Dat?

So I have decided to devote this entire post to Jacob. He is without a doubt the "smiliest" baby of the bunch and when he gets a really wide one going, you just crack up because, as my father says, "the gap is so big that you could drive a train through his two front teeth!" But his teeth are just adorable!!!

Over the last two weeks or so, Jacob has discovered pointing and he is interested in EVERYTHING! Right now, his favorite thing to do is point to something and say "Dat?" It is so precious - you can tell he really just wants to know what everything is. And he just goes bananas over dogs. We were at the Surprise Park two weeks ago and of course there were lots of cuties on leashes. He just stared, pointed and crawled closer. He wanted to pet each one and would smile so big as they got closer. His other favorite word (and has been for several months) is dada. He sings dada all day - very cute. Mama will only appear at the end of the night when he is extremely tired and needs to be put to bed or when he doesnt feel good and needs TLC from me. But the thing that stinks is that due to these circumstances, mama is only echoed in a whine :( Dada is sung is praises while mama's getting the whiny shaft. I supposed that is okay though, b/c no one can comfort a child like a Mommy :)

On the physical side of things, Jacob Wayne Peterson began taking steps three weeks ago on February 7th! He wobbled kind of all day and ended up victorious with six in a row! woo hoo! But still has not gone farther than those six. Brian thinks it will be this week, and I kind of think so too. He was being quite adventurous this week. But he better hurry b/c Tessa is coming in right behind him. All of 27.5 inches tall, she can stand up from a sitting position with no help and she held onto my finger this weekend and walked all around. (So I gave Tessa a little plug, there!).

Quickly an update on the medical side of things...Jacob has had an ear infection since Feb. 9th that he just cant kick and we have been through three rounds of antibiotics - so tired of the drugs in my children - argh!!! So, Tessa is scheduled for tubes on April 1st and I am hoping to get him in the same day. My poor babies and these ear infections! The tubes did wonders for Caleb and I am praying that God will just take care of these angels, leading me to wisdom-filled decisions.

Right now, Caleb and Jacob are best friends. They make each other laugh and just have so much fun together. When the twins are too close, Jacob likes to take toys from Tessa, knock her over to get to where he wants to go and smack her on the head. What a little bully! They definitely have opposite personalities. But he is still my sweet little bugger who loves to give kisses, have daddy throw him on the couch and snuggle with mama!

Thanks, Abe!

Yesterday was a dream - it could not have gone any better. I was home all day with Caleb, Tessa and Jacob due to Presidents' Day, and although we did not reflect on the past accomplishments of our forefathers, we did have a fantastic day of playing, smiling and laughing! The twins didn't even fuss once all day - I am still in disbelief. Caleb was such a big helper and good boy for me. He kept the twins entertained while I cleaned up the kitchen after each meal and snack and he gave them lots of kisses and hugs. We had a blast!! I thank God for this amazing day with my children - especially since the last month has been so hard with Tessa being hospitalized for pneumonia and Jacob's croup and outrageous fevers.

God has really been tugging at heart through all this family sickness, reminding me that he is God and I most certainly am not. No matter the situation, God is in control. Even when it comes to my children...he lets me know that they really arent mine - they are His and I can freely relinquish them back into his loving arms after I have taken the burdens yet again. Learning, forgetting, remembering, knowing, releasing, taking and repeating...

Thank you, God for being patient with me. Thank you for your peace and unfailing love!

Can We Please Have a Re-Do?

So the twins turned one last week and last Sunday, we had a small family party at our house. Nothing fancy - just burgers, cake and balloons. Well, the twins hated EVERYTHING! They hated their food, they hated all the people, they even hated their cake. The only highlight was when we put them in the bath to clean off all the cake. But, of course the screaming commenced as they were being pulled from the water. What a disaster!!

I ask for the "re-do" because Monday morning rolls around and they were both complete angels. They have been complete angels since last Monday, in fact. I supposed the re-do will have to take place just about a year from now...And, I will save you all the misery of posting pictures, b/c all you would get is teary eyes and frowning faces.

Poor sweet Tessa is home today with brochiolitis - the second time this month. I hope it is just a fluke and the poor baby doesnt start having issues. She just always has something. I continually pray for God's healing on her body. The great news is that she gained a pound over the last 12 days. So, her official weight at one year is 17 pounds, 15 ounces. My little petite sweetie! (Side note: at one year, I weighed 17 pounds, 7 ounces). Like mother, like daughter!

Christmas Wrap-Up

Well, the month of December was obviously busy - both at home and work, due to the ONE post I published during the month. We had a blast during this holiday season! Caleb got to experience ice skating and the twins had their very first Christmas! Thank you to everyone for the great memories and thoughtful gifts for the kids! To sum it all up, here it is in pictures...

Caleb Ice Skating with Daddy in late December

"Go Tell It on the Mountain!" Caleb participating in his very first church Christmas Play on December 13th. (He is in the red shirt between the girls in teal and white)

"...A Savior has been born in Bethlehem...you will find Him lying in a manger..."

Tessa's first baby & Jacob rolling in the wrapping on Christmas Eve @ Nana & Papa's House!

MMMM! Wrapping Paper!

Candy Canes for everyone!

The Aftermath!

BIG Decision to Make

For the last several months I have been researching, studying and basically consuming myself about infant vaccinations. This all came to be b/c for a moment in time about five months ago,I was concerned about Jacob's development. Now I admit, I am definitely a person who assumes right away, makes initial comments without all the facts, and worries a ton! So, to say that Jacob wasnt developing "normally" was completely in my head and no pediatrician would have backed my presumptuous thoughts that I kept bottled up inside. (To fast forward really quick - Jacob is a perfectly active, sweet, smiley and curious 10 month old who loves his mama more than anything!). But...I am glad that these thoughts were provoked because it allowed my eyes to be opened to the potentially harmful and unproven effectiveness of vaccinations.

When Caleb was a baby these thoughts never came close to entering my mind. I would take him to the doctor to be weighed, measured and given his shots...because that is just what you do. I really never even thought that I was doing something healthy or good for him, I simply just thought is was the law or something. When the twins came along, it was all the same thing. They have been vaccinated through 6 months and Caleb's last vaccination was at 18 months. But even still with that, the twins have so far each received 14 shots and Caleb, 23.

Seeing those numbers written stirs up a lot of anger inside. I cringe every time I think about the injections I decided to give my children. Knowing all the dangers that these shots pose, I feel it is far more safe to suspend them indefinitely, rather than schedule them and face the unknown of what could happen. The main potential diagnosis being autism. The other factor is the lack of effectiveness.


As the days have passed since I first made the decision along with Brian, I have only felt stronger and stronger about our decision to halt the vaccines. There are just too many unknowns about the dangers of them and I will not have my kids be experimental guinea pigs just because they happen to be born into this generation that still does not know what is causing the increase in autism and tons of other childhood diseases for that matter.

As parents, we go the extra mile to buy organic food, breastfeed and buy the safest car seats for our kids, (because we have done those positive studies & research) yet we turn around and inject them with brain injuring needles that can harm them for the rest of their lives. We just have to be more aware and ask questions about why we do what we do! DO THE RESEARCH - it is there!

I really believe our diets have much to do with the increase in cancer, arthritis, Parkinson's, etc. but I will save those thoughts for another post. I know this is a controversial issue and some may not agree with it, but for my family this is our choice. We are living in a world that is sicker than it has ever been - a world that is falling apart in so many ways and this is one of the ways I feel I can protect my kids - as "oxymoronish" as that sounds.

God placed it on my heart to continue the research I have done and I believe 100% that He is protecting my kids from something horrible. I understand that tomorrow is always full of the unknown, but as I continue to trust in God, I know that he is doing his will and his best for our family.