Sweet Life

Being Supermom

2012-01-06T11:06:00.004-06:00

So not too long ago a wonderful friend commented that she wished she could be more like me as a mom! She said you have it so together! You never seem frustrated and just are the most amazing mom ever. I wish I was as together as you are...I had to laugh at her because I am sooo totally the opposite lol. Amid my laughter I thanked her but told her that i am definitely NOT supermom and depend on God daily for grace, sanctification and humility! There are days that I get upset with my toddler and holler when I shouldn't which leads me to apologizing and asking forgiveness from a 3 year old (thankfully he always forgives me and accepts my apology with hugs and kisses). There are days that I ask God for patience more than I would like to admit. I am only human and fall short of God's grace everyday but yet He loves me anyway. No matter how vile I feel that I am. I know I have looked at fellow friends and said the same thing! You are so together and your kids are perfect. I recently got to witness a friend that I felt this way abouts child have a temper tantrum (really I have never seen this child misbehave) and I had to smile to myself to be reminded that there really is no such thing as Supermom we are all in the same boat learning and growing together. So the next time a child has an outburst in public and the mom looks frustrated give her a smile instead of a dirty glare. You never know what she is dealing with.

Birthday Gifts!

2011-11-30T11:53:00.003-06:00

So Preston is turning 3 on Friday and this mama is soooo not ready for it. I mean seriously where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital and now he is a rambunctious 3 year old who loves cars, tractors, super heros and Nick Jr. I mean really?!?Anyway he got his first birthday card in the mail yesterday! Inside was a gift card to Target from Robert's Aunt Barbara and Uncle Joe (Thanks by the way P LOVED shopping and paying all by himself). He instantly asked what it was and I told him...which then followed up with let's go to Target now! Since we had nothing else to do and I was anxious to get out of the house we went to Target. You would have thought he about to die with excitement when we hit the toy aisle! He pushed every button and looked at every toy imaginable! I never dreamed it would take an hour and a half to spend 25 dollars but it did and he made sure he got the best toy he could afford. I tried my darnedest to get him to purchase a pair of shoes and I probably should have made him but it was his first gift card that he could actually spend himself so I caved and let him enjoy being a kid. He walked down every aisle and hollered lots of Oooooos and AHHHHHS along with THAT'S SO COOL and I NEED THAT! It did give me an opportunity to tell him the difference between needing and wanting something...by the end of the trip he was correctly telling me he wanted something instead. I was elated when we FINALLY decided on a Hot Wheels car that has "hydraulics" and does wheelies. It had it's engine out (according to P) and that was cool so the blue car with flames came home with us...I am regretting this decision though because it is loud and doesn't have a lower volume. O well we are only children once right?!?

4 month stats!

2011-11-30T11:44:00.002-06:00

Well I am again late on the posting! Huxley is almost 5 months and again I have yet to take his four month picture! I will try to take one before he hits 5 months and will just upload pics. I don't know why I post them since the only people that read my blog see him in real life about once a week lol. O well. We went back to the Dr for his well baby check up (except he was still sick with the flu :o( ). Everything looked really good! He weighed 17.2 lbs and was 25.5 inches long. His head was 17.5 cm? He was in the top 10% for height and weight and is in the top 5% in his head circumference. Baby boy is going to be BIG!!! We started Cereal in a bowl which even though I wasn't supposed to I add a fruit to it. He seems to like it ok but would just prefer a bottle. I hope its just because he isn't used to it yet. We are about 3 lbs away from outgrowing his infant carrier so all I can hope is that it will last until at least January/February so I can get past Christmas and purchase P a new seat so Huxley can have his old one. I am kind of excited about getting Preston a new seat though. I think I have decided on the Britax Frontier 85 or the one with side impact cushions. I would like to have the one with the side impact but fear it won't fit in my car as of now. Our next vehicle will be a van so I know it will fit there but right now is when I really need it to fit so we will see. He is all excited about getting a big boy booster seat...part of me is excited with him but part of me is pretty sad about it! Where did my baby go??? Anyway I won't bore ya'll any longer with my random rambling. I promise to post more often and less wordy word and more pics!

Alzheimer's

2011-11-23T11:36:00.002-06:00

Can I just say I HATE Alzheimer's???? I really do! My Pawpaw has it and it is such a vicious disease. It really tears me apart the days he has bad days. Here lately it seems as though he has more of the bad days than good days. He hasn't forgotten us but he sure does revert to the past a lot. Please say a prayer for my family and for him and anyone else that is having to deal with such a heartbreaking disease.

Where in the world are the Martins?!?!

2011-11-09T14:40:00.004-06:00

Wow its been a while since I have last posted!!! I completely missed Huxley's 3 mth stuff! A quick recap of his 3rd month of wonderfulness is as follows:

Went to drs appt for sickness chunk weighed in a little before his 3rd month birthday at 14.14 without eating lol. We started him on Zantac and that helped for a while but it has since been changed to a generic for Prevacid. I can't really tell if its doing much since you can still hear the reflux but he isn't crying so I guess it's working.

His four month well baby check up isn't until the 14th of november however we did go to the Doctor on the 8th and found that poor Frank has the flu :o( Poor lil guy woke with a fever of 103.8!!! If that isn't enough to make even the most seasoned mama freak I don't know what is lol. I called Robert in tears because I have never had a child have a fever that high. Deep down I knew it was the flu I just prayed it wasn't. But on the upside we have been pumping him full of Advil and he seems to be feeling better...for the most part. Such a sweet lil guy!

We took Preston trick or treating for the first time this year. He was Thomas the Train and oh so cute! My sweet brother came and went with us so that I wouldn't have to take both boys by myself in the dark. I am soooo thankful he went too. I always like to think I am supermom but what kind of mom goes trick or treating...in the dark without a flashlight or glow stick!?!? My brother had a flashlight though...he is so smart...even if we were already half way around the block before we pulled it out to use it lol ;o) P had a great time and got lots of candy that Robert and I are still enjoying lol. Secretly I despise Halloween candy since I am the one that ends up eating it. Not good for the diet I am on lol.

Other than that not a whole lot to report on the home front. Robert is still working lots but it's ok. I know that eventually he will be home with us at decent hours and actually be able to enjoy his boys. I know Preston will be glad when he is home and I start to cook again! Poor lil fella has had lots of chicken nuggets and grilled chicken strips here lately. I made him instant mashed potatoes last night to go with his grilled chicken to which he proclaimed was SOOO GOOD! lol He is such a sweet boy!

Please continue to pray for my grandfather. He has had 3 surgeries in probably 8 weeks and is having a really hard time with confusion and not getting enough sleep. Reality is setting in the he won't be around forever and that he has serious health issues. He has Alzheimers and isn't doing the best. Please pray for him and our family.

Huxley 2 months

2011-09-19T21:52:00.002-05:00

Where has the last two months gone?!? I sure don't know! So far this month Huxley has been doing good. He is still waking up (occasionally) at 4 to eat a bottle but other nights he sleeps til 6 eats and then takes his morning nap. He is smiling A LOT and will even smile back at you when you smile at him. He coos and I really think he is trying to laugh. Twice he has made a chuckle when I said something or made a funny noise. Its so cute! I cannot seem to catch it on video though. So far this month he had his first "sick" appt. He somehow managed to get an ingrown fingernail that somehow got infected so he was on Cephlex (spell?) twice a day for 10 days. He was also diagnosed with reflux and is now on Zantac twice a day. It seems to be working and we actually have pleasant days most days. He is growing like a weed and is getting so big! He is eating cereal in his night time bottles and is consuming 4-6 ounces each feeding. Big boy loves his food and cries when I take it away to burp lol. Silly Frank!

Here are his stats from his 2 month appt:

He weighs 13 lbs 11 ounces and is in the top 10 percentile

He is 23.25 inches long and is in the top 30%

his head is 16.75 inches! I believe he is in the top 5% for this one...I will have to double check and get back to you.

He got 3 shots and one oral and cried so hard. I felt terrible because he was just a smiling and cooing at me when he got stuck. His face turned red and he screamed and cried really loud...broke my heart! He did good though. Never ran a fever and was only slightly crabby the rest of the day mainly he just slept a lot that day. I snuggled him all day poor lil fella!

Other than that we are doing well. I promise to post pics soon. I just don't have my camera handy to do so anytime soon. Hope everyone is doing well!

Huxley 1 month old!

2011-09-06T13:57:00.003-05:00

So I should have posted a while ago but just got behind. Huxley is growing at an alarming rate and it feels like I blinked and he was already a month old! We went to his appt with Dr Morrison thinking he would get shots...I had mentally prepared for some shots but he didn't get any...Just a heel prick :o( He sobbed and sobbed and I somehow managed to keep my composure. I don't particularly care much for the nurse that did it and have had issues with her in the past but oh well it was just one time and I hope we don't have her again anytime soon.

Here are his stats: He weighed 11 pounds even, is 21.5 inches tall and his head was 15.75 inches around. He is growing so fast and eating lots and lots. He is mainly a happy baby but has had some issues with gas so he gets gas drops before every bottle. That seems to help. He is sleeping pretty much all night he goes to bed at 8 and then wakes up around 4:30 to eat. Then goes back to sleep until 6:30 or 7. We have had our tough days but we are slowly starting to figure out each others routines and things are going smoother. We have been so blessed with him as our son.

Huxley's Birthday Story!

2011-08-15T21:32:00.012-05:00

So I have taken forever to finally sit down and recount the day we were blessed with Huxley's safe arrival into this world. I've sat down numerous times to tell his story but was called away by Preston or by the screams of our newest family member. So finally I have some time.

Our story begins on Wednesday 7/6/11. Robert worked til 5 so my mom decided to go with me to check into the hospital to start the induction process. I was sooo excited but deep down so worried that something would go wrong. Since I had such an easy pregnancy I was worried that delivery would be bad or something would go wrong. I was admitted to Labor and Delivery room 2 (which is super nice for all my preggers friends)

I put on my gown and meet my first nurse of the day (I don't remember her name but she was super sweet) She asks if it is OK for a student nurse to shadow her and I say sure. She also wants to let the student nurse put in my IV for practice...I really didn't want to let her but since I am so nice I agreed and said that would be fine. (she did really good and only had to stick me twice which is pretty good since I have such small veins). I get the IV in and it burns like I have never felt before...nurse assures me that its normal and will wear off. 20 minutes later it felt somewhat better but still sore. Dr comes in to check me and give me my first dose of Cytotec. He announces that I am not even 2 cm dilated but that I am close to a two. Robert gets there along with Preston and my dad. We watch some TV and just hang out. I start having small contractions sometime around 7ish but nothing painful. I get my second dose of cytotec at 9 pm. Contractions are starting to feel slightly uncomfortable but nothing I cannot handle and NOTHING like the back pain I felt with Preston. Robert falls asleep and I try really hard. Long about 12 i finally fall asleep...Nurse comes in to give me 3rd dose of Cytotec but checks me first. She announces that I am 3 cm and 50% effaced and that I cannot have another dose of meds. She asks if I need any pain meds and I told her no that I felt OK and my pain was probably only a 2. Robert calls my mom to tell her then goes back to sleep...I am too excited to sleep and I think I stay up all night. Nurse(Christina I think is her name) comes back in at 5 to check me and start my pitocin and tells me that I am still at a 3 and asks if I want to go ahead and get an epidural. The pain isn't bad and honestly I wanted to wait for the epidural but was encouraged to go ahead and get one since there were 5-6 C Sections lined up and she didn't want me to have to wait should the pain get too intense for the nurse anethesist to come in. I agreed and by 530 was sitting over the side of the bed waiting for the needle. Dana said that I had lots of swelling and had to stick me a couple times eventually the epi went in and all went numb. However I found it strange that I could still move my legs. My mom showed up by 6 and we waited. I put on make up and waited. Family started trickling in and my sweet friend Emily showed up to take pictures about 830.

Family started to arrive and I was the happiest person in labor ever. I kept marveling over how easy it had been and how less painful it was than when I was in labor with Preston. Dr.Desautels came in to check on me and said that he though we would definitely have a baby by 2 o clock that afternoon and that everything looked good.

Long about 12 another nurse named Jennifer (she was filling in for Melissa who would be my LD nurse when Huxley was born) came in to check me. I was beginning to suspect something was wrong since the nurses kept coming in and moving me around from right to left. They never did that with Preston and when doing so apparently caused my cath from the Epidural to shift resulting in feeling coming back in my right side. Melissa had come in a teeny bit earlier and had told me that she was going to sit me straight up so that gravity would do its part and help me along in labor. After checking me I was sat upright. I was at a 5.

Not long after Melissa checked me and sat me up Jennifer came in probably about 1 and rechecked me and told me she thought I was a 7...she kept staring at the monitor and after checking me I noticed that the look on her face was one of concern and that there was a good bit of blood...this was my second red flag that something was wrong. She quickly left the room and mumbled something about getting Dr Desautels to come check me out. He came right in, they pulled him out of delivery next door to check me...another red flag. He checked me out and told me that he was a little concerned about the blood I was losing. He told me it could be two things. Either I was in rapid labor which causes a lot of blood or my placenta was detaching causing the blood loss and heart rate to drop. He told me that he would give me 5 minutes and then he would be back in to check me out if I had not progressed to 10 then we would have to have a C section. I asked him how sure he was of me having a C Section and he told me honestly that it was pretty likely I was going to have to have a C.

I started to cry and decided to not share that info with my family. I didn't want anyone to worry before they had to. By this point the contractions were pretty intense and I felt them on my right side since my epi failed. I was having to breathe through contractions and was more worried about my possible impending C Section. All I could do was hold Robert's hand and the railing of the bed to get by each minute and half of each contraction.

(this is right after I talked to the dr).

Dr. Desautels came back in about 8 minutes and checked me again. By this time we had booked an OR and when the nurse came in to wheel me back Dr D announced that I was complete and going to push. There were probably 30 plus people in the room all hospital staff. I think I began to push before everyone left the room. Poor Robert got caught at my feet when I started to push and I thought he was going to pass out...

He hung in there though and did great! I pushed as hard as I could 3 sets of 3. A monitor was placed on Huxley's head and vacuum was used on my last set of pushes

When the vacuum didn't work. Suddenly the Doctor screamed get me an OR STAT. The nurses started throwing cords and stuff on my bed and everyone became worrisome and frantic. I was told we were having an Emergency C Section and that we had to hurry. I was rushed out without my bed even attached at the bottom and the Dr screamed to get dad some scrubs. By this point I was more worried about something being wrong with my baby. However I was eerily calm.

Once in the OR I was moved to the operating table and was relieved to see Ken Duke had scrubbed in to be in my surgery. Having him there was such a blessing. Especially when Robert wouldn't be allowed in. In a rush to fix my failed epi I was administered with stronger drugs that didn't work either. After being pinched and telling them I could feel everything I was told I would be put under and that they have to get Huxley out ASAP. I remember the Anesthesiologist telling me who he was and Ken looking down at me and saying how shocked he was that I was so calm. My last thought was if I die I hope Preston and Robert know how much I love them and I hope that they can save Huxley. The next thing I know everything is going fuzzy...I remember the clock reading around 115 when we got into the OR. Suddenly I am awake in recovery, which I thought I was in a hallway lol. My mom was there telling me everything went great. I kept asking all these questions like where was my baby and how much did he weigh and his length to the nurse.

It was 2:30 and Huxley had entered the world at 1:47! Robert came in shortly after and then a nurse brought Huxley in to see me. Oh my word he was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. I immediately cried when I held him. I nursed him and couldn't believe he was here after all the chaos. He weighed 8 lbs 10 oz and was 21 inches of sheer perfection! After talking to my doctor he told me that my placenta had in fact started to detach and that we had to get Huxley out ASAP or he wouldn't have survived. He said that I had lost A LOT of blood but that he was shocked to see how well my blood count was the following morning.

Overall it wasn't anything like my birth plan but I wouldn't change the way it happened for anything. It really taught me to be humble and that I have to put my trust in God for everything even in the scary times when things look uncertain.

37 weeks 4 days

2011-06-24T00:36:00.002-05:00

So nothing to report for this appt. I have been super busy and Monday even walked on the treadmill to try and get things moving for Huxley to come. Really had some decent contractions on Tuesday but it turns out was false labor. Contractions stopped by 1:30 or 2 and all was normal after that. Woke up Wednesday morning and was having some minor contractions but they went away as soon as I bathed and ate breakfast and got moving. Went to the Dr and everything is the same as last week. 1 cm dilated and no effacement. Its soooo annoying! The same thing happened with Preston and I am super sad it just didn't work the way I had hoped. I know its all in God's timing though so I just need to be patient! As of right now we are still set to induce on the 7th but my feet have been so swollen they hurt. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday and hopefully i can convince him to induce Friday the 1st! But we will see. Either way he will definitely be here in two weeks! I CANNOT wait!

36 weeks 4 days

2011-06-15T21:41:00.002-05:00

So I went to the doctor this morning and everything still looks good. My BP is still good and he said my weight still looks good. I am 1 centimeter dilated but not yet effaced. I was happy to hear that I was progressing but honestly thought I would have started to efface by now. So needless to say I was kinda bummed when he said I wasn't. When I told him that everyone keeps telling me that he will be here by the 25th he said thats two weeks from now...I don't honestly see that being the case but anything is possible :o( He said that Huxley isn't fully engaged in the birth canal yet but that normally that doesn't happen until the 38 week marker. So now we are just playing the wait and see game. I am so ready for him to be here! I want to meet him and see his face and tell him how much I love him and am excited to be his mommy! Now if I could just get time to move on faster :o)

35 weeks 4 days

2011-06-08T15:41:00.003-05:00

So I am finally here! I have made it to the last month of my pregnancy and I couldn't be more excited!!! Went to my appt this morning and so far my BP is good, my weight is great (he even told me he was proud of me for my weight gain since the big 9 lb slip up in February). So far I am not dilated any but my cervix is starting to soften and he said that he can tell that Huxley's head is definitely head down in the birth canal but not completely down yet which is OK. I go back next Wednesday and we will see if I have made any progress. Dr. Desautel didn't think that I would progress any this week but he said that he thinks I will have made some progress by 37 weeks. He said he definitely wants Huxley to stay in til 37 weeks and so far we are still set on Inducing 7/7/11 if he hasn't made an appearance before then. Fingers crossed he will come before then because I am READY!!!

IF I ever get another Dog...

2011-05-27T00:29:00.006-05:00

I want her to look like this!!!!!

Who knows anymore? Not me!

2011-04-24T17:49:00.004-05:00

Yep that's me...somewhere between 29 weeks 1 day and 31 weeks...I don't even know anymore. Friday started out our weekend with a free ultrasound (US) from Trenholm Tech. It was great! The instructor, April, Robert actually ended up knowing as she used to go to our church. The check out Huxley and showed the girls in her class what they were looking for then handed over the wand to them to get some practice. The girls were super sweet and and were shocked at how much and how hard Huxley kicks and moves. He even kicked the wand so hard once it jumped off my belly lol. Once they had practiced measuring his legs and arms and the amniotic fluid April returned and remeasured everything and took some pics for us.During the training portion I had told Robert that Huxley's legs looked awfully chunky to be in the first part of my last trimester. Robert agreed but he just assumed that was normal. While April was measuring everything she said so you are almost 31 weeks huh...I said no we are almost 29 weeks...she said well I am measuring him as 30 weeks 4 days with a due date of June 29, 2010...I then noticed on her screen that it said his weight was 3lbs 5 oz...I asked if that was correct and she double checked and informed me it was. For once I was relieved! I am bigger than I should be because I am carrying a small giant LOL. I told her that I had a Dr's appt that morning at 11 and I would talk with my doctor about it. Fast forward to 11...or shall we say 1145 because that is when I finally saw my doctor...I asked him about measuring big. He said that from the tape measure he was measuring me about 2 weeks ahead as well. I told him about the US and he said that if I am still measuring big in 2-4 weeks then he would order an US and see about changing my due date. So excited that this little one might be here early! But scared because I don't have the first thing done to his nursery!!! Anywho that's pretty much it. I go back to the doc on the 9th of May and am looking forward to seeing if this baby is leveling out or still measuring big...right now if he continues on his weight gain he is estimated to be anywhere from 8 lbs to up to 10 lbs!!! Please Lord let this baby be 8 lbs if that is the case.

The Next Picasso???

2011-03-26T20:26:00.008-05:00

Had a hunch yesterday to buy some canvas' from Hobby Lobby to test P's painting ability. I love to paint (even though I stink at it) so I had hopes that he would too! Boy was I excited when he showed me that he not only LOVES to paint but is really serious about it...or at least looks like he is :o)

He kept telling me that it was beu-i-ful! Of Course I totally agreed with him. What do you think? This is the first painting from Preston Picasso.
Here he was not so patiently waiting for me to get the brush and paint ready to paint his hands and feet for his second art piece. It was going to be something that said I Love being your Big Brother and we were going to hang it in Huxley's room but my canvas wasn't big enough.

Getting his feet painted. He kept laughing and saying it was tickling his toes :o)The finished project. Originally those paint marks in the middle weren't supposed to be there. I went to clean a brush and he decided it needed something extra.The mess we had after our paintings. It was so worth the mess though for such a precious time with my favorite big boy!I actually still have to wash out the paint pallets and clean up all our paints and put them away since I had to pull Picasso away from painting so he could eat some dinner. Already trying to sacrifice something for his craft lol. We are going to do a couple more canvases and we are going to paint a welcome home pop pop sign to take to the airport on Friday for when my dad comes home. He has been out of the state for work for the last month so I thought it would be a sweet way for him to be welcomed back by his favorite grandson. If you haven't painted with your kid I say go for it! We had a blast. The only reason we did it inside is because of the rain but it worked out great since we have a glass table top.

25 weeks 2 days

2011-03-25T21:45:00.003-05:00

So I am still officially measuring two days ahead. Started my morning by waking up super early in order to make it to my appt at 8 am on Taylor road. Had to do the 2 hr glucose test today and let me tell you that sugar drink is WAYYYYY better cold. It was sooo gross hot I literally spent that hour waiting to give blood trying to keep it down. I gave blood three different times once when I got there, one and hour after finishing the drink, and then lastly an hour after i gave blood the last time. My arms officially look like I have been doing drugs.

We did get to have an US today to check on the location of my placenta and it proved to be a good visit. Not only has my placenta moved but it has moved to where it is supposed to be! Dr. Desautel figured it would take longer and was shocked and happy when he saw that it corrected itself so fast! We are super excited! No more rest and restrictions! Yippee! Watch out floors you are going to get a good sweeping and mopping ASAP. Oh and might I add that Huxley is going to be a lil chunker??? He weighed in at 1 lb and 8 oz already!!!! I was shocked! Even the tech said she thought he would be a bigger baby.

As far as my Dr's appt went it was nothing overly exciting. We talked about my chances for having Gestational Diabetes again and discussed my weight....I was doing really good on weight up until this month...in February I had only gained about 8 lbs...this month I put on ...and I am not lying...9 POUNDS!!!! My Dr didn't fuss at me really but told me that I needed to watch what i eat and make better choices...He also informed me that I needed to stay away from my milkshake and ice cream cravings as it seems I had over indulged a tiny bit lol. I told him that I knew it was a big jump because I am starving all the time and nothing seems to fulfill my appetite. He said that some babies just need more calories than others and that I need to try to up my water intake before adding extra snacks. I agree and promised that I would do better and not gain so much for my next appt. I told Huxley tonight after Olive Garden today for lunch and Blueberry Waffles for dinner that we are officially on a diabetes diet starting tomorrow. BLAH!

I got back in four weeks for my next appt and then will start going every 2 weeks!!! I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going! Its insane! Oh and on another note...Preston and Huxley got their first matching outfits from my mom and they are sooo stinking cute. I promise to update this blog soon and post pics. P's is a t-shirt with a brown and blue polka dot whale with his name on it and Huxley's is a one piece outfit with his name and the matching whale. REALLY CUTE!!!

Preston!

2011-03-07T22:32:00.003-06:00

So I was grumpy most of last week and poor Preston couldn't seem to do anything right...( I totally apologized to him and gave him lots of hugs and kisses alot because i was so grumpy). So this week is starting off better. We woke up and had breakfast this morning and watched a little tv. Then we decided to start cleaning. We dusted, and did laundry, and cleaned the kitchen, and cleaned out Preston's drawers. He was so cute through the whole thing. He was such a big boy helper too! He picked up all his dirty clothes out of the bathroom from last nights bath and put them in his dirty clothes basket (this is one of his favorite chores), then he picked up all his Hot Wheel cars and put them away along with picking up all his toys in the living room and putting them away. Then he would pick up pieces of whatever he could find on the floor and throw it in the garbage can lol. He is such a sweet little blessing and I am soooooooo thankful God trusted me to be his mommy. He is just the best gift ever.

We also started officially potty training today. He asked me this afternoon if he could go potty...we went and sat for 5-10 minutes on the potty looking at a book...never tee teed...then he asked again right as he woke up from his nap and i rushed him to the potty...no tee tee but he informed me that he pooted in the potty LOL...then we went again before bathtime but he didn't tee tee then either. Each time I have been telling him nice try we will catch the pee pee next time...I am going to have to be more diligent tomorrow now that I know he is obviously ready.

What did you do to potty train??? Part of me is kinda sad about him growing up so fast! I don't actually mind changing the diapers...I wish I could keep him part of a baby for longer. Its like once he is potty trained thats it...no more baby all Big boy!

21 weeks 2 days

2011-02-26T11:27:00.002-06:00

So went to my appt on Friday with hopes that the Doc would lift my restrictions but was told I had to stay on them until we could get an US 4 weeks from yesterday. BLAH! That stinks I was really dissappointed but kinda figured it would happen. On the 25th of March I will have an US at almost 25 weeks to check the placement of my placenta. Right now I am considered Marginal Previa, when the placenta is 2 cm to just right before it touches the cervix, and we are waiting to see if it will move up as I get bigger. Dr. Desautels said that he isn't concerned yet as its pretty common on 2nd pregnancies. He said that most of the time it corrects itself and there is nothing to worry about. I told him I wasn't worried and that I would worry about it when he is. We will check it at 24 weeks and see how much it has moved and if he isn't satisfied by that then we will check it again at closer to 30 weeks. He said they are almost always corrected by 32 weeks. If the placenta moves down into a partial or full previa then we will have to delivery Huxley via C Section about a week early. I really really hope it corrects itself as I don't want to have a c-section. I am really thinking it will and hope that I get to have that moment of going into labor on my own. So only time will tell. I will try to get all two readers of my blog updated as we progress! Thanks to everyones kind words of encouragement and prayers.

Apicoectomy...a fancy word for a yucky procedure!

2011-02-24T14:01:00.003-06:00

So I have had a few problems in the last couple weeks that led to oral surgery and thought I would post so that I could actually clarify what is going on with me. Two weeks ago I had a pain in the gum above a tooth that I had a root canal on 10 years ago. I went to my dentist who informed me that I would need a root canal re treatment on the tooth. He referred me back to the Endodontist that did the root canal to begin with. So I went in last Wednesday and was told I would have to undergo surgery to correct the problem since it looked like it was worse than originally thought. Surgery was Scheduled and one week later I found myself sitting in the dentist chair at 7:30 in the am with my heart racing and my nerves rattled. The first of 5-6 shots wasn't so bad however the last two were HORRIBLE! They involved a longer bigger needle and were in the roof of my mouth. I teared up and about jumped out of the chair. Then informed the DR that that shot was way worse than an epidural! However thankfully, he numbed me up so good I didn't feel anything else for the rest of the procedure. I had to have what is called an Apicoectomy done. I wasn't honestly really sure what that was and was foggy on what was being done until afterward when he gave me a pamphlet of what they did to my poor little gum. Basically they numb you up really good then they cut and pull back the gum. they remove the infected portion up in your gum and then they remove the root tip and seal the end with a filling of sorts. In my case because it had been infected off and on for so long, it deteriorated some of the bone in my gum line over that tooth. Therefore I had to have a bone graft ( I have no idea if its all fake bone or if its partial real bone and a fake bone filler) done as well. I was also informed that they might have possibly perforated my sinus slightly and to not blow my nose really hard for a few days?!?!? REALLY! I mean that sounds terrible!!! Then I was stitched up with 6 stitches and sent on my way with ice packs and pain meds (well Ibuprofen big whoop! Its tough when you are pregnant they won't give you the good stuff lol). I was in a good bit of pain yesterday and was really swollen but thankfully I am feeling better today and the pain is manageable but am still sore and still pretty swollen. I am now taking Amoxicillian and Tylenol every four hours for pain. Hopefully I will get to feeling back to normal soon.
So that's my story nothing overly exciting just one more trial I am going through with this pregnancy lol. I just keep telling myself that I am thankful that my trials aren't worse and that these trials are easy to get through. Thanks be to God for blessing me with a pregnancy that is still going well and for it to only be one tooth giving me problems and not my whole mouth of teeth!

At least I have a medical excuse for being lazy!!!

2011-02-16T17:09:00.004-06:00

So Thursday night was a little scary for me because we had a slight scare with Huxley...kinda. I noticed that I passed a little bit of blood while in the tub and while I was concerned about it I didn't think it warranted a trip to the ER since it was a very very small amount and Hux was still moving around like crazy. I decided I would go to sleep and call the Dr in the morning to see if they wanted me to come in. Woke up Friday morning and called the Dr's office at 9:30 and left a message for the nurse. She called right back around 9:40 and said to get over to the Prattville office for an ultrasound to make sure everything was OK. So by 10:30 my mom had picked me up and I had showered and gotten myself and Preston ready to go. Super speed I have never moved so fast ever lol. The US went well and we got to see our sweet boy who by the way is now measuring two days ahead putting me at 19 weeks 6 days today :o) And I am assuming will bump my due date back to 7/7/11. Anyway everything looks great and he is super healthy and has a super strong heart. However, the tech was concerned because my placenta is sitting pretty low. Most of the time it will correct itself and will move up but every now and then the placenta moves down into what they call placenta previa. Now I don't know a whole lot about it because I have been too afraid to google it since I know I will get all freaked out about it but I do know that it is dangerous and can actually cause a hemorrhage. I am sure that everything will be fine and honestly I am not that worried about it. I know that God will take care of us so we will just trust in Him. I have been put on pelvic rest which I never knew included no twisting, or strenuous activities involving the abdomen (vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, moving and lifting heavy things) so I am being a bum until my appt next week to see if the Dr will lift the ban on cleaning lol. Please keep us in your prayers that this placenta moves up and not down and that the rest of this pregnancy and delivery goes as easy as it has to this point.

Griffin and Jackson are here!!!

2011-02-14T23:01:00.003-06:00

My morning started at 5 am when I got a GREAT phone call from my best friend Heidi to tell me she was in labor and the Twins were on their way!!! After a super fast delivery, Griffin and Jackson entered this world at 34 weeks old! While they are in the NICU both babies and mommy are doing great! Breathing on their own and weighing in at 5lbs 10 oz and 5 lbs 7 oz! I have not seen them in person but I did recently see a picture of Griffin and he is super cute so I assume that Jackson is too! And they have gorgeous sandy blonde hair!! Congrats Heidi and Mike Slocumb!!! I cannot wait to meet these sweet boys and will continue to pray for a quick stay in the hospital so you can all be together as a family!!!

Huxley George Martin

2011-01-31T22:11:00.002-06:00

So here is the deal on our sweet baby's name. Boys names are hard to agree on for us so when we both actually liked Huxley, which I found in a baby name book, we decided it was meant to be. George is my dad's name and since he has done so much for us we decided it would be a great way to honor him. Therefore Huxley George was created lol. Nothing overly exciting or no special exciting story to tell just two names we liked. We do realize that some people think we are crazy and that's ok. We love the uniqueness of the name Huxley and are not planning on changing it for anyone. We pray that he will grow into a strong God fearing Christian and make his name one to be known for God as opposed as one of the Atheists we have found that bare his name online. We are so excited about little Huxley's arrival and cannot wait to meet him!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

2011-01-24T15:06:00.002-06:00

So words again cannot even begin to explain how excited we are to be having another boy! I was positively giddy all last night and all day today! Just can't stop smiling! :oD Couldn't sleep last night so I finally convinced myself to get off the computer and go to bed around 12:45 this morning. took me about 30 minutes to fall asleep and I think I woke up at 3 and every hour after just to check the time lol. At 7:30 I was awake and by 7:45 was sitting at the computer desk eating cereal and updating every status I could find about being excited! My appt was not until 11:10 but I couldn't seem to stop myself from getting up and getting ready to go at 8:30 lol. My Nana and Pawpaw came over at 10 am to watch Preston ( I told her 10 because she is normally 15-20 minutes late...for once she was on time ;o) ) So I left shortly after 10 Mountain Dew in hand and heart racing to find out what this sweet baby of mine is.

I called Robert and made sure to remind him to be there by 11 and then called my mom. I got to the Dr's office at about 10:30 so I sat in the parking lot and set up my mass texts for each sex to save me some time later and saved them to drafts. I also consumed half a bottle of Mountain Dew. I knew I needed to stop when it felt like little fireworks shooting off in my tummy for a straight 10 minutes lol Baby was ALL jacked up on Mountain Dew ;o)

We went in and paid the lady for the Us (75 bucks but worth every penny). They called us back and Tonya was our tech. She was SUPER sweet! We got started and we made small talk. As soon as she showed me his face he was all over the place. He LOVED looking at us and kept waving like he was saying "HERE I AM!!! Aren't I cute?!?" lol. It took him all of two seconds and he bared his glory for all to see. It was official I could start pulling out my boy things Tonya said. I stared at that sweet face, who has Preston's nose, on the screen and even though for .5 seconds I was a teeny bit disappointed a smile crept to my face and tears welled up in my eyes. He was beautiful, perfect, and my sweet little blessing from God. Who am I to question God's planning. He is in control and knew I needed another little boy! We are sooo elated! I just can't stop smiling and I wanted to show his pictures to everyone even strangers on the street! Isn't it funny to be so proud and in love with someone you haven't actually really met or seen for that matter?!?

Robert and I are truly blessed and are just thankful that we are able to conceive. Now we just have to nail down a name and some baby bedding and we are good to go!!! Thanks to everyone for your kind words, prayers, and well wishes!!!

12 weeks 5 days

2010-12-30T15:57:00.002-06:00

So I am almost officially 13 weeks and time is inching by so slow! I cannot wait to find out if this baby is a boy or a girl. I really want a girl but will love whatever God blesses us with none the less. Hopefully this won't be our last baby so we can still hold out hope for one before we are done. Otherwise when we do finally adopt it will be a girl. Anyhow, I got a call from my Dr's office this morning stating that he was sick and would be out today. I was sent to a midwife in Prattville for my check up and it was an experience. My appt was at 1 and when i got there the door was locked...apparently they were still enjoying their Mexican food since they didn't open up til almost 10 after. I was called right back and the did the necessary leave your sample, which i might add was a nasty dirty bathroom, and take my weight. Which i was surprised to only be up about a pound or so. My BP looked good it was 112/60. It was high when i was sick so I was told to make sure it was good when i went back. The nurse was super nice and told me to not be alarmed if we can't hear the heartbeat. She found it right away but this baby is a mover and a shaker so she lost it as soon as she found out. It took a few minutes but she found it again and told me the heart rate was set at 156. She was also shocked at how strong and loud it was. She said that typically at 12 weeks its hard to find and often very light. Its good to know this baby has a strong heart. That sweet lub dub noise i could listen to all day long! The midwife came in and she was very nice but i felt like i was being rushed and that I was a nuisance for having to be squeezed in. I told her that my doc called in sick today and she said yeah that's what they told you he will be out for a couple days..which i thought was kind of rude and strange. She never checked my hands and feet for swelling and didn't press on my abdomen to check the height of the fundus. I know its not a big deal but I am a routine person and Dr. D always checks me. It was kind of a wasted appt. Oh well at least i got to hear that sweet babies heartbeat! That's all that matters.

I got back to the doctor on January 28th at 1015 so we will see what he says then. I am hoping that he goes ahead and lets me schedule my gender US then. I am trying to convince Robert to let me go to Virginia College in Bham to find out earlier. We will see if he finally gives in.

7 weeks 2 days

2010-11-22T20:21:00.002-06:00

So I finally had my doctors appt this morning and was sooo nervous! I don't know why since i knew what to expect! I guess since I had told Robert that I didn't need him to come with me I was just afraid we would get bad news. Got there and got into a room and waited for the Dr. He came in and we chit chatted for a while about Preston and how we cannot believe its been two years since he was born. By my calculations and Dr Desautel's calculations we determined that the baby will be due July 9, 2011 and that I am 7 weeks and 2 days pregnant. So exciting! He told me that he likes to have an ultra sound done at around 8 weeks so on December 3rd at 10:40 am we will get our first little peek at this sweet sprinkle in my tummy. I will be almost 9 weeks by then so hopefully it will look more like a baby and less like a bean. Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts during this special time in our lives. We are truly blessed!

Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

2010-11-19T21:36:00.002-06:00

I don't come across a cookie recipe often that is worth sharing. However, recently my mom gave me a little cheap cookbook on cookies and the above cookie recipe caught my eye. I couldn't resist I had to make them. I don't normally bake from scratch but I had all the ingredients so I thought why not. I hope that you will enjoy them as much as we have!!!

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze ingredients
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 T milk
1 T melted butter
1tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease Baking sheets. ( I used nonstick and didn't grease and they came off fine).

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in medium bowl and mix together dry ingredients.

Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually add and beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges are firm. (We like ours a little gooier so I took the second batch out while they were still a light orange color. Both taste just as good though.) Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.

For Glaze: Combine two cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 T milk, 1T melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract in small bowl. Mix until smooth.

They have lots of ingredients but were not hard to make. And they are really yummy! Kind of like a pumpkin pie in a cookie! I hope you enjoy as much as we have!!!

recipe courtesy of Toll House Nestle Holiday Recipe book.

So far this pregnancy...

2010-11-03T18:14:00.002-05:00

People have been asking me how far along I thought I was and I would say 4-5 weeks but I totally forgot that the end of the week is one week. Does that make sense? Any who by my calculations I think I am 4 weeks and 4 days. Saturday will be the beginning of week 5. I thought I was a week ahead and I still may be off but at least I have almost two weeks before the morning sickness typically shows up. Praying that it doesn't show up at all!!!

As for symptoms so far I feel pretty good. I am tired some days but not all the time. I have horrible heartburn already and am already munching on Tums to relieve the pain. I have preggo nose and can smell Preston's dirty diaper from across the room and possible even from another room lol Its Super Sonic I tell ya! I also have started having stuffy noses at night so I bought me some saline spray and breathe right strips so I can sleep with my mouth closed.

Preston was taking baby news well. When you would ask him where the baby was he would say Tummy and point to my tummy. Well Monday night when you asked he would state that the baby is in the pumpkin...and now if you ask he makes this horrible screeching noise like how dare you ask me about the baby lol. I still talk to him about the baby like its the best thing that ever happened to him so we will see how well it works when the new baby gets here.

I also started back on a modified C25K program today. I found I couldn't run the full time so I walked the first 10 minutes and then jogged off and on the last 15-20 minutes. I am so out of shape since I haven't done it in three weeks so I am having to pace myself to get back into it. I am determined to try to exercise this pregnancy at least 5 days a week!

How I told Robert

2010-10-28T22:14:00.005-05:00

I had come across the idea a couple months ago on the Internet to make a shirt to share with your spouse the news of your pregnancy! I wanted to do it so bad so it worked out that I found out I was pregnant while Robert was at work. Preston and I showered and got ready to go Wednesday morning not long after I took my test. We ran to Wal-mart got all the stuff and came home. My plan was to show up at Roberts work and surprise him there, then visit our parents and maybe grandparents if I had time. Little did I know that it would take me over an hour to iron on letters to a tiny size 2T shirt lol. So plans changed and I called Robert and asked that he be home no later than 5 so we could go meet our family and take P to a fall festival at my aunt and uncles church. I had told him that P would be ready to go when he got home and i needed him home early so that we could take pictures of him in his costume and head to Prattville to be there by 5:30. Preston was sitting on the pumpkin waiting for Robert when he pulled into the drive way!

The front of Preston's shirt read "Big Brother in Training" and the back said "Due in July!!"

This is how the convo went when Robert came in:

R: Hey buddy how was your day!

J: Did you read his new shirt he got today???

R: Big brother in training...

J: Read the back ( all while holding a pregnancy test)

R: Due in July..::bending down and reading the front and back again::

J:umm so I'm pregnant that's not his costume!

R: OH!!! Are you really?!?! I was confused!!! ( in his defense I had told him P would be dressed and ready to go when he got home).

J: Are you excited??? Do you want to see the test?!?

R: YEAH!!!

Here are a couple pics from after we told Robert...I totally forgot to take pics while he was reading P's shirt!

It was sooo cute!!! I am so glad I came up with a creative way to tell him! It worked so well I used it on my mom today at her work! I went in and told her that I knew we were coming to dinner tonight but that Preston couldn't wait to show her his new shirt. She read the front then the back then looked at me and said are you.....I said yes and she hugged me I am pretty sure we both teared up! It was great!!!

Surprise Surprise baby #2 is inside!!!

2010-10-28T22:06:00.004-05:00

So my last post was a little pre-mature! I discovered yesterday morning at a little after 9 am that we indeed having another baby!!! How crazy! The one month I talk myself into thinking I am not pregnant it happens! I noticed Saturday that I was feeling a little tired but I didn't think much about it. Sunday night at MIT I kept yawning and was having a hard time staying awake! Monday I felt fine and Tuesday I realized i was getting tired throughout the day from cleaning and would have to take a break. I laid on the couch Tuesday night and almost went to sleep at 7 I was so tired. When I woke up Wednesday morning I decided that it was strange that I was so tired the night before and so I thought to myself I will take a test see that its negative and just wait for AF to show up around Saturday. Did the test, took the dogs up, went and got P up (which was strange because when i went in his first word to me was baby? baby?), started coffee and then realized i needed to check the test. When I got up there I had to look at it twice to make sure I was reading it right!!! Sure enough it said:

If my estimated due date by my workings is right it will be July 9, 2011. Which it probably is since I nailed Preston's dead on. We are so excited!!!!

The Waiting Game...and Other Ramblings!

2010-10-25T23:01:00.003-05:00

Don't ya just hate waiting for something?!?! How come when you don't look forward to something it comes really really fast? And how come when you look forward to something it seems to stop time!?!?! As most of you know we have been trying to have another baby for 4 months and this month seems sooo slow! I don't have this overwhelming feeling that I am pregnant, like I did with Preston, but I am still talking to God and asking for Him to will us to get pregnant this month! I have decided that I am not going to get my hopes up and I think its working. However, there is that tiny tiny voice in my head telling me that it will be positive this month. Only time will tell and to save me some stress and some money I have decided to not test as early as humanly possible. I mean we all know First Response makes all its money off the girls that test 5 times a month to get that early result that never comes!

So begins the waiting game...again...among this time of waiting I have discovered that while I am experiencing this trial others seem to be thriving with fertility and are getting pregnant from just looking at their husbands. I mean my mom said the other day that her friend who is almost 40 and on birth control got pregnant and it was such a surprise to her. I mean really?!?! I know they say that when you are trying too hard it won't happen and that you don't need to stress about it. Well whoever said that never took longer than a couple months to get pregnant, like me the first time getting pregnant. I know that I shouldn't complain as God has blessed us with one child and I know deep down He will bless us with more when the time is right. I mean we may think we are ready but God obviously knows otherwise.

Also why do people always feel the need to ask when you plan on having the next baby??? I was this person until I was on this side of the trying and I promise I won't ask again! I was first hit with this realization a few weeks ago after finding out about a sister in law's pregnancy. While I am SO excited for her and can't wait to have another niece or finally have a nephew my heart sank. I was confronted with it the first time and the question that so often never bothered me started to tug at my heart. When are you going to have another baby??!?! A simple question right. Should be no problem to answer...but for me for some reason it was! The first time I laughed and joked it off. All the while saying times tables in my head to stop the tears from forming. The second time I made a complete fool of myself and stated I did not really want to talk about it while the tears started to drop (didn't help that the room went silent when the question was asked and I was at a bridal shower). I am sure I looked like a crazy person and am TOTALLY embarrassed about it! I surprised myself this last go round when asked as I just said hopefully soon and thankfully there were no tears.

I know this is a long boring and overly personal blog post but I felt like I needed to get it off my chest and since this is kinda like therapy I thought it might help. I promise to not bog down my blog with lots of these so I am cramming it into this one post. Hopefully my next one will be happier and I will have good news. If not it's okay. I know that God will provide.

Reflections of Motherhood

2010-10-20T01:05:00.001-05:00

Myfriend Margaret posted this on her blog and it touched me! No matter how yucky the day is or how "bad" of a mother I feel I am sometimes I know that I am not alone. We all make mistakes and we all wish we could go back and change things. I do know one thing I definately took time to fall in love with my baby ;o)

Puhnkin Patch

2010-10-18T23:44:00.011-05:00

So I am a terrible blogger and cannot believe it has taken me so long to get these pictures up from our trip to Dreamfield Farms in beautiful Hector Al. Myself, Preston and my wonderful mom made the 1 hour drive to the country to enjoy some time with sweet friends. Preston was so excited and jibber jabbered all the way for the full hour we were in the car. I don't think he truly understood what we were about to do! When we got there we took a family pic:

Preston is not a fan of taking pics these days so he pretty much refused to look at the camera! After we got there Preston checked out the Cow Train ride and the tractors! After watching it leave without him a few times ( he literally pitched a fit when it would leave and he wasn't on it) we decided it was time to ride!

He had a blast! Myself on the other hand could not wait for it to be over for numerous reasons:

1. The guy drove so fast I thought we might tip over.

2. I may have a big behind but unfortunately its wide and not really that padded so the wood seat was sooo uncomfortable.

3. the stuff they put on the back as cushion was coming apart so the cut part of the barrel was digging into my back as I held on for dear life! lol P enjoyed it though so I guess that is all that matters.

We tried the bouncy house stuff but P isn't a big fan yet and I am OK with that since bigger kids don't typically watch out for the little ones. We then grabbed some lunch ( which is waaayyy over priced and not very good). Then it was time for the hayride to the Pumpkin Patch! P was very excited that the trailer was being pulled by a tractor!

Once we arrived and saw these:

Preston stood so still and took it all in!

And then promptly found a Puhnkin and sat his tail down! I think he was overwhelmed with all the Pumpkins because he kept saying "Puhnkins! Puhnkins! Lots of Puhnkin! Grammy, puhnkins! Mommy, Puhnkins!"

We picked out our pumpkins, Preston a baby one and me a normal sized one for carving and headed back on our tractor ride. We stopped by the petting zoo where we bravely fed goats and donkeys. Poor Preston got his finger bit by a donkey in which he proclaimed bad donkey! He loved the baby pygmy goats though! The guy let two of them out and he ran up to it hugged it and called it a dog lol. After that P did a little more playing in the corn box and riding the tractor toys we headed home. He napped and we stopped by Nancy's Italian Ice for some Cherry Italian Ice. All in all it was a great day!!!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Fall is in the Air!!!

2010-09-28T14:51:00.005-05:00

I am sure that I am not the only one that is in love with this weather right now! I am almost afraid to call it fall as I am afraid if I say that it is that the 100 degree weather will come back. I cannot believe it is finally October! Where has 2010 gone?!? With the cooler weather all I can think about is Thanksgiving! It will be here before we know it and I hope it brings some good food and fellowship with family. Now that it is getting cooler all I can think about it making one of these:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE a sweet potato pie in the fall and winter!!! I made one last year that was to die for and sadly have lost my recipe so now I have to find a new one to take the place. If anyone has any please pass them on to me!

I am also thinking about Pumpkins and saw the coolest thing at Hobby Lobby! Its a fake carvable pumpkin! They were kind of pricey...I believe they were like 35 bucks for one medium sized pumpkin, but they were so neat!!! No guts to clean out and you just carve it and it then when the season is over you pack it up and pull it out next year! Although I have to admit I look forward to doing a real pumpkin with Preston so I guess we will stick with the real thing. Besides you can't roast fake pumpkin seeds!

TTC Update

2010-08-27T12:06:00.002-05:00

So I know I mentioned a few months ago that we were starting to try for baby number 2. Upon quitting my job we came to the realization that 610.00 for insurance is outrageous and while we could do it on Roberts salary now money would be extremely tight. So we looked for different options which lead us to an individual policy. Unfortunately, it will not cover a pregnancy for 365 consecutive days so we would have to pay out of pocket for everything if we got pregnant. While we weren't so worried about it in the beginning we began to worry about the what ifs..such as what if I have a complicated pregnancy this go round or what if we require a c section this time...or worse what if the baby has to stay in the hospital for a long time. I think you get the idea. We worked really hard to become debt free and the thought of having hospital bills or credit card bills for a baby scares me! We have put baby number 2 on hold for a month or two and are weighing our options. I am not getting back on birth control though as we are putting it into God's hands. I told Robert, after hours of hysterical crying at the thought of us not having baby 2 soon, that I totally felt a calm after the storm. I know that if we do get pregnant that everything will work out and all will be OK. God has always given me peace when i am worried and this situation was no different. I trust Him with all my heart and soul and know that he will provide even when we feel we can't. Hopefully we will resume trying again in September. For only God knows what he has planned for us. xoxo

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Did I mention...

2010-08-21T14:48:00.002-05:00

I am totally addicted to this product??? Its a little pricey at Wal-mart but oh so worth it for my dry senstive skin! I highly suggest you try it! Its Fig and Shea butter smell is wonderful but not over powering. I am in love!

Things to get done

2010-08-21T14:12:00.002-05:00

So I have been lazy today since we got back from our week long vacation yesterday and have tons of stuff to do now that I am a stay at home mommy and have no excuses to keep me from doing them. Here are somethings i would like to do now that i work in my house!

1. Get Organized!!! My house is so cluttered I need to do something to straighten it up.

2. Get P organized! He has way too many toys so i need to go through them and put up stuff he is too old for.

3. finally upload beach pictures and write a blog about our trip...other than discussing coke :o)

4. clean out my drawers and closet! I have TONS of pre-baby clothes that i will never fit into ever again! If you need some clothes ( some with tags still attached I am sure) let me know I might have something that will fit you ( sizes 6 and below).

5. Actually use the treadmill I begged Robert to buy me...and for longer than 10 minutes.

6. Learn to paint and actually use it. I have brushes and paints but just don't take the time to paint anything.

7. COUPON!

8. take more video of Preston.

9. Start MIT at Morningview and attend more regularly on Sunday nights.

10. spend more time with my nana and pawpaw.

11. come up with a schedule for cleaning house.

Thats all I can think of at the moment...although i am sure there are tons more that i will think of later...

Beach Trip 10

2010-08-20T21:38:00.004-05:00

So we went to the beach last Monday and enjoyed 5 days of wonderful weather! We stayed at the Breakers East condos in Destin and could not have enjoyed it more! When we first arrived we were delighted that our condo looked just like the pictures and there were no bad surprises. Our view was just as beautiful as promised! WE did have a minor toilet issue but it was fixed within 30 minutes of calling Carolyn about it. The water pressure was also pretty terrible the first two days so baths were a must as showers were out. We took P down to the water when we got there Monday and unfortunately what he loved last year he really didn't want to take part in this year :o( This makes me sad but think that maybe it was just a little overwhelming for him and that next year will be better. I think the waves scared him this year and bless his heart he doesn't like to get his hands dirty so really playing in the sand was out of the question. We did find out however that little man is a true southerner as every carbonated drink he saw ( and tasted for that matter) became coke. We have created a monster this weekend and now i have to break the coke habit. A little coke apparently goes a long way :o) I know some of you are reading this going wow she gave her kid coke! Yes we did as we became desperate to finish a dinner with out him screaming and crying and trying to throw himself out of his highchair. Now don't get me wrong he typically does very well at dinner time but for some reason he did not enjoy his dinner experiences at the beach (except at The Crab Trap) its the only time he sat still and ate while we enjoyed our dinner as well (Tequila Lime Grouper is pretty great!). needless to say when we came home today and our son tried to grab my can of diet Sunkist while proclaiming coke coke coke over again I am pretty sure that he needs some form of rehab ;o) There will be no more coke for him for a while.
Anywho, sorry for the coke ramblings i do that a lot on here. The beach was great! I got way to much sun and ate too much. I promise i will get pics on here tomorrow while P naps. Love to all!

The Bittersweet part :o)

2010-08-12T22:00:00.003-05:00

So today has been bittersweet for me. I officially ended my 4 year job at Aliant Bank and my oh my how sad yet happy it has made me. I picked Preston up today from Mrs. Peggy and Mr. Keith's (or as P calls them Eggy and Keef) and I have to admit it was the first time during the day that i teared up. They have been such a blessing to my little family. Preston stayed with my Nana and Pawpaw on the days my mom was not working when he was a baby. My Pawpaw was diagnosed with beginnings of Alzheimer's around August of last year( I think that is roughly the time). P was getting big and harder to handle and it became apparent that my sweet Nana did not need to be watching him anymore as he was getting heavy and she needed the break. God intervined as I cried to Robert about not knowing what to do and sent me sweet loving people to take care of my baby boy when I couldn't. I don't think they knew they would get themselves into keeping him for longer than 6 months but they have been soo sweet and such a blessing from day one! Here are all the things i wanted to say but never did about keeping Preston.

Mrs. Peggy and Mr. Keith,
I am so thankful that you were there to take care of my sweet baby boy for me so I did not have to put him into Daycare at 11 mths old. I am thankful that you gave up new found retirement to babysit a toddler four days a week for next to nothing. I am thankful that you fell as much in love with him as he did with you. I am thankful that we have reconnected with people I can always trust and can call on in times of need or friendship. I am thankful that you taught him where his fingers and toes were when I couldn't and you helped him learn his colors (especially pink he told me about pink yesterday). He is so smart and I am so thankful that he learned so much while he was with you and that ya'll took the time to teach him and play with him. I am thankful that you took him outside and allowed Moxie to hang out because he so loves to play with her. I am thankful for everything you have ever done for our sweet boy! Words can not begin to express how thankful Robert and I are that you took time out of your life for ours. We are forever grateful and don't know how we will ever be able to repay you for your kindness and generosity!
xoxo
Jennifer, Robert and Preston

I thought I would make it the whole day without crying ;o)

There is a bright light at the end of the tunnel!

2010-08-11T00:19:00.005-05:00

WOO HOO! One 2 more days of work til I start my new job. Check out the pic of my new boss below! He is soooo cute!

TTC #2

2010-08-06T21:05:00.002-05:00

So its been a while since I have posted anything so I thought I should journal through our trying to conceive baby 2 would be a great place to pick up and journal. We have always wanted a large family with about 4 biological kids and maybe 2 adopted children. So when we had Preston we knew we needed to keep them close in age. My brother and I were 4 years apart so there where times when it was great and times when it was not so great. I always looked up to the people that had siblings a little closer to their own age so when we decided on a large family i thought 2 years between each child would be great! So begins our plan for baby number 2. When we got preggers with Preston everything went sooo smooth we said lets not really try and just see what happens in January and February. When nothing happened I decided that i was going to figure out when i was supposed to ovulate so i could plan better. Well it worked the first week of April we produced our 1st of probably 15 positive pregnancy tests ( I kept taking them like it was magically going to change). I assumed this time would be just as quick as long as i knew when i was ovulating. Needless to say it was a big disappointment when I realized I was not pregnant and was in fact very not pregnant. I know its just the first month we tried but deep down I really thought it would happen like it did last time. So i was a little bummed for about a day but I know that its in God's will and that He is in control not me so we are leaving it up to Him.

Blessed

2009-09-21T23:45:00.002-05:00

So I started the night picking up Preston and getting him ready for bed time. Once he was down I ate dinner and decided that I needed to look for stuff on sale that i needed for the house...mainly babywipes...so i set out on the computer for sales and coupons. Anywho somehow like it often does i managed to find my way to facebook and then onward from there to blogs that other follow. I came across the blog for the Ramer Family. As many of you probably heard on the new a few months back they lost both their twins in a drowing accident. I read her posts and wondered how a mother who btw was 3-4 months pregnant when her children passed...could blog about the day that changed her life a mere few months after. Now do not get me wrong I do think its a wonderful way to feel better and get things off your chest but for me blogging about it would have made it real and i applaude her for her courage. What was supposed to be a short computer time transformed to two hours of reading her blogs. My heart ached for her and I felt like I was living her tragedy with her! It made me think of all the times that I put Preston back in his crib and let him cry it out because i had done everything i knew to do for him because i had to go to work in the morning. It made me think of the times when i complained about him only wanting me and nothing to do with Robert for weeks on end because i was exhausted from the constant whining that went with putting him down to play...It makes me realize how blessed I am to having him in my life! That God trusted me with this little person that smiles all the time and calls me "ma" ... the sweet way he runs his fingers through my hair when he takes his bottle at night with one hand and rubs his lovie with the other hand on his cheek. I can not imagine the pain and suffering that this woman has gone through and will go through for the rest of her life! It really touched me and I cried all through her blog. God has truly blessed me and her blog has helped me realize that. I hope that by reading this it will you as well. xoxo.

Universal healthcare...Whats the point???

2009-07-06T21:42:00.001-05:00

So I have been meaning to write about this for some time now and have not had the chance. Our wonderful(and i say that loosely) President thinks making Universal health care is a wonderful idea...of course his followers think since he said its wonderful that maybe it really is and they Trust in him because they think that he is only doing good for the United States and all they hear is FREE. Well its not free. Do you realize that with universal health care there will be less doctors because they will not be paid as much as before. Less doctors means less doctors that are specialized in different fields and also means less care for you or your sick children! I was listening to a radio show the other day and it was mentioned that in Canada's universal health care system (which is terrible) it can take up to 8 weeks to get chemo when you find out that you have cancer...it also take up to 8 months to get a colonoscopy!!! Also doctors can refuse to treat older patients because they figure if they are 65 or older they are probably going to die soon anyway so they may refuse operations that would otherwise save their lives. A customer today at the bank stated that "the only person that should be allowed to stop my heart from beating is God Almighty"! (What i did not tell him was that if his heart stops beating the Good Lord knew it was his time anyway). I know that there are lots of people in this world that do not have insurance and need it to survive and yes the health care program needs a slight face lift for those people but i am perfectly content with my insurance. I love my doctors and Preston's doctor and the thought of the Government telling me who i have to use as a physician terrifies me. What do ya'll think???

Having a baby changes everything

2009-06-08T23:39:00.000-05:00

As most of you know I am formerly not the neatest person in the world...my house often looked like the random scattered thoughts in my head...I often knew where stuff was and could find anything among utter chaos! I am glad to report that has somewhat changed since Preston...Upon washing dishes tonight and getting bottles rinsed to go into the dishwasher i realized that not only was i cleaning my kitchen before bed but i had done so every night since we moved into our new house! Shocking I know!!! I know it has to be done so i guess it has just become second nature...oh and the other shocking thing. Robert and I are the worlds worst at letting our clean clothes pile up in a stack on the guest bed...we dont mind washing but hate the putting away and folding...tonight i told him that i would come to bed after i get finished with laundry upon which he said you dont have to fold the ones in the dryer...my response Oh yes i do if i dont it will sit on the bed and i dont have time or energy to fold 8 loads at one time...I think I am turning into my mother ;o)

my no good horrible terrible very bad day...

2009-06-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

So I am convinced that this week has been national unlucky week. As everyone I have talked to has agreed! Let me start off with how this week has been so far...Saturday started off wonderfully I got up got the house vacuumed and mopped and clean for Stephanie's shower. The shower went well but Preston was unusually fussy ... and my house was really hot!!! Sunday I woke up extremely cranky and extremely tired. I had been battling a headache for the last two days and was completely exhausted from the move and shower Not to mention that Preston thought waking up sometime in the middle of the night and getting up at 530 in the morning was acceptable...We missed Sunday school because i was so tired and cranky that i slept in til 9 to try to get rid of my headache. We made it to church (late) and sat in the balcony I think i fell asleep twice!!! I have never in my entire life fallen asleep in church! I was just that exhausted! Imagine taking a sleeping pill and then fighting it to stay awake that is how i felt! Anyway Monday morning I wake up and the house is still hot (courtesy of a frozen air conditioner) I get Preston up and ready and we head out the door. Monday was not so bad but boy did i get it Tuesday! Robert called the American home shield people and they said they would be here first thing Tuesday morning...so I went through the house turning all the ceiling fans on to high so we could cool down before putting P to bed. I made the big mistake of sleeping with out ceiling fans on high (which have resulted in Preston and I with terrible colds). So i get up Tuesday morning and the guy from the warranty place comes but states that he will have to come back since he was not told the air conditioner is frozen...he instructs us to turn it off and then he will be back that afternoon...Preston also has a cough that kind of sounds rough but i just assume its from the fans being on high. I take Preston, and the two dogs and head out for the day. I drop Preston off at Nana and PawPaws and then i take the dogs to mom and dads so they can escape the hot house for the day...all of this while i have had a no gas light on since the night before. So after dropping on the dogs i decide to stop at this lil hole in the wall gas station to get enough gas to make it to work so that i wont be too late. I pull in and had to go inside to pay since they had the old pumps with the dials. I get inside and he tells me to go ahead and fill up...i go back outside and start the pump...it pumps and suddenly stops...at .32 cents! Apparently he was out of gas...he tells me the next gas station is the BP down the road. I told him thanks and ask him to pray that i make it there...I make it there alright and as i pull up to the pump i feel like all will be OK...i get out swipe my card and it gives me the dreaded three words..."PLEASE SEE ATTENDANT" !!! So irritated i take my card and go inside where the attendant states that if i am trying to pay with my card it will not work because their machine is down. I told her that i was completely out of gas and that i had a check book she then states we do not take checks...I asked what i was supposed to do about gas and she says without even a pause there's another gas station by the interstate...I replied with yes but what good is that going to do me i don't have enough gas to get there!!! So i get back in my car thinking that God is trying to teach me patients and i cant help but burst into tears called my mom and told her she may have to come get me lol. Such a drama queen i know! So i finally see the Chevron in the distance and start to get excited! I literally sputtered into the gas station and died right by the pump lol. When i reset my fuel thingy it showed that i had been 331 miles on that tank of gas. I have never let it get that low! The day was topped off with Robert taking off work for the birth of my sister in laws baby...I went to visit and broke the strap on my shoe. I had to drag my shoe and foot back to the car like quazi moto or something lol. Then Wednesday Preston ends up having to go to the DR for a cold and Robert stayed off work with him I was very sick feeling and ill, Today i had to stay out with Preston so Robert could go back to work...I just pray for the strength to get through this week! One more day of work and then two days with my hunnie!

What a day!!!

2009-05-21T22:06:00.000-05:00

Well as most of you know we are supposed to be closing on our new house tomorrow. at 1 in the afternoon! I check my email at 9 this morning and realize I have an email from the guy who is doing our mortgage. It reads that he just wants to let us know that underwriting is behind and that we may have issues with closing tomorrow...Long story short our paperwork was turned in beginning of May (there was supposedly not an issue then) but now all of a sudden they are saying it takes on the upwards of 3-4 weeks to go through underwriting!!! After consulting Robert I wrote him back and told him that it is unacceptable to tell us the day before closing that we are possibly not closing and that i do not care what kind of hoops he has to jump through we will close tomorrow at 1 no matter what!!! I am so frustrated! I spent all day at work arguing back and forth with him through email and then when i finally could start back working i was so enraged about the mortgage issue I couldn't even concentrate to work on anything! So at the end of the day i am told that he hopes that we get our paperwork tomorrow and that he was promised he would have something for us to get us closed tomorrow...call me crazy but that does not comfort me...still not knowing what is going on! So now we sit and wait in Limbo and are just doing a lot of Praying! We have taken time off work...rented a truck... lined up people to help us clean and move and watch Preston! Its been such a mess this last 13 hours!

also please pray for us as my crazy self is throwing a shower next weekend and its at my house lol. It will not be good if i have to send out a change of address note to everyone!!! Please pray for my sanity for if i stop laughing i am going to cry "o)

inching by every second of every day

2009-05-18T21:55:00.000-05:00

Today totally drug by! I know its because I am overly excited about closing on our house!!! I went today and bought Preston the cutest swim trunks, rashguard shirt, and sun hat! He is going to be so adorable at the lake this weekend!!! I promise I will post pics! Speaking of the lake it has been so hard finding an infant life jacket for Preston! I called Bass Pro Shop after finding out they sold them online only for the guy to tell me that they do not sell life jackets for babies...they dont even make them! I quickly told him that yes they do make them and Bass Pro does indeed sell them online! He then said what are you looking for???what kind of jacket?!? Needless to say after he fussed at me for being the second person today to call asking him about them I decided that I would look somewhere else! Especially after he told me I cant help you i dont know what you are looking for LOL Some people have all the time in the world to help no one get anywhere!!! O well my friend Karens husband Andy is going to look at his work for me and I will probably buy it from there! Pray for me to keep my sanity as i get ready to finish out this week and find a life vest! Who knew it would stress me out so bad :o)

Today and this week

2009-05-16T20:51:00.000-05:00

So today has been a great day. Even though we had lots to do it was nice to finally have a day with just me, Robert, and Preston. Preston and I started our day early (6:15). I went in to a smiling face and a squeal of delight to see me this morning. I love the mornings he is sooo incredibly sweet!!! Robert joined us down stairs at about 830 and took over baby duty so that I could take a shower to get ready for our day. By 2 o clock we had eaten breakfast and lunch, gone to Nana and Paw Paws, Robert helped with yard work and uncovered their pool, then we went to Wal-Mart and picked up cleaning supplies for our new house. Yea we are so excited and can not wait to get it ready for us to move in. Tomorrow we are going to church where Robert and I get to be in the two year old class for worship care tomorrow the lunch at the in laws and on to Prestons first Biscuit baseball game! We get to sit in a box and i am so excited! I can not wait to buy him his first Biscuit tshirt he will be soo stinking cute! I will make sure and post a few pics on here tomorrow night!
Its going to be an incredibly busy week. Aside from packing we have our final walk through on Wednesday night and then we will close on our house Friday...followed by somehow getting the whole house cleaned, cabinets contact papered, Preston's room painted and carpets cleaned so we can begin moving on Saturday! I am going to be totally exhausted!!! But it will all be worth it in the end! Please keep us in your prayers and pray for our sanity this next week as it is going to be a crazy one!

Love to all!!!

Jennifer

Short update

2009-05-02T09:34:00.000-05:00

I have been blogging for sometime on my Myspace page but not everyone can read what is going on in our lives since our family in GA are mostly not on Myspace. I will use this blog to update you in what is going on in our lives and to let ya'll know how Preston is growing and changing every day. He is getting so big and growing so fast! He is 5 months old today and is about 15 pounds and 25 inches long. He is going to be a big boy! The old her gets the funner he gets and currently enjoys smiling laughing and being tickled lol. His laugh is infectious and his smile lights up the room! We are so blessed to have him in our lives!

Love
Jennifer