Living with the Macs

I am such a slacker blogger! :)

2011-06-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

2009-05-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

The latest news....

2009-05-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

Life is just busy, busy, busy! :)

Caleb had his 2 month follow-up at the eye doctor a couple weeks ago and his doctor was super impressed with the alignment of his eyes! :D They really do look beautiful! I really need to post a before and after photo. God is just so good! I was super nervous about the whole thing, and here we are afterwards, and Caleb's eyes look amazing! As far as his vision goes, it's made a teeny, tiny bit of improvement--but hey, it's something! He has to read the letters on the wall type of thing, and he was able to read 1-2 letters better than before the surgery. This part will take time. But with his glasses, his vision is fine, and Caleb adores his glasses. (So thankful for that!) Hooray!!!

Baby Morgan is due in approximately 5 weeks. So far, she's head down and in position I presume. I was having lots of contractions, but been having a few days off. Everyone at our home is super excited for her arrival--especially Caleb. He always asks if she's coming out yet. Actually, 2 weeks ago at my regular checkup, he insisted on standing beside me while I layed on the table for the doctor to hear Morgan's heartbeat. He kept rubbing my arm and he said he wanted to be there with me when Morgan came out. :) Thankfully, that didn't happen at that time, and no, he won't be in the delivery room for that part. But he thinks that as soon as she's born, he will give her a bath and diaper her right away and get to hold her. So sweet! Even Jenna at 18 months understands there's a baby coming. She loves babies! Everyday, she lifts up my shirt and puts her head on my tummy. Then she points to the baby's crib and the changing table. Amazing how much she can comprehend! I'm just anxious to see how both Caleb and Jenna really will be once Morgan is here. Jeremy and I are super excited to say the least! I can't believe how quickly the days and weeks have gone by. Wow!

Baby Morgan Photos

2009-03-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

Here's Morgan I think saying that she's Number 1....

Just too cute! With her "pearl-umbilical cord" necklace.
Playing dress up already.

My personal favorite--looks like she's sticking out her tongue at us. Ha ha ha!

Aw, so sweet!
I love that we have this technology to be able to see our baby! She is such a gift!

Getting sleepy.

Check out these muscles! These puppies are sick!

Time for a little toe sucking action!

The Latest News...............

2009-03-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Well updates on Caleb:

He is doing great and his eyes look amazing! It's so great to look at him when his glasses are off and both eyes look at you! He still has a hard time seeing far away in his left eye, but we're still patching 2 hours a day and praying that God will bring restoration to the vision in that eye. God has been so faithful already, we are just trusting in Him!

Baby Morgan update..................

We are 28 weeks and 1 day today and had an ultrasound to see how big our little Squishy is. And what a show she put on for us! I have lots of photos to share with you! She was just too funny. She usually is shy and runs for cover anytime an ultrasound machine, heart doppler, or even a hand comes down on the belly. And at first she was covering her face, but she warmed up and was just too funny! The 3D technology is just amazing and our little girl is just so beautiful! I'm so excited to meet her! And turns out she's measuring a bit on the large size, but I'm thinking that could be in confusion to her due date. The doctor changed the date in the beginning of the pregnancy due to the baby measuring smaller than the date I had given of my last mentrual cycle. But if you ask me, she caught up! Maybe they'll push my due date up a week. :)

Caleb's Surgery

2009-03-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

Well most of you have heard the latest news, but here's a brief summary:

Caleb had his eye surgery yesterday in Miami and it went really, really well! God totally had His hand in the whole thing and He gave us so much favor! Especially with the wonderful doctor God has blessed us with. We kinda expected the whole thing to be rougher than it really was. However, Caleb has been through surgery before and has proven how resilient kids really are. He proved to be the same this time too. Recovery was a bit cranky, but that's to be expected. He refused to open his eyes until we were on the road back to the hotel. And then all of a sudden he was his usual chatterbox self. :) He had a hard time keeping anything in his tummy, but after a nice long nap he woke up so hungry and was able to eat a little bit. Caleb's doctor even called us late that night to check up on him. I thought that was really neat!

Today we had a follow-up with his eye doctor in Palm Beach Gardens. After the exam, his doctor felt his eyes have already improved greatly! Without his glasses, his eyes are working together now! Our prayer is they will stay that way so he only needs this surgery one time, and that his brain will turn the vision on his left eye.

What a challenge this whole thing has been in our family's lives. God has indeed been growing each of us. Even Jenna. When Caleb returned from recovery and was crying in my arms, she refused to finish her lunch (which never happens-food is one of her passions!) and just looked at him with such worry and concern. As difficult as it's been to go through this with Caleb, it's neat to see how God is refining us and teaching us about His love and grace. Through the whole thing, I could definitely see God's hand in every detail. He cared for us so lovingly, in a way that only He could do. :) We do serve an amazing, and loving God. Without Him, I could not have gone through this.

So in two months we will have our follow-up with the eye doctor. That's about the time it takes for the eyes to fully heal and settle into place. We're just praying that Caleb's eyes will settle together and no more lazy eye wondering off! Now, time to rest!

Oh wait.....Morgan will be here in 3 1/2 months! Whew! This is going by so fast! So much to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

The latest and greatest.............

2009-02-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

Well to begin today's feature posting, here's the countdown on baby Morgan, AKA-Squishy:
We are 162 days pregnant. 118 days to go! It's just flying by! But we're all so excited. I'm most curious to see how Jenna will react. She's become so curious of real babies lately. I think she's going to flip when she realizes one will be living with us. :)

So, Caleb is scheduled for eye surgery this coming Monday. And nothing will be for sure until Friday. God is changing me through this whole thing because I am a total planner--I like to know what's going to happen. And right now, since Caleb has an ear infection, everything is up in the air until his pediatrician gives the ok Friday morning.

But God has just been doing amazing things ever since this whole process began on Friday-Feb. 13th (ha ha ha ha!) That was when we were told there was only one available date to do the surgery. Otherwise, we'd have to wait until the summer after our new addition has arrives. So, already, slim choosing on when to get this done. Jeremy had some obstacles at work, but God is gracious and everything cleared for him to free up time. Then Caleb gets an ear infection. But got into the doctor yesterday and he is on some killer antibiotics that should clear him up by Friday. And to top it off, the hospital in Miami called yesterday-where the surgery will be-and said we needed to come meet with the anesthesiologist one day this week. I almost passed out. I didn't see how it would be possible to free up a whole day to drive down there. I explained the situation and then hung up and prayed for like 2 seconds. The hospital called me right back and said we could do the meeting the morning of the surgery. PHEW!!!!! God is amazing! I don't know what's going to happen next, but so far, everything is falling into place for this surgery to go through. So, just praying Caleb is well for it!

McIntire Valentine Tradition

2009-02-16T20:44:00.001-08:00

Every Valentine's Day we caravan our fam on over to Bok Towers for a family picnic and treasured family photos. Bok Towers is a place that Jeremy and I use to go to so often together and now that we have kiddos, it's even more special to go there now. We always get the best photos of our kids there too, hence the new slideshow. It's just such a beautiful place there. Jeremy and I love going to nature places like Bok Towers because it's so neat to admire God's beauty in the flowers, trees, and animals. I am always amazed at all He has created! I was just thinking on our way there this year how traditionally Valentine's Day is a time for reservations at fancy restaurants-which is nice and fun. But I love how we get to spend the day together at a beautiful garden playing and picnic-ing. It was a wonderful day!

And actually, Jeremy and I had our first date together on Valentine's Day 11 years ago. Wow! Time certainly flies! That was a restaurant date at a place that is very dear to us because of that date--The Italian Courtyard in Cocoa Beach. We use to go there every year just Valentine's Day. But, now we'll go there on a date night and save Valentine's Day for family time at a beautiful botanical garden! So special!

We're 22 weeks today!

2009-02-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, baby Morgan is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily. Only 126 days to go! That's crazy! How quickly time is passing. And what cracks me up is I have a friend due June 21st, I'm the 22nd, and another friend the 23rd. And we're all having girls! Go figure! That's awesome!!!!!!

Caleb's Update

2009-02-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

Well hello blogger world! Last Friday Caleb had a recent visit to the eye doctor and the surgery talk came about. Which we kind of expected and had prayed so much about prior to going. Specifically, we just prayed that if this was God's timing, He would set it all up. As God would have it, our doctor will be going on maternity leave and she only had one available surgery date-2 weeks from today actually. Otherwise we would have to wait until Morgan is born, and having a newborn at the time of Caleb's surgery just doesn't sound like super fun. It's do-able, but wow, it would be difficult.

So yes, Caleb will be having surgery in 2 weeks! I've heard of many people needing this surgery done repeatedly just b/c of various reasons and I hope and pray by God's grace one will do the job! I'm glad we have the opportunity to do this now b/c he won't be able to go swimming or play in sand or dirt (his 3 most favorite things) for a while. So, if we get it done now he'll be all healed to face the joys of summer. Would love to have your prayers! :)

2009-02-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

Morgan's hiney! :)

Waving Hi!

Cute little profile! :)

And Squishy is a..........................................

2009-02-04T10:38:00.001-08:00

A GIRL!!!! So her name will be Morgan Michelle McIntire. (Lots of M's huh?) We're so excited! Caleb was right, he wanted another sister and there you have it. We mainly went for this ultrasound to look at Morgan's feet since clubfeet runs in the fam and her feet are "normal" and the rest of her looks healthy. We are so blessed!

Caleb and Jenna came along too. Caleb was excited to see his Squishy on the t.v. especially when he got to see her hiney. :) Too funny! Morgan was quite shy at the ultrasound and kept hiding her face so it took a while to view all her parts. But all the more time to see her. It was a special day.

Yeah, so here's proof at what a horrible blogger I am. My rare postings. Oh well, at least I posted today. Woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got to Caleb's eye doctor next week. Looks like surgery will be happening. But we'll see what the doctor says.

Well that's all for now. Let's see how soon it will take for me to post again. hehehheheheh!

Caleb's Eye Appointment

2008-11-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

Today was the big day indeed!  Wow!  God is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!
First of all, the drive didn't take as long as anticipated (and no, Jeremy didn't
speed.  :)  ) And our car held up!  ha ha!  The facility was amazing and yes we
were there 3 hours and hardly any of that time was spent waiting.  Most of it was
spent with Caleb playing "eye games" as the nurse liked to call them.  They did that
for like 45 minutes at least!  It was so great that they would take that much time
with him!  Then we saw the doctor and she repeated some of the same "games" to see
for herself how he was doing.  Then the eye drops came, the one part Caleb
freaked out at.  And after his eyes were dialated, more examining.  And the
amazing part is, both the nurse and the doctor got Caleb's eyes to check out as
20/25 vision!!!!!!!!!! :D As a matter of a fact, all along his left eye has been
the lazy one and the one lacking in vision. Well, not any more!!!! His left eye
actually passed up his right eye! The doctor said that was normal though.  But how
relieved we were to hear that his left eye actually has good vision.
The real issue is his muscles in the left eye are pulling too tight, forcing his
eye to turn inward and looked crossed.  So, the surgery talk came up.  But the
doctor explained EVERYTHING and Jeremy and I both were like, "hm...doesn't sound so
bad after all."  So, the doctor said no rush on surgery.  Within the next year.  Come
back for 2 more appointments and we'll see if it's getting better.  Then we'll talk
surgery seriously.  So, pray the muscles get stronger and loosen up a little so we
won't need the surgery, but God's will.  If we do surgery we will have to go to Miami
for that.  Also, his patching time got reduced from 4 hours a day to only 2!  And
tears filled my eyes when he was able to read the smallest sized font of letters on
the screen!!!!! Wow, God is awesome! He certainly answered our prayers in sending
us to a doctor that is caring and willing to spend the time with Caleb.  She even
gave us her e-mail address and the personal phone number of the nurse that spent so
much time with Caleb in the beginning.  So cool! We were really impressed and just so
thankful to God for caring for our little man.  :)

Also, I know no factual updates on Squishy, but we've finally narrowed down a first
name if we have girl.  We're going with Morgan. It's actually my mom's maiden name,
so it would honor my mom's side of the family.  And it's pretty!  Now for a middle
name.  Jeremy is liking Morgan Chloe.  Maybe, just maybe....................

Just another Manic Monday

2008-11-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

Squishy's News:
216 days to go!

The surface of your baby’s brain is now beginning to develop the rounds and fissures characteristic of humans. By this time, the critical period for the baby’s heart development has ended. The heart will continue to grow and develop, but not at such a fast pace.
Also, had our first OBY appointment today. :) Makes it all the more official and so forth. Too early for heartbeat listening today, but got all sorts of great freebies-prego planner and calendar. I'm, such a nerd for stuff like that.

So, we're having a naming dilemma here. If we have a boy, we're naming him Nathan Paul. If we have a girl, we have no name. Can't decide. So, I'm going to post of poll of names we've somewhat liked so far and just want to see what your opinion is. Your thoughts may/may not effect the outcome of Squishy's name, but thought it would be fun!

And Friday is Caleb's big day at the new eye doctor. We have a 2 1/2 hour drive there one way. So, an all day affair. We're excited and just praying this will be the doctor to trust our son's eyes to who will be caring and wise. That's all for now!

Alas, another posting:

2008-11-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Already following behind! Eggads!!!!

Squishy today:
Today, the critical period for your baby’s arm development has ended. The arms are now at their proper location and proportional size for this stage in development. S

That is so cool! We're praying Squishy's feet are developing well too with no clubfeet.

224 days to go! Ha ha. Caleb asked if it was time for Squishy to come out yet. Nope, not for a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong while. Caleb has this obsession with thunder. He's terrified of the loudness of it, yet he's so fascinated by it. And lately, he measures time by when thunderstorms will be coming back. I explained to him how it's too cold for thunder to come now. Not until next summer will there be thunder again. So, Squishy will be here when thunder comes back is what we tell him.

A little here, a little there

2008-11-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

Squishy''s Fact of the Day:
By tomorrow, your baby’s lower limb paddles will have developed foot plates and pigment will be present in the retina of your baby’s eye. Several small swellings, which will become the auditory canal and the grooves of the outer ear, are present on each side of baby’s head.

It's so amazing to me of how miraculous a baby growing in my tum is. Wow! God is incredible!

So, Caleb's packet came in the mail today for his new eye doctor. We will be going to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami--Palm Gardens Branch. The packet said it's the number one eye place in America--I hope so. The brochure hyped it up to be a really great place. I'm just hoping they'll spend quality time with Caleb. So, 3 weeks until we go!

It's Wednesday!

2008-11-05T16:34:00.001-08:00

Wow! Thanks to Election Day, we had a night out on the town--coffee, chicken sandwiches, wings, fries, ice cream, and more coffee! It was really neat that our country had so many freebies to encourage voting. We sure enjoyed them.

Squishy's fact of the Day: Swellings are developing where the external ears will eventually be. The intestines are beginning to form within the umbilical cord. And instead of morning sickness, I have night sickness. No losing my cookies though, just woozy. But all for a good cause! :D I wasn't woozy when I was pregnant with Caleb. But I sure was when Jenna was in my tummy. So, chances of Squishy being a girl, pretty high. And we only have a boy name picked out. Eek!!!! Well, till tomorrow!

Squishy Day # 50:

2008-11-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

Here's Squishy's fact of the day:

The cerebellum, the area of the brain that coordinates muscle movement, is beginning to develop. The elbow and wrist regions of the arm are becoming identifiable. The liver is now large enough to produce a bulge in your baby’s abdomen. 230 days to go!

While I'm here, hope Election day is going well for everyone today. Looking forward to free coffee after voting. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Caleb and Jenna had their regular check ups today at the doctor, all is good. :) Poor Caleb got bit by a ton of mosquitoes yesterday and one bit his ear and his ear is so huge and swollen. Poor guy.

Added a little slideshow today. All the really amazing looking photos were taken by my sister who did an awesome job!

Well, that's all for now!

Squishy's Growth Today:

2008-11-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

Here is Squishy's first picture--taken last Thursday. All is well, healthy heart beat and everything. Wow, God is so amazing!

Ok, so here is what is happening with Squishy today:

By now, the division between the cerebral hemispheres (two halves of your baby’s brain) is well marked. The upper and lower jaws are present. Your baby weighs about .00004 ounce (.001 g). That’s about as heavy as an eyelash from your lower lid.

Only 231 days to go!

(BTW: Squishy's approx. due date is June 22--2 days after my birthday! I'm so excited! I can still have pony rides on my birthday! hee hee hee)

Good Morning!

2008-11-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I tried this blogging thing about 8 months ago and since then I posted 4 times. Yeah, I truly do like journaling and such, but I am so bad at it. (Yes, and now you know my deep dark secret). So, as I read the blogs of all my friends it encourages me to get my family blogging with the latest news and such. And for those of you who don't know.....

We are PREGNANT with baby number 3 aka: Squishy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Caleb asked if the baby in my tummy felt hard, and I said, "No, the baby feels squishy." So, the adjective stuck! Besides, calling the bun in the oven 'Peanut' just doesn't work in this family being as Jeremy is allergic to peanuts. So, until we know if this babe is a boy or a girl, we call him/her Squishy--like a jelly fish! :D )

So twill be interesting to watch my family grow in these coming months. So exciting!!!!!!!!!! Plus I thought blogging would help w/ updates on Caleb's eye situation. And I might even post some pictures! And advertise my card business from Etsy.com a bit too.

Happy voting tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!