Williamson Family Update

Since I've been such a slacker on updating my blog lately, I've decided that I need to write an informative post for me to remember things that have been going on right now.

Chase: He is super busy at work these days. Some times he gets home late and pretty much always has to go in by 6am. I've missed him a lot lately and I'm ready for his projects at work to be over so he can spend more time at home with me and the girls. Chase just celebrated his 31st birthday last Sunday. We went to dinner to celebrate on Saturday night and had dinner with his parents on Sunday night. It was good but nothing to exciting. Chase is a wonderful husband and I am so super thankful for all his hard work that he does to provide for our family. I know I don't tell him or show him enough how thankful I am and how much I love him. If you're reading this Hunny, know that I love you more than I can every tell you and I am truly thankful for all that you do for myself and the girls. We are so blessed!

Savannah: I just updated about her in her 10 Month blog post. You can go back and read it HERE.

Brantley: Oh man do I love this girl but she is wearing me down. We are still having potty training issues and I have about had it. We have tried EVERYTHING we can think of in terms of rewards and consequences and she is still having accidents! AHH! I want to pull my hair out! We have resorted to taking away the iPad and watching cartoons/movies until she can keep her panties dry/clean for a whole day. That started last Friday and this morning was the first time she has watched TV since. I'm thinking about calling the doctor now to ask if there could be a medical reason (maybe a weak bladder) for all the accidents but I really just think she's being lazy. It's super frustrating!

Other than that, she is enjoying school and learning lots. She loves to sing and talk! Really! She is never quiet unless she is sleeping or watching a show or movie. She is also having a hard time learning to share with Savannah and there is a good bit of jealousy going on right now that I think may have something to do with the accident issues we've been having. We're working really hard to remedy these issues/problems so I'm hoping we can get it figured out and make progress soon.

Okay so on to Me: This one is a little hairy actually. I'm just going to be honest and say that I haven't been a super happy mom or wife over the past few weeks. I have put on a good show I think but on the inside I've really been struggling/hurting. I have been feeling extremely defeated over and over every day. I'm desperate!  I need help with the girls, the housework and my time management. Does anyone else ever feel like that?

I finally broke down on Monday and told Chase about how bad I've been feeling. It was such a relief to just let it all out and ask for help. I feel like I don't clean enough, cook enough, sew enough, love on my husband/kids enough, and I know I don't spend enough time with God each day. I've been SO disorganized lately and I just couldn't get a grip on it all. Now that I've talked it out and asked for more help from Chase I am actually feeling better and doing better. I love my husband and my girls more than I can express but life has just been tough lately and I'm just run down.

So I'd like to ask for prayers from you all that read our blog. If you feel led, please pray for me. For strength, comfort and peace. Thank you in advance!

Onto a more exciting development and part of my healing process: I'm going back to school! I've decided to apply to UAB's Alternative Master's in Early Childhood/Elementary Education program. I've been working on my application, talking to UAB personnel and friends, signing up for tests and planning all week. I'm really excited about getting my Masters degree! My goal is to graduate and have a job by the time Brantley starts kindergarten. Hopefully, it will all come together. So far this week I have really felt like God is opening the doors and making this all possible for me to do and have my application completed and submitted by July 1st. God is so good! I'll be taking the AECTP: Basic Skills test on April 27th and the Praxis II on May 31st. I don't have time to take them more than once before July 1st so I'll be studying like crazy to insure that I do the very best I can on these two tests. After talking with Dr. Emfinger today, I found out that as of last week the GRE nor MAT are required anymore for students that are applying for the Alternative Master's (5th year) program. I just about screamed Hallelujah on the phone today when she told me that. I have been super worried and anxious already about taking either of those tests and now I don't have to. Again, God is so good!!

A few times I have sat back and thought, "Allison, you are totally crazy for going back to school with a husband and 2 small kids," but then I feel this undeniable peace about it and I know that this has got to be in God's plan for me and our family. I am really looking forward to learning more about all that teaching has to offer. If you have any advice/tips or words of encouragement, I'd love to hear them. Email me!

So that is a quick update on life at the Williamson household. I hope everyone is doing well and is staying healthy! Hopefully, now that I'm getting a little more motivated and organized I'll find more free time to update the blog more often. I really do have lots of fun things to post about and pictures to share, so maybe I will get around to that soon. Stay tuned!

Here is an adorable picture of the girls that I took yesterday. I can't figure out how to put Instagram pictures on my blog so HERE is the link. Surely, it isn't all that hard but if you know, please tell me. Thanks!

Savannah at 10 Months Old

I've gotten so bad about doing these posts late. Late is better than never, right?! Oh and this one is going to be brief since I'll be doing another one in 2 weeks. (Hopefully I can do her 11 Month post on time!)

 Weight: I'm not sure but I'm guessing around 17.5 lbs.      Height: I'm not sure about this one either.

Diapers: Size 3        Clothes: 9-12 months        Foot/shoe: She measures a 2.5 but I haven't bought her any shoes yet. We have size 3.5 Stride Rites from when BR started walking so I'm hoping she will be able to wear those when she decides to start walking.

Sleep: Thankfully, she is still sleeping through the night. I actually don't remember the last time she woke in the middle of the night. That is so nice! Her naps are kinda hit or miss right now. At work/in the nursery she only takes 30-45 minute naps while we are there from 8:15-1:15. It's rough but she does okay. Usually by the time we get home and a give her a bottle she is out for a couple of hours but then again some days she mysteriously wakes up after just one hour. She is a bear when that happens!

Foods/Eating: She is still drinking Similac formula and eating lots of solids. She is getting anywhere from 24-28 ounces of formula a day. I think she has hit a growth spirt here over the past week or so because she is always hungry. It's crazy! She will still eat baby foods when I offer them but she LOVES to eat finger foods. Some of her newest foods are yogurt covered raisins, sliced turkey, cheese and blueberries. She loves bananas a lot and Ritz crackers.

Teeth: Savannah now has 2 teeth. They are the front 2 on the bottom. The first one broke through just before she turned 10 months and the second broke through last weekend. They still aren't all the way in but I can definitely feel them.

Hair: It looks like the fuzz might have grown just a touch but it's not enough to actually get excited about. the fuzz is still very blonde but that's about all I can tell as of now.

New Abilities at 10 months, 2 weeks:

- Savannah learned how to shake her head 'Yes' last weekend. It is adorable! Bebe taught her at Kohl's last weekend while feeding her Cheerios. When Bebe would ask her if she wanted more, she started out shaking her head 'No', aka back and forth. But then after Bebe corrected her and showed her how to shake her head up and down for 'yes', she has been doing it ever since. So cute!

- She pulls up on everything! She still isn't all that interested in walking yet if you ask me. She is still a little unsure of cruising along furniture and such so I'm not sure when she will take off walking. I'm not rushing her though because once she starts walking I'll never sit down. It will be on!

- She has become very gassy and poops at least 3-4 sometimes 5 times a day. It's ridiculous! I'm considering calling the doctor about it because it's outfit ruining poop. TMI! Sorry! LUVs diapers have been letting me down. But I switched back to Pampers Swaddlers to give them a try and they didn't hold up much better. Bummer!

Her laugh is contagious, her smile is adorable and her eyes are still a beautiful blue! I think it's safe to say that she is going to stay my blue-eyed girl and I couldn't be more happy about it. Savannah is smart and loves to play but also slows down for a cuddle every now and again. She is perfect in every way and I am truly thankful that God chose Chase and I to be her parents. She is such a joy and definitely completes our family!

Below is a video I took of her at the park on her 10  month birthday. She was swinging in a park swing for the very first time and she loved it!

Mountaintop Egg-Stravaganza

Last Sunday, Mountaintop Church had their Egg-stravaganza Parenting event. It was really fun and I'm glad we were able to attend. There was ice cream, an egg hunt and each family got to make a set of Resurrection Eggs to take home. I'm really excited about them! We're going to open one a day during the 12 days before Easter. This is going to be a tradition for years that I hope the girls learn so much from.

Getting pictures of the girls looking at the camera at the same time with a smile on their faces is so hard these days. This too shall pass, right?

We all had a great time! Happy Easter!