Welcome to the Furse World!

Hannah's 1st Birthday

2011-12-27T19:43:00.002-05:00

Dear Hannah,

What a joyous, happy soul you are! Happy birthday to my sweet daughter!

At this point, you are no longer a baby and have decided to skip most of the baby stuff. You are an accomplished walker, with mad dancing and spinning skills! You are far advanced for your age! You say a few words, I think "ball" and "muah"

while giving a kiss) are your favorites.

You are REALLY attached to mommy, but lately you've been hanging and cuddling with daddy a lot. I think you and daddy will have a special bond.


Your brother likes to make you laugh, he also likes to push you down, but that's another story:)

 As I currently hold you in my arms while you sleep, I am reminded of this time last year. How I couldn't imagine loving another soul and wondering if there was room on my heart for another child. There is absolutely no doubt that you are loved and fill my heart with more joy than I thought possible. We had a rough start with you being a colicky baby, but all those hours of crying were more than worth it! You make us smile on a daily basis. We love you so much!!!

Lion or dog

2011-12-06T00:10:00.005-05:00

So we moved into a new place about a month ago. Not long after that, we noticed there were fleas (YUCK!) around the fireplace area. Never knowing what previous tenants have done, we just thought maybe they had an animal that left flea eggs.

Fast forward to a week ago... I was sitting in the living room and heard "SCRATCH! SCRATCH!" on metal and what sounded like an animal that was 30 lbs big trying to claw through our fireplace. We were up until 3 am that night, with Bryan going into the crawl space, and me worried whatever it was, was going to attack the kids in their sleep! Since the fireplace shares the wall with their room.

Having this thing clawing at our fireplace every night was a bit daunting. It would start in at about the same time each night and would shuffle around throughout the night. One night, I asked Nat what he thought it was. He thought for a minute, then replied, "Maybe it's a lion, or a dog!". The following day, he changed his mind and thought it was a shark... makes me kinda glad it was just an opossum!

It took a FULL WEEK to catch this guy! Which did not make for a happy mama.

Here's our lovely before picture: *Cue Christmas music*

Here's our after: *Cue Psycho killer music*
Opossums are very disgusting animals, oh the stench of that critter! ICK! I actually had to shampoo the carpets afterward. And come to find out, they carry fleas and THAT is where the fleas came from. Here's hoping there are no more fleas OR opossums...

Hannah at 9 months!

2011-10-21T17:29:00.002-04:00

Stats:

17 lbs 10 oz= 25-50%

Length: 27 3/4 inches= 50%

Head: 17 inches= 29%

She is such a smart baby! She cruises the furniture soooo fast now and tries to walk from furniture to mommy or daddy. She says a few words, too!
Words:
Bye
Ball (Bahh)
Moo (Mmma)
Woof (Rrrooo)
Mama

I'm sure I'm missing some, but those are all I can think of at the moment!

Nat

2011-09-16T10:43:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I was writing out a to-do list for moving. Nat said he wanted to write a note for daddy. I asked him what he was going to write to daddy. He said he was going to tell daddy to not crash. Ok, good advice!

Here is a brief interview I did with Nat.

Nat at 3:

My favorite food is: "Nothing", which is his classic answer for most things lately.
My favorite thing to play is: Cars, trains, and IPhone.
My favorite show is: Thomas and Geotrax
My favorite toy is: Cars and trains
My favorite color is: Pink (Yeah, I don't know)
My favorite book: God book (kid devotional book)
Favorite song: Drum CD
If I could go anywhere I'd go to: California

Life and kid update

2011-09-16T10:16:00.004-04:00

Life update: Life is spinning around here! We were just informed we will be moving in 6 weeks! House hunting along with the everyday details of life is a little crazy here. I'm certain God has a plan! We're praying for better neighbors, a bigger, place, a yard, and a great neighborhood in our price range! So if you would like to pray for us, that'd be great! :) Also believing for a car, as we still do not have one from ours being totalled in June.

Kid update: Hannah now stands up without holding onto anything! I think the longest has been about 30 second, I am fairly certain she'll be walking before she's 1. Right now, sleep has been rare around here. Hannah has 4 teeth coming in. She loves saying, "mama" and she "dances" when she hears music.

Nat is a fireball! Active, curious, talkative, creative, and MOUTHY! He also says some of the funniest stuff. More about Nat in the next post...

Discipline and God

2011-08-29T15:30:00.003-04:00

Lately, even though it's hard to admit, I had been letting Nat get away with more and more. Washing dishes the other day, I was pondering on things. I clearly heard God saying that disobedience to parents now will lead to disobedience to God later down the road. WOAH! Yes, I know this may be a rudimentary thing for some of you, but this just struck me FULL force. The little back talk to me now, needs to be corrected right away. The tantrums, dealt with immediately. The full on defiance, on the spot correction. If I let him rule the house now, it would break my heart to see him later on thinking he can disobey God and do what he wants. God does not take disobedience lightly, as we've seen numerous times in the Bible.

Proverbs 13:24

Happy 3rd Birthday!

2011-08-18T11:05:00.002-04:00

Nathanael! You are 3 today and totally your own person. You are usually very encouraging with your words. You like to say things like, " You did it!" and " You're awesome!". Your desire to serve is unbelievable! You ask us if we need anything. I am amazed how much you have changed over the past year.

You are such a big boy, 95 % potty trained :) And this birthday you are a big brother. Having to share mommy with your sister was tough at first and you still need your cuddle time/hold time with me, but you are a good big brother. Just the other day, you discovered you could "carry" Hannah! I was talking with your dad and Hannah was bothering you, so you came carrying her to me.

Recently we’ve begun to have little conversations that let me see into your heart. You’ll lay all squished up on my lap (because you are really tall for your age!) and as you talk to me you’ll touch/pull my hair. You make me feel so treasured.

At times when there is nothing going on, random times you will tell me that you love me and that feeling in my heart is amazing! It is one of the best feelings I have ever experienced.

Last night, after I had put you to bed I became teary eyed. Knowing you are no longer 2 and you are now 3 is sad, yet a happy time. So many emotions! :)

So, Happy Birthday, my dear child! You will always be my little boy!

Love,
Mommy

Hannah- 7 months!

2011-08-09T18:00:00.002-04:00

And she is on the move! She's clapping, crawling, and pulling up, and today started to "cruise" the furniture. She insists that I stay in the same room as her, or there is punishment for mommy! She adores her brother, yet he'd rather have his own space. :)

Lately

2011-07-29T18:32:00.004-04:00

We have a tooth!

2011-07-21T21:32:00.001-04:00

Hannah has been miserable this past week with teething and out popped her first tooth the other day, followed by a second. She's also going from belly/back to a seated position by herself, and on the verge of crawling! SLLLLOOOOWWW down!!!

Hannah at 6 months!

2011-06-27T15:16:00.005-04:00

6 things about Hannah

1. She is a TALKER and very vocal!

2. Her favorite color is red (like her personality).

3. She "inch worm" crawls to get to toys (very persistent).

4. She likes her thumb! Hates the paci, so I guess we have a thumb sucker (she's practical and economical).

5. She adores her brother, even if he is a little rough! The best sound is that of them giggling together (she's plotting her revenge and it is GOOD)!

6. She tries really hard to say "mama". She puts her lips together and says "mmmmmmm mmmmmm". Bryan asked her if she could say "I love you". As clear as can be she said "I love you". She's said it a few times since then...So I guess she just wants to be a show off and have a first sentence, instead of a first word (I'm very proud of my genes right now)!

She is now 16 lbs 2 oz and 26 and 3/4 inches long.

Pictures to follow, hopefully!

Is this just a boy thing?

2011-06-15T15:51:00.006-04:00

Nat has always been "clumsy". I'm not talking about an occasional trip or bruise. He is consistently getting hurt. I am embarrassed when he wears shorts, as he has at least 25 bruises on his legs from falling/tripping/running into things. He looks abused! I cannot even count how many times this child has been to the E.R. Thankfully no concussions or broken bones. Is this a boy thing or age thing? I am hoping his sister is not as prone to accidents, I need a break!

Last month he fell in the bathtub and busted his chin open. He had to have 4 stitches. He did awesome with the stitches. He was such a big boy, didn't move a muscle. As soon as they lowered the exam table he freaked out though, go figure.

A few weeks ago, I had just made some tea and we were watching a movie. I hear a crash and hear/see Nat running out of the kitchen. As soon as he got to the dining room he fell to the floor holding his foot. No crying, just looking at his foot as blood is pouring out. He had knocked a jar of honey onto the floor and stepped in the glass as he was running away.

Will someone please tell me it'll get better? :)

Incidents

2011-05-11T22:46:00.000-04:00

We have one "creative" child who is very curious and loves to get into things. The following pictures are ~~blackmail~~ evidence for when he's older.

I had just put the meatballs in the oven. Phone rang, I went upstair to get it and he has pulled the cooler out of the pantry to stand on, got a butter knive out of the drawer, and is chopping up eggshells and squash and throwing quinoa on top calling it"meatballs" all within a period of no more than 3 minutes.

This is the window in Nat's room. There is an overhang and right under that is our front door. Him and his friend pushed the screen out took their pants off, throwing them out the window. Then threw crayons and his collection of books out (This one may or may not be more of his friend's doing than him. I know for a fact Nat didn't throw the things furthest away, as he does not have a good throwing arm.) 2 minutes before I checked on them, as I was busy with Hannah, and they were trying on Nat's underwear OVER their pants.

Leftover crayon on the tinroof

We never buy things with food dye in them, but this was an exception. Nat had found Lightning McQueen (Cars) toothpaste at the store and Bryan bought it for him. He doesn't like the taste and he decided it made better paint than toothpaste.

What we've been up to...

2011-05-11T22:25:00.000-04:00

Hannah at 4 months!

2011-05-10T17:18:00.001-04:00

Height: 26 inches
Weight: 15 lbs
Pictures to follow hopefully... :)

Natism

2011-04-13T23:42:00.004-04:00

*stinky smell coming from car vents*
Nat: What's that smell?
Me: I don't know.
Nat: It smells like poopy!
---------------------------
Me: Nat, you look older with your new haircut.
Nat: I know.
---------------------------
Me: I like your shirt.
Nat: It's a coat! I mean, Jacket.

I do not know where the time goes! He is such a little dude now and says some pretty profound things for a 2 year old! SLLOOOOOWWWWWWWW down, my son!!!

Raspberries, Ikea, Belly laughs, and E.R. visit...

2011-04-10T02:05:00.007-04:00

That was our day in a nutshell. This morning Hannah figured out how to blow raspberries. We went to Ikea at the request of Nathanael. Getting ready to leave Ikea and Nat sees the gazebo/tent display and wants to check it out. This particular display had raised flooring under the patio furniture and gazebo. Nat didn't see the raised flooring and tripped, hitting his cheek on the corner of a glass coffee table. He got a cut and a pretty bad bruise from it. We took him to the E.R. just as a precautionary measure. He's fine. If he had hit just a 1/4 inch higher it would have gotten his eye! So thankful that didn't happen. Now for the belly laugh... I was putting her in her carseat, so we could head to the E.R. and I was talking to her and she busted out in belly laughs. *Heart melting* How joyous the sound of a baby laughing is! It did wonders for my heart. :)

Nat showing off his cut. The scene!

Roll over!

2011-04-06T10:58:00.003-04:00

For about a month now, Hannah's been teetering on the edge of rolling over. She'd roll onto her side while laying on her back, but right when she got to the point of rolling onto her belly, she'd roll herself back to her back. Yesterday, she decided to completely roll over! From back to belly to back again. AHHHHH!!!!!!! Crawling's not next is it? I'm not ready...

Nathanael may have aided in her success, a few weeks ago I told him to show Hannah how to roll over, thinking he'd get on the floor and roll around. I left the room for a minute to switch the laundry over, come back and he's rolling Hannah around the room! I swiftly ran over and had to reexplain the whole rolling over thing!

As for Nat, he is a typical 2 year old. Pushing the limits, getting into everything, being a big helper (when he wants to) and saying numerous funny thingd that I keep forgetting to write down. When I think of of them I'll post some!

Hannah at 2 months!

2011-03-16T11:11:00.003-04:00

I am behind on this, seeing that she's 11 weeks old now!

Stats:
Weight: 12 lbs 5 ounces
Height: 23 and 3/4 inches

She has been having acid reflux issues and is a mommy's girl most of the time. BUT when she's in a good mood, daddy definitely gets more smiles and "coos" out of her

Thankful Thursday

2011-03-03T14:39:00.003-05:00

Naps! Bryan and Nat fell asleep, leaving me in an awkward position :) AHHH...so thankful for my boys!

The four little pigs...

2011-02-21T10:46:00.006-05:00

I hate pigs. No, seriously. They are filthy, stinky, vile creatures. Oiiinnnkkk. I especially hate the swine flu, which we all have had this past week. As I sit here in bed, with all my sick little piggies, I shall tell you the story.

I am sure it all began last Sunday when we took a train ride on the city train, MARTA (or now we may refer to it as Ms. Piggy). Now, we didn't have anywhere to be, we were riding for "fun". Yeah, we have a 2 & 1/2 year old... It was an outting. I vaguely remember hearing someone coughing up both lungs on MARTA. I hand sanitized Nat like crazy and Hannah was sheltered away in her stroller the whole trip. I guess Germ-x doesn't serve as a face mask against germs, they should really work on that.

Bryan felt the effects first on Monday (I think). Nat started coughing on Tuesday. I got it Wednesday. So... It's just a cough, right? Nooooo, for Nat and I it turned into fever on Thursday night. Nat went to the Dr. on Friday and was diagnosed with an ear infection. I went to the Dr. (actually Nurse Practitioner) on Saturday, thinking it was just a cold with a really bad ear infection. I was so weak and dizzy I could hardly walk, very disoriented, high fever, chills, cough... They swabbed my mouth and ran some tests to determine that I had Type A flu :-P

Hannah got it Sunday, which included a trip to the Children's Hospital ER for a high fever. We've been really miserable, but we are getting better!

Dishes

2011-02-16T15:13:00.001-05:00

I have the BEST husband ever...:) Potty training has been taking a lot of time and I've been feeling bad about not being able to get things done. I went downstairs this morning at 7:30 to do some housework before I woke up Nat to go potty. The dishes were cleared out of the sink! Emotional me cried. Bryan Furse, I love you!!!!!!

Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T13:40:00.001-05:00

Hannah at 1 month!

2011-01-27T13:19:00.005-05:00

Weight: 11 lbs 4 oz

Height: 23 1/2 inches

Head: 15 inches

Hannah's Birth Story

2011-01-18T14:58:00.006-05:00

Hannah is now 3 weeks old! She is our gorgeous, chill baby (most of the time). I thought I'd document Ms. Hannah's birth story, before I forget everything!

On December 22nd at about 10 pm I was having contractions that were 5-10 minutes apart, we packed our bags, but then the contractions stopped, so we went to bed. On December 23rd, we went to a restaurant called Scalini's and ate the eggplant parmesan, which they swear is a labor inducer (If you go into labor within 48 hours or eating there, you get a free meal and a t-shirt for baby). We left there at 9:20 PM and headed to Target to do a little shopping. My contractions went from 6 minutes apart (right after eating at Scalini's) to 3-4 minutes apart at Target and until we got to the hospital at 11:30ish.

Then...guess what? The contractions slowed to one an hour, then faded off to none. After being in the hospital for 15 hours it was obvious Hannah didn't want to come out yet. She just liked to tease. I refused the opportunity to be induced with medication and we went home with our heads hung at 3:00 PM on the 24th. We went home, and I slept most of the afternoon (because the hospital is NOT a restful place!).

CHRISTMAS! We spent our day with Nat and Grandma. Since we weren't really thinking ahead (as far as food!) we didn't have any food for Christmas dinner. We decided to go to Buca Di Beppo for dinner. There was a forecasted snowstorm and it started snowing right before we left for dinner. We got back home and I felt really, really tired. So I took an hour or so nap, then woke up and put Nat to bed. I went back to bed and couldn't go to sleep, then my contractions started at about 2 am and were SUPER intense. I waited a little while to say anything to Bryan just to make sure it was real this time. He was on the computer and I told him, " I think you should be packing that stuff (computer) up." So once again, we packed up, got out to the car and there was ice on all the windows. Being in Georgia, we didn't have an ice scraper, so we are out there using flip flops to scrape the windows! There were a few icey spots on the road, so we drove about 40 mph on the interstate to get hospital.

We got to the hospital a little after 3. Got everything hooked up and settled in at 3:50. I was dilated 4-5 cm. The nurse said the doctor was coming at 5 am, to which Bryan said...,"That'll be too late". Sure enough :) SUPER intense contractions, then water broke at 4:23. For my past 2 pregnancies, as soon as my water breaks I am completely dilated and ready to push. I pushed the call button to tell them and they checked me and couldn't believe I was dilated completely. They rushed around like crazy to get everything in order and kept telling me NOT to push. Uh, yeah, right. The doctor didn't make it, so a midwife from the hospital delivered Hannah. There was meconium in my amniotic fluid ("Pooed her womb" as Bryan says), but Hannah was fine and had not swallowed any.

Our precious girl was born at 4:40 AM on December 26th, just barely avoiding the Christmas rush! She weighed 9 lbs 13 oz and was 22 1/2 inches long. She's won a special place in our hearts and we adore her!

She is here!

2010-12-26T12:15:00.004-05:00

Our baby is FINALLY here! After a false alarm on Thursday night/Friday morning, Baby girl has officially had her birthday. She was born 12/26/2010 at 4:40 AM. She was 9 lbs 13 ounces, 22 1/2 inches long. Her head measurement was 14 1/4 inches, chest was 15 1/4 inches.

Christmas

2010-12-25T23:10:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since I contributed to our blog and I figure it's about time, being that the current events are so momentous! Yet, on my way over to post something here, as I waited for the "blogger" posting page to open up on our incredibly slow and awful internet service that we pay an insane amount for (Clearwire is the worst) (no, I'm not bitter) (okay maybe I am, but just a little) (no, actually, I hate them) (alot) (they truly are contemptable) (is that okay? am I allowed to hate a company, as long as it's not a person?) I ran across the most awesome post on Facebook. It is as follows and is by my wife, in the wee hours of this morning of Christmas day: "'On this day a child was born...' and it's not mine :)" I got a really therapeutic laugh out of that. A real stress reliever. I gotta tell ya, though. That pretty much sums it up and I don't know what more I could add.

-Bryan

Any day now...

2010-12-09T19:42:00.003-05:00

11 days until my due date. A mixture of anxiousness, happiness, and sadness are filling my heart. We will soon no longer be a family of 3, 4 is our new number. This is where the mixed feelings come in...Anxious to meet our little girl. Happy to be a family of 4. Sad that we are no longer 3. Mixed up, huh? :) It's hard thinking of loving another person, my heart feels full to the brim, but I know I will have a tremendous amount of love for the new bambino.

Oh, the naming process is driving me a little batty this time around! We honestly have no names picked out. Prayers, please! (Or name suggestions, or both! :))

Life update:

2010-11-20T09:40:00.003-05:00

Currently I am a few days shy of 36 weeks pregnant. About 3 weeks ago we moved into our new place. This was such a sad move for us, but we have a lot to be thankful for, so we are dwelling on that instead! :)

The moving part was a nightmare, almost a sitcom. The storyline for this "Furse Family" episode entitled, "The DAYS of our Move"?: A 33 week pregnant woman, a 73 year old woman, a 71 year old man, a 2 year old, and a strong 30 something male.
Yes, amusing, but more of a frustrating experience to say the least. Watch as an old man huffs and puffs his way up the stairs with a box of Christmas ornaments, a granny sits and observes, while a 2 year old is trying to help strong daddy move the sofa into the house, all while the pregnant lady gets yelled at by said granny if she moves even a piece of paper, "You are going to put yourself into labor! Go sit down! We've got this covered". Oh, REALLY?! Is that why this move is taking 4 DAYS, instead of 1?

At the time...not so funny. Now that I have this on record, I can reflect back for the next move and say..."I will get a second/third job to pay to have PROFESSIONAL MOVERS move us into our new home." Or save a little every week!

Here are some pictures of our place, this is the professionally staged pictures of when it was on the market. So these are not our furnishings (although, we do have the dining room set), so until we get around to having everything unpacked...this is what you get.

My mother is not going to like this...

2010-11-16T16:10:00.000-05:00

Oh, how our child makes us laugh! We are so thrilled to have such a joyous boy. He now talks up a storm and loves learning new words. Speaking of new words, he has somehow picked up the word "crap" and uses it as his cuss word (I don't know where he got that from ;)).

The first time I heard him use it was last week. We went out to dinner at our favorite Mexican place. There was a waitress cleaning off a table to the side of us and she dropped and broke a plate. Nathanael exclaimed, "CWAP! (His way of saying crap)". I stood there with my mouth open, to be honest, I didn't think we said that word much for him to pick up on.

That same night before bed he brought 2 blankets into our room. He kept dropping them on the way and in frustration he said, "Oh, cwap!".

Ok, one more "crap story", then I'll be done. Because I know my mom is over there, jaw wide open, about to call me up with a lecture :).

Friday morning, I was downstairs and I hear things upstairs banging around. I go upstairs to see if it's Nat waking up, or if it's Bryan making all the racket. I open our bedroom door and Nat is in between a fallen guitar case and a fallen ironing board. He sees me and says, "Cwap. I am in trouble again."

One boy's highchair is another (same) boy's pillow...

2010-10-25T20:33:00.004-04:00

Yeah...I don't know either. I went to bed last night and Bryan was still up. Bryan said Nat walked out of his room and put his blanket under his highchair and went back to sleep. Daddy snapped this picture for proof (maybe for now, or later down the road to prove he sleepwalks!)

In other news:
Nat's 2 year stats-
Weight: 31lbs (75th-90th percentile)
Height: 37 1/2 inches (95th percentile)

Busy, busy, dreadfully busy..

2010-10-16T11:05:00.002-04:00

AHHH!!! We found a place last Saturday and signed a lease on Sunday. In 2 short weeks we will be moving into our new place.We were worried about having the deposit money by move-in, but God is good! The exact amount (minus 9 dollars) came in unexpectedly! We don't get our deposit back from our current place until 2-3 weeks after we move out, so we were praying for something to happen!

This moving stuff is sad, yet exciting at the same time! A new place to collect memories, but we're leaving behind a place where all of our child's days have been spent (including in the womb!). I'm sure tears will be shed, as I am quite emotional these days.

We are trying to sort all the moving details out. Since I'm pregnant this time around it's harder! I won't be able to move large items. So we'll probably have to hire someone, because I don't feel right about a 73 year old lady trying to lift stuff (Mother in law), which she offered... It just doesn't seem right.

Cuteness from the mouth of Nat....

2010-10-07T20:55:00.002-04:00

The baby was kicking like crazy a few minutes ago, so I put Nat's hand on my belly to feel it. She gave him a good kick on the hand. Nat walks away pulling his shirt up and putting his hand on his belly saying, "Kick me!".

Lately whenever we play bite him or tickle him in one area he'll give us the other side/hand/foot etc. that didn't get bit or tickled and say, "Other one!".

I was in the kitchen making a cake and Nat was still in his highchair eating dinner in the kitchen with me. We have a mirrored backsplash, so I peek and see he's standing up...I wait to see what he's going to do. He starts scolding himself..."Sit down, RIGHT NOW! On your bottom! Fall down!" Then he sits down. HAHA!

Loaded post!

2010-09-28T21:09:00.002-04:00

Sorry this blog has been neglected! We've been busy lately. Here are some of our latest adventures:

We took Nat to the dentist a few weeks back and he did great! He still talks about it as "fun" and "cool", yet when WE use the techniques they did... here come the tears. I'm not talking about just Nat. Both parents involved in brushing his teeth has shed a tear! He is the worst case I've seen, he acts like it hurts, but he's done this from the time he was a babe. He does not like his upper lip messed with. Since there seems to be no other explaination, we attribute it to shortly after he was born when a nurse stuck a tube down his nose and suctioned out his lungs. He's scarred for life. No one can touch his upper lip without a major freak-out.

*I* went to the dentist this past week and after not going for probably 8 or more years, I was expecting a few cavities. But I only had one!

Baby news! I'm currently 28 weeks along with little girl Furse. She is quite the
kicker, more so than I remember Nat being.
I'm kind of freaking out. I have a 9 day window in December from work where I'm hoping she comes (19th-28th). A little nerve wracking, I won't be able to take anytime off even when she gets here. AHHHHHH!
She has no name yet and probably won't until it's time to go home from the hospital...we are just those kind of people. It's difficult for us to choose a name, knowing the repercussions it could have, it's a BIG job :)

House news: So at the end of August we received notice that the owner of our condo was wanting to sell our place, because he's in over his head with it. So, we've been searching like crazy for a new place we've looked at probably 20 or more places. Apartments, condos, townhomes...we've looked high and low. No luck yet. We really want to stay in the complex we're in, but we do need to go up in size and no one seems to be renting out their 3 bedrooms. MUST...STAY...POSITIVE!

No Nap!

2010-09-12T22:32:00.003-04:00

Nat has never gone without a nap before...until today. Not cool I tell you, not cool! I am promising myself it'll never happen again. That boy was out of control! Come about 7 o'clock PM = MAJOR MELT DooOOOooowwnnn! Screaming, crying, turning shades I have never seen on him before. He cried for a good hour, I had to bear hug him in his bed and talk about dogs for 10 minutes before he calmed down and fell to sleep. He does love dogs! Oh, what we do for our children! Even through his tired tantrum, I love him so much!!! I am so thankful that we get to raise him and I get to be home with him everyday to see him grow. He is wonderful.

What does...

2010-08-21T22:46:00.003-04:00

I asked Nat what daddy says, and he goes, "Waaa waaa" and rubs his fist over his eyes, saying daddy is a baby. He does it when I ask him what mommy says, too. I have no idea where he got this from! We're thinking church...haha.

Nat's Birthday!

2010-08-20T12:25:00.005-04:00

Happy 2nd Birthday, Nat!

2010-08-17T09:23:00.005-04:00

Dear Nathanael,

You are 2 today!!! You've learned so much in this past year, since your last birthday. You walk, talk, and do so much on your own!

2 years ago you came into our lives and changed our world forever. You've brought us smiles and laughter like we've never known before.

You have inspired me to keep going when I felt like giving up. You are my rainy day ( I LOVE rainy days!), my break in the chaos. Your random hugs and kisses fill my heart with delight. Some days I wish I could hold you and keep you from this big world, so you won't have to experience heartache, but I know that is foolish. If I did that, you'd miss out on all the joys this world has to offer, too!

So, you've been here 2 years and sometimes when you sleep, I can still see you as a newborn. You are growing up too fast! Please slow down for mommy! It saddens me to see you grow up, knowing you'll never be this little again. I will try to cherish every moment of your sweetness at this age.

Happy birthday, to my sweet "baby" boy! Our "Gift of God"!

New sentences

2010-08-03T22:50:00.004-04:00

Nat's been talking up a storm lately! He seems to know the difference between girls and boys and uses "she" and "he" correctly. I was hiding the other day from Nat and he asked Bryan, "Where is she?"

I handed him something the other day and he didn't say thank you. So I said, "Thank you?". He replied, "You're welcome!". haha!"

He also likes to point out if something's funny. He'll do something silly and say, "That's funny!".

Yesterday at lunch Nat had some oranges and I said, "Are those lemons?". He said, "NoooooOOooo(as in silly mommy!). It's oranges!".

My OBGYN doctor happens to be right across the street from the Children's Hospital. I told Nat, "That's the Children's Hospital."
He said, "Hospital...fun!".
I said, "No, not fun."
He said, "Funny!".
I said, "No, it's not a funny place."
Nat: "Cool?".
Me: "No, not cool! It's where kids go when they get really hurt."
Him: "Oh".

Camping Adventure!

2010-07-27T12:02:00.002-04:00

On Saturday and Sunday night we decided to venture out and go camping with Nat. We took him when he was a baby and it was SOOOO much easier back then! But we still had fun despite the 100 degree weather (stupid us for not checking the weather first!) and Nat getting into everything! We went to Stone Mountain Park, where Nat got to see the World's largest laser show (complete with fireworks!), ride a train, and he went to the "Great Barn", an indoor kids/ball center, and "Ride the Ducks" with daddy.

Nat has been fascinated with tunnels lately, so as soon as we got the tent up he yelled, "TUNNEL!" and started running around inside very excitedly. It was worth all the trouble at that point. Trouble, you ask? Yes, we happened to have chosen the rockiest camp spot on the campground. PLUS, we forgot our hammer. So we were banging stakes in with stones, until some nice gentleman drove by and saw us struggling and lent us his hammer. The hammer didn't help at all though, the ground was THAT rocky! 2 hours later, voila! Tent was up!

Nat had his first campfire smores. We were the only ones dumb enough to have a campfire going in the 80 degree evening, so we pulled out our fan to cool us off while we watched the fire.

On our way back home, we stopped at a restaurant to eat breakfast. Our little child, decided he was done with the weekend and was throwing quite a fit. He settled down when the food got there, but then I had to use the restroom, so I left Nat with Daddy. I come back and Nathanael had opened a butter packet, while Bryan was on the phone, and greasy butter was EVERYWHERE! So, Bryan went to the bathroom while I cleaned up, while I was cleaning up...Nat decided he hadn't gotten into enough trouble! I had bent down to pick up the containers of butter he had dropped, I come back up and he is taking a swig out of the hot sauce! I am not kidding you, it was like the scene from "Dumb and Dumber", where they drink the hot sauce. His face was turning red, he was trying to fan his tongue with his hands. He was drinking his water like there was no tomorrow. He then threw up several times everywhere! Of course, the waitress was right there at the table with our check when it happened (EMBARASSING!).

So that was part of our camping adventures...we will hopefully remember not to camp in the summer next time, well at least not Georgia summers!

Planning the day!

2010-07-18T09:38:00.002-04:00

Early this morning I told Nat it was church day. He got excited, then went off to play. A few hours later I asked him what he wanted to do today, and in this order, without prompting, he said, "Church, swimming, park, Target." Then he said, "Eat!" Wow! He's planned our day for us!

Cow Appreciation Day!

2010-07-09T15:57:00.001-04:00

Baby's Cooking

2010-07-09T07:47:00.002-04:00

So baby is just about 17 weeks along. We went to the Dr. this past week, everything's great! Nat heard the heartbeat and asked to see the baby. I told him it was cooking. So now if I mention the baby he comes over and puts his finger on my belly and says, "It's cooking. Not done yet." He's so cute!

Manners

2010-06-24T21:56:00.002-04:00

This morning I heard Nat in his crib saying over and over, "Thank you You're welcome" He likes saying thank you, but he doesn't just say thank you. In the same breath he says, "You're welcome!".
Me: I hand him something.
Nat: "Thank you you're welcome!"

Happy Otter's Day

2010-06-20T18:34:00.002-04:00

Nat's translation of "Happy Father's Day" = "Happy Otter's Day". By the end of the day it sounded like Happy Father's Day, but this morning it was the Otter's Day.

Our garden!

2010-06-10T18:06:00.001-04:00

Please check facebook for an update!

Chocolate!

2010-05-25T21:10:00.002-04:00

Nat's version? "Cha-Chi". I trick him into saying it, just so I can hear him say, "CHA-CHI!".

Nat-isms!

2010-05-07T09:58:00.003-04:00

Here are a few things Nat has been doing lately:

He found a mini cooler in he cabinet that Bryan used to take to work with him. He decided he was going to use it as his "purse". He puts the handle over his shoulder and says, "Bye, See ya!" as he walks toward the door.

Today, his friend Carson was here and Carson was saying please to get some cereal bar from Bryan. Nat wanted a piece and Bryan said, "You didn't say please". He walks away and says "PEEAAS!"

Nat likes to climb on his train table, which is a no-no! Today I said, "Get off that train table before you get hurt!" He grabs his head and says, "OUCH?" I said, "Yep, you could hit your head and get an ouch."

Nat had 2 cups in his hand and proudly walked up to me and said, "Two!". I said, "Where did you get your smarts from?". He pointed to the other room where Bryan was and said, "Daddy." I said, "probably". His response? "Probly"

I have a little boy that I watch who is 10 months old. Today, the 10 month was on the floor and Nat was on the couch reading with me. The 10 month old fell back while sitting up, and his head hit the floor while his feet were in the air. Nat got down right away and re-enacted the whole thing! He sat there, then fell back and grabbed his head...then when he was done, he got up and while walking out of the room said, "Bye!" and waved and left. I was laughing hysterically about this one, he is such an actor and the wave as he left the "stage" was hilarious!

He's been saying so many things lately! He can recognize some letters by sight and he knows most of his colors. It's amazing what comes out of his mouth sometimes...how great is God for making babies?

Another blog!

2010-04-28T17:52:00.002-04:00

I have created another blog with recipes and the such. http://fursefood.blogspot.com/

I don't know...

2010-04-22T09:29:00.002-04:00

Nat has started saying "I don't know". It's really cute, he even does the hand gesture where he puts both hands up. Whenever Bryan leaves the house Nat will go to the door and say, "Daddy? Don't know!" with his hands up. Or if is he'd looking for something and can't find it he'll say, "I don't know". You can kind of see it in the picture, although it's blurry!

Thank you!

2010-04-12T23:00:00.003-04:00

After church yesterday we went out to eat at the Olive Garden. We ordered our drinks and when the waiter came back with our drinks he handed Nat his water... and the sweetest words came out of Nat's mouth... "Thank you!". Ahhhhh, my sweet boy! He's been saying and doing so many new things lately it's hard to keep track of it all.
He's also started giving out random kisses to us. We'll be sitting on the floor playing and he'll just come up to me without any prompting and kiss me and give me a hug. I am loving this! :)

Cars and Eggs!

2010-04-02T17:46:00.005-04:00

Things Nat has been doing lately

2010-03-29T23:26:00.004-04:00

I wanted to write down a few things Nat has been doing lately, so I can keep track!

- When we ask him his name he say, "NNNNNNNat!" with extra emphasis on the "N" :)
- When we ask him how old he is, he sticks up one finger.
- He's been saying "Bye. See ya!"
- Whenever we drive past a Chickfila he moos.
- He likes to color, well usually he colors for a minute, then he takes out all (64!) the crayons to play with them.
- He loves our Mary Poppins CD, if he's fussy in the car, we turn it on and he's better. He even tries to sing with it...like soprano singing. TOO CUTE!
- He points to Jesus in his storybooks and says "Jesus!".

There is a lot more things he's been saying and doing lately, I just can't remember them! So I guess that's it for now.

Touch a Truck

2010-03-28T23:47:00.007-04:00

It's been a while since we've posted! It's been a little chaotic around here. We were all pretty sick last week. Before the sickness hit, we went to "Touch a Truck" event. They had LOTS of vehicles you could go in and touch, buses, cars, limos, dump truck, etc! Nat liked it OK, we thought he would have liked it a bit more, but it was nap time! Hopefully, I will get a chance to post pictures of this past weekend...AUTO SHOW!

He was NOT a fan of the Mail truck and Mailman!

In the "scoop" of a pink frontloader.

I can't pull it, mom!

2010-03-12T15:18:00.000-05:00

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

ScapeGoat...I

2010-03-11T07:48:00.004-05:00

It seems, within my family, there has been a deep disdain for the past 8 years towards my husband. It has stemmed from the day Bryan and I met. I chose where we were meeting. He did not "lure" me into anything. I am the one who decided to meet him, wanting to know more about this person before I just "brought him home" to the parents. I needed to know that he and I had a future together, before dragging him into my crazy family :) He wanted to meet my family straight up, but I told him no. He had nothing but good intentions, as did I.

He had been my scapegoat and I had not fessed up. So now I am fessing up. So if you have any hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness or anger towards him about this, it should be directed towards me. I probably could have done things better, I was young and wanted to make a few decisions on my own, especially about my life partner. So to all I disappointed... I am sorry.

Just have to brag...

2010-03-10T20:28:00.002-05:00

Nathanael is SUCH a big helper. He insists on helping load and unload the dishwasher. He likes to put the clothes in the washing machine, too! The other day, I put a few clothes in the washing machine and went to our room to get more. He went to the bathroom and got the dirty clothes off the floor, and somehow managed to grab a tube of lip balm off the bathroom counter while he was at it. Without me knowing, he threw it in with the clothes. AHHH! Greasy spots were all over the clothes. Luckily, dish soap got the spots out and all was fine in the Land of Wash. :)

Nathanael needs your votes!

2010-02-23T07:41:00.002-05:00

Nathanael has been entered into a photography contest and the winner wins a session with a local photographer. http://www.laurabrettphotography.com/blog/2010/02/vote-atlantas-cutest-kid-alpharettaatlanta-child-family-photographer/

He's #12 on the list! Thanks for voting!

Our Child

2010-02-21T17:44:00.001-05:00

Our child is an amazing mix of things. He has much of the human element in him and he has his wild side and he has a really sweet and sincere goodness to him. Unfortunately this goodness likes to hide often, but the really cool thing is that he does things that you don't often see kids his age doing; for example, chores! It's amazing how helpful this child tries to be. I know it's his inner desire to be good, but it didn't come out on it's own and I said all this, in order to share this: I don't know what my wife did or how she brought it out in him, but I always knew she was a miracle worker with children!

Jess says he's gonna be a great big brother. All I can do is smile.

The Purse

2010-02-12T15:10:00.002-05:00

I decided to switch purses last night before going out to run errands with Nat and hubby. So I switched all my stuff to a tote (the says LOVE) for Valentine's Day. I had my old purse on the counter and we were walking out the door and Nat FREAKED out! I didn't know why he was acting so crazy, he was pulling on the door knob trying to get back into the house and crying. Bryan unlocked the door to see what he wanted and he went straight for the purse. Grabbed it and handed it to me. Then smiled and was happy as could be! I guess he thought I was leaving my purse and wanted to make sure I had it because it has all his "goodies" in it. It was a little weird, but really sweet! :)

"Addicted"

2010-02-07T00:44:00.001-05:00

Tonight the word addicted came up in conversation and now Nathanael says it. Of course, he doesn't know what it means, but it's really cute to hear him say it. It's his biggest word yet!

Birthday fun!

2010-02-03T10:32:00.004-05:00

Bryan and I celebrated my birthday, a little late, this past Sunday. Our first attempt at a helcopter ride was cancelled last Saturday due to bad weather. So we rescheduled and it was soooo much fun! Here are a few pictures:

Mid-Yawn

2010-01-29T08:28:00.003-05:00

This was little man waking up this morning, just a few minutes ago.

mascara

2010-01-25T22:39:00.002-05:00

-photo by Bryan
-mascara courtesy of Jessica
-design: a Nathanael Furse original

Adventures in Nat-land! (Super hero theme music here)

2010-01-15T10:31:00.002-05:00

Part one:
Nat feel asleep in our bed yesterday for his nap. I left the room and 20 minutes later I hear, '*crackle crinkle* *crackle crinkle*' he had found my birthday present on my night stand from my parents and opened it! I guess he thought it was a present for him! So, thanks mom and dad for my present, it almost made it to my birthday!

Part two:
We've been doing some repairs to our drywall this past week and we had left the spackle out, but in our room. We just close the door after us, so he won't go in there. Of course, he got in and he found it. Ever so quietly, he figured out how to open the tub and spackled himself, the floor (carpet), and his clothes. So needless to say, yesterday's Adventures in "Nat-land" episodes #589 and #590 were quite tiresome for mommy and daddy.

Walking

2010-01-04T11:53:00.002-05:00

It's so cute! Nat now just walks around because he can; all the time we watch him wandering the living room or when we're out. He doesn't go anywhere... he just walks around because he can and he seems to think it's fun.

-Bryan

Forceful

2010-01-02T10:36:00.003-05:00

Lately, I have been seeking the Lord on a certain matter and have felt that He would answer in His timing and His way. This morning I had a trio of dreams that proved quite revealing.

In the first dream I saw a piece of paper that contained (in spirit) the words to Matthew 11:12: "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."

As I pondered this, the second dream came and I was being compelled to put on a sock. I knew this had something to do with the word "forceful" and was assured that the meaning would soon come to me. So I was left wondering "why a sock and not some other garment?" This seemed strange to me. It was then revealed that socks are for going and this was also tied to what socks mean in my daily life; I wear them to keep from being cold: forcefulness (when properly defined) protects one from being ineffective.

-Bryan

Then the third dream came and it, too, seemed like an odd vignette of my daily life. In it Nat was up to his usual exuberant playfulness and he got a stain on his shirt somehow. The stain then became the word "forceful." In this I was shown what is meant by forcefulness. If you know my son, then you'll know exactly what this means, otherwise it's hard to explain.

I will go now and ponder these things and see where God leads me, for I feel He has wonderfully spoken and I will treasure (and use) what He is teaching me!

What a month!

2009-12-10T22:32:00.002-05:00

A lot has been going on here. So much has consumed us this month, we're praying for things to get better...so if you're reading this, will you pray for us? :)

Sickness has been prevalent in our household since mid-Novemeber. Both Bryan and Nathanael have been ill and now both have ear infections. Nathanael's was pretty extreme. On Wednesday night we went to dinner and he cried the entire time! Which is not like him at all! He continued to cry for at least 2 hours and all through the night he was whimpering. Come to find out he has a double ear infection and one of his eardrums ruptured.

There a many, many, more things going on that have us tired and weary...finances aren't what they should be, odd things are popping up that have to be dealt with, death in the family and the list goes on.

Thoughts and prayers are much appreciated as we head to 2010, where things have to get better!

The Sadness Lingers

2009-12-04T20:54:00.002-05:00

I, too, was sad at Jess' grandmother passing and terribly disappointed that we were so close to seeing her again, after it being a few years since our last visit. We really wanted to let Nat and her meet and see what they thought of each other...

She wasn't really that young, but we both feel that she was taken, perhaps, a bit too soon. Still we do trust the Lord and His timing. It would do no good to deny that it saddens us and that we don't understand why things happen the way they do, so we admit how we feel and what our thoughts are, yet respectfully so, and we choose to overcome that and trust the Lord in all things. For we know He loves us and he works all things for our good, no matter how it looks or how we feel at any given time or in any certain circumstance. Further, believe me when I say that it is a true act of faith and worship to make all of this more than lip service; rather to live it out and make it our true heart and the breath of our prayers.

- Bryan

p.s. ...and yes, I've been thinking about this for a while and it covers all that we do, not just what is before us today. God is so good to us. We must only think for a moment in order to recall our blessings and see (remember) that they far outweigh the troubles that come and go like the tides; for as they roll in, they roll out again just as surely. Yet we need not fret their return, for they will return and, when they do, we'll find that God has not moved; He remains where He always was and still loves us and keeps us... always and forever.

How to Say...

2009-12-04T20:16:00.003-05:00

I wish I knew how to put into words what's on my mind. It's just odd assortment of things that has culminated in a sub-conscious feeling; I can't even actively feel it, but I know it's there. It would be impossible to explain other than to give a list of the ingredients and leave it at that.

In some strange way I'm happy and hopeful and not down in the least, yet there fights within me a lot of unresolved frustration, which as given birth to great impatience lately. I really don't expect much, but what I do expect, I expect firmly... though I rarely receive it. I'm constantly bombarded by others' needs and wants and do my best to fulfill them, yet I don't get much appreciation for it and it's making me bitter. It makes it so hard to keep giving, when I don't feel anyone cares and it feels like they don't want to give back. I'm becoming selfish because I just don't have much left within me to give.

I used to feel a lot of depression, but haven't in a long time. I might feel blue from time to time, but it's all a very normal and healthy thing.

I suffer from many different kinds of pain here and there, sometimes they're mild, sometimes intense. Sometimes one will take center stage, sometimes another, sometimes they all sit in the background and grumble quietly. So many different things; you'd think it would get me down, but I guess I've grown accustomed to life being this way and I just look for the rays of sunshine and smile when I see some light. Like last night, Jess hugged me and seemed for a moment to appreciate me.

She's such a good wife. I hope someday she can overcome all her insecurities and be less self focused all the time, but she does really great most of the time so there's nothing to complain about. I just really want her true, inner self to come out more often because I miss her and feel so terribly lonely all the time without her. I'm so used to being alone that it doesn't hurt anymore, but I miss the feeling of fellowship one has when they are among friends and/or loved ones. I'm surrounded by family all day long and I am blessed to have that opportunity, but their hearts are obviously far from me and I long to bring them near.

I guess if I had to describe how I feel, it would be: numb.

-Bryan

Sad day

2009-12-03T23:33:00.005-05:00

My heart is sad today with the loss of my grandmother this morning. I was looking forward to seeing her in a few weeks while visiting my parents. I was excited to see how she would react to Nathanael and how he would react to her. In my memories she was jolly, happy, and joking all the time. I am keeping those thoughts in my head to crowd out the sadness....it's not working. Even though I didn't get around to seeing her often, I thought about her and will miss her dearly.
Flora Kleiss 1933-2009

Heart Tugs

2009-11-26T00:39:00.002-05:00

Yesterday it finally happened. It was bound to have a first time and yesterday was it.

I had to step out for a little while. Usually when I step out, if Nat doesn't want me to go, he will fuss or cry from where he is or he might crawl toward me. Yesterday, for the first time, we had genuine clinging and I think this was the first time he'd done it! He didn't act upset, but he was in the kitchen (by the door) as I was leaving and I stopped and said goodbye to him. He immediately got on all fours and crawled the 7 or so feet to me and stood up, grabbed my pants by the outer seams (one in each hand) and stood on my feet. Then he looked up at me with the sweetest look. It was so awesome and it made me really hate to leave! I picked him up and held him for a couple minutes, very closely. He is so great! I love him entirely.

- Bryan

Recent Events

2009-11-19T18:31:00.003-05:00

For as long as he was able to reach things at all, one of his favorite things has been to pull everything off a shelf (such as the low one in the shower, that is at his level) or remove everything from the drawers and place it (and/or throw it) onto the floor, stopping occasionally to play with an item for a while. This, of course, makes a big mess! Naturally we have tried to discourage it, while letting him still have some fun. Lately, though, he's found a new activity: he likes to put things away and back on shelves once he's made his mess. It's pretty cool and it makes us smile.

This is just one of the countless ways that we know he's a good boy at heart. From the very first day it has been obvious that he's very independent and extremely strong willed, so we are very happy to see that he's not a bad boy at all; he just is strong. With God's provision (wisdom and favor) we hope to shape that into an incredible young adult one day and I'm sure he will be a rare jewel in this world. He is truly not like any other child we've ever seen and we know it's not just our bias; others say so as well.

Today I received an incredible honor. After having recently missed him walking a good distance from his jumperoo to our couch when I was in the other room (this was about 3 weeks ago), he walked right to me and I'm the very first person he's made it all the way to! We've had him practice his walking by one of us standing him up and having him walk to the other of us. Tonight he was walking on his own (he's been really trying the last several days, unlike before) and Jess said "he's coming to see you!" She hadn't even sent him when he walked about three feet from her to our bed, supported himself on it for a short distance to get around it and make a straight shot into the bathroom, where I was, then he walked another three feet straight and solidly into my arms!!! Previously he would get within a couple feet and fall towards us. It was such a wonderful feeling how he walked right into my arms and I scooped him up and told him how proud I was of him!!!

- Bryan

Our Son is Too Smart

2009-11-17T13:41:00.004-05:00

We've long suspected that Nathanael is way more advanced than he lets on, but has been holding back because he knows it's to his advantage. Now we know for sure!

Examples of how he's been holding out on us:

a) Last night we were heading home and he was trying to say something with his pacifier in his mouth. He doesn't talk yet, but we like hearing his utterances. Jess says to him "Take your paci out so we can understand you!" Do you know what? He took it right out and repeated himself!

b) On the way to breakfast this morning we were riding in the car and he spontaneously points at me and says rather clearly "Bryan!" We don't know when he's ever even heard my name or how he'd know it was my name!

c) After breakfast we went a couple doors down to the Blockbuster store that's going out of business, to see if there's any good deals there. I went to put him down and he didn't assume the crawling position, instead standing firmly on his two feet. That being nothing new, we watched to see what he might do next, because he's walked a few steps before. This time, though, he wasn't wobbly at all and he walked several good steps very solidly. We stood holding our breath, quite surprised at this sudden willingness to walk; as we always knew he could, but he doesn't seem to want to. After he had gotten a good ways, he stopped and noticed us. He got self conscious and fell to his knees. We were very proud!

d) This was the real topper --> Just now, Carson had Nat's truck and Jess saw that he was about to put it in his mouth. So she said to Nat "Go get your truck from Carson." She only had to say it one time and he immediately crawled over to Carson and took his truck from him and then went back to where he was and sat back down. I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. Jess laughed. I explained to Nat that he would be getting away with a lot less from now on.

-Bryan

History Repeats Itself, Boy May Have Been Innocent!

2009-11-13T18:41:00.004-05:00

Tonight, about an hour ago, Jess and I were both in the room this time. Nat got into the folders and I told him "no." He tried to crawl away like he wasn't doing anything, and Jess turned to look, so we were both watching this time. He went 2 feet (around the little bookshelf) and put his hand down on the cord to the alarm clock (the crawling equivalence of stepping on it) and DOooooooWN it came. Ironically, hitting him on the EXACT SAME SPOT on his head. Our heart really went out to him AND we realized that maybe he wasn't pulling on the cord the first time. His cry this time was heart wrenching because the spot was already sore!

-Bryan

Boy Pulls Cord, Gets Big Surprise!

2009-11-13T14:09:00.002-05:00

Today, in the house of Furse, a boy nearing his 15 month birthday pulls on a cord and finds it attached to an alarm clock high above his head. His father, nearby, hears a loud plasticy thump against flesh and turns around. The boy lets out a loud cry from the pain. The dad surmises that the boy has hit himself in the head.

Immediate comforting took place and the boy was quickly back to normal, however with a prominent bruise at the point of impact.

-Bryan

Round and Round

2009-11-09T19:20:00.006-05:00

I brought Nat to bed this morning and he was "rolling" his hands and I was trying to figure out what he was doing. Then it dawned on me... he was doing the action for the "Wheels on the Bus" song. So I sang it and he did the "round and round" with his hands with a big smile on his face. It's pretty darn cute! In this movie he's not in such a good mood, still cute, nonetheless!

- Jess

2009-11-03T13:16:00.003-05:00

When Love Comes to Life

-Out of the Grey

I...
I opened up a window,
some years ago,
to see if there was anything
that I did not know
In spite of my "enlightenment,"
it seems I was blind
Some seeds got planted
and they grew up inside

Now I can give you reasons
for the hope that I have
This faith in Jesus
is based on the facts
But you don't know what you're missing,
until you get a glimpse of something better

Chorus:
When Love comes to life,
the lost find their way
When Love comes to life,
the blind can see the light of day
My heart, my mind, my spirit;
all testify
Everything changes,
when Love comes to life

I could say so many things;
spin convincing arguments,
fill you up with herbal tea
and read from dusty documents
But if I make you stay up all night,
still I cannot make you decide
to pick up the evidence
...and put down some pride

Chorus

It's Holy Love that motivates
the bravest of souls
to tremble in awe of the sacrifice
It's only Love that motivates
the faintest of hearts
to say these words I say to you

Chorus (repeat)

Pamela's giveaway!

2009-11-02T22:38:00.003-05:00

We love our Pamela's gluten-free in our household! Here is a give-away going on to win some awesome Pamela's products. http://www.glutenfreefrenzy.com/2009/10/pamelas-products-big-holiday-giveaway.html

- Jess

Pumpkin Festival

2009-11-01T11:57:00.011-05:00

Halloween was really fun! First we took Nat to Chick-fila in his costume for lunch, then we went to Stone Mountain Park for the Pumpkin Festival. Nathanael was all dressed up for the costume contest, but we ended up not making it in time. But we (mom and dad) still had fun. He was starting to get sick, so he didn't have as much fun. Here are some pictures from yesterday:

- Jess

Big Day!!!

2009-10-24T23:50:00.004-04:00

Wow! What a big day our little man had today.

In the condo unit where we live, we have a storage unit in the hall outside our front door. It's kinda like our storage unit is our next door neighbor (the way it's set up). Jess was out in the hall there, digging, trying to find boxes for us to organize some things with (we keep a few empty boxes on hand for just such an occasion!). I was in the living room watching a bit of TV. She hadn't been out there long at all, when I heard the door open up a little and shut. Then it opened again, just a bit, and it shut again. This happened about five times and the last time it seemed to open the most, but not very wide, and shut the hardest (not very hard, but about how it would if you just let it go, being that it's spring loaded). I was extremely puzzled as to what Jess could possibly be up to, so I got up and went to investigate. When I opened the door, Nat was sitting right at my feet, partly on the threshold, his back had been against the door and he was looking a bit bewildered. I must say, I was too! He quickly gained his composure and leapt into a crawling position and crawled at a high speed to his mommy (it's @12 feet from our door to the storage unit)! I asked why he was sitting outside our door and she was shocked because she thought I had put him out there. Guess what? He actually opened the door all by himself!

I grabbed him, took him back inside, retrieved the camcorder and put him down to see what he would do. Our door has the lever type handle, instead of a knob, and he was easily able to push it down and unlatch the door and he knew how to pull to get it open a little ways. He, of course, couldn't get it very far open because he was standing close to it. But I watched in amazement as he, once again, kept opening the door and having it shut on him until he was able to get ahold of the actual door, after opening it, and opening it again a little ways to get his body wedged between it and the door and opening it to get a little further, over and over, until he could get to the other side!

We're both proud of him and impressed, but also a bit worried... since he now knows how to unleash himself on the rest of the world; we must now always lock the top lock (which he can't reach). We're not sure if he knows how to unlock the bottom lock, but I'm sure it wouldn't take much for him to figure that out; it's better to be sure by locking the one he can't reach!

That was just this morning! Then, this evening, we went shopping for his first pair of shoes. We were shopping for multiple items for him, so we wound up at Lenox Mall and, eventually, the Buster Brown store there. It's rare that we settle on the first item we see, but we were blessed to happen upon the perfect shoe immediately! I looked at some of the other shoes there, but there just weren't any that compared. We wanted one pair that could be used for all the things he would be doing, since we don't really have the budget for multiple pairs and we figured it best to get one really good pair.

The only thing was that Jess had a great coupon that could only be used at the brand store. See, they are Stride Rite shoes and, while Buster Brown carries them, only the Stride Rite store can honor the coupon. So we drove all the way over to Perimeter Mall to find the Stride Rite store there and buy his shoes. They were expensive and we needed to save as much as we could, even though it was a bit inconvenient. No matter! We saw it as a bit of an adventure instead of a hassle! Well, the only thing was, that store didn't have his size. They offered to have another store mail them to us, but Jess wanted him to have them for church service in the morning and I didn't want to give our card information over the phone. So... we jumped in the car again, only now we had a shortage of time because the next store was far away and it was getting close to closing time.

It all worked out for the best, though, because the lady at the store at Northpoint Mall was the most knowledgeable of them all and got him in the exactly right size (the people at the other two stores weren't sure how to size him and it was questionable whether or not we were getting the right size for him). After we left the mall, we went to Buca di Beppo for dinner to celebrate. They say that kids hate shoes at first, but maybe people buy them cheap, uncomfortable shoes; Nat absolutely loves his first pair of shoes and he sat happily at dinner swinging his legs (and kicking me under the table) in his high chair at the end of our table. He's never swung his legs much before. Jess commented that he looks older now that he's "fully dressed;" like a little boy now, not so much like a baby.

They were a bit costly, but he's definitely worth it! I have two main hopes for this purchase. First, I hope that he starts walking, since he doesn't need shoes if he's not walking and he, so far, hasn't walked any. It's obvious he could, but he doesn't seem to want to! The other thing is that I hope he's able to wear them for a long time and get good use of them. The lady at the store said to expect about four months' use before he outgrows them. I know it will go by quickly.

As for now, we are happy and so proud of our handsome little boy and his first pair of shoes!

- Bryan and Jess

Just a thought...

2009-10-17T22:09:00.005-04:00

I've always thought about this, but even more so tonight when searching for someone on Facebook that I hadn't seen in a while. They had a joint Facebook account with their husband, the name on it? (I'm leaving out names here, so I replaced it with "Husband and Wife") Wife-N-Husband.

I've noticed that married people who sign/address things with their names, it can be a representation of how their relationship is. OK, ok, I may have lost you on this. I really think there is something to this! For example if I were to sign a card: Jessica and Bryan Furse. Does that look right to you?

Whenever signing a card that requires both my name and Bryan's name I sign Bryan's name first then mine. Of all the "controlling" women who rule their household, or "wear the pants", whenever we have gotten something in the mail from that family, or saw them sign up for something, etc. the woman's name is ALWAYS first! It's like it is a control issue.

To me, I put my husband's name first out of respect for him and his biblical role as being head of the household. Yes, I do have control issues that I am still working on, but as far as putting his name first that is one of the things I choose to do out of respect for my husband. I know that I am not the most submissive wife...again, I am still working this all out.

This is just my thought of the day...thank you if you've gotten this far into my ramblings! :)

- Jess

First Blood

2009-10-16T19:14:00.002-04:00

I don't know what else to call it, but it's definitely a milestone in any parent's life; the day their first child gets their first injury that causes bleeding. It's not something you look forward to, but you steel yourself. I'm a man, right? Of course, of course... but my little buddy was hurt :-(

We were getting ready to go. I was in the bedroom. Carson was here and screaming his head off. Jess wanted me to hurry. I'm just about ready when Jess starts yelling something. When I saw them, she was holding him and they were by the front door. So it made sense to me what I thought she was saying: "He's leaving!" I smiled a bit because I thought she was joking and I, of course, couldn't hear her very well over Carson's shrieking cries. It wouldn't be the first time she said this... he's tried to open the outside doors before. I thought to myself "Well, this is an odd way of rushing me along; to tell me that Nat is leaving without us?"

But she didn't seem to be joking and she wasn't carrying him the usual way. As she got closer it became clear that she wasn't warning me of his departure; she was saying "HE'S BLEEDING!" He was crying, too! Thus adding to the noise and confusion. Well, he wasn't bleeding much... but it doesn't take much for a parent be a bit worried... and I was! She got him into our bedroom and we got the overhead light on. The blood was coming from his mouth and I was trying to figure out what happened as I examined him. She was mildly panicked, so it was hard for her to relate exactly. It was hard to see in there because, while there was none outside his mouth, the inside (across all his front teeth up top) was a different story; much blood... not to mention the fact that he's always hated for anyone to mess with his mouth, so he was really fighting the inspection process!

It turned out to be pretty mild after all. None of his teeth are affected. He only had a cut on the inside of his upper lip where his teeth had been pressed against it. He calmed down quickly enough (once we did) and it stopped bleeding on it's own pretty fast. It seems that he was having a tantrum (I always figured this day would be associated with a tantrum; he doesn't have too many at this point, but he has no control when he does) and he threw himself down from a standing position onto the lower rung of one of our stools in the dining area and hit his mouth on it. Poor guy! I hope he learned a lesson... I really hate seeing him get hurt.

I can't recall if this was yesterday (Thursday) or Wednesday, but it was otherwise very memorable!

-Bryan

Standing Tall

2009-10-15T07:45:00.003-04:00

There have been many milestones and we privately celebrate each one. Afterall, how does a proud parent really say what counts as the "first step?" They all happen so incrementally! Yesterday was something of an exception, though, and I missed it! He's had his first prolonged stand. It's not too surprising; he's had lots of practice in his crib, screaming at @5-6 am every morning!

Jess says that Nat was watching his favorite TV show and standing in the middle of the living room with no support! He's done this before, but this time she says it was for something like 5 minutes, instead of his previous record of maybe 10 seconds. I'm sure the excitement made it seem like longer, so it was probably only about a minute, but, still, that's real progress! I can't believe she didn't call me; I was just in the next room!

He's still not walking, though... it's obvious that he could, but he either doesn't want to or he lacks the confidence. It probably doesn't help anything that every time he takes a couple of unassisted steps we cheer wildly (once he's done) (we're holding our breath while he's doing it, of course!) and he gets so excited that he can't concentrate. After that he tries to jump up and down and we have to hold him up; kind of like a human Jumperoo for him.

Jess is worried, and I think a bit disappointed, that he's not walking and talking yet. I'm neither worried, nor disappointed, because I know he definitely can do both and he will, when he wants to, and there's no need to rush him. Besides, it will be a whole different thing when he learns both, not to mention either one, and I keep reminding her to relax and enjoy the day, for we will never get it back again!

- Bryan

That's my boy!

2009-10-10T14:00:00.004-04:00

Nat is starting to say more words! WOO HOO! Here is his list:

Oatmeal
More
Mama
Dada
Banana
Milk
Thank you
Hi, dada!
Pumpkin
All done
Doggy

We were walking into Home Depot the other night and Bryan and I were talking and I heard Nat say pumpkin. He was pointing right at a pumpkin on display. He is also pointing at objects and when we ask him to find a certain item in a book he does it! He is our little smartie.

Ashamed

2009-10-05T13:32:00.005-04:00

On Saturday Bryan and I got on the elevator in the building we live in. Already on the elevator was a father and son. The son was probably 15 years old. We had seen them a few times before. The son struck up a conversation with us. The boy was extremely friendly, commenting on Bryan's shoes, asking where we were going, etc. We noticed the son was a little "challenged". The whole time the son was talking to us his dad had his head down, ashamed and embarassed. I felt saddened that this child doesn't get the approval from his father that every child needs. Maybe he gets it when no one else is looking.

I know I can be ashamed of my son's behavior if he acts up in public, but behavior and how a child was born are 2 very different things. The very being of my son...I am not ashamed of. Yes, I realize I don't have a "challenged" son, but if I did...I hope I would never be ashamed of who he is and his differences. I shed a few tears and whenever I think about them I say a little prayer for them.

I'm not sure if he's sweet or a rascal...

2009-09-28T12:29:00.003-04:00

Today we were having lunch and Nathanael was eating his grapes, but he didn't seem to like the little pieces of corned beef that Jess had put on his tray for him; he was just playing with them.

So, as I passed by, while clearing off the table, I stopped and looked down at him. He looked up at me and gave me a blank stare with him mouth open a little. I held his glance until he broke into a smile and I smiled back at him. Then I reached down and pretended to eat his food, hoping to make him want it (for he seems to like whatever he sees us eating).

After a few make-believe bites he grabbed up a big handful (it is very characteristic of him to eat the biggest bites in front of him, first and then the smaller ones, next). Jess said "Oh! Now you want it?" But we celebrated our victory a little too soon; he bypassed his mouth and reached his little hand full of corned beef up to me, opening it in offering. It was as if he was saying "Oh, you want it? Here you go! I'm glad you like it."

You should have seen the smile on his face! Jess kept saying "That's so nice, Nathanael!" But I think he was being a rascal!

Our Trip to the Booth Western Art Museum

2009-09-28T12:25:00.002-04:00

Bryan here...

This is my first blog! Something so funny and unusual happened yesterday and I just had to share it!

It was Sunday and I was taking the family on a day trip to an attraction in Carterville and we passed a man cutting his grass in front of his home. I kid you not, he was on his hands and knees using a chainsaw, holding it nice and level to the ground. We weren't sure at first if that's really what he was doing, but we were stuck at a traffic light, so we sat there for a few minutes waiting and watched him as he made slow progress at trimming the narrow strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street. I guess chainsaws are really not that great at cutting grass; I wouldn't know, though, I never tried it.

Our little star!

2009-09-10T19:04:00.005-04:00

Nathanael had an interview yesterday to star as a double in a movie called "Life As We Know It". I ironed his clothes and got him looking especially spiffy. We got there and he was the only boy there...well, duh it WAS for a girl part! I guess I was assuming there would be more boys, but instead there were about 10 little girls running around. So, obviously he didn't get picked. There is a chance he'll get called in as an extra. If they were looking for personality, Nat would have won hands down. Unfortunately, that's not what they were looking for. He's our little star no matter what!

The Storm...

2009-09-02T13:16:00.005-04:00

It was eerily quiet in the Furse household at 12 noon on a Wednesday. Miscommunication has a consequence.

I thought Daddy was watching Nat and he thought I was watching him. NOPE! Neither of us was watching the little "Hurricane". 2 minutes later this is what transpired:

My big boy!

2009-08-26T10:33:00.002-04:00

Weight: 23 lbs 2 oz- 50%
Height: 31 inches- 90%
Head: 18 inches- 25-50%

He's still super tall!

He's standing!

2009-08-26T08:46:00.001-04:00

Nat started standing all by himself this week! He'll be in the middle of the room and just stand up without pulling up on anything... he's pretty close to walking.

Birthday letter to Nathanael

2009-08-18T09:50:00.001-04:00

Dear Nathanael,

A year ago today, my life changed forever (yes, in a good way!). From the minute you were laid on my chest I had no idea how in the world I could love something so tiny SO much.

It didn’t seem real that you were ours. We had waited and waited for that day to arrive and then YOU arrived. I was scared, yet excited. I was scared because I had no idea how to be a mom, even after being a nanny for so many years…being a mom is a totally different thing. But I fell in love with this (relatively) tiny 8lb 11 oz baby boy and knew everything was going to be OK!

After arriving home, I shed tears as we struggled together with your feedings. You just wanted to sleep! What a change from today…you don’t sleep much and you LOVE to eat anything!

Time was starting to fly, by 5 weeks you were smiling. By 2 months you were giggling. We tried so many things to get you to laugh- which was the most precious sound in the world to us! Then you started rolling over and sitting up. We could put you down and KNOW that you would stay…now you are all over the place (climbing and into EVERYTHING)!

Everyday I am amazed at how handsome you are! I know the girls are going to be all over you! Even now, you have a way with the ladies. You are a flirt and love attention from strangers!

This first year has gone by soooooo fast. If it were possible to pause life and keep you 1 year old, I would do it! I know that is not possible, though. So, I am filing all the special moments in my head and with our camera to reminisce later down the road. Sometimes, instead of putting you in your crib for bed, I will hold you and rock you until you fall asleep. I remember when you used to fit in the crook of my arms and we would fall asleep with you on my chest, in the glider in your room. Now, you are much bigger! When I hold you, your head is under my chin and your legs dangle far down my lap.

It has been an awesome year and I am looking forward to what you have in store for us this year! Your daddy and I love you so much and cannot imagine life without you. You truly are a “Gift from God”, just like your name means.

Happy Birthday to my sweet, precious baby boy!

Love,
Mom

Tomorrow

2009-08-17T18:22:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow marks a HUGE milestone in Nat's life... Ahhh! My little guy is turning one! More to come...

Water Park at Chili's

2009-07-28T08:44:00.001-04:00

We went to Chili's for dinner last night. Nat was standing in the booth seat right next to me...FRIGID water comes crashing down ALL over! It felt like we were at a water park. He had grabbed the refill pitcher from the waiter station behind us. He somehow poured out all the water and was waving the pitcher around. That was refreshing/uncomfortable/embarassing/humorous!

What!?!

2009-07-25T11:46:00.002-04:00

I slept in until 11:30 AM today. That is unreal! Thank you, darling husband! YOU ROCK!!! (MUAH!)

Father's Day and 4th of July...

2009-07-10T23:51:00.012-04:00

Here are some pictures random pictures, some are from Nathanael's Father's Day "photo shoot" and from 4th of July.

(Bryan trying to look like Piers Morgan)

Sleepless in Atlanta...

2009-07-06T23:17:00.004-04:00

Nathanael has had some major sleep issues lately. It is driving Bryan and me CrAzY! He's never been a good sleeper, but lately it's been especially bad. He doesn't sleep through the night (althought he slept throught the night for about a month when he was around 4 months old), waking us about 2 times a night, sometimes for 2-3 hours at a time (but usually no more than 30 minutes).

I am pretty sure it's separation anxiety, because I spend all day with him, then stick him in his room, expecting him to sleep all night. Also, we don't spend much time in his room. So we've started playing in there; I'm hoping that by making his room "fun," that he'll start sleeping better. I don't know...any thoughts on this?

2 Steps!

2009-06-25T22:16:00.002-04:00

Nat took 2 steps to me tonight...looks like this may be the beginning of the toddler years!

Nathanael at 10 months

2009-06-17T13:14:00.012-04:00

I know it's a cliche, but seriously, where has the time gone? Nat is such a character. I am amazed at how such a little person can have such a BIG personality. Here are 10 things about Nathanael to celebrate his 10 month birthday, as well as a few pictures from today (although, they are not too good...he likes to MOVE!):
1. He loves to cruise the furniture! (Which is basically the sofa, since we don't have much furniture.) He is getting good at getting back down on the floor without falling. He bends his knees and slowly eases himself down...so cute!

2. He responds with sheer excitement when I ask

him if he wants "Milky Milk". He totally knows what that means! He is picking up on more and more words.

3. He's really into pulling on the bathroom vanity drawers. He pulls on them and shuts them. Only once has he opened the cabinet, though! (Time to baby-proof!)

4. He gets so frustrated if you leave him on the floor and walk away. He pathetically cries like we've done something terrible to him and this somehow impairs his crawling, where he thinks he can't crawl just the few feet to get to us.

5. He gives the BEST hugs! He puts his arms around my neck and just squeezes as tight as he can! *sigh* I love that!

6. His favorite food right now is any type of cheese. Sharp Cheddar, Mozzarella, Cottage Cheese- anything cheese!

7. Lately he's been scrunching up his face/nose and snorting like a little piggy, he does it a few times a day and it's usually when he's crawling. I have no idea why he does this...I guess he likes to switch things up every now and then!

8. He loves to make us laugh. He will intentionally put his pacifier in the wrong way and look around to see if we are watching. He's an entertainer!

9. He is on table foods and eats almost everything we eat! He's not fond of beef, though. He's more of a chicken kind of guy. He also likes to mooch homemade pizza off of our plates. He loves to use a straw when drinking and is really good at it!

10. He is good at sharing! If I ask him for a bite of his food he will put his hand out and shove the food in my mouth and laughs!