Doctor's Appt

We went in this morning for my doctor's appointment. I am about 9 1/2 weeks along, so we tried to hear the heartbeat, but with no luck! It seemed like he passed over it for a second, but then there was nothing. So we'll try again on February 28th. It doesn't seem like that far away to the next appointment. I sort of mark time by how many milestones are in a month. And since in February we have my nephew Luke's 6th birthday, Valentine's Day, & my birthday, the month seems like it will fly by. Add in volleyball practices and tournaments, and I KNOW it will!

My blood pressure, which was slightly elevated last time, was back to normal, and I had only gained one pound. I wish they had let me pee before they weighed me because I had waited all morning to go since I knew I would have to pee in a cup. Oh well! All is good, and we are happy. I just wish that I didn't feel like gagging or throwing up ALL THE TIME. I have to force myself to eat 95% of the time.

Barbershop Blues

The other day, I was in the front of the house doing some housework, and walked into our kitchen to find Bryant standing on a stool with my kitchen scissors poised over his head while holding his tag from his shirt in his hand. He had managed to take out a couple of small pieces of the tag on his own. I got onto him, and moved my kitchen scissors. Then I clipped his tag out, and didn't think anything else about it. UNTIL.... I saw this!


I don't know how clearly you can see it, but he must have cut two times across the back of his hair, because there are two lines, that go nearly all the way to his scalp! UGGGGHHHH! This kid keeps us on our toes. I guess it's about time for another trip to the Barbershop this month.

Busy, Busy! Tired, Tired!

A bunch has been going on in our little world! Big news (well, not that big yet)... I can no longer wear my regular pants. Yes, that's right... I now live in the world of elastic waist bands! :( But I got my maternity clothes back from a friend this past weekend, and I know I have a couple pair of pants and jeans that will work for this early pregnancy stuff! So, yeah!

The boys and I stayed busy last week. We met my friend Tonya and her little boy Landon at Chik-fil-A on Thursday and had a blast! Tres and Landon really got a long great! Landon told Tres that when he calls us, I have to bring him over to his house! I thought that was sweet.

Friday, I spent the morning packing bags. Then we went and picked up Crystal and went to the mall. Tres Build-A-Bear, Buggs, had come open and we had noticed a hole by his nose, so we went and got a new and improved Buggs.

Then we hit the Calendar store in the mall where everything was at least 50% off. Then we got some food and headed to Wolf Camera. I got 75% off of those wedding pictures, and will be happy to get those to my family finally! Then we went to JC Penney where I had Tres try on some pants to find the right size. We had to buy him a Husky size, but are hopeful that this is just a phase. He seems to grow out before he grows up.

But if he keeps working out on the Ab Lounge, we shouldn't have a problem at all! :)

Then we hit the Cookie Co. where the boys each got a chocolate chip cookie with Winnie the Pooh or Piglet. They each ate half of each other's cookie.

Then we headed to the car, and back towards Alabaster. We went to Ross Dress for Less. I was hoping to find a few more pairs of husky pants for Tres there for a reasonable price, but no luck! While I was shopping, Tres was looking at toys (the sections are side by side so they were never out of my sight), and came over to me with a Game Cube controller. He said, "Mom, this is 5 what?" We have told him that anything over $5 is too expensive for prizes or presents... and the controller was $5.99. I told him how much it was and he says, "That's not too much. You can put it in the buggy." So, I'm a sucker... I got it. He's so smart!

Then we hit the park in Pelham for a while and let them run some energy out. Next, we dropped of Ms. Crystal and headed over to my Mom's house. I brought in their overnight bags and helped her finish up a lasagna for a friend who had just lost her father. Then she took me up to the station to wait for Hank so we could head to Nashville for my teams first volleyball tournament. We stayed with Danny & Jackie. I got to see little Miss Morgan, who is so sweet and pretty! See for yourselves!

As always, we had a lot of fun with the Butlers and laughed and ate well. We left wishing we lived closer to them!

My team did well. We got our first win which is huge!

Even though we placed last in the tournament, it was because the level of play was so awesome! I look forward to many more wins with these girls! I'm having fun!

So today is a day to unpack and rest and recover!

Lunch Plans!

An old friend of mine called me this morning and asked me and the boys to meet her and her 4 year old for lunch today! We are very excited! We've been housebound for a while, and SLIGHTLY stir-crazy.

Also, do any of you other stay-at-home moms feel like you have a hard time connecting with other stay at home moms? I have just a couple that I do things with, and that is just occassionally!

So, Chik-fil-A, here we come!

Finding the Culprit

I came home from volleyball practice the other night, and Hank told me that he had bathed Bryant again (I had bathed both boys before I left). He said that Tres was not in the bath, but played in the bath while Bryant was in the tub.

According to Hank, after he had let the water out and got Bry ready for bed (again), he saw a toy boat in the toilet. He removed that, and realized it was stopped up.

We called my WONDERFUL Daddy, and he sent Ryan over the next morning to clear it. (For those of you who don't know or remember, my dad owns a plumbing company, where I worked as his office manager for 3 years). The boys were enthralled with the whole process. They sat and watched intently while Ryan ran an auger down the toilet. And when he finally pulled back a broken army man, they cheered for him.

So here's my question for you: Who was the culprit?
Tres?
or Bryant?

It is time for an update, I must say! I'm such a slacker! We are all well here. It's still an adjustment with only one car, but we are saving on gas, so that's good!

This past weekend, I had some pain and stuff and had to spend the weekend taking it easy. It turned out to be those pesky cysts again, but this time, no pain pills could help me out since we have little 'Peanut Butter' (as Crystal calls the baby) to think about! Everything is feeling back to normal, I'm just not going full steam ahead right now.

Tres and I have been working with letters more and more everyday. He can recognize what letter a lot of words start with. And he can count up to forty almost on his own. He understands the concept of counting... we are working on learning to count my tens so that counting to 100 will be a piece of cake! Tres is such a joy. He's playing GameCube a lot, and doing very well at it.

Bryant... well what can I say about Mr. Attitude. He's pulled the towel bar out of the wall in my bathroom. He's spilled about ten drinks already this week. He gets mad if he doesn't get his way. But the kid gives the BEST kisses in the world. He also would take about 5 baths a day if I would let him! Oh, and his newest phrases are "Wait up, guys!" and "Uh huh! Oh yeah!" Here's what happened when I went to answer the phone the other night. Phone rings, I leave the room for a minute... come back, and here's what I find:

An empty can of bath foam, and one very clean little boy!

Tres told me this morning that Jesus told him our baby was a girl. He also said that Jesus made ice cream and the ice cream man, so it was all good. Then he informed me that we are all made out of dirt that doesn't come off. Smart kid! He picks up on all the Bible stories he hears from us and from his teachers at church.

Have You Ever...

Have you ever been in a situation and it reverts you back to how awkward and insecure you used to feel? That was me today. I was never popular or in the in-crowd at school, but I was well liked. I was accepted for who I was. There were only a few people that made me feel 'less.' So today, someone I used to deal with this particular issue with, made some remarks that hurt.

I've been praying all morning, and even crying (partly because I'm pregnant and can't help but cry!) about it. I tried to end the confusion and frustration by a phone call, but the person was not receptive.

Has anyone else been through something similar?

Wolf Camera

For Christmas, Hank and I decided to get two 8x10's of our favorite wedding picture blown up from the negative. Well, we couldn't do it from just anywhere, and had used Wolf Camera before for this. So we took the negative in THREE WEEKS before Christmas. I left my cell phone number as the contact number, knowing how hectic the holidays are. They told me at the time, that they would be in in time for Christmas. Well, apparently they took longer, and no one bothered to call and let us know. Christmas came and went. The week after Christmas I called, and was put on hold, and then told rather abruptly that I needed to call back in 3 days since the holidays would put everything behind. So I called after the New Year... twice... with similar responses. "The holidays back everything up." "Call back in a few days." "We'll call you when they are in."

I called today and asked immediately to talk to the manager. I explained calmly and politely everything that had transpired. When I gave him my name, he says, "Oh, I remember those." Then he checks on them, and says, "They've been in since January second. It took some additional time at the printer because of some trouble with the negative. But everything is in and ready. It's $13.99." I just sat there not knowing what to say for a minute. If they didn't have my negative, I would have told him he could hang those pictures in his house for all I care, but I wasn't paying for them. I guess my pause made him feel uncomfortable and he started looking for excuses, "There are initials here where someone indicated they tried to call you." I told him that I had given my cell number and that I had not missed a call from them (since by now I have their number memorized) nor had I received a voice mail. I told him that I would be in to get them as soon as I could, and that, frankly, the whole experience had left a sour taste in my mouth. He told me to ask for him when I pick them up. I never once got frustrated or raised my voice, but I did want to let him know that the level of service was not acceptable. And I do hope I get a discount.

My boys like to play Santa and Reindeer a lot still. Tres keeps asking me if I'll tell him or show him where Santa lives. He is very curious about it all. I told him that Santa takes a long vacation after Christmas, and then he has to start his list all over again.

We're doing good. Being without one of our vehicles is all right. Nothing that we can't handle for the time being! Especially since the end game is a new one with a low payment! :)

I've got to get a lot of things taken care of today. My Mom is coming to pick us up soon to run a few errands. Like going to the bank, cancelling insurance on the van, etc. Fun stuff, I know.

I've been getting overwhelmed super easy these last few days. Even breaking into tears, which is so not like me. I just keep telling myself to take things one step at a time. And all this stuff (cars, house, etc.) will make the time pass quickly until the baby comes! We plan on taking the boys to hear the heartbeat on January 31st! Let's all say a prayer for a fast heartbeat! Cause according to the doctors, fast heartbeats are generally girls and slower one are generally boys!

Morning Sickness

I finally did it. Yup, I just puked. And nope, it did not make me feel any better.

The First Step is Always the Hardest

We have had an awesome weekend! Saturday, it started by a few phone calls from guys interested in our van. We posted it in the Mule Trader. So we got up and got busy cleaning it out thoroughly. After we got done we just chilled at the house for a while. Then we decided to go and park it at my Dad's plumbing shop. So we did that, then took the boys to play at a park. It has been unseasonably warm and we have been enjoying a lot of outdoor time.

This morning, we woke up late for church but rushed around and made it in plenty of time. Just before it started, Hank got a call on the van. Someone making a cash offer. So Hank made plans to call him back with out decision after church. Church was awesome! Pastor Tommy is talking about Community. He spoke today about how important it is to get to know one another through small groups and fellowship. He said that everyone has a story and that what makes us a community, because what you're going through, chances are that someone else may have already gone through it. So he had Shawn O'Brien and I give our testimonies.

After church, we came home and got a Bill of Sale ready for the van, and found the title and signed it over. Then Hank went and met Santos and sealed the deal. So we are now a one car family. The next step is to sell the Corvette! Then we will be taking our wrecked Mazda (you know, the one I wrecked at Crystal's house a while back) and trading it in at one of those 'push, pull, drag it in for a minimum of $3000' sales. So we will have a healthy down payment and a very minimal payment for a brand new and RELIABLE vehicle! A must with a growing family! :)

When that was done, we took the boys to Build A Bear.

I had gotten a coupon in the mail for $20 off a $40 purchase, so they both got to do one for the price of one!!

Tres got a white bunny and named him Buggs. We tried to talk him into getting a manly cow or monkey or dog or something, but he was bound and determined to have the white bunny with pink ears and nose! What can we say... he's secure in his manhood!

Bryant got a brown monkey who he deemed Curious George. I thought it was cute that he got a little brown monkey when that is what he reminds me of half the time! :)
We saw my Mom at the mall. And we went to the Disney store with her. We couldn't resist getting these clearance items for the new baby.

Aren't they cute! So we have holiday apparel for either sex! The little dress is trimmed in red velvet and has Mickey and Minnie ice skating on it! It is soooo cute! I want a healthy baby, but I would be lying to you all if I said I didn't want this one to be a girl! If it's a boy, it would be a lot cheaper for us... but who wants cheaper?? :) Either way, we are blessed. I just wish I would quit feeling like I'm gonna throw up every minute. I almost think it would be better if I did. I hate this constant sickness.

A couple of Christmas Pix

I'm at Mom's house for a few minutes, so I thought I would get some of my Christmas pictures on here while I had a chance!


Bryant was in love with his fire truck from Santa!

Christmas morning! Wakey, wakey!

Sierra, Bryant, Tres, and Luke in front of the fountain at the Gray House Grill on Christmas Eve.

Bryant, who was a little intimidated by Santa, warmed up once Santa told him he was on the good list!

The singing Santa from Brookwood was there to lead all the kids in Christmas Carols and ask for last minute requests. Tres and Luke helped lead Jingle Bells.

My blue eyed boy at the Gray House Grill for Brunch on Christmas Eve after church. They give all the kids Wikki Stix to play with.

Tres Stuff

Tres has been pretty entertaining and informative lately. The other day I gave him some root beer in a cup before we headed off on a errand. As we're driving this is what he says:

Tres: "Ahhhh! I love root beer, Mom."

Mom: "Um hum."

Tres: "Does root beer have caffeine?"

Mom: "Most root beers don't. Why?"

Tres: "Well, I can have caffeine at daytime, but not at night. At night I need free."

Mom: "You do? Why can't you have caffeine at night?"
Tres: "Cause it makes my brain stay awake. Just like sugar gets in your brain. So I have to have free at night, okay Mom?"

Mom: "Well, if you say so!"

Tres's cousin Luke has been finding that Tres is a very attentive student and teaching him all sort of stuff. Tres has also decided out of the blue that he likes brocolli. He decided one day in the car, and the next day proved it by eating everyone's brocolli off of their plates. I'm not one to pass up an opportunity so I bought two bags of it, and we had some tonight. Once his decision was made, though, it seems to have stuck. He cleared his plate tonight of all veggies! Yeah! Now if only we could get Bryant to try ANYTHING other than meat and bread!

This Old House

Hank and I made the decision last week to get our house ready to sell. So we made a list of things we need to do. It's full of the little things that we keep meaning to do, but never get to. So we started on the list today. We painted some outside trim that had been overlooked by the builder years ago. Hank caulked up some cracks from the house settling. He fixed our back storm door. He worked on the tracks of two big drawers we have that hold tupperware. And he patched some places in the wall that the boys have lovingly christened. I also tried to get some of Bryant's artwork off the doors, with little success. And I tried to scrub at our driveway where we have some oil leak spots. It looks a little better, but I think we need a pressure washer to really see a difference.

I also made time today to go and see a friend of mine at Brookwood. She had just had a little girl named Madeline Claire. She is so tiny and precious! She had so much hair she was already wearing a bow! I took Tres with me, cause he wanted to see what a baby sister looked like! He was quiet and sweet and never once touched the baby. I wish I had remembered my camera! Oh, well.

Now, I'm bone tired and ready for my boys to drop so I can. Oh! And I signed up for Freecycle. I gave away some VHS tapes and some clothes. It felt very liberating!

Well, I did it. I switched over to the 'new' blogger. TBA if it is as good as it's supposed to be!

Cravings

So far, I have been craving things like Cajun roast beef, dill pickles, and chips. Mostly salty stuff. I mean, I had a snack the other day when Jennifer was over of 3 pieces of lunch meat and that's it!

"Woopie!"

Bryant, Bryant, Bryant.... the poor kid doesn't know what's coming with the new baby. He is definitely a blessed child, and I think he has enjoyed being the reigning 'baby' in the family. He is quite a character and a handful at times. He is dramatic and funny and spunky! His favorite saying right now is "Woopie!" He says this when he runs into something (so often), when he spills somethine (Very often), when something breaks (or is broken...often), etc. I think he picked it up from my Mom. She says "Woopsie!" all the time. He just leaves off the s. Here are a few pictures from Christmas. He got a dragon costume for Christmas. Santa was very excited about this find! He got it at the Children's Place for $4.99! The best part is that when you press a button in the hand, it roars. I'm sure that is what sold Santa on it!

And he got a Captain Hook costume too! This one Santa found sort of consigned... in that Bryant's older cousin Luke had grown out of it and it was in excellent condition! And then Santa found the hat on clearance at the Disney Store for $1.99! Santa loves a great deal!

I feel like I'm forgetting to tell you something....

Still don't have a clue where the Christmas pictures are! I know we have some really good ones, but the only ones I know of, are on my Mom's computer.

The boys have been pretty engrossed with their new toys lately. They play Cars, Star Wars, Firemen, and Gamecube constantly!

The boys and I went to Valdosta to visit with Hank's parents, sister Jackie, and her family from the Thursday after Christmas to New Years Eve. We had a blast! My mom went down with me so I wouldn't be traveling alone. We played Phase 10 dice and cards, Skipbo, Farkle, and other card games until we were blue in the face with my nieces Maggie and Delaney! The boys went to a theme park called Wild Adventure with my Mother-in-law and Jackie, while my mom and I took Maggie and Delaney shopping and had so much fun!

New Years Eve was fun. The boys spent the night with my parents because Hank had pre-arranged it so that he could take me on a date! He took me to the Olive Garden. But he started feeling not-so-great, so we just hit Target then headed home. We thought briefly about seeing a movie, but nothing sounded good to us. We just spent some time together watching TV and playing games. I actually fell asleep before the ball dropped, but Hank woke me up and kissed me at midnight.

Since then, I've had my permanant crown put in and... Hmmm... What else?...



OH YEAH!
I'M PREGNANT!