him and the family with very little time for fun. It's great he's done but I know there is always something else around the corner to take up time. He is looking forward to moving on to Japan. We should be heading out in early February if all goes according to plan.

We are still trying to sell the house. We are in quite the predicament with this place. We, like much of the country, are upside down. So we can take a huge loss up front, or try the rental market. We are now leaning toward renting. Keep us in your prayers. Worst case scenario would be the kids and I would stay behind and Matt would go to Japan for 2 years unaccompanied.

I had some much needed fun a couple weekends ago in the form of a ladies weekend in Nashville. I drove up the Huntsville, dropped the kids off with Mimi and Tutu and wished them well. (Big ups to Mimi and Tutu !!) I had the best time catching up with my Chi-O's. Good friendships are hard to find and I am so thankful for each of them. Due to geography we can't get together often, but when we do it's just like old times. This is a picture from dinner one night - Shelley, Rebecca, Jennifer, Christina, Rebecca, and me.

Brenna is smart as a whip and learning something new everyday. I am always amazed by her. She is currently deciding on what to be for Halloween. This is a big decision for her and she is not taking it lightly. She has been carrying around a Halloween costume catalog searching for the perfect one for her. Still no luck in the potty training department. My hope is that by her birthday we will be there.

Braden is doing well with his bottles and formula. Mimi got him on a schedule while I was in Nashville. I have just been maintaining it. He is taking cereal and some veggies too. I am making his food, I know-I deserve a culinary award right? The thing is, I bought all those conveniently packaged little foods for Brenna when she was a baby. I though Gerber had to make better food than me. My sister was telling me how easy it is and how much $ it saves, so I gave it a whirl. I can't believe I didn't do this before. It is easy and he seems to like it. Although, my little guy might eat poop off a spoon if I smiled and served it up. He likes to eat. On a sad little note he is sick right now. He has some sort of intestinal bug that has left him with diarrhea and a wicked diaper rash. It has been a day and a half so I hope the worst is behind him.

Thats all for now. Jessica

Braden

It's been a while since I posted an update so here goes. During Braden's medical screen to go to Japan, the Dr. suggested his eczema could be related to allergies and scheduled allergy testing. Today Braden had his appointment with the allergist and it turn out he is allergic to eggs, and milk. Poor guy had been on breast milk and I eat and drink everything. I feel kind of sad that in trying to do what is best for him, I was making him sick. We were told to go ahead and wean him and start him on a hypoallergenic formula. Matt and I drove around buying bottles and formula today. Unfortunately this special formula costs twice as much as regular formula. Even worse the first few tries have not been pretty. The Dr. said this formula doesn't taste as good as the others. I think Braden agrees. He would take a few sips, give a nasty little look to whoever was holding the bottle and spit it out. I am sure he just needs a little time to transition, frankly I need a little time too. Gone are the days of always having food available, and cleaning bottles was done with soap in the shower. He should have a pretty quick improvement to his skin and frequent spitting up, once he is exclusively formula fed. My hope is that in time he will out grow these allergies. He can be retested around 2 with a blood test to see if it has resolved. In the mean time I have a lot to learn about shopping and cooking without dairy and eggs. If anybody know of a good recipe or website please let us know.