I know, I know...

It's been forever. I've heard from lots of my devoted readers that you're waiting for a big ol' China blog. Well, it's comin'. Sometime. When I get around to it. See, I've been trying to get Jason to write it up since he went on the trip and all but he's been very busy at work and with studying for this next section of the CPA exam sooo... I'll be ghostwriting all about China in the next few days or so. I've also got to go through the 1500 pictures and narrow them down to those that are blog-worthy (there are so many!) So, China's coming but for now, enjoy some pictures of my beautiful son!

Just look at that toothy grin! He's got 4 more teeth coming in now too! OUCH!

Close up!Loungin' in the bouncy seat that's waiting for sister...Mmmmm... apple...

18 months old and some other things worth mentioning...

Jack is 1 1/2! Wow. He's growing so fast and is learning new things every day. Like... how to make sure he'll do what HE wants to and not what YOU want him to do. Example: Jack had his 18 month appointment with the doctor on Monday and he refused to allow us to weigh him. Refused. He screamed, he kicked, he held on to me with a death grip. He absolutely, positively was NOT getting on that scale. No way. No how. So, who knows how much he weighs - he is, however 33 1/2 inches tall. Everything looked good as far as health and development go. We're to continue with his nebulizer breathing treatments for a couple more weeks to make sure we keep the allergy-related wheezing at bay. Other than that, everything's A-OK!

This morning, I was talking to Jason on the internet phone and Jack could hear Daddy talking through the speakers on our computer. When we were saying our goodbyes, Jack waved at the computer and Jason said "bye-bye Jack". And Jack said, for the very first time, "bye-bye". Jason heard him on the other end of the line and was so excited. It was pretty stinkin' special to have Jack say bye-bye to Daddy when they were on opposite sides of the planet!

This afternoon, Jack and I were eating a snack on the couch and having a deep conversation. Ya know, "Da da deeeee. Ba ba deeeee.", that kind of thing. Anyway, I asked Jack where his baby sister was and he proceeded to lift up his shirt and show me his tummy. Close Little Man, but not quite. Too cute!

And finally... Jason's coming home tomorrow!!! We can't wait to see him!

The busy traveler!

Well, Jason and I have spoken several times over the last couple of days and he's sure staying busy! The group have visited Tiananmen square, The Forbidden City, done some shopping, been to several traditional Chinese meals - Peiking Duck, for one, and have seen a Kung Fu show (which Jason said was AWESOME!). Most of that was just yesterday! They're heading out early in the morning to visit the Great Wall of China and are really excited about the scenery they'll see then. Jason said he's taken lots of pictures so expect photo overload on the blog here when he returns. He's gotten his voice back and is feeling better but still has an annoying cough, not helped by the cool, dry weather in Beijing. Oh yeah... he'll be here the DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!! Can you tell that I'm just a tad bit excited? Jack and I are so excited for Daddy to come home. They leave Beijing at 11:30 pm tomorrow night (our time) and will arrive at DFW around 4:15 pm on Thursday. Please continue to pray for their safety and for traveling mercies!

In Beijing

I spoke with Jason this morning and they arrived in Beijing around 8pm Saturday night. They're so glad to be back in civilization with nice showers and comfy, clean beds. Praise God for His deliverance and safe travels! Unfortunately, Jason and Yevonne have lost their voices. Poor Jas whispered the entire 40 minutes we spoke today. Please continue to pray for his health.

On the way to Beijing...

As a write this, Jason and the rest of the crew are on a train to Beijing. We had a bit of a scare yesterday morning when we received some strange emails saying that everything was fine and not to worry (which of course made me worry) but a situation had arisen that required them to leave the orphanage quickly. Thankfully, their leaving wasn't a result of the group's witness but an unrelated dispute between the orphanage and a neighboring farmer and his son, who ultimately threatened to call authorities in retaliation. I spoke with Jason for a good amount of time this morning and although he was sad to have to leave the kids, he also sounded relieved to be on his way to becoming "just a tourist". Please continue to pray for the group as they continue on their journey. Pray that their travels will be safe and that they will enjoy their time visiting Beijing and the surrounding area. Continue to pray for their health. So far, no one's had much of a time with being sick. Jason and Yevonne have minor colds but are doing well. Pray for their health specifically. Pray that the remainder of the trip will go smoothly and that those of us at home will find our loved ones in our arms quickly.

3rd Trimester!

Woah! So, that went fast, huh? I'd post a picture except that Jason has my camera in China and although the lens is great quality and all, it'd be quite a zoom to get that picture. I do have my mom's camera for the time being but I don't think Jack has quite figured out how to get the perfect shot. I can't believe I'm in the final few months of my pregnancy with Baby Girl. I have so much to do to get ready... gotta go!

Pray for Elizabeth and Jeremy

I received this email this morning. Elizabeth and Jeremy are staying at another orphanage apart from the rest of the group. Please keep them in your prayers.

"This is Elizabeth's mom. She just called asking that we pass along this infomation as she has been unable to e-mail. She and Jeremy are exhausted. Apparently they keep moving Jeremy and Beth around from room to room where they stay so that the village does not realize that they are there and that there will not be a lot of talk. She stated that they keep having them go in, etc. so that they will not be seen by many people there. They have 9 boys and 4 girls from ages 8-14. They are telling them stories, etc. and are busy with various activities I know. They say that they are having trouble eating the food which I think they knew that they would. She requests prayer for their strength until they leave on Saturday which would be on Friday for us. She called at 11:05 Tuesday evening which would be 12:05 p.m. there in China on Wednesday. The phone connection was very good which surprised me. Please pass along this information so that the entire group will know what is going on. Thanks so much for your updates on the other group with Yevonne!

Love from Elizabeth's mom, Pat Wickersham, in Pleasanton, Texas"

Update

I received this email today passed along from Yevonne, the preschool minister at our church. She is on the China trip as well...

"We got here after many hours on the road with lots to share later. We are all fine. I slept a few hours and woke up early. We have a full day ahead. The children are amazing. We are so happy to be here. They performed for us and we sang J loves you to them. They joined us in Chinese. It was amazing."

Please pray for our friends at Yevonne's home (Yevonne, Cindy, Jason & Terry) as well as Elizabeth & Jeremy at their home. Continue to ask for God's protection for their health and safety. Please remember those beautiful children (they were expecting 100).

And this one from Jason (emailing from Yevonne's blackberry)...

We are at the orphanage. The children are amazing and they love Jesus very much. We are safe. Pray for us.

Love
Jason

China update

I spoke with Jason a little while ago. Their flight was loooong but good. He was able to get some good sleep on the plane. The bus ride from Shanghai to Wuxi took twice as long as had been previously estimated - 4 hours instead of two. This is most likely due to high traffic since it's a big holiday weekend in China. It was about midnight, Sunday morning when we spoke and they were off to bed for a few hours. They will set off early Sunday morning for a much longer bus ride to the orphanages where they will be staying for the next week. Also, Jason made an interesting observation... apparently, China smells like plastic (go figure), diesel fuel, and cigarette smoke no matter where you go. Delightful! Keep on prayin' my friends!

Off to Shanghai... and beyond!

God has blessed me and my family with so much and, as hard as it was to do, I had to give my husband to the Lord this morning to do His work. Jason left early this morning for his trip to China. He'll be gone for the next two weeks following the path that God has led him down. I will post updates as I receive them. Also, thanks to everyone who has been supporting Jason's trip both financially and through prayer. Please pray for safe travels and a life-changing trip. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be working in the lives and hearts of those whom Jason and his group will come in contact with over the next couple of weeks. And finally, pray for me and Jack here at home. We've never been away from Jason for so long and are already feeling a bit lost without him (at least I am - Jack hasn't noticed yet). Love to you all!

Quick update

We had to go in to Baylor's Prenatal Diagnostic Center (sounds scary, I know) yesterday morning for a Level II ultrasound on Baby Girl. At our last ultrasound, the tech and midwife saw a choroid plexus cyst on Baby Girl's brain and wanted to check the progress of it and to see if it had gone away. Well, we got a wonderful report yesterday and the cyst is gone. Praise the Lord! We got to see Baby Girl's perfect little body and could clearly see her cute little nose and precious little lips. According the the ultrasound, she's just under a foot long and is weighing in at 1 lb, 13 oz. She'll be her in just a few short months and we're getting so excited!

17 months!

Jack's another month older as of Saturday. His little personality is just shining through and it's so fun to watch it develop. He's a bit precocious at times (what 1-year-old isn't?) and he'll just get this gleam in his eye and we know he's up to no good. He still revels in sneaking off to see if he can unroll the toilet paper or pull all his jammies out of his dresser. Thankfully, we're getting somewhere in teaching him to "play" clean-up and we can get him to usually put things back where he got them (when he wasn't supposed to be getting them in the first place). He's just so incredibly sweet lately that I'm beginning to wonder if he's got an idea that something's going on in Mama's tummy. He wants hugs and kisses and for me to hold him all the time now. When I ask him "Where's Mama's tummy?" he lifts my shirt and hugs my belly. Then he hits me. Ah, well, you can't have it ALL I guess.

Sharing a smoothie with Daddy...

The new nursery

Just thought I'd share a few pics of how Baby Girl's nursery's coming along! I need to take a few more of the wonderful fabrics my mom and I picked out this weekend. They're absolutely beautiful (thanks Mom)! I'm so excited to see how the room turns out. I think it'll really be nice and definitely girly!

The crib (those are dresser parts in it) and the lovely shade of chocolate brown on the walls. We still need another coat of paint - it'll be a tad darker than this.

The dresser's coming along...
...just needs drawers now!

A rough week

This week has been a difficult one to say the least. Tuesday before last (when our A/C was out) he started getting a runny nose. No biggie, we just figured it was a little cold or allergies or something. Well, we kept waiting and waiting for it to go away and it never did. By the time Labor Day rolled around he had terrible chest congestion and an awful cough and wheezing. Needless to say, we were worried and I took him in to see the doctor first thing on Tuesday morning. Poor guy had an icky ear infection and ANOTHER case of bronchiolitis - that makes the 3rd time this year if anyone's counting. Dr. Harris (Dr. Raine isn't in the office on Tuesdays) sent us home with a nebulizer and some antibiotics. The first couple of nebulizer treatments were NO FUN. I swear, Jack thought I was trying to suffocate him or something. He'd scream and fight and by the time it was all said and done with we'd both be sweating. Terrible. He's tolerating the treatments much better now and will even "help" me put the mouthpiece on the machine. He's also slowly getting better but he seems to be having such a hard time getting over this stinkin' sickness!

I'm growing a person! - and some other ramblings...

I'll be 23 weeks this coming Wednesday (which makes me 22 weeks, 3 days when this pic was taken). This little lady is super busy in my belly and it just makes me so happy! I just love laying down each night and feeling her bounce around while I'm reading. My midwife actually said that we probably wouldn't be able to feel her kicking as much as we felt Jack due to the position of my placenta (right up front). I actually think we're feeling her more at this point in the pregnancy than when I was this far along with Jack. She must be a REALLY strong kicker!

We're finally getting the nursery together. I say "finally" since we were close to done at this point in my last pregnancy - funny how different you do things your second time around. So, we made the trek to IKEA this morning to get baby girl a dresser for her room. It was our first time at IKEA and it was blissful. I love that place! Anyway, after perusing the showroom, enjoying a lunch of swedish meatballs and apple cake, and hunting for our dresser in the self-service furniture department we loaded up the car and headed back home. Jack snoozed the entire way and Jason and I decided that we definitely needed to paint before putting the dresser together. We came home and let Little Man stretch his legs for a bit and then headed out to The Home Depot to take advantage of their Labor Day paint specials. I've got Jas scheduled for the rest of the long weekend at the very least, working on Baby Girl's room. He's actually painting as I type this. Don't worry, I'll post some progress pictures as soon as I can.

Swingin'

Jason and I took Jack on a walk down to Pantego's wonderful Bicentennial Park last weekend. He had such fun running on the deserted playground (since we went at 7:30 a.m.) and loved not having to share the swing with anyone. Jack on a swing is the epitome of happiness. Love it!

Just for Gigi and Pappaw

We had dinner a week or so ago with the fam for Jason's Uncle Ross' birthday. We got this great picture of Gigi and Pappaw with the Jackster and I just had to post it. Aren't they precious?!

Hot, hot, HOT!

So, our air conditioning went kaputz this past week. Yep. The last week of August. Perfect. We spent a miserable 2 days without A/C. Boy are we glad to say that we have a nice new unit that keeps everything fabulously freezing! We had a wonderful couple of guys from Blackmon Mooring come out and do a great job of making sure we didn't have to endure more than that first night without air (which is really important when you have a pregnant lady and a one-year-old in the same house). The service tech actually stayed till about 10:40 finishing up and we were cool as cucumbers within minutes of his leaving. Aaaahhhhh!

YAY DADDY!!!

We got word this week that Daddy passed the audit portion of the CPA exam with flying colors! We knew you could do it Jas! Way to go!

Jack: 16 Months, Mama: 20 Weeks

So, the Jackster turned 16 months last Wednesday. Time's a-flyin'! He's just more and more fun every day. His favorite things to do now are run(obviously), throw and chase his big green ball, eat grapes, sing(he's just starting this), and blow kisses. He's just such a joy and we thank God for him every day.

I hit the halfway point of my pregnancy this Wednesday and I can't believe how quickly it's going. It's amazing how easy it is to forget you're pregnant when you're chasing after a very active toddler. Jason felt Baby Girl bumping around in my tummy the other night. It was wonderful.

I spent this past weekend at another doula training and had a wonderful time! I'm now a Lamaze Labor Support Specialist and on my way to becoming a certified doula! I'm so excited!

Brokenhearted...

A family in our church, a family we don't even know, just lost their first child. Carolyn was due to have her baby this week and went into labor on Sunday night. When she and her husband, Drew, went to the hospital the nurses couldn't find their son's, Walker's, heartbeat. Carolyn labored and delivered her baby boy, born still, that night.

Ever since I heard this tragic news I cannot strip it from my mind. I am absolutely devastated for this family. I guess I just take healthy pregnancies and healthy babies for granted. You figure when you're 9 months pregnant that you'll be bring your baby home from the hospital. You feel as if you've passed the "danger zone" and reached the end of your pregnancy, which will culminate in such a joyous event and your heart will forever be full. I cannot imagine the feelings Carolyn and Drew and their families are enduring at this time.

Please pray for Carolyn and Drew. Pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Pray that God will touch their hearts and give them peace in time. Pray that they will rely on their faith in their Father to bring them through this incredibly difficult time of loss.

Hug your babies a little tighter and thank God for them each and every day. They are miracles.

It's a...

GIRL!!!! My mother's intuition was right and we're getting prepared for lots of pink around here! Jason and I had our big ultrasound this morning and our baby girl was so busy. She was playing with her hand, crossing and uncrossing her legs, and doing flips. Jack's going to have a baby sister! We're soooo excited!!

Not much to report...

... just some cute pics to share.

His favorite ball! He looks like such a big boy here!

Goofy!

Moo.

Growing and growing...

Here are a couple of belly pics Jason took this morning. I'm 18 weeks, 2 days. Only 6 more days till the big ultrasound! We're getting sooo excited!

I feel like I'm so big already! What's this gonna be like come December?!Jack, sitting on little bro or sis, getting a nuzzle from Mama.

Fever...

I came home from my childbirth/doula training yesterday evening to a very sick little boy. Jason said he just hadn't been himself yesterday and had just taken his temp and it was 102+. Usually when Little Man gets a fever he's still happy and playing but not this time. He just laid on my chest and whimpered, not at all interested in playing or even being out of my arms. It just broke my heart. We, of course, gave the regular course of tylenol/lukewarm bath/ibuprofen and then put Jack to bed. He woke around 11 and his fever was still up so we gave him some more meds and I rocked him and sang to him a bit before putting him back down. He did pretty well and slept through the night but when he woke up this morning his fever was 105!! We immediately gave more tylenol and put Jack in the bath to cool him down. I'm happy to report all is well and we are hovering around 100 now but gosh was that scary! Hopefully Jack's feeling better soon! Fevers are no fun!

UPDATE: Jack is all better! He's back to his old happy, active self this lovely Tuesday morning!

Happy Birthday Aunt Emmy!

Jason's sister Emmalee turned the big 2-5 this week! We went out for dinner with the fam on Friday night to celebrate and had lots of fun! Surprisingly we didn't get a single picture of Emmy on our camera so you'll just all have to imagine how strikingly beautiful she is! But hey, here's some shots of us!

Outdoor fun!

Jack loves to play outside - loves it. He'll go to the back door and point outside when he wants to go out and play. He'll run and run and just squeal with delight when we're in the yard. He loves to swing and play in the sand. He even cries when it's time to come in - it's really quite pitiful. Last Sunday, after church, the weather was just so beautiful that Jason and Jack went out for a quick play session before nap time. As I was cleaning up after lunch I hear that wonderful scream of utter joy and peek out the back door. I saw Jack, dressed in shoes only running from Daddy and the water hose. Apparently what started with Jason washing the sand off Jack's hands turned into a full-on water party! It was priceless!

Lots going on!

Soooo... it's been a while. Again. Things have been movin' in the Maurice house lately! Jason's been studying like a maniac for the audit portion of the CPA exam. He's taking it tomorrow and could definitely use your prayers! Jack never, and I mean NEVER sits still. He's constantly on the move. Running around the house and yard, stacking boxes and blocks to build towers, emptying drawers, etc, etc. Needless to say, he's been a handful for me to keep up with. By the time we put him to bed in the evenings I'm completely spent for the day and need to recharge in order to do it all again the next day!

I've also been busy the last few days or so. I am becoming a certified doula through Doulas of North America (www.dona.org). I'm super excited about it! I spent this past weekend in a prepared childbirth class (bonus that I'm expecting and can use this info for myself) and LOVED it! I am so excited about beginning my journey as a doula and empowering women to have the kind of births they wish for!

Baby update...

I had my second appointment yesterday with Lindsay, one of my midwives. Jason was able to come with me and we brought Little Man along for the ride. That was an adventure! Jack was too funny just running circles around the waiting room. Thankfully the other patients or staff didn't seem to mind much. As far as the baby and I are concerned everything looks great! I weighed EXACTLY the same as I did when I went in 4 weeks ago - a surprise to me since I've regained my appetite and have been eating just about everything in sight! We were able to hear the baby's heartbeat and the midwife even showed Jason how to feel on my tummy to find my uterus. That was pretty neat considering the OB I had with Jack barely stayed in the room long enough to feel my tummy himself! Our next appointment is on August 10 and we'll be having the "BIG" ultrasound to make sure everything looks great with the baby and to find out whether Jack will have a little brother or a little sister! We're sooooo excited about that!

15 Months Old!

Well, one more month has passed in Jack's world! He turned 15 months old yesterday - and what a busy day it was! We went to church yesterday morning and then to a lunch/baby shower for the Williford Family. Jack had lots of fun playing with his friends and their toys - especially Caleb and Luke's lawnmower - the louder, the better!

I took Jack to his 15 month checkup this morning and everything looks great! He weighed in at 24 lbs, 3 oz (50%) and was 31.75 inches tall (75%). Dr. Raine is really pleased with his progress and Jack just loves to visit Dr. Raine. He just giggles and grins at him - that is till they bring out the shots. Jack's sleeping off the shot shock now thanks to a good lunch and some Tylenol.

Also, on Thursday night we came to the end of a very special phase of our mother/child relationship. Jack nursed for the very last time. It's just weird to me that I nursed him EVERY DAY of his life till then and I'm not doing it anymore. The transition really hasn't been bad though. I'd been cutting out a feeding every week for the past month or so. Jack and I were both ready to wean I guess. I wasn't too keen on nursing a newborn and a toddler at the same time come January either! So, my little baby is even more of a big boy and I've got a few months of "freedom" before the new little munchkin makes an appearance!

Happy Birthday Pappaw!

We celebrated Pappaw's birthday on Friday evening. Jack just has so much fun running around Gigi and Pappaw's house and playing in the yard. We were joined by Aunt Emmy and Uncle Bryan, Uncle Ross and Honey. Everyone relished the fajita dinner and LOOOOVED Gigi's famous chocolate cake - Jack included! Pappaw, have fun at Home Depot!

There's those classy Maurice kids!
Much better, guys!If I had a hammer...Mmmm... cake...
All sporting the hats from Uncle Ross - apparently I'm really excited by hats!

Happy (belated) 4th!

Well, it's taken me a bit to wish everyone a happy 4th! Hey, I'm only 5 days late! We started the day off taking Jack to his very first parade! The Coursey family came with us and we all had so much fun! Jack did get a bit frustrated when he was confined to his stroller when it wasn't moving so Daddy had to take him for a walk and let him get out an run around a bit. He was pretty entertained just looking at his friend Selah and eating cheese crackers though.

After the parade we headed home for a nice nap and then we were off again! The Dearing family hosted a wonderful cookout and Jack got to play with lots of his buddies from our playgroup. The dads got in some good bonding time with the kids and with each other and the moms got to catch up on girl talk!

We spent the evening just hanging around the house. No fireworks for this crew! I'd been a bit under the weather most of the day and all the activity was really starting to take its toll. We put Little Man down to bed and turned in early ourselves - exciting, I know!

Prayer need...

It appears that God is opening doors for Jason to embark on an amazing journey to further His kingdom throughout the world! Jason has been presented with the opportunity to travel to China with a group from our church in October. They will be working in 2 children's homes, spreading the love of Jesus Christ to all who will hear it. Jason will have to raise the money for his travel and lodging expenses, etc. Please pray that God will continue in guiding Jason toward this amazing mission, helping him have the monetary needs of this trip met in a timely manner. Pray that all planning on going to China will be able to raise the funds they need, will be cleared health-wise to go, and will make it to China and back safely. Pray for God's will to be done in regards to this mission trip and pray for those going to be able to freely and safely spread the love of Christ! We'll keep you posted!

A site worth visiting...

I just came across this today. I thought it was worth sharing!(Click on the picture!)

Some randomness...

So now that I've got new-found energy I'm snapping photos a lot more often. Here are some shots from yesterday...

Reading in the "bear chair"

Climbing...

The living room fort was such a hit that Daddy got me this cool tent!
An overhead view...

... and from a tunnel.

Bathtime!
Pure joy...

...playing in the bubbles......bubbleface!

Belly Pics!

So, these are actually the very first pictures I've taken of my pregnant belly. It's pretty surprising to me, as well, but I never seem to get the chance to stop long enough to have Jason snap a photo. I really wish I'd taken some earlier to compare these to but, eh, what are you gonna do? I have popped out a little bit in the past week and am looking more pregnant than "thick". These were taken this morning at 13weeks, 4 days (or so we think).

Rainy day fun!

So, with all this rain we've been getting Jack's been going a bit stir crazy. Poor guy will just stare out the back door and reach for the handle just itching to get out and play in the yard. Sooo, we decided to have a little fun in the living room! We built a fort (that stayed up for about 2 minutes) and Jack LOVED it! He got such a kick out of hiding in it - till he tore it down and decided he'd rather just play with the blanket instead. We had a carpet picnic and threw all the blankets and pillows we could find on the living room floor. We lounged, we bounced on the cushions, we sporadically watched a little of Finding Nemo. We had so much fun and Jack completely wore himself out.

The Fort - afterJust layin' around

A bit of mischief...

We should've known. The house was soooo quiet. Sneaky little bugger.