News from the Barkelews

To my baby

2011-01-16T23:05:00.000-08:00

Sarah Kate,

You are now 6 months old and you are growing so fast. I am loving every minute of being your mommy.You are rolling over and just about sitting up and really close to saying "DaDa" I think. Although that makes me just a little bit jealous, I am so incredibly proud of the relationship you have with your daddy. You are definitely a "daddy's girl"! You are even starting to cry for him and reach out if he's standing nearby while I'm holding you.

You love putting everything in your mouth. And I mean everything. You get so excited when you see something new. Your little mouth opens wide and you squeal and wave your arms and legs. Those little blue eyes just twinkle. You think your big sister is the funniest thing ever. I have to say she's the winner at getting you to laugh. The rest of us just sound like babbling idiots making silly noises to entertain you. You love your new dolly from Nana the best of all your toys. You stay content sucking on baby's hat for what seems like a long time.

You just had another great check up with Dr Scott. Daddy took off work this time so he could be there with you. We actually made a little bet about your weight the night before. I WON! He guessed 17 pounds and some ounces and I guessed 15 lbs 13 oz. You were exactly 15lbs 13oz. So now Daddy owes me a lengthy back rub! You got your first flu shot and a few boosters. We can hardly stand to see you cry.

I love it when you fall asleep in my arms. I love the way your sweet breath feels on my cheek and how your little body melts against me. Dr Scott told us if we have any hope of you sleeping through the night, we have to stop holding you to go to sleep. Although I've just been dreading it, you have been such a big girl this week and have only fussed a few times.

When you wake up in the morning, you are the sweetest girl . You look up at us with little sleepy eyes and smile the sweetest little smile. When Daddy goes in to get you, I can hear yall talking to each other before he turns the monitor off. He says, "Good mornin, Sarah Kate" and you say good morning right back!

You are everything I prayed for, precious girl. I wanted another chance to be a mommy again so badly and God sent you to us. You are the perfect little girl for me and your daddy and the perfect little sister to your brothers and sister. You have tied our family together in the most amazing way. I have never felt closer to your daddy or been prouder to call him my husband. You are truly a blessing and for that I thank Him every day.

Love Mommy

My oldest and my youngest

2010-12-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

These are some of my favorite pictures of my first born and my last. Landon is 14 and even though he can be a stubborn teenager at times, he is the sweetest big brother to Sarah Kate just like I knew he would be. He's gonna be such a good man, full of love and honor, a provider and protector, just as God wants. I'm such a proud mamma!

My handsome boy. . .

Watching Saturday morning cartoons with her bubba. . . .

This was the first time he held her. She was 2 days old. He wouldn't hold her till the visitors stopped and he had chance to look her over. We turned around and found them taking a nap together. How sweet is this!

4 months

2010-12-01T18:56:00.001-08:00

Look at my big girl now! Sarah Kate is 4 1/2 months old now and growing so fast. She's rolling from front to back and back to front. She loves the sound of her voice and someone has taught her to blow raspberries. It's super cute except when she does it eating her carrots. Here are some pictures from her 4 month check up. She weighed 13 pounds and 10 ounces and is 24 inches long!

Yucky yucky shots. . . .

She saw herself in the mirror for the first time. It was so adorable. She talked to herself the whole time we were there!

This was one of the last warm days we spent outside. I can't wait till winter is over!

Cutest Flower!

2010-10-31T23:02:00.000-07:00

Sarah Kate was the cutest little flower for her first Halloween! It was such a fun time. We started out seeing Nana and Great Grandmother and then caught up with Meemaw and Peeps at the first annual Bushnell Bonfire! Cousins and 2nd cousins and 3rd cousins were there. It was much fun. The big kids did a hayride and we made a quick trip to the festival in Atoka. Since we are too little for candy just yet, she got some little Halloween socks and sock monkey stickers in her boo bucket. She had no idea what was going on of course, but stayed warm and comfy in her costume! I can't believe next year she'll be walking and maybe even saying trick or treat!

Nightgowns!

2010-10-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, first I'm going to take this opportunity to say "Hi, i'm SarahKate's mommy and I've become an ebay junky"! After discovering that they don't sell those little Carter's gowns in sizes bigger than 0-3 months, I went hunting for some on eBay. I have found yet another brand that I've fallen in love with. Mary James makes the sweetest little nightgowns with the bottom open. (That elastic is gettin hard to fit over SK's round belly!) They come with adorable little appliques or you can have them monogrammed! Of course they are pricy like the Kissy Kissy gowns at the Frog, but they are oh so cute! I can't wait to get this first one in and try it out!

3 months!

2010-10-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

Sarah Kate is now 3 months old and life is good. She's almost sleeping through the night. She's been getting up about 4am for the past week so things are looking up. She's gotten soooo big. She's outgrowing lots of her 0-3 month clothing. I'm having loads of fun shopping on ebay. I have bought several smocked outfits way cheaper than it's costing me to make one. I'm "working on" two dresses right now. One with strawberries and one with frogs. Hopefully I will get them done before she outgrows them! We changed to faster flow nipples this week and started apple juice. She is so alert. She's has lots to say and gave mommy a big laugh this week. Lots of milestones. . .

We are super excited about our first Halloween. We are having a bonfire at Meemaw's. That is, if, the burn ban is lifted. Right now that's looking like a very big if. My neighbors, Pastor Jim and Mrs Stephanie, are also having a fall festival. It will be lots of fun and include a very tiny guest. They are expecting baby number 4 any day now! Sarah Kate will have a little friend, maybe Sadie and maybe a little boy with no name yet!

Daddy is going out of town for two weeks! We've tried to prepare him with an overnight visit with Aunt Karen. But even that was hard, so Sarah Kate and I may have to sneek a mini trip to Murfreesboro for a couple of nights!

4 months is coming up fast. We are scheduled to see Dr. Scott for our next set of shots on the 11th. Mommy is not looking forward to it but it must be done!

Our first pictures didn't turn out so well so if anyone has suggestions I'd appreciate it. Unfortunately, I have money tied up in a baby plan already but worth the loss I guess to have pictures I love instead of ones that are just okay.

Lastly, we are enjoying the last of the warm days. Winter is coming and we will be hibernating indoors for the next few months. Yesterday was so beautiful, we decided to nap right on the front lawn!

Prayers needed!

2010-10-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

My family needs your prayers. I'm asking everyone I know to pray for my newest cousin, Kristian Gray.

Kirk and Kristi Gray of Conway, AR had a son, Kristian, born Wednesday, October 13th. Kristian was born at 32 weeks. He was taken early due to a large amount of fluid around his tiny heart. At 32 weeks, he weighed 7lbs. They drained 90cc of fluid from his heart. For a brief time, they were hopeful as the doctors said little Kristian's heart was functioning normally. Just a few short hours later, they found out that the baby has bleeding on his brain. Kristian is now struggling to survive.

My heart is aching for this mom and dad. I can only imagine their pain and for that I am thankful. I look at my sweet girl's face and realize how blessed we are to have such a healthy, beautiful girl. As a mommy, this story hits so close to home. Please pray for Kristian Gray, that God may heal his little body and work a miracle before us. Pray for strength and wisdom for his mom and dad as they are sure to have many difficult decisions coming there way. I have never prayed in my life like I have for this little boy. Sometimes faith is so difficult for me, but I know his little life is in God's hands. Please keep my cousins in your prayers!

12 weeks!

2010-10-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

Wow! Look how much she"s grown!

So it's been awhile since my last post. The Barkelews have been pretty busy lately. Sarah Kate is now 12 weeks old. She has grown so much. I'll have to backtrack a bit to catch everyone up.

First, I had a slight meltdown over breastfeeding or rather not breastfeeding on week 2. I anticipated this problem and now wish I had not even tried. The first two weeks were terribly emotional and stressful for all of us. I don't know that I've ever cried so much. Justin was home with us the first two weeks so that was helpful. And one of my super duper friends came out and held my hand for a few days till I was feeling better. It's hard to understand being so sad when you've been anticipating bliss for so many months. But, we made it through and I'm feeling much better now.

Second- going back to work! OMG! I knew that this was going to be tuff but didn't realize just how much till it happened. I stayed home with my other babies so this is new for me. I went back when she was just 6 weeks old due to a lovely corporate policy that caused me not to qualify for FMLA after 7 years of service. The first night was so hard. I wanted to cry every time someone asked me about my baby. But that too has gotten better. I am so thankful that SK stays home with her daddy when I can't be there. He is wonderful with her. He does diapers and feedings like a pro. He always puts her little gowns on at bedtime and even washes bottles. Daddy even packs up the diaper bag and takes her out for some one on one time to let me nap. I don't know what I'd do without him. I'm a lucky wife and mommy.

Third- Sarah Kate is. . . . . . well, she's just awesome. She is such a precious baby girl. She has been so alert right from the beginning and wants to watch everything. We finally got a good smile at about 6 weeks I think and she is all smiles these days. She loves her bath and absolutely LOVES being outside. She weighed 10 lbs and 14 oz at her 2 month check up. (Daddy went with us that day for support.) We decided on Dr Scott as her pediatrician. He's been great so far. I think we've finally gotten through the gas and Miralax has cured the constipation. Next on the agenda is to get baby girl to sleep through the night. I am hoping to move her into her nursery soon. She looks so big in her cradle now. She is growing and discovering new things every day. I am so in love with this little girl!

I don't have any pictures on this computer but I will try to add some soon. We had her first professional pictures made 3 weeks ago with Emily Payton Cook in Covington. I think they turned out well but unfortunately I am still waiting on the proofs to post!

New Neighbors

2010-09-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

I got great news this week and just had to share. My mom and dad will close next week on a 6 acre lot located exactly 1.1 miles from my house. I am super excited. I love living in Tipton County but the one thing missing these last 5 years has been my momma. She's the best mom and an even better Meemaw. My dad aka Peeps is awesome too. Now they will be just around the corner. I can't wait!

They are going to build a house and a shop, plant blueberry bushes, and have goats for the grandkids. There is a huge pond, 6 pecan trees along the back, pear trees and more. It is the perfect place for my parents to retire. It will make great memories on holidays and birthdays and good ole Sunday dinner. Our first gathering will be a big bonfire Halloween night after we clean up all the brush from around the property.

My brother who I thought would never leave Rockin' Raleigh is talking about putting a house on the south end of the property and it's very possible that my brother in Sardis, whom I miss dearly, may also join us. What's funny is that my sis-in-law already lives two doors down from me. Oh and I forgot to mention that the name of the road is Trotter which is also my husband's middle name. This was his mom's maiden name. It's family land! Justin's great aunt who is the most wonderful lady is directly across from my parents' lot and a cousin next door. There are several relatives still up and down the street. Sarah Kate will have mommy and daddy's families on the same road. Life is good. God is good. What a blessing!

Happy Birthday to you. . . .

2010-08-31T23:38:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I've posted but the Barkelews have been a little busy. All 6 of us! She's finally here. July 9th at 12:02 p.m. Sarah Katherine aka Sarah Kate was born. She weighed 7lbs 6oz and was 20 in long. Here's the story. . . . .

On Thursday night we checked in at the Women's Pavillion at Methodist Germantown at 9pm. After somehow going from 3cm the week before to no centimeters the previous Tuesday, we decided to start the induction with cervadil. They were very busy that night so it was around 1am by the time we got settled in a room and got the medicine from pharmacy. I woke up contracting by 3 and started pitocin at 7. My doctor came in and broke my water at 9. I was handling contractions pretty well up to this point. We talked to the anesthesiologist after we got into our room who advised us that an epidural would be fine this time around. Although I was apprehensive, I decided to go ahead and get it at 5cm. I could no longer talk through my contractions and I feared a long labor once again. They just went a little higher in my back to avoid scar tissue from previous spinal taps and it worked perfectly. As soon as the pain subsided, I realized that I had a TON of pressure and warned my nurse that my last two babies were born in the bed! 15 minutes later I was 8cm and in no time I was complete and dying to push. They held her head in till my doctor made it across the parking lot and 2 pushes later she was born! It was so easy. Epidurals are FABULOUS! After 3 grueling, excruciating labors, this one was awesome!

She is a beautiful, perfect, healthy girl who looks just like her daddy. We are so in love with her. I can't even find the words to describe how wonderful her daddy has been. I'm so proud of him and love him even more. Her big brothers and sister have been the biggest help and just adore her. We are so blessed. Our family finally feels complete!

The Nursery

2010-07-01T04:09:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! The nursery is done! Last week, the custom bumper and curtains I ordered finally arrived after what seemed like forever. Although the wait seemed unbearable, (okay, so maybe that's being a little dramatic), they were well worth it because both pieces turned out just beautiful!

So this is Max who is solely responsible for my daughter having a room taken over by sock monkeys. I saw him at Walmart while Christmas shopping and thought how cute he'd be in a little boy's nursery. Then after finding the pre-made bedding online, I decided, boy or girl, that he or she would have to have sock monkeys! The little rocking chair he's sitting in was my hubby's when he was little. It matches my not so favorite cradle that I would show you, however, IT'S STILL NOT FINISHED! Almost though. We should pick it up tomorrow. Whew!

This is the chest of drawers obviously. Funny, I just realized I used to call them chester drawers when I was little. The chest and dresser were mine from a bedroom suit my parents bought me at an antique flea market when I was 14. Using these pieces was the compromise I made with hubby in order to get the crib I wanted. On top is the first sock monkey I actually bought and the Jack in the Box or Monkey in the Box, I guess, which still scares me, I must admit. It sits on top of this great keepsake box I found at Old Town Hall. The picture hanging on the wall is of two lady sock monkeys with jewelery and lipstick. Too cute! The odd colored bobble head figures are my children's contribution to the nursery and more precious than words even though they don't match.

This is the dresser/ changing table. I painted the letters and the bow holder and also the tray for the wipes and powder. It's hard to see, but there is a little sock monkey candy jar that holds cotton balls and q-tips. It's the first gift I received for the baby. My friend Tori found it at Cracker Barrel of all places right after I decided on sock monkeys. She also got me a super cute monkey night light. Funny they had sock monkeys in their Christmas decor this year. The hamper took me forever to find and just has a trim of the matching fabric pinned on the front with a sock monkey applique, again, found on Etsy. ( Thanks, Amy!)

This is one of my favorite parts. We got this great leather rocker/ recliner at Ashley when I was barley pregnant. It's super comfy and will be great for nursing with all the traffic in my house. It doesn't swivel but that's okay. I also painted the shelf and hanging rack above it. It's got a smocked doll dress from The Freckled Frog, a willow tree prayer angel, a mini sock monkey (Etsy again) and some other cute stuff. See where we are gettin overrun with monkeys at this point??? I think my mother hates it and won't say to spare my feelings! I actually sewed the lampshade cover myself. Not well, if you flip it over, but it's pretty cute from a distance. I even painted the curtain rod and brackets and capped the ends with tennis balls covered in fabric. . . my mom's idea.

This of course is the crib. I love it. Her quilt is hanging over the back. She won't be able to use it till she's 5 seeing as how it's HUGE. The lady that made it for me kind of had her own ideas on size and pattern. It was a favor from a friend's mom so I didn't complain. It was quite a nerve wracking process however. The good news is that it is beautifully sewn and SK will be able to use it for years. I think it is probably big enough to fit a twin bed! I love the way her name turned out on the wall. I enlarged the embroidery off one of the diaper bags and transferred it to the wall. My mom painted the letters and we had a lady from Munford come paint the design. I've since decided that I could've also done that part myself too seeing as how she used the exact images I printed and transferred them with carbon paper just like I did the name. I had wanted a similar vine running all through the letters but I'm pretty happy with it anyway.

So that's my baby girl's nursery. Finally complete. The only thing still "in the works" is that I haven't found a rug I just love yet. The one in front of the crib is a little $4 woven rug I found at Big Lots and it just happened to be red, brown, and cream. I figured it would do till I found one I wanted. I've had lots of fun and a little stress putting this room together and I'm pretty happy with the finished product. I can't wait to bring my baby girl home next week to see it!

Ohhhh, yes, that's right. I haven't posted that, huh? I am going in for an elective induction on the 9th. Not exactly what I had planned but the pain of pitocin and no epidural is welcomed at this point if it will get me out of these 12 hr work nights! Although, I was 3cm on Monday and lost my plug later that night (sorry if that's tmi but I figure we're all girls) so I'm really hoping she will decide to come on her own in the next 8 days! Wish me luck!

Family Fun

2010-06-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

So last week was our little "mini-vacation". We decided just to go spend a few days at the lake house seeing as how taking a big trip at this point in my pregnancy was neither affordable nor sensible. Justin and the kids drove up on Sunday and I joined them on Monday after I got off work and had a little nap. It was a nice break, although there were a few obstacles. . . .

We knew the AC was "out" the week before and decided we would just take the window unit out of our bedroom and tough it out. Hubby's step-dad pointed out that the windows at the "cabin", which is actually a double-wide trailor, wouldn't hold a window unit. The neighborhood fix it guy was supposed to be coming to fix it anyway so we decided to go on. Apparantly Sunday night was unbearable, so hubby and the kids went and bought a window unit from Wally World and rigged it up in the sliding glass door, duct tape and all! Unfortunately, it did not help much. It was still 80 deg in the house. Knowing me like he does and especially now, hubby decided not to tell me that the parts for the air had not come in! I may have stayed home! I guess you might as well say we were camping cause it was almost as hot inside as it was outside. Ever tried to sleep 8 months pregnant in a house that's 80 degrees??? Thank the Lord that the parts came in and we had AC after getting off the boat on Tuesday!

The AC was not the only problem we encountered. Hubby had to replace the carborator on the boat Tues morning before we could go out. Come to find out, after an hour on the lake Monday, the boat died and he had to ask someone to tow him back to the dock! This is apparantly a terribly embarassing thing for him. Must be a man thing. We just had to laugh about it but I think he was gonna crack if one more thing broke!

After everything got repaired, we ended up having a great time. Chloe has really learned to swim well since last summer and didn't even need her Scooby Doo doggie life jacket and my baby girl started learning to water ski! I was so proud of her. She got almost completely up on the first try. I would never have had the guts at 11 to even try. Then on Wednesday, my sis in law and niece came up and went to out on the lake with us. We did some tubing- I'll have to post some pics if I remember. And then we hit Fat Daddy's for lunch. It's a floating restaraunt on the TN River in Dover. Sarah Kate now has her very first Fat Daddy's t-shirt! It's super cute. We just couldn't resist!

Gripes!

2010-05-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

It's okay to gripe here, right? lol So things aren't going very smoothly this week. The nursery curtains I was expecting came in (now let me say I have been trying to get these curtains since the 25th of March) with the WRONG fabric. That's right! The wrong fabric. How in the world does one confuse polka dots with red monkeys???? Please tell me. I just about cried. When I called the very old, senile lady, she said, "Well, that's the number I wrote down". So even if you wrote down the wrong number, wouldn't you notice that monkeys were NOT polka dots??? She and I got on the same website at the same time to pick out my fabric to avoid any confusion. Guess that backfired. This is a little lady that runs a shop in a little town outside of Murfreesboro. Hubby was there for a class and bought me a sock monkey pillow while he was killing time. So he brings this lady's card and tells me she has curtains too. YAY! Or so I'm thinking. Not only did she use the wrong fabric, but the seamwork was just atrocious. I could've done better myself and I don't sew! Sooo, Lesson: Don't trust hubby's opinion of one's seamwork!

My bumper is being made by a lady I found on Etsy. After I emailed her wanting a shipping date, she tells me that she is running about two weeks late! Aggghhhhh! Doesn't she know that I desperately need these curtains hanging up two months ahead of time??? lol I relunctantly ordered my curtains from her after rereading lots of wonderful reviews. All say, "worth the wait" so I guess she stays behind. She has bought herself some time by holding my bumper hostage and shipping both pieces together. She did give me a date of June 7th though, so I'm trying to be strong! Ohhhh, how crazy I have become! Hopefully, they will be worth the wait!

Thirdly, what is thing where pregnant women work? Holy cow, 12 hours has never seemd so long! I just want to cry every morning when I finally get off. I can't imagine, at this point, working up until my due date. I guess I have officially become a wuss. I am whiny and obnoxiously emotional. My poor hubby and kids. I must say, they are doing pretty good with my crazy behavior. But 7 weeks seems like forever right now! For all of us!

In the home stretch!

2010-05-17T00:08:00.000-07:00

Well, we are officially in the single digits. Nine weeks to go and counting. And boy am I counting. Things have actually been going well, but I am starting to get pretty uncomfortable and feel like I could knock down the Eiffel Tower with this belly! No weight gain at my last visit! YAY! I was super excited about that although I'm not sure why I didn't gain. I guess my eating has slowed quite a bit. Guess I'm running out of room in there! SK was 3 lbs during an "under the table" ultrasound from a friend 2 weeks ago. That's just a little above average I think so hopefully my lessened appetite will prevent her from being HUGE! My boys were both close to 9lbs. Everything looks good so far. She even has little fat cheeks and I can tell she's gonna favor her big sister!

The nursery is almost there. I can't wait till it's finished. I had a lady come out and add some detail to the name my mom and I painted above the crib and I'm pretty happy with it. My curtains should be in the mail tomorrow and my bumper should be ready any day now. I got a couple of cute pics to frame off Etsy and some other little nick nacks to finish things up. I need a hamper and wastebasket still and a cute rug for the middle of the floor and I think that will be it! I have really had fun with the sock monkeys. I hope I don't tire of them quickly after all this work!

Hubby started stripping the dreaded cradle today and it went well. Yay! I had just about decided not to use it until a family gathering on Mother's Day where I was informed that half the family slept in that cradle. Even second cousins! SIGH!!!!! So I'm stuck with it. I did discover that they make metal spray paint that we can use on the hardware since it seems impossible to find. I'm also still in need of a new mattress. Apparantly, size 14" by 33" isn't a common cradle size! I'm hoping it will turn out well. Now I just have to get on the ball and find some bedding.

I must say that the closer it gets, the more scared I get. That "amnesia" that the dear Lord gives us is starting to wear off and I am remembering the long, painful labors of the years before. I am truly considering wussing out and risking the epidural. lol My doc this time isn't totally against it so we'll see. She says to talk with the anesthesiologist as soon as we check in and get his/her opinion. Sooo, we'll see.

All in all, life is good. I know I am truly blessed. I know that the Lord loves me althoughI don't always act like I should. I have a healthy family, a healthy baby on the way, a nice, DRY home, a good, stable job, and food on our dinner table every night. What more can a girl ask for?

Cankles and Cradles

2010-04-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

So I'm happy to report that my cankles seem to have subsided for now. I had about a week of REdicuous swelling, and now, MUCH better. I dunno??? I'm not going to question, just enjoy while I can. It has also been brought to my attention that I have not gotten heartburn yet this time around! Yay! I lived on Pepcid with my other pregnancies so I guess right now, I'm feelin pretty blessed. I'm going to be blessed tomorrow with that yummy glucola drink for my glucose tolerance test. I must say I'm super exited about that! At least I get to hear baby girl's sweet heartbeat. That's always reassuring even though I have constant reminders that she must be okay every time she punches me in the ribs! I LOVE it!
On a less happy note, things aren't going quite the way I expected and looked forward to with the furniture. The MIL gave us hubby's old cradle and rocking chair. Yes, that means that they are near 30 years old and a bit worn looking. I took them both to my mom's house about a month ago in hopes of refinishing them together with my parents. I love the memories of working on my nursery projects with my parents so many years ago and was hoping to do the same for this baby. So Saturday after I woke up, I went to their house to try and get started on things. My schedule isn't exactly conducive to productivity on the weekends, but I made the effort. My dad glued the joints of the rocker while I did some sanding and before you know it I was packing everything up in my truck and going home. It was kinda late but I didn't get the feeling that anyone else was quite as excited about these projects as I was. I certainly don't want to be a burden. I checked into having someone redo the cradle. It's a light oak color which matches nothing in my house and is a Jenny Lind style which is probably my least favorite style of baby furniture not to mention difficult to refinish bc of the many spindles. It's going to cost twice what I would pay to buy a brand new one to refinish it. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, I'd rather just buy one I actually like, but then we have hurt feelings to deal with! Aggghhhhhh. I guess at this point, the best option is for hubby and I to research and take a stab at doing it ourselves. Sighhhhh.

Milestone!

2010-03-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

Okay so Saturday was a BIG milestone for baby SK and I. I'm officially 24 weeks or 6months. Wow, SIX months. Doesn't that sound BIG??? Boy I sure feel big this week. Apparently along with my big milestone comes big changes in my pregnancy. On the positive note, SK is FINALLY moving. A LOT! YAYYYYYY! I've been just dying to feel her little movements for weeks and have been disappointed that I was only able to feel slight flutters. My OB started asking me if I was feeling her move at 16 weeks and I think it was about 20 weeks before I was able to feel any significant movement. But finally, this week, baby SK is moving like crazy. I can even see her moving which is too cool. She definitely lets me know if how I'm sitting is bothering her. I had my arm resting on my belly last night at dinner and she got to kickin' like crazy till I moved it. I think our little one is gong to be a feisty girl!
Since I did say that was on the positive, yes, that means there is a negative. Yesterday, I went to the last hour of the Baby Expo and hit a few other stores before meeting hubby and the boys for dinner. By the time nightfall hit, I looked down and I had CANKLES. Already!! At 6 months. What's this? I have not had any swelling out of the ordinary and have been feeling pretty good up to this point. Cankles so bad that I had to stop in at Old Navy for a pair of flip flops to continue my shopping trip. Along with the cankles, also came a fierce aching low back. I'm sure this is a good sign that in the last 4 weeks, my already atrocious weight gain has gotten worse. Ahhhhh, the joys of pregnancy. The memories started flooding back! LOL
Another positive, the nursery is looking super adorable. I got my bed skirt in and changing pad cover. Ordered up some girly curtains and found someone to make a super cute bumper pad for the crib. My quilt top is complete and I've had it embroidered. With the exception of one fabric that I DID NOT choose, I do love it so far. I have painted a wooden shelf and an ABC block to look kinda aged, gotten some cute vintage pictures of the sock monkey to frame, and am working on a cover for the lamp shade. People say I'm obsessed but I'm having lots of fun. Thinking back, I did the same for my other babies so I couldn't do any less for this sweet girl!

Favorite New Store

2010-03-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, Sarah Kate's Meemaw came out after a little arm pulling from the mommy to be, to get her name painted on the nursery wall. We needed a little break and decided to make a trip to Covington to check out the Freckled Frog followed by lunch at the tea room with the slightly obnoxious ladies who work there. So I must say without a doubt, I have a new favorite store! It is an absoulutley precious children's store. And as an experienced mommy, I can honestly tell you how precious the days are that you get to shop in a store like this for your little one. It doesn't seem like it took anytime before we graduated to Limited Too/Justice and Aeropostale. Where did the time go?
The Freckled Frog has all the old time honored brands that I put on my babies a decade ago like Feltman Bros and Petite Ami, along with some adorable new brands I had never heard of. I am super excited to get to shop for these little things again. Although SK has multiple sweet outfits of her sisters, washed and waiting in the closet, I've got my eye on some, more precious than words, dresses that I may break down and buy. There is a line of clothes called WillBeth (I think) that I have fallen in love with that SK and I may not be able to live without! Sorry honey. Just wanna get that outta the way now! lol

Painting things. . . . . pink?

2010-02-01T02:04:00.000-08:00

So things are really moving right along it seems. First, we have a closet, well almost. We have to go have another $30 gallon of paint mixed to paint a 2 ft wide section of wall. Baby boy is officially moved upstairs with the exception of his hanging clothes, which of course, are waiting on paint. He actually has a lot more space than he did downstairs so now I feel less guilty about yanking his bedroom. We now have a chest and dresser and a leather rocker in the nursery with several sock monkey items set out that I've already purchased. I'm really getting excited.

I also got my hall bathroom "mudded" finally after 7 months of procrastination thanks to a good friend who really came through for me and motivated me to get the job done. I still have to "rag paint" to make the texture "pop" so to speak but with all the yucky weather and a crazy work schedule, I haven't made it to Sherwin's yet. So hopefully this week with the next 3 days off and the hopefully melting snow, I will get some painting done. I'm also planning to buy the paint for the stripes for the nursery walls. Thank goodness I don't have to paint the whole room. I'm really not up for that. As a matter of fact, I think we may call someone in the next few weeks and have the master bath painted. I've had the paint sitting here since we moved in. Hubby thought he would save us a whopping $200 by taking the bathrooms off the list of rooms for the painters. Oh how I have regretted going along with that decision. Especially now that we will probably pay at least $200 to have one bathroom painted now anyway. It's going to be a dark chocolate brown on the wall above my tub and then yellow on yellow wide vertical stripes on the other walls. Will be beautiful when it's done.
I'm now officially 16 wks and 2 days. Although some days it seems to be creeping along, I can't beleve I'm finally 16 wks. That's 4 months. That sounds substantial, don't you think! I go for my monthly check up tomorrow but unfortunately that means that I won't get another ultrasound till I'm 20 weeks. Agggghhhhhhhh! Can I say that any louder??? I have no idea why but I'm so anxious to find out if this is going to be baby Nash or Sarah Kate that I could just scream. I didn't know with my first and chose not to know with my second and with my third, I was just like "sure, what is it". LOL.But for some reason, knowing that I'm going to find out, I'm worse than a kid at Christmas who tries to unwrap her presents ahead of time! I actually had the tech at work look tonight for the 2nd time in the last couple weeks and we are thinking it's a girl. If it had an obvious penis, I would be totally convinced, but at 16 weeks and this being "unofficial" I'm a little hesitant to start buying dresses. However, it's REALLY unlikely that this baby will have a penis pop out this late in the game. Soooooo, I'm really thinking we are on team pink and will be welcoming a little Sarah Katherine into the family this summer!

Yay the closet is underway!

2010-01-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hubby and the FIL are upstairs as we speak hanging sheetrock. Although this hasn't made for the greatest sleeping conditions since I have to work tonight, I'm super excited. One, to get the furniture outta my living room and two, to have a "space" to start decorating and imagine the little person that will live there this summer!
Funny Story- So they actually started on this project yesterday. Spent the whole day banging around up there only to find out that they had to start over. Some disagreement over how much space to leave for the sheetrock. Hubby didn't listen and it all had to be ripped out today! LOL. Father knows best, right? He actually came into the bathroom to ask me if it was ok if the closet wall wasn't flush with the piece of wall next to it! Uhh, NO! Not okay. LMAO. Gotta love men.

So I also wanna comment on the beauty of life. The creation of it, the birth of it. . . souls come in and out of this world each day. Yesterday, a precious new life joined our world. A sweet baby girl that will be so loved and bring so much love. The blessings are neverending it seems.
On the flip side, a life was lost. A son, a father, who made a mark in this world and has now moved on to greater things, I hope. Life is so precious. What a reminder to have a birth and death surround you all in one day. It's a balance I guess. Not sure what to think right now. Just that I hope to fill my years left here with love and honor, worship, gratitude, teaching, learning, humility and most of all, strength and spirituality, to know Him like I've never before, and teach my children like I should. We are so small. . . .

A Closet and an Orange

2010-01-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, yes, this may seem like a strange title, but intrguing, yes? I titled this entry this way because these are the two things that I want most right now. The oranges- what I'm assuming to be the first "craving" so to speak seeing as how I do not normally go to the trouble of peeling oranges when you can drink it in a glass. And the closet- well, this makes the second weekend in a row that closet making plans have been interrupted for that ridiculous thing called - work! Yes, sweet, that my hubby is working lots of OT to make up for the EXTRA deductions from my paycheck this year. We opted to do this rather than struggling to make fat payments to the obstetrician, the first of which is due in a few weeks! Not that I'm complaining, of course.
However, this OT is cutting into something I want, which again is yes, a closet. We have 3 bedrooms down and 2 up. Well, sort of. Two rooms up- one of which has no closet bc it is not technically a bedroom. So the plan is to technically make it a bedroom by adding, yes, a closet, and moving my sweetest, most precious, youngest child upstairs to make room downstaris! Whew! That was a mouthful.
Of course, my urgency with this closet is totally justified. 13 weeks is NOT too early to start decorating a nursery for those of you who where thinking that. LOL. I do happen to have half the "nursery furniture" scattered around my house for the time being, and it is quickly becoming aggravating. I only have nursery furniture because hubby and I purchased a much needed set of bedroom furniture for ourselves and it was delivered last week. We also purchased a most adorable leather rocker that will be in the baby's room until which time it is no longer needed in there and can be moved to the living room. I have reluctantly decided that the antique chest and dresser from my room will be used in the nursery and therefore justifies me buying the crib I want! Hehe. My super girly, green, wrought iron, canopy bed frame is now in Hope's room and hubby is soooo excited about that. So nothing is "going to waste". Sigh. . . . . good-bye, adorable armoire and matching dresser that matches my crib. Oh well. 90% of marriage is compromise. Agreed?
So anyhow, now that I've rambled on for so long, I think I'll take a break and have my yummy orange that I'm almost salivating about and be keeping my finger crossed that I get a closet this weekend!! I mean, hubby got all the painting done over a week ago. All I need is . . . . . . . . . .
A CLOSET!

I have arrived!

2010-01-04T23:00:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! Well, it's official. I am now in my 2nd trimester. I've been waiting 8 longs weeks to write this post. Hey everyone, I'm PREGNANT! Whew. There. I said it. LOL. Most everyone I know has known for quite some time but I wanted to wait until I was "out of the woods" as they say, to officially announce it. I am super excited if you can't tell. This is the first time I actually "planned" a pregnancy. This is a very wanted blessing.
It's a whole new world from the last time I had a baby, that being over 10 years ago. I have felt pretty good so far. No morning sickness. Yay! The only downside to that is that I've gained quite a few pounds already! I have been pretty exhausted so I haven't spent much- strike that- any time at the gym this month. But I will be there bright and early in the morning. I'm feeling much better this week.
Sooooo, I guess that's it for now. I was busting at the seams. Second ultrasound today showed a healthy wiggly baby with the most precious sounding heartbeat. More to come.
Ohhh yes, and before I forgot, I want to wish a very special friend the best of luck on her new arrival in the next days or weeks. She's my only reader so I'm sure she'll know who she is. Wink!

It's Christmas, ready?

2009-12-07T01:11:00.000-08:00

With the exception of my Christmas cards that are sure to be very late by the time I take Christmas pictures and the fact that I can't get my background changed to a Christmas type one till I remember to log in on my home computer, I'm juuuust about ready for Christmas. Hubby put the lights on the house before Thanksgiving, without being asked, I might add. The tree is up. Most of which my sweetest baby Landon is responsible for decorating. With our in and out schedules, we had a hard time finding group tree decorating time. He even got the stockings up and set up my little village and carried all the boxes back up to the attic. (Man, time has just flown. I look at him and see a boy who is almsot a man. Seems like yesterday that he was that twinkly eyed, chubby cheeked, curious little baby.) I just love Christmas! Well, except the overwhelming commercialization of it all. For so many, it has become about money and gifts and bills and stress. If we let it, it's easy to do. I have to step back and remember that it is a celebration of Christ, of peace, of salvation. Although I'm not the most religous person, this time of year tends to bring things full circle. I'm reminded of the blessings in life, of all that I have, and that I love my life. Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Thankful

2009-11-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year- with the exception of the cold weather that is! People are just happier don't you think. I become very thankful for the things in my life. We just had Veterans Day and to those whose sacrifices truly improve my life, I am very greatful. Soon it will be Thanksgiving which makes you think about all the things you are thankful for. I have so many. I am thankful for a God who is all powerful and forgiving. I am thankful for my family. The whole bunch of them. I have 3 precious, healthy children who feed my happiness everyday. I have found the most precious and wonderful husband. I am so thankful for him and the way he is a father to my children. We are a family. I am most thankful today that my new family will be growing soon. So so thankful. My mother- man I love my mom. We have our moments but the thought of life without her is almost unbearable. My step-dad- such a great man, and a dad by choice, not by obligation. I could go on and on. I have the comfort of knowing that if something tragic were to happen in my life, I have my family and any number of friends just a phone call away to support me. This is a good life. I wish these things for everyone.

Halloween

2009-11-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

So Halloween has come and gone. It was pretty fun this year. Nothing big. Just a small group of family and friends, chili dogs, and a simultaneous hayride/ trick- or treating! Great fun! Hope went as Steve Urkle (sp?) and Braden went as a motocross rider. Both great costumes and cost me little of nothing so I was happy. My oldest, however, did not trick-or-treat, claiming that he was too old this year. He threw a "pumpkin ghost" costume together at the last minute but then stuck with his original plan to not trick-or-treat. Kinda sad! I remember being that age and thinking the same thing. Unfortunately with Halloween being on a Saturday this year, we missed all the fun grown-up parties, but that's okay. It was still pretty fun!

Small World

2009-10-26T01:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I was just thinking about how incredibly small the big world is. Facebook has brought this to my attention here lately. It's like we are all connected on a big huge web that just gets bigger and bigger. For instance, my step-sister's hairdresser works in Atoka although my step-sis lives in MS. I happen to live very close to Atoka. Then it was discovered that a very significant "ex" of mine went to school with this girl for years and also sings kareoke with one of my dad's cousins! So back to the hairdresser- she also happens to know several people that live on my street and grew up with a girl I work with. Then when I come to work, our secretary is dating her ex-husband! What the heck? Isn't it just strange how 2 completely unrelated individuals' worlds can be so intertwined. It just blows my mind.
Oh, and another thing. One of the girls I was best friends with in elementary school is the cousin of a girl I've worked with for 6 years. I bet if we sat down and made a big map, we'd all be connected in some small way or another. . . .

New Toys

2009-10-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Well nothin too exciting happening right now. The kids have been on fall break and spent some time at their dad's. They got home tonight right before I had to leave to go to work. I tried all the last minute tricks to get out of work tonight with no luck and then when I got there, I wasn't even on the schedule. Ha! Irony! I just love it. So while I'm working away, the rest of the family is having movie night at home without me. Poo. Justin grilled hamburgers just before I left so at least I could take one with me for dinner. And they were all about to sit down to watch a movie on the new TV. Yes, I said NEW TV! We have had the little 26" flat screen out of our bedroom in that big ole living room since we moved in which looked quite silly. So my hubby got a wild hair the other night while I was working- see, they do all the fun stuff while I'm working- and bought a 55" flat screen. It's ginormous! The dilemna was then to find a "cabinet" of some sort to put it on. So after two days of shopping with the hubby, which was quite enjoyable I might add, we found what is called a "tv dresser" or a "media cabinet" to put it on. These are intended for the bedroom but it was the only way to find a stand that was as high as I wanted. So until that comes in, it is sitting on the old yucky black one from the big tv upstairs and hubby is working on getting the speakers and stuff hooked up! I can't wait for the next movie night when I'm home! It will be nice to have my living room look a little more "together"!

The Sweetest Words

2009-09-27T21:44:00.001-07:00

Today was the memorial service for my cousin, Ryan Barringer. He was 30 years old and died peacefully in his sleep after a 10 year struggle with physical disability following a terrible accident. I learned so much about him today. What I remember from our childhood is Ryan and his brothers calling me a magpie everytime I opened my mouth! LOL. It used to make me sooo mad! He had these huge brown eyes and the longest eyelashes. He was a beautiful person, inside and out. Today, I learned that Ryan had been a loving and devoted father to his 3 yr old son Dacota and had quit drinking after Dacota was born. They told a story that when the baby saw his daddy after he'd passed, he first said, "shhh, my daddy is sleeping". Then he blew him a kiss and waved goodbye. How sad that this baby will have few memories of the daddy that loved him so much.
My youngest son, Braden, sobbed for Ryan today even though he barley remembers him. He's such a beautiful boy. After the service, Braden signed the guestbook. I signed right after him, and noticed that in the Comment blank next to his name, he simply wrote, "have a great time". How precious are these words? My children restore my faith in a broken world everyday in some small way or another. What better to say to someone who has gone to spend eternity in a better place than "have a great time"? Wow. Sometimes I'm just speechless. . . .

Birthdays and Calculators

2009-09-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so two things today. The first is that Round 2 of Birthday Train on Sunday went smashingly well! Aside from the weather, it was very enjoyable. We had to nix the volleyball game due to the drizzly rain, but everything else went well. We stopped after church and picked up a bought and pre-decorated cake from Walmart. Yes, I said I bought the cake and didn't even order a special one!! We came home, warmed the pre-cooked butt in the oven for a couple hours, got out the pre-made potato salad and slaw and dumped some pre-cooked beans in a pot on the stove. Ahhhhhhhh, yes, it was great. No stress, no worries. We had a nice but not quite oversized group. Family and a couple little friends. This is what birthdays should be about! I just hope Hopie enjoyed it too. She and her little friend and I went to a "birhtday" movie Saturday night and after being completely disgusted by the first 10 mins of H2- I didn't realize it was Rob Zombie- we caught most of The Time Travelor's Wife which was good except the ending stank!

And the second thing involves a little math. An item at a local convienience/grocery store which will remain nameless, was on sale for 5 for $5. Of course, as I was leaving, I noticed that each item had wrung up $1.49. When I brought this to the cashier's attention, he attempted to fix it at which point he said, "You were actually better off the other way. This is going to cost you more." So with a puzzled look on my face, I said, "Noooooo, 5 x $1.49 = $7.45. There is no way that's better than $5!" So the guy points to the computer screen and tells me that that is what he had to go by since the computer said so. We went round and round with these same issues several times when I irritatedly asked for a new cashier to shed some light on the subject. Fortunately, she realized the problem so at least all hope was not loss. Unfortunately, to my frustration , she was unable to fix it. She finally tossed $2.50 my way and called it good, which was still not right but if they truly felt that that computer was smarter than they were, then they needed the 18 cents worse than I did! Did you know that kids are allowed to use calculators at all times in Math class! It's just going to get worse!

Birthdays!

2009-09-19T00:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we are coming up on Round 2 of birthday train at my house. My precious and slightly obnoxious son was 13 just a few weeks ago and now my smarty pants, but oh so adorable daughter will be 11 on Wednesday. When did this happen, I ask you? I swore off birthday parties a few years ago, however, this is easier said than done. Landon's bday consisted of a simple ice cream cake at the house. I have even given up making their cakes. Well, except the adorable monkey cake with pink toenails I made for Hope last year! We also borrowed a water slide from a friend since we could not find the super cool slip n' slide from last year. This is where we messed up! When you have a large, colorful, kid-friendly object set up in your front yard, it is likey to attract KIDS! They were everywhere. LOL. Kids I've never seen since we moved into our new house in May. They came from streets over. We had 1 piece of cake left. So once again, we had another crazy, in and out, head spinning birthday party that when over, seemed as if I had not had a chance to socialize with anybody!
So Sunday afternoon is Hope's "party". Mainly family and a few friends and is intended to remain calm and relaxing at all times. HA! I intended to try to smoke a Boston butt tomorrow, in my new, still in the box, smoker that I have no idea how to use. However, the weather isn't planning on cooperating and since they canceled Celebrate Munford this weekend, the Munford police department cooked 40 butts Friday night that needed purchasing! So with that done, it dawned on me that I have yet to order or plan for a cake! Aghh! What was I thinking? Or not thinking apparantly. I think I'm in denial that my babies are growing up :-(! If we have at least a little time without rain on Sunday, we are hoping to set up the volleyball net and play a little. Sounds fun, right?
Braden's bday is 6 wks after Hope's and I haven't even begun to think about it. And then, on to Christmas! The end of the year stays busy at our house. But I guess I'd get pretty bored if it wasn't, right? Yes. I would. I love this life!

Update on the Small Kids

2009-09-02T23:49:00.000-07:00

Well, some funny and some not so funny news. I don't think I've mentioned my big fat cat Leo yet. Leo was rescued from the Bartlett Animal Shelter through PetSmart Christmas before last. Justin and I went hunting for a new kitty for Hope for Christmas since her kitty Jack had to be put to sleep earlier that year. When they put him in the "visitng room" with us, Leo AKA Slice, walked straight up to us, flopped on his back, and demanded to have his belly rubbed. Since neither of us were big cat lovers, we figured the cat that acted like a dog was the cat for us! Hope loved him from the minute she saw him that morning. He was a healthy orange striped boy weighing in at 11 pounds. Fat and lazy. . . with a little energy once in a while. So the bad part. . . Leo is "missing". We happen to have a neighbor with a K-9 dog next door. His owner reported some suspicious activity last week and I guess I have been in denial. Unfortunately, Leo has not been home since. I don't have the heart to tell the kids and technically, I didn't see anything. He will be missed.
On a brighter, lighter note. Chloe, ohhh precious Chloe, is getting more mischevious by the day. My son brought home that well known animal cell project this week. He had to fill this little ziploc baggie with a blue substance that represented the nucleus or the vacuole or something. Heck, I don't know. That was years ago! He chose to mix flour and water and add blue food coloring since apparantly the water they tried to use in class kept leaking from the bag. Personally, I thought this idea was quite genious of him. That is of course until Chloe decided to snack on it. We have already caught her ON the already high dining room table twice this week. All 60 lbs of her! So why this possibility didn't occur to anyone, I don't know. So yes, she ATE the project. Mainly just the vacuole, or nucleus, or whatever it was. Right after having a bath and all over my very light colored carpet!!! Anyone have any tricks to get food coloring out of carpet????

Nothing new. . .

2009-08-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't written in a while and the main reason is..... nothing's new. As a matter of fact, things are getting old, real old. For those of you who don't know it, I have had the worst baby fever EVER!! So about a month or so ago, I try to have this "heart to heart" via text with the hubby. Yes, I said via text! This seems to be the most effective way of serious communication these days. Except this time, of course. So I send this long, weepy, heart felt text about why I want a baby and about sharing that most awesome part of life with him and growing together and blah blah blah. . . . and in return, I recieve a txt back, that states, simply- "okay, Hope's eatin bratwurst!" WHAT? Are you kidding me? I don't think I have ever seen a larger display of avoidance in my whole long life! And the even worse, part is, it's just gone downhill since this instance! Aghhhhhhhhhhh!

Bad luck??

2009-08-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

Ok so just when I thought things were lookin up after my doggie being so sick. . . . . what the heck? It's like we've had a strain of bad luck! You may know that Justin and I bought our first house together in May. For the most part, it has been great. I remember waking up the first day thinking " wow, who's pretty house is this? oh yeah, it's mine!" lol. However, with new houses come new expenses, and quite alot of them. Justin also has been sick and trying not to appear miserablef or many months now and the added stress of the house and all the things that need to be done is taking it's toll. We went to the river for a much needed break. It was nice, but then disaster struck. The transmission on Justin's truck went out approximately 20 minutes after me saying how nice it was that his truck is paid for! Then my Chloe got sick. More expense! But oh so worth it. She is doing great, back to driving Jack crazy as her favorite past time. Back to school came all at the same time of course. Putting 3 kids in school clothes and back packs is quite pricy as well you can imagine. Then Sunday, on my last day of school shopping, I notice a funny whining noise near the back of my truck. When Justin finally remembers to look at it, he just says, "oh, this is not good"! So I think we've determined that the rear end of my 4 wheel drive is going out. We've also discovered just how expensive it's gonna be. Unless, that is, the truck fairy grants me a miracle.
However, when I stepped back and took in a deep, cleansing breath. . . you know, "Relax, relate, release"- Whitley Gilbert, I remembered that I still have a wonderful life and lots to be grateful for. This past Sunday, my youngest son made a committment to God in baptism. My new neighbor is the pastor at Crosspoint Baptist Church in Millington and was honored to perform the baptism for us. Braden was so nervous that morning and almost back out, but after an early morning Q & A with Pastor Jim, he was all better!
So, we have the Lord working in our home, healthy kids, a now healthy dog, and hopefully a husband on the mend. These are the important things in life, right? Now, if only we could find the money tree!!!!

I prayed for her. . . . and He answered. . .

2009-08-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, soooo I should totally be sleeping. . . but have lots on my mind. Chloe gets her stitches out today! Oh, I'm so excited that this nightmare is almost over. She seems to be doing great but I'm stayin on my toes. For those of you who don't know, 2 1/2 wks ago, Chloe, the Golden Retriever, had to have emergency surgery. I woke from my 3rd hour of sleep to hear my husband shrieking at the top of his lungs saying we had to go to the vet. When my eyes focused from the blinding light, I looked down and realized that her incision from being spayed just a few days before, had come open and her intestines were hanging out. I panicked and lost all sense of. . . well hell, I just acted plain stupid. I almost threw a dirty towel around her intestines! I stopped myself and at least found some telfa and gauze but it didn't dawn on me for a while that I should've put a wet dressing on it! What was I thinking??? She was in surgery for 3 hours and had to go to the Doggie ER for the night. She's been on 5 different medications, had very limited activity, and had to wear a big cone on her head. Ironically the $40 collar that we thought was too much to spend may have prevented this very pricy adenture and saved a lot of pain and tears for everyone! Ohhh how I cried. . . . and cried. . . . and cried! One week post-op, she started projectile vomiting and peeing on herself. I thought this was it. I thought she was gonna die. I prayed for her. . . and He answered. I feel so blessed. I love this baby like my own babies. She brings me joy like no other. My family has tolerated it well. They have all pitched in to help take care of her. And my poor husband has put up with my crazy behavior without a gripe. She will add love and laughter to our crazy family for years to come.

About me. . .

2009-08-06T01:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so first, I have got to be one of the most technologically uninclined people ever! I think. . . I'm not sure. . . but I think I put the title in the wrong place. lol. who knows? aside from that, i am a proud mommy of 3 beautiful, intelligent, compassionate people. . . . Landon Cole is 12, almost 13 and truly takes things to heart.. Hope Ashlyn or "Hopie" is 10 and starting middle school as well as testing the waters these days.. and Braden Robert is 9 and adorably fabulous except when he does what we call the "full body pout"! Next, I've been married now for just over a year. My husband is one of the best people I know. He gives his all at everything he does and that includes choosing to father 3 kids he's not biologically connected to. I've not met a single person yet that doesn't just love Justin! Until last summer, it was just Justin and Jack. . . the ever- adored, Eyeore type personality, Bassett Hound. Neither of them get thier feathers ruffled about much. Then we added myself, 3 spirited kids, 2 chihuahuas, and 1 fat orange cat! Sound overwhelming? The newest addition to our mixed family is a high- strung, gorgeous, blonde-haired 10 month old Golden Retriever named Chloe. It's never dull at our house! We just bought a bigger house to hold everyone. The other one was busting at the seams. . . I work as an EMT in the ER. Have been there 6 years. And Justin has worked for the "City" for 10. Munford, that is. We just recently started attending Crosspoint Baptist and although I'm not sure that I'm Baptist, I am sure that I am a Christian. I'm totally siked that my youngest has made the decision to be baptized this Sunday. I know I am truly blessed, although some days I need reminding of that! I tend to get a lil pouty. Guess Brade gets it honestly! I'm just trying to enjoy each day and remember to be thankful for what I have. . .