1. Hardly bathe her. Sounds gross I know but she is little.  We sometimes just sponge bath and stick her head in and wash her hair.  Hot water is bad for it.  Sitting in the tub too long is hard on her.  Also, if we wash her hair and she sits in the shampoo/conditioner in the water it irritates it.  My sister also gave me some shampoo with tea tree oil in it that seems to work well.

2. Make our own laundry detergent and use vinegar for fabric softener.  I kind of tweaked a few recipes and I make our own powder detergent. We shred, on the cheese grater, 3 bars of ivory soap.  We then add 1 box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing soda and the same amount of Borax.  Borax has more in the box than the washing soda does so I just measure it out.  Just mix together and use.  They suggest using one large spoonful but I use 2 since our loads are so large.   Also, I just slop some vinegar into the rinse cycle. Probably a few tablespoons.  Sams has very cheap vinegar.  Much cheaper than buying dryer sheets or fabric softener.  This works well.

3.  The only 2 lotions that work well is Cerave (locals..I can only find this at Drug Emporium) and Eucerin.  These were both recommended by determatologists that my family has visited.  We took their word for it and it is right. I don’t really prefer one of these over another one.

4.  No fleece or polyester clothing touching her bad spots.  Fleece irriates it immediately and so does polyester.  Cotton or knits, “breathing” fabrics is all that works well.

Hope this helps!

Stacy

Cassia tagged me.

1. Where were you ten years ago?
    Living on Campbells Creek; married for 5 years; Had one baby and one on the way; Jeff hadn’t been preaching long (the chaos was just beginning! HA); BROKE

2. What is on you to do list today?
School lessons for 6th grader, 4th grader and preschool/kindergarten; 3 meals; baths for twins; clean house; rearrange some things in the outbuilding

3. What five snacks do you enjoy?
 popcorn; beefstick and cheese; cookies; veggies and dip; pickled eggs

4. Where are 5 places you have lived?
Frame, WV; Charlestton, WV; Indore WV; Mantachie, MS; Goldtown, WV

5. Name five things you would do if you were a billionaire
 Buy and nice house and property; buy a nice vehicle; give family money; money to missionaries; SHOP

Stacy

Happy 2nd birthday Judah and Jubilee.

Here is the birth story entry from my journal.

BIRTH STORY-Mississippi

Jeff and Levi went camping this night (Friday) with the Contenders in the homeschool group. They went to Elvis Presley Lake and Campground which is about 20 minutes from our house. We had drove up a week before and drove all around and had full cell phone service. So, we knew that everything would be o.k.  Jeff and Levi left that night and me and the girls partied together. We watched movies, ate popcorn and all slept in the same bed.  

We went to sleep about 11 a.m. then about 1:30 I woke up with my water breaking. I called Jeff at the campground. I called Sandra Priest. Candy, her 10 year old, answered the phone. She said “is it time”? I said “yes, I think so” I wasn’t having contractions, just pressure. I called my parents and Jeff’s parents in WV.  Dad and mom and Jeff’s mom left within just a few hours. It was a 12 hour drive.  Jeff FLEW home from the campground. I called him several times to reassure him I wasn’t having contractions and to not hurt themselves.

He said at the campground he hadn’t anchored the tent well just in case. So he grabbed it all up, threw everything in the truck and Levi and started home. That is when he realized Levi had no pants on and one shoe! HA Levi fished out shorts while Jeff was driving and got them on but never found shoes. So, when we got to the hospital he had no shoes on…and was covered in dirt.  Bethel was in her nightgown. Cassia was the only one dressed.  Jeff said at the campground Jeff Chamblee and Scott Blassingame heard him up and he can’t even remember what he told them! HA   Later we found out they thought he was either a. mad or b. on a fire ant bed he was moving so fast! HA

I woke up Cassia…got her dressed and got in the van.  She took my suitcase out.  Bethel was asleep and Jeff grabbed her and we were off. 

New Albany is 35 mintues from our house. Jeff drove about 80 or 85.   We NEVER speed but he put his flashers on and we took off.  We passed a state trooper but he never came after us. Thank goodness! He would have wasted time that we didn’t have!

When we got there we had to go through the ER since it was nighttime.  I had to REFILL the preregistration papers I did several weeks before since I came in the middle of the night.

The ER lady called to the labor floor and the head nurse (MORE ABOUT HER LATER) said they were having a family squabble and we would have to wiat. So, she wasted 15 minutes and then they finally took me to a room.  By the time I got in my bed at 3:30 a.m.  I was having HARD HARD contractions 3 minutes apart….they just started that way. There was no easing into it. 

The nurse poked around, doing paperwork….and didn’t give me an IV for one hour!! She even did a test to see if my water had broke. Needless to say the 3 min apart hard contractions weren’t convincing enough that I was in labor I guess.

At 4:30. I finally asked her to check me since I walked in at 3 cm…I was 4 cm. I told her once I hit 4 that was it….I would fly to 10…and I did. One nice nurse gave me stadol and phengran. That was all I had.  They FINALLY called my doctor although I asked them earlier. Later, come to find out, the anesthesiologist wasn’t on staff during the night. He lived in Pontotoc, 30 minutes away. I didn’t know that until after the birth or I would have freaked out.  Where are we, Mayberry? HA 

I was then high on stadol and just remember her checking me. Hollering out to people. Flying me down the hallway to the OR where they have to deliver twins. They decided they didn’t have time to move me to the other bed. I can faintly remember her “making sure” Jubilee wasn’t born until the doctor arrived.  I remember myself screaming and not being able to keep my eyes open. Stadol had made me crazy!! I am not a birth screamer….so I later apologized to my doctor for being high on stadol! HA

Jubliee was a breeze. It was her water that had broken. She was born at 5:20 at 6 lbs. 3 oz. She was 21 inches long.  Then I had to push and push for Judah.  Dr. Mitchell used a little suctiony thing to help a little since Judah was a little to the side.  Judah was born 10 minutes later at 5:30 a.m. at 6 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long.  Jublilee had dark hair. Judah had light hair. She looks like the Shorts. He looks like the Huffmans. So weird.

Judah was taken to the nursery and hooked up. He had rapid breathing. They ran tests and kept him on oxygen until Monday night.  We had to scrub up and go into the nursery to rub on his arms and legs. We couldn’t hold him and we couldn’t get to his head for the oxygen bubble that they had put on him.  He came back clear on all his tests, no infection. His oxygen level was fine..just a hair low…but his x-rays on his lungs checked out ok. Just rapid breathing that took several days to get over.  Whimpy white boy syndrome is what the drs say they call it. 

Jubliee roomed in with us and we would ALL roll down the hallway with the nurse to go to the nursery to see him.  They even let us stay the last night, after I had been discharged, free of charge in the room so we could all be together.  We didn’t’ get meals and all that but as long as they didn’t have a rush of deliveries we could stay.

Monday morning we had went to the nursery and the nurse said if we would run out and get our lunch she would feed Judah and unhook him from everything, except his IV, and bring him to us. So, me and Jeff went out ALONE To a really good Mexican restaurant. Our last big date! HA  Then we came back, she brought him to us and we FINALLY got pictures of them both together.  It was good. 

Judah stayed in the room with us, along with Jubliee, Monday night. His IV beeped LOUDLY every 1 hour and the nurse had to come and reset it. But, we decided that is what we wanted to do so he could be with us and we could feed him and take care of him.  Needless to say we didn’t sleep that night either.

We finally got home Tuesday afternoon after the babies being born on Saturday morning.  Our crew of Mamaw Huffman, Papaw Huffman and Mamaw Short was waiting with a clean house and a meal!

Stacy

35 weeks 4 days

Still miserable. Still holding on.  I take Levi tomorrow to get his braces off.  Then Wednesday I go and see Dr. Mitchell.  He said he won’t let me go past 37 and that is next week.  Shew..dreading pitocin but I have been miserable since 30 weeks so I think I can take it.  I am just praying my water doesn’t break while me and Levi are out alone tomorrow. My nights consist of several baths….getting up at 3 a.m. and staying awake. The burning in my chest.  Today it has been REALLY hard to walk. We are trying to keep the house straight but that isn’t working too well either! HA Jeff has had allergy problems for over 2 weeks and doesn’t feel well. I hope he gets over them soon!  Levi and Jeff are supposed to have a Contenders campout this Friday so I hope the delivery, whenever that is, doesn’t mess it up. IT is at the Elvis Presley Lake and Campground. We drove up there Saturday to make sure he had cell phone service.

Stacy

After 6 1/2 years in Mississippi we are heading back North to live near our hometowns and for Jeff to pastor a mission church there.

Kids are excited although you always have some “setbacks” when moving…(example: peeing the pants, being cranky, etc) and these things can go on for a month or two. Not fun to look forward too! HA  I am having bittersweet moments. My homeschool friends and church friends here are the best. They have taught me many things and been wonderful examples to our family and our children. Pray we find the same in WV!

Pulling out tomorrow morning.  So thankful God put us here for a season. A bitter season for 2 years and a very sweet season for 4 1/2 years.  I have had 3 children here.

Hopefully someday I will be able to come back and see my friends here..maybe retire here?  I’m thinking ahead.

Bethel asked today if Leah, Little Amy and Mrs. Tammy knew that we were leaving. She won’t even remember living here in a year. That is sad.

Pray for us!

Stacy