Kelly in NC

Well, we are back form our week at the beach. We had a wonderful time and I was not ready to come back. We stayed in a 7 bedroom house one house back form the ocean. The house was filled with most of the burns plus my sister’s family. I couldn’t have asked for better company! Everyone- including the 6 kids- got along very well. Even in a house that had a very small living room. It didn’t take long for us to get into a daily routine. Up at around 7 am. Eat breakfast, out to the beach until lunch. After lunch- nap time for the kids (and some adults!)- book time for me! After nap, dinner. Back to the beach after dinner, or out for ice cream or to the playground. Each day the kids were exhausted, but yet ready to do it all over agin the next morning. I seriously thinkt hat I could have stayed for another week before being ready to come back! Here’s all the photos. Watch out there are a lot!
Beach part 1
Beach Part 2
Beach Part 3

Wow- where did the time go? With having a new baby it isn’t as easy to find the time to write a post. Now I know why Facebook has become so popular. I will admit that I have been better about posting snippets of the past month there rather than taking the time to blog. Sorry to my fellow bloggers. I know you are all very sad… although I do not feel too guilty, seeing as how most of you facebook too! So here’s what we have been up to over the past few weeks!
On Saturday, July 18, Renee, Kate, and Carri hosted a baby welcoming for Gage. The three of them did a great job planning all the details- from my favorite cake to hand made cookies as favors- I was in awe over their thoughtfulness. I was also reminded how lucky my family is to have such a large group of support. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and thank you especially to Kate, Carri, and Renee who planned the event.
On Saturdy, July 25,we were able to visit two of Tim’s cousins who were vacationing from Ohio. I always love when Angie and Tina come for a visit. Combine them with their other two sisters and you are sure to have a good time. They are all such fun to be around and wish that they lived closer. Also it became official that Gage learned how to smile on this date!
Sunday a week ago, Renee and I treated our husbands to the Kid Rock/ Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. The concert was a blast. I had no idea that Kid Rock could play so many instruments. I must admit that I had the most fun people watching…my favorite spy being the man in the red speedo, cowboys boots, and cow boy hat. Awesome!
Last Wednesday was my first day back at work. Mom B has agreed to watch Gage for me on the one day a week I work. I will return to my full time schedule in September. In the meantime, working only one day a week is awesome. I have no worries about Gage since he is in the best possible hands and it is nice to get some adult interaction. I also love my kids at school, so it it nice to stay caught up with them. I should also mention that Gage slept through the night for the very first time on that night!
On Thursday night, I took Renee to see Mama Mia! as a belated birthday gift. The show was awesome and as expected a teared up for the “Slipping through my fingers” song. Am I the only person who can’t even type the title of that song with out wanting to cry? I hate how quickly my boys are growing up and wish that I could just slow time down sometimes!
Early Friday morning my mom, her fiance Glenn, my Aunt Mary, and cousin Aliyah drove up from Florida and crashed at my house for one night. It was great seeing them and wish they would pass through more often!
Saturday, we went on a family trip to the White Water Center to cheer on Tim’s brother Marc who was running his first adventure race. Unfortunately the logistics of the race were changed due to weather issues and we did not discover the changes until we got there. We were unable to cheer Marc on, but we did have a nice outing to the park. Has anyone else who has visited there been concerned about the fact that there is NO guardrail around the water course? Every time I go I feel terrified that Grayson may accidently fall in.
SUnday, Tim and I took the boys to run a few errands. Tim took Grayson into Best Buy while I took Gage into Target. When I finally made it over to Best Buy and grabbed a cart, Tim was amazed at my intelligence in getting a cart. “Why didn’t I think of that?” he says. Apparently the entire time they were in the store, Grayson had spent most of it picking up items, removing tags from the shelves, and oh yeah- head-butting the que ropes. I guess on Sunday, Tim learned a valuable lesson. Three year olds always go in a cart1
On Monday, we spent the evening over at Carri and Dave’s house for dinner. Carri’s parents were in town and we couldn’t miss seeing them. They of course were dying to meet Gage. I love when they visit and wish that I could see them more. Carri’s parents are the kind of people you envy and pray that you will have the kind of happy, fun marriage that they share. I love spending time with them and only wish that they would go ahead and move here. **Hint, hint BJ and Will!

Well, it’s been a month and Ozzy is still being missed around here. It isn’t everyday…just on occasion. Yesterday, while cleaning out the garage, Tim decided to take our left over dog food to our neighbor’s house. As Tim was asking me what to with Ozzy’s things,
Graysons said: “where is Ozzy?”
Tim: In heaven
Kelly: with Jesus
Grayson: Why?
Kelly: Because sometimes when you are really old or really sick you need to go live with Jesus.
Grayson: Oh. Well, when is Ozzy coming home?
Tim: He’s not.
Grayson: Why not?
Kelly: Because when you go to heaven to live with Jesus, you never come back. That is your home then.
Grayson: Oh. Well, can I go live with Jesus too?
Tim: Not anytime soon.

and then I walked away and bawled my eyes out. I wish I could go visit Ozzy one more time too.

This year’s 4th of July was one of the best Independence Days ever! I am not sure exactly what made it so much better than the past few years but I think that it has a lot to do with kids and family. Isn’t it funny how most holidays are given a new life by adding a kid to the mix? Grayson loved the 4th this year. He marched in a parade at his preschool, watched a local parade complete with fire trucks (his favorite), and then spent an entire afternoon and evening in Nae Nae’s swimming pool. He loved the fireworks- both the lights and the sounds (They sound like “funder”!). But it wasn’t just Grayson’s enthusiasm for the holiday that made the entire weekend so great. It was also the fact that I was able to visit with some of the people I enjoy the most. It isn’t every day that I get to see my best friends and family all at the same time. I am again reminded how lucky I am to be surrounded by such wonderful people. Maybe that is what made the 4th so great this year. I was reminded how blessed I am in life!

You can see all the photos from this weekend by clicking here.

Sorry to say that it has taken me over a week to write this post. It’s funny how emotional you can be about losing a pet, but when he has been a part of your life for 12 years, it truly is like losing a member of the family. It has taken me this long to get my thoughts together on how to say good bye to an animal who was more than just a pet. He has been our “1st baby” and best friend for as long as Tim and I have known each other and losing him has been an emotional roller coaster. Even if we knew that the end was near.
As most of you know, Tim got Ozzy as a puppy only a few months after we first started dating. Ozzy was the typical black lab puppy. He loved to chase his tail, go on walks, and of course swim. At the time Tim lived with his parents who had a pool. Life could not have been better for any dog. Ozzy would stay in the pool for hours. He even claimed a raft for himself and on many occasions when he would go missing, you only had to look in the pool to see him snoozing by himself on his float in the water. And yes, he really did claim the raft as his own. If you ever tried to lay on it , he would usually come over, tip you off and the climb aboard. He also loved to retrieve tennis balls from the pool. I can personally remember one occasion when I counted how many times he would jump in the pool after the ball. At 100 times I quit counting, and yes he kept retreiving! One other Ozzy pool memory was his desire to make sure everyone was safe while swimming. Tim used to torment poor Ozzy by swimming to the bottom of the pool. Ozzy would circle and circle above him barking, hoping that Tim would soon come back to the top. Yes, Ozzy was a friend, but he also a protector of those he loved.
I am not sure how Tim’s parents felt when he brought the little black puppy home for the first time, but it wasn’t long before he weaseled his way into their hearts…and really into the hearts of almost anyone he met. Ozzy immediately took a liking to Mom B. She was definitley the alpha in his life. He would listen to her better than any other human on the planet. I’m sure that it was due to all the attention she gave him. She taught him most of his commands- sit, stay, lay, get the paper, and made him into the perfect walking companion. I really think that Ozzy gave Mom B an excuse to go on walks everyday and also gave her another baby to dote on since all 4 of her children had grown into teenagers by that time. Regardless of the reason, Mom B can be credited for disciplining the O into the well mannered dog he became. Now not to insinuate that Ozzy did not have a special relationship with all the other members of Tim’s family because he did. On the day he died, I think all of Tim’s immediate family members shed a few tears when they heard the news. And no one seemed more concerned and upset than Tim’s Dad who had always taken on the role of provider and caretaker.
While I liked Ozzy from the moment I met him, it wasn’t until he came to live with us that I fell in love with that silly dog. Tim’s mom decided that once we got married, Tim (and really I) was responsible enough to have Ozzy full time. While Ozzy mourned the loss of his daily swims, he quickly found other things to occupy his time and make him happy. His desire to stalk squirrels grew to a new level and he would spend hours in our back yard hoping to sneak up on one of the critters. I taught him some new tricks like how to balance a cookie on his nose, toss it into the air, and catch it and Tim and I would take him on walks almost every evening. He loved going to the dog park and when we were really adventurous we would sneak him into a neighboring apartment complex’s pool.
Tim and I often took Ozzy on hiking trips which he also loved. Ozzy loved to run ahead of us on the trail, although he would often look backwards to make sure we were still in sight. Tim & I would make a game of hiding from him when he got too far ahead. Once he realized we were gone, he would come running back at full speed, searching frantically until we were found. He also enjoyed sleeping in the tent with us…maybe too much. While he would always start the night in a ball at our feet in the tent, by the next morning he always found a way to stretch himself out until he as taking up more than his share of the room. Still we loved him and couldn’t imagine a trip without him.
The biggest change of Ozzy life occurred with the birth of Grayson. It is funny that Ozzy seemed to know that his life was going to change that year. The bigger my stomach got, the more he began to show favoritism toward TIm. Up until that point, he had always preferred me. He must have had some intstinct that with the birth of little one, he would not longer be my number one priority and so he began sleeping near Tim and greeting Tim first when we would come home. Now Ozzy was not particularly excited when Grayson did finally join our family. It was about 6 months before Ozzy would even make eye contact with the baby. I guess by then he know that Grayson was here to stay and finally decided to accept him as a friend too. Grayson loved Ozzy from the moment he met him and by 6 months he would light up anytime Ozzy would enter the room. Ozzy was patient with the baby and would allow Gray to crawl all over him, chew on his ears, and even sit on top of his back. I believe that even though Ozzy triend hard to not like Grayson, within a few months he just couldn’t help himself. Even now, Grayson will tell you that Ozzy is his best friend, and since his lost has started carrying around a little black lab stuffed animal that he calls his “Baby Ozzy”. He has also requested the “Ozzy” song (sung like B-I-N-G-O) most nights before bed.
Over the past few years we have watched our dear dog age. Once he reached the age of 9 we saw him move from being a playful, active dog who NEEDED to be walked every day into living the retired life of a senior citizen. His hair began to gray at his chin, around his eyes and on his paws. And we were pleased to see our good dog turn into a GREAT dog. He continued to be well mannered and happy-but without the extra energy that would sometimes get him in trouble. It wasn’t really until he was hit by the UPS truck three moths ago that Tim or I ever considered that the end of his life was near. Yes, he had already slowed considerably and his arthritis was bad enough that he could not longer go on a full walk with us- but he still seemed incredibly happy and healthy considering his age. But after the accident, his health never fully recovered. WHile his spirits were most often up and he did find a way to beat the odds and walk again on his own, Ozzy’s body began to deteriorate before our eyes. He lost a considerable amount of weight over the past three months and became a very picky eater. Tim and I tried everything we could to get him to gain weight, even in the end feeding him people food, but he just couldn’t seem to fatten up.
His last week with us was also the week that we brought Gage home from the hospital For the most part Ozzy seemed extremely happy that week…to the point that I even said something to Tim about how perky he seemed. I joked that perhaps Ozzy was suicidal since he seemed so uplifted, but I had no idea how close to the mark I was. On two different occasions that week, Ozzy went missing around our house and was later found in the woods. Lots of people say that dogs know when they are going to die and will try to go off on their own when it is time. On those two times, we carried him back up to the house and he seemed fine. On Thursday he went missing again. After searching all over for him, Tim’s dad again found him in the woods and this time Ozzy’s spirits did not perk up. His happy demeanor would come and go and within a few hours, it became obvious that Ozzy was near his end. HIs breathing became labored, his tongue started to turn purple, and he started to slip in and out of consciousness- all signs of cardiac arrest. This was in stark contrast to his behavior earlier that day- when he followed me to my garden, played with Grayson, and even chased another dog out of our yard. It was surprising to see him turn for the worse so quickly, although I was very happy to be left with some pleasant memories of him from that day.
So now it has been a week that he is gone and while I know that he is no longer in pain, it still breaks my heart that he is no longer with us. I can’t tell you how many times in the past few days that I thought that I heard his chain rattle or that I thought that I heard him barking. I often drive in the yard and expect to see him laying in the grass. I am glad that we had the last three months with him to prepare for his leaving, as I cannot imagine how difficult his loss would be with out the preparation. At least we had our opportunity to say our good byes and reciprocate the love he had given us over the past twelve years.
So farewell dear Ozzy. You were an amazing dog who we could never replace. You were a loyal companion and will always be thought of as a member of our family. We are sorry to lose you so soon but are grateful for the twelve years of memories you have given us. You are missed today and forever.

IT is funny how sometimes you do not realize how easy you had things until something occurs to make life a bit harder. That was the case with the birth of Gage. While I thought that my delivery of Grayson was challenging, I had no idea how “cake” it was until I went through labor with Gage.
For Gage’s birth, we had a planned induction due to the fact that my blood pressure kept going up and the fact that my doctor, Dr. Craddock was leaving for vacation the following week. The positive side of the induction was that we knew when we were going to the hospital and so we were able to prepare ourselves and Grayson for having the baby. Tim’s Mom offered to stay with Grayson and to take care of him while we were in the hospital- so that as an added relief. We checked into the hospital on Wednesday evening and lucky for us, we were assigned one of our nurses from Grayson’s birth- Gayle. Gayle was an absolute blessing, seeming to always look out for us, and bossing the other nurses around. I had no idea at the time how lucky we were to have her on our side. Everything seemed to go well as far as the check in- that was until I had my IV inserted. I guess that the difficulty involved in that “simple” process was a bit of foreshadowing to how the rest of my delivery was going to go. Since Gayle could not find a vein that she felt comfortable using, she called in one of the other nurses who was an “expert” with IVs. This expert 1st chose a vein on the interior of my right arm that unfortunately had a valve and was unusable. She finally found a better vein on my hand instead. Have I ever mentioned how much I HATE needles and how much I HATE the sting of an IV?
By 5:00 one of the other doctors in the practice came by to insert the Cervadil (the medicine that causes the Cervix to dilate and efface). At that point I as already 3 cm dilated and was 80% effaced. The doctor was concerned that by giving the Cervadil, I could begin labor that night- which was not part of Dr. Craddock’s original plan. I later found out that while he did insert the Cervadil, he did not place it as high and as close to the cervix as it is normally given. So while Tim and I were on edge all night wondering if I might go into labor, very little happened until the next day.
At 7:30 on Thursday morning, Dr. Craddock came by and gave the permission to start the Pitocin. At that point I was still at 3 cm. dilated. By 8:30 my contractions began although they were not too uncomfortable. At 9:30, my contractions were two minutes apart and were painful enough that I asked for the epidural. Gayle checked and I was 6 cm dilated. By 10:00 the anesthesiologist came in and proceeded to give me the epidural. Inserting the needle into my back was an easy process that provided immediate relief, but the difficulty came in threadign the catheter through the needle. For what ever reason he had trouble threading the needle so that the epidural would effect both sides of my body. After 15 minutes of working on it, we thought that he had finally found the right spot and for a little while at least, I was relieved of the pain. Unfortunately within 15 minutes of the anesthesiologist leaving my room, I began to regain feeling in the left side of my body. I called the nurse and found that the longer I waited, the more I could feel the contractions on my left side. Gayle returned, called back the anesthesiologist, and then discovered that I was already 10 cm dilated and ready to push. Since I was already at the pushing stage, it was too late to adjust the epidural and I was forced to proceed with the delivery feeling 100% of the pain on the left side of my body. Luckily, it only took pushing through 3 contractions to deliver little baby Gage- but it was the three hardest, most painful pushes of my life.
With the final push, Gage emerged at 6 lbs. 12 oz, & 20 inches long, and was put on my chest. He was a deep blue in color and even after clearing his airways, he did not scream. I was immediately concerned and apparently the nurses were too, since they rushed him to the side and paged a specialist to come and assist him. For what felt like forever, I watched him from my hospital bed praying that he was ok and waiting impatiently for him to let out a cry. The nurses began rubbing him down vigorously, and the specialist began to force air into his lungs with a small hand pump respirator. Within a few moments, Gage finally let out his first scream and it was music to my ears. His first Apgar was a a 6, with points loss for color, heart rate, and respiration. At five minutes, his Apgar was a 9.
But even then, my delivery was not over. In the moments while I waited to hear that my new baby was ok, another problem had developed. The placenta was not detaching from the uterus wall. After much manipulation from my doctor, it appeared as if I had a retained placenta, also known as Placenta Accreta, and that it would have to be manually removed… without an epidural, mind you. So with a shot of morphine under my belt, Tim and the baby were removed from my room and Dr. Craddock then began the excruciating process of detaching my placenta piece by piece. Without a doubt having the placenta manually removed was far more painful than pushing out a 6 lb. baby- even with the opiate!
After the placenta ordeal, Tim and the baby returned to my room and I was finally able to appreciate the reward of my labor. I quickly asked Tim what we should name him and he replied Gage. Tim then placed Gage in my arms and I was surprised to see that he looked nothing like Grayson and maybe even looked a little like me! Tim was a bit concerned about the fact that he would have another boy that this time did not look like his clone, but I was secretly excited to see that maybe my genes had over powered his this time. I marveled at the tiny hands and long fingers on our little Gage and was instantly smitten with his perfect pink lips and his creased brow. He had a had a head full of dark brown hair and the most perfect, clear complexion. As I held him him, he focused his eyes on me, and formed his mouth into a little “o”, as if to say “Oh- so that’s what my mom looks like!” Finally after 39 weeks, I was able to hold my tiny little baby boy and I thanked God for blessing me with another wonderful miracle.

Tiffany tagged me for a Meme. Thanks!

The rules are that I have to thank the person who tagged me (check), complete a list of 8 (check), and then tag 8 other people (and let them know I tagged them). (Check). So here goes nothing:

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

1. Seeing my new baby boy (in at the most 12 days!)
2. Summer break
3. Plus maternity leave
4. Being able to drink an alcoholic beverage again!
5. Our trip to the beach in August
6. A new school year- hopefully without all the drama
7. Seeing my mom and sister
8. Eating sushi again

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Took Grayson to school
2. Treated him to Dunkin’ Donuts
3. Worked
4. Helped present at our 8th grade graducation
5. Sand songs with Grayson on the way home
6. Made spaghetti for dinner
7. Facebooked
8. Read The Pillars of the Earth

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. Ged mad without crying
2. be more athletic
3. keep my house spotless
4. drink a margarita! (especially after a day like today)
5. sleep in past 9 am
6. have time to bake everyday
7. get caught up on my scrapbooks and family videos
8. go on vacation every three months

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Lost
2. Gray’s Anatomy
3. The Office
4. American Idol
5. Top Chef
6. Desperate HOusewives
7. Borthers and Sisters
8. Celebrity Rehab

8 Favorite Fruits:
1. Cantaloupe
2. Strawberries
3. Fresh Peaches
4. Fresh Cherries
5. Gala Apples
6. Bananas
7. Blueberries
8. Raspberries

8 Places I’d Like to Travel:
1. Greece
2. Africa
3. Alaska
4. New Zealand
5. Costa Rica
6. England
7. Ireland
8. Italy

8 Places I’ve Lived:
1. Webster
2. Lake Panasoffkee
3. Gainesville
4. Clermont
5. Cornelius
6. Matthews
7. Midland
8.

8 People I’ve Tagged:
1. Renee
2. Jacquleine
3. Angelle
4. Dena
5. Misty
6. Stephanie
7. Rebecca
8. Courtney

Okay. After lots of pressure from my “friends” and realizing that almost every person I know does it, I finally joined face book. I was a bit overwhelmed at first with the site, but I think that I am finally figuring it out. I will admit that I feel a little bit addicted to it and have checked it every day since singing up. So is this what happened to most of you bloggers out there? Switched to face book because it doesn’t require as much thought and time? I think that I will do both. So for those of you who do one or the other or both- how did you decide which worked best for you?

From random

I have mentioned Grayson’s new bedroom in a few different posts and decided that it was time to finally let you see what it looks like. He has been in his new room for a couple of week now and as expected transitioned without a problem. We went with a construction truck theme. Anyone who knows my kid, knows that he LOVES trucks. I made the border and Grayson stickers myself- as I couldn’t find anything that matched and was at a reasonable rate. We purchased all the furniture courtesy of Craig’s list. $375 for the bed (with mattress), night stand, and a dresser with mirror (not pictured). I still need to purchase a reading chair for the dormer window area and I’m considering using the chalkboard paint on one of the walls too. Has anyone used the chalk board paint and have an opinion? So while the room is not completely finished, it is livable and Grayson loves his new “Blue Room” as he likes to call it!

For Grayson’s Birthday weekend (back in April), Tim and I took him to the local zoo. This is a smaller zoo than the one we visited last year- but the perfect size for taking a three year old. I mean let’s be honest- his attention span isn’t really that long. We were at the zoo for a total of 3.5 hours and were able to see all the animals- except for the gorillas. We tried to see the gorillas on three different occasions- but each time they were hiding. Just my luck (They are my favorite!) Grayson’s favorite animals were the grizzly bears (which we saw wrestling), the fish in the aquarium, and the sea lions. He enjoyed the elephants, giraffes, and lions too- but loved the first three the most. The other highlight of the trip was Grayson’s ride on the merry-go-round. He picked out a big baboon to ride and smiled the entire time he rode around and around. Check out the photos from the day by clicking here.

I just realized that I have really been slacking when it comes to sharing my photos lately. I know that you are all so sad…but to be honest, I usually post them on here and write down a few details so that when I finally get around to scrapbooking I have all the info I need. Deceptive, isn’t it? Well, now I am going to have to go backwards- load all my photos and give you all the details of the past few months. So here goes!
Last night, Tim and I were invited (although we may have invited ourselves??) by Renee and Kevin to take Grayson to NASCAR Pole Night. This was Grayson’s 1st experience sitting in the speedway and man did he love the race cars. He was able to identify his favorites- Kasey Kahn, Elliott Sadler, Carl Edwards and was very excited when he saw them. He only went without the headphones for a couple of laps and the look on his face when he heard the loud cars was priceless. He would have sat there forever had we let him and when we did finally leave he kept saying funny things like:
“Doze Wace Cars were Smokin’ fast!”
“Why we haf to weave now?”
“Are the race cars going nighty-night too?”

I am sure that this has been linked to at least a million times by now- but I can’t help but post it too! Hilarious! My favorite line: ‘We are so cool and thoughtful.” So here ya go- if you haven’t seen it already or if you just wanted to see it again- the follow up to SNLs “Dick in a box”…

Here’s the low-down of the past week!
~On Monday, since it was Grayson’s birthday I brought the afternoon snack for his class. He requested spiderman popsicles and the kids loved them. I mean what kid wouldn’t love a popsicle with the warm weather that is upon us? For dinner, Grayson asked for pizza and Nagy and Pop-Pop met us out to eat. Afterwards, we went back to Nagy and Pop-Pop’s to sing Happy Birthday while Grayson blew out his three candles on top of a Little Debbie brownie.
~On Tuesday, when I picked Grayson up from school his teacher declared that there must be something wrong with him. He had hit, pinched, and bitten (3 times) his friends at school. I was completely surprised. This is not the way Grayson usually treats his classmates. I mean hitting or pinching- that is his M.O. when he is extremely frustrated. But he has NEVER been a bitter. So three times in one day was unbelievable! So after I made Grayson apologize to his teacher for having such a terrible day, we left the classroom and walked out to my car. As we got to my car, he grabbed his left ear and proclaimed, “Mama, my ear huwts! There’s a wood chip inside it!” So I take a look and sure enough there was something inside his ear. I assumed it was earwax and attempted to scoop it out with my fingernail. Before I could barely get my finger nail inside his ear, he began howling. I then decided to take him back into school to see if I could get someone else’s opinion. Luckily they had a pair of tweezers and with the help of the preschool director, I extracted yes, a wood chip. His teacher was as surprised as I was. She had asked him all day what was wrong and had even taken his temperature because he was so unlike himself. She had questioned him all day if he felt ok, but not once did he mention the fact that he had stuck a wood chip in his ear while on the playground- 1st thing that morning. Why he waited all day to tell someone is beyond me. No wonder the kid was biting people- a wood chip stuck in my ear would have made me pretty irritable too!
~Now unfortunately, that is not the end of the biting story. The next day when I picked Grayson up from school I again asked his teacher if he had a better day than they day before. “Yes,” she answered, “although he did bite someone.” I was again in shock- since I had totally blamed the day before’s incidents on the wood chip. Then his teacher told me the rest of the story. After he bit his friend, she put Grayson in time out and was explaining to him that it is not nice to bite your friends. According to her, Grayson looked up at her with his blue innocent eyes and said “But Miss Wendy- I wasn’t biting. I was nibblin’.” NIbbling? Miss Wendy said that at that response she had to walk away since she was on the edge of laughter. I was perplexed as to where the word nibbling came from. It is not a word that I ever use and Miss Wendy said that she doesn’t use it- but obviously he picked it up from somewhere. Later that evening I told Tim the story of Grayson “Nibbling” and when I get to Grayson’s excuse for biting someone, Tim turns bright red and begin laughing. “It’s form you. Isn’t it? YOU use the word nibbling?” Tim had to admit that yes, he was the source of Grayson’s newest vocabulary word and he also to blame for Grayson thinking that it was ok.. to “nibble” on someone. Apparently, we the two of the them are wrestling, Tim will press his teeth to Grayson’s ribs (which tickles him) and Grayson will say (while laughing) “No Daddy. No biting.” Tim’s response? You guessed it- “I’m not biting! I’m just nibbling!”
~On Saturday, Carri and Dave visited our house. I asked Dave if he would be willing to take a few maternity photos of me before I got way too fat to be photographed. He was kind and brought over all of his equipment to do the photos. I cannot wait to see the final product. I saw some the shots and they are great! I’ll be sure to post them when I get them back!
~This afternoon after working around the house all day, Tim and I went inside to eat lunch. When we came back out about 30 minutes later, we could not find Ozzy. We walked all the way around our house, into the woods, looked in the garage and in the shop, and could not find him anywhere. Now Ozzy has gotten much better at walking- but not so good that he could leave our yard. (We live on over an acre.) Or at least we thought. I finally decided that I would go ask our neighbors. They love our dog and sometimes come by to visit with him. As I started walking down our drive way and across the street to their house., I saw him- sitting submerged like an alligator in the pond next door. Somehow, Ozzy managed to get all the way out of our yard, into our neighbors yard, and down into the pond (a total of about 200 ft). Man, that dog is motivated. Now I should probably tell you that Ozzy pretty much lived in the pond before his accident. So it should be no surprise that he wanted to go for a swim. We were just surprised that he could walk that far. I guess we won’t leave him outside unsupervised anymore!
~Finally, here are the photos I took of Grayson at age three.

Yes, my dog must be a miracle dog. FIve weeks after being hit by a UPS truck and being told that he would most likely never walk again, Ozzy has decided to show everyone what he is really made of! A few days ago last week, I watched him stand up on all four legs unassisted and try to take a step. He wasn’t successful with the step- but I was so excited to see his progress. Since then I have been bribing him to stand up and attempt walking by holding a dog biscuit just outside his reach. Within a few days, he successfully took his first unassisted step. Since then we have seen his confidence rise. This morning, we watched in amazement as he picked himself up and took 10 steps out of the sun and into the shade and then laid back down again. We are still hoping that he will regain some strength is the right paw (as he is still not putting much weight on it)- but even if he doesn’t- we are so excited to see that he now has the ability to move himself around. So there you have it! Ozzy the wonder dog!

I have had a few requests for an update. Sorry that it has taken so long. We’ve been pretty busy as you might imagine given the condition of Ozzy. Last Wednesday he had the drain removed from his chest (it was put in as part of the surgery) and his stitches/staples seem to be healing well. He will have the staples removed later this week. He finished taking all of his GI medicines this weekend, so now we are down to only Antibiotics and pain meds- which is much easier to manage. We have seen some movement in the right arm (the one that was/is lame). He can move it forward to paw at you, but is still unable to bare weight on that leg. When we take him outside for potty (using slings)- he continues to drag it along. Ozzy is eating and drinking well and finally this weekend- all digestive tracks began working (we were worried about #2). He still requires 2 people to take him outside to potty- if we want him to try walking. He uses his back legs somewhat inconsistently. Sometimes they cross when he takes a step, sometimes his feet buckle underneath him. These issues may be related to a spinal column injury. But then other times, he uses his back feet well, baring all his back weight on those legs. We are still in limbo in deciding what to do. I read the paperwork incorrectly, and the neurologist suggested giving Ozzy 6 to 8 weeks (not 2) to see if he would be able to walk again. This weekend, since the weather was nice, Ozzy spent most of days outside on a quilt. He loved sitting/laying in the sun! Who wouldn’t? So, Ozzy’s spirits continue to be positive and are still left wondering what the best course of action will be for him long term.

Well, on Wednesday evening, Ozzy decided (unwittingly) to see how he would hold up against the local UPS truck. As you might imagine not so well. We are not sure exactly how it happened, but our best guess is that while the UPS truck was stopped, Ozzy innocently went looking for his daily treat from the driver. Unfortunately, it was not our usual driver and when the driver took off, Ozzy was in front of the truck. The UPS driver said that he never saw him. When we ran outside to see the damage, I was completely expecting to find Ozzy dead. Instead we found him alert and unable to get up. My neighbor calles in a favor to their vet down the street and Tim rushed Ozzy to get help. When they did x-rays the next day they did not find any broken bones (good) but suspected that there was some severe nerve damage to his front right leg (not good). This is especially troublesome because as a black lab, Ozzy has rather severe arthritis in his back hips. For the past two years, his hips have slowly deteriorated to the point that he relies upon his front limbs to pick himself up from a laying position. Without the use of both front legs, Ozzy may never walk again. The vet suggested giving him through the weekend and then if he regained no movement suggested we consider putting him down. We were heart broken with this news.
Anyone who knows me personally knows that Ozzy has been a part of my life for the past twelve years. He was my first baby and even though he has taken a back seat to Grayson, his is and continues to be a major part of our family. So to hear the news that we may have to decide to euthanize him was agonizing to say the least. After hearing the prognosis from the vet, we decided to take Ozzy to the local animal hospital to see a veterinary neurologist on Friday. The neurologist gave a similar diagnosis- but suggested we give O at least two week to regain muscle movement before making any final decisions. I guess many times, nerve damage can be recuperated if given time- depending on the type of nerve that was damaged. He also suggested that O needed surgery to close of a major gash on his chest. The surgery went well and we left him over night at the hospital for observation. On Saturday morning we received a call from the hospital to let us know that Ozzy was doing great and that we could take him home at any time.
30 minutes later, as we were getting ready to leave, we received another call from the animal hospital. Ozzy had vomited a large amount of blood and they were then concerned about some internal bleeding. The bleeding was most likely due to his arthritis medication. The began treating him for a possible ulcer, but were not sure if he would make it through the day. Their concern was that if he continued bleeding in the quantity that he had vomited, then he would most likely need a blood transfusion to stay alive. Tim & I were again devastated to hear this news. It seemed as if we were riding a roller coaster of good and bad news. Thinking that it might be the last time we got to see him alive, we then went up to the hospital to visit with our sweet O. It broke my hear to see him in the hospital that day. He was basically comatose and would not respond to our voices or touch. We sat with him for a while and pleaded with him to get better. Truthfully, we did not expect to have him last through the night.
The next morning (Sunday) we received another call from the hospital with good news. Ozzy was back to his perky self- although still lame in his front right leg. We could take him home. It was amazing seeing the difference in him from Saturday to Sunday. When we picked him up form the hospital, Ozzy was awake and looked happy. He pawed at Tim the entire ride home, letting Tim know that he needed more petting. Not much has changed since yesterday. Ozzy continues to appear happy- expect for when he needs to be repositioned (he cannot roll himself over) or when he needs to go the bathroom. He is taking a ton of medicine and needs the help of at least two people to go potty outside. He will use and put some weight on his back legs and front left leg- but there has still not been much improvement in his right front leg.
So at this point we continue to pray that he will be able to walk and we are his constant nurse maids. I keep telling him that he’s a lucky dog that we love him this much…but the truth is that we are the ones who feel lucky to have him in our lives- even if he isn’t 100%.

Way, way back on December 18, my dear friend Tiffany over at Rural Chaos bestowed upon me my very first blog award-The prestigious Smile Award. Thank yo so much Tiffany! What does this great honor mean? Recipients of the Smile Award must:
~ display a cheerful attitude.
~You must show love to others.
~You must make mistakes.
~You must learn from others.
~You must be a positive contributor to blogging.
~You must love life.
~You must love kids.

According to Tiffany, I deserve this award because “Kelly has been making me smile for YEARS! We have been friends since middle school and have made some wonderful memories together over the years. She has a great personality that makes you want to be around her - and she always has something funny to say! She’s got a pretty cute little boy, too, who will definitely make you smile just looking at him! Kelly lives far away from me now, but is still very dear to me!”

Once you accept the Award you are then required to follow these simple rules:
Here are the rules for the Smile Award:
~You must link back to the award creator. (We still can’t figure out what the name is–the text is so small!)
~You must post the rules if you are a recipient.
~You must choose 5 people to pass the award to.
~You must fit the characteristics of the award.
~You must post the characteristics of the recipient of the award.
~You must create a post sharing your win with others.
~You must thank the giver of the award…

So it is with great pleasure that I present the Smile Award to:
soapbox.SUPERSTAR- As a close friend of my sisters, Misty is the blog that inspired me to start one of my own. I know that I will never be as funny, crazy, or blog as consistently as Misty- but she inspries me everytime I get behind to just keep blogging!

Nae Nae in NC- My older sister who often makes me smile with the funny things her girls do! Who couldn’t smile when she writes about the funny things that come out of their mouths?

Morpheme Palette_ Dena has the funniest son I have had the pleasure of wathcing on the internet. As a BFF of Misty listed above, you know she’s going to have some funny stories- but watch any of the videos that she posts of Ethan and you will be rolling!

Crabby Mama- Angelle became my friend when we taught together 7 years ago in Florida. Then as luck would have it she moved to NC a few years after Tim and I did! Angelle is full of great tips on all types of things- from cooking to great kid DVDs. She posts regularly and hers is one of the first that I check when I finally get the time to get on the internet.

It’s a Mom’s World- Stephanie often write about her two daughters and posts photos that will definitely light up your face. She also deserves this aware because she is so good about check my blog and leaving comments.

So here’s a catch up on the happenings of my life since my last “Odds and Ends” post:
~For the past two weeks Grayson has been refusing to take his afternoon nap. He will stay in his bed- but will not fall asleep. He will usually call for me every 20-30 minutes to ask “Dit up time?” I still make him “rest” for the 2 hours- but man, I wish he would go back to sleeping! He’s been pulling the same stunt at school too. You can just imagine what the evening are like around here. So any suggestions?
~Grayson has been saying some rather funny things these days. Yesterday, I put him in the car to run an errand and realized that I had forgotten my coffee in the house. He looks at me and says, “Oh mama….You lost your mind!” I has also started to joke…or at least that what he calls it. He uses this one anytime I have asked him to do something and he refuses. I start counting and about the time that I am going to say “3″- he laughs and says “Mama, I jus jokin’!” then he runs off to do as I’ve asked.
~Tim was so cute on Valentine’s- or should I say the day before Valentines. He got home before me on Friday and said that I should go inside and look on the counter. There I found a beautiful vase of flowers. Then a few hours later he asks if I want the rest of my valentine’s gift. I tell him no- I can wait until Valentine’s Day. An hour later he asks again. I again choose to wait until the next day. The third time he asks, I finally say ‘Tim, is this something that I need to open tonight? If not I would rather wait until Valentine’s day in less than 9 hours.” His response, “No. it can wait. I’m just proud of myself for getting you something BEFORE the actual day!” And he should be proud of himself-as this must have really taken some effort. Buying gifts in advance is completely outside his nature. I did wait until Saturday to get the gift was very excited to receive a beautiful silver necklace. It’s the type of jewelry I could wear almost any day and I love it! I gave Tim a box of chocolates and made him a yummy dinner of steak, sweet potatoes, salad, and home-made chocolate cupcakes for dessert!
~Grayson was able to feel the new baby kick this week. I didn’t think that he really felt it or understood- but apparently he did. While visiting my neighbors this week, he proclaimed that his baby brother kicked him through mommy’s belly!
~I have finished a couple more scrapbook pages. The first one is from my nephew’s 2nd birthday in March. Template- a freebie from Moriginals. Paper/ Embellishments from a variety of sources…too many to credit!

From Scrapbook

This one is of photos from my nephews Jewish Naming Ceremony. The page was created using a free template from: http://www.scrapandrea.com and paper/embellishments: Merry Go ROund by Trish H Designs.

From Scrapbook

~ Tim went out of town this past weekend, leaving me and Grayson to fend for ourselves. We had a great time, especially since it was such lovely weather outside. We went to a couple of parks, spent an evening with Renee and her family, and otherwise just “pwayed”. Grayson is so cute now. Starting about a month ago he began to say “Come on Mama. Pway wif me!” I know that he will not want my company forever, so usually I give in and pway with which ever truck or car he will allow me to touch.
~Grayson missed Tim while he was away- but it has become much more evident how much he missed him since Tim returned. On the first day back, Grayson was a complete mess. Whining, crying, obviously mad at his daddy. Since then though Grayson has been attached to Tim’s leg. No more preferring Mama- at least for now. “I sit on Dada’s lap.” “Dada come pway wif me.” “I want Dada!” There has been no end for his obvious affection for Daddy. Tim is eating it up as you might imagine. I, on the other hand, am waiting for my sweet Mama’s Boy to return.
~I ordered my IMac and it should be arrive any day! I cannot wait! I keep checking the stupid FedEx tracking page as if that will make it arrive sooner. So who are there are Mac users so I can pick your brain when I can’t figure something out???

Today we had another snow day! We didn’t get nearly as much snow as a few weeks ago- but we did get almost an inch. It wasn’t enough to make a snowman or throw snowballs- but Grayson did make a snow angel and had Tim pull him around on the “sled” (a.k.a.- a garbage can lid with a rope attached). We took a walk thr0ugh the neighborhood and visited our neighbor’s horses in the barn. By then we were frozen and ready to warm up inside.
Now at 2 pm, the snow has all melted- but we still enjoyed the day off from work/school.

Wow! It’s hard to believe that another year has already passed and now I am 32. Where has the time gone? This year has been filled with lots of ups and a few downs- but overall has been one of my best years ever. In one year, I welcomed three new babies into our family- Adler, Kannon, and Molly and was honored by standing beside my best friend Carri at her wedding. I made four trips to Florida (1 wedding, 1 new nephew,1 visit home, 1 bacherlorette party), enjoyed two weekend vacations in the mountains, and relaxed for six full days with only Tim in Punta Cana. Unfortunately, I did also make a trip to Ohio due to the passing of Tim’s grandmother Nagymama and I also experienced a miscarriage. But the best news this year has been the announcement of another little boy entering our family. So at the age of 32, I am 5 months pregnant and really trying to appreciate how lucky and blessed I am.
Tim really went out of his way to make this birthday a special event for me. I am pretty sure that he had a little bit of help from some of my friends- but sometimes he just needs a little “assistance”. On the day of my birthday, he invited all of our family over, cooked dinner (spaghetti & garlic bread) for everyone, and led the “Happy Birthday” song. And that is not all.
He then surprised me with a secret trip the following weekend. We went to the Bryson City area in the mountains of NC with our friends Carri and Dave. We spent the entire weekend playing the Wii (and yes, I was sore for two days afterwards), eating like pigs, sitting in the hot tub (bobbing in and out for me since I have a bun in the oven), and even visiting the Nantahala Outdoor Center where Grayson enjoyed throwing rocks in the river. Carri was even kind enough to babysit Grayson for us one night so Tim and I could go on a date! We visited the Chimney Rock/ Lake Lure area on the way home and overall had a very relaxing weekend. (see the pictures from the party and mnt weekend by clicking on the photo above.)
So there are no tears from me on turning 32. I swear that my 30’s so far have been two of the best years of my life. And with the way that this birthday turned out, I am pretty sure that the next 365 days will be just as great!

It worked! The snow dance worked! We have a snow day. We are off to go play in the powder and build a snowman. Grayson is SOOOO excited. I’ll try to post photos a little later today!

Here’s the photos! We had a blast chasing each other through the snow, building a snowman, making snow angels, and Grayson loved being pulled by Tim on a garbage can lid. What a fun day. See the rest of today’s photos by clicking on the picture below!

From Scrapbook

Finally another scrapbook page (Tempate: KijmLizzy free DIP template 33 Kit: Lazy Summer. This one is in honor of my brother-in-law Kevin who was officially as “old as dirt” in November…or at least 40. I swear that Kevin is the youngest looking 40 year old person I have ever known. He is kind and thoughtful, sarcastic at times, but always fun to be around…even if he is almost ancient. He is a wonderful father, and an even better brother-in-law. I am lucky to have him as a part of my family. So Happy Birthday Kevin, you junk-collecting old fart!

By the way, have I mentioned how SLOW my computer works on my scrapbooking projects. It is driving me crazy. I know, I know…buy the IMac already. I would but it seems as if we have been making a number of large purchases lately that seem to “trump” by new computer. First there was Christmas and now we just bought a new leather recliner for Tim’s Audio/Video Room. Maybe next month. Yes, the A/V room is basically finished…except for a few final details and furniture. I promise to post photos once it is completely finished!

Lastly, cross your fingers and do your snow dance….I am praying for a snow day tomorrow!

I have been meaning to do this post for quite sometime. At least once a week, my In-laws do something to make me feel like the luckiest Daughter-In-Law in the world. I mean I knew that I had great In-Laws before they moved up NC…They were sure to visit every 2-3 months in order to build a relationship with Grayson. They would call often with the latest gossip on the Gators, NASCAR, family, recipes, etc. And to make matters even tougher (is that a word?) for them, they had a lot to live up to in my eyes- I do have two really great parents myself. Anyhow like I said, I knew that I had great in-laws before they moved up here- but I swear that they have gotten even more amazing in the last 9 months.
Case in point: Just this past week, Mom B calls me up at work and says: Hey- if you haven’t made dinner tonight, I would happy to bring something over to eat.” I of course jump all over this. Tim’s mom is a fabulous cook and let’s be honest- I do not think about dinner on a work day until I actually get home from work. So anyhow, they come over carting not only soup, sandwiches, and a vegetable tray…but an apetizer and dessert to boot. They said they were cleaning out their refrigerator before they went out of town…but really? And the story does not end there. Tim’s mom also tidys up my kitchen (in a nice way- not a judgemental, controlling way) and Tim’s dad takes the time to entertain my kid! And that is just one example.
When Tim’s dad is bored, he comes over to our house and with Tim’s permission works on our “fix it” list. He has adjusted doors that didn’t close properly, raked my yard, cleaned out our gutters, etc. He has even sat at our house while subcontractors are here because we were not able to be home.
So see- Eat Your Hearts Out! I know you’re jealous! Who wouldn’t be? Most people are burdened with tiresome, unpleasant In-Laws. Not me! Mine are fabulous!
So thanks for everything Mom B and GB! Lucky for you- you have no competition…yet! Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to have my own parents living close by too. Then you may as well say I died and went to heaven with all the attention I’d get then!

As predicted, the last 4 days have been a blur. My sister Renee and I convinced my dad to come up for a visit over the New Year’s Holiday and we have been busy, busy, busy spending time with him. He hasn’t visited us in NC for over 2 years so as you might imagine we couldn’t wait for him to arrive…and then of course we couldn’t pack in enough quality time to spend with him. (You can see my photos for the last few days by clicking on the photo above. They begin with a New Year’s Eve dinner at my house, then there are photos of the guys go-cart racing, a trip to the race shop, and finally a few shots a trip we took to the local gold mine.)
I guess as I get older I realize that my parents are getting older too. When you only get to see the people you love a few times a year, it really makes those moments even more important. I read other people’s blogs about losing parents or grandparents in their families and it makes me recognized that I often take the precious amount of time I have with my loved ones (especially those who live far away) for granted. There were times over the past few days that I observed how gray my dad’s hair has gotten or noticed some new wrinkles I hadn’t seen before. (I’m sure he noticed a few new gray hairs on me too by the way!) Am I really ready to see him get old? Do I have a choice? On many occasions I watched Grayson asking him questions or trying to play with his Paw Paw and I realized how important this trip was for Gray. I was never able to know my paternal grandfather, and I would hate that Grayson be robbed of that opportunity too. It’s easy for all of us to get caught up in our daily existence and not stay in close contact with all of our family. So I guess my New Year’s Resolution for 2009 is to do a better job of calling and visiting my family in Florida. They are such an important part of my life and I hope to never take them for granted.

From Scrapbook

Well, I have finally finished another scrapbook page. This one is of my nephew and niece who were born one week apart. I promised that I would eventually post some photos of them so I guess this will have to do for now. My computer is working VERY slow and I do not have the patience to edit the rest of the photos and blog them. Maybe if I ever get that iMac you’ll finally see them. Cross your fingers- I hope to get it after the holidays!

Well, the Christmas tree is up and the wreath is on my door. I got most of my Christmas shopping finished today and so I am officially feeling into the Christmas spirit. I have a few (4) last people to shop for- all gift certificates and I need to get cranking on my christmas cards- but I feel as if I am off to a good start. Those of you who finished your shopping before Thanksgiving make me sick. I wish that I could get motivated that early.
By the way the Gators play for the SEC championship tomorrow. Cross your fingers for my team!!!

There are so many things to be thankful for and I know that my list will be incomplete. But I will try to do my best:
I am thankful for:
~My wonderful husband who has put up with months of my mood swings and exhaustion- yet still loves me unconditionally.
~My son who laughs constantly and finds a way to brighten everyday!
~My bump that seems to be growing bigger each day.
~My mom and sister Jennifer who drove all the way up from Florida to spend the holiday with us. (I couldn’t thank them enough!)
~My sister Renee who lets me whine, listens to my stories (even when they are stupid), and always finds a way to make me feel important.
~My dad for the sacrifices he made to provide for our family and send me off to college.
~My In-Laws who I couldn’t imagine living in NC without!
~All of my brothers & sisters-in-laws. To be honest I am not sure that I would have married Tim if he didn’t have such a fun family to become a part of!
~My neices and nephews who remind me how quickly life moves and how to enjoy the simple things in life.
~My BFF Carri. I am so thankful that she lives here and is happy here. I am thankful to her for many things- one of which is introducing me to Tim!
~My job and Tim’s job. I am constantly reminded (especially with the economy today) how lucky we are to have secure jobs that we both enjoy. Oh yeah and great bosses to work for!
~My health and the health of my family.
~The house of my dreams. It’s hard to believe that we have been in our house for over a year now. I still wake up some mornings amazed that it is really mine.
~The Girl’s Dinner Club. It’s hard finding time to see my friends and I am thankful for the dinner club because it “makes” me make time. I look forward to the one night a month that we all get together and I can catch up on everyone’s lives. The dinner club is definitely one of the highlights of every month and I am lucky to be a part of it.
~My dog Ozzy who continues to love us despite the fact that we very seldom give him the time that he deserves.

~Miralax.

***Warning*** If you do not wish to know about my current side effects of pregnancy inlcuding the inability to use the bathroom- please do not read this post.

Ahemm

Since the onset of this pregnancy I have had a number of the same side effects as my first pregnancy. Tiredness, food aversions, food cravings. But with this parasite growing inside my body, the side effects have been “more”. Tiredness= exhaustion. Food aversions=me not cooking dinner for over a week. Get my drift?
All of this was fine by me up until the side effect that took place this week. Constipation. (I did post a warning above- so feel free to quit reading if you “really do not want to know”.) I have never, never, NEVER had constipation as badly as this past week. It had gotten to the point (after 4 days on nothing) that I was “afraid” to push. I had taken colace (a stool softener) multiple times, all to no avail. Of course I called my older (wiser) sister Renee for some advice. “Miralax and maybe an enema if that doesn’t work.” An enema? I mean I’ve heard of them but what is an enema really? So of course I googled and came accross some websites like this and this . (And those are not the bad ones!) Whew. Now if reading all that wasn’t enough to make me poop my pants, then I guess an enema would be the next step. So off I went the next morning (on my way to work) to purcahse Miralax and a “just in case” enema. I took the Miralax asap and crossed my fingers that it would do the trick before I was forced to try the enema. A few hours later I decided to take a peek at the instructions for the enema and imagine my suprise when I saw this:

on the side of the box. On the side of the box! Ha! I couldn’t stop laughing. I personally loved how the use the cartoon of a man. Well anyhow, I guess all the laughter got my abdominals working and a few hours later (with the help of my favorite friend Miralax), I passed by “blockage”. No enema needed. Thank God!

Well, it is official. Tim, Grayson, and I are expecting an addition to our family. Another Baby is on the way! We are very excited and couldn’t wait to share the news. We’ve waited a few months due to a miscarriage this summer- but according to the Doctor we are free to tell everyone now! I am about 9 weeks pregnant and the baby will be due June 17th.
Baby’s Development: The baby is around an inch long, about the size of a grape, and weighs only a fraction of an ounce. We were able to see its’ arms moving and it’s little heart beating (at around 170 beats per second). According to baby development, it has tiny arms and legs with just the smallest of buds for fingers and toes. The head is still very large compared to the rest of the body- but does include fully formed eyes (coverd with eye lids), tiny earlobes, and the smallest indications of a mouth and nose.
How I Feel: The past few months have been challenging. It’s been like walking a tight walk- between wanting to feel excited about the new life growing inside me and yet not wanting to be too attached in case things did not turn out as hoped. I can’t explain the relief I felt this morning when the ultrasound indicated that the baby is doing well and the doctor said that we could start telling people. I guess that we are not completely in the clear for another 3 weeks- so everyone keep your fingers crossed until then.
This pregnancy’s symptoms have been slightly different than when I was pregnant with Grayson. As before, I have been exhausted. Only I can’t take the afternoon naps I loved so much last time. Instead I’ve been going to bed at around 7:45 every night and still do no feel as if I have gotten enough rest. I have had dull headaches especially in the afternoons and have had some serious food aversions. I have no problem eating for breakfast and lunch- but by dinner time nothing sounds good and I always feel on the edge of nausiousness. Something will sound delicious one second but two bites later I feel no desire to continue eating. I have had a few episodes of “night sickness” usually around the time I brush my teeth. Strange I know. Another wierd symptom I had this time around were a series of 5 little bumps that appeared one by one on the pads of my fingers. They were slightly painful- like a splinter- but there was nothing inside them. When I asked the doctor he said that it was most likely due to my progesterone levels. Has anyone ever heard of that before?
According to Grayson: Grayson doesn’t really know what changes are in store. He knows that there is a baby inside “mommy’s tummy” but what does that really mean to a 2.5 year old? Tim of course has already coached him to say “I want baby bover”. I guess we’ll find out in about 10 weeks if his wish comes true!