Comparison of the Boys in my Belly...

Unfortunately, I couldn't locate Conner's 4-D picture CD, so I had to scan one of his shots. He looks so peaceful leaning on his elbow.

WOW!!! Pregnancy is truly a miracle from GOD!!!

Cayden Charles Crenshaw

Today we went to go get Cayden's 4-D Sono done. I debated even going through with it, but since we got Conner's done, I felt compelled to do the same for Little Man. I was mostly looking forward to seeing him up close to locate his ten fingers, ten toes, and all the other specific parts that you don't get to double check with the 2-D ultrasound. Also, it's comforting to see that his little nose and mouth are separated and stuff like that.

He did really well. He's no longer breech but has flipped on his side all curled up. I know now exactly why I feel like my tummy is going to rip apart on my left side!! His little booty is on my right and everything else...head, arms, and legs are on my left. He was moving up a storm, and the ultrasound tech. laughed at how mobile he was...don't have to remind me of that!! Ha! I'm tellin' ya, this little booger has a lot of energy!

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Cute thing too...from what we can see!! ;) I'm going to try and locate Conner's 4-D pics and do a comparison collage. I'm so curious to see if the boys favor when Cayden officially gets here in October! (My prediction is opposite...brown hair & brown eyes) David had really light hair when he was little, but as you can see, it turned dark brown, almost black. Conner's hair is already turning brown, but we don't know where his blue eyes came from. David's were always brown and mine are hazel...ha, so funny how the whole genetic thing works!

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Honestly, I think I'm more excited to meet Cayden than I was Conner. With Conner, all I knew was a precious baby was about to enter my world...I didn't have any preconceived ideas or expectations. Now as I've witnessed Conner growing up and changing daily, I realize that this little baby, Cayden Charles, is going to have his own unique, God-given personality and special characteristics!!! Plus, I'm not AS overwhelmed with the whole "baby" thing...this time around, I'm more or less anxious about spreading the love and attention between TWO kids! As much as I'm nervous about adding another little boy to our family, I'm simply taken back at how blessed we are!!! We will be a family of FOUR very soon!!!!!!! ;)

Here's Little Man at 27 weeks in my belly...

"No pictures, please!" or "Praise the Lord!!!"...:)

He looks so peaceful with his head resting on his little hand.

Tired baby...he yawned a few times during the recording.

My Favorite Little Man Eating His Favorite Food...:)

Corn on the Cob from Shelley Crenshaw on Vimeo.

Update on Conner...

PRAISE THE LORD!! Conner is doing soooo much better in both church nursery and school. Thank you so much for the many calls, texts, and comments. It means a lot to our family, and it never hurts to know that other mommas out there go through the same thing. :)

From a Mother's Broken Heart....

Our family really needs your prayers right now....

As much as I've bragged on Conner's ability to go off with the grandparents for a week without us, and be apart from David the following two weeks, then spend another full week in Virginia, I feel that there are some major aftermath effects that he's having to deal with. I'm not really quite sure what all is going on in his heart and mind right now. We started noticing a change during our nighttime routine...he was much more clingy and didn't want us to leave the room. Although last night he went down much easier, he screamed for maybe 1/2 a minute before giving up, I am still noticing a more "clingish" need from him. (Which I gladly meet when we're together. For goodness sake, I've wanted him to be a cuddler for a long time, and he was just so dang independent.) Anyway, this is all bleeding into school and even church nursery. I have not been consistently sending him to school since we've been back because, personally, I enjoy being at home with him. That's one of the perks of being a teacher. Stay at home mom in the summers. Well, sporadically, we've been taking him, and he hasn't been handling it too well at all. Actually, they moved Conner up to the two year old room the week before our busy, non-routine month of vacations. I don't think Conner ever even got used to the place, and several times he's asked me about his old teachers. I just respond by saying, "You've moved up to the two-year old room with some of your other friends." (He's not playing with ANY of the children...even the boys and girls from his old room!)
Well, yesterday when I picked him up, he literally looked depressed...he wouldn't look me in the eye. The more I talked to him, he began opening up. I tried to ask him if he wasn't happy there or if he didn't like a certain new teacher, but we didn't get very far considering he's a two year old.
That night, we went to church, ate, visited for a while, and then it was time to drop him off to church nursery. (which he's done 895 times...round about!! Ha) He didn't want to leave my arms and screamed for daddy, who was still eating in the reception area. Somehow I got him in the classroom, and the teachers immediately tried to distract him with everything...toys, food, drink, friends, bubbles, etc. He said, "No." to all of it...he said no to FOOD!!! I just waited in the hallways and cried not knowing what to do. I finally went back to David to tell him how he was doing, and about ten minutes later, we snuck back to his nursery door to see if he had calmed down. He was crying right by the door. Part (most) of me wanted to open the door and rescue him in my arms, and the other part knew that it would be a horrible thing to start doing. If I had done that, he would have thrown fits for sure every week knowing that Momma or Daddy would pick him up early. Sooooo, we were literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. This sweet, precious older lady who helps out in the nursery said she'd keep her eye on him, and if she absolutely had to, she would page us. I wrote down our situation as a prayer request during the church service...it's that drastic of a change in his personality! Well, the good news is that he eventually began interacting with the other kids, and they gave him a toy dinosaur that obviously was a big factor in getting his mind off of us not being there. David and I talked about it last night and decided to send him to daycare everyday until school starts...then, of course, he will be there indefinitely and hopefully will have been readjusted to the place. This morning when I woke him up, he was perfectly normal...in fact the first thing he said was, "Go to school- see friends?" since I had DRILLED that in his head the night before!! ;) We got dressed and waited in our room until David was ready. I explained again that Daddy was going to take him to school and he would get to play with his friends, eat, sing, etc. When it was time to go, Conner walked over to the door, but when we came to the door, he wanted me to go too. He began crying and walking back into the house. He said, "I kiss Momma's face", so we kissed and said goodbye, and he cried the whole way to the truck. David said he cried again when he dropped him off, so I've been worried all morning about his progress today. :(
I decided to call and see how he was doing this afternoon, and they let me talk to the substitute teacher who is there for the day. When I asked how he had been, she said that he's been fussy all day and that he's either been leaning against the wall staring or crying. My heart sank and is still hurting as I type this with tears rolling down my face. :( She asked if he usually did this and I explained a "short-story" no. Then she said, "Well, that's what I thought. I remember Conner in the one-year-old room and he was never like this." That's when I overloaded on her the "long-story" response about all that's been going on from our busy summer to a new baby coming in October. It helped her understand our situation. I couldn't help but begin crying on the phone out of frustration and discouragement. When I asked if he was taking a nap, she explained that he wouldn't eat lunch today. After repeatedly trying to get him to eat, she said, "Conner, do you just want to take a nap?" She said that he ran to the cot and layed down but had not closed his eyes yet.
I really don't know what to do. I told her that I would pick him up around 2:00 today just to see if he'll bounce back, but it's hard to believe that Conner's been there half a day and hasn't been able to let go and enjoy school. I truly believe that Conner is going through EXTREME separation anxiety due to everything that's been going on here lately. Maybe he seriously has a fear that he won't see us again when we're apart...it's like starting all over again with a baby. Plus, he's had his momma around much more often, and he knows and misses our routine at the house. In addition to that, I think he senses a big change in the near future with Cayden coming in October. Though he doesn't grasp the entire thing, I know he's aware that things are about to change. Ugh!!! Like I said, my heart is torn, and we would really appreciate prayers from all our family and friends.

God, grant Conner peace during the times as he's apart from us. Hold him in your arms and give him the ability to cope without having us there. You are his ultimate Father, and you know & love him better than we do!! Help David and I know what to do. When to act. When to sit back and wait. And to ALWAYS trust IN You!!! I realize that this, too, shall pass, but give us the strength to get through this difficult transition. I speak life into Conner...I speak happiness into his bubbly personality...may we begin seeing our Conner Man positively interacting while at school/nursery again...SOON!! We thank you for all your many blessings and provisions and expect even GREATER things ahead! In Jesus name we pray!!! Amen.

Well, I'm about to go pick up Conner from school right now....I'll keep the blog updated on how everything's going. It'll be okay...Little Man just has to get readjusted, unfortunately. :(

Who Let the Dogs Out? ;)

Untitled from Shelley Crenshaw on Vimeo.

Counting With Mammaw

Counting with Mammaw from Shelley Crenshaw on Vimeo.

He's Got the Moves...

Untitled from Shelley Crenshaw on Vimeo.

Conner & Cayden Update...warning: no pictures/videos.

Well, today David took Conner to school since they were having a picnic. Also, his new teacher said that every Friday they have "water day". I'm not really sure what this means, so I sent his swimming stuff just in case. We were also instructed to send a sack lunch, so I packed a lunchable and goldfish for him. (I believe I was more excited about the whole thing...felt like an elementary mom packing her child's "labeled" lunch for the day!) When I woke Conner up, he still looked tired so I told him that he could lay in bed while I got his things together for school. He saw me grab his swimming trunks/diapers...immediately, his head popped up, and he said..."swimming pool?" I explained that they were having water day at school, but that I wasn't sure what they had planned exactly. He said..."YAY!!!"..and was out of the bed in no time!
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Since he's gone today, I'm doing some things around the house that have been lllloooooonnnng overdue. (Paperwork stuff/cleaning...GAG!) Plus, I'm able to update my boys' (love the plural) progress here lately. ;) Notice I'm doing the blogging before touching the other! Ha!
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It's hard to believe that ONE week from today I'll be back in the classroom preparing for my new group of kids!!! I'm recruiting David and Mrs. Schuerman (though she doesn't know it yet..heehee) to help me move all the furniture back in and help arrange the room. Seeing that I'm in NO condition to do that kind of thing. Then I'll simply pace myself until we're back in full swing. I would love to have my room EXTRA organized this year due to the fact that I'll be out for maternity leave beginning sometime in October. It's a great incentive to buckle down and really have things together...always a goal, but ya know how that is. We also will be in a workshop on the 23rd and 24th, and David and I are traveling to Arlington to see Seattle and The Rangers play the last weekend of July!!! (Yay...we're gonna try to get autographs from Josh Hamilton and Ken Griffey Jr. sp??? for the BOYS!!) I'm super excited, but that only confirms that yes, my summer is basically over and I need to work in the classroom ASAP so things aren't rushed at the end.
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As for school...I'm actually excited to go back. Last year was probably one of my most trying teaching years ever. Seriously, I had all intentions of venting/blogging my heart out in May when it was finally over, but time has passed now and so have my strong feelings about the ever-so-long journey. (Anyone who witnessed my struggles understands, and for those of you who have no clue...it's okay. Just know I've never depended on the Lord so much for strength, patience, wisdom, creativity, and overall ENDURANCE to survive a school year before.) Each year is a new start, and I'm truly looking forward to a WONDERFUL one in 2009-2010!! Last years' experience just solidified the desperate need for Christian, hands-on, loving teachers who teach beyond math, reading, language, etc.!! My eyes have been widened to all kinds of family situations that I had no idea 7 and 8 year olds were having to go through and internalize...it truly breaks my heart. In the process of pouring out love & attention to these babies, you can be left feeling defeated and out of energy, especially when progress cannot be seen or the battle seems too big! (Truth be told: It's not OUR battle) I was given a divine, appointed season with those children, and I hope that there were seeds planted in each of their lives. All I pray is that somehow the Lord uses me to touch not only the children that come into my path but their families as well...despite all my crazy imperfections. ;)
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Well, I guess I should get to the UPDATES so my blog title makes sense...Ha!!

Conner Man

• He is growing up way too fast and becoming quite the little man verse baby.


• His personality is so fun to watch...funny kid, still an entertainer, strong willed, STRONG willed, did I mention strong willed?? This can be very challenging, but I realize that it's an important characteristic of who he was created to be. (A warrior for the Lord is what we prayed for) As a mom, I'll never have to worry about anyone running over Conner - he is very self confident and knows exactly what he wants. He's very sensitive as well and has, here lately, been a cuddler. (never really was before) Very musical! Smart as a whip...sometimes too smart for his own good. :) Very adaptable - 100% proven during his FIVE consecutive weeks without any set routine. Not many two year olds could hang with all of that!! There's much more....from this momma's perspective, but we'll leave it at that.


• He loves to talk and know where and what everything is...he asks questions constantly. Sometimes I have to take a deep breath and realize that I should be thankful for these times...one day, sadly, he may not be as openly expressive. Hope that never happens, but for now, I'll enjoy the endless questions and repetitive comments. ;)
• He loves to sing and play his imaginary instruments. (We have toy ones, but the kid can sure do some "air" guitar/drums/piano/and violin at any given time) Ha! He played the piano in the swimming pool at the beach...hilarious. He also instructs others to partake in the experience. We've always called him "Coach Conner" but we've now thrown "maestro" around from time to time. ;)


• Speaking of imaginary things...he has a VERY creative imagination. He will tell you these detailed stories. (usually about sports or animals)...so detailed that you only grasp half of it. But, boy does his face light up as he lets you in on the exciting adventure. I need to video tape one of them in action. Mammaw and Pappaw noticed this when they kept him a week. One day on the phone, they said, "Your child sure does have an imagination!" David and I just looked at eachother and laughed!;)


• His song repertoire consists of: ABC's, "Tinkle, Tinkle How I are?", Jesus Loves Me, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Monkeys Jumpin' On the Bed, and combos of them. His little voice melts my heart. (talking and singing)


• He counts to ten and can identify up to three objects. Past that, he needs a little assistance.


• He knows some of his colors: red, green, blue, "lellow", and black. We're working on purple, pink, and brown, but he doesn't have those yet.


• Shapes: Circle, Star, Heart


• OBJECTS....it seems once he's asked about something, he plugs it in his computer brain. Memory of an elephant I tell ya...good thing and not-so-good thing.


• Did I mention strong willed? Plus, stubborn? Yep. He has had his fair share of spankings, time-outs, talks, etc. We're knee/waist deep in the discipline aspect of child rearing...simply because NO DOUBT he knows better and can try you in an instant. (too smart) We have a spanking spoon...all you have to do is simply walk towards it and he'll say, "No pankin' poon" while correcting the behavior. He is also very quick to say I'm sorry after being reprimanded. It's almost like he says it too much and out of habit- which reminds me of my sister, Rach. "I sorry Momma, I so sorry." Nevertheless, we are determined to keep our eyes on the Lord as he gives us the wisdom to raise Conner to be an obedient child without quenching his little spirit. We simply want to channel the strong willed personality in the right way so that it can be used as a strength in the future.


• He LOVES school and church and seeing all his friends. He has always been good at referring people by name. His old teachers recognized that and were shocked that he knew everyone's name in the one-year old class. I like to think this means that he's gonna be very personable and outgoing...really, he already is.


• He is now sleeping in his BIG boy bed/room...the transition was so smooth. He's been able to sleep all night as well as take full naps in it ever since we've been back home. He now refers to his old room as "Cayden's room". A few days ago, I was in Cayden's room doing something, and as I was closing the door, Conner walked up to me and said, "Me see Cayden's room." I let him in, he walked around, and then walked out. Okay...whatever. Ha!!


• A not-so-good aspect to bedtime has come to the surface though....He will say, "Momma, lay down." during our prayer time, and I'll lay down while we say our prayers, but when they're over and it's time for me to get up, things take a turn for the worse. He will cry for me to come back and lay down. David's been such a help these last few nights...we are not going to cave one bit. He's always slept by himself, and we're not about to start that right before this new little one arrives. It breaks my heart cause he'll say, "Kiss Momma's face!!" However when I go to kiss him, he'll pull away and tell me no. We think he's just trying to delay the inevitable of going to bed. When I leave the room, his cry will pierce your heart. I've tried going in there just "one" more time to relieve any guilt he may have had for not kissing me, but we simply repeat the entire process again. Not really sure what brought this about, but thankfully, in less than five minutes, he's asleep. This too shall pass. :( Other than that, the new room has been smooth sailing, and for some reason, he doesn't do that for naptime...only at night.


• He knows that he's gonna be a brother - just not sure he's prepared for the change that will take place. ;) He'll lean over and give Cayden kisses/love. The other night, he lifted up his shirt, pointed to his belly, and said, "My Cayden." Ha!! Bless him. Being around Devin, his cousin, encouraged me that he very well may handle everything better than I expect!! Let's pray so!!!
• Conner will actually watch a movie or t.v. show now and knows some of the characters out there in the t.v. world...he didn't start doing this until recently, but I have to say, it's quite nice. ;) We're not huge t.v. fans, so it's definitely not excessive...just enough time to give momma and daddy a little break. Ha!

Cayden Charles

I went to the doctor last Wednesday, and had a GREAT report on Little Cayden. We heard a wonderful, strong heartbeat, and he kicked while she was detecting it. He's definitely been making himself known for quite some time now. He's Mr. Mobile for sure...maybe more so than Conner Man. I was under the impression he would be less active, but we'll have to see for ourselves when he gets here. ;)

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There was only a "slight" concern that I've had about my pregnancy thus far. I'm following the same weight gain pattern as I did with Conner, and though I did stress a little bit about that with Conner, I vowed to not worry this time around. However, seeing that I'm a previous c-section patient, they were planning to take the baby 10 days before the actual due date. Conner was a small 6lb. baby even though he was technically full term, and I just want to make sure Cayden will be a good weight before they take him out. Let me just say...I'm not small by any means!!! It's just I must be redistributing my weight from like my toes & elbows to my belly. (It ain't leaving my thighs or behind unfortunately!! Ha!) Anyway, the scale is just not showing the growth. I shouldn't worry about the number per say...I just want the baby to be growing accordingly. She understood completely and said that instead of automatically scheduling the c-section 10 days prior, we'll wait until as close as the due date as we can. This makes me VERY happy!!!! ;) Plus, I may be able to swing by my high school reunion the weekend of the 17th now...I know, kinda trivial, but it could happen. I have no problem showing up as a whale. For goodness sake, I'll be days away from giving birth...they'll have to get over it!

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Soooo, October 12th is no longer set in stone. This may mean that our families might have to be in the dark a little while longer until we get closer to scheduling so that they can take off work to come down....but I know they understand. :)

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I say all that to end with... I measured TWENTY-SEVEN WEEKS when she measured my tummy. (I was only 25 wks!!) That's two whole weeks ahead people! I always measured behind with Conner, so that was such an unexpected wonderful confirmation that Cayden is definitely growing despite what the scale may say. PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We will go get the 4-D Ultrasound on July 24th....YAY!!! I'm so ready to see this little booger! :)

We're BACK!!!

Whew...that took a while "semi" catching up from our BIG summer thus far!! :) It all started about four weeks ago when David's parents took Conner back to VA with them for a week. Then, my dad picked me up, and they dropped Conner off at my parents house. We spent two weeks there along with a trip to the beach. Finally David rejoined us, and we then went back to VA for another week!! Whew, like I said it's been jam packed with lots of fun family time and has made this summer FLY by!!! Surprisingly, I only have a few more weeks before I'm up at the school again getting my room ready for another year...a GREAT one I predict!!!! :) Anyway, here are many pictures of the last month...hope you enjoy see what all we've been up to here lately.

Conner man has GROWN up to say the least. I'm so very proud of him. He bounced back and forth from situation to situation and handled everything like a pro. He's the most adaptable kid which is such a blessing. He talks non stop now and has blossomed over the last month. School isn't gonna believe it when he returns. I'll start sending him back a few days each week to reestablish that routine. :)

Also, he slept in his new, big boy room last night...no problems what-so-ever. Perfect timing for the transition seeing that he hasn't been in his crib for the last four weeks. Ahhhh....now to focus on potty training. Cayden's arrival will be around the corner, and I would love to have one set of diapers. We'll see how that goes....I'm just simply getting used to being back in the "real" world for now though.

It's good to be home...HOME SWEET HOME!! Oh, and my flowers are still alive!!! WhoooHoooo!!

Just some fun collages....

I love and miss my sweet sisters...

Yes, Cayden and I have done some major growing over the summer so far....I go back to the doctor on Wednesday and look forward to a WONDERFUL report!!!!!

Fishing!

This was Conner's first fishing trip where he actually knew what was going on. He loved catching and feeding the fish. All three of us enjoy fishing, so there will be many more trips to come in the future.

The site was AWESOME...Pappaw had connections with someone at his work and was able to take us to a great fishing area in Salem.

Some of their horses just casually walked by, so David (not me..hee) took Conner to pet one of them. Didn't grow up with the things so though they're fun/beautiful to look at, I like keeping my distance. ;)

Posing by the HUGE Gorilla Guy! ;)

One of my favorite pictures and moments...Pappaw was feeding the buffalo and it was licking his hand. Ewww, gross, but a moment no one will ever forget, especially Conner Man!

Umm, yep, this is me NOT being able to hang with all the walking and stuff. Blow to my pride...ugh. Anyway, whenever I found a bench, I had to join all the old people and sit down for a while. Everyone else was up the hill seeing the giraffes while my big ole' 6 month pregnant self sat. ;)

Enjoying some YUMMY ice cream!!

Mammaw and Pappaw took us to an African Safari so that the kids (including the BIG ones) could see and feed all the cool animals. Conner loved every minute of it!! He did however get bitten by a baby goat, but seemed to shake it off pretty quickly. Ha!!

We saw many animals on our adventure! Once again, following the theme of his new, big boy room!

Waiting for the wagon to start...Conner crosses his arms while he waits for things. :) Cutie!!!

Holding a HUGE ostrich egg...

Mammaw and Pappaw's House!

Finger/Face painting with Mammaw!! FUN STUFF!! ;)

The BEACH!!!

Nonna and Poppy took us to Myrtle Beach for a wonderful family vacation. The resort was the best I had ever been to....so beautiful!! All that was missing was David. :( We may have to plan a weekend getaway to Gulf Shores or something before the summer's over to make up for it. ;)

My little country lookin' boy about to enjoy riding his boat in the water. Ha! ;)

Such a sweet feeling...

What a face...

The aquarium...

Conner hiding behind the curtain. He was actually in trouble at the moment, but it's still a cute picture! ;)

The LaZy RiVeR...

His timidity about water is 100% GONE!!!

Aunt Rachel's Work