9 Months Old

Hey Israel! You're 9 Months Old!!!
What are you up to these days???


You continue to amaze us everyday! You are so bright eyed and love taking in the world. Your smile is always bringing joy to those who meet you.
You weigh 17.6 pounds and are 26 inches long.
You wear a size 2 or 3 diaper.
You got your first ear infection and sinus infection…which were horrible…but were quickly remedied with antibiotics, thank God!
You still love your sleep! Taking 3 two hour naps a day and sleeping 12-13 hours at night!


You much prefer to hold your own bottle instead of having someone feed you…quite an independent little boy already!
You will eat baby food and a few different kinds of big people food…but don’t much care for either of them. You are happy to just have your bottle every three hours.
You experienced your first Christmas season with all of the fun and festivities and loved it all…especially the lights!


You continue to amaze us with how adaptive you are with what you have. You can pick almost anything up…even the smallest items! You can bend over almost to where your face touches he floor, pick up your toy, and sit back up!
You are the happiest baby I have ever known!
You gabber such things as mama and dada…and are starting to say Mama with intention!
Making clicking noises and blowing raspberries is something you love to do!
You absolutely love the water! We take you to the Kroc center 1-2 times a week and go swimming in the big pool and you think its wonderful!
Israel…we love you so much and are so proud of you! You are a miracle and a blessing to us each and every day!

Merry Christmas!

~ Our Christmas newsletter...from our family to yours ~

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that it is almost the end of 2009 already! This year has flown by for us! It has been an amazing one of blessings and joy. We are coming up on the 2 year mark of owning our own business. God has continued to show that he is faithful in this area by bringing lots of jobs our way, even despite the economy. We always say our business is run by God’s economy, not this world! In fact our business has been doing so well that we had to hire a bookkeeper and a part time employee! Praise God! Owning our own business has been such a blessing to our family and has allowed us the flexibility and freedom to control our schedules, and thus our lives. Just this fall, Becca has taken on the position of Co-Children’s ministry director at church with another gal. This has been an awesome opportunity to sew into the little children’s lives at church and really make a difference for eternity.

Life with three kids is just as busy as it sounds. But honestly, we wouldn’t want it any other way! Again this year, Becca is able to stay home and homeschool Rachel and Jaxon. Last year was such a wonderful experience we wanted to do it again. Rachel is now 7 years old and in the 2nd grade. She loves getting her work done quickly and having the rest of the day to play! She is a super fast learner and enjoys reading and discovering new things with science. She read her first chapter book this year and has been breezing through them ever since! Rachel also did swimming lessons and gymnastics this year. Both were fun experiences for her. Jaxon is 5 years old and in Kindergarten. He is very bright and picks up on concepts fast. However his favorite subject in school is math and is flying through it! Jaxon did swimming lessons and played soccer this year. Jon was his soccer coach and they really enjoyed having this time together. Israel is 8 months old already and learning new things every day! He was born on March 18th. He came right into our lives and stole our hearts! He is a miracle and a huge blessing to our family. He has overcome many challenges and obstacles already and is thriving! As many of you know, we have a blog dedicated to him. We update it regularly with any new information on him and what’s going on in his life. Feel free to check out the link below.

We pray that this Christmas season will be a time for you to reflect on all of the blessings God has given you and your family over the past year. We pray your Christmas is filled with love and laughter…and the joy of Jesus.

All our love,
Jon, Becca, Rachel, Jaxon & Israel Turkington

Santa Baby

This week we took the kids to see Santa. I was a bit nervous at how Israel would respond because it has been just recently that he has really started developing stranger anxiety. Rachel went first...


Then Jaxon...


All while Israel watched. Then it was his turn. I sat him down, and he turned and looked at Santa...and just stared!


No Crying!!!


I was so thankful he did so well and that I was able to get so many great pictures! Of course I have to share them with you all!

Self Diagnosis

You may remember a post a few months back about Israel having a rash. He had a continual rash for over three months...no one could figure out what it was, we saw two doctors and then a pediatric dermatologist...yet no one could find what was causing the rash. We tried multiple creams and other medicines. We even did a culture...yet no results. I was bound and determined to find the cause of this rash. So I started doing some research on my own and decided to give something a try. I took every piece of clothing Israel owned and washed it all with "ALL Free and Clear" with an extra rinse at the end. I also wash all of our families laundry and towels and such the same way. Guess what happened...the rash was almost completely gone in 3 days! I was shocked! And so thankful to have found the answer to sweet Izzy's rash! To this day it has never come back!

8 Months Old

Hey Israel ~ You're 8 Months old!
What are you up to these days?


*It seems as though this last month has brought along big changes for you. You have grown and changed in so many ways!
*You sit all on your own...and pretty much wouldn't have it any other way these days!



*You weight 16 pounds and are 26 inches long! You have grown tons this month!
*You are enjoying exploring new foods and are willing to try just about anything. Although we learned at Thanksgiving that mashed potatoes are one of your new favorites!
*You are learning how to play with new toys and getting creative about how to adapt them to meet your needs.



*You took your first trip to the snow...which you mostly slept through!
*You have found a new love for the water and enjoy our twice a week swimming at the Kroc Center!
*Baby Einstein movies totally captivate you! If you are really into it you will watch it through the entire 30 minutes!



*Since it's winter time around here, the dogs have been spending a lot more time in the house...and you LOVE them! You get so giddy and excited every time you see them!
*The jumparoo is one of your new best friends! You can actually bounce in it and find a lot of pleasure moving around in it!
*As I say every month...you continue to surprise and amaze us every day. You are bright and curious and you are going to continue to do amazing things. We love you precious miracle of ours!

More Doctors Appointments

I am sitting at Doernbecher's Children's Hospital in the waiting room as I type this post. We are here for Israel's Pre-Opp appointment. We have been to two of our three appointments here today. They are basically going over all of the legal stuff, signing papers, going over everything that could possibly happen etc. We are all here...Jon, the three kids and myself. Thankfully they have been pretty good about being on time today, which is wonderful! Last time we were here for well over 4 hours! That makes for a long day with a baby who needs to nap!

Israel's surgery is scheduled for December 30th in the morning. If you aren't sure what I am referring to...Click Here for more details on an earlier post. I am feeling pretty good about everything, and thankful that his surgery is so minor, comparatively to what it could possibly be. The doctors are hopeful about the positive outcome and honestly, I am just looking forward to the surgery being a thing of the past!

FOOD!

Ok...so there is no hiding the chunky rolls on little Izzy's legs anymore or his adorable squeezable cheeks..nope! He is quite the little chubster these days and I would have to say, I'm not sure the doctors are going to be worried about his weight any longer! Which will be a relief to me! Izzy loves to eat! Bottles, baby food...and anything you have! He now watches every bite we put in our mouths and opens his mouth at the same time we do...just hoping we might send something his way! We have slowly been introducing him to new foods, little by little. So far bread and fruit are a huge hit! On...and chocolate too! :-)

Cluck Cluck Chicken...

Sorry my Halloween post is a bit delayed! Life happens and I often forget all about my blog! Halloween was a blast! We were blessed with awesome warm weather! Israel loved trick-or-treating with his big brother and sister! He even got to try out some candy!

Sitting Up

Yes, it's true. Israel can sit up! It's been such a fun and exciting adventure for him and us, learning something new. He LOVES to sit! It's pretty much the only way he wants to be anymore! No more of the laying down business! No thank you!

He figured it out in about a week and has only fallen a few times since then. Sitting opens up a whole new world of possibilities for Izzy. He loves being able to play with so many new fun toys. He is such a smart little guy and I love watching his mind at work.

First Cold

Israel had his first cold a while back. To be honest, I forgot just how challenging it is to have a sick little one! His cold lasted 2 full weeks and he had all the normal cold symptoms. Poor little guy was miserable. He was so tired, but of course laying down made him even more stuffy, which only escalated the problem because then he couldn't suck his binkie, of whcich he was NOT happy about! For those two week Jon, Israel and myself didn't get much sleep and I am sure there were times that Jon and I were just a cranky as Israel was! So thankful it is over now though. Praying this winter is a healthy one!

7 Months Old

Hey Israel! You’re 7 months old!

What are you up to these days???


You are the happiest baby I have ever known! You are so gentle spirited, light hearted and overall just a joy to be around. You bring smiles to faces of people everywhere we go!

You are a jabber box and have really found your voice recently. You love to interrupt when other people are talking!

You are growing way to fast! It seemed like forever that you were in 0-3 month clothes...and now you are totally in size 3-6 months, as well as some 6-9 months!

You have decided that you would prefer to just take two naps these days. Some days it is still 3, but most of the time we are down to two. Which is actually not so bad, because you sleep longer and are awake longer, which makes doing things much easier!

You went into the daycare at the Kroc center for the first time. You were wonderful and everyone loved you! This was a big step for Mommy, but you did great!

You still only roll from your tummy to your back, but you are SO close to going the other way too! You scoot around on your back still, which I think is pretty ingenious!


You love playing with toys and you are able to figure out how most of them work. As well as how to get them into your mouth!

You love being outdoors (Yes, you are your father's son!). Going on walks is one of your favorite things to do!

You still love your baby food, but you have also found a place in your heart for "finger foods" :-)

You are the light of our lives little one! We love you!

Doernbecher’s again

Israel had another follow up appointment at Doernbecher’s Children’s Hospital last week to check his jaw out…and PRAISE GOD… they think his jaw is growing! Growing so well that the plastic surgeon doesn’t see the need for the jaw surgery at this time! THANK YOU JESUS!!! They will continue to reevaluate him every 4 months to just check him and track his progress, but for now…no jaw surgery!


They do however want to perform a more minor surgery on his tongue. I realize I have not elaborated on this much in the past…really because there just wasn’t a whole lot to say about it, but here’s the scoop. Israel’s tongue is tethered. Now this is actually not so uncommon and is easily fixed with just a quick snip. However Israel’s tongue is quite different then the normal case. His is actually tethered all the way to the tip of his tongue and to his lower lip. They call this a tongue/lip adhesion. He currently has no mobility of his tongue. Surgery is possible and relatively quick, comparably to where we were looking at with the jaw surgery. The plastic surgeon will perform the surgery because when she makes the cut, she will have to try and create an underside and a tip of hit tongue, since he currently does not have one. They are wanting to do this sooner rather than later, as there is really no reason to wait. We feel hopeful that this surgery will greatly benefit Israel and that now is the right time. Please be in prayer for him and for us and for the doctors as we await this upcoming surgery. We don’t have a date set yet, but as soon as we do I will be sure and let you all know.

Physical Therapy

Early Intervention is something our family is very familiar with. Both Rachel and Jaxon were delayed in their speech and attended services to help them with this for two years. It is an amazing place, filled with amazing people who truly love these children and see them for who God created them to be, not for their outward disability. Our experiences with Rachel and Jaxon were so special that there were actually tears in my eyes as they graduated from their class and were no longer eligible for services. Which is a wonderful thing because it meant they were doing so well they didn’t need any more help! It was a truly memorable time for us and we came to have a real heart connection with a few of the people there. Well Israel’s needs are slightly different then Rachel and Jaxon’s were. But non the less, we are excited and looking forward to our relationships that will develop with the many specialists that will be a part of Israel’s journey. Right now we have a physical therapist, Judy, who comes out to our home twice a month. She is awesome! She brings new toys and great ideas to help Israel with his mobility and motor skills. She is full of great ideas and lots of information. Eventually, and as Israel’s needs arise, he will also see a occupational therapist and a speech therapist. But for now, motor skills are our biggest concern for him. He has been doing GREAT and appears to be a very quick learner! He is bilateral, meaning he uses both arms to do things, as opposed to a child who has a hand and can simply use their fingers to pick something up. He can hold toys, pick up toys, and even hold a wagon wheel (An infant teething wafer/cookie thing) of which he loves! He also used his right arm dominantly as it is longer and easier for him to function. I continue to be amazed at how adaptive he is, literally using his arm as a hand and picking things up and hooking things around his arm! We are so proud of him and so thankful that God has made him such a little smarty pants!

6 Months Old

Hey Israel, You're 6 months old! (WHAT? How did that happen??)

What are you up to these days???


Well, you are amazing, as always! You continue to show us that you are going to be just fine in this world. You are doing all of the things that every other 6 month old baby does...

Rolling...you much prefer your back, so when you are laied on your tummy and you are done with that, you simply just roll over :-) It's pretty cute!

You are trying to sit, and doing quite well might I add. Of course you still need support, but you are very strong and love to sit up!

You are now trying to put things in your mouth! You are getting quite good at using both arms together and getting objects to where you would like them to be...which is usually in your mouth!

You are still eating baby food well and are quite into it, might I add! You love both fruits and veggies. You have experienced a few tastes of other food, but you don't much care for having texture in your mouth just yet.

You are a gabbering fool! You love to just talk and talk and talk! It's so adorable, however every time I pull out the video camera to try and record those special moments...you stop! Stinker!

You still fit into your 0-3 month clothes...which I have to say I love! With Rachel and Jaxon, they both outgrew their 0-3 month closed in no time and I felt like they hardly got to wear them! But you however, are getting the full use out of yours! There are some 3-6 month things you are fitting into as well.

You now take a bottle full time (Your choice!) which has been both good and hard.

I truly cannot believe how fast time flies and that you are already 1/2 a year old! You are such a miracle and a precious gift from God. We love you so much precious little boy!

HAPPY 1/2 ISRAEL!!!

Ok, so maybe I lied...

In my last post I said I was going to start writing more...and it's been nearly 2 weeks now and i am finally sitting down to write again. Life has been a bit crazy around here! My dear friend Karen and I took over the Children's Ministry at our church and have been spending tons of time revamping the whole program. Between that, school, business and just life...I haven't made blogging time a big priority lately. I do have lots to say and new things to share about Israel with you all, so I will try to get those posts coming as soon as I can. And in the meantime, thanks for your grace while I live my busy life :-)

Shriners

Here are a few pictures I took of our latest trip to Shriner's. I try very hard to document my children's life through pictures, so even taking pictures of things that may not seem very significant at the time, matters to me. So here are a few to share with you :-)

Just hanging out with Dad...waiting for the next doctor.


Izzy loves looking at lights...and the ones at Shriner's have the coolest cloud covers on them!

FIRST Hair Cut

I love the first few years of a baby's life, because it is filled with SO many firsts. The little things that after a while no longer become very significant and we just associate with normal everyday life. But I love being able to document all the little firsts of my kiddos life and save them in their baby book to later look at and remember how exciting it was at that time.

Israel just had his FIRST HAIR CUT! Crazy that a baby who isn't even 6 months old yet would already need a hair cut huh? Well he is pretty much just following in his brothers footsteps. Jaxon had his first cut when he was 8 months...but Rachel on the other hand, poor little bald baby, didn't get hers done until she was 3!

Israel did as well as could be expected. He was very interested in looking at me and the scissors and not holding still. But between me, Jon, Rachel, Jaxon, a bottle, the tv and some toys (Not to mention well over 30 minutes!) we finally accomplished our goal. And he looks adorable...and a bit to much like a big boy for my liking! We only did a trim (About an inch off all around) which still allowed us to leave some "poof" on top and curls and such. And notice how light and "red" it is becoming too! Izzy has an uncle with red hair and a cousin with strawberry blond...so who knows what his will become :-) I love it though!

Catching Up...a little update and such

Ok, so I am sorry for being such a bad blogger! This summer has been amazing and we have been so busy that I rarely took the time to actually sit down and blog! So for all of my faithful followers, sorry about that. But now that summer is over and we will be getting back on a more normal routine I hope to start blogging regularly again.

We had an appointment at Shriners yesterday and it went great. They don't want to do any prosthesis right now since he is doing so well with what he has! We will go back at 10 months old and reassess then.

Israel continues to amaze us with all of his abilities! He rolls around, plays with toys with his legs and arms as well as holds toys with his arms and hold his own bottle. He seems to be a very determined little guy and I don't think anything is going to hold him back. I thank God for the "go-getter" personality he has placed in Izzy. I think this personality trait will take him far in life!
He babbles, and laughs and smiles all the time!

We took Israel to the State Fair (Twice!) and he did great. He loves all the lights and sounds and fast moving things. He had his first take of a lemonade and of a milkshake (thanks to Daddy) and thought they were pretty amazing!

I still have no idea how time goes by so fast and how they just grow right before our very eyes, but I am trying hard to remember everything I can and enjoy each moment with my precious baby.

5 Months Old

Hey Israel...You're 5 months old!

What are you up to these days?

You are amazing! You have grown so much this past month and are doing so many new things!

*Size 3-6 month clothes are finally starting to fit you! Hooray for new clothes to wear!

*You are still on the smallest size of your cloth diaper settings, however if you wear disposable ones...you are still fitting comfortably into a size one.

*You weigh just a touch over 11 pounds...which isn't even on the growth chart at all for your age...tiny baby you are!

*You smile ALL the time and are starting to laugh a lot more now too! It's so much fun and brings joy to our hearts!

*You coo and babble a lot now...especially to your toys! It's precious! And you often say "Ah da da da da da" I recorded it on my phone one day and sent it to Daddy...it pretty much made his day!

*You have been sleeping in your own room in your big boy crib for a month now and it is still going wonderfully...although sometimes Mommy misses you.

*You started eating cereal...and you LOVE it! We just give it to you once a day in the evenings.

*We are so blessed that you are still an awesome sleeper! You go 10-12 hours at night and take about 3 naps that range from 1-3 hours each. You love to sleep on your tummy now and love it! You are so funny about your sleep though...you can be absolutely exhausted and ready to crash...but unless you are on your tummy with your binkie, you are not going to give in, no matter what!

*And finally you don't think being on your tummy for play time is to bad...thank you Jesus! You still prefer being on your back or in your bouncy chair for play time though. You are so smart and can moved your toys around with your legs and arms, and even get some items to your mouth!

*You have taken a real liking to the swimming pool! You sit in your little water floaty thing and just love kicking your legs around and relaxing in the pool. However we have discovered that you have such sensitive skin that every time you go in the pool you break out in a rash. We are trying new things to try and resolve this issue, however the good thing is, the rash doesn't seem to bother you!

*Being in your sling is one of your favorite places to be :-) Which makes Mommy's heart smile!

*You have also started enjoying spending time in your excersaucer, highchair and bumbo. You're getting so big!

*You're brother and sister are your best friends! They entertain you all the time and are always wanting to do everything with and for you. It's pretty cute!

*You continue to have such a sweet and peaceful spirit that it is noticed by friends and complete strangers alike. We hear comments all the time about how calm, peaceful and sweet you are.

*You rolled over for the first time, just yesterday! From your tummy to your back! Yeah for you!

You continue to amaze us every day and some how we manage to love you more than the day before...however that is possible I don't know! We are so proud of you and everything you are doing! You are precious!

1st 4th

Israel spent his first fourth of July with us at his Aunt Melanie & Uncle Kevin's house. It was a beautiful hot day and he spent most of it in his diaper in his Aunties arms :-) Oh how he loves her!

Not feeling so hot!

So last week sweet little Izzy had to have his first dose of antibiotics :-( He got a bacterial skin infection. It started off as just a few spots...but it continued to spread over the next week and I decided to get him seen for it. It didn't seem to bother him much, which I am thankful for. But I'm sad that at only 4 months old he needed antibiotics. Good news is, his rash is now completely gone and now we know he isn't allergic to it! Plus...we know he has a sweet tooth...because he loved taking his medicine, and actually cried when it was gone each time!

Loving the cloth!

So we have been using our Gro Baby cloth diapers for a while now and are still totally in love with them! I don't know why we didn't do this sooner!

But I have a question for you...does anyone out there use natural/organic laundry soap? Honestly I had never really given my laundry soap much thought, until I started using cloth diapers. Tiny Bubbles is one brand I am looking in to but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions, advise or comments for me? Thanks for your help! I always love hearing what you have to say :-)

God is good, all the time!

I have a huge PRAISE to share with you all! A while back...well right here to be exact...I posted about Israel getting approved for Medicaid. That was a big praise in and of itself...but it's even bigger now! I requested that his service date go back to his date of birth, as opposed to the date I called to apply him. This is because before he was even born I called to get him going on Medicaid, but they told me I couldn't do anything until he was his own person with his own social security number. I understand...but you would think there should be some exception to the rule when it is a condition you know your unborn child is going to have from the beginning. Well...enough with this business...the praise is It got approved! They are going to change his date of service to his date of birth. Which means any existing bills we currently owe on for him will be completely taken care of! And...even more...they are going to retro pay...meaning pay the bills IN FULL...even what we have all ready paid, and we will get our money back! PRAISE GOD! He truly is good ALL THE TIME! Thanks to all of you who have and are continuing to lift our family up in prayer! God is answering them!

4 Months Old

(Sorry I'm a bit late at getting this out...life's been a little busy around here!)


Hey Israel! You're 4 months old now!

What are you up to these days?

You weigh 11 lbs 2 oz!

Well, you still wear size 1 diapers...when you wear disposable ones. But since getting your Gro Baby diapers you rarely wear them.

You still fit into almost all of your 0-3 months clothes...but can now fit into a few 3-6 month things as well.

You are still an amazing sleeper and take 3 to 4 naps a day which range from 1 to 3 hours each.

You love your play gym and spend lots of time under it each day. You are very smart and have learned how to kick and hit the toys to get a reaction from them.

You discovered your legs! You kick them up high and touch them with your arms.


You nap in your big boy crib, but Mommy isn't quite ready for you to be in there all night long...she still wants to hang onto her baby for a little bit longer.

You now smile all the time and at just about anyone! It's amazing how much joy your smile brings to people!

You have started jabbering a lot lately and it's just adorable! (And I swear you say Mama when you cry!)

You have had your first road trip/vacation and you did wonderful!

You are the light of our life and a joy to the world. We love you!

Big Boy Bed!

So maybe it isn't a big boy bed...but at least it's a big boy crib. He is quickly outgrowing his bassinet and I figured it was time to start having him sleep in his crib. He just sleeps in there for naps right now...until Israel (Or Mommy!) is ready. We haven been doing this for about a week, and so far so good! I'm sure once his head is hitting the top of the bassinet I might be ready...lol :-) Since this is most likely my last baby, I don't want to rush things. I want to savor and enjoy every last baby minute I get with him!