update- with some substance this time

Sorry folks, I don't know what happened on the last update. I could have sworn I typed something in the box, but you know, maybe I didn't. I'll try to make up for it in this post.

We are doing really well. Yesterday morning we were greeted by about two inches of snow/ice on the ground. And, since we live out in the middle of nowhere, our roads were not salted or cleared all day. Today the roads are a little better, due to traffic wearing down the ice. Snow is still falling now, but it's just snow, not ice. John Mark and I went to Louisville today for his four month pediatrician appointment. He weighs 13 lbs, 3 oz!!!

Mallory and I have both had the crud in the last week. Mallory recovered pretty quickly, but I had two really bad days with a fever up to 102.7. Yuck! Thankfully, John Mark hasn't shown any signs of sickness. We've been washing hands and using sanitizer like crazy, and he's still being breastfed as well, so those antibodies are doing some good!

The church has been so very generous to us. We have been blessed with a pantry full of food thanks to a good ol' fashioned pounding! Now, I didn't know what this was before a few weeks ago, but apparently it's a popular thing to do for new families in the community. Many families in the church contributed to stocking our cabinets with all the kitchen staples! What a blessing!

The church has a great website that is updated frequently with sermons, book reviews, Christian opinions on current events, etc. I encourage you to log on and subscribe to updates. Click here to go to the website.

I am working one or two days per week at the hospital here, King's Daughters. It's a small hospital, about 100 beds, and they have a very small 8-bed pediatric unit. Honestly, it's been an easy job to adjust to--it feels so much less stressful than home health! Maybe because I'm not carrying a basketball in my belly and driving 150+ miles/day?!?!? I really do enjoy it though, and Mallory has been able to keep John Mark on the days I've worked.

This is one of John Mark's favorite games


One fist is always in his mouth. Always.


"Is there a reason you're interrupting my daily Bible reading?"

Finally, we'll get to the real reason you are reading- John Mark. He's doing fine. As I mentioned earlier, he's been exposed to our crud and sickness, but so far, so good. He's rolling over from stomach to back, and back to stomach. He loves to play on his playmat with the arch and grab the toys above. Mallory is great at making him laugh. I've been trying to catch a laugh on video, but no luck yet. He is sleeping well through the night- about 10-12 hours- which is a HUGE blessing. Rice cereal is going well- he eats a bite, and immediately shoves a hand in his mouth to "wash it down" as I say. The hardest part is holding his hands down long enough to get the spoon in and out. I've intentionally posted a picture of him crying- we get lots of comments about how is such a happy baby, and truly, he is. We are very fortunate. But, he does have his moments!

We obviously couldn't get the rice cereal ready fast enough!

I'll try to update more often, but don't get mad if they don't have pictures. Dial-up is ancient!