Finger Licking Good!

I’m not sure if they are or not but he sure does make them sound like it! Little Man has discovered his fingers!! Our little man loves his pacifier but yesterday he wanted those fingers instead!! It is so cute to hear his sucking and slobbering all over them.

He is growing so fast!! He amuses us daily and himself! The way he is eying Tiny, Cocoa, and Ace, I know he will get them first thing when he starts moving around. Ace is a team player right now. He just stands there and licks Little Man while Little Man grabs him. Oh yeah…grabbing these days means pinching. That kid can pinch. Of course he is just gripping with all his might and has no idea he is pinching.

I’ll have to get a picture up of him slurping on his fingers! Too cute!

Life's about changing Nothing ever stays the same...

The earth is bare, you plant a seed, provide food and water, soon a sprout, then a plant, and then a beautiful flower - All of this happens b/c of change.

I sat on our bed, he packed his suitcase
I held a picture of our wedding day
His hands were trembling, we both were crying
He kissed me gently and then he quickly walked away
I called up Mama, she said, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same

Don't freak - I'm not getting a divorce. Just a perfect couple of lyrics to sum up the feelings and thoughts I have racing in my head. You may or may not know but I got married to my High School Sweetheart on May 5th, 2001. On March 8th, 2004 my life changed in a way I never imagined. I thought my life was over but it wasn't. It was just beginning!! Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same and I'm glad it doesn't.

Change is a never ending cycle. Change is an amazing thing. Here is how my life has changed in 5 years - I learned to live. I learned to breath. I learned that life goes on and I'm the only one in charge of my life. I've learned that I can survive, alone. I've learned that family and some friends will stick by you through it all. I've learned that some family and friends were never there for you. I've learned that the times I thought I was alone, I wasn't. Since I decided to accept Christ as my personal savior many years ago as a child he has been with me since. I've learned that the internet can bring two soulmates together. I've learned you can fall in love with someone as soon as your hearts meet. I've learned God will send you your soulmate if you never give up. I've learned that through thick and thin, through tears and pain, real love endures. I've learned tragic things can plant seeds to wonderful things. I've learned you don't really know love until you become a mother. I've learned you don't know pain until you see your child in pain. I've learned that I will get no where in life sitting in the driver's seat. God has to be the driver. You are just here for the ride.

Since the birth of our son a lot in our lives has changed. One thing that remains is the love I have for my husband and his love for me. We have been through some things that have done nothing but watered our love and allowed it to grow. I've experienced things lately that lead me to see the things that are important in life. Family is number one. And for me, My family is number one. I've got to provide for Holden, Billy and me. I've got to provide change, change that will lead me to happiness.

I'm not sure if anyone that encounters me on a daily basis has noticed or not but I haven't been happy in a while. Things have happened that have bashed my soul. My drive is gone. My fire is out in regards to a certain situation in my life. I'm ready tonight to make a change. God is going to lead me down the path I should take.

May God continue to bless you and yours.

Why I do anything.

What a Day! 9-1-09

Yesterday was a very eventful day.

Little Man stayed home with his daddy as he took him to meet me at the doctor’s office for his 4 month shots. Everything is going great with Little Man. He is now in the 75th percentile with both his height and weight. At his two month appointment he was in the 75th percentile for weight and 10th percentile for height. We are excited our son will not be a midget. (Just a little joke between Hubby and I – we will love and adore our son if he is a midget, a giant or somewhere in between)

Of course with all the milestone well visits, there come the dreaded shots. There was an older boy in the next room screaming as if Michael were visiting b/c he didn’t want his shots. I’m blaming the parents for planting this fear in him. (As a parent I have this honor) Little Man did great until after his stabbings. (Have you seen how they do this??) I would have screamed too! Of course, mama and daddy comforted him right away as we got him dressed.

After his appointment we grabbed something to eat in celebration of our 2 year wedding anniversary and ran a couple errands at the grocery store and Wal-Mart. By the time we got home, Little Man was screaming b/c of his shots. He did the same thing for his two-month shots except I missed work the next day. Luckily this time his screaming just lasted until the night. This morning he was up and chattering away with his goos and daaas. Hubby thinks he is saying daddy but yeah well he isn’t. lol.

To calm him from his screaming last night my mama and I took turns, as Hubby and my Daddy worked on our water line that the cows busted, walking him around outside. Life on a farm! Ain’t it grand? When Hubby came in he asked me to come into the bathroom w/him. I thought I was in trouble b/c my mouth tends to end me up there but I wasn’t. Apparently the water threw up some Batesburg Fire Ants (they deserve to be proper nouns) and he lay in them. It looks like his skin taste the best around his waistline. Poor thing!

Jitters

Okay, tomorrow is Little Man's first day at daycare. <----Yeah scary! He will be going to The Sunshine House down the road from Southeastern Freight Lines. So close I can check on him anytime I want which translates to lunch only. lol. Yeah, I don't have it like that. I'm only allowed to leave work at lunch and at the end of the day. Since he is going to daycare I would like for everyone there to know what is his. Everything is labeled, his clothes, bibs, lotion, gas drops, wipes, bottles, blanket, and EVEN his pacifer! Anybody have a kid that has an oral fixation? My son HAS to have his pacifer. A couple of weeks ago we rode up to my parents who live across the pasture from us (only in the country) and forgot his pacifer. Huge Mistake! My boy turned into a crybaby w/out that thing. So, he is laying in bed between Hubby and I, in his pjs, sucking away on his labeled pacifer.
I've been looking and looking for one of the greatest things ever invented for babies - the Bumbo Chair and we found one yesterday at Target. It is AWESOME! Little Man sits in it and looks around! He also spends his time trying to get his hands in his mouth. He is learning out to do this. Here he is sitting in it but he can't get his hand in his mouth because look what is there...

Broken Branding Iron

Every morning I let my hot iron warm up to a branding temperature while I take my shower. This saves me time and gives me that “oh so straight not so frizzy” look. Well this morning I followed the same routine. After blow drying my hair while being watched by Little Man (he loves to watch mommie get ready - - well actually he doesn’t have a choice, he is eleven weeks!), I reach for my scalding hot iron. WAIT! I can’t feel the heat burning my hand. Should I touch it? Of course I’m a little leery. After all, this is the same hot iron that makes a sizzling sound when it touches your forehead. Tap! Tap! Forget the branding iron. I’ve now got a warming iron. Instead of straighten my hair I’ve got something to warm it up with. Does hair even get cold?

Summer time Blues??

The week I headed back to work is the same week we picked up Hubby's boys in NC for the summer. I say summer but it was more like a month. We can't have them the entire summer since we want to give them time w/their grandparents. As the mom of a 6 week old it was a HUGE adjustment for me this year. Last year was pie since we had them for two weeks, Hubby was off of work the entire time, and I wasn't pregnant or a new mom. This year Hubby was unable to take any time off from work and on the days he had to work it was nights. This left me alone with 3 boys whose ages ranged from 6 weeks, 9 years and 11 years. Did I mention the 6 week old was colicy?

All in all I would have to say this summer was a success. You learn from your mistakes so next summer will be handled a little differently. I won't go into details. I'll just say lesson learned and move on. lol.

Their summer adventures consisted of: playing video games (the boys are HUGE gamers), discussions of wrestling, 24-7 it seemed, (oh how I hate WWF, WWE, or whatever it is called, BUT Joseph and Jacob are fans.), swimming at my mom's on the days she kept them (A GINORMOUS HELP!!) and on the nights I was alone and bored, trip to the park, Riverbank Zoo, icecream at Cold Stone Creamery, their first trip to Bass Pro Shops in a downpour no less, their first bb guns, a fishing trip, building birdhouses with Billy, hanging out at the chicken house with my mom, making homemade Father's Day cards, picking and eating wild blackberries, catching their first possum, wrestling (imagine that) with Ace, finding out Tiny and Cocoa like to be left alone after hours of harrassment, feeding and watering our ponies, taking care of LouLou and Toby, riding on the tractor with my Daddy, playing badmitton with the gameset my sister and her husband got them, gosh I could go on and on.

Things we learned from the boys this summer: leaving soap in the tub makes it appear to "melt", a commode plunger needs to be in every bathroom. Joseph can't land on his feet like a cat even if he meows like one, Spongebob and Animal Planet are great for entertaining kids, poptarts are great for breakfast on the go, if a pool is around you will be asked everyday, several times a day, if they can go swimming, towels won't get hung up, light khaki colored interior is not a good idea, and most importantly I can survive as a new mom of three!

Summer is not a time for the blues but boy do we have them when the boys go home. I hate seeing my husband like this when they go home. He loves his boys so much and spending only a few weeks with them during the summer just kills him. I wish things were different for him and his boys but wishing doesn't change anything. I just pray to God nothing ever comes between Holden and Billy. A boy needs his father.

Here are some pictures from this summer:

Alone Time???

Wow! Life really changes when you have a baby!

I’ve always been one who may be considered a loner to an extent. I enjoy time with loved ones and friends but I enjoy my alone time as well. I’ve always considered Tiny, my Chihuahua, to be my son since I got him in 2003. Let me just say, you can’t compare a dog to a baby. They don’t even begin to compare. What was I thinking? First keep the plant alive, then the dog…okay now I’m ready for a baby. Yeah…wrong!!! To even begin to compare get about 12 greenhouses, a garden and about 40 yipping Chihuahuas. Keep them alive for a year or so and then you might be ready for a newborn!!

So with all that you probably have already guessed it – there is no alone time when you have a baby!!! Your child can seem to be dead asleep when the urge hits you and you run to the bathroom. You get there, sit and relax, only to hear – waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Oh no! He wasn’t asleep. What do you do? Leave the baby in there screaming or jump off the john and go get him? Yep, you guessed it. Potty time consist of sitting there holding the baby or having the baby looking at you as they suck their pacifier while they sit in their bouncy or car seat. Sounds appealing. Thank God I got use to Ace, Tiny and Cocoa following me around everywhere when I was pregnant. I’m use to having eyes staring at me while I’m in the bathroom. Now they aren’t peering under the door.

Pregnancy Survey

TRIMESTER 1

What month did you conceive in? August

Did you conceive where you live now? yes

Do you know the exact day you conceived? If the doctor has the dates right it would be around 8-8-08

Were you trying to conceive? Actually we were. I think we got off the BCPs back in February.

If not, were you happy anyway? I was scared!!!

Did the daddy want a baby too? Oh yeah. This was discussed before we came off of the BCPs.

Was he the first person you told? Yes, we went that Friday and got the tests together.

Why did you think you were pregnant? We were trying and the week before I thought I had a stomach virus. I thought I could be but wasn't sure.

Was the line on the HPT dark or light? one was dark and one was sorta light

What brand of HPT did you use? I think it was First Response but I'm too lazy to get up and investigate.

How long did you wait to tell your parents? I waited until Saturday (the next day) after we got up and took the 2nd test.

How far along were you when you had your first appointment? 7 weeks 4 days. They thought I was at least 9 weeks.

What stuck out about your first appointment? That I wasn't measuring 9 weeks so I got to have an ultrasound and see the little bean and hear the heartrate.

Do you remember what the first heart-rate was? I think 143 bpm

What did you want? I wanted a baby. Whatever God gave us was fine w/me. I didn't go into this thinking, I want a girl or I want a boy.

Which is more fun to dress up? This I wouldn't know yet since our little one isn't here yet. I will tell you, I hate all the little girls clothes at the stores. They have hardly anything for little boys.

What was the worst part about trimester 1? Being tired! All I wanted to do was sleep but w/o the baby belly you look like you are just being lazy!

What is the best part about trimester 1? the start of the baby bump.


TRIMESTER 2

When did you start to show? I don't think people could tell until around 20 weeks or so.

Did you go buy any maternity clothes? At first I used what a friend gave me but then I had to go buy some. Of what I wear now I think we bought them all.

Was there a point where you thought you just looked fat? Yes! And sometimes I still think I look fat! lol.

Was the daddy excited that you were showing? Billy has been excited from the beginning!

Do you remember what the heart-rate was at most of your appointments? his heartrate has been around 140-158

Did you get good profile pictures at your 'big' sonogram? Yes we did. I love looking at his profile and seeing his Daddy mixed in there. lol.

Was the gender easily identified? At first his legs were closed but as soon as they popped open there seemed to be no doubt we had a little boy baking in there. I won't even mention the Gantt and Hutson jokes regarding little boys!!

Was it a Daddy's girl or Mama's Boy? Mama's boy!!!

What was the first thing you bought your baby? The first thing we bought the baby before we knew the sex was a little Marine Corp onesie, romper and bib. OOOH RAAA!

Did you like the 'orange stuff'? Actually I did but that's b/c I am a fan of orange crush!

What was the worst part of trimester 2? The worse part was the hormones. People say they go away during the 2nd trimester but they didn't. I threw more pregnancy fits during this trimester. My husband was such a trooper!

What was the best part of trimester 2? Realizing that was the baby moving in me and not gas! And you physically feel the best during this trimester.


TRIMESTER 3

When did you have your baby shower? In March. I'm glad I didn't wait until almost the end (now) b/c there is no way I could handle a baby shower and putting up his things this far along.

What was the best gift you received? Sorry guys but I haven't received the best gift yet. He is still cooking and kicking in me. :-)

How much did you weigh at your last appointment? Yeah like I'm going to tell you!! ha!

How much did they guess the baby weighed? last we heard he was around 3-4 lbs BUT I'm not relying on their guesses b/c there is no way they can be right. You can't tell me how much he is going to weigh by mashing my stomach. lol. I just hope he is less than 9 lbs and no less than 7.

Did the baby move much? our child is off the chain at times! When we went to maternity assessment (early contractions) this week he kicked and moved around the whole time we were being monitored!!

Throughout your pregnancy did you have any cravings? Yes! Vinegar on my fries and sandwiches have been a must. I'm a huge fan of Rush's these days! There was a point I was craving potted meat. (ick!)

Did you ever count kicks? when my midwives told me about the kicks I counted but I don't anymore. He moves around like normal.

Did you go on a 'babymoon'? no.

Were you in maternity clothes? yes, my other clothes are just dreams!

Did you get any stretch marks? I've only gotten a few these past couple of weeks.

Did the daddy love your belly? Billy finds me beautiful. He tells me all the time!

What was the best part of trimester 3? the best part hasn't come yet. Realizing we will be full-term tomorrow is pretty exciting!

What was the worst part of trimester 3? Having an irritated uterus and having to rest this week. You try and do just to be reminded the next day or that night you should have rested. (like I'm doing today)

Overall thoughts on the pregnancy? We have had a pretty uneventful pregnancy which is a good thing. I love knowing inside of me is a part of me, my husband and God. How amazing! I just can't wait to hear his little scream when he is born and see his beautiful little body laying on mine.

Rain Drops are Falling on my head...

It has been a while since I have done an update on here. Partly because I have been really tired lately and partly because I typed up an update, entered it on the site, and then did something stupid and erased the entire thing. Got to love technology!

We are currently 31 weeks pregnant and have had two prenatal appointments during our disappearance. Holden’s heart rate remains pretty healthy at 140-158. During our last appointment Little Man got a little excited when the midwife touched his little hiney and his heart rate increased to the 158. This made us laugh. He is head down and I’m thinking he has been this way since 21 weeks which is a very good thing!! The midwife doesn’t think he will turn again but if he does I’ll have a story to tell.

He is head down, butt to the right and legs and arms to the left…where he spends his days (and nights) kicking, punching and prodding around. I think he is going to be shy because he will kick around like there is no tomorrow but as soon as I call Hubby over he calms down and stops. He will throw some kicks in but nothing like what he does when Mama is busy and not pointing out his hyper moments. I find myself sitting at my desk at work smiling and in tears over the way he can move.

I’ve heard about a mother’s love and never knew the capacity until I got pregnant. Some people may argue that I’m not a mom yet because my baby hasn’t been born but I tell ya, you are wrong. Since before I ever knew I was pregnant my actions impacted our little one. Since I’ve known I’ve been pregnant, (the past 24 weeks), I think before I act. I think about this little one. I think what effect my actions will have on him. Little Man has impacted my life in a huge way and I’m grateful to God for allowing me the opportunity to experience the creation of life. I fell totally in love with the little guy at 7 weeks and 4 days and my love for him grows immensely every day.

In my immature years I thought seeing a baby right after it was born was a nasty thing. Ugh gross, is what I thought. How wrong I was!! I know I’ll be in tears when I see our boy on his Birth Day and I’m not going to care one second if they lay that “gooky thing” on me. Because he won’t be gooky to me and he definitely won’t be a thing. He will be our precious baby boy, who given the times, will have a tough road ahead of him, but with the love and support of his family and God he will make his father and I very proud. Gosh he makes me proud already when he kicks his daddy’s hand.

Saturday my family is throwing us a baby shower and then on Tuesday my friends at work are having one. I’m excited to get the baby room together and to get everything ready for our little one’s arrival. I know they consider you “full term” at 37 weeks and well folks that gives us 6 more. SIX MORE WEEKS!! That is no time at all!! We go back to the doctor on the 24th and then again two more weeks later. After those two appointments we will be visiting every week. How exciting is that?

It's a jungle out there

Our nursery is no where close to being completed but the crib is...

Thanks to Miranda and Tony we now have the crib set all set up.

I have the greatest sister and brother-in-law EVER!!

Hubby and I have been blessed with a very supportive family who are just as excited as we are in regards to our little one's arrival. I'm thinking Little Man will be spoiled rotten and that is fine with us!!

We are about to put it in action when it comes to decorating the nursery so I'll be posting more pictures in the next couple of weeks. My sister loves projects like this and I love having her help.

It is alive!!

It's official! My stomach is alive!!

During tax season I help my aunt out at her tax office on Saturday's and every night of the week but Wednesday. Wednesday is my night of rest!! So, I'm resting up a few minutes ago...lounging in the bathtub and Little Man is moving and a shaking, enjoying his bath. lol.

I'm laying there reading my book when I notice my belly button moving slightly. I look down and the left side of my stomach is moving! I've seen him kick which is awesome BUT this ain't no kick. He is moving and my stomach is moving!!

Of course Hubby and I were totally thrilled to see our little one moving around like that. God is amazing, I can't say that enough!! We are blessed beyond belief to be given this wonderful opportunity to see God's power of creation. Life begins at conception...how true this is!!

Yesterday, at 25 weeks 4 days, I had my Glucose test. I went expecting the worse, praying for the best, and enjoyed chugging down the orange "soda" type drink. I'm a fan of Fanta and Crush so it wasn't bad to me at all. The worse part of the test was the finger pricking!! UGH! Stab me with a knife or a million needles but don't prick my finger!!

After my sobbing from the finger prick (no not really) the nurse tells me my sugar is a 100, which is good and my iron is 115, which is apparently also good. Heck if I know. I just know I won't get my finger pricked again, or I hope not. Laugh if you want but all I could think was if I fail this I'm going to have to prick my finger every day to check my sugar, I can't do that. Give myself shots? Sure I can handle that but pricking my finger?!? NOPE!

So this Friday we will be 26 weeks. That means our due date is in, get this...14 weeks. 14 weeks people!! The thought of that excites and scares the mess out of me!! I've grown up on a farm so I know how to raise all sorts of animals, I've been the mama to Tiny (my little chihuahua, see below) for 6 years and I've got two house plants and two plants at work BUT A BABY!!!

The first night I brought Tiny home I put him in a box by my bed and he cried and cried. I picked him up and put him under the covers with me and he hasn't cried since. I don't think a baby will be that easy! Shoot I know they aren't! With a dog you put out some food and water for them, love on them and they grow up to love and adore you. With a baby you have to get a room ready for them, you buy books that sorta tell you what to expect and people have showers for you to make sure you are prepared with all the necessary things you will need. They even have this HUGE store you go to and register for everything you will need. Babies aren't like dogs!!

And speaking of this huge store...This past Saturday my sister and I went to register at BabiesRUs for the two showers I am having. What a job that was. Talk about overwhelming. I think we spent about two and half hours in that store and I still have to go online and "fix" my registry. There are swings, bottles, diapers, onesies, play-yards, crib sheets, ointments for every ailment, car seats, boppies, bottle liners, breast pads, shampoos, soaps, rattles, teethers, jumpers, bouncy seats, crib sets, bottle warmers, diaper genies, clothes, clothes and more clothes...how is a woman to know what is the right "things" for her little one? By the end we started just scanning everything. I'm hoping we didn't accidentally scan a dress. lol.

The midwife gave me a little chart for fetal counting. You are to pick a two hour time period to check to see if you feel the baby moving 10 times. This morning I picked 7-9. I think by 7:30 I had his 10 kicks for the day. I felt him moving around from about 6:30 until about 9 when I guess he decided to take a nap.

She also gave me my paper for pre-registering at the hospital and asked who his pediatrician is going to be. With all these questions, things are really starting to seem real. I guess having the bassinet sitting up in our room already didn't hurt in helping the sinking in process but those questions drive it home!! We are having a baby. It's official. It's real. And time is flying by!!!

And my stomach is alive!

And the Award goes to...

Just a little update on what is going on in preparation of Holden’s arrival…

Yesterday Hubby did something that once again proves to me he deserves the Husband of the Year award. I had been complaining about getting the nursery ready and getting a matching crib set (crib, changing table & dresser). My complaints had been going on for a few weeks. Well yesterday, I reached my peak. Since money is a little tight these days, (in preparation of Hubby’s new job and the cost of Little Man’s arrival), that was my main gripe. At any rate, I get home and Hubby lures me into the nursery by making up this great story regarding my dogs, and here is what I find:

Needless to say, I was so happy, so excited and the realization hit me, once again, how very blessed I am to have Hubby as my husband. He takes care of me no matter what sacrifice he has to make and I’m proud to walk by his side through every challenge life gives us. He is a great husband, the best father he can be to two little boys that live a thousand miles away and I know he is going to be a great dad to our Little Man. Shoot he already is!

Speaking of the subject of this entire blog – Little Man. Boy has he been moving and a kicking lately. I don’t know if he has been this active the entire time and I never knew b/c of the way he was positioned, but dang he has been active lately. If any of you knew me as a child, it shouldn’t surprise you, Little Man seems to be this way too. Like Mama, like son.

Picture of me at 23 weeks & 4 days

It's a...

If you haven't heard, we are having a boy. We found out last Tuesday at our ultrasound/prenatal appointment. As expected, we are totally estatic! We would be happy either way but a tough little boy is what this family needs!

You know, I was just thinking...how embarrassing it is to have your "privates" exposed to the entire cyber world. I hope this isn't one of those things that ends up haunting our child. Hey, just a thought?!?

Based on the ultrasound, our due date is still around May 15th. Time is flying by!! I'll be 23 weeks this Friday so that leaves us with 17 weeks. I can't believe it! Little Man will be here before we know it. We can't wait!!!

His kicking/punching have gotten a little stronger. A couple of nights ago I was relaxing in the tub and noticed my stomach move during one of his Tae Kwon Do sessions. It popped out a bit. I called Hubby in to check it out and he put his hand on my belly only to have it kicked pretty good. Hubby was surprised at the force. This was the first time he has been able to really feel Little Man. I'm blessed with feeling him every couple of ours. He seems more active in the evenings but that may be because I'm just sitting around doing nothing and notice the movements.

We are starting to think about the nursery and getting things ready for a registry. The nursery is going to be decorated in a jungle theme (lions, tigers, monkeys, giraffes, hippos, etc.). I'm sure everyone thinks we should go farm animal, but he'll get his share of the farm in real life. There is a play yard I want to get him that has ponies on the mobile and a jumperoo that is a horse that makes all sorts of sounds but that will be for the living room.

In other news...

There is a new man living in our house. I call him Hubby but you can call him Staff Sergeant Hutson. My sister rode with us to Parris Island today for him to get "pinned".

We are very proud of this much deserved promotion. This makes all the battles he has faced during active duty worth it.

On the way to Parris Island we stopped to take some photos at the Ruins of Old Sheldon, Prince William's Paris Church. It was built in 1745, burned down by the British Army in 1779, rebuilt in 1826 and burned down by the Federal Army in 1865. Here is a picture of my sister and I acting silly behind one of the pillars.

Hubby is going through the process of getting hired at the Department of Corrections. We hope to hear from them next week regarding a starting date. With the economy the way it is, every job is a blessing these days. Please keep us in your prayers.

Take Care & Stay Warm!