The Woodys

Jonah's First Birthday Party!

2010-01-16T23:12:00.004-06:00

Happy First Birthday Jonah! Well his birthday is really Monday, but we celebrated tonight.

Here's his cake, with a big scary knife close by (?)

Jonah didn't know what to think of his cake. He really couldn't care less about it. We couldn't even convince him to really let us put any icing in his mouth!

Opening presents.
More presents...

And more...

Mimi holding Jonah.

Who am I giving this look to? All in all it was a great birthday. We had pizza and played in the arcade at Jim's Razorback Pizza in Farmington. I think everyone had fun. Thanks to all for coming and making Jonah's first birthday party special!

Happy Fall!

2009-10-18T22:11:00.004-05:00

Jeremy must have said something about bedtime to Jonah, because Jonah wasn't having that!

Pumpkin Patch

Sunday we went to a pumkin patch and got some cute pictures. I got very few of Jonah actually smiling or looking at the camera, but that's ok. They don't have to be perfect to be cute.

It was such a pretty day Sunday, but we were all so tired from the week that we just didn't have it in us to spend much time in the sunshine today.

Jonah is 9 months today. I cannot believe that he is that old! I can't believe that we will be celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, then his first birthday. I know it will all come and go in a blur.
Poor Jeremy had to wear his glasses today because his eyes are giving him fits from accidently sleeping in his contacts. I have two weeks left to finish making Jonah's skunk costume. I am about halfway done, but the part that is left is the more detailed work. October has crept up on me for sure. I feel like the weeks go by in the blink of an eye. I am lucky that my weekend consists of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (lets be honest Sunday is super busy and doesn't really count as a day 'at home'.). I spend my Mondays and Tuesdays doing laundry, cleaning, going to Wal-Mart, and maybe cooking for the only times during the week. I try to sneak in a run or at least a walk on those days. Then Wednesday-Saturday is a whirlwind trying to work and take care of my boys. I have a couple late nights where I don't even see Jonah before he goes to bed (I do, however, see him around 11 pm and 5 am and sometimes he'll even throw in a 2 am) :( I certainly don't like that, but its not an all the time thing and I am thankful that I have a job in this economy.

I am excited to see Jonah dressed up for his first Halloween. Its kinda strange for a 9 month old to go trick or treating when he has no idea what candy is...unfortunately his momma and daddy do. I can feel the need for a candy intervention coming at the Woody household.

Happy Fall Y'all!

2009-09-28T22:20:00.007-05:00

It's been a whirlwind of a weekend! Jeremy and I spent the week slowly getting our house together for our church group to come over for "Movie Night on the Lawn." More like "Redneck Drive-in." We basically set up a makeshift movie screen on our house and turn on a projector and watch a movie. Everyone brings food, lawn chairs, and blankets. We had about 20 people, kids included. It was a success!

We watched "Race to Witch Mountain" with The Rock. We needed a family friendly movie. I can never calm down enough to actually watch the movie.

Jamie modeling her (my-ha!) warm jacket and fuzzy blanket-two must haves for Saturday night. It was chilly!

The guys usually shoot skeet before we eat. I guess they have a lot of fun doing that. They also throw a football around until we beg them to come in and eat before the food gets too cold.

That's a really far off picture of the guys in our backyard shooting things.

We ate a plethora of mexican casseroles, dips, and desserts. I made a recipe I saw from Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life-Dinner Recipes Post. It was for Mexican Cornbread Casserole. I liked it, I think I may have to throw that one in the dinner rotation. I also got lots of new dinner recipes to try out. I also tried Paula Deen's Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies.

No this is not an actual picture of the ones I made.

This is Paula Deen's picture. I omitted the pecans. I'm sure they woulda been good, but not sure how many people like nuts. My cookies were much uglier, but it didn't matter because they were gone very quickly. I heart red velvet anything and when I was looking up this picture to show I saw a recipe for Red Velvet Bread Pudding. Um, I will be making that.

Here's some more pics from the par-tay!Becky, Sadie, and Katy- two of Farmington school's finest teachers

Brittney and her two kiddos. Let me say I am impressed that she can carry them both. I better start building my arm muscles for the days when I (hopefully) have more than one baby

This is Jonah on the right with his buddy, Aaron. Aaron is 6 weeks older than Jonah. They are becoming quick buddies.

An action shot of me and a spoon!

I would have loaded many more pictures of you guys (thanks Jamie and Nick for the pictures...I obviously stole them from your Facebook page!) but it takes forever to load them and move them where I want 'em. I lost patience!!

I am headed down to Little Rock tomorrow for the Dave Matthews Band concert. I will probably be driving down and back in one day. I just can't stand to be away from my fam too long these days (I haven't left Jonah overnight yet...I know I'm working on it.) I better head to bed or I will be doing this tomorrow:

Goodnight Y'all!

2009-09-21T20:25:00.009-05:00

It is really storming outside tonight. Well by now the loss of the Razorbacks has sunk in. I just thought I'd show you a pic of my two cuties in their Razorback gear.

Saturday Jeremy, Jonah and I headed to our friends house for the game. I am sorry, but I am not much of a football fan. I know people don't understand that. I can appreciate a Razorback game, but I'm not going to watch it on my own. Anyway, at the Froud's house, I dropped off my boys, and left with the other wives for a great dinner at Noodles. It was really good for us girls to get to eat and talk without the kids. And there was no wait whatsoever!

Then Sunday morning our church hosted a speaker from the State Baptist Convention who spoke on stewardship. We learned a lot about our finances. I am really excited to put to practice what we learned.

I am still working on Jonah's costume. I have the bodice done, I just need to finish the paws, the tail and the hood. Those parts have all the cute details like the white fur that makes it really look like a skunk!

Here are the bibs I put iron -on letters on. (I don't know why this picture loaded sideways). I had put Jonah or his initials on so many of them, I had run out of those letters. So I tried to think of other phrases to use up some letters.

I've also decided against making Jonah a trick-or-treat bag. Instead I decided to buy a bag and decorate it with fabric and ribbon. I will also probably get his name embroidered on it. These are my latest projects. I usually get to work on them in the evenings while Jonah sleeps. Jeremy usually mows the lawn, catches up on his shows, or does this: Seriously, I did not set this picture up. He fell asleep this way. I was reading a magazine on the other couch and glanced over at him to see if he was nodding off...and he was...like this. He had no idea I took his picture until later when I showed it to him.

Jonah has been teething again. He has one upper front tooth poking through and I'm sure the other upper front tooth is soon to come. He hasn't slept well in the last two weeks. He also hasn't taken a bottle in the last week and a half or so. Im trying to work with him on using a sippy cup. He will nurse when I'm home, and eats baby food while I'm at work, but has refused bottles when my mom tries to give them to him. It worries me, but he certainly isn't losing any weight from it. I do think it keeps him waking up during the night to eat though. This momma hasn't gotten a full night of sleep in over 8 months, but honestly I'm used to it. He is so happy during the day and is a pretty easy going baby. If not sleeping well is the trade-off for a happy-go-lucky baby, then I'll take it. My mom said I didn't sleep or eat much as a baby and the doctor told her not to worry about it as long as I was growing properly and seemed happy. I'm pretty ok today, so I try not to worry!

What you talkin' 'bout Willis?

For all of you out there who tune into my blog to see what Jonah is up to, here are two videos for your viewing enjoyment. I LOOOOVE to hear him laugh. And no one can make him laugh like his daddy.

I sure wish I knew how to edit out my voice!!

This pretty well gets me caught up! I hope this will get Jonah's Mimi, Aunt Laura, Sissy, Aunt Nat, Aunt Kris, Katy, and Keely through until our next installment! We miss you!

Midweek blurb

2009-09-01T22:14:00.003-05:00

I know I promised you Jeremy's baby pictures. Hopefully this week I will get them scanned in. While I research which 3-in-1 printer to buy, I wanted to leave you with this.

http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

It is hilarity. The blog title says "When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hilariously Wrong". Is it sad to say that I spent some (ahem!) time Friday night looking at all the pictures and laughing out loud by myself? I just love the ways that these people screw up cakes and still try to sell them. Sunday's blog post is reserved for good professional cakes. That's fun to see too, but the bad ones make me laugh. Out loud. By myself. I think it's the commentary that makes it so funny to me. If you don't think its as funny as I do...well, my hubby tells me I have a 'different' sense of humor.

Here's my next sewing project!

Jonah is going to be the skunk in the bottom left corner. I have all the pieces cut out. Now to start piecing them together. I wonder how long Jonah will let his momma make stuff for him.

I will post pictures as I progress on his costume. Hope yall are having a good week!

Who does he favor? Part I

2009-08-25T16:26:00.001-05:00

What do you think? I think Jonah favors his daddy a lot. Then sometimes when I see pictures of my brother as a baby I think he favors him. I guess it is possible that he looks like both.

Here's Darren and I. I am not sure how old we are...Darren is probably 5 or 6 and me somewhere around 1 or 2. I think Jonah favors me in this picture! Of course I look like a little boy, so that could be why!

Darren again around 1 or so. I wasn't even a glimmer in my mama's eye yet, and Jonah certainly wasn't a glimmer in anyone's eye yet! I still see some similarities.

Here's Darren at Easter. I'm guessing around age 2 or 3. So cute and so Jonah-like!

I just included this shot of Darren because he was walking at 9 1/2 months old. I also like the pic of my dad in the background. Mom said I walked at 11 months and I am just fine if Jonah waits a little longer. Of course I want him to be in the normal range, as early or late as that may be, but mama needs some time to get used to "crawling Jonah" before he becomes "walking Jonah."

I will have to scan in some pictures of Jeremy soon and you will see the resemblance to him too. I really don't care who he looks like, it's just fun to see these old pictures!

He's creeping...

2009-08-20T19:42:00.004-05:00

I am about to be in trouble...

Don't you think? He's going to be into it all and fast at it!

Don't you just love a baby in pajamas?

I'm not tired, mom!

The reason he's so drooly? Check out those two bottom teeth.So Moms out there...when did you give your baby teething biscuits? Puffs? Anything other than baby food? Ive been reading up on it and it seems like it I should be giving him lumpier textured foods, but he acts like he doesn't like the chunkier foods. I'm sure he's just not used to it, but I wondered at what age are they ready to start mashing food.

I Don't

2009-08-19T21:09:00.006-05:00

I've sat idly by and watched as Jenna over at Jenna's Journey has done her "I Don't" Wednesday. I've thought about participating, I've started to participate, but finally I have decided to play along. I honestly have a hard time coming up with things I Don't do...but I'll manage.

I don't like a tangled mess of sheets on my bed when I get in them at night. It makes me crazy.

I don't like to make phone calls. I have to make myself answer my phone sometimes. Don't take it personally, its not you, its me.

I don't like sweet pickles. My husband's grandma makes her own and I hear they're wonderful, but I don't like 'em. I try them every year and nope, nothing has changed yet. Ditto on salmon and mushrooms.

I don't play games. I don't want to hop in on a game of basketball or volleyball. I am not interested in throwing a ball around the pool. I don't want to play the Wii. I'm sorry, its just not fun to me.

I don't like putting away laundry after its folded, or putting away the groceries. Those are just pet peeve chores that I don't particularly like!

I don't ever want to go back to school! I'm done with that chapter of my life (hopefully)!

Jonah pics galore!

2009-08-12T21:10:00.009-05:00

I am a little behind. I have to say our summer has been busy. The weeks fly by to me. I feel like I finally get to the weekend and then it flies by too. I can't believe summer is coming to an end and I only have gotten in the pool twice. I keep telling myself that next summer I won't have a 6 month old and I can possibly enjoy the pool more! I know it will be harder to keep up with that little guy and I will not get any less busy. That's life.

What have we been up to lately? Well Jonah has hit a few milestones. We are eating baby food. I have made a little myself, but most of it I buy. He likes most everything, but does not seem to like peaches. I don't know why anyone wouldn't like a peach, but I will give him the right to not like it.This boy does like prunes. Everyone makes a face when they see he's eating them, but they're good for him and he likes 'em, so prunes it is! I mixed some avocado and bananas together and it really tasty, but he wasn't quite sure of the texture yet. I probably should have pureed it, but I just mashed. We'll try that again later!

He is also sitting up some. He is not so great at it for long periods of time, but for a few seconds he's got it! ha!Here Jonah receives some balancing help from the boppy and his toy basket!

Jonah has also been attempting to crawl. For the longest time, he would pivot on his stomach, then this past weekend, he started what my husband calls the inchworm. He pulls his knees up under him then tries to move his hands forward. I guess its a sort of army crawl.
Just put something in front of this baby he wants...and bam! he will inchworm on over to it. He's such a little man, he inches for the remote control, our cellphones, and the computer. He also loves to play in the basket that holds diapers in the living room.
Little guy also has a tooth. It is barely pushing through and it is giving him some real trouble. He hasn't slept well in the last week or so, which makes it hard on his momma! I am not a morning person anyway, but after a long night, all I can think is....coffee.

Jeremy and I have gotten our gym membership up and running again. I had been wondering how I was gonna make that work. So yesterday I took Jonah with me in the jogging stroller. By mile 2, he was snoozing.Yea! He likes the stroller for longer than 10 minutes now!

Now that I've gotten you caught up on Jonah, I'll catch you up on me. Yesterday after Jeremy met Jonah and I at the gym, he left earlier than us. When he got out to the parking lot he called me and asked me if I had my keys. I said that I did and he said, "well it doesn't do you that much good to lock your car and leave the back hatch open."
duh...
Yes I had gotten the jogging stroller out of the car and left the back hatch wide open. For over an hour. I guess I had other things on my mind. I am my mother's daughter (I only say that because not long ago, she left her car door wide open in a hotel parking lot and Jeremy just happened to walk by, see it, and close it for her.) Sorry to tell on you Mom.

Now that we've gotten Jonah sleeping in his own bed and in bed earlier, I've been able to do some sewing. I just finished some curtains for the living room and some bibs for Jonah.
I need some other ideas on craft projects for a boy. I've made bibs, burp cloths, peepee teepees and blankets. I can't paint or anything like that, so that's out of the picture. Anyone have any ideas? I'll be working on his Halloween costume soon!

On another note, Annual Girl's Weekend is coming up. This is the weekend when my two best friend's come up from Bryant to stay with me for a weekend. We spend all our time catching up, shopping, and eating. I CAN'T wait.

I hope you guys have had a great summer! I hope to catch up more often than this...I know I always say that, but I really mean it!

A few photos and a link you should visit

2009-07-14T21:25:00.003-05:00

We are trying baby food now! We started today tasting a few things. This is the face he gave me after his first bite of peas.

That is his opinion on pears! He seemed to like food! We'll see if we find anything he doesn't like. I think I might puree my own baby food when possible. Today I made him some sweet potatoes and froze it in small portions. Hopefully I can keep up with it.
This picture is a few weeks ago. Jonah had his first dip in Mimi and Grandpa's pool. He did really well. I was very surprised that he didn't even cry a little bit getting into the colder water. He would sit in his floaty thing and kick his feet and splash with his hands.
This is Jonah jumping in his jumperoo. I put him in the bathroom doorway while I get ready.
Here's me and Jonah. I took this picture, so it's not that great, but it's one of the few I have with me in it.

We have completed a week of teaching Jonah to sleep in his bed. He has done very well. He is still getting used to a schedule, but I think in another week or so he'll have it down. The only thing we struggle with is that he is still waking up every two to three hours. He goes back down pretty easily, but it's like his body is just used to waking up that often. He is in a habit of eating at night. A book I read suggests just slowly cutting short the nursing sessions by 2 minutes every night and I guess letting him cry for the rest of the times he wakes up. What would/did you do?I don't know if he will ever sleep through the night!
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Please stop by my mother in law's blog. She is in Little Rock undergoing treatment at UAMS for Multiple Myeloma. She is going through some pretty intense therapy that includes chemo, stem cell growth shots, fluids ran through her kidneys daily through a port in her chest, and several other drug therapies that go along with it. Many days she is very tired and run down as they spend long hours at the hospital. UAMS is the premier location for treatment of Multiple Myeloma in the United States and maybe even the world. She is doing well, but I know this is taxing on her emotionally and physically. She is blogging about her journey. She will be in Little Rock for perhaps several months. So stop by her blog, say hi, and catch up on the details. The family has taken shifts to be with her there. Jeremy, Jonah, and I were able to go down over 4th of July. Jeremy is headed down tomorrow for a day or two until his dad can make it down for the end of the week/weekend. I know she misses Jonah, but right now, her immunity is down and she can't be around too many people, so we will wait until she can be around more people. I just wanted to address it because many of you know what she's going through, but may not have known she has a blog and you can follow her journey. She's a strong woman and she will come through this with God's help and unconditional love. We love her to pieces!

Catch Up

2009-07-06T22:03:00.005-05:00

Yes I know I've been absent for awhile. I guess I just haven't been able to balance being a mom, working almost full-time, and blogging. I am getting better and better at it, and some days are easier than others, for sure. I actually can get some dinner cooked sometimes.

Jonah is almost 6 months old now. I cannot believe that it has gone by so fast. We will be starting baby food soon. Now we're just trying to perfect cereal!
This is how we look every night when we eat cereal. Needless to say Jonah gets a bath next.
Here Jonah is doing his most favorite pasttime. He loves his jumper. He smiles the whole time he's in it.
Ok, so maybe I'm partial, but he is the cutest, roly-polyest little thing. I love every inch of cellulite and fat rolls!
He's getting good at rolling over and trying to get mobile. He rotates on his belly. I have no idea how long it takes of rocking and trying to get his knees up under him until he can actually crawl, but he's trying!
When we first found out Jonah was a boy, we set out to buy him his first pair of Wranglers. He can finally wear them. I think they're so funny.
Here's my boy asleep in the morning in our bed. Yes he sleeps in our bed. That's how it has been since he was younger and would not sleep much at all. Well tonight we decided that the every 2 hr wakings and the 1 1/2 hrs of trying to get him to sleep in the first place are over. Hopefully by the end of the week he will be done with his sleep training. We are going by the The Sleepeasy Solution. It basically says we do a modified 'cry it out.' We let him cry while coming in at designated increments of time and reassuring him. The first time we put him down tonight it took him less that 30 minutes, then he woke up an hour later and cried for almost an hour. IT IS KILLING US. But we both know that what we were doing wasn't working, so we had to make a change. He's one of those kids who doesn't like to sleep and won't. You can barely get him to sleep while he's in your arms and forget trying to put him down. Ain't gonna happen. Anyway, I'm in for a night of this. Hopefully it gets better??? Has anyone out there had to do this? Heaven knows, I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't feel like I HAD to.

I better run before he wakes up, since I'm supposed to wake him to feed him, instead of him waking up on his own and getting fed.

This post will catch me up on what's been going on. I will post (hopefully) soon to update you on our weekend and what else is going on in our world!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T09:41:00.003-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!

It has been a really good weekend. Friday night we went over to our friend's house to cook out. We hung out with James and Jessica and their little girl Addison. Our other friends, Lyndsey and Dean, and their little boy Hudson, joined us. It was fun watching the kids play while we had some good food.

The whale is on the belly of Jonah this time.

Saturday I worked and Jeremy and Jonah met me in town so we could finish up some shopping. I'm looking for a wedding outfit for my sister's wedding in a couple weeks. Jeremy and I decided to go to Venetian Inn in Tontitown to eat for my Mother's Day meal. It was really good, except Jonah decided to get really hungry and not want his bottle. So I headed outside to the car to feed him the ole fashioned way. So we ate our meals separately! That's life when you have a 4 month old (who now weighs 15 lbs 3 oz and is 24 1/2 inches long!)!

Jeremy could not wait until Mother's Day to give me my gift, so he gave it to me Saturday night. He got me a mother's ring. It is a simple band with Jonah's name on it. I love it. I was impressed because he quietly borrowed a ring that I usually wear on my right hand to get the size for my new ring. Very smart on his part. Then Saturday night after I put Jonah to bed, Jeremy took my car and completely cleaned it from head to toe. It is soooo nice. It hasn't been that clean in years!

Then Sunday we headed to church and over to the Woody side for lunch. They all fawned over Jonah, so I got to eat my lunch without holding a baby. How blessed we are to have so many people who love our baby boy. After that Jeremy, Jonah, and I headed home for a nap! We all slept about two hours. I had to wake Jonah up because it was getting late in the afternoon and I was afraid I would never get him to sleep at night.

It was a wonderful First Mother's Day. I still don't feel like a mom. I feel like Jonah's caretaker, but not quite a mom yet. Surely that will come. Last year at Mother's Day, I was in the dreaded two week wait. We found out May 14 that we were pregnant. I remember that complete nervousness I felt all night long that night before I was to have the blood test. I remember getting blood drawn and thinking, "I could be pregnant right this second." Then the phone call that confirmed it. What a happy day. This time last year I was still taking shots of Progesterone to maintain the pregnancy, but I will tell you every 5 a.m. shot I had to take was worth it. I can't believe in a year so much could change.Here's a little tidbit to leave you with. This is a picture of Jonah getting his first meal of rice cereal. I think he wore as much as he ate. He seemed to like it though. Isn't he chubby? We have to take a bath each time we eat cereal!

His future's so bright, he's gotta wear shades

2009-04-13T22:03:00.006-05:00

What do you think of Jonah's sunglasses? We can't wait until we can go swimming this summer! Can we get rid of this dreary weather already?

Jonah's great aunt Hanne and great uncle Don sent him this hand crocheted outfit and blanket. I put it on him the other day and had a little photo shoot. (I am an awful photographer, but my subject matter is worth the attempt.)
Love that tongue sticking out!
Love that dimple! He got that from me and I believe I got it from my dad.

Here's our Easter picture at church. Jonah had a cute little sweater vest and he wore the shoes that have his name and birthdate embossed on the bottom. His great grandma Walker got him those. Jonah also turned 12 weeks on Easter Sunday. He has just about grown out of his 0-3 month clothes, but his feet aren't even close to outgrowing a size 1 shoe. Go figure.
Yes Laura, this is your dress. :) I bought an Easter dress from Target, but last minute that morning I thought it didn't fit right. I needed navy blue to match the rest of the fam, so I pulled this one out of the closet. It worked well. Hey at least the cardigan is new.

My birthday was earlier this month and Jeremy and I went here:
We both had one of these:And this:
Mmmmm...the memories of that meal still linger. That steak was melt-in-your-mouth good. And the creme brulee? Slap-your-grandma good. (Sorry grandma.) I would love to be able to make it at home, but me, with a blow torch? Even the kitchen variety...I would burn down my house...(for those who know that I kinda already have done that...HUSH!)

I had a great birthday. I still have a little bit to spend on a Gap giftcard and I am looking forward to it. My sis-in-law got me a ticket to see Legally Blonde at the Walton Arts Center. I am sooo looking forward to that.

I must run, Jonah is ready for bed! Good Night. I will be back sooner this time, I promise!

Back at Work

2009-03-24T18:20:00.006-05:00

It has been quite awhile since I've posted. It's not just because I'm busy, it's because I don't have much new to report! It is busy around our house. I am often impressed with other moms who figure out how to sew, paint, scrapbook, etc. and take care of a baby! I haven't gotten that figured out yet!

Jonah is a little over 9 weeks. At his 8 week checkup he was 12 lbs 10 oz and 23 inches long! I think he is even heavier this week! He is a bona fide chubby baby! I love it. I definitely don't see the newborn baby in him anymore! He seems sooo much older than that! ha!
Remember how I said I was going to get more pictures of me and Jonah? Well, here's one. The only one we've managed to take! You think I could manage any more of a fake smile?

Last Wednesday was my first day back at work. I was a little nervous about that transition, but honestly, was so busy I didn't have much time to dwell on it! My mom and Jeremy's mom are watching Jonah for us. Saturdays are daddy days. I did not cry at all leaving him...I was a little worried I might! I was confident in who I was leaving him with and knew he would have a good time. I was a bit concerned because he hasn't mastered eating from a bottle. He prefers me. :) We started to give him a bottle once in a while when he was 3 weeks, like they recommend. He took it ok then, but since then, it has been hit and miss. One Saturday at home with Jeremy he took it like a champ, then the next one, not so much. Well last week was about the same way. The first day he really didn't take one until later in the day and then only ate a few ounces. Of course he marathon nurses when I get home. The second day he ate much better. The third day was a change of scenery with his other grandma and he didn't take much that day either. I read up on it and most places say not to worry too much, that some babies will reverse cycle. They will not eat much during the day and then make up for it at night when mom is available. Anyone have any ideas on how to get a baby to take a bottle better? I have tried 3 different bottles, maybe I should try more?

Anyhow, my week back at work was great otherwise. I dropped a day from my schedule so I am at home 3 days with Jonah and work 4. I enjoyed seeing my customers that I haven't seen in awhile. I love being busy, it makes the day fly by. I am also loving this spring weather. I'm slowly getting my running routine together. I can't wait to take Jonah with me some.
Look at that cutie! He is so smiley lately. I love it. Our little hog fan all dressed up for Will and Krissi's little girl's birthday party! Shout out to Aunt Kara for buying Jonah his longsleeved baseball onesie! I love little man clothes!
Here's Jonah's favorite time of the day. He is all smiles and laughs in the bath. He likes to sit caddywampus like this in his bathtub. He will appreciate this picture when I show it to his girlfriend when he's 16.

Prayer Requests:
My friend and co-worker just had her baby Friday. He had a slight raise in his white count levels and was put on an antibiotic to fight infection. I believe they have discovered a hole in his heart and are considering transferring him to Arkansas Childrens Hospital. I haven't gotten an update from them yet, but I read up on that condition and it sounds like it can be repaired and full recovery expected. I know this is a stressful time for them and I pray for a quick diagnosis and treatment and a peace that passes all understanding for them.

And also pray for MckMama and her baby boy, Stellan.

Diggin a ditch, some visitors and Idol

2009-03-04T09:55:00.005-06:00

It doesn't seem like much has been going on lately, but the week has flown by, so I guess its been pretty busy.

Since the sell of some of our land, we have to move our water line. We require about 1300 feet of water line to get to our house from the road. So Jeremy spent Saturday and Sunday digging the ditch. What a great couple days to choose! It was freezing and snowing all day Saturday and pretty cold Sunday, but the majority of the digging is done! Poor guy, the weather is supposed to be great this weekend, but I have to work Saturday, so he has daddy duty. (I hate when people call it babysitting, it's his child, and I don't pay him!:))
I headed to Sam's on Saturday to get some stuff for the salon. I bundled Jonah up and set out. Ok maybe he didn't love the hat when I first put it on.

And then he fell asleep. I love dressing this kid up. He did so well at Sam's. I put him in the snugli and he slept the whole time. I wrapped a blanket around him and put the cutest mittens on him.
Monday my bff, Natalie came up with her two kids, Parker and Maggie, from Bryant to see us. They got here around 3:30 on Monday afternoon and we set out to Mad Pizza for dinner. I had baked potato pizza. It was interesting. It was fun for me to get out of the house some and hang out with my friend. If I hang around the house for too many days in a row...I get blah. I don't even know it...it sneaks up on me.Anyway, they all spent the night with us. There's a pic of the kids in their pajamas. We woke up Tuesday morning, got ready, and headed to the mall. No, we did not make it into many stores. Did we care? No. Didn't have much money for clothes anyway and I'm hoping to lose a few lbs more. We hit the candy store and the play area and it was fun. I am so ready for spring. It makes me feel better to see spring clothes out in all the stores. I get excited when I think of taking Jonah swimming at Mimi's pool. I hope he likes the water. He loves the bath, but that water is warm!

Here's Natalie and I after a long day and a nap.I almost look as tall as she is! woohoo. My hair does look like I've got it styled in a butt-cut though. I don't. The gray roots are kickin though. I am gonna color it myself tonight, hopefully I'll feel like myself again after that. Maybe.

Did yall watch American Idol last night? Who do you think is going thru? I like Lil Rounds of course. How could you not? The Puerto Rican guy (cannot remember his name??) was great and it was so sweet when he said he was so emotional he couldn't think in English. I also liked the girl that they kicked off and called back. She hit a few bum notes, but overall did well, and has an interesting voice. I am ready to see who they will wildcard back into the competition. I hope they bring Anoop back. And maybe the tatooed girl who did the funny twisty dance constantly. Do yall know who I'm talking about? Who are your picks for this week and wildcard?

More pics and an award!

2009-02-25T14:10:00.003-06:00

Here he is snoozing in his snugli- the front/backpack. He really likes it. He gets to walk around with me while I'm putting away dishes or trying to get ready. Last night Jeremy and I made an outing to WalMart. We either had to both push a cart or one cart and the stroller. We went with the stroller and the cart. Jeremy got the stroller. We didn't get past the produce section until Mr Jonah was done with the carseat. (Not a fan of the carseat.) So Jeremy took him out and carried him around and just pushed the stroller the whole time. Next time I am proposing we/I bring the snugli. I think he would be just fine in it while I shop! I have a sling and he doesn't seem to like it yet. I think its because he's laying down in it and his face is kinda covered up. Maybe I don't have the right one? Any suggestions?

Aunt Kara bought Jonah a baseball onesie for Arkansas Baseball season! Its so cute and fits perfectly! Thanks!
Jeremy was working nearby our house, so he came by for a quick lunch. Those are my guys!
Here's my baby boy napping yesterday. I realized I hadn't taken many pictures in the last week or so. I don't have any pictures of me and Jonah together since the hospital really! So I am going to work on that. Usually when I'm home I'm dressed in pajamas or loungey clothes. I don't get to fix my hair as often as I'd like, so I usually don't volunteer for many pictures.

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Guess What?

I got an award!

Bloggers who show great attitude and gratitude. What you have to do...upon receiving The Lemonade Award, you pass it on to other bloggers who you think show great attitude and gratitude.
Catherine gave me a blog award! Yea! She is my husband's first cousin's wife...or really we're cousins-in-law? She really knows how to turn lemons into lemonade! She has a positive outlook and a faith in Jesus all can see. Thanks!

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Nominate 8 other blogs which show great attitude and or gratititude.

3. Link to the nominees.

4. Let them know by leaving them a comment.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your reward.

I nominate:

Natalie
Kristen
Bethany
Katie
Sara
Jen
Jenna
Mary Kate

25 Random Things

2009-02-24T16:08:00.004-06:00

Ok I've seen many of you do this post...and I never did because I didn't think I could think of 25 things! We'll see how I do:

Jeremy and I were talking about it the other day and I was amazed to realize we've been together 9 years. Two years dating and 7 years of marriage in May. Crazy.
I love Law & Order CI and SVU, The Closer, Bones, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Apparently I only like crime or medical dramas. What does that say about me?
I'm a hairstylist and really want to color my hair auburn, but I'm too scared! How many times have I convinced customers not to be scared to do something different, but I'm too wimpy to!
I have more gray hair than someone my age usually has. It is heredity...I got it from both sides of the family. But my brother is 4 years older than me and barely has any gray at all. NOT FAIR.
I was a competitive gymnast as a child. I quit when it stopped being fun.
I would love to perform on Broadway...if only I could sing better!
Jonah was born two days after my brother-in-law's birthday and two days before my niece's birthday.
I ate eggplant Parmesan and Mexican food for dinner the two nights before I went into labor.
I worried before Jonah was born that I would be a bad mother because I can't keep plants alive and the only two pets I've ever had have met unfortunate early deaths (that broke my heart).
I love food and love to cook. If I could, I would go to culinary school.
I love to travel, but it doesn't look like I'll be going far for a year or so...but he's worth it!
I prefer to keep in shape by running, but am finding my motivation hard to come by since Jonah's birth.
I am still good friends with girls I have known since 5th grade. My family moved a lot during my early elementary years, so I never had a friend since birth, but these girls are close enough!
I find brushing my teeth to be a total bummer of a chore. I only do it because I have to and because of morning breath. If it wasn't socially unacceptable and my teeth wouldn't rot, I would consider not doing it.
I love ice cream, french fries, fried chicken, cookies, and ranch dressing. These things God himself sent to earth for me. :)
If Jonah had been a girl she would have been named Clara May.
There's nothing better than a just bathed baby and nothing sweeter than a yawning baby.
I love coffee, but have gotten out of the habit of drinking it every day because of being pregnant and now nursing. I miss it!
I have a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from the U of A. Two years after I graduated I decided to go to beauty school and the rest is history!
I've only had two cars in my life. I drove the one I had at 16 until I was 23 and still drive the one I got then. (It's paid off....fingers crossed that it lasts a little longer!)
I have a sister and two brothers. Our birth order is boy, girl, boy girl. I am the youngest.
My sister was 12 when I was born and I was 12 when her daughter was born. She got strange looks when she would babysit me and I got the same looks when I would babysit her daughter. People really thought at 12 we were the mother!
When I was a teenager I thought I would move to New York City and work as a magazine editor. I never imagined that I would live on some land in the country with a farmboy who wanted cattle and horses, but here I am! And I love it!
I got very close to going to the University of Missouri Columbia for journalism. I decided on the U of A pretty late in the game. I know it was God's will, because I met my husband while I was in college, got married two weeks after I graduated, and have stayed in NWA since.
I love to sew, but am still a beginner. My mom leads me through everything I sew. I have really enjoyed her living close to me because I get lessons on all those things (sewing, cooking, making pie crust, etc) that I didn't pick up before I left home for college.

Good Food and Selling Some Land

2009-02-18T11:37:00.002-06:00

Great Grandma Walker and Jonah.

Since Jonah's been born, Jeremy and I haven't seen his grandma much. We, of course, have been busier than usual! :) So she invited us over for dinner Monday night. You do not turn down a Grandma Walker meal. We had roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, corn, rolls, and blackberry cobbler! So good. She got some good Great Grandma-Jonah time in. He was asleep almost the whole time we were there. We passed him around several times and he barely opened an eye. Of course, he was awake later that night for mommy! :) He slept until about 11 pm and then was awake until almost 3 am. He was a bit fussy, his belly was hurting him some.

Speaking of, I read up on the evening gassy, fussy baby thing. They said basically that its very common for young babies to fuss in the evening. They gave lots of ideas for calming baby. I also read that they haven't proven that baby gets gassy from foods mom eats. They said its very rare for a baby to have a reaction and it would be because of a food allergy more than likely. Breastmilk is produced by what is in mom's blood and not her gut, so really food shouldn't cause gas in the baby. Go figure. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. They said babies get gassy and fussy because of their immature digestive system, too much air in the tummy from nursing, pacifiers, crying, and maybe even the need to be held and coddled. This is all from www.kellymom.com. Also apparently its common for babies to cluster nurse in the evening. I know my Jonah does that some nights. I feel like its impossible for him to still be hungry, and maybe he is hungry and perhaps he just needs to nurse to soothe. I felt much better reading all this, so I thought I would share for those of you out there who are moms to babes about Jonah's age.

I am happy to say we closed on the sale of our land yesterday. We sold 6.5 acres to a nice family. We still have 4.5 acres with our house and we were pleasantly surprised how much that was when they marked it off. They are going to build a house and have a horse or horses (I'm not sure how many.) I loooove horses, so hopefully they wont care if I pet them through the fence. Ha! My husband laughs at me because I run out here on our road and stop from time to time and talk to and pet all our neighbor's horses. We have lots of neighbors with them. They're so sweet! Anyway, the sale of our land came just at the right time with the new baby and all the expenses that come along with him. The Lord had a plan all along!

Hope you're enjoying your Wednesday, can't believe the week is already half over!

Valentine's Day update

2009-02-16T14:37:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Jonah spent the evening with Mimi and Grandpa while we had a date night for Valentine's Day. Look at the cute bears that Jonah got from Mimi and Grandpa.
I think he was really interested in that little dog!

Of course he's a dog person! He got that from his momma and daddy! ha! Jeremy and I headed to Noodles. We got there at 5 p.m. and the foyer was already packed! The other restaurants we passed on our way there were packed too. Olive Garden had people sitting outside waiting for a table already. And it was cold last night. I'd rather eat at McDonalds on V-Day than wait outside for an hour. Anyway we did wait at Noodles, but only about 25 minutes or so. And we got to sit while we waited. Inside. My kind of dining. :)

We left there and headed to Old Navy to spend a gift card that Jonah received. He got a pair of jeans and a pair of khaki pants. He just has to grow a little bit more so he can fit into them. After that we went and got my pedicure! It was wonderful and I was in serious need! Jeremy just waited for me and played on my iphone. It was nice to get to hang out with him and get my toes done at the same time.

Today I got brave and let Jonah nap in his crib. I got the monitor up and running and he did great. I may put him in there at night soon. I've been keeping him in a bassinet in our bedroom or sleeping with him on the couch all night long. Maybe those days are over! Maybe. Then we tried out our baby backpack. Well he was in front, but he kinda whined a little bit at first, then fell asleep in it. So maybe that counts as him liking it.

I head back to work Saturday for a day. I will work this Saturday all day and then I'll be off again until Saturday March 7 when I'll do the same thing. Then back to work for good the week of March 17. It has gone by so fast. Going back to work will be a real transition time. I am used to working late most nights. I'm not sure how I will feel trying to work those late hours! I'll be missing my boys at home. I know Jonah will be in good hands with my mom and MIL tag-teaming his care. I worry more about Jonah being spoiled! :)

I have a question about nursing. What foods have you found have made your baby fussy? I am trying to figure this one out. Jonah will have days it seems like his belly hurts him and days he is completely fine. I don't think its a reflux thing, I think its more air in his belly or a food I'm eating that doesn't sit well with him. I thought it was milk at first, but I've had days that I've drank milk and it doesn't bother him...hmmmm... And have I mentioned how much I really dread pumping! It is a good thing to be able to do that. It is nice to have the milk stored and be able to be away from baby for a few hours if need be, but it is a chore to me. Total chore. Of course I'll keep doing it, but I'll keep not liking it too. I better get used to it because I'll be doing it a lot at work!

Now that I've rambled on and on, I will go. We are going to Great Grandma Walker's house for dinner tonight. That will be some good food. Have a great Monday!

Week 3 of Jonah's life

2009-02-13T15:48:00.005-06:00

Look at my little man all dressed up! Ok he's not so dressed up, but he's stylin' in his tie. We've had some late nights with Mr. Jonah. He sleeps well during the day and then it seems like some nights he gets a tummy ache and can't really sleep until, oh, 1, or 2, or 3 a.m. I understand that's just what it's like having a newborn. I think I have just started to wonder if I am doing something wrong. Then I tell myself you can't expect your 3 week old to be on a schedule! That will come later! (Please tell me I'm right!) The day before yesterday, Jonah nursed a lot all day long and didn't sleep well. I could barely put him down all day long. Then yesterday he made up for that lost sleep. He slept so well that I was afraid we'd be up all night. He did wake up for a couple hours later in the evening around 10. I think it was around midnight when he fell asleep again. I missed pumping last night because I was just too tired to do it at midnight. Anyway, he slept until my husband was up getting ready for work around 5ish. I was pumped! 5 hours! People talk about their babies sleeping through the night and I was starting to think my Jonah might not do that for awhile. But to me 5 hrs straight is heaven. He had been waking up every 2 hours or so from the start of the previous feeding...which is really about 1.5 hours of sleep in between. So I was pretty pumped this morning! It may not happen again for several weeks, but at least I know its possible!

How could you not love this cuddly thing? I fall more and more in love with him every day. There's nothing sweeter than listening to those cute sounds he makes while he's feeding or watching him smile while he sleeps. We got his newborn pictures taken last Monday evening. They turned out so well! Check out the proofs here. Amber Lanning took them for us and she has a little preview on her blog too. How do you choose which ones to buy?

So what are you guys doing for Valentine's Day? I think the hubby and I might make it out to eat. Jonah will be staying with his Mimi for the first time. I asked for a pedicure for Valentine's Day so maybe I can sneak that in too while we're out. I don't even know where we'll go to eat, because we haven't made reservations and I'm sure it will be hard to get into restaurants. Is there anywhere any of you suggest? I can't wait to dress up Jonah in his heartbreaker onesie for V-day. I'll be sure to take pics!

Now that it's a little easier to get out and about with the baby, I hope to have many more pictures! There's just only so many pics you can take in your house on the couch! Speaking of being on the couch...I am almost ready to get my rear off of it and get back to running. Hopefully sometime next week I will motivate myself to do just that. Things are a little different on this ole body so we'll see how well I can get to moving. Have a great holiday! I can't wait to hear about your V-day!

Happy (Belated) 2 weeks Jonah!

2009-02-03T17:19:00.005-06:00

Sunday was Jonah's two week birthday. We celebrated his second week of life with a lovely ice storm that claimed our electricity. Of course most of NWA was in the dark, not just me, but we just got power on Sunday evening. So ours was a little slow getting turned back on.

In the meantime, we spent a few dark nights with Jeremy's parents. Luckily Jeremy was able to borrow a generator from his boss and we had heat, the blower from the wood-burning fireplace, and some lights. We then relocated to my mom's house, who only lost electricity for about three hours Tuesday night. I felt bad because she has two dogs who are like her kids and I wasn't quite sure about a newborn and a couple dogs, but my mom kept them penned up. She didn't complain once about it. I figure we'll introduce the dogs and Jonah at a later time. So we just got back into our house Monday night.

The most annoying thing about the electricity being out for almost a week? We lost everything in our fridge and freezer. It was full of food. My mom had just gone to the grocery store for us. We had tons of leftovers from the lovely people who brought us dinners. Its all gone. On the upside, I do have a very clean refrigerator now.Look at that face! We can't decide who he looks like. At times I think there are qualities that look like me, or really my brother in his baby pictures. Then he makes a face or purses his lips a certain way and he looks like his daddy. We looked at some hospital pictures of Jeremy when he was a newborn and there is a striking resemblance to Jonah. So we'll just call it even?

The last two weeks have been a rollercoaster! I've been elated, in love, happy, sad, worried, upset, good, great, annoyed, etc. Its a tough thing, taking care of this little guy, but I wouldn't have my life any other way. I am trying to take it all in. Slowly burn a memory in my head of how he is right now. The outfit he's wearing in the picture is the first thing Jeremy and I bought him. We had just found out we were pregnant and wanted to buy something. I had waited 2 years to even browse through the baby section. Of course we had no clue he was a boy, so we needed something unisex. This duck outfit was the closest we found to working for both genders. (I think it is so hard to find unisex stuff these days.) He's gotten some good wear out of it because it is a newborn size and is one of the few things that fit him right now.

Which reminds me: we went back to the dr last Monday for a weight check. Jonah was up to 7 lbs 5.5 ozs! He had been down to 6 lbs 7 ozs. at his two day visit the prior Thursday. So my piglet gained almost 15 ozs in about 4 days or so. We go tomorrow for his two week checkup and I think he'll be over 8 lbs. for sure. Once my milk came in (almost 5 days after he was born!!!) he has been a good eater. So PTL for that!

MOM Question:
Do you ever let your baby sleep on his/her stomach? I let Jonah when I'm there to monitor him and make sure he's breathing fine...but he sleeps soooo much better that way. Plus he can pick up his head very well and turn it to the other side. I'm too scared to let him sleep that way at night, but when I put him down on his back he wakes right up. We're not getting much sleep that way!

I hope to be better at posting in the next week. Thanks for keeping up with us!

Happy 1 Week Birthday Jonah!

2009-01-25T12:22:00.004-06:00

Jonah will celebrate his 1 week birthday at 6:13 p.m. tonight! What a crazy week it's been! Jeremy has to go back to work tomorrow and I will miss the help and the company. Jonah has a weight check at the doctor tomorrow morning, so I'm praying he's beefed up a little. Then he gets his newborn pictures taken Thursday. I can't wait to have those done.

This is not even a week's worth of diapers! That is what we've gone through since Tuesday afternoon! Wow! I knew they went through a lot, but that puts in into perspective to me!
There's my sweet boy getting his first sponge bath. I was washing his hair!

Lil Jonah is Here!

2009-01-21T02:32:00.006-06:00

Jonah Russell Woody was born January 18, 2009 at 6:13 p.m. He was 7 lbs 9 oz and 20 inches long.

Here is his birth story:

Saturday was my last day at work. After work I rushed home to make some mexican food for a fellowship the young adults were having that night. I was pretty tired already and my feet were pretty much done in for the day, but I had a good time at the fellowship. I had a few strange feeling twangs of pain in my lower abdomen that night while we were there. Jeremy and I left around 10 or so.

We got home and got settled in for the night. Jeremy fell asleep on the couch and I checked my email, etc. That whole time I was having contractions, but they weren't intense and I figured they would go away later. Well...off to bed we went and I was still having the pains every 10-15 minutes or so. I decided I would start writing down the frequency of them just for fun. I never went to sleep. They were getting harder and closer together. So I got out of bed and decided to finish packing up my hospital bag because I had read somewhere that if contractions go away when you get up and walk around then its false labor. They weren't going away, but I was still not believing it! I packed all my stuff and finally woke up Jeremy and told him to get his stuff together just in case they get worse and we have to go to the hospital. So he got up, packed, and took a shower.

We convinced ourselves around 3:30 am that it was time to head to the hospital and see if they kept us. We got there around 4:30 am and got checked into triage. They check out how dialated you are then you wait for an hour and see if you are progressing. I was a 1.5 and to me that was already some progression! This nurse told us the chance it was false labor was pretty good. So I was still not expecting to stay. More than an hour went by and finally she came back and suggested I walk around for 30 minutes before she checked me again. So I walked around and that seemed to do the job, because I was a 3. She then decided to admit me!

By the time I was at a 4 or so they sent in my epidural. It was great, at first. They started Petocin and I was at a 5.5 in no time. My epi wasn't being as effective for all of the pain by that time. I felt the downward pressure of every contraction. I hit a 7 in no time, but hung out there for awhile. Probably a good thing because it gave my two best friends, Natalie and Kristen, and my sister, Laura time to make it up here from Bryant. At one point, my petocin iv came undone and I slowed down for awhile. Then when it was back up and running we were on the road.

It seemed that I was dialating properly, but Jonah wouldnt drop low enough to deliver him. There was talk of a c-sect when this happened and Jonah's heart rate dropped a little. They stuck an oxygen mask on me, turned me on my side, and somehow Jonah turned enough to get his head engaged properly and we were ready to go.

The doctor had warned me that it would probably be a lot of pushing before he was here. My sis was in the delivery room with me and so was Jeremy of course. It was nice to have someone on each side of me cheering me on. So the three of us pushed this baby out in a little more than an hour. We had a waiting room full of people awaiting his arrival. So many friends and family stuck around all day, that the doctors and nurses kept coming in saying our crowd was growing.
Introducing Jonah! He is the new man in my life!
Here's a proud daddy!

Our new little family!

So many people have reached out to us this week and have sent us flowers, gifts and food. We have meals coming every day and Jonah is loved by so many. Natalie and Kristen went to my house the night after Jonah was born and cleaned our house from top to bottom and cooked us several meals to put in the freezer. I thank God for such close, nurturing, and fun girl friends. They are absolutely irreplaceable. It was so nice to come home to such a clean house. I didn't even want to bring our bags in to clutter it up any! What a load off! I had planned to finish the cleaning the few days I would have off of work before my due date. Jonah had different plans! He came the evening of my last day at work! I got my wish didn't I? I was able to go into labor on my own!

Jonah's first week of life has definitely had its ups and downs. Learning how to nurse him, change his insurmountable amount of dirty diapers, and figure out his sleep patterns has been and will continue to be a daily challenge...one that I wouldn't trade anything in this world for. Thanks to God for the love of family and good friends and for their supportive words and advice. I thank Him everyday for our miracle.

1 week left!

2009-01-12T18:55:00.013-06:00

38 weeks 5 days belly shot!

I went to the dr. early this morning only to find out that, yep, you guessed it, nothing has changed. He said that he thought that maybe Jonah would sneak on by his due date. I think so too. He is happy as a lark in there apparently. I am going to start some serious praying for some kind of progression! I predict that I will have him on the 23 or 24 of January. I am working through this Saturday. I am pretty busy at work this week, so at least it will make it go by faster, but it will be tiring. By the end of most days, I want to cut my feet off. Especially if I've walked that morning. At least if Jonah is a little late, I will get to have a few days off work before his arrival.

Our final baby shower was this weekend at our church. We are so blessed! We received a lot of great gifts to finish up our necessities.
Here is a glimpse of the gifts before I unpacked them. In this pic, several of the gifts have been consolidated together. It took me about two hours to sort through them all at home. I finally got everything put away, washed, and organized.
I received these cute hooded bath towels with Jonah's name on them! Love them! Isn't the whale most appropriate?Jeremy's Grandma Walker made this quilt for Jonah. Jeremy got his love for farming from his grandparents. He and his cousins grew up working and playing at their house. Jonah got his middle name from J's grandpa, who passed away 3 and a half years ago.
I love how she signed it! My last grandparent died when I was 8 years old, so I think it's really neat that Jonah has a great grandma! Jonah will miss out on getting to know his Papa Chandler (my dad, who passed away in 2002) but he's lucky to have two grandmas, a grandpa, and two great grandmas that will love him to pieces!Check out this stool. It is the cutest thing! My friend, Krissi, had her sister paint it for Jonah. I love it. The paisley is soooo cute. Here's the bottom of the stool with the cow print!
Don't you love it? Such a good idea. Krissi said she liked having a stool to use while nursing. I can see how that would be very comfortable.

Here's my latest craft project. All I did was sew on the fabric and ribbon then have them embroidered, but it was fun.

Of course my collection would not be complete without some western print burp cloths. I love the font that they used to embroider. Its called 'boys are gross'...that doesn't seem appropriate to use, but it was a good pick.

I must get to work on cleaning up my house, because I am fading fast this evening. The last two nights I have woken up at 4 a.m. wide awake and I can't get back to sleep for at least an hour or two. I think God is trying to prepare me for some midmorning feedings to come. Jonah was awake both times. I will leave you with this oogy skin picture of my belly! Enjoy! Ha!Enjoy it in there, lil guy, cuz it won't be long...

Two weeks left and no one's told Jonah!

2009-01-05T12:19:00.003-06:00

36 weeks 6 days belly shot

37 weeks 5 days belly shot

Tomorrow we will have 14 days until Jonah's official due date. I don't think he is aware that he's supposed to leave his happy home...that might come as a shock to him.

I went to the Dr. this morning and I am still not dialated really at all. He said I may qualify as 1 cm and that the baby is head down, but not engaged. It has been that way for the previous two visits also. I haven't really asked what our plans are if we don't see any changes next visit. I just go with the flow. I figure, he's the doctor and he knows what he's doing. I have preferences for sure as to how I'd like this birth to go, but I am aware that none of that may happen the way I plan it. So I'm trying to keep my mind very open. I would love to go into labor on my own, hang out at home as long as I can, then go in and see where we are. My mom was able to do that with both of us and had very short labors. I am under no delusions that I will get that easy of a childbirth, but a girl can hope? The doc told me to keep walking and I plan on walking as much as possible in the next two weeks. Even though it makes me tired for the rest of my day, I can do anything for two weeks.

On another note, J and I have been getting our last minute baby gear together. We got our carseat/stroller last week. We put it together and installed in into the car.

It is so strange to think that we will have a little guy in that seat in no time. I cannot express to you how thankful that we are to have the opportunity to have a baby. There was a time, where Jeremy and I most definitely did not think we would get this opportunity. We both still look incredibly at my belly and just shake our heads. Any and every baby is a miracle. We thank God for this sweet little boy.

I am getting more and more curious as to what lil Jonah will look like. My prediction is that he will be blue eyed, either no hair or blonde headed. I can't imagine who he will look like. I really don't care who!

I have one more shower left at our church this Sunday and I am looking forward to it. They have a backup plan in case I go into labor this week. I really don't think that's gonna be a problem, but never say never?? I am working on getting my bag packed this week. Any suggestions as to what I'm gonna need at the hospital? Will I want my hair dryer and flat iron for such a short stay (hopefully)? I have two pairs of pajamas with pants and top. Will I want a gown? Help me out ladies with experience!!

I also have been sewing! I have some burp cloths that I've added ribbon and fabric to that I just dropped off today to get embroidered. I will take a pic as soon as I get them back. I needed something to do to take up some time while I wait! As for today, I'm off to the gym to hopefully get this boy convinced that he MUST come out in the near future!

2008-12-26T10:51:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas to all! I hope you had a great holiday yesterday! We had a good day ourselves. We woke up early to eat our cinnamon rolls and get ready to go over to J's parent's house. We didn't have a gift to open at home since we decided to buy our laptop as our Christmas gift to each other, so we headed on over to the the Woody's earlier. We both got some great gifts! I loooovvvee getting cooking stuff and I got just what I wanted. I got a cooking utensil holder, some Oneida serving pieces, a nice skillet, and a casserole dish and insulated holder. Jonah got some cute stuff too.

Jonah got some Johnny Poppers boots and I got a pair of running shoes. I was so excited to get both! I have really wanted those boots and Aunt Kara got 'em for him. I have been needing new running shoes FOREVER, but they can be soooo expensive and usually they're ugly because you get what feels good not what looks good, but this pair is super cute!

Jeremy's mom got his dad a Wii! They took no time hooking it up and playing. Here's a nice little video of Kara and Jeremy boxing each other. I am the one laughing in the background!

After the Wii fun, a trip to Grandma Jo's house, more Wii fun, we went to see Marley and Me. I have read the book. I know what happens. Why did I go? It was so good, but I cried like a baby. Twice. I was afraid I was gonna cry audibly in a packed theatre. The movie is PG and there was only one curse word in it. Kind of a nice change from the norm.

Here's some pics from Jonah's scrapbook. I received this scrapbook as a gift from Jeremy's Aunt Candes at the shower at her house on Thanksgiving. I LOVE it. There are many more pages she did for me. She must have known I wouldn't have the time with a new baby to do this myself! ;)

These are a few pics of Jonah's room getting more complete as every day passes.

Before Christmas update

2008-12-26T10:07:00.003-06:00

I wrote this post a few days ago...so its a little outdated, but had some good info!

Hey everyone! We finally got our laptop! This has been a long time coming. I am definitely a picky shopper when it comes to large purchases. I get so nervous when I buy stuff! My heart was beating so fast when we were waiting in line to pay for it. Anyway, it’s done, and my blood pressure is slowly returning to normal.

It has been a true whirlwind the past few weeks. I cannot believe Christmas is almost here! We have taken our childbirth classes and I went to my breastfeeding class last week too. As a matter of fact, I ran into Kelly at that class. I saw her and thought that looks an awful lot like her, but I wasn’t sure. I think her hair was a little longer than in her pics on her blog! Ha. Anyway I was confirmed when I saw the sign in sheet and her name was there. So I said hi after class. How funny to run into people from the blogosphere! She was just as sweet in person as she is online!

I need to update you on my last shower! It was almost three weeks ago now. It was in Bryant--where I am originally from. It was at my aunt’s house and family and friends were invited. My best friends, Natalie and Kristen, threw the shower with my Aunt Nadine and her daughter-in-law, Courtney. I received some great gifts, had great food, and visited with relatives and friends for quite awhile. I received my highchair, swing, bumbo, boppy, some toys, diapers, wipes, lotion, some very cute outfits, and a very special quilt that Natalie’s mom, Judy, made for us. It is perfect for Jonah’s room and it has so much hand stitched detail. I would never have the patience or creativity to do that!

Last weekend was crazy! Friday evening I was frantically trying to clean my house. Saturday morning we had our last childbirth class. Then later that afternoon, my family came up to celebrate our Christmas on Saturday. My brother smoked a brisket that was so good. He made baked beans too. Then between my mom and I we had twice baked potatoes, corn, homemade rolls, salad, egg nog, pecan pie, chocolate cake, and banana pudding cheesecake. It was a very different Christmas meal, but we usually do something different. By Christmas we are tired of turkey and dressing, so we dream up something else to fix. Last year I think we had filet mignon and the one before we had prime rib.

I cannot believe that my pregnancy is coming to an end! I have no notions that I will go early. I really think I will be overdue. Just my feeling, I guess. I don’t particularly want to be induced, but if he’s not coming, I will do what I have to. I don’t have any real anxieties about it all…yet. I’m sure they will come, but for now it still seems so far away…but it’s so NOT far away! Can I say I can’t wait till this boy ‘drops’? I can’t breathe! Oh well, he’s worth it. I’ll take a few extra deep breaths every few hours to keep enough oxygen in my brain.

Baby Shower Weekend

2008-12-11T21:25:00.007-06:00

I had a weekend of baby showers! It was really nice! I ate great food and got great gifts for Jonah. Our Saturday shower was given by four of our friends, Jessica, Ashley, Mindy, and Krissi. It was held at Jessica's new house. It was decorated for Christmas and so pretty. Jessica always has candy sitting out in candy dishes for each holiday. This time she had the Christmas equivalent of those Mini Cadbury Eggs. Oh my...so good for a preggie. Or really anyone. Just ask my husband, he usually gets rid of her candy for her.

Look at my cute cupcakes! They tasted just as good as they looked.
My diaper cake given to me by Jessica and Mindy.
This is the small wipe holder that goes in my diaper bag. So cute and in my colors too.
Isn't this the truth? The money funnels right through Mom and Dad and ends up with the kids in their piggy bank. It is already the way it's worked, but I wouldn't have it any other way! These are just a few pics of the many nice things we got at this shower. We received Jonah's exersaucer, highchair, mobile, a hand crocheted blanket and many other practical items we needed so bad.

That's Melissa, Jessica, Little Harbor, and Me (not looking too great).
These are my hostesses: Krissi, Me, Ashley, and Jessica. Mindy couldn't actually come because of a family illness.

There are sooo many other good pictures of this shower. Jessica's mom, Karen, took pictures for me and they turned out really well. Here's my next belly shot:

This is 33 weeks 3 days. Yowza!
This is me and the grandmas! The left is my MIL, Barbara and the right is my mom, Jeanette. Ain't they cute? They're about to be wrapped around a little boy's finger! Who am I kidding? I am too!

Next post I will show pics from my Sunday shower in Bryant. BUT those who took pics...please email them to me at: reneigh2@hotmail.com Somehow I didn't get any! Too busy eating, hanging out with family and friends I hadn't seen in forever, and opening some great gifts.

Thanks for all your comments on Jonah's room. We worked hard and the whole time I was so afraid it wasn't going to turn out like I had hoped. I love going in there and just sitting on the floor and imagining what it will be like when he's here! Here's some pics of the finished bedding actually on the bed. The red in the bedding doesn't photograph well I don't think. It is a much prettier red in person.

I haven't tied the denim ties yet, so they're just hanging there in these pictures.

Its all coming together. Now I am just working on organization. I'm not sure I will have that figured out until I actually have to use everything. I also noticed some contractions today...more like Braxton-Hicks and a few minutely uncomfortable ones while I was running/walking. I figured maybe I am walking this boy out. My first 'check' is a week from Monday...lets pray for at least 1 cm!

Finally I am feeling productive!

2008-12-01T16:58:00.005-06:00

Sorry everyone! I have not been a good blogger lately. I swear soon, when I pick out my new laptop, I will be much better! It has been crazy busy lately. Work has been very busy, usually requiring late nights, so by the time I get home...I'm pooped.

We had a great Thanksgiving Holiday. I am so sad that it's over tomorrow. The first day back to work is always the hardest! We ate 4 Thanksgiving meals this week. That is way too much turkey for one person! Somehow I managed to make mashed potatoes for every meal...I did not really plan it that way, but I got very good at peeling and mashing! I think I've got it down to an art! J and I got our tree up last night, we got Jonah's room underway, and I got some sewing done! It was a very productive weekend.

Let me show you some pics!
This is Jonah's room with the paint done, the trim up, and the carpet laid! What a weight off our shoulders! The next thing we had to do was assemble the crib!
Jeremy's mom, dad, and brother Andrew came over to help us put Jonah's crib together. I feel like I've been waiting forever to get to this point! That bed being set up really seems to make it feel more real!

I picked out this crib and Jeremy's parents ordered it for us. I LOVE it. It is antique black and I really like the way it stands out against that red wall!
There's the finished product!
Look there's the dresser that my mom bought us. I love it too. It is also an antiqued black with a bit of reddish undertone. It is the piece that I picked out that was a TV cabinet, but I will use it as a dresser/changing table. For now I have folded up blankets and put them in that cubby on top that a DVD player would usually go into. I will probably buy baskets soon to slide in there, but the blankets look cute for now.

Each side of my husband's family had their own Thanksgiving meal and they also each had a little baby shower for me. It was great. I got my sling, monitors, shopping cart cover, lots of cute clothes, my jogging stroller, many blankets, lots of toys and books, my fitted sheets, thermometers. Catherine made me the cutest canvas.

She was so worried that I wouldn't like it, but what's there not to like! It is so cute and I cannot wait to hang it! Also Jeremy's Aunt Candes made me a scrapbook for Jonah's first year. It is so cute and well-done. I will take pictures of it for my next post. I have two showers this weekend and I am so excited. I love getting to see everyone and eat!!

As for Jonah's bedding, I have gotten more done! I spent several hours today at my mom's house sewing, but the bumper pad is done!

None of these pics really do it justice. That is one side done in the red with denim ties and piping. The other side is cow print.
I will take a pic of it on the crib. That way you can really get an idea of it all! Otherwise you will have to come to my house to really get the idea!

I better run! I am hoping to make it to the gym before it closes! I am going to the doc every two weeks now and do not want to tip the scales any more that I already have. (Last month was a nice weight gain). I am really looking forward to the drs visit after Christmas...ok just kidding, I am really not.

I hope you all had a great holiday and made it thru your Monday back at work!

Weekend wrap up

2008-11-10T16:24:00.008-06:00

Is the weekend over already?

Friday Jeremy and I were invited to a bonfire for our cousin, Catherine's 30th birthday! David, Cat's husband, had planned an elaborate surprise birthday party. We were to meet at a specific location at 5:15 to caravan down to the scene of the tractor with the trailer and the haybales. Jeremy pulled us all on the tractor out to the woods to get set up for the surprise. Jeremy had a series of calls he had to make to David to let him know that we were ready for them to come. They showed up and I think we really did surprise her. We had a good time roasting hotdogs and eating cupcakes. I ate waaayyy too much. Then we stayed over at their house until 2 a.m. talking and laughing. We had a really good time. We don't get to see them enough.

Saturday, I worked, then rushed home to make some chili for our church bonfire. Yep I said bonfire. We had two in one weekend. I happen to be a girl who loves hotdogs, so I was in luck. I made the chili for chili dogs. We went out and roasted ourselves as well as the hotdogs around that fire. Jeremy and I then headed home to get into bed early to make up for the lack of sleep we got the night before.

Sunday we went to church, ate lunch, went shopping for a dresser for Jonah, went to Walmart, to Jeremy's basketball game, and finally to choir practice at church that night. We were so pooped from the running around that when we got home, we probably were both asleep on the couch before 9.

Speaking of shopping for a dresser for Jonah. Look at what we bought!

I know its not a great picture of it, but I am so excited! It is actually a TV stand. I know, weird that I would buy that for a dresser huh? Well I think I will buy some baskets for that open part on top and presto! a dresser. It was very affordable as it was clearanced because the style was being discontinued. It should be here in 2-3 weeks. I cannot wait to get it into his room.

Speaking of Jonah's room, check out the paint job so far.The bottom part of the wall is a barn red and the top is cow print. We were so nervous when jumping in there to draw the cow spots!We practiced drawing them on paper until we were pleased with them and finally put paint to wall. I think they turned out well. We have another coat or so of the spots to finish and the chair rail to paint and put up. Then the next step will be to get the carpet installed, then the crib set up, then his dresser.

Look at the letters I mod podged today.I swear I rotated this pic before I uploaded it, but blogger decided it wanted it this way. The J is hay, the O is bandana, the N is cowboy words like buckaroo, yeeha, the A is bandana, and the H is a wood panel print. That was the first time I have done that. I am excited to get it on his wall.

One more picture! My belly!

Its getting out there! This was 29 weeks 5 days. I cannot believe that I am about to hit 30 weeks. I can't wait to see this lil guy's face! With the holidays hitting soon, I think the last 10 weeks will fly by. That's why I have to take my Mondays to get stuff done! I am off to finish the one last thing on my to-do list for today: exercise! Happy Monday!

Thanks and BHS 10 yr Reunion

2008-11-03T18:24:00.005-06:00

Thanks for all the sweet comments about the loss of our puppy. I felt better knowing that I am not the only one who would be very sad at the loss of their pet. I'm still not quite used to the quietness around our house. I have not broken the habit of thinking I need to feed her in the mornings...or looking for her to run up and greet us when we come home from work. I have not moved any of her things: her bed, her food bowls, her leash...all where it should be. I couldn't bring myself to take down her picture from my station at work. Although it is almost more painful because unknowing customers will ask me about my cute dog in the picture!

Moving right along...My 10 year high school reunion was last weekend. It included a daytime picnic at the park in my hometown and dinner and such at The Flying Saucer in Little Rock. It was a big nerve wracking experience getting ready for it, but once we were there, I had a really good time. It was so nice to see old classmates. I don't have the pics off my camera yet, but I stole some from Facebook!

This is a pic of us from our picnic. I know you really can't tell where I am or anything, but just an idea of how many of us showed up. I graduated with 320 something and I have no idea how many actually came to the reunion. There were too many kids and spouses to really get an idea. This isn't so great of a shot of my group of friends. I am standing in front of my husband (sorry!) but you see how great we all looked ;) L to R: Natalie, her hubby Jeremy, me, my hubby Jeremy behind me, Kristen, her hubby Mark behind her, and a friend from high school Amanda. We had a big after party (haha) at IHOP afterwards (we were starving) and didn't get home until 2 a.m. That is a rarity for me! I do have better pics to share and I will do so when I can remember to bring my USB cord for my camera to my mom's next time.

As for Jeremy and I, we are trying to get this nursery underway. It is getting there, albeit very slowly. Unfortunately we have to work and such in the meantime. I am still working on the bedding. I finished the ties for the bumper pad recently and they were a booger! Not hard, just a pain. Anyway, they're done, so now I move onto actually sewing the bumper pad. Hopefully that will go quickly. Like less than 11 weeks, because that is all I have left! Maybe 12 at the most if I go a week late! Aye yi yi! We are working on our Christmas choir performance at church and I am worried that I may not be able to stand very comfortably by then! Oh well, I gotta stand at work too, so I will figure something out! I think the end of this year is going to fly by.

Have a great week all! Say a prayer for God's will for us this week, we may have an offer on some of our land soon. That would be a wonderful opportunity for us, Lord willing.

Goodbye Sweet Puppy!

2008-10-27T16:12:00.003-05:00

We are very sad today. My sweet dog, Riley, was hit by a car this weekend. She was staying at my mom's house (which she's done a million times) and dug out of her backyard. She's done that many times too, usually she runs around and then makes her way back to the front door. This time she wandered out to hwy 62, only made it a 100 yards or so and was struck. My mom called me as I was driving back into town from Little Rock to tell me that Riley had dug out and she had been gone an hour. I was not too worried because she is a free spirited dog and pretty smart. Mom said she'd call if she didn't come back soon or if she did show up. Jeremy and I were headed straight to his parent's house to have a birthday dinner for his dad, but we just thought maybe we'd just run by my mom's and locate Riley then go to his parent's. When we pulled up to the turn in to her neighborhood we saw her on the road just a little ways up. We pulled over and Jeremy went to check on her. She had passed away, but was not too beat up...it didn't look like she suffered. He pulled her into the grass so he could come back later that night with a truck to get her and bury her. Jeremy and his dad returned later to pick her up and they burried her on his parent's land by their yellow lab that they lost a few years ago. Needless to say, we were very sad, many tears have been shed over this puppy. She was gentle and well-mannered for the most part and really was a good companion to both of us. She particularly liked Jeremy and I was so jealous! :) She will be sorely missed. I think we both felt like a special member of our family had died.
We love you and will miss you, Riley!

I will update you on my 10 year class reunion at a later date. I forgot to bring the camera cord to upload my pics. In other recent events, I went to the doctor today for my 28 week checkup and all is well, I'm measuring how I should and still feeling good. I did get a flu shot and it didn't hurt from the needle but later that soreness in my arm hurts! I went through all those shots and blood draws with no problems and a lowsy flu shot makes me feel like a pansy! Oh well, its worth it not to get the flu!

Nursery work, baby stuff, and HELP!

2008-10-20T13:33:00.004-05:00

Slowly but surely, Jeremy and I have been hacking away at the nursery. He has actually been working in it, I have been sewing for it. I've seen all you fellow blogger's pics of your nurseries and I cannot wait to get mine done. We kinda had a setback to start with. We had a spot on our roof that leaks when it rains hard. :( Of course it happens to be in the room we want to use as the nursery. Jeremy has attempted to find the leak several times and replace shingles and such to stop it, but to no avail. We had to call in a pro. So luckily last weekend he did fix it for us for a great price. Step one: DONE! Here's where we are now:We had to then tear out a bit of sheet rock to ensure that we got rid of any and all mold. We did. Now we will replace the insulation and have our pro come out and sheetrock and texture the wall. Jeremy will then enlist the help of a couple friends to replace the trim and the closet door facing. Then we will look into getting new carpet for this room. Yes its overwhelming, but it had to be done.

Next step is PAINT! From there it should be easy breezy. I feel so bad since I haven't really been able to help...I can't really climb up on the roof or be around fumes these days, but I can help with crib assembly and the fun stuff. In the meantime, I am working away, albeit slowly, at the bedding. My mom will be probably taking up the slack for me. I work late most nights, so it is difficult to head over to my mom's too many nights of the week to sew. I usually make it once or twice a week. (I go over there to sew because I need her help!! I can't always decipher those patterns.)

I wanted to show you guys a pic of a cute gift I received last week. It is from Jessica's mom! Jessica is a fellow blogger and I also know her in real life! She, her mom, and her aunt come into the salon to get their hair done by one of my co-workers, Lyndsey (she's in the shower pics on Jessica's page.) Jessica's mom has followed my blog and has left many sweet comments. Anyway she made Jonah a couple bibs, a burp cloth, and a cute pacy clip. Thanks so much! I loved my gift.

Our church does the Trunk Or Treat thing for Halloween. I will be there either handing out food or candy or singing a little with the band. Maybe all three, not sure. Anyway, I need a costume idea! I need an easy idea that is 1) church appropriate 2) cheap and 3) big enough to fit my belly into! Any ideas?? Help! What are you gonna be for Halloween?

25 weeks

2008-10-09T18:56:00.006-05:00

25 Weeks!

Oh Bessie! I feel like I'm growing EVERY day and I probably am. I've been super hungry lately...I think he's going through another growth spurt. Milk has been my main craving lately. I drink it with stuff, alone, in the morning, and at night. We've gone through a lot of gallons of milk lately. Sooo good.

I bought one more thing for this lil guy. I know and I have quit. I have cut myself off from buying more stuff for him. But here it is:

I found it at the Apple Festival in Lincoln last weekend. I like strolling through the booths and eating apples and caramel. I also had some apple cider. Yum. Anyway, I bought this from a booth where the lady who made the bags had her embroidery machine. Yea! I also got a burp cloth that matched.
Cute, huh? Also I've been working on some of the easier parts of Jonah's bedding. Here's the dust ruffle before the box pleats have been done.
I know you can't tell much from that pic, but use your imagination! I can't wait to get it done to see it all together. Jeremy and I were discussing the other night how we only have 15 weeks until Jonah is due...YIKES. Time has flown, but I have a feeling it will slow down once I get more uncomfortable. Oh well I am not complaining...or trying not to.

So my 10 year reunion is coming up. In two weeks I will be making the drive down to Bryant to see lots of people I haven't seen in forever. I think it will be fun. Trying to find something to wear has been a different story. Can't fake the thin look this year. It took long enough to get this round belly, so I'm gonna be proud of it.

I'm headed home to cook my Amish Friendship bread. It's gonna be chocolate chocolate chip bread...I hope it's good. I'll let ya know! I need something else to wash down my milk with!

PS Kristen and Natalie, be looking in your mail for another (small) cute item I picked up. I didn't make it, but you guys could at home sooooo easily. Anyway hope I got your curiosity up!

Whirlwind weekend

2008-09-29T20:29:00.003-05:00

Annual Girls' Weekend has come and gone...and we did it all! My best girlfriends came into town Friday night after a short detour through Wooster and Springfield, Arkansas (on accident mind you). We talked and talked until 3 a.m. We're not so young anymore...none of us do that staying up late thing anymore, but we had a lot to catch up on. We finally trudged to bed only to wake up early the next morning. We woke before 8 (Natalie said she can't help but to wake up at 7, no matter how much sleep she gets. I, on the other hand, have no trouble sleeping in past 7!) We talked and ate cinnamon rolls until we could motivate ourselves to get ready to shop till we dropped!

We hit Target first. The plan was to get me registered and then we'll do all our fun shopping. They both led me through the baby section at Target with much expertise. We took down strollers, clicked the carseats in and out, and folded and unfolded everything to decide what we liked. (I actually did not find a stroller I liked, there were only two in the store to choose from). They told me everything they liked and hated about their highchairs, swings, bottles, etc. So I got all my gear scanned into my registry. Then we shopped the rest of the day. Literally we got home after 9 p.m. with only a couple stops to eat. We had mexican for lunch and Noodles for dinner. Yum! Those are our two traditional meals we eat for our girls' weekend. We crashed into bed that night at 10!

Sunday we went up to the salon and cut both girl's hair. Kristen got a cute new 'do! Nat got a good trim. We have a high school reunion coming up this month and we all wanted to get fresh hair for the festivities. (I have SERIOUSLY bad gray roots right now...I will HAVE to take care of that soon!) Then we headed to Rogers to shop at the Promenade. I found some cute black maternity pants and the girls found a few things there too. I bought Jonah a cute Razorback onesie. Then it was time for the girls to head back to Bryant. I was sad to see them leave. I wish they lived closer to me! I know they missed their babies and their husbands. Thanks girls for coming! I can't wait until I get to see ya again at our reunion in a few weeks! I couldn't have registered without you! My husband says he sees a rare side of me when I'm with my best girlfriends. He says I act goofier and happier. He's right, that's what good friends are for!

I had a doctor's appointment today. I was very scared that I was going to gain A LOT this month because a scale at another drs office two weeks ago had said that I had already gained 6 lbs, IN TWO WEEKS. I was so afraid I was gonna hit 12 or 15 lbs in ONE MONTH. Surprisingly that scale must have been callibrated differently because at Park Hill I only gained 4. Weird, huh? I'm sure that I will probably still have a 10 lb weight gain or so one month, but just not yet. Anyway, I had my glucose test and it was not bad at all. The drink wasn't nasty, the dr appointment was quick. I got to hear his heartbeat and he measured right on for 24 weeks. Then went back down to the lab to get my blood drawn. I know that place pretty well. My veins have seen that needle a million times it feels like. I think the women that work in the lab know my name and address by now since I was in so much during IVF and before that. :) I haven't heard anything back about the glucose test, but it was only this morning. I imagine if there's anything to be concerned about I'll hear back about it in the next couple days. I hope I don't hear anything!

After my appointment I ran errands all day. I bought some CUTE stuff at Bella's in Springdale. Take a look:

Isn't he cute? He's a Gund horse! So soft! Burp cloth and pacy clip. I thought it was pretty cute. Boys are fun to shop for!Are we seeing a theme emerge? That is a hooded bath towel. Yes it is a cow.

Yes these are cows too! I normally don't like these types of shoes but they were so stinking cute and they're for when he's little. They even have a little tail on the heel of the shoe!

These are the Razorback pacifiers. I have a friend who says her son preferred these to any other ones, so I thought I'd get Jonah a pair. My heart melts when I see pacifiers! I have no idea why, I guess it is the realization that I'm about to have a house full of this stuff! I can't wait. I had a dream that he had a lot of hair. I will be interested to see if I was right! I have dark brown hair and Jeremy has medium brown hair (ok we both have a little gray, me much more than he), but when we were kids I had light brown with a bit of auburn, he had white blonde hair. So we'll see what Jonah gets. There is also a pretty strong line of blue eyes in both our sides. I don't care what color his eyes are, but I (not being a biologist or a geneticist) would think the chances of his being blue are good.

Anyway, boy, I have rambled! I guess I had lots to tell you about my weekend! I hope you had a great one too!

Week 23

2008-09-22T13:13:00.002-05:00

This is my belly at 22 weeks 4 days. I usually end up taking my belly pic after I've exercised so I look pretty rough in most of those pics. I figured I'd take a pic of myself after church to prove that I actually do wear real clothes once in awhile! :)

Not that much has been going on lately with us. Friday I got new tires on my car (so expensive...so painful to pay for!). Oh and last weekend my sweet hubby cleaned out our garage so my car will fit in it with much room on each side for me to get Jonah in and out of the car. His boss's wife accused him of nesting. I think we are, but thank goodness! I kept waiting for that motivation to hit me!

Saturday I worked during the Razorback game and then bought the remainder of the fabric for Jonah's bedding. We bought this beautiful dupioni silk in a deep red color. Red is my favorite color and I probably would've figured out how to work it in a nursery scheme regardless of baby's gender, but it is much easier since he's a boy. That was my one splurge fabric because it was a little more costly than the others I bought, but still not too bad. Now I just gotta get the silly crib ordered. I have narrowed it down to 3 I think. One at Kid's Furniture here in town, one at Target.com and one at Babiesrus.com. Next up is getting the nursery painted and picking out a stroller...those are the three big projects I feel weighing on me a bit lately.

This weekend is Girl's Weekend! I know I've mentioned it many times, but it is finally happening. (We've been working on nailing down a date for awhile). I am looking forward to it so much. I will take Saturday off from work and meet my two best friends from home for shopping, eating, and catching up. They both have two kids each and will leave their kiddos at home for a break. I know its hard for them to plan to leave their babies so I appreciate getting them up here to see me! Last time my friend Kristen was pregnant and now its my turn. Maybe next year, Natalie will be pregnant again. ;)

Sorry, its been a slow blog week for me. I've not had much going on. I am off to cut out my baby bedding pattern. I cannot wait to see it coming together! I will post updates!

Heelllooo Belly! (Goodbye feet)

2008-09-11T21:33:00.006-05:00

21 weeks 1 day
HELLO Belly! Have I grown or what? I feel huge. Yes I do know it will get much bigger. I do not know how I will find room for the next 19 weeks. I'll manage somehow! I am definitely getting the double take at work now. For the longest time I was able to hide behind my apron and not say anything about it if I didn't feel like it. Now people are noticing something is different. I had a customer tell me that she could tell I was pregnant the last time she came in (I was maybe 9-10 weeks along at the time) because of my walk. Then I had another customer say I had the "pregnant butt." Here comes the onslaught of unwarranted comments, huh?

This is my most recent conglomeration of fabrics I think I want to use for Jonah's bedding. We are sticking with the cowboy theme as you can see from the cow print and the stamped leather material. The other stuff I just liked. So we'll see if this all makes it into the final product.
This is my find from the Clothesline Fair in Prairie Grove. They always have this booth that stamps names on the western leather belts. Now don't think I will be dressing my son in hickwear often, but I think the belt will be cute worn now and then or on display in his room.

Look how tiny the smallest belt is! I figured I can get one for him every year or as he needs a bigger size. I think that would be a cute keepsake for me. He's a boy, he won't care, but someday maybe his wife would think its cute to see them.

Old Navy is having a baby sale! 40% off! Woohoo! I found a few cute items. I never know if I should focus on the baby size for the season or the next year. I know people like to buy little stuff for the baby shower, so maybe I should focus on bigger baby clothes. But heaven knows I will be shopping for the boy after he's born too. I mean I won't do it all now and quit! Please!

I loaded this pic the right way, but for some reason it wanted to be sideways. Oops! I thought the monkey was super cute and the onesie in the middle is a tiny monkey print. Cute! I think it will be cozy for a winter baby. I wonder about shoes too...I mean do infants wear shoes often? I mean a lot of their cuddly stuff has feet in it. I guess I can get a pair or two. Its not like they're extremely expensive!

Jonah has been a bucking bronco in there. I definitely can tell that he moves more after I eat and especially when I've eaten something with some sugar in it. Jeremy has felt him a couple times now and he's as amazed as I am. Honestly I know there's a baby in there, but I cannot comprehend it. A complete human! Praise God that we get to experience this. I mean He could have just as easily had us hatch our babies like birds. Weird thought, huh?

My family members with needs for prayer of healing are getting better, but please continue to mention them in your prayers. Also a customer of mine, who has the neatest family of 9 biological and adopted children, has taken their youngest to Arkansas Children's Hospital for surgery today. She is around 15 months old and went thru a very long surgery for a disorder that is very rare. What a doll she is! Pray for a quick recovery for her.

Decisions Decisions!

2008-09-04T22:09:00.004-05:00

Thank goodness I have my friends Kristen and Natalie coming up for our annual Girl's Weekend! How would I register for this baby without them? I am clueless! I've been checking out strollers and travel systems, but have no idea what I will like. On one hand I would like a jogger stroller with the carseat that clicks in. In my mind that would be the ideal, because you have your everyday stroller and your jogger. You can lock the front wheel in place or let it swivel depending on your terrain. Very cool. Only problem is there are few companies who offer one of these jogger/carseat combos. One of them is extremely expensive--the stroller itself is almost $400 and then you buy the attachment that lets you put the infant carseat in for $50, then you have to separately buy a Graco carseat. YIKES! Too much monies! The other company I have seen is Baby Trends at Target. They have the whole jogger/carseat combo offered together for less than $200. Hmmmm...it good some good reviews on Amazon and some not so good. Here's a pic from Target:

Ok, it doesn't have the infant seat clicked in in the pic, but you get the idea. OR do I want a regular Graco travel system and carseat for everyday, then a separate jogger stroller. They aren't that expensive for just the jogger, but the youngest you can use it is around 6 months. BUT my baby won't be born until January, so it will be close to that until I can use a jogger anyway. As crazy as I am, I will not drag my itty bitty baby outside in the winter. Or the extreme heat.

Also to compound this stroller insanity...I have no idea what to pick for a crib! I don't want to cheapest one OR the most expensive one. So you girls with experience, give me some advice! Ok, so I know these aren't real worries. Just the things rattling around in my head lately. On that note, I have some good friends and family with prayer requests concerning their health. Please mention them in your prayers if you think about it. I have at least 4 on my mind right now. Thanks!

How Crazy Am I?

2008-09-04T21:36:00.002-05:00

Ok I was tagged like 3 weeks ago by Jenna- a preggy buddy and have been meaning to answer it. Since my computer is dead :( I have been having to go to my mom's to use hers. My Iphone lets me read everyone else's blogs, comment on them sometimes, but I cannot post any. :( So I am sooooo slow to updating lately. I am gonna start saving for a new computer yesterday!

Tag, You're It!
Here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you. Mention the rules on your blog. Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours. Tag six fellow bloggers by linking them. Leave a comment on each of the six blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.
1.) I have to kiss my dog on the nose every day before I leave for work. I also ALWAYS tell her to be a good girl and that I love her. Strange? yes, but I feel as though if I don't, something bad will happen to her and she wouldn't know I loved her!
2.) Many people have said this, but I am not a phone talker. I can carry on a long conversation with my best friend, Natalie, but I've known her for how many years? A bazillion. I am just uncomfortable on the phone! I feel like I am bothering people and what if I don't have much to say? Nat, remember when you used to call businesses to sell ads for yearbook for me?
3.) I find myself talking customers out of sales at work all the time. I can admit this, because I own the business. I just can't stand the thought of someone buying a product I've recommended and they end up hating it.
4.) I have a lot of anxiety talking to people I don't know, but guess what? I decided to be a hairstylist! I deal with people everyday and its good for me. I think I'm pretty good at hiding my anxiety.
5.) I don't really care for chocolate. I like it in something, but if the dessert is just chocolate...no thanks...ok maybe if I have a big glass of milk.
6.) I am obsessive about one thing. The sheets on my bed. Ask my bffs or my hubby. I've been this way since middle school. I have to have my sheets tightly tucked in at the bottom and no slack in them. They must be pulled tight over my feet at all times. I make my bed before I get in it.

I just made myself sound like a total NUT! Oh well, hopefully you love me anyway!

I tag:
Natalie
Kristen
Catherine

Vacation, my belly, and baby boy clothes!

2008-08-25T11:46:00.012-05:00

Back to the real world…and I’m not sure I’m ready. Am I the only one who feels like they need a vacation after their vacation? And sometimes its harder going back to work when you’ve been off for a week than just any ole weekend. Jeremy and I on the beach around dusk.

We had a really good time in Florida last week. My in-laws took me and Jeremy, his sister, Kara and her boyfriend, Shelby, and their brother Andrew and his girlfriend, Kara. There were 8 of us all together. J’s parents had rented us a beach house right on the water outside of Destin. Even though weather reports showed Hurricane Fay was headed straight for us, we didn’t even get a drop of rain. We had blue skies the whole time.

My round belly got a nice tan. I got some relaxing afternoons reading and laying out by the waves. I still got to run/walk almost every morning. It was actually nice to go to bed pretty early and wake up early to exercise and have a tiny bit of coffee. I also liked not having to put on much make up or fix my hair because I was gonna be at the beach all day. We ate sandwiches for lunch and cooked most of our dinners. We went out to eat twice and then I enjoyed having a reason to dress up and eat with everyone. Here’s a pic of J and I out to dinner.
Boy oh boy, I hope this baby is a boy! I say that because:
1. Our cousin, Catherine, her sister was told several times she was having a boy and just found out that he’s a SHE! Read about it here.
2. I bought lots of boy stuff at the outlet malls in Destin!
I had been planning this shopping trip since I knew we were preggars and since I found out lil peanut’s gender. I knew there were some good outlets in Destin. They are great for baby clothes! I shopped from about 10 am to 4ish pm one afternoon and even shopped some more a few days later. I outshopped the 2 Karas. (My sis-in-law and my bro-in-law’s girlfriend both are named Kara.) I found my main purchases came from the Carter’s outlet (they have the cutest little infant clothes). I liked Osh Kosh, Baby Gap, and Children’s Place (usually CP isn’t my favorite, but they had some cute stuff and good deals). J’s mom was so kind to humor me and go along for the baby shopping ride. It was the first real time I got to shop for him. I quit going thru the baby section and even avoided kid’s stores for the two years we were trying for this babe. So it was rather strange and exciting to get to do it for myself and not just someone else’s baby shower. J and I even went to Build A Bear and built a stuffed dog for Jonah. He had a cowboy hat and boots on. So cute.

We've got a swimsuit all ready for Grandma Woody's pool next summer!

My little Gap baby!

We had a great week in Destin and headed back early Saturday morning just as Fay was beginning to cause a little bit of wind and rain. We drove out of that within a hour. So we were so lucky and have absolutely no complaints about a great week. My hubby got to go deep sea fishing, golfing and play in the sand (yes, watching those boys play on the beach really clued me into what having a baby boy will be like). I got to shop, read, relax, sleep, exercise, and lay out. So thank you Clay and Barbara for taking us all for a wonderful week! You guys were so gracious and we had a great time getting to hang out with the whole family. Here’s a really good pic of them I snagged on our last night of eating out.

I will not officially be back in the real world until Tuesday when I go back to work. For now, my Monday will be spent cleaning up my disaster of a house and trying to get us back in working order. I gotta buy groceries and all that fun stuff.

Wow! Look at that belly! 18 weeks 4 days!

Take a blurry look at my tan! ha!

I have my next drs appt Tuesday for my ‘big’ ultrasound. Since I already know the gender it’s not quite as exciting as it could be, but now I’m just praying that what we’ve been told twice is correct. If not, no big deal. We’ll figure it out, I mean seriously, waaayyyy worse things could happen. I’m just praying for an everything-looks-great report. I guess I had been kinda worrying that he wasn’t moving around in there. I don’t think I realize that what I feel is movement sometimes. I’ll be laying still and not paying attention and something will twinge and kinda roll bubbly around in the low parts of my abdomen and I won’t even realize that could be it until its over. Then it won’t happen again for another day or so. During the first u/s I had at 15 weeks 2 days, she said he was foot-down breach and was kicking! I feel that sometimes because it’s a very specific pressure that you don’t usually feel until your baby is heavy and my peanut is too young to be that heavy. I was born feet first! Not rump first breach, but toes first breach. I don’t think they let you do that anymore. Its my understanding that in that case you usually get a C-section. Is that right?

My puppy (on the right) and her buddy, Rusty, are sad to have to say goodbye until J and I have to go out out of town again. They love to play!

Happy Birthday, Laura!

2008-08-11T15:26:00.005-05:00

SOMEONE in my family is having a birthday today! Its my big sis, Laura! Happy birthday to the greatest big sis ever!
That's her at Christmas with her boyfriend, Sam. Look at her pretty, pretty daughters!
Keely is on the left and Katy is on the right. That is a pic of them at what seems to be one of our favorite dining places, Olive Garden. It seems like we always end up there when they come into town. Here is a pic of Laura's goofy dog, Boo.

He loves Jeremy and always wants to cuddle up with him or have his attention. Maybe its because Jeremy is pretty easy going and lets him sit on his back.

Thanks Laura for letting us stay with you this weekend! We are most appreciative and had fun hanging out with you that morning. Oh and thanks for the clothes too! I also will have to find a way to watch Split Ends! Iloved it and Ilove you!

I was also very lucky because this weekend I saw my best friend, Natalie, and she gave me some great boy baby clothes. She also gave me a bouncy seat. That's pretty cool, because there are some things you want new and some things you would love to borrow. Those are two things I am happy to get from a friend. She's had two babies, so she knows what I'll like and won't like. I cannot wait until she and my other close friend, Kristen, come up for our annual girls weekend around the end of this month and help me register! Kristen has two kids also, so I will get a wealth of information from them. Can I rant a little? Why do we not have a Babies R Us? I went into the new one in Little Rock this weekend and would love to be able to do our crib shopping and carseat shopping there. We just don't have that many options up here to buy those big ticket items. I guess the closest is Tulsa, but you really can't register for anything from here, because realistically, who will go online and buy your shower gifts? Not many people in my experience.

So do tell, ladies, what is one thing you got for your baby that you couldn't live without? What item was the biggest annoyance/disappointment/waste of money? I would love to get your input, so I don't end up with a bunch of gimmicky things that I won't realistically use.

Weekend Update- a little early

2008-08-09T08:41:00.006-05:00

I'm just sitting in my mother's garage watching people pick out their yard sale finds. We haven't done too bad. I think we've made enough to pay for a tank or two of gas to Florida. We will be leaving for Destin the 16th with Jeremy's family. His mom and dad have so graciously rented a house for all 8 of us to fit in comfortably. I can't wait to show you guys pictures! I am looking forward to being a beach bum and doing some serious shopping for Jonah.

Speaking of Jonah, that is what we've decided to name our boy, provided he is a boy. Jeremy had really liked that name for some time, but I wasn't sure I was sold on it. I thought it over for a while. I tried to think up something else to no avail. So the other night I was reading in Matthew and twice in the chapter I was reading, it mentioned the prophet Jonah. I thought that was a little odd because the story of Jonah wasn't mentioned in many other places in the Bible to my knowledge. I thought, ok that felt like a sign. Then I started to read the book of Jonah again. In the beginning it said the name Jonah meant 'dove,' which is a sign of peace and purity. It can also mean 'silliness'. If any of you know my husband, the chances of us having a silly child is a pretty good one. So the name just seemed like a fit. So Jonah it is.

I had my second ultrasound last Tuesday. It never gets old seeing my lil alien baby. We got our second confirmation that it is a boy. We got a great detailed picture of his boy parts. If its not a boy, we got some 'splaining to do. My official 19 week ultrasound is August 26th. That's when we'll know if he's healthy and continuing to grow like he should.

So I bought a diaper bag at Bella's in Springdale. They have the cutest gift items and baby things. Here's a pic.

Its that vinyl-like material on the outside. I have a hard time keeping things clean, so the abilty to wipe off stuff was a plus. I didn't think it looked too girly. I mean I am a girl, but my child isn't. I plan on getting his name embroidered on it, but at the time I wasn't sure of his name. Here's another view:

Ok yes I am sold on the add ons! The bottle cooler, the little bag, and the changing pad. It also has lots of pockets. That's a total plus for me!

Now Jeremy and I will be on our way to Hot Springs to go to a wedding. We've had a super busy weekend and its not about to slow down anytime soon!

Also I wanted to say congrats to my blog-friend/real life customer, Jen. She had her baby a couple days ago! She is so cute and has so much hair! She was induced and had her baby in 4 hours! Gives me hope! Go wish her baby a belated Happy Birthday!

YARD SALE

2008-08-04T14:37:00.002-05:00

Yard sale Friday August 8th and Saturday August 9th. Starts at 7 am. We have furniture, glassware, home decor, clothing and more. There are multiple families involved. It will be at 307 Hindman in Prairie Grove in the Prairie Meadows subdivision.

Now We're Even!

2008-08-04T13:27:00.013-05:00

We have an even number of each gender in our house these days. How's that, you ask? Well there's me, my hubby Jeremy, my female dog Riley, and........a baby boy growing in my belly! Can you believe it? Let me backtrack and tell you the whole story, because, well, that's what a blog is for. I can ramble on as much as I like...to a certain extent!

Previously I had mentioned that Jeremy's cousin David had heard on KLRC about a place in Siloam Springs that is needed preggy models to practice ultrasounds on. He told my husband, who forgot the tell me, but luckily David's wife Catherine, mentioned it to me at her haircut a few weeks ago. So I checked it out. I had posted about this previously.

Tuesday, I had just had my 15 week appointment with the OB and of course it was a quick how-are-you-doing appointment. We listened to the heartbeat again (which has consistently been 150 bpm since 10 weeks). I turned down the AFP testing and went on my merry way.

Friday we were lucky enough to get an appointment in Siloam Springs. My husband didn't go to my OB appt since we knew it would be a quickie and opted to go to the Siloam Springs appt. (Fortunately we live about 15 minutes from Siloam). It was the neatest thing ever. They had a ultrasound tech who was teaching other nurses how to properly do them. So there were 3 women learning and the tech. So all three women took their turn looking around and identifying body parts and getting the heart rate and head size, etc. It was the coolest thing to me to get to see this baby! I could pick out arms, legs, the spine, its little mouth opening and closing, its arms and legs moving around. I was amazed. While the three ladies were doing their job, the tech was making suggestions on how to optimize the picture and really just complimenting how great of a job they were doing. (They were on the last day of their training). The tech announced that she would do the final scan and then let us know the sex! What? I had hoped that maybe they could venture a guess, but had no idea they would be able to tell me!

So the u/s tech took over and looked around and tried to get the baby to move out of the curled up position. Then she announced that it was a little boy! Jeremy was just silent, staring at the screen. I was amazed and just so happy. I think she felt so confident because while one of the first girls were scanning me, she had seen that he was a boy. Then that girl piped up that she thought she had seen it too. So she kept trying to get a hiney shot so she could really show us. She finally got that shot and we could see that he was a boy! She said she would be confident in buying blue and throwing away the receipts!

The coolest part of all of this was that they asked to pray for us after 45 minute session was over. I was really touched that they did that. I teared up then. I was just so surprised at how amazed I was to get to see so much of him. It really gave him a personality to me. I can plan, I can pick up good bargains in the proper colors...its real, he's really in there. I was still so scared that they wouldn't find anything in there. So here's some early pics of baby Woody

Skeletor baby! That's a front view of his face on the left and his little scrunched up body on the right.

This is a pic of baby face down and you can see his spine.

Another face down shot. His leg is folded up under him. You can see his ribs and his spine and the amniotic fluid he's been swallowing in his belly. Pretty cool. Can you believe he's the size of an apple or so?

Did I buy anything yet? Yes of course I did. I just bought a few things...I still feel strange buying baby stuff. There was a time in my life I never thought I would be doing that for myself. But they're nothing fancy or embroidered (we haven't decided for sure on a name yet), but still cute.

Perfect for a January baby. Snuggly and cute.Aunt Laura bought these items. She had bought me the little pants before she knew gender...and she's very good with her intuitions. (Apparently EVERYONE else is too. Everyone told me they thought it was a boy. No one told me girl.) Then she bought me these onesies and shirts to match the pants.

So unless I get another ultrasound that tells me differently, I'm going with boy! (I am actually blessed to get another ultrasound tomorrow as a favor and we'll see what they say!) So get ready to see pics of our cowboy room for baby boy Woody.

Eating out (lots), fabric shopping, and my big ole white belly

2008-07-28T22:22:00.006-05:00

We had a great weekend. I worked late on Friday and Jeremy met me in town for dinner. We went to Noodles and ran into our friends Dean and Lyndsey and their baby, Hudson. So we all ate together. Food was great and we had a good time catching up with them. Hudson led Jeremy around the parking lot by the finger for about 15 minutes. It was so cute!

Saturday I worked a long day, hit the trail across the street from the salon for a walk/run, and then got a pedicure! It was great. Then I decided I was done for the day and went home to veg on the couch with the new people magazine and a movie on TV. Jeremy and his friend James had been working on James' new house most of the day and they wanted to go out for dinner. I was too pooped to go with them. So they had a boy's night since James' wife was out of town and I was asleep by 8:30!

Sunday we went to church and then met our friends Will and Krissi and their daughter, Presley and our other friends Matt and Mindy and their boys, Maddox and Mason. Jeremy and I then headed out to shop some for our vacation in Florida that's coming up in a few weeks. We got home in enough time to take a nap before it was time to head back to church that evening.

Monday my mom and I headed out to run errands together. We looked at the cribs at Kids Furniture and checked out some fabric for baby bedding at Fabric Gallery. They have the most beautiful things to pick from. I could not narrow my choices down at all! Here's just a few of the many things I loved!

Much cuter in person, but different than all the pink and chocolate you see these days for a girl. That orange was a little pinker in real life.

The red looking fabric is actually more of a fuschia pink. I loved all the back and white patterns. There was also some black chenille and white chenille that would look great with both.

Here's my most recent belly pic! I am 14 weeks 5 days in this pic.

These are my trusty maternity workout shorts that I think I will wear for the rest of my life. So comfortable! Anyway peanut is growing! I go to the doc tomorrow and I think I'll get to schedule my big ultrasound!

Help!

2008-07-21T11:40:00.008-05:00

We had heard a baby furniture store in Rogers was having a liquidation floor model clearance. So Jeremy and I, along with his mom and dad, ventured into Rogers to check it out. Yes, it probably is too early to be thinking about nursery furniture, but with a sale, I didn't want to miss out!

Boy did we have lots to learn about furniture. I had heard a lot of advice on whether to get a convertible crib or not. So many people had said they never used it as a toddler bed or a full sized bed. I have this gut feeling that I will use it! I know that may be naive, but I really am considering it. They say you'll use it for the next baby and won't get toddler bed usage out of it. Yes, we may use it on baby number two, but we have a unique situation. We may not get a baby number two. This may be the only chance I have. And maybe not, you never know what God has planned, I could conceive easily the second time, or have luck using frozen emrbryos, or adopt. I have NO idea what my future holds. So I can't really plan like a lot of other moms can. I can say that I would probably use the full size bed headboard because I plan on buying a dresser that matches and just plop a changing pad on top for a changing table. That way I already have matching furniture for the future full sized bed! Besides, its almost impossible to find a nonconvertible crib these days. So please let me in on any information about this! Let me know if there's something I haven't thought about!

Here's the cribs we're looking at. Let me know which one is your favorite!

Crib 1: You can't really see some of the details with this picture...I took them all with my Iphone, but I love the knob footings.

Crib 2: Yes we like dark wood!

Crib 3: I really love this one, but I believe it is the hardest to get (4-6 month delivery time) and you have to pay for the extras. This one's not a clearanced one...actually only one of these are.

Crib 4 : I also love this one. It is much easier to get, I believe they had it in stock or the delivery time was very short. And since we don't know what we're having yet, its very gender neutral...don't you think?

Crib 5: Also gender neutral and easy to get ahold of.

Crib 6: This is the clearanced one. It is really growing on me. I wasn't sure how much I'd like the black...but I do. It could be gone by now for all I know, but it has a dresser that matches it.

All the cribs that I have shown have matching furniture that I really like also. I wouldn't be disappointed with any of them, I know, but I usually need some help narrowing things down! So vote on your favorites! I really would appreciate it!

A pic of your baby!

2008-07-09T19:55:00.002-05:00

Here's some info for you preggies out there. J's cousin, David, called Jeremy to tell him about an ad he heard on KLRC about free ultrasounds. Jeremy forgot to tell me about it and David's wife, Catherine told me about it when she came in to get her hair cut.

So here's the deal. Basically a clinic in Siloam Springs is teaching techs how to do ultrasounds. They are looking for pregnant women between 7 and 20 weeks to practice ultrasounds on. The next set of dates they are taking appoinments for is July 30- Aug 1st, I believe. So here's the number to see if you can get an appointment if you live in Northwest Arkansas. 479-549-3322 The name of the place is New Beginnings. I had them give me directions because I am not very familiar with Siloam Springs.

Let me know if you try it out!

Belly Shots!

2008-07-07T21:35:00.006-05:00

I had the big heartbeat appointment July 1. I was so scared and ready to hear that fast little heartbeat. Jeremy went with me. I had been warned by so many people that there's a chance they won't be able to hear it because I was only 10w6d. Well when she put that doppler up to my belly, bam! It was right there. Beating away. About 150 bpm the doc said. I was SO relieved. So excited and in so much disbelief! There is a living being inside me. How weird, strange, and very cool is that?

I have been taking belly shots as time goes by. By no means have I been that organized to do it every week on the same day like I wanted to. But here they are. Yes, you are looking at my bare belly, sorry for the oogy skin pics. Yes I am showing...if you know me, I am. I can hide it at work because I wear an apron all day, but at church...not so much. No denying. I feel like maybe its too early to show this much? I don't know I've never been pregnant before. What can you do? Suck it in? No, that doesn't work. So here are the shots!

4 weeks 2 days. I felt so puffy and bloated at the time. What I would give to still be able to stuff myself into those pants now.

7 weeks 4 days. I forgot which way I faced for the previous picture. oops!
9 weeks 5 days. Yes I had been working out. That's a rough picture!
10 weeks 6 days. Late picture taken after a busy night working Vacation Bible School. I think I'm bigger now that I'm almost 12 weeks. Were you girls this big this early with your babies?

My belated birthday dinner

2008-06-23T17:18:00.004-05:00

Last weekend my sis and her two girls came up from Bryant for about a day or so. We were gonna have a big birthday dinner for me. The original plan was to do it around my birthday back in April but it was too busy for all of us and Jeremy and I were back and forth to LR so much, so it didn't really happen then. So we planned it for last Friday night. My bro and his g/f Kelly, Laura and Katy and Keely, me and J, and mom had a big dinner complete with one of my favorties: Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, green beans, brown beans, cornbread, and rolls. Then for dessert Darren made a New York style Cheesecake and mom made her famous ice cream cake. (Jeremy said the funniest thing about the ice cream cake. He asked me how my mom baked the cake without the ice cream melting. I looked at him funny and said, "Really?" As in- are you really seriously asking me that? His knee jerk reaction was, "No" even though he still didn't know quite how it worked.)

This is a pic of my sis, Laura and me before dinner. Yes I'm taller than her. She hates it. :)

The next day I had a wedding to do hair for. It was for a relative of a friend. We were also invited to the wedding. It was so beautiful. The bride was absolutely beautiful and they had Marketplace cater the wedding. Yum! The wedding cake was so pretty and actually tasted really great. You know how pretty cakes usually don't taste that good? Well this one did.

Sunday morning Jeremy and I had cinnamon rolls in bed. (A huge treat for both of us, because usually I will NOT buy such unhealthy things.) It was Father's Day so, peanut and I gave J a card. We went to church and grabbed some lunch with our friends, Matt and Mindy and their two boys. They suggested Ruby Tuesday because it was close and we'd get the food started fast with their salad bar. They were saying how cranky the boys can get when they are hungry and I was thinking how cranky I can get lately about the same thing. I had a avocado and cheese quesadilla. It was simple but really good. J and I then went home to recover from a super busy week. We held the couch down for a couple hours. So nice after a hectic week!

8 week checkup

2008-06-16T15:42:00.002-05:00

I went in June 10th for our 8 week appt. I just spoke to them about our finances and insurance coverage and saw the nurse. She asked me the customary 1 million questions, then sent me downstairs to the lab. I have gotten to know that place quite well. Anyway, they took tons of blood. I didn't think they were gonna leave me any.

It turns out that since the baby is due January 20, 2009...guess what? We get to pay another deductible! Our deductible is quite high because we pay for private insurance. So luckily God has blessed us with paying off my car this month and that will allow us to apply that money to pay for this baby! My car is not fancy or anything exciting but it is safe and plenty roomy for a carseat. So I am praying that it will last another 2 years.

For me, everything is going well as far as I can tell. I have gained 3 lbs. I have been eating well! I am not sick unless I forget to eat. Sometimes I get worried that something could be wrong and I don't even know it. Then I remember how tired I am and how I am STARVING every 2 hours. Those symptoms do reassure me some.

The starving thing is so strange. I'm sure that other women can attest to this, but you just don't know what starving is until you've got a little peanut in your belly demanding to eat. I'm convinced that it is God's way of getting me used to how often I'm gonna have to feed this baby and how desperate he/she will feel when hunger strikes. Usually I can eat something small for breakfast, then have a Lean Cuisine for lunch then maybe a snack around 4, then dinner at whatever time we get around to it. Not anymore! Breakfast must happen right when I get up, then a snack around 9 or 10. Then lunch at 11:30 or 12. Then some fruit or something at 2, then again at 4, then dinner no later than 6. For some reason I don't really get hungry again after dinner. Boy and some foods disgust me. Meat, chicken in particular...ew. For a couple days when my husband even mentioned cheetos to me I wanted to hurl. I had an early early preggy craving for cheetos and ranch dressing and now the the thought of them both makes my stomach churn.

So the next stop is 11 weeks. I have an appointment July 1st. We will hopefully hear the heartbeat. I am anxious to hear that little fast beating heart. For the first trimester, because of my trouble conceiving, I am not to exercise much. I can walk. So I have been doing that, but maybe when I hit the 2nd tri then maybe I can step it up a little or do something different. We'll see. For now, I'm just trying to squeeze into my clothes. No fun, but part of the game.

There is a heartbeat!

2008-06-16T15:24:00.003-05:00

Notice I said "a heartbeat." That's because there's one little baby in there. We went to the doc May 28th (I know, its been forever since I've updated...sorry!). Jeremy came with me and we held our breath as Dr Bailey did the 6 week ultrasound. He told us that there was one baby in there and showed us the little blip on the screen that was our baby's heartbeat! He said it probably had started beating the day before! We couldn't believe it! We were so excited to have proof that there's something in there!

My Fertility clinic called me later that day to tell me to stop taking the progesterone shots. I was happy to quit those! Being woken up at 5:30 am to have a huge needle stuck in your hip did not make for a cheery girl. I am still on a different form of progesterone at least until my 11 week appt. That's totally fine with me. They also told me that I was released from the fertility clinic and I was a regular patient. Me? Regular? What a nice thing to hear.

Shortly after my drs appt I headed to Orange Beach, AL with my best friend Natalie, her two kids, her sister, her two kids, and their mom. It was a really pretty place. We had great weather, good food, good shopping and a beautiful beach. We had fun one night looking for crabs on the beach with the kids. Natalie and I wanted to catch a big one so bad, but we were both so feaked out by it, that everytime we tried to get him in our net, we both would scream like little girls! So funny! The kids would run away while we just screamed and laughed. I wish we had that on video tape! Poor Natalie woke up one night with a horrible earache. She had to go to the walk-in clinic and they gave her all kinds of medicine to make her feel better, but it was a good day and a half until she felt partway human again. She is still fighting that ear infection. I pray that I never have to deal with one of those.

Lately I've just been working and trying to keep my house together! My husband so kindly cleaned our house from top to bottom while I was on vacation. He kept telling me on the phone that he had just taken it easy because he was so tired from work. He's been working M-Sat and clocking around 60 hrs a week. He had NOT been taking it easy. He cleaned out our closet and garage. He picked up and cleaned our bedroom and bathroom, dusted, vacuumed, everything! What a wonderful thing to come home from a trip to. He can be a real sweetie.

Good News!

2008-05-19T10:48:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

Thanks for being patient for our results. We found out last Wednesday, but wanted a little time to ourselves to get used to the results one way or the other. I was scheduled to get a blood HCG beta test on Wednesday morning. As you can imagine, I could not sleep a wink Tuesday night. I tossed and turned and dreamed and prayed and worried. The doctors has said NOT to take a home pregnancy test because of the HCG shot I was given prior to the retrieval as part of the drug protocol. This shot can give you a false positive test result on a home test because it can stay in your system up to 14 days. My sister asked me Tuesday night if I was gonna take a home test anyway. I hadn't given it much thought because the drs said not to...but after my sleepless night Tuesday...I changed my mind.

I awoke really early Wednesday morning and decided to take a hpt (home preg. test). It was very quickly positive. My heart stopped beating. My brain couldn't really comprehend this result. I had never seen one of these! I have taken probably close to 50 hpts and never have I gotten even a light positive. I braced myself for the reality of it being a false positive because of the hcg shot lasting up to 14 days in your system...but wait, it had been 16 days. So this excited me, but I tried not to count my chickens before they hatch.

So I headed into the lab for my blood test later that morning at 8 am. I was somewhat relaxed, but still tenative. I had a busy day at work, and was worried that I should have taken off in case the results were less than desirable. I think it was very good that I was working because I was busy and not really thinking about it all. Around noon, I got the phone call. Thank goodness it came early in the day because I wouuld've died waiting until 4:00! The nurse from my fertility clinic confirmed my previous hpt. I was pregnant! (What? That word in relation to me?) She said my beta result was 228 and showed a stable positive result. I was to continue the Progesterone shots (I told her I didn't care, I would take those every morning for the rest of my life if I had to) and head back to the lab Friday morning to confirm the results with a doubled beta blood test result.

Friday I went back and got blood drawn. I got the results around 4:30 that afternoon that yes, indeed, my beta number had more than doubled. I was relieved to say the least. I was MORTIFIED that they would tell me..."Oh I'm so sorry...that first result wasn't for you, we made a mistake."

We haven't really told that many people except for those of you who have been following our story, praying for us, and have been so loving and supportive in our journey. (So don't tell anyone yet, Ok?) When you go through infertility, you have some emotional baggage that you carry around. Jeremy and I both are on one hand, over the moon excited, on the other hand, terrified that this baby won't stick. With help from God and some good family and friends who continue to pray for us, I am sure we will deal accordingly. I've decided to be happy. I will resist my natural inclination to be a Debbie downer. (I am negative in relation to myself, but, I think, very positive for other people...weird.) No matter how long God allows me to enjoy this pregnancy --if I get to follow it all the way through or if He takes my baby to heaven early--I am gonna enjoy what I have. I know that sounds morbid. But its really not to me. I'm going to relish the here and now. That is the lesson I feel like I've been learning lately.

So sometime mid-next week I will go in for an ultrasound. This will determine if we have one or two babies floating around in there. I have a feeling its just one, but you never know! Jeremy is excited about the idea of twins...I am a little scared! God knows what's best for us.

Thank you so much for your prayers! Please continue to pray. I hope that this is encouraging to those girls who are going through infertility and not a painful story to read. I can remember reading many conception stories and sometimes being very encouraged and sometimes being really discouraged and sad. It will happen for you too! I have read from fertility doctors that it is very rare that they have a patient that doesn't get pregnant eventually. I will continue to pray for you.

Update...kinda!

2008-05-12T11:40:00.002-05:00

I will not know any results from my round of IVF for another 5 days or so. I have to get blood drawn for a beta pregnancy test at Park Hill. I am very nervous and my glass-half-empty side is struggling to come out. I am choosing to not think about it until its here. My mantra lately has been to not borrow trouble! I will not worry about tomorrow. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. So for those of you...fellow bloggers, friends, and family...in an effort to maintain my sanity, I will post my results here when I feel like I can face the world with them. Thank you for your prayers! And check back sometime around the end of the week or the first of next week. You have followed me on this journey and we'll see where it leads us!

Last Weekend was a blur!

2008-05-12T11:10:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone!

I'm not sure why I haven't felt like blogging lately...I guess I felt like I had nothing to report. I still don't! Let me update you on what's been going on.
This is me in the 'recovery room' at the clinic where I got my embryo tranfer, May 3. It was painless, they didn't even give me anything for this procedure, but I have to sit still for about an hour afterwards. Jeremy and I headed home directly after because I had to be on bedrest for 48 hours. They meant serious bedrest too. I was not allowed to leave my house, to shower, to really get up for anything besides the bathroom. I was SO bored and helpless! Our sweet family and friends did bring us food. Jeremy's mom brought us dinner one night and so kindly waited on me! Idon't think I moved from the couch the whole time she was there. I felt like such a blob! Then Sunday morning came around and we couldn't even go to church. Our friends, Krissi and Will, brought us Subway for lunch. (It sounded so good to me! All these hormones that have been pumped into my body have made me crave some crazy stuff!) Then my mom brought us dinner Sunday night. She brought shrimp alfredo, salad, bread, and CAKE with cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Finally Monday morning came! I was free! I could bathe! I could LEAVE THE COUCH, much less the house! I had plans to go into town and just do nothing! Krissi met me for lunch at Atlanta Bread Company with her little girl. We had fun watching her eat. I had the California Avacado sandwich and vegetable soup. It hit the spot.

Then I left lunch to head to Hancocks Fabric and WalMart. I got this great idea to make aprons for my mother-in-law and grandma-in-law for Mother's Day. So I bought all the material and headed to my mom's house to use her sewing machine and her brain! (I'm a new sewer, so I had to ask her many questions!)

Here's my mother-in-law, Barbara's apron. This is a picture before the pocket was sewn on. I got the pockets embroidered.
Kind of a blurry picture (I took it with my Iphone). But it turned out pretty cute. This next one is Grandma Walker's apron. She lives on a farm and raises cattle among other things. No, she does not raise dairy cattle, like my husband liked to point out because of the 'expansive udders' on the cows in the fabric. Sorry, I don't know the difference between cattle quite yet!That's my mom modeling it! She will probably hate me for posting this pic...we were in our comfy clothes while I was sewing that day! She made me promise to not get her face in the pic. Here's the pic of the embroidered pocket for his grandma. I got it done in 'western' font. So cute!Now my next sewing job is to make my mom and myself one.

I am humbled...

2008-04-28T22:41:00.004-05:00

Look what arrived at my house Sunday afternoon! Jeremy's cousins, David and Catherine, and his mom, Barbara, and his sister, Kara brought me this basket! It is the ultimate in care packages.

There are books, crossword puzzles, magazines, snacks, cash, gift cards, and the sweetest cards and notes. There are even grandma Walker's homemade snicker doodle cookies! Many of you may have known about this before I did. From what I understand, Catherine worked hard to contact people and many of you responded in love. Can I say how touched we are? Your money will help us pay for gas and medication. Your snacks will keep us chubby :) Your books and mags are right up our alley! Who of you knew I LOVED crossword puzzles? I have been journaling about this journey randomly, but now I even have a new journal to put it all in one place. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have enjoyed daydreaming about baby names, which room we will choose for our nursery, how we will decorate the room--all of these ideas are down in my new journal. Even if this doesn't work for us, we have hope. We have family and friends-who-are-like-family who we love. We know if I give birth to a child or if we adopt that you all will love and cherish that child with no reservations. I am so thankful. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for your love, kindness, prayers, support, and giving spirit.

This Just In! Breaking News!

2008-04-28T22:19:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! Are you ready for another update from the bruised, poked, and prodded? This week will not disappoint! It has been a busy week.

First off, my needles are getting easier every day. The injections are becomming second nature to me and the only real side effect I feel is a headache. (Jeremy says I am "a little cranky" though he may just be scared to tell me how he really feels!) I have been to the doctor 5 times this week alone. They require very close monitoring. I have to have blood drawn (seriously, I only have two arms! Both of which are bruised from blood draws and it makes me feel like I have to explain myself to everyone who sees them--"I don't have a drug problem, just a getting pregnant problem"). After the blood draws I get to get an ultrasound! This is actually kind of fun because you get to see your insides! The first u/s I had around 14 follicles. (Follicles= the fluid filled sacs surounding an egg.) That is good for IVF. The 2nd u/s I had more, the third u/s the doctor said she saw 'an Easter basket-full.' I had well over 20 this morning. That, of course, is due to the high amounts of hormones I've been injecting into my belly every day. Most women only produce one to two follicles a month. For IVF they require many more, because not all of them make it thru the process.

Boring information aside, I will be travelling to Little Rock Tuesday night to stay with my friend Natalie, because Jeremy and I will be at the clinic in LR for the egg retrieval Wednesday morning. I will be under conscious sedation while they use a 16 inch long needle to retrieve the eggs. Yes, I said 16 INCH LONG NEEDLE. Yikes. Thank goodness for sedation! We will return to Little Rock sometime over the weekend to have the transfer done.

Please pray that we have a safe trip down and back both times. Please pray that I will not get ovarian hyperstimulation. It is a slight risk that would not be a good situation for me. Please pray for God's will in whether this embryo will stick or not. Please pray for our emotional and physical wellbeing during this exciting but somewhat stressful time.

I will keep you posted as to how many eggs we got and how many were successfully fertilized. As for me, I will keep downing my Gatorade (drs orders) and I'll see ya on the other side of that 16 inch long needle!

Much love to you all!
Adrienne

You Have Been More Than Patient

2008-04-14T21:46:00.006-05:00

Today I babysat for my friend's little girl. Our friends, Krissi and Will, have a little girl who is a total doll! I had a lot of fun making her smile, rocking her to sleep, and watching her walk all over the house with me while I did laundry and loaded the dishwasher. This is her asleep. Isn't she the sweetest? She slept like that for at least an hour! She just turned one at the end of March.
This picture leads me to my next subject. Krissi and I set out on our journey to motherhood the same month in 2006. Almost two years later, 8 friends of mine have gotten pregnant and many have already delivered their babies. Jeremy and I are still on that journey. As many of you know, that trip to Little Rock a couple weeks ago was to see a Fertility Specialist. We have been dealing with them since November 2007, but we went down for information on the IVF process. This is our latest and last treatment option.

First of all, let me backtrack. Like I said, Jeremy and I have been trying to get pregnant for 2 years. When we began trying we both really wanted to keep it a secret. We were imagining the fun and excitement of announcing it to our friends and family. We were already thinking up names, planning a nursery, thinking about paint colors, everything you do when you have finally decided to start trying for a baby. We had finally gotten to the point where we felt settled. We had a new house, I was out of beauty school and established in a salon, and we felt like we could afford it. The Lord had other plans for us. I was crushed the first month it didn't work out. I remember sitting in the parking lot at Tractor Supply on the 4th of July to watch the fireworks over Baum Stadium barely able to carry on an intelligent conversation because I had gotten confirmation that morning that I was not pregnant.

That month turned into two. Two turned into six. Six turned into ten. By that point, I was convinced that I might have to see a doctor about this. Of course they kind of put me off, because after all, I was young and had no obvious problems, it was just gonna take time. I had a few tests run, all came back normal. Finally I had had enough of this waiting game. I told the nurse that I wanted to do something about it. They put me on a fertility drug. I tried this drug for two months and went in for a blood test on the second month and they called me back and told me that I was not ovulating. SERIOUSLY?? I've gone over a year and we're just now finding out I am not regularly ovulating? So I switched doctors. We tried 3 more rounds of the drugs and finally the doctor suggested I try an IUI. Interuterine Insemination. They simply give you drugs to grow and mature your eggs, then a trigger shot to make it ovulate, then inject the sperm into your uterus with a catheder on exactly the right day. We tried that twice. With two failed IUIs under out belt, I got very discouraged. I finally gathered my nerve and called a fertility clinic in Little Rock. I had been referred to those doctors by a few people and thought what the heck?

This new doctor suggested that we try injectible medication with our IUI. So I was taught how to stick a needle in my stomach for about 6 days of the month, then I would travel to Little Rock for an insemination. After two more failed IUIs with injectibles attempts, I was done. The doctors have never been able to find anything wrong with either one of us. Jeremy and I had been praying for guidance on what next. We prayed for adoption, for IVF, for doing nothing. We didn't know what God wanted us to do. Slowly it seemed like our answer came when we found out we had insurance coverage for one round of IVF.

IVF is a very detailed and intensive process. There are many drugs involved.

Yes that's a huge bag of NEEDLES! I have already started some of the drug protocol. The needle they start you out with is tiny, then the next set is a little bigger, then the last ones that you take for at least two weeks straight are HUGE. Right now they have me in a medically induced state of menopause...so far, other than being a little cranky, menopause is ok. Soon I will start large doses of egg stimulating drugs that will, no doubt, make me feel crazy. Not to mention a steriod, an antibiotic, progesterone shots in the bum, and several estrogen patches. Fun!

I will endure many appointments at my doctor's office up here to monitor my progress. I will feel like a pin cushion with all those lab draws in addition to all of the needles I'll be sticking in my belly and rear. Finally by the end of April early May, we will head to Little Rock to actually have the egg retrieval, fertilization, and transfer.

I am so excited and so ready to get the show on the road! I am a girl of action! I like to have a plan! Please continue your prayers for us. I know from day to day my emotions change about the whole process. Soometimes I am excited, others I am saddened that we had to go to this extreme. While at times, it seems cold and clinical, when I think of the outcome, my heart is warmed. We understand that we have around a 55% chance of success. If this doesn't work, we will be back to the drawing board. We will pray for the money to adopt. We know our future is in God's hands and are calmed about a negative outcome with that thought alone. He knows us, loves us, and has our best intentions at heart. He will sustain us until we are blessed with a child.

I really struggled with putting all this info up here for the whole world to see. I tend to be private about these matters, but dealing with it all has made me be open about it. Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, and support. I know I have a huge group of family and friends who will be truly and genuinely happy for us when the time does come. Thank you for being so good to us!

I know!

2008-04-14T21:27:00.003-05:00

I've been a bad blogger!

Please accept my apology! It has been a crazy two weeks. My birthday came and went in a flash. I had a great 28th birthday. My husband surprised me with an Iphone two days before my actual birthday. I was very surprised. I have wanted one since Christmas but knew they were too expensive. I told Jeremy that I still wanted one back in March, knowing that there was no way it would happen. Well, he got to discussing it with his mom and together they made it happen for me!
I have to say that I love it with all of my heart. I am a gadget girl! I love how much I can do with it. The pictures are amazing. The internet access is great. The touch screen is pretty cool. The map and weather feature are right up my alley! It makes me want to go out and buy a Mac computer. Especially after having soooo much trouble with my computer lately.

I was lucky enough to get several meals for my birthday. J and I went to Herman's. We both had steaks that were really good. Jeremy's mom cooked a big meal for J and I, his dad, his sister, Kara and his brother Andrew and his girlfriend, Kara. We had fun discussing our upcoming trip to Florida in August. Jeremy was telling us our agenda for the trip. He said it included waking up at 5:30 a.m. and doing aerobics on the beach, then eating a breakfast of cereal and pop tarts, then returning to the beach for Sandcastles 101. That's as much planning as he has managed so far. We went out to lunch at work for my birthday at Catfish Hole (my mom accidentally called it Fatfish Hole the other day and I found that quite fitting). I am awaiting my family's birthday celebration. I will get to pick out the meal of my choice at my mom's house. Hopefully my sis and my nieces will be able to come up soon to celebrate it with me. My friends at church bought my a couple nice presents and a cookie cake for me. It didn't last long. I love those things!

So all in all I had a great birthday week! It really seemed to last all week long! We had a revival going on at our church that week that really kept us busy. So between a trip to Little Rock in one day, my birthday, and the revival that first week of April...we have since tried to slow down...but it hasn't really worked out that way!

Remember how I said I was gonna try to cook at home more in the coming weeks? Riiiigghhtt...about that. Let's just say I failed and I will try to do better.

I've found a new hobby! (maybe)

2008-03-29T21:18:00.006-05:00

So, my mom has made me many very cute dresses, a pair of bermuda shorts, and two jackets. I have had much fun wearing my hand tailored clothes. I mean, that's the life, right? Getting your clothing made for you!

Last time we got the bug to go to Hancock Fabrics I decided I was gonna give it a try myself. We set out on making this really cute skirt.

That is my skirt in the making. Those are my box pleats! We had a time pinning those bad boys!

If you look closely you can see the red thread sewed thru the top...that's for the gathers! So I pleated AND gathered on my first attempt! Ok so I admit it, my mom led me thru it all step-by-step. I probably couldn't have even read the pattern correctly it she hadn't been there to translate it for me.

Don't forget the interfacing! (I think that's what it's called!) Fancy, huh?

The final product will be modeled at Farmington Baptist Church tomorrow morning. I know you all will attend to savor my handiwork. Just don't look too close at the zipper...my stitching got a little crooked there. :)

NEXT WEEK

Please say a little prayer for Jeremy and I Tuesday as we make a super quick trip to Little Rock to go for an informational class at a doctor's office. No health problems at all to worry about. I will let you know the details when we get back. We've got some hopeful things coming up this spring! Ihope to get to grab lunch while we're in Little Rock with my best friend, Natalie, who will have just come back from Cabo San Lucas! (I've missed her so for the last, uh, 4 days, every time I wanted to pick up the phone to gab!) Then we will come home to a busy work week and a busy revival week at our church. Oh not to mention...someone is turning 28. So I'm looking forward to some scrumptious dinner prepared in my honor...anyone?

Happy Late Easter!

2008-03-29T21:07:00.003-05:00

Ok, so it's not the best picture of either of us. The sun was in our eyes, but we just wanted a pic of our Easter finery...but really all both of us were thinking was...when can I get into my sweats? We had a good Easter service at church. We always have a very interesting and good discussion in our young adult sunday school class. Then my mom and I were in the choir performance that morning. We had been practicing 3 Easter songs and they went very well. I think they sounded better than they ever had while practicing. I'm sure that has more to do with the Holy Spirit than it had to do with us. The church was full and that's how we like it!

I need a weekend after my weekend!

2008-03-17T21:53:00.011-05:00

The weekend goes by WAY too fast!

First of all, I am feeling much better than I was as of my last blog post. It took me several days to even begin to feel like I was part of the human race again. But I am back to normal, minus some goo floating around in my head.

So Friday started off well. I had a busy day at work scheduled and slowly but surely I got cancellations. Two color appointments cancelled, then later in the afternoon, I got another color cancellation! Its crazy how that will happen to you in one day every now and then. Anyway, my last cancellation was a late one so I was pleasantly surprised to get to leave work early (at 5).

I called up my hubby and told him to meet me in town and we would go to dinner. I then was hoping that he would agree to go look at new lighting for the salon. He was agreeable enough so we went to Marketplace Express then onto Lowe's for lighting. I picked out a chandlier, and he picked out sconces for the walls. I trust his instincts with lighting because he's a residential electrician so he sees what looks good in houses and what doesn't. My hubby was ever-so-kindly planning on using his Saturday off to come up to the salon early and put up the new lights. We went by the salon to drop them off and got distracted looking around...end ended up putting them all up and rearranging the whole waiting area in the salon.
Thank goodness for that Chick-Fil-A milkshake we shared. (You must eat one if you haven't had them...or better yet, DON'T eat one, you will be addicted.)

I am very pleased with the new look of the salon and I will post pics soon so you can see how wonderful it looks!

Saturday

It started off like it usually does. Me hitting snooze on the alarm for about 30 minutes to an hour. I made it into work and was done by 2. My mom met me up at the salon for some much needed Hancock Fabric shopping! My mom is an excellent seamstress and makes me beautiful clothes! I am so lucky! Here's what we bought!
That's the first pattern above and this is the fabric we picked out for it. It will be like the bottom right picture on the pattern cover with the black sash. So cute! I'm looking forward to wearing it. Here's the next one:

It will be made in two fabrics: this green cotton jersey material and a funky black and white pattern. It is a cute, casual, comfy pattern that I look forward to wearing this summer!After all this fun shopping, my mom and I met Jeremy for an early dinner at Red Lobster. Then we headed out to Greenland to hang out with Jeremy's cousin David and his wife, Catherine. We got to hang out with their two boys before they went to bed. They have been working on their house for quite awhile and I hadn't seen it yet. It looked so good!

Sunday
We went to church, then lunch at Firehouse Subs (sooooo good), then home to watch the Razorback game. I actually was doing some baking at the time so I didn't watch much of the game, but I listened as Jeremy and his friend Matt yelled at the TV occassionally. I was then off to choir practice and church. Our church had a team called White Mouse Puppet Ministries visiting that night. It was the cutest puppet show ever. There were tons of kids there to watch and they were oohhing and ahhing and talking to the puppets. Very cute. Then J and I were on to Powerhouse for his mom's birthday. We had a great meal followed up with birthday cake and this wonderful punch. Think strawberry, milk, club soda, and ice cream.

So since the weekend was so busy, I took my Monday off to run, do laundry, and veg a little. I got a nap, did a workout with Jeremy, had a meal with my friend Krissi at Gaby's in Prairie Grove, went by my Mom's and now its time to do the week all over again! I plan to be much better about eating at home this week! I'll let ya know how well it works soon!

Its Friday!

2008-03-07T09:09:00.003-06:00

Yea, it's Friday! But I'm sick! Booo! and I have to work tomorrow too! Booo! I have slowly been coming down with what I assume is a cold. Yesterday I felt pretty bad and had to work. I lathered up on Germex and Kleenex. I was just afraid my nose was gonna drip on someone while I did their hair. I know, gross, but I was lucky. I kept my snot to myself. I came home last night around 8 and crashed on the couch. I went to bed early and woke up at 1:30 a.m. wide awake. I assumed I would be able to get up and take a Claritin D and go for a run...but the more I sit here...I don't think that run is gonna happen. I haven't felt this bad in a long time.

With feeling sick, I feel blessed. I am so blessed to have a body that works for me most of the time! I am thankful that I don't have chronic pain or a terminal illness. I have my issues where I have been mad that my body didn't respond like I wanted it to, but I'd rather have my struggles any day over feeling like this all the time! I thank God that He gave me a happy, healthy, working body. Now I want it to heal, so I can get out of my house! ha! And what's up with the weather? 6 inches of snow...no, 2. Oh wait maybe none at all. I am scheduled to go to lunch for a co-worker's birthday and I really want to go, but I just may not make it! :( Ok, I'm rambling, I must go!

Seriously??

2008-03-05T21:52:00.002-06:00

Seriously. Grey's Anatomy is not due to return until APRIL 24, 2008. Bummer! I am a big time fan...I even read the writer's blog. I know, nerd.

Happy Birthday Shogun Style

2008-03-03T18:59:00.004-06:00

Awww! Look at my pretty girls! That's my sister Laura, niece Keely, niece Katy, and my Mom. We went to Shogun's for my bro Darren's birthday. It was mucho fun, but I didn't think about not really being able to talk to each other very well. Jeremy and I were seated all the way across the table from my brother and his girlfriend, Kelly...so we didn't get to chat much.
There they are! The guest of honor, Darren, and his g/f Kelly. We teased Darren about making them come out and sing Happy Birthday to him- they dim the lights, play this loud music, and turn on a blue strobe light- and he said no. As a matter of fact, Jeremy said if they did it one more time to other patrons of the restaurant, he just might bolt for the door. My sister's goofy dancing to the music is probably what kept him from leaving. Happy Belated Birthday D! (I still don't like it when you get older...it means I'm working on getting older too).

Shoes! Oh My Gah, Shoes!

2008-03-03T18:52:00.004-06:00

So pretty and green. Yes, these are my best purchase this week. They are part of my Easter getup. I would say maybe I'll wear them on St. Patrick's Day, but work in those babies? Nope, ain't gonna happen. I'd be crawling by the end of the day.

Arlo Guthrie Review

2008-03-03T18:34:00.006-06:00

It looks as though I have become a Monday blogger. Like I said, its my day off to get stuff done! How was my weekend you ask? Too fast, but I will still give you the run down. I worked Saturday as usual and so did Jeremy. Then I went for a nice, long run. Then hurried home to get ready for a concert at the Walton Arts Center. Jeremy had seen an advertisement for the Arlo Guthrie concert and really wanted to go. So I got him tickets for Valentine's Day. So off we went Saturday night amid all of the hippies of NWA. Did I even have any idea who this guy was? No. No clue whatsoever. But I was determined to give it a try. Jeremy is interested in music, period. He really has no boundaries for what he likes and doesn't like. So we listened to his folk songs about love, politics, and war.
I must say while I didn't go out and buy any of his CDs I could definitely have an appreciation for Arlo Guthrie's talents on the guitar, harmonica, and piano.
Speaking of the Walton Arts Center, their new 2008-09 season is about to go on sale. Just this year, I persuaded my mom, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law to get season broadway series tickets with me. I have truly enjoyed these tickets and plan on doing it again for the new season! I am so stinkin' excited! Spamalot, Fiddler on the Roof, The Wizard of Oz and maybe Avenue Q are just a few of the shows scheduled to be here! I just may have to review shows for you. We will be seeing Stomp in May. I have seen it before but I believe it was 1997, so I am looking forward to that one.

He looks quiet doesn't he?

2008-02-25T23:24:00.002-06:00

There's my honey about to start working out. I tried to sneak up on him, but he heard me coming outside. I heard him from the other end of the house singing at the top of his lungs in the garage. He had his ipod turned up pretty loud, and if you even know him a little bit, you would know he will be singing along...loudly.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2008-02-25T21:59:00.004-06:00

Those who know me, know I have a completely goofy side. Well, now I know who I got that from.

What a lovely picture of my sis and her boyfriend, Sam. That was over Christmas vacation at my house. I have not seen this pic until tonight and I have to say it cracked me up on more than one occasion. That is my mom. My sweet, soft-spoken, domestic, but completely CRAZY mother. She looks like an evil puppet master trying to make Laura and Sam do her evil bidding. What a blessing a sense of humor and goofiness is. I thank God for my crazy family!

I'm BAAAACCKKK!

2008-02-18T16:33:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone!

Now I know that I have been a very very bad blogger. I finally decided to pick back up on my blogging. Now I don't take many pics lately, but I am going to get better.

A lot has gone on in our lives since I last posted! I now own the salon where I worked. Its a lot of fun, but a lot of work too. We have been settled into our house for about 2.5 years now. I think we're staying for awhile, which is great, because we both love it. I no longer work two jobs! Hallelujah! I get my mondays to myself. That gives me time to run, cook, do laundry and watch daytime TV. Very ambitious, I know.

For quite awhile, Jeremy and I were looking for a home church. We just kinda felt like we were wondering around trying to find the place we belong. Amazing how when you really do seek, God answers. He led us right back to the place we were both already members. Go figure, huh? So for the last several months we have really enjoyed our church. We've somewhat gotten our young adult group built up and have a lot of fun planning get togethers. I have also been given the opportunity to be a part of a praise and worship team at church. I just sing. I don't play anything well so I just have fun singing. I don't really know if anyone has fun listening to me sing, but I have a ball doing it.

Today was a beautiful sunny day. It only has gotten up to 45 degrees, but the sun is just reminding me of what's to come. Spring! I am soooo ready for it. I went for a good 6 mile run with minimal hating of my life (I often start my runs hating it and end up really liking it). Jeremy and I have some new things coming our way this spring and there's no better time of year for new beginnings! I mean I began in the spring. My birthday is in April. Then our 6 yr anniversary is in May and we take a Woody family vacation to Destin, FL in August! Can I tell you how excited I am for that one!?!

Ok, So as not to bore you wayyyy too much, I thought I would leave a recipe I recently tried! For Valentine's Day I decided we should just stay home and I would cook something. So I made Coconut Fried Shrimp. It was pretty stinkin' easy and equally tasty. So here's the recipe:

1 lb uncooked jumbo shrimp (about 12) peeled and deveined
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
Oil for frying
1 Jar (12 oz) pineapple preserves
1 Tablespoon frozen nonalcoholic pina colada mix, thawed

Starting with the tail, make a slit down the inner curve of each shrimp; press down lightly to flatten. In three separate bowls, place the flour, egg whites, and coconut. Coat the shrimp with flour; dip into egg whites, then coat with coconut. Heat oil to med-hi on stovetop. Fry shrimp, a few at a time, for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

For dipping sauce:
In a small bowl combine the preserves and pina colada mix.

Sooo good! The shrimp shelling took the longest, but it was worth it. So give it a try and let me know if you like it! Oh yeah, I got the recipe from Simple and Delicious magazine.

I swear it won't be a year before I blog again!

Whew!

2006-01-19T21:32:00.000-06:00

Well Christmas and the New Year have come and gone and I'm just now getting life back to a normal pace. What a whirlwind it all was. Jeremy and I traveled down to B-town to see my ma and fam. It was a squeeze at my mom's house. My sister and her two girls live with my mom and my brother, husband and I were all in town at the same time. We had some interesting sleeping arrangements, but we managed. You can ask Darren if he was still awake when Santa delivered all one million presents that were under our tree (he was sleeping on the couch). After two crazy days of last minute shopping and about 5 people's heads of hair, Christmas finally arrived. We woke up early on our satin sheets (which, by the way, is very hard to sleep on. We were hanging on for dear life all night long) and opened gifts, ate breakfast, and started the three hour drive back to Fayetteville. We went to my husbands grandmother's house, his mom's house and then to his other grandmother's house.

As if that's not enough, we had to unpack and repack, because we were leaving for Colorado at 5 a.m. the next morning. Colorado was great. We skiied for two days and I took care of Jeremy for a day and a half. He got altitude sickness and was completely out of commission by it. I had a great time skiing for my first time and only fell hard once. I face-planted right in the ice and kept flipping. It really kinda hurt. I had to sit there for a couple of minutes to let my brain settle back into the right place. I really was amazed that all that ski atire really does keep you warm, I dunno why I was so surprised...I guess I just thought it was all a gimmick. Believe me it was cold. I stupidly did not dress very warmly for a 7 p.m. sleigh ride (insulated underwear, jeans, sweater, ski jacket, and gloves) and was FFFRRRREEEEEEZZZIIINNGGG. Its not like it really mattered because I had taken some phenigrin (fennegrin? sp??) to kinda ward off the altitude sickness naseau feeling and pretty much slept thru the sleigh ride.

We headed back from Colorado on New Year's Eve. We got in to our house at 10:30 p.m. and I promptly went to bed. Several people called me and text messaged me at midnight, and I didn't have the heart to tell them their loser friend was already asleep.
So with the new year Jeremy and I are on a health/fitness kick. We are riding bikes and lifting weights. He is definitely doing more than me, since I am the one working he 2nd job to support us. (Did that sound bitter?? :) nooooo) I took a before pic of him the other day so he can see his results. I didn't take one of myself since that would be kinda weird and I really don't want my fat on film anywhere.

Happy Birthday!

2005-12-19T15:13:00.000-06:00

Oh My! He finally made a decision! Nothing big, mind you, just where he'd like to eat for his birthday dinner. Friday night my husband and I went to...drumroll please....Catfish Hole for his birthday. Not exactly what I had in mind. I will tell you honestly that I do like catfish, I enjoy fried food, (well, fried anything acutally) and I was pretty excited to get into and out of a restaurant in less than an hour. I mean who has time to sit and linger? Not us! We can do that at home. I mean why else would we have said home? 'Sit and linger' is a perfect reason if you ask me! Lately its been sit and watch _______ on TV. Fill that blank with any sport-football, basketball, golf, football, and basketball. (None of the other sports are really in season to mention...I guess golf isn't either...but anyway). I don't know what I'm complaining about, at least my husband doesn't watch that hunting and fishing stuff. A friend of mine tells us stories of falling asleep to turkey calls. I would go INSANE!

I, of course, choose a much better genre of television. If it has anything to do with the Food Network, HGTV, E, Discovery or TLC, I'm there. Ohhhh Emeril Live or Rachel Ray....no, no, no...Dr. 90210 and some oogey surgery or human gene anomalies. That gets me interested. I only partake of one network show regularly, Grey's Anatomy. Which was a rerun last night, grrrr... My sis in law has turned me onto America's Next Top Model, which may be dangerous. Jeremy may have to become a closet watcher of it just like he was of Laguna Beach or Real World. Anyway, I digress.

I guess my point is that I've become weirdly old...or something. I LIKE staying home. I set my schedule up around...gasp...TV. (Thank heavens for TiVo) I like quick, country-style restaurants (maybe I outghta put some quilts up on the wall for decoration...i gotta figure out how to quilt first). I like to go home on Friday nights. I'm becoming pickier about restaurants...what age does that happen? I really never cared before and lately I find myself saying things like, "if I am going to spend money on food I want it to taste great"...and "if I want a hamburger I would've stayed home and cooked one there." Which leads me to my next story.

For aforementioned husband's birthday, his family took all of us out to dinner at a lovely little chain barbecue restaurant, Smoky Bones. The two previous times my hubby and I had been there, we enjoyed it, but this time...not so much. Our waiter was...how shall I put it...lacking in the brain cell department, at a loss for IQ points. He took about 10 minutes to write down our drink orders...and that was our first clue. Forever later we got our drinks and put in an order for an appetizer and placed our dinner order. Apparently they were out of several items on the menu. We had to ask for refills a few times and for our appetizer before we got them. Also, at one random point, the waiter asked us if we mentioned anything about onion rings. We all looked at each other and figured out no one had even mentioned onion rings (although we had mentioned something about a palm tree and my friend's boss stabbing her-totally untrue, mind you). So the waiter and the manager, or shall I call him his mob boss, (shirt unbuttoned too far, big gold chain) came over to clear up our order. We finally figured out that they didn't have some of the things that were part of our order and had to completely change two or three orders. I guess we were a little disgruntled because brain-lacking waiter continued to get a little hostile with us, at which time mob boss apologized. Brain-lacker subsequently delivered our appetizer with a holiday shove onto the table and a cheery "Merry Christmas." Mob Boss then approached the table and said he would "take care" of our bill. I didn't really know what that would mean coming from him, but apparently it means its on the house. For some reason they didn't offer us any dessert or a happy birthday song for my hubby. Go figure. Maybe it was the three cent tip we left, cuz as my father in law put it, "I didn't want him to think I forgot his tip."

What?....

2005-12-15T19:05:00.000-06:00

What's that, you say? You want to see more pictures of me? And my beautiful children?

Jeremy and Adrienne
As for that pic, well, Jeremy's 26 in human years, of course (189 in dog years-sheesh), due to be 27 tomorrow, Dec. 16. I am 25 and will be 26 in April. (mark your calendars) I will not be calculating my age in dog years, because, well, quite honestly, 26 feels old enough. I'm on the downhill slippery slope towards 30! I can't even say that out loud! We are going out to eat for J's birthday tomorrow night, if he can ever decide where we are going. I keep making suggestions and his answer keeps being, "maybe." Well, there's not much more time for maybes. I didn't get him anything for his birthday because a couple months ago we agreed that he would get some basketball shoes and that would be his birthday gift. I'm sure he has forgotten about that now, but you know he was the one born right before Christmas, not me...I timed it well being a spring baby. So it's not my fault! I was planning ahead even in the womb. Some people's kids.

Bosleigh is the beautiful black labrador. She's 3 in human years, and 21 in dog years. Riley is my chocolate lab mix. She's 1 in human years and 7 in dog years. They're beautiful, they stink, and I love them.

Finally

2005-12-12T15:04:00.000-06:00

Here's a pic of the house. Exciting, I know. The grass is a lovely shade of dead, but at least the sky is blue. It was about 40 degrees this morning, which is warm for the weather we've been having. Especially after having run off the road Thursday from ice...that's a whole other story. The pic on the right is a view of my dining room. I didn't take any pics of my kitchen, because honestly, it was kinda messy. I will entertain you with one more pic of my house. A lovely picture of the living room.

Yes that's a dandy shade of 'school bus yellow' as my supportive husband puts it. And also that TV that is far too small for the built in entertainment center...I believe the words 'I can't even see it from the couch [on the left]' were uttered in my presence. Believe me, I have a cheap fix for that problem...don't sit on that couch. Voila!

SIGH

2005-10-24T16:03:00.000-05:00

Okay...let's all take a collective sigh together...ready? Aaaahhhhhh...

The house is built. We are living in it and cluttering it up with our stuff. Of course there's still some small stuff to finish, but who needs paint on the columns outside, or patches made to the drywall where the stupid trim carpenter put holes in it, or curtains??? Not me, apparently, because right now, I'm too tired. Of course my husband finds it quite humorous to mention the fact that he plans on doing this all over again in two years. He says, I'll find this gorgeous piece of land and start bringing around house plans and telling you how much money we'll make on our house by selling and how much we'll have paid on the new one and you'll be bossing me around in no time. Hmmmm....I'm already enthralled just at the mention of it, but I am also quickly overcome by extreme exhaustion. Have-no-motivation-whatsoever exhaustion. Maybe the fact that winter is coming just adds to it. I have a lot of trouble making my body want to move when it gets cold. It is happy curling up in flannel and fleece under my super cuddly cashmere throw blanket...on my new couch...watching Grey's Anatomy on DVR. Just the thought of it makes me want to go home.

Visit to Bryant

2005-05-29T00:50:00.000-05:00

Well I find myself at home....wait, is this what I call this? I am at my childhood home. My real home is three hours northwest of here, but for some reason I still refer to my mother's house as home. Every time I drive back into this weirdly familiar yet unfamiliar place it strikes me that it's not really home. I may call it that, but I see no familiar faces or places. Even my high school has changed so much, I wouldn't really know where to go. Since graduating from college, my marriage and the death of my father, this place has lost some sentimentality to me. I used to think it was the best place on earth. The best place to live...but lately I just kinda think....it's ugly. I guess it happens to everyone, but it was very gradual for me. My 'home friends' get mad at me for saying any of these things, but it's true. My best friend says, "does this mean you're never coming back to live here?" Well I'll never say never, but......

I look around and everywhere I see.....pregnant bellies. EVERY female from my close group of girl friends in high school either has a baby or is expecting one. Most of the wives in my husbands group of friends have a baby. Two of the girls I work with have babies and two are pregnant...and there's only 6 women at my work. I must say I do think about it. I am interested in it. I am even a little obsessed with what goes on during pregnancy. The way your body changes, the way you have a super-human sense of smell, all of it is interesting. BUT I realized only recently that that's where my interest stops. I am not ready to talk about breast feeding and pooping shedules. Its not to say that my friends are crazy to want those things, I'm sure its some immaturity on my part. I guess a part of my feels like I have really gone thru such a crazy time these last few years. I think I have really become myself in the last few years, like I've finally come into my own. I'm happy with who I am and I 'm comfortable in my skin. It has taken me a long time to be able to say that. Now I just want to enjoy my skin for a little while before it gets stretched around a growing fetus. Luckily my husband is at the same stage as I. He jokingly made a proposition that we would only raise dogs and horses. Part of me thinks that wouldn't be so bad. Not really, I know I will change my mind, but for now, dogs it is.

Well now that I've been about as thoughtful and articulate as I'm afraid I can be, I will tuck myself into bed at my mom's house. I will pull out some random book and read until I fall asleep with it on my face. The only thing I'm missing is my bed partner...my husband is three hours away! Where's my dog? OOOoohhhh Bosleigh!.....

2005-04-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

Adrienne

It's been awhile!

2005-04-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm finally back. I don't know why its taken me so long. Here I am done with beauty school, ready to get to work in the 'real world' and terrified. Terrified because I have a house in the almost completed stage and have no real steady income as of yet. Terrified because eventually I would love to have kids and that dream seems to be pushing itself further and further away. (Who or what's doing the pushing? me? my goals? my husband's career goals? my finances? Probably all of the above.)

On a much lighter note, my best friend is delivering her baby today. She's in the hospital 3 hours away from me. I got off work for a day in order to drive down and see her. Hopefully she can hang on to that baby until I get there! If she were reading this right now, she would probably be kicking me at even suggesting it! I will update my page with pictures of him when he makes it into this world.

I will also have to post some pictures of my new house! I am super excited about it. We have it a little more than halfway painted...and can I say, I hate painting? We picked out some rich colors and sometimes they make me a little nervous, but I think when we get some furniture in there it will look good. I am looking forward to the move-in, but NOT looking forward to the $12 million a month mortgage payment. (ok, gross exaggeration, but you get the picture).

First Blog

2004-10-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

Well I am a first time blogger today. I am not sure what I have to share, but I am sure I can think of something if I just try.

Idon't know if I should introduce myself or not! I'm 24, married, and finishing school right now. My husband and I are currently getting started on building a house. I am very excited about it, but very stressed at the same time. Don't worry, because I'll keep you updated on it!