my apologies

Yep - We are still here!

It's been awhile since I've gone this long in between posts, but at the current moment...I don't have a lot to blog about. I apologize. Stay tuned - possibly next week I'll have something worth sharing... ;)

In the meantime...some pictures of my cute lil boy, that seems to be growing up before our eyes!

So long roomies!

Some of you may know that for over two years we've had my brother and sister-in-law living with us! I'm telling you...this isn't something that I thought would ever happen. Love my bro to death, but we are VERY different and I really thought when I left my parents home to come to college it would be the end of sharing a house with him! Sorry, Ty...but you know you are messy! ;)

Well, this last weekend they said "Adios"! They moved on to bigger and better things than our basement!

Shane and I often referred to them as the "kids"...asking each others "Are the kids doing laundry?" or "The kids are home". Granted Tyler is only 5 years younger than me, still...we had Zay...and then we had our other "kids" too!

This week the house has been exceptionally quiet. We don't hear people coming into our house late at night. And I think Zay misses his occasional playtimes with Aunt Kendra and Uncle Ty.

Even though we miss them, I have to say - it's pretty freeing to have our entire house back to ourselves! I keep telling Shane that even though we have our house back, it doesn't mean he can run around naked all the time.....just kidding! (kinda) ;)

Anyway - we completely and totally wish Kendra and Tyler the very best! Have fun living in good 'ol married-student housing at UNI! Come visit often...you know where we live! :)

Heaven is For Real

After hearing a ton of people talk about how great this book is, I read it last week/weekend. One of my coworkers let me borrow her copy.

I have to say, it didn't disappoint! The book had me in tears, it had me laughing, and really just had me in awe!

The beginning of this book brought up some old emotions from when Zay was born. The little boy in the book, Colton, has an undiagnosed appendix, which takes doctors 5 days to discover. I vividly remember hearing about one thing after another of things wrong with Zay, and really not feeling like anyone could get a handle on what what going on with our baby. I think this is where I cried the most during the book!

This book is unique in the fact that there are multiple topics that can relate to many different people. Some people have had a miscarriage and it still causes them a great deal of sadness. Some people have lost a father, mother, grandpa, grandma, etc and still feel very much sorrowful. Some people get angry with God when they can't understand what's happening in their life or their child's life. Some people wonder about Heaven and what it will look like. Some people wonder if everyone goes to Heaven. Some people wonder what Hell is like and who is there. Some people wonder if their dogs go to heaven. Some people wonder if Heaven is for real...

Lots of questions. And I'm not claiming this book has all the answers. But it is an interesting perspective and who knows...Colton Burpo could be accurate about what Heaven looks like, who is there, and what is happening there. I just know that he was an encouragement to me to remember that this life is only temporary. There is still so much more to come - and I want to be living in a way that, Lord willing, ensures I get to Heaven!

I'm grateful for this book, because it has led to conversations about important things with important people. People I might not have had these conversations with, had there not been this book.

Also, I'm grateful because sometimes we need a little perspective in life, and this book definitely gave me that! It allowed me to open my eyes to the (more) important things and focus on them. It also made me realize that all the pain I felt when Zay was first being diagnosed and the first months of his life...minuscule compared to the pain God went through when He sent His son to die for us. I can't even imagine...

Praise God that Heaven is For Real! :)

Lunchtime...

My husband says I’m a softy when it comes to my son…

I haven’t yet decided if I should just admit defeat and agree…or if I should point the finger back at him, because I just KNOW my little man has his daddy wrapped around his finger too…

But then came the other day.

I was caught.

Proof that this little boy really does have his mommy duped.

Lunchtime...

Notice, Zay has his friend 'Scout' is with him, he has his paci, and you can't see it but he also has his 'towel' he likes to carry around.

But hey - he was cooperative too...he's eating!

And after lunch, Scout needed a bath. :)

All before noon...

I'm just gonna say...I'm happy it's Friday. :) A little peak at our morning today...

This morning...we HAD to have our sandals on. Because you know, when it's the COLDEST, RAINIEST day of the month, it's appropriate to want to have your sandals on. :)

Here I am, sporting my cool sandals! And if you notice in the corner of the picture, I'm headed for the dishwasher. I'm a REALLY big help to mom when she's loading and unloading the dishwasher!

Let's have a look outside. One of my favorite things to do...give kisses through the door. Oh yeah, and that's my dog, Bongo - more to come on him later.

Hmmm...lets think about this. It's mighty cold and windy outside. But I suppose we can still venture out to get my blood drawn and go to the grocery store.

Let's go Mom...but first, you get dinner in the crockpot because I've got a few things to do.

Coffee anyone? Yep - I'm just tall enough to grab Mom's mug off the table! (Don't worry...Mom never gets to her coffee until it's cold!)

Help yourself puppies! You can thank me later for all that ENERGY you will have!

Sorry Bails...I got a little on ya.

I think I'll move on to the next place I can find trouble. Oven - sure, why not! (Oven was NOT on!)

Oh, and while Mom has her back turned - I think I'll find myself a roll of garbage bags! (I was literally 3 ft away from him when he decided to sneak into the cupboard!)

Alright, Mom. I think I've done all the damage I can to this house - let's head for the hospital and grocery store now...

And so we did...loaded up and got on our way. First stop - hospital for blood draw. We had to wait awhile and Zay was VERY entertaining to the other guests at the hospital...walking, walking, and more walking around the waiting room...all the while screaming and giggling. And guess what... when it was our turn, the technician came after Zay with only a finger poker (not sure that is the correct term for it) - she didn't even try to get a vein. She had to do a lot of squeezing, but Zay was a patient little boy and didn't shed a single tear. WaHoo! Success!

Next stop - grocery store. This is always fun. The rules are:

1. Zay gets to hold every item I pick up off the shelf. (Unless it's breakable, and then Mommy vetoes that rule)

2. Sometimes it's fun to throw things out of the cart.

Oh yeah and, 3. Zay gets to smile and giggle at all the old ladies who think he's cute.

So, we continue our shopping, going about our business...and my phone rings. It's Zay's babysitter, Lori. Immediately I'm thinking one of the kids at Zay's daycare has some contagious bug that she's letting me know about. NOPE - wrongo! She asks me if there is any way we would have a black and white dog wandering around the neighborhood. Oh man...really! I knew that it was a possibility. Our gate in our backyard hasn't been latching properly and with the winds, of course was probably Bongo.

I call my brother (who was at our house preparing to move this weekend). He sets out on foot after the escapee. I text Shane, because I knew he was in a meeting, better not call. Then I debate for a second...do I try to checkout really fast? I head to the front of the store...lines in all the checkouts. Oh man, I knew the day would come when I would have to desert my full shopping cart, but I really thought it'd be because Zay was acting up! That's what I did...grabbed my baby and ran out of the store. Oh, I'm sure I was caught, but my mind was racing on how I was going to find our Bongo!!

I kept thinking about him getting by Ansbourough or Ridgeway or 4th Street or Kimball and getting hit by a car...or someone might snatch him up...or someone would take him to the Humane Society and we'd have to pay 100 bucks or something to get him out of jail. Oh man...I was stressing!

Well...I found Tyler and we drove around for 45 minutes looking for him. I met some nice neighbors down the way, met some construction workers, and even traded glances with a lady glaring at me out her front window after the 10th time I drove slowly by her house. To her defense, I'd probably be leery too. But I was yelling BONGO, BONGO periodically...I think that's a pretty good giveaway what I'm up to...

Finally, I call Shane, but still no answer. He texts me back and tells me he's in a meeting...I was aware, but was hoping he'd be done! Not too long after, he calls me back to let me know he's on his way to help. I drop Tyler off at our house so he can get in another vehicle and we can spread out a little more. As I'm driving down our street, Tyler calls...Bongo came home!

Actually...he came home to our neighbor's backyard....And was eating baby bunnies - lovely! I don't think a dog's diet gets better than a cup of coffee topped off with a little baby bunny! Gross.

In the end...we are happy to have our Bongo back!

...And I'm sure the afternoon with this little guy will be just as exciting as our morning...

And my prediction proves to be true! Zay's doctor just called with the lab results...his thyroid is off again! Waiting for the next phone call from Iowa City to know what we change the dose to!

..EvErYdAy Is An AdVeNtUrE! :)

Do you know what's cool...

Husbands that are loving...Sons that are so, so cute...Friends that are thoughtful...Birthdays that are worth celebrating!

So, I know my bday isn't for a couple days, but it feels like it's today! A long time ago, my husband put dibs on our friend Bailey's camera if she were to ever upgrade to a new one. Well, the time has come, and my hubby purchased a mighty nice camera for my birthday! Yea!

We picked it up tonight, since Shane is going to be out of town for work on my birthday. I don't think I've put the camera down all night! I don't know a thing about cameras...but I'm about to learn a whole lot! Bailey gave me a quick overview tonight, but oh my...there are so many settings, I feel like I'm about to embark on a whole new world of photography!

So without further ado...tonight's pictures of my little Zay, with my new camera, thanks to my husband, with the help of Bailey. :)

Check out those baby blues!

Just eatin' a little din-din.

This is how we pray! Zay usually does a very good job with this...tonight he obviously felt like praying AFTER dinner too.

ALL DONE, Mom!

Pleeeaaase, Mom! (Notice the hand on the belly...sign language!)

Dirty little boy...needs a bath!

Wow...check out the shadows! Obviously still learning! Still couldn't resist posting the pic...those blue eyes get me everytime!

Zay has a fascination with his washcloths...not sure how this came about.

Once again...washcloth in the mouth!

Mom probably took away the washcloth for a picture...

And we've got it back!

Am I cute?

YEP!

Peek-a-boo, Mom!

Uh, Uh...

Oh Man, I'm stuck!

Uh, a little help here would be nice...

Thank ya, Ma!

And...Mom, we are DONE for tonight!

Because you never know...

When you might need your diaper rash cream..

So I carry them with me where ever I go...

And I make sure I bring BOTH tubes...

Yep. That's how I roll.

What a Wife (and Mom)

I have to tell you something. My wife is absolutely amazing. The last couple of months have been pretty hectic around the Austerman household. I helped plan Love Cedar Valley for our church, which meant weekly meetings, and many late nights spent emailing and organizing things. Jackee also was involved in some of the planning, when she wasn't taking care of Isaiah. I also am taking my first class to get my Master's right now, and travel to Chicago for work once a month. On top of all of this, I have been trying to work out just about every night (if I want Zay to be healthy, I better be healthy myself!!!). Jackee enables me to do all of this, and supports me. She takes all of this busyness in stride, which is such a blessing to me.

To most, this would seem quite normal, if one parent is busy the other one just kind of picks up the slack. Unfortunately parenting Zay isn't quite like parenting most kids. The extra time to cook his food is quite astonishing. In addition to the PKU, Zay has also been dealing with ear infections and at different times breathing problems from his Asthma. Jackee is such an amazing mom, and is the rock of our family.

The last two nights she has been even more extraordinary. On Tuesday morning Zay woke up at 5:00, which up until the last two weeks was his normal time to get up. Before I was really comprehending that Zay was crying, Jackee was already up and taking care of him. Fortunately, Zay went back down at about 5:45, and then Jackee climbed back into bed for 45 minutes. I barely moved through any of this. Then last night, Zay was so tired from being outside, that he was a bear. He went to bed after fussing non-stop at 6:30. He woke back up at 9:30. I tried to calm him down, but Zay definitely wanted his mommy. Jackee got up to help me take care of him. I also stayed up for a while, and then I tried to lay him down, and he had no part of that. I was extremely frustrated as I could not get him to calm down, eventually resolving to try to let him cry it out. Jackee ended up rescuing him, and didn't get to put him down until 11:45, while I slept. What a wife and mom!

She is continuously amazing me. Whether she is looking up new recipes for Zay, taking an extra minute at work to let me know that she loves me, or enabling me to volunteer at church, she is always making me feel loved. Jackee is a full time employee, a full time mom, a full time home maker, and a full time wife. Somehow with all of this she is also finding time to read some great Christian books, and pushing our family forward in our faith walk. Even with all of her love and care for our family, there are still times Jackee will ask me if she is a good mom; her humbleness is so honest. Right now Jackee is laying next to me sleeping. I pray that when she takes a moment to rest tomorrow as she is vacuuming, dusting, picking up the kitchen, sweeping the floors, doing laundry, making food for Zay, and raking the front yard she will read this and realize how much Zay and I appreciate her. Zay and I love you Hun, and I think you are the best Wife and Mom a husband and son could have!!!!

Doin work...

A little yardwork needed to be done tonight...

Mom, I could use a little help with this rake!

Helping my Daddy 'smoosh' down the leaves in the bin.

When you work as hard as I do, you need to take frequent breaks with your puppies by your side.