Blessings and a Curse

Today was Luke's 1 month appt. Here are his stats...

Height: 23 inches
Weight: 10 lb., 10 oz.

He has been such a sweet blessing to our family, and I am really thankful for his health and growth so far!

The curse...he has officially been diagnosed with a milk protein allergy. I am thankful that this is two months earlier than Greer was diagnosed, but it is bittersweet for me. I am not looking forward to removing dairy from my diet. I had a pity party about two weeks ago when I felt this day was coming, so most of my thoughts today are cerebral. "How does someone with a milk intolerance (that has never been diagnosed) have two kids with a milk allergy?" "If I had more children, would they have it, too?" "How do I keep giving Greer dairy?" "I cannot eat out for another year of my life!"(a little emotion) More to come, but that's enough for tonight.

Preschool!

Greer has been in preschool for 3 weeks now, but I am finally posting pictures of her first day. Since then we have joined a two-day class, and both she and I are loving every minute. It is really a gift to let her have some time away from our home, and to get some time with Luke. Today Greer came home singing "Rise, Shine, Welcome to school today." She doesn't tell me much about school, but that was an encouraging reminder that she is happy!

Aunt April came to help me that week
A rare picture of Greer and Momma

Family of Four

Having two kids sure does cut your blog time out! We are surviving despite little sleep and all the adjustments of a 2-year-old and newborn in the same house. Greer loves Luke, but her behavior would indicate that the transistion is harder than she can communicate. She has been quite a handful the past few weeks! In the midst of it all, this is Chad's busy time at work + he has a new job. He is managing the pro-turf sales for half of the country, so more travel is required. :) If any of you feel the need to get out of town for a few days, please come and visit!

Here are some pictures Chad and I took last night of Luke's first bath. He is growing quickly! Last Thursday he was 3 weeks old.

Lucas "Luke" Charles Tidd

Our little Luke arrived on August 20, 2009 at 5:21 pm weighing 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 21 inches long. We are all doing well! You can see some pictures we have posted on our Shutterfly webpage, http://tiddfamily.shutterfly.com/ until we have a chance to add some here.

Expecting the Unexpected

Tomorrow marks my 39th week of pregnancy, and to say that I am ready for this little boy to arrive is a bit of an understatement. This week Chad and I have been preparing like mad...

-we both had haircuts

-we cleaned our house

-I made maps of the area around the hospital for our visitors

-I washed and IRONED all of our clothes

-we packed our hospital bags

-I wrapped a present from Greer to the baby and one for a friend that is coming up

-I picked up 12 meals and some sides from Super Suppers

-I dropped off the rocking chair cushions to be recovered

-Chad put together the baby swing

-Chad loaded my car with the baby car seat

At this point, like most pregnant women, I am uncomfortable, overwhelmed, tired, swollen, and very excited. Despite all of the negative physical symptoms, my spirit is overwhelmed with hope. I am filled with joy at the thought of learning his likes and dislikes, the intricacies of his personality, and the details of his physical body. To be completely honest, though, his birth coincides with his sister's refusal to nap, so I am feeling pretty drained.

Now to Chad...He has had the most challenging last few weeks of work! He has asked for one more week before the baby is born. (I will try my hardest, but I have no real control, sweet husband.) He also warned me that if the baby is born on his due date, he will be making a trip to Texas during the first week of September. Yikes!

I am sure that I am not this first woman to be completely overwhelmed at the thought of the expanded responsibilities of an additional child, but I am writing this post to remind my little boy (and myself) how absolutely wanted and loved he was before he was ever known by his earthly parents. God has a way of growing our faith and dependence during seasons of chaos. I am sure that one day we will all look back on this time and see that God was before us hemming us in, and He will be behind us bringing glory to Himself from everything, even our failures. I can't wait to join Chad in bestowing this little man with a special blessing at his birth with amongst other things a name that speaks to the many blessings God has given us through his life.

This post would be incomplete if I did not draw a parallel, if only in my own mind, of the birth of our Savior and how the "chaos" of the events have produced by far the biggest blessing I have ever known. God became man, and chose to make an appearance in the humblest of places, times, and amongst the lowliest of people- a foreshadowing of the humility Christ showed as he suffered a death He never deserved, so that I might know and depend on His heavenly Father. Nothing would bring me more joy than to see my little man embrace the same Christ and to find his purpose wrapped up in a love more vast and complete than what his parents could ever offer.

July Highlights

July has been a busy month for us! Here are some things we have done since my last post.

We enjoyed our first member night at the zoo! Greer loves elephants, so she was excited to see some there. She is captivated by animals, and we only wish it was cooler so that we could take her more often.

Looking at the fish at Riverbanks!Greer helped us set up her "big girl" bed, and has been doing great! This is a picture I took the morning after her first night. I wanted to reward her for staying in her bed until I came to get her.Kate, Amelia, and Natalie spent the day with us on my birthday. Amelia's birthday is July 26th, so I surprised the girls with cake and strawberries (topped with whip cream and a candle) to celebrate.

I was trying to get a nice posed picture of Greer and Amelia together, but this one was by far the cutest. I hope that they have this much joy their entire lives!

Greer with Miss Kate and Natalie. I would be putting it lightly to say that Greer loved Natalie! Guess she is going to enjoy having one in our house soon!
Chad had a conference for work in Wilmington last week, so we went early and enjoyed some of the family-friendly activities they offer. First, the Aquarium. Greer and Daddy petting the alligator statue at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
ps- we got in free with our Riverbanks membership!

Looking at the real alligators

Greer and I had our picture made with the huge frog on the way out! We highly recommend you make a trip to see all the fascinating marine life! They did an especially wonderful job capturing the diversity of the ecosystem found around the local beaches and marshes.

That night we enjoyed a great dinner on the Cape Fear River, a carriage tour of Wilmington, and delicious ice cream!

Greer, Chad, and I went to Wrightsville Beach on Sunday morning. The bright sun bled out much of the color in my pictures, but I wanted to share this fun one while I work on the rest.

Sunday night I got the call that my nephew, Baxter, had been born, so Greer and I went to spend the rest of the week with him and Chad finished up at the conference!

Welcome Little Baxter

For those of you on facebook, let me apologize for the confusion when I welcomed my nephew into the world last week. My sister, Ashleigh, had Paul Baxter Beeson, Jr. on July 26, 2009! They are calling him Baxter, and I must admit that he is a very loved little boy! He is quite a change for my side of the family. Previously, I think that I held the record as smallest baby and I was 8 1/2 pounds. He was 5 lbs. 9 oz., so we are not sure what to do with him. He loves to cuddle and is doing very well at eating. We expect him to fill in, so that he will be ready when his cousin (my baby, no name) is born. Here are a few pictures!

First night in the hospital's nursery

Some of our friends gave Ashleigh this wagon stuffed with baby things! Greer took advantage and had Uncle Paul pull her in it. With a 5lb. baby, he managed to entertain both kids.

Greer is smitten with Baby Baxter!

Precious baby feet are my favorite!