2 Years of Blessings

2008

2010


I recently told a friend that I promised to post something on December 5th, and here it is!!! Two years ago today, I sat at the hospital waiting for the Dr to make rounds and decide if we got to come home or not. After several hours of waiting, the decision was made that we were coming home. Oh, how I remember the emotions of that day.

Now, 2 years later, here we are. I now have 2 toddlers running, climbing, talking, and needless to say, keeping me VERY busy! I have not posted since Spring, so there is NO way for me to update you on everything, but I will do my best.

I will try to give you personal updates on the babies.

Reid now weighs 26 pounds. He warms my heart. He is a very tender child and loves to show affection. He deosn't talk much, but then again, he doesn't have much of a chance with Rylee. His asthma and allergies are now under control. He takes Singulair everyday and we doing a breathing treatment everynight to prevent asthma flair ups. So far, this has been very successful.

Reid loves his Daddy more than anything, and anything that Brent likes, Reid also likes. From tractors to sports to outdoors. His life is complete as long as Daddy is willing to let him be a part of things.


Rylee is up to 25 pounds!!!! She is my dominant child. She is the boss. She talk for Reid, and makes his decisions for him. He has started to rebuke her some, but not much. She is also very close to being OCD, if she isn't. Cabinets have to be closed, she picks up toys, she can't stand for her hands to be dirty. It is amazing the things that will send her into a tail-spin! She keeps up with where everything is, both for her and Reid. When we get ready to go somewhere, you will hear her saying "Here Reid, Jacket. Here Reid, shoes. Here Reid, cup."



She even tried to change his dirty diaper....


The summer was a blast! I had so much fun with the babies. We swam a lot! We also enjoyed going to the sandbar every chance we had. The babies loved playing in the sand.







With Megan cheering this year, we tried to make it to as many football games as possible. Both of the kids loved it, and it gave us something to do on Friday nights. The babies learned quickly that on Fridays we cheer for the "Cats" and on Saturdays we cheer for the "Dawgs!" Rylee had her cheers down pat.






In October, our church family suffered one of the largest tragidies I have ever been a part of. Rob and Jessica Donaho went to work like any other day, and left their 4 month old baby with the sitter. When he went down for his nap, he never woke back up. I have never experienced such pain as this. It was a hurt I can't explain. But with the help that only God can offer, they got through it. I learned such a life lesson from their loss. Life is day to day, and each day I make sure that my family knows how much I love them. Lyric River Donaho touched the life of so many, during his 4 short months.


Rylee, Jessica, and Lyric

On October 28th, the babies turned 2. That date will always be bitter-sweet. Well, actually the 27th! That is the day I went into labor. Lots of emotions resurface starting around October 16, and I think that will happen for years to come.

We had a big birthday celebration here at the house. Friends and family came and enjoyed a hayride with us. It was beautiful weather that day, and the party was perfect!






After their birthday party, we hosted the Rufuge Church Halloween hayride for the youth at the Shop. It was a lot of fun, and Megan gave her testimony that night. Two weeks prior, on her way home from cheer, she flipped her car 4 times and walked away with 17 stitches. She was texting and driving. It was an eye opener for lots of people around us, myself included, and we are truely blessed that her injuries were not more severe than what they were. It is a miracle that she is still alive.





We welcomed our new niece, Addison Faith, the week before Thanksgiving. I was kinda nervous as to how the twins would react, but they LOVE her. Especially Reid. He hugs her and kisses her. Rylee loves her, but Reid is amazed.





Now we are getting in gear for a busy few weeks of Christmas gatherings. Our Elf was sent from the North Pole the day after Thanksgiving, and they seem to understand that he is telling Santa stuff. One night, Reid wouldn't brush his teeth, so I told the Elf to tell Santa. He immediatly came and brushed them! Then I started brushing Rylee's, and heard something. Reid was ON the dining room table, in the Elf's face saying "Elfee... Reid brush TEEEF!!!! See.....!" It was hilarious.

Yesterday we went and had Breakfast with Santa. I predicted that Reid would scream. I was unsure about Rylee. They BOTH screamed. It wasn't pretty. I will post a picture of that when I get it. Needless to say, neither one of them got around to telling Santa that they want a "Cickle" (Tricycle).

After our breakfast, we joined other children at the Benoit Union Church and decorated cookies for shut-ins. That was a lot of fun! All the kids decorated cookies, and got to bring one home. I thought that was a really good idea, and the kids loved it.





Then we went to see Santa arrive in Leland. Reid REALLY enjoyed that. Santa comes down the creek on a float with a few of his helpers. It was a bit cold, but so much fun.

Today Megan is at the Cheerleaders Christmas Party. I don't think we have many days open in the next month! From Christmas parties, programs, and dinners, the Blockers will be busy for quite some time.

I must take the opportunity to plug-in a business pitch! I am now a consultant for Scentsy. If you have never heard of it, please visit my web site. Scentsy products are flameless, wickless candles. They are similar to oil burners, but the scents are amazing!!!! Visit http://jessicablocker.scentsy.us to find out more. I am hosting a party in Cleveland tomorrow, and all orders will be here in time for Christmas.



In the Spring, Brent took a job with Monsanto, which was previously Delta Pine. He works for the Learning Center, and had really enjoyed it!! I know he is especially enjoying it now, since this past week he was paid to hunt. Every Delta Guys dream!!! God knew what he was doing when he put this job in front of Brent. We are blessed not only to borht have jobs, but to both have jobs we love.

This past week, I took on a new title. I am now the Librarian at Pearman. Our Librarian passed away in September, and I was given the opportunity to step in. This was my first week, but I LOVED it! I have to take the Praxis to get my endorsement in January, so I'm a little stressed about that, but if I don't pass, I can take classes online to become certified. It is similar to being in the class, except I get to see students from K-5 each day.


I know that it is impossible to fill you in on every milestone and adventure we embark, but my ultimate goal is to let you know how blessed we are! We have found a church that we love. We both have wonderful jobs. We couldn't ask for better family and friends. We are blessed. This holiday season, I want to take a small opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Spring has Sprung!

I can not believe Spring is here! It has been so long since I have posted... I'm sorry. I have lots to tell you, and probably not enough time to sit here and do it.

I have to rewind all the way to Christmas..... I told you it had been a while! The babies had a big Christmas as expected. It was so much fun this year. Reid got a Firetruck Ball Pit for his big gift. Rylee got a Cabbage Patch with her birthday and same middle name. I can honestly say they have enjoyed their presents to this day.



The new year started off with a bang.... Rylee in the Emergency Room! She had an upper respiratory infection. She is hardly ever sick, so when she is it is usually bad.

I hated going back to work in January. I had so much fun over the break. February brought excitement as well. On Valentine's Day, Reid was admitted to the hospital for the 2nd time with RSV. It is a respiratory infection that is common in premature and asthmatic babies. So in this situation, he has 2 strikes against him. We were there for 2 nights and left doing breathing treatments continuously. He is doing much better, but now his allergies are acting up.

During Spring Break we gave up our morning nap. They are both down to one nap a day now, and I miss the morning nap! That was my time to get things in order.

I guess our biggest news right now is that in the last week BOTH babies have started walking!!!! Rylee is everywhere and very confident. Reid is still unsure of himself, but has made wonderful progress! It won't be long and they will be running.

Since the weather is warming up, we are spending lots of time outside. They both love it, and it wears them out. Reid is defiantly Brent's child... he LOVES tractors. Everywhere we go he spots them and screams, "Trac- ter!" He has gone with Brent several times to ride. The first couple of times it put him to sleep. Poor baby, doesn't have a chance.


Rylee is "Ms. Independent!" Just put her outside and let her go, and she is happy! We have a gated deck on the back of the house where I can just set them free. She walks around checking everything out, and making sure nothing has moved. She is very curious and makes sure that nothing changes without her knowing.


Saturday night they had their last bottle. (Sniff, Sniff...) I feel like we just let go of our last tie with "babyhood." They are toddlers now.


We have a big weekend planned for Easter! We went to see the Easter Bunny yesterday and it was a disaster! They both screamed. Rylee was fine once Megan got her out of his lap, and left the mall saying "Bye Buh-!" But Reid... Mr. Sensitive.... didn't recover until we left the mall. They have lots planned starting with Friday they will go to the Benoit Union Egg Hunt, then Saturday we are having a egg hunt at our house at 3:00. If you are around, please come!!!!




Monday, Reid has an appointment in Jackson to see an immunologist/allergist/respiratory doctor that specializes in pediatrics. If you think about us, please say a prayer for him. We are praying that they will get his allergies controlled. He already takes Singulair daily and antihistamines as needed.

The past few weeks I have been busy with March of Dimes events. March of Dimes is an organization that is trying to ensure all babies are born healthy. Without some of the advancements made through their organization, Reid and Rylee might not be where they are today. Last week, Pearman raised over $3000 for March of Dimes! May 1 the babies and I will be walking in the Mid Delta March for Babies in Greenwood. We are looking for team members and walkers! If you are interested, please visit our site at www.marchforbabies.org/blockerbabies to sign up! All you need to do is ask people to sponsor you on your walk! We would love to have your support.


Thank you for still keeping up with us! I encourage you to go back and look at how far they have come by visiting my archived posts in 2008 and 2009! I'm amazed and overwhelmed at God's goodness in our lives.

One Year Anniversary

One year ago today I went to the hospital for the babies morning feeding like I normally did. But that morning was different. That morning I waited on the decision of us going home or not. I remember sitting there for over 2 hours waiting for the Dr to come around for morning rounds. I finally went downstairs and got some breakfast. When I returned back upstairs, our nurse told me that she was starting our paper work... we were going home!!! OH, how I remember those emotions. I was so excited, yet so scared. I was about to leave a hospital with 2 TINY babies. For the past 38 days, Drs and nurses had made all the decisions for us, now it was going to be up to me.

I called Brent and mom immediately and told them to come on!!!! We had to have 1 car to take all the stuff home we had accumulated, and another to drive me and the babies home. We took pictures and said our good-byes. I remember looking at them on the way home and thinking "How in the world are we going to take care of 2 babies?"

Well, here we are exactly 1 year later. This year past year holds lots of memories and milestones. The first huge milestone was both babies weighing over 6 pounds, now they each weigh 22 pounds! We had to change formula 6 or 7 times before finding one that agreed with both babies, and they both barely took 2 ounces, now they eat us out of house and home! Reid had colic for months, then tubes put in his ear, and a foreskin repair. Now he is pretty healthy with the exception of asthma and allergies. Rylee never had many health problems, but has always amazed us by meeting milestones so quickly. Then the big move of the summer into our much larger house was an adjustment, but SO worth it. Now they are both crawling everywhere and into everything! As I type they have crawled into the kitchen and emptied the diaper bag along with a few other bags.

I fall in love more and more with them each day. They are so fun to watch, and never cease to amaze me. I wanted to take a minute to show everyone what a difference a year can make.

Once again, Merry Christmas from the Blocker Family!

12-5-08

12-5-09


Rylee 12-5-08

Rylee 12-5-09

Reid 12-5-08

Reid 12-5-09

Fall into Changes

Summer came and went in a blur, which meant only one thing.... FOOTBALL!!! I enjoyed dressing the twins up on Saturdays to show our support. Rylee even learned how to ring her cowbell by the end of the season. Reid and Rylee supported the Bulldogs through a tough season. They knew all along we could pull off the most important game of the season!!! Go DAWGS!




We have joined a new church in Greenville called Refuge. It is a "come as you are" church and we love it! The 1st Sunday in October, we dedicated Reid and Rylee to God and asked the church to help us raise them in Godly ways. Brent is in the band, Megan and I help in the nursery, and Reid and Rylee are loved dearly. I am so happy that God is in control of our lives and has opened this door for my family. What a blessing!




The 3rd week of October, Reid had a terrible cough. I took him to the Dr. and was told it was his allergies. By Wednesday, he was wheezing with every breath. After a breathing treatment and steam shower with no improvement, we headed out to the emergency room. He sounded so bad that they rushed us back and immediately started breathing treatments. They also tried 5 times to start and IV, and each time he screamed louder and got madder. After the 5th try I told them that was enough! Not long after I blew up, all his test results came back and we found out he had RSV. Last year they were given shots to protect them against this terrible virus, but since they are over 20 lbs now (YAY!), we don't get the shots this year. So we spent 2 nights/3 days in the hospital under the oxygen tent.
Rylee stayed with her daddy one night and her Pappie the next. She was well taken care of, but I missed her like CRAZY! The following week she started coughing. Luckily the Dr had already given us an antibiotic for her and instructed me to do breathing treatments.


October 28 was a very emotional day for me. I could only describe it as bitter-sweet. It was bitter because my babies turned ONE!!!! But it was sweet because they have come so far! I am amazed even today to go back and look at pictures from a year ago. As I write this, my emotions overflow, because a year ago we were still in Jackson. God is so good.
On Halloween, the twins had their 1st birthday party. It was so much fun. We had pumpkin cakes, painted pumpkins, pumpkin shaped jello... you get the point. Pumpkins were everywhere. I have never known why, but their Aunt Brooke has always called them the "pumpkins." Still today, when she texts me, it is "How are the pumpkins?" How appropriate!!!! Below are before and after pictures of the cakes. Neither one of them were shy and enjoyed every minute.





The day after our 1st birthday, Reid and Rylee got to go buy new shoes from the mall, then we went to Wal-Mart for fun stuff! This was their first time to ride in the double cart. We quickly decided they aren't quite ready.


After the very eventful October, November was somewhat calm and I am thankful for that. We finally made it to the zoo in Memphis and that was so much fun!!! The kids really enjoyed it. Reid noticed every animal, and Rylee noticed every person. She is a little on the nosy side, OK... A LOT! But we really enjoyed that day. Megan and her boyfriend went with us. Other than the babies screaming on the way there, I think it went good.

The first week of November I took Reid to the Dr and the tube in his ear was blocked. The next day we went to Jackson. Pretty much, I drove 2 hours to get there, we were there for not even 20 minutes, then came home. The tube was TOTALLY blocked and they told me to put peroxide in it twice a day for 2 weeks then come back. So we did.

The next Monday, after school, Mom texted me that Rylee had a fever over 100 so I rushed to get her. We took out to the Dr and they said her tonsils were terrible. Within 2 days Reid had it. It was not a fun week at our house. I decided to go ahead and make Rylee and appt. with the ENT in Jackson when we went back.

We went back to Jackson and they said Rylee was perfect. Ears, nose, and throat looked great!!!! Reid on the other hand.... Well!?!?! His tube was still totally blocked. It looked no different. The Dr gave me 2 choices. 1) Keep doing what we were, but no improvements were promised. 2) Put peroxide in it, let it sit, and try to pull the clot out, with the chance of the tube coming out. If the tube came out, since the hole was already there, it shouldn't be a problem getting a new one back in. I chose to try to get it out. Pappie took Rylee to the waiting room, and that was probably best! We soaked his ear for about 5 minutes, then the fun began.
The Dr came in with the nurse practitioner. The NP held his head while I held his arms. He started out doing pretty good, until the Dr did suction. I don't know if it scared him or hurt, but my baby boy has NEVER screamed like that. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. They got the clot out, but the tube came out also. It wasn't a problem to get a new one in, but he was still screaming. It took us getting out of the entire clinic for him to calm down. He screamed out in his sleep with flashbacks for over 2 hours. I never want to do that to him again.

I had the entire week of Thanksgiving off, and it was wonderful!!! I have Mrs. Stella the week off and enjoyed my babies to the fullest extent. We got our Christmas tree up, decorated the house, and just enjoyed each other. I felt like this was their first Thanksgiving since they were still in the hospital last year. We had Thanksgiving with our Refuge family that Wednesday night. Thursday morning we watched the parade, then went to Nana's house. After that, we all needed a nap, then headed to Grandma's. This year I understood the meaning of Thanksgiving more than ever before. I have so much to be Thankful for. A wonderful husband, two beautiful kids and a beautiful niece, a great family, a new house, and I could keep going. God has opened my eyes to how much I have to be Thankful for.

Last weekend another miracle entered our lives. Our good friends, Brian and Sulee Blansett, welcomed their son, Jackson Adam Blansett. He is perfect! Jackson is exactly 13 months younger than Reid and Rylee. I am so excited about watching them grow together. Please pray for them. Jackson has jaundice and has been in and out of the hospital. We think he is on the downside of it, but please lift him up. Also pray for Sulee. I know it can be overwhelming as a new mom, especially when you are worried about their health.


We are getting ready for Christmas!!! My favorite time of year. Our anniversary is December 16th, which is also the night of our fireman's Christmas party. I guess I know how I will spend that night. Santa received our lists and I think he will bring everything they have asked for. Below are a few of our pictures for Christmas. The first one is Christmas Eve last year. I am AMAZED at how much they have changed in a year!





I have tried to include all of our highlights (and LOWlights) from the past few months, but I know I'm leaving out stuff. I didn't realize how much people check my blog until recently. I had jury duty in October and a girl looked at me and said, "You are Blocker Babies!" I asked what she meant. She went on to explain that she follows my blog and was ready for an update. Then last weekend at the hospital, Brian's sister told me she follows us, and it was time to update.

A physical update on the babies... they are both crawling. Reid "army" crawls, but gets where he wants. If he is only in his diaper he will get up on those knees, but he fusses the entire time. Rylee was immobile one day and literally gone the next. She is pulling all the way up and wants to walk. She just doesn't understand that we still need to help her. She is also my talker, AKA my mockingbird. Don't say anything around her that can't be repeated because she will sure try.

Reid is still behind her a little. He tries to pull up, but hasn't mastered it yet. It will take Rylee walking for him to want it. He defines "Momma's boy" and I love it. He is my lovable child. Like I said, Rylee is nosy and is too busy to see what's going on to snuggle some.

They are both on solid food now, still with some baby food. We have made the transition 100% to whole milk. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but I did it the week they were on antibiotic. They were suppose to have diarrhea from the medicine and constipation from whole milk, so I figured it would all even out, and it did! Now we are slowly letting go of bottles. They aren't even suppose to be a year yet, so I'm taking this slow.

Megan is my joy! She made all A's and 1 B on her report card. She is trying out for the school play. She has a boyfriend. She has Cotillion in a week then state dance competition the next week. Needless to say, she keeps me busy, but I love it! I am so proud of her.

I'm adding a few more pictures below. Please leave us a comment so we know you came!
We love you all!!! Merry Christmas.

Rylee knows how to open presents!


Reid's FAKE smile


I love you sister!


Pig Pickin' 2009 at Delta State



Click on the video to watch Reid crawl


Rylee will do anything Megan tells her to... and usually it's not good.