Goodness Gracious.......

......this grill is on fire!! Seriously! The one day during the week when I have actually got it together enough to grill myself a burger for lunch, and grill some for supper too, I nearly manage to burn the house down!

This all happened on Wednesday of this week. I have this "special" recipe for fabulous hamburgers and had been wanting one for a while, so I thought I'd go ahead and grill them for lunch and then I'd have time to spare before church that night. This was not to be!

I had them on the grill, which my husband got for Father's Day last year, and had came in the house to get my spatula, when I realized there were flames in the bottom of the grill...........where the PROPANE tank is! Uh OH!

So I immediately grab the fire extinguisher from the kitchen and just as I'm about to pull the pin I think, "what if this makes the propane tank explode?" I wasn't sure how to put how a propane involved fire,....so I immediately call my husband at work...(did I mention he is a fireman? I just knew he'd have some "expert" knowledge on the subject!)

Our conversation went like this:

(Me) "THE GRILL IS ON FIRE, THE GAS TANK IS ON FIRE WHAT SHOULD I DO?!!!!!!!"

(Mr. Fireman) Okay, bye!

(Me) stare blankly at phone. He hung up!

(Me)after I redial him: YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO DRIVE HERE!!! WHAT DO I DO??

(Mr Fireman) PUSH IT OFF THE PORCH!!!

(Me) WHAT IF THAT MAKES IT EXPLODE?? (it would be landing on concrete) DO I USE THE EXTINGUISHER OR WATER TO PUT IT OUT???

(Mr. Fireman) WATER!

(Me) LOVE YOU, BYE! ( I had to say "love you" because what if I exploded myself?)

Anyway, I did get the fire out and my husband, (did I mention he is fire CHIEF??) sent another fireman who was in my area to check on us (thank you Aaron!). I'm glad he did because I did have enough sense to turn off the gas, after I put on my long oven mits, but I wasn't about to move it off the porch!

But thankfully fireman Aaron did this for me.

All I could think of was Carter standing there watching me through the window (what if I caught myself on fire with him watching???).... he normally is right on my heels but when I saw the fire I screamed at him to get back in the house and I think he was afraid to move!



Needless to say we did not get to have our burgers.......and won't for some time!

Big Miracles, Little Packages!

Update: Tyler and Taylor have arrived! Both Mom and babies are doing great! They both weighed 5 pounds and something ounces, but my info came via men so I don't have the exacts yet, only that everyone is doing great!

Thank you so much for your prayers!!


...so I have a bit of a request from you guys. I know that there are some serious prayer warriors out there and I would love it if you could show a friend of mine some "blog world love" of the prayin' variety!

I have a precious girlfriend who has wanted to become a mom for years now and has gone through so so much to become one.

Well, God has shown out big time! She will be delivering her twin boys on Thursday of this week!!!!! Just in time to celebrate Mother's Day! Isn't that just awesome???

She will be delivered via C section at 8:45 AM EST on Thursday morning and I would love it, and she would too, if you would lift her and her precious babies up in prayer! So please help me as I pray for Jeff & Alicia and their babies Tyler & Taylor! The pregnancy itself is an answered prayer for so many, including myself, and I feel so blessed to have been able to share in being pregnant with Alicia, and look so forward to watching our little ones grow up together!

For those of you who know them, you know just how precious this couple is and I know that you will join me in praising God for this miracle in their lives!! If you want to leave a comment for them, Alicia has my blog addy and I will be glad to pass any comments along to them as well!

Thank you girls!! (and guys,....I know you're out there!)

Twenty Three Months + One

23 Months

(05/01/08)

Dear Carter,

It is so hard to believe that next month my post will not be a "month" post, but a "2 years" post. It is amazing to me that 23 months have passed with you brightening our lives every single day. From the first day that we brought you home, things in our house would never be the same! Mama and Daddy fell in love with you at first sight!

Lately you have so many new things to say. If you hear it, you say it.....which isn't always good! For example, just the other day you dropped something and I heard you say, "oh sh**". I stopped in my tracks! "Good grief! Where did he hear that?" I finally convinced myself that you must have said something else because I knew you didn't hear that from me or daddy. Then you said it again,.....and again. I'm not really sure where you picked that up, but I do have a few suspects I will be checking with!! You also have been cracking us all up with your version of "where did Lilah come from?" your response? "Chattanoogy"....Well, that IS where we went to get her!

You also have loved getting to go to Lilah's well baby visits. You ADORE Dr. Jeanie, and she adores you. You always stroll through the long hall to the exam rooms calling..."dooooctorrrr Jeeeeeeanie!!"..lol! And she calls to you from her office....."Hi Carter!" She told me you are the ONLY not even 2 year old who knows her name and calls her by it!

Today we had lunch with your buddies (and ours!) Old Glenn (as you call him...and it fits!), and Phyllis (which sounds like "Fill It" when you say it) and Kenneth (who you call Kenny) and Tammy, and you loved every single moment of the attention you got! Then you got to ride in a "Big Truck" with Papa and Daddy, not to mention that you got to show off your new baby sister and get some kisses from KayLee & Karolina ( who you call Kay Kay) and Aubree and baby Clay at church today. I'd say you have had a full day!

In the last month I have watched you go from a baby to a real bonified "big boy" with such joy and grace. You love your baby sister so much and don't want to be away from her for long! In a little less than a month you will be two, and these have been the best two years of my life. I look so forward to watching you grow and learn and play with your baby sister.

I love you Carter,

Mama

One Month

(05/02/08)

Dear Lilah,

It's so hard to believe that you have already been with us for a month! You are the sweetest baby I could have ever imagined. You have such patience with your big brother! You just let him hold you (which can't be alot of fun for you at this point but he sure loves it!) and kiss on you (kinda hard sometimes!). You don't mind being laid down when he needs a little extra love and attention from Mom.

Rarely do you cry. Mostly it's just a grunt or two here and there when your hungry and that's it! You sleep alot still but when you do open those big eyes you take everything in. Watching your brother as he performs his every talent for you at his highest volume. You take it all in stride.

I cherish our time together. I love the night time feedings when we are the only ones awake in the house. I adored nursing Carter for as long as I did (10 months), and hope that I can do that with you. He has rarely sat still in my lap for long at all since then.

I look so forward to watching you grow and learn, Lilah. You are a true joy and blessing to all of us! Mama, Daddy and Carter love every moment with you. I thank God for my beautiful, healthy family every single day.

I love you Lilah,

Mama

Diaper cream as hair gel

Little Doll!

Oh. My. Goodness!!

Q.T. anyone?

Does anybody remember the old self tanning products from the 70's and 80's? Q. T. I believe it was called? Myself and my sister, and probably even my mother have a pretty vivid memory of the stuff due to the fact that my nosey little self, and my nosey little sister decided once that we wanted to Quick Tan just like mom.

We ended up being about the color of rust.

For days.


Lovely.


So, a few weeks ago,....prebaby...pre lack of sleep...I decided to buy myself some gradual self tanner for after baby when my body image is completely shot (not that it was great at any point, but all you moms get my drift!) because everybody knows any body looks better tanned,....right? And since I do not tan unless my freckles manage to connect themselves and I refuse to use a tanning bed (because I've HAD a skin cancer removed and it was NOT fun!) this gradual self tanner seemed to be the perfect answer............at the time.


Let me just leave you with this image:

Sleep deprived.

Barely getting a shower.

Decides to use gradual self tanning lotion.

NOT a pretty sight.

yeah, go ahead and say it.

"ya big barely showered sleep deprived QT'd Dummy!"

Needless to say, I will not be leaving the house for a few days.

Our newest resident....

.....so you all know that Lilah is here, but maybe you're wondering how things are going since the new addition arrived on "The Farm"? Well, let me just share a few things....

* Carter adores her. ADORES her! The first place he goes every morning is to the bassinet. I don't really know how much Lilah enjoys this since the first thing Carter says to her is..."Lilah,...WAKE UP!!"..lol

*She is such a sweetheart. She almost never cries and when she does, it's one little cry then she's done. If she didn't look so much like her brother, I'd wonder if they gave us the wrong one.

* I wouldn't remember whether or not they gave us the right one either. I developed some complications after the C section and don't remember much of anything on the day she was born or the day after...and not much the day after that! Thank you God for a healthy baby, and for a healthy mommy...and a fabulous nurse and doctor!!!!

*Carter wants to hold her at least 30 times per day. When he isn't holding her then he must show her how he dances, how he plays with his tractors, etc, etc, etc..... He thinks she has been sent here to be his audience of one and that he is totally the star of the show. I hope she likes the entertainment!

*Lilah poops projectile poop. Carter thinks it's the coolest thing there ever was. Mommy has to learn to get out of the way!

*Carter has some sort of coughy, snotty nose thing, which the Dr says is viral (which apparently is good??) and Lilah is coughy and snotty too (Dr says this is probably mostly newborn reflexes????).......this really wears on mommy's nerves since a sick (or reflexy) newborn is a new thing for me. Carter didn't so much as cough until he was 18 months old!!

*Lilah is a big cousin! My first cousin, Emily, who is just a couple of months older than I am, gave birth to a little boy, Koen Micah, on April 6! Just 4 days after Lilah! Isn't that too cool??

*One last thing, (sorry this one is short, but it's literally taken me 3 days to manage to sit down long enough to type this much), for those of you wondering how her name is pronounced, it's like Delilah, (the one in the Bible) only without the "De".

Thanks for all the emails and well wishes! Hopefully I won't go a week and a half before blogging again!

Lilah has arrived!!!

Lilah Rae made her appearance on April 2, 2008 at 7:28 AM!!! She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. She is a beautiful, healthy baby girl who rarely ever cries (so far!!). I will post more later but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for some pics of Carter's new baby sister.....and let me tell you, he is one proud big brother!!!

Propped up....Well, sometimes anyway!!

....so here I have gone almost a week again without blogging! I KNOW! Well, I really don't have an excuse other than I just haven't been on the computer much. Not to mention, I am supposed to be staying off my feet as much as possible so I haven't had alot of exciting things to blog about this week.

Not alot,....but I did have a few things. Here are the highlights:

Monday: Dr appt. All is well except that blood pressure is climbing. He tells me to take it easy as much as possible and not to get excited.

Tuesday: Carter stands at the end of couch with a strange goo on his hands. I'm sitting on the couch (off my feet as instructed) and ask him what's on his hands. As he is rubbing them together he casually says "poop". Oh MERCY!!! He was telling the truth!! He had taken a big ol' dig in his poopy diaper and was just about ready to rub it all over the arm of my couch when I caught him....So much for not getting excited!!!

Wednesday: Not feeling well at all. I pretty much hang out on the couch the whole entire day. (Well, as much as you can with a 21 month old)

Thursday: Feeling a bit better. I have a hair appt (which makes me feel much better!) and Aunt Crystal takes Carter to the park. Then we stop for a few innings of my nephew Matthew's Baseball game. Carter loved it (of course!) and so did I. I was so afraid I might not make any of their games this year! Three innings is better than nothing!! Carter actually said "ball" in his sleep last night....that's big! He hasn't done that since football season! He definitely liked it!! The bad news is, I spent part of the night on a heating pad,....apparently I wasn't off my feet quite enough!

Friday: BP through the roof. After a few light headed incidents and a persistent all night and half the day headache, I called the dr and he told me to come in. I have orders to stay off my feet for the weekend and see him first thing Monday morning, unless bp hits 150, then call him immediately (p.s...my dr is not on call this weekend but he gave me his personal cell number in case I needed him....isn't he awesome???) Anyway, if I'm still having bp probs Monday, as he suspects I will be, he says delivery will be moved up to the middle of the week,probably Wednesday unless something happens before then (which it might if Carter plays with another poopy diaper before then!!! Ewwwww!) ....sooooo it's looking like Lilah will make her appearance very very soon!!


Updated....
Saturday: I had planned on trying to make my niece Rachel's game for a few innings this morning at 9:30 so while I was getting ready I noticed Carter was reeeally quite for a few minutes, which is never good! Turns out, he opened the door (deadbolt and all!!!!) that goes from our bedroom out to the back porch and let himself out!!!! When I got to him he was thankfully still on the porch (did I mention there is also a hot tub out there, and a pond in our front yard??) just casually walking around testing his newfound freedom. Needless to say I spanked his little rear and gave him a stern talking to!! Then I called his dad at work to bring home something to keep him from opening the doors!....Now, I'm going to lay down......lol

I'll do my best to keep you posted!

The Week In Pictures...

Hangin' In...

...yes! I'm still hangin' in there. I have my orders to stay off my feet as much as possible and this time, I'm trying to do just that! As of now I'm scheduled to deliver via C section on April 10. I myself will be amazed if I make it to that date (I will spare you the details as to why I think this...). My mother in law is convinced that I'm going to have her any minute now. I don't think it'll be quite that soon, but the lady did birth 4 of her own so I will choose not to argue with her on this particular subject.

In other news, baby news that is....(lol, like I have any other kind lately!) we have decided on a name. Her name is going to be: (drumroll please!!)

Lilah Rae

So far everyone in the family likes it, or at least hasn't said they don't.........except for the MIL. One thing I'm thinking she's coming to realize is that her opinion has no bearing whatsoever on the choice we have made and will continue not to. (...and just to clarify for anyone who might be wondering,....we are NOT naming her after the mayor. Not that there would be anything wrong with that, I'm just saying....). Lilah is being named after two people who I know will be very special in her life. One of them, my dad who's middle name is Ray, knows this. The other doesn't know it yet but I know she will be thrilled when we tell her.........

One more thing. I got the sweetest package in the mail this week from a fellow blogger and friend. I cheated on Dr's orders and drove to the post office, (because my husband never remembers to) and discovered a package waiting for me all the way from New York! My friend, Elizabeth, at FullOfGraceNBlessingsInAbundance, sent me the sweetest card and most adorable outfit and blanket! After seeing so much blue baby stuff with Carter, it tickles me to open up something beautiful and pink! Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, Elizabeth! I can't tell you how special you are to me!

Now, I'm off to give my husband further instructions on what baby stuff to bring downstairs from storage. Then, I'll give him instructions on how to turn the toddler bed back into a crib and where I want it, then I'll tell him what stuff of Carter's I want put back upstairs in storage...........oh and then there's all those things that have to be taken apart and washed and then put back together....lol....I bet he's never so glad to go back to work as he will be tomorrow where there's no bossy hormonal pregnant lady telling him what to do!

Baby Got Back.....

...so this article came to me via Babycenter email...

Why pregnant women don't tip over

.....now, you can click on the link if you want all the technical info on why they think this to be true. Me? I don't NEED to click the link. I know why I don't tip over. In fact, when I was pregnant with Carter, I had a little boy ask me about it in Walmart. He wanted to know why my rear was getting big if I carried the baby in my belly.

Well, duh!

To keep me from tipping over (you little stinker you!!)

disclaimer: To say his mom was appalled would be the understatement of the year!! haha!

Oh Me!!

...is apparently something I say alot. How do I know this, you ask? Well, because Carter has started saying it! I was getting him dressed after his bath and he climbed up on the bed and said,...ohhhh me!...lol. Like it was all he could do to climb into bed! (Yeah, it sounds familiar!)

Then today I put him in his car seat and he kind of got tangled in the buckles and while I was trying to free him he said it again,....OH me!..

Adorable.

What makes it even cuter is that I know exactly where I picked that phrase up. My grandmother used to say it all the time. She's been gone for 8 years now but I know that it would tickle her to the bone to hear Carter say it,....like he's been bearing the world on his shoulders....."Oh Me!!"

...In fact, I can almost hear her giggle just thinking about it!

Isn't it funny how we start to miss the ones we love so much when a new life is about to come into the world?

*****for my grandparents....Mama & Papa Kirby, and Grandaddy B and for Kyle's Grandma Smith, and Grandma and Grandpa P. ....we know you are all in a better place, but we love you and miss you dearly.******

The Burning Bed......

So, yesterday was the most beautiful day here and we spent it outside. The whole entire daylight part of the day. I won't go into detail about how badly my back hurt, or how massive my swollen feet and ankles were, but I will tell you, It was all and all a wonderful day!

One thing though, we did get a bit of alarming news about my husband's grandpa. You remember Grandpa, right? Well, bless his heart, he has outdone himself again. My husband and I are pretty concerned about his well being after hearing this story.

Apparently, he dropped a button or something under his bed and rather than get a flashlight to look for it, he rolled up a newspaper, set it on fire and commenced to looking under his bed for the button. I AM NOT KIDDING!! Well, you know what happened, right? He totally set the mattress on fire!

Anyway, they got the fire put out and he is okay, but I ask that you all please remember Grandpa and his children in your prayers. He is 86, and I don't know how much longer he's going to be able to live in his own home (he doesn't live alone, his son lives there too.....and that's all I have to say about that!) There may be some decisions that have to be made soon and I can tell you one thing for sure........THAT will not go well!!

I thought about going by to visit him tomorrow but my MIL tells me she is afraid he might shoot at us if he doesn't know we are coming, so she wants us to wait and go when she's going and he knows she is coming.

Alrighty then.

Like I said....remember them in your prayers.

Twenty One Months.....

Dear Carter,

Today you are 21 months old. You have become our constant entertainment around here lately. It's amazing to watch how fast you are learning new things!

You first looked in the mirror this month and instead of saying "baby" like you used to, you said "Carter". Well, actually you said "Carger". You've started referring to yourself in first person alot lately. "Carger's chair" "Carger's tractor".....everything now belongs to "Carger".

You have also started referring to your dad by his first name occasionally too. Just last night during your bath, Daddy came in and you said to him, "Kyle, shut the door!" Daddy still thinks I put you up to it, but it shocked me as much as it did him!

One of my favorite things that you are doing lately is saying "hug" then hugging me like there is no tomorrow! I love love love that one! We can play that game all day long if you want to!

Like your daddy, you have become an avid Walker, Texas Ranger fan. It never seems to be on when dad is at home, so mom thought she was being super thoughtful when she picked up the first 3 seasons on DVD for dad to watch from time to time. Little did she know that every night from that point forward would turn into a Walker Texas Ranger marathon! She also didn't expect you to love it quite so much. It must be all the action that gets your attention, because now all your big trucks are "walker's truck" and your puppy is named "Trivette" and you seem to be much more action packed after you get a little Walker into your system. You used to want to watch Diego every time we came near the TV. Now Walker is your first request.

You have mastered climbing into the kitchen sink. The sink is in the island and you simply push up a chair from the table and climb on in and proceed to "wash dish". Daddy suggested this week that we bolt the chairs to the floor.....

You mastered saying "thank you" a few months ago, but just this month started saying "please". You also sing and clap along to the radio, TV, or to the choir at church. You have started "simming" (swimming) in the bathtub on your belly which is completely adorable.

I'm thinking potty training is just around the corner because you are now very much aware of when you pee or poop and come to tell me immediately. You also reeeeally want to sit on the potty these days. Mom is hoping to put that off for a couple of months because it gets pretty heavy holding you up on the potty and carrying your baby sister at the same time.

You still never meet a stranger and have recently started introducing me or your dad to anyone you meet. You smile and wave "Hi" to them, then point to me and say "Carger's Mama" or sometimes just "Mama". It's so incredibly cute and never fails to get a smile or laugh from even the grumpiest looking people. I even had one lady tell me last week that seeing your sweet smiling face made her day.

You make my day every day, Carter. These have been the best 21 months of my life and I look so forward to watching you grow. I am so blessed to be "Carger's Mama"!

Love,
Mama

Spring Fever.....

I think Carter is tired of being in the house......
I know I sure am!!!!!!!!

It's time to put the safety latches on the drawers too.........Carter wants a "poon" (spoon) and is fully prepared to get one for himself.

Now Carter wants to wash his hair in the sink in the mudroom.
I think he has this figured out.....
Uh oh.......a little wet!

Finally!! A warm day, Mom was thrilled to go to the park!!.....Carter was too!

Kickin back, relaxing,.....chatting with Papa.....this is the life!

Won't be long now!

This morning I had a startling realization.

I am about to have a baby!

Seriously!

During the pregnancy with Carter, it seemed to take forever! I always had ultrasound pics on hand just in case anyone wanted to see what our precious baby looked like. (Most didn't but were polite!) It seemed like the longest 38 weeks of my entire life.

Then when he was 14 months old, I found out I was pregnant again. We waited and wanted for so long to become pregnant with Carter, neither of us dared to hope that we'd be blessed with more than one!

But she'll be here really soon!

The first thing my dr said to me this morning was ..." well, you're about ready to have this baby." .......my thought was, ..."I am?" I am 33 weeks, that means 7 weeks to go, unless she's early like Carter was, then about 5 weeks.

I said, "yeah, only 7 more weeks to go." He laughed....

...kinda loud.

Then he said, You won't go 7 more weeks, and you'll be lucky to go 5. Then he proceeded to talk about a big baby and from his tone, I'll have to admit I was thinking "big baby"...like 10 or 11 pounds....or more. So I asked him,.....how big do you mean when you say "big baby"? He said, "How big was Carter?"

8 lbs 2 oz.

"About that big"

I wanted to smack him. Carter wasn't THAT big. He was just right. Big enough not to worry so much about breaking him! He had me convinced I should just return all the newborn clothing we have and buy 6 months and up. 8 pounds I can handle! I must admit, I was getting a bit nervous about giving birth to a kindergartner! (My FIL was 12 pounds!!!)

Anyway, my BP is slowly climbing and swelling starting, so unless something changes, he's planning on somewhere between April 3 and 10. Probably closer to the 3rd. (Sorry church ladies retreat people!) She will not be, as my husband and father had hoped, born on their birthday, April 12. I should have a better idea after my next appt.

Still no name.

Last night Kyle suggested we name her Judy. (not that there is anything wrong with that name, but you don't hear that alot these days...plus he already has an aunt named Judy...need I say more?)

I'm about to have to play the "I carried her for 9 months and will nurse her for who knows how long (Carter 10 months) and I'm gonna name her whatever I want to" card.

I'm just sayin'....

No kidding!

Well, I don't think anyone will be shocked by these results!

Cabin Fever??

I think it's safe to say that Carter is bored with all of his toys. He's feeling much much better and is ready to get out of the house today!! His cousin Landon's birthday party is this afternoon and I feel sure we're safe to attend. Relax Dad, he will not be wearing his pumps, although this would most certainly get a rise out of his Papa!!

Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers!

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Boo Hoo It's the Flu!.........

.......and boo hoo is the understatement of the year. I have it, Carter has it....I just hope that Kyle doesn't get it too! Hopefully, we'll be better soon. It's been a week and we have left the house exactly one time to go to the Dr, the pharmacy, and the post office. I have had enough of myself...so has Carter. You'd have thought he won the lottery when the doorbell rang today and it was the Fedex man. Everyone is afraid of our germs. My MIL won't even come near us.


Please say a little prayer for Vicki and whoever helps her with our Awana class tonight. We have 10+ Kindergarten/1st graders. Trust me, she will need your prayers!


Okay, enough whining.....back to bed!

p.s.....we all took the flu shot! No one is safe from it!! Be afraid, be very afraid!!

Did you know......

...that the list of "Medications Acceptable During Pregnancy" has nothing "good" on it. So, say you feel like you have been run over by a truck, you can take Tylenol.

You can't take NyQuil, or better yet the good old tried and true southern cold/flu remedy Rock-N-Rye. Nope. Can't take it.

Just wondering...Can you whine without complaining?....... (I'm not complaining about being pregnant...I'm whining about being sick!)

WHINEEEEEE!

Happy Valentine's Day...

...to me! What could possibly be better than a fancy smancy dinner out with my sweetheart this Valentine's day? Let me tell you what! Getting a call just before I was about to cook our own fancy smancy dinner (HAHA!) from my stepmom inviting us to their house for some good home cooking from THE best cook in the whole entire world......that's what! To a very pregnant southern girl, it just doesn't get any better than good home cookin'!

To make things better, I got to sneak a visit with my nephews Landon and Max on a weeknight! A rare thing! To make things EVEN better, the reason Max and his dad were here tonight was that his dad has a job interview just down the road from here and how fabulous would it be if he got it and they moved back home?!?!?!?!?!?!?! IT WOULD BE VERY FABULOUS! (they currently live about 2 hours from here)

So, if you could, please say a little prayer that Heath's interview goes amazingly well tomorrow, and they offer him a fabulous package that he simply can not refuse! (Not that he needs help mind you, he is definitely the brains of the family!...but every little prayer helps, right?)

The excitement of this possibility totally over rides the memory of a reeeeally bad day out with my formerly sweet baby turned maniac rambo toddler. Seriously, I won't go into much detail only that it involved a buggy in Walmart, flying boots at the grocery store, followed by locking my keys in the car (for the first time in my whole entire life), and that maniac rambo toddler running the isles of the drugstore while I made the call to Onstar since my cell phone was inside the car with the keys. (Thank you Christina, for wrangling him for me!)

I have two words for you............Onstar Rocks!!

Hope you guys had a great V'day! Mine ended on a good note. My little guy is worn out from playing with his cousins, my big guy has been sawing logs for at least an hour, and I'm off to join them in sweet slumber! Good night to you!

Two Diet Cokes, a dash of black paint,

....and a bottle of the nastiest brightest pinkest fingernail polish you can imagine. Those, my friends, have been just a few of my son's weapons of choice this week. And, by this week, I mean starting SUNDAY. This is TUESDAY.

I should have known I was in for it when he came running into the bathroom while I was getting ready for church on Sunday morning. He said, " Mama, mess!" I said, " Carter, did you make a mess?" He shook his head vigorously and said. "Daddy, Coke." He was being pretty specific so I decided I'd better check it out. He ran into our bedroom and climbed onto the bed and pointed to an empty Diet Coke can turned upside down, in a puddle, right smack in the middle of our bed. Great! So, I strip the bed, clean the mattress and carry on getting ready.

He was good during church..........mostly.

Sunday afternoon while we watched them put up the sign, Carter was facinated with all the bulldozers and backhoes and trucks in the area so he was pretty well occupied. ........mostly. He did however, manage to get black paint in his hair, on his scalp ( I just scraped the last of it off tonight!) and all over his hands while we had our backs turned for a moment.....

Monday night I was finishing up my bedtime routine and I thought Carter was watching tv with his dad when he came running into the bathroom. He said, "Mama, mess." (you better believe I'm passing the buck, do you know how many times a day I hear those words?) I said, "go tell Daddy" and carried on with what I was doing. He came back in a minute. More urgently this time, "Mama, Mess!" I followed him into the bedroom to find his dad sound asleep and ANOTHER big puddle on the bed. Carter said, "Daddy Coke" I'm 'bout to get ahold of daddy and his stinkin cokes he leaves within Carter's reach! So, it's 8:30-9ish and because I have no idea where our extra sheets are or how long since they have been washed, I strip the bed, wash and dry the sheets, and clean the mattress.................AGAIN!


This morning I was brushing my teeth and putting in my contacts in the bathroom...(I'm going to quit going to the bathroom!) when I smelled a funny smell. Carter was in the living room watching Diego but I hadn't heard him in a few minutes so I head out in search of the smell. He was hiding behind the couch with a bottle of pepto pink fingernail polish.......open! It was all over his hands, his pj's, some on the rug, some on the hardwood, some on the chair. I almost fainted. I think the fear of seeing pepto pink all over my house is the single thing that kept me upright at that moment. Thankfully, it all came out. I have no idea where he got that polish, I hope he doesn't have a stash of it somewhere!

I will spare you all the nasty details of our trip to the grocery store and how he stripped down while in there. By this time, I was so exhausted, I think I have blocked most of that experience out...... but I will tell you that at some point after lunch today I noticed I had something stuck between my two front teeth and I meant to go get it out....I remembered it on the way OUT of the grocery store....fabulous! Just fabulous!

If tomorrow starts off like the last couple of days have, I'm taking Carter to his Maw Maws to spend the day (it's supposed to be rainy and cold and we'll be trapped inside)..........please don't call to warn her!




p.s....reading back over this I would just like to clarify that we do watch our child.......mostly!

Praise Him in This Storm

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

During the tornado that hit our area last Wednesday morning so many people lost so much. Lives were forever changed in an instant. One family lost their precious mother during this storm. Yet they praise Him. They want the countless passerby to not only stop and look at this sight and be reminded of their mother's death. But to be reminded also of her life. To know the Jesus that she knew, and now rests with.

Yesterday afternoon we went to this sight in search of my sister, who is friends with the daughter of Mrs. Tinker. Crystal (my sister) had been asked by Leslie (the daughter) to make a sign to place at the sight of the home where Mrs Tinker was killed.

As we stood there while the sign was put into place I was amazed, and also quite appalled at the number of people who stopped casually to ask if this was the place where the woman was killed! There were some who stopped to console the family or hug them or bring food and drink, but many just wanted to see.

When I offered my services to Leslie in sending these nosey, rude, too many question asking people on their way she said she didn't care what they asked, as long as they read the sign, and maybe it would touch someone's heart on behalf of her mother.

We didn't make it home in time for church last night, but Leslie and this verse preached to me right there in her mother's front yard. She told me that this verse had come to her in so many ways, so many times over the past few days. Overlooking utter and complete damage and destruction stands a message of peace, hope, and love sent straight to us,...to me....from a so often underestimated God.

These pictures were taken with permission from Leslie.

Praise the Lord... and pass the cookies!

UPDATE: I spent some of my day today at the Rosalie Community Center. For obvious reasons I can't be out picking up debris or operating a chain saw, but I can offer my help in other ways. The ladies of the Rosalie/Pisgah and surrounding communities are providing food for clean up workers. I was amazed at how many people came through that place today. AMAZED!! This area is not only a neighboring community, but it is in our Sand Mountain Baptist Association, and it is where I grew up. The people you are watching on TV are people who I have known my entire life. To see the devastation first hand is unbelieveable,...almost unbearable. I went down the road behind my Mom's house today, one that had been closed until today and I literally drove with my mouth open. Even after everything else I'd already seen and heard, this was utter and complete devastation. I mean a road, several miles long, with maybe 3 houses untouched. The rest were gone, ...demolished. It is a miracle no one was killed on that road. A miracle.

I want to challenge the ladies in our community, our church and surrounding churches to take some desserts, drinks, or other food to the community center next week. It is right beside Rosalie Elementary School. The people who are working there are gettting tired, and are going to need reinforcements and help as this is bound to be a very long drawn out process.

It's also a huge ministering opportunity. As I drove down that road today I stopped at one point because I couldn't figure out where I was exactly. There were NO landmarks. A road I've traveled thousands of times and I was disoriented due to the devastation! I saw a familiar face running towards my vehicle. It was an old softball coach of mine. I was looking for his house and couldn't figure out where it should be. It was under a pile of massive oak trees. I asked him if they were okay and he said yes. I said to him, "God was watching over you." He said, "Something was." I told him, "It had to be God, nothing else could bring you through that!" Please pray for these families!


And on a MUCH MUCH lighter note:


My new bestest friend in the whole world, Kelly, from Dr H's office called me earlier today with some fantabulous news! I had the test done on Monday to see if I have gestational diabetes. When I was pregnant with Carter, I failed the first test and had to endure 6 hours of peeing in a cup and being stabbed by multiple nurses every single hour on the hour for a second test. That one came back negative, but I will forever be scarred by the experience. Yuck!

All that to say, I PASSED THE FIRST TEST!!! Yay! No 6 hours of needle poking this time!


.......I think I'm craving some cherry ice cream just now. The reeeally sugary kind! Or maybe a big chocolate milkshake,....or maybe,...the Sonic dessert menu!!..lol


(I just had to post this 'cause I know ya'll were all hangin on the edge of your seats for my results...lol)

Deadly Tornado

Thankful can not begin to express my feelings today. A very large tornado (early estimations are an F3 or F4) came through our area this morning. We were up and prepared and I had called my family to wake them when I realized this tornado was heading our way. I knew everyone had been reached except for my mom. She lives alone and wasn't answering her phone. As we sat in our closet and waited it out among crib mattresses and pillows I prayed. After it was over I knew from the damage reports I'd gotten that it was close to her house and my aunts thought she was okay but no one had talked to her so until I made sure of that, I couldn't relax.


It took me an hour to make a 10 minute drive due to roadblocks and detours. But thanks to one local policeman (Thank you S.H.!!) who I knew that was over there helping out, and a slight hormonal breakdown, I finally made it through to check on her. She is fine! Thank goodness! Several homes within 100 yards from her house were completely destroyed and several injured, including a 4 month old baby and it's mother.


A mile or so away from her house a woman was killed when her house was completely demolished. There is nothing left of the house except blocks from the foundation. I have heard several reports of another death but that hasn't been confirmed yet. So many are injured, so many without a home, please remember this very small community when you pray....


Also, please remember the family of Mrs Tinker, the woman who was killed. Her daughter spoke to her right before the storm hit and she told her that she was fine, she was in the bathroom reading her Bible. Her Bible was beside her body in the field where she was found. My sister is very good friends with her daughter and went with her to the hospital to identify her mother's body. She said that Leslie, (the daughter) has found great peace in a message she heard only a few days ago. The message was from Rick Burgess after the drowning death of his young son. Please remember this family and all the others affected by todays storms in our area as well as across the other states that were hit.

In the picture below, the foundation is to the far left. The house was picked up, spun around and sat down again. A family with 2 small children were in the bathroom when this happened. Praise God, they are all okay! If you are from this area and wondering, this is Chad Gorham's house. It's on the same road as Pisgah High School.

No Wonder I never see the number I want to!!!

How to weigh yourself

I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years.

We must get the word out.

Vote your Conscience!

Did you go vote today? Do you, like me, feel a state of despair at the current standings and choices so far this election season? I am normally someone who loves a good election. I research the candidates and check their past voting records. This is serious business people! Now, I'm not tryin' to brag on myself, quite the contrary. I say all that to say that elections, especially presidential ones, should motivate even the laziest among us to take action, prepare ourselves, PRAY, then take the time to vote our hearts.

When I went in to vote today I had to laugh a little. I had an unexpected face greet me as I walked in to my polling place of 11 years. My pastor! He was helping to conduct the election at that poll. I couldn't help but think that this election may turn out different than I fear it could if God places pastors at polling places all over this nation.

Not that my pastor influenced my decision today, but if someone were on that fence, trying to decide just exactly who to vote for and why, I think seeing their pastor right before they cast that vote might just make them think about their vote as so much more than a political decision.

What do you think?

Here She Is!

So here are a couple of shots of our baby girl in utero! Relax, the big hole you see in the second pic is a shadow or something. Dr. H assures me it isn't really a hole in her head...(Dad was a little concerned about that one!) Then below I'm including a pic from the 4D of Carter. We got to watch her for a while and they definitely look alike! The chubby cheeks and full lips are something they definitely have in common! We'll have to wait to see if she has her dad's big brown eyes like her big brother does!! Isn't this the coolest thing ever? A sneak peek at our bundle of joy 2 months before her arrival? Sooo cool!

Nspiration?

...I sure hope so! Tomorrow I go to the Dr for my 4D ultrasound. When I was pregnant with Carter we got some awesome pics of him! He actually still makes some of the same expressions we got a preview of via 4D. So! I'm hoping and praying that the ultrasound will show a healthy beautiful baby, and that the healthy beautiful baby will show us her face, and that this will kick her daddy into reality that she is in fact a girl, and she is in fact gonna be here soon, and her Mama is in fact ready to know what her name is. NOW!

I have no idea why this is freaking me out so much. I am not into monograming things. I don't think Carter has one single thing monogramed with his name on it. But! I am a planner, and everything is planned out except for her name and it is driving me NUTS!!! (I secretly think it's also driving my dad nuts too since he asks me constantly what her name is, so apparently, I get the planning gene from him!)

The most important thing is for her to be healthy, and that is my prayer. I just can't help but also pray she loves the camera, 'cause her mama is dying to see her!!



p.s....K Tilley note the time. No 2:45 AM post today! Lack of sleep has caught up with me and I am off to bed! Thanks for checking on me! :)

Twenty Months

Dear Carter,

Today you turn 20 months old. This number alone makes your Mama very nervous since we are getting close to "2 years" and that sounds so "grown up". You are learning so much so fast these days. You can say anything you want to, and like your Mama, rarely shut up. (Poor Daddy!) My favorite thing for you to say is "Love you, Mama". That one melts my very core and as you are beginning to figure out, can get you out of most trouble you get into.

Another favorite is "thank you, mama". I have to say when you wake me up every single morning yelling in your best and loudest Paw Paw voice, "CUP...CUP....CUUUUUPPPP" I probably wouldn't be nearly as fast to roll myself out of bed to go get your stinkin cup were it not for the sweetest "thank you, mama" I know will greet me when I return with your precious cup.

So often people ask me if you smile all the time, to which I am so happy that I can answer....Yes!! He does! You are such a people person. You rarely meet a stranger. You're happiest when you can go to Walmart or the grocery store and ride in your beloved buggy and greet every single person you meet with a wave, a smile, and a Hi!

Each morning when you get up you head out in search of your precious boots. You have two pair that you dearly love and usually alternate which pair you put on each day, but on those days that you love each pair equally and that decision just can't be made you just put on one from each pair, and usually, you put them on the right feet! Each night before bed after we take them off for the last night, you tell them "Bye Boots" longingly and nod off to sleep dreaming of waking to wear them again tomorrow.

One of your favorite recent events is from last week when you threw up for the first time in your life. You got a little choked on an apple slice and after several minutes of whining and crying you finally threw it up. When daddy came into the room where we were both covered in it and said, "Carter, did you puke?" You lit up like a Christmas tree and said. "I puke!!" Then you said it about a million more times that night, and woke up the next morning and went right to the spot, pointed and said, "mama, I puke!" You thought that was just the coolest thing ever! The only thing better to you is when someone else pukes and you now know what to call it. When we picked you up from Papa & Gran's Wednesday night, you met us at the door to tell us, "Papa Puke!" I'm sure Papa wasn't nearly as excited and fascinated by it as you were. You are definitly all boy. The more gross something is, the better you like it.

I can't wait to see you become a big brother. You love babies. There is nothing you love better than to show off all your new "tricks" to cousin Landon or cousin Maggie. It cracks you up to watch them laugh and "talk" to you.

You are at such a fun age. Every day brings new words, new accomplishments, new wonders for you to explore. I am so blessed to be your mom. I love you, Carter.

Love,
Mama

Eleven......

...That's how many years it's been since Kyle and I married. ELEVEN! Today! How can I possibly be old enough to have been married for 11 years??? A fact that hadn't really been weighing on my mind due to the craziness of this past week, but was rudely brought forward when at 1:32 AM this morning I was awoken by Victoria Principal trying her best to sell me her "Age Braker" miracle cream. Should I chalk that up to yet another night of prenatal insomnia or is it a sign?

Normally an anniversary is such a happy day but today we greet with such mixed emotion. Jill will be laid to rest today. Even that is met with mixed emotion. There is relief that the suffering she has endured for so long is over, and the knowledge that she is resting with God. Then there is such saddness that the girl who we grew up with, the one with the brightest, prettiest red hair, and the voice of an angel, is gone. That there is a little boy who will grow up without his mother, and a mother who will carry on without her daughter. A sister who will not have that sister to call on.

We drove home from the funeral home in complete silence last night. Changed and went to bed in silence as well. Even Carter knew something was different. That we were sad. I think that in addition to Kyle being sad, he was afraid to say anything. Afraid that he might set off another hormonal breakdown. He has been great this past week. He went when I wanted to go. He stayed when I wanted to stay. He listened when I wanted to talk, or cry. He sat there quietly when I didn't.

I have been blessed. Thank you, Kyle, for the best eleven years I could have ever imagined. I look forward to many many more.

Please Pray

Jill passed away around lunch time today. She was surrounded by family and friends and died peacefully in her sleep. Please remember our heartbroken family as we grieve the loss of someone we have all watched fight so hard over the past five years. Jill's greatest wish was to see her son graduate high school. He is 11.

She may not have made it to see that, but during her tremendous fight, she inspired those of us who love her. Please pray for her son as he continues on in his young life without his mother, and pray for those around him that we shower him with love during this time.

Pray for Jill....

....Please remember my cousin, Jill, when you pray. Jill is 30 and has fought breast cancer for the past 5 years. She was taken to the hospital last night and her family called in this morning. Jill has one son, Alec. Jill has fought this disease every step of the way. Her determination is truly an inspiration to us all. Please remember her and her heartbroken family when you pray.




UPDATE: (Sunday night) For those of you who emailed or asked, Jill is still hanging in there. She was actually alert for a little while today and able to talk with family for a while. Thank you so much for your emails, questions, and comments on my blog!

Xcited!

.....because do you know what time it is?

It's time for the 2008 Winter X Games! Woohooo!

I firmly believe, and have for quite some time, that I was born in the wrong generation, and quite possibly the wrong place. Why you ask? Well that is because I love me some X games! There is nothing I'd rather watch on TV than the Flying Tomato soaring over the pipes doing 1080's and listening to his Ipod all the while. I mean, how much cooler could it possibly get?
I am a total x game junkie.

That in itself is strange considering I am a 32 year old woman born and raised in the south where the closest we come to the X games is riding on an old car hood pulled by the fastest ATV you can find during the increasingly rare snows of winter. Now, I'm not knocking a good ride on a car hood in the snow. You. Go. Very. Fast. In fact, you go so fast that you hold on for dear life not for the simple fact that if you fall off you fear it will hurt, but because you know that if you fall off it will kill you. Never mind the fact that your dad is driving and he is in fact the biggest daredevil of them all! (Just now I'm wondering where my mom was during these rides....hmmmm.)

Another thing that makes my X Games fascination so strange is that I am 32. I mean, if you watch those games you're lucky to see anyone in their 20's, it's rare to see anyone mid 20's.....but 30? Never! I can tell you why that is as well. Because once you pass the mid 20's and you fall going 90 mph in the snow.......it hurts. It hurts like you never knew you could hurt.

My family took this family ski trip a few years ago. My husband and I, and most everyone else on the trip, with the exception of my sister, Crystal, and her husband had never been skiing. My husband and I were pumped! I had been water skiing a million times, we both love to knee board and tube in the summer, how much different could snow skiing be?....Let me just tell you. Snow does not give. But oh did we ever have fun! My husband is so fun to do things like this with. He loves going to water parks, and I love going with him because he giggles like a 12 year old girl the whole day! He didn't disappoint during our ski trip.

He would be flying up behind me and I would know instantly it was him because I could hear that giggle a mile away! We skied for 12 or so hours that first day and I fell so many times I lost count. Once I thought I'd killed myself. I honestly saw stars. Turns out, it wasn't stars, it was snow. Packed into every orifice on your face that snow can pack itself into. I knew I was alive when I heard the panicked voice of my sister who'd saw the fall and also thought I'd killed myself. None of us walked pain free the next day......why didn't I learn to do this when I was like, 5?

So, needless to say, you won't soon find me soaring over the pipes on my snowboard, or turning back flips on my snowmobile.....I have conceded that these sports are for those of the younger generation. (GASP! did I really just say that?????) But you will find me glued to ESPN for the next few nights, dreaming of my X Games that wasn't to be.

Sigh.

Never leave home without it!

...without what, you ask? Well, let me tell you, I had one of my most embarrassing moments in a while the other day in Lifeway. Carter and I had been rushing around all morning getting ready to go do some shopping and right before we left I decided to pick up his toys one last time.

Lately he has this fascination with spoons. He eats everything with a spoon, and requires one when he is playing with toys or looking at a book. His favorite spoons to play with are from the silverware set that my grandmother gave me as a wedding present, so whenever I catch him putting one down, I grab it up and either replace it with a less sentimental one, or divert his attention elsewhere. This particular morning I found a spoon lying with his tractors and rather than go through the drama of him seeing me put it up, I stuck it in the back pocket of my jeans and continued on with my cleaning up.

Do you wanna guess when I remembered it? Yeah, in Lifeway. So, let me lay this out for you. I have been in two or three stores, pumped gas, paid for it, stood in line in various places and bent over who knows how many times to pick up various flying objects from Carter's stroller. All the while this large silver serving spoon is sticking out of the pocket of my ample pregnant behind.

Great. Just Great. I immediately began running through the many possible things that would go through my head had I seen someone in the same situation.

"Gee, that lady really doesn't wanna miss a meal, does she?" "Man, she can really fit a lot of pickles and ice cream on that huge spoon!" "Are the spoons at the restaurant/drive thru not big enough for her?" Just to name a few.

I had to laugh. Then quickly shove the massive spoon in my massive bag, which I'm sure anyone watching thought must hold massive amounts of snacks to sustain my massive rear end, and carry on with my day.

Hairplane?....

.....That's what Carter says when you ask him if he wants to go see Dr Jeanie. Hairplane? Dr J's office is directly under the landing path at the Chatt airport, right beside the hospital where Carter was born (which is also under the landing path...that, plus nurses, plus baby...makes for tired sleepy mommy!) So he knows that anytime we visit the Dr, he gets to see lots of airplanes.

Carter loves Dr Jeanie. I do too. We just had our 18 month visit with her in December and I wasn't planning to see her again until the birth of the baby since Carter doesn't have to go back for a well baby visit until age 2, and he has only had one cold in his life which was a few weeks ago. Anyway I wasn't figuring accidents into my plan. Falls in particular.

He falls alot. What baby doesn't. He's learning to jump, running everywhere, climbing all over the place, so naturally he's going to fall. But yesterday he fell just walking across the floor. I don't really even think he tripped over anything. He doesn't usually cry much, but this time he cried and cried! I just thought maybe it hurt his feelings, or embarrassed him even, since his dad and I were watching. Then last night he woke up several times screaming out. I gave him Tylenol but he still cried out a few more times during the night.

This morning he woke up with a swollen foot and a bad limp. He didn't even want to walk on it, if he had to get somewhere and I wasn't there to carry him, he crawled!!! I just knew it was broken. Or maybe he had some deficiency that made his bones weak and it had just gave out. You know, being the Mom of the year and all and not even paying particular attention to the fall, I had all sorts of things running through my mind!

But, after a visit to Dr J and a few xrays later, it is just a bad sprain. Which can hurt as bad as a break!

The nurse that checked him before the doctor came in almost had a bad sprain of her own. Seriously. When she started examining his foot, she looked at it for a minute and said "Oh, I see what the problem is, there is a splinter in the bottom of his foot. Where has he gone barefoot THIS time of year???"

I just looked at her and said, "there may be a splinter on the bottom of his foot, but I doubt that would cause bruising and swelling around his ankle, don't you?" I just love it when someone tries to make you feel like a complete and total moron when you are already beating yourself up for not going to the ER in the first place! Grrrr! I did not, however, unleash my hormonal wrath upon her. Instead, I said a silent prayer requesting calmness and some small measure of politeness to get me through this situation. It worked. Dr. J came in and saved the day.....and quite possibly her nurse! (I'm not sure how many more comments my calmness and politeness would have endured!)

Anyway, Carter is recovering from his splinter/sprain and hopefully will be back to his Rambo self sooner rather than later!...and hopefully, the next time we see Dr Jeanie will be at the birth of Carter's baby sister....(who STILL does not have a name.)

The Man Rules

This was sent to me by my good friend and former pastor's wife, Angela, and I just HAD to post it! It is just too funny not to share!!

The Man Rules

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down



Finally , the guys' side of the story.( I must admit, it's pretty good.) We always hear "the rules" From the female side.



Now here are the rules from the male side.

These are our rules!Please note.. these are all numbered "1 " ON PURPOSE!



1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat.You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.We need it up, you need it down.You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides.Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work!Strong hints do not work!Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do somethingOr tell us how you want it done. Not both.If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials..

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched.We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying , but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine... Really .

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseballor golf.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

So, I'm wondering, Angela, was Chris the author of this??....let me know Chris, 'cause I KNOW you read my blog! :)

Campaign Strike...

....wouldn't that be soooo much better than the "writers strike" that has lasted F-O-R-E-V-E-R?! I mean, really....who wouldn't rather be watching the next all new episode of Desperate Housewives or Grey's Anatomy than the lastest visit from Borat..I mean Barak, and Hillary? What do the writers want anyway? Does anybody know? I'll tell you one thing. If I could possibly stand it, when they do come back, and there finally are new episodes, I'd love to boycott them!

Except I can't do that because they left me hanging by a thread wondering how Gabby will react to Carlos' blindness, and what is to become of Merideth and Derek (again), and whether Baily's baby will live or her marriage survive....Ohhhh the suspense!

I think it's a conspiracy. Seriously. The networks are trying to push me over the edge. When I was pregnant with Carter, Katie Couric left the Today Show. Her last day was May 31. I gave birth on June 1. I cried like a baby during her last show. Ohhh how I'd looked forward to spending my maternity leave (which turned out to be permanent) with Katie and Matt! Then they replace her with that woman who tries to be funny and fails miserably. I can't even watch it anymore! To this very day, I remain uninformed every morning as a result of this change. Thank you NBC! Thanks a lot!

And now the writer's strike. (sigh)

I wonder how much HGTV a person can possibly stand to watch?

Nesting 101....

...at least I'm hoping this is my nesting phase, 'cause if I'm not nesting now and I have to do it again in a month or so it just might kill me! Seriously! My husband comes home most days to see a new "project" completed. He's like, "What's up with you?"

First let me tell you that we have lived in our new house for just over 2 years. I found out I was pregnant with Carter 1 week before we moved in and was working more than full time then. Then the whole newborn thing, and really, who wants to decorate when they can barely get a shower? Anyway, the whole time we have lived here there have been many things I wanted to get done and it seems that I have decided that they will be done now. Well, at least most of them.

Right after I took down my Christmas tree I decided I wanted to recover my dining room chairs. All 8 of them. RIGHT THEN! I've had the fabric forever, and so what if its 11:00 PM. Okay, so that's done. The next day I decided that I would make curtains for the big window in my kitchen. I've had that fabric for a while too. Those only take a few hours to make, then I have to cut the wood for the cornice boards (which I have also had for ages), assemble them and wait for my husband to get home from work to help me hang them. ( I am not hormonal enough to tackle climbing a ladder with a curious toddler nearby and a prego belly and a cornice board, and a drill.....at least not yet!) So, during the hours I have to kill before he gets home, I clean out his closet and the closet in the kitchen.

He is so astonished at my accomplishments for the day, and the fact that he has hot, homemade food to eat I don't hear one single complaint about being his being forced to climb a ladder to hang my masterpiece after working a 14 hour day!

Then, this past Saturday we had a birthday party for my father in law. He doesn't get to see his brothers during Christmas so we made an extended family thing out of it. Not a lot of work, really. We did chili, hot dogs, assorted finger foods and desserts (my sister in law, Tammy, brought two of THE best cakes I have ever tasted BTW!...oh yeah, you better believe I sampled both!)

Anyway, add to all that the toddler chasing, normal cleaning and overall basic living, and I could barely get out of bed Sunday morning. My baby girl likes hanging out against my sciatic nerve apparently. Then, during church the nausea hit me like a truck. I knew I couldn't get up and leave without Carter having a fit, so I had to decide whether I could make it to the bathroom carrying him without hurling or fainting. I did make it.

Again Monday morning I could barely get out of bed. Thankfully though my regular OB appointment was at 8:30 and I could find out what in the world was going on. My doctor does a sonogram at every visit and knows me well enough to know that I want that done first, then after we see that the baby is okay we can talk about everything else. When I told him what was going on, he asked if I'd been on my feet more than usual....ummmm, welllll,...yes.

He reminded me of the month I spent on bedrest before Carter was born. (well, at least he thought I was on bedrest, he said "stay off your feet" I thought that meant "stop working and sit at the pond fishing with your feet propped up" It wasn't until my 2 week post delivery checkup that he ever said the word "bedrest"....oops! Anyway, I have to slow down with my nesting, and see how it goes over the next few weeks.

The good news is that I only gained a couple of pounds last month (which is a complete miracle considering how many functions we went to and how much I ate!) AND! at my next appt I will be 30 weeks and will get to have a 4D ultrasound! I'm really excited about that! Carter looked exactly like the 4D! He still makes some of the same expressions we saw on the ultrasound! I'm hoping that IF we still don't have a name at that point, and IF she lets us see her face, that will help us along in the naming process!


...........MAYBE!!

As IF....

....I needed MORE pressure!! This article jumped out at me from the CNN homepage first thing this morning. January 3, 2008. What a way to start off the new year!!

I have looked through 2 baby name books. One has 50,001 names the other has 100,001, and I have a list of 10. TEN! None of which my husband agrees to. I feel a serious hormonal breakdown coming on. Really! If he spouts off one more hideous name while trying to be funny, he WILL get hurt!

Also, you know on that movie, Mean Girls, where the really mean "queen bee" finds out she's been eating weight gain bars instead of weight loss bars? Remember that awful scream she let out in that movie?....Remember? It lasted about 5 minutes. Well, I seriously almost did that tonight. The scream, I mean. I won't elaborate other than to tell you the situation involved my mother in law and my raging hormones. Please say a prayer. It's not over yet.

Okay. I think I've vented enough. Happy New Year.