The Home Team

My bad.

2012-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

Well, after trying a "Good Boy Chart" where stickers were added for good behavior (sleeping in bed without crying was TWO stickers), our sleeping is not much better. He has gotten better about just crying out, reorienting himself (I guess? as I'm half asleep and have basically refused to continue to get up at 3 am), crawling out of bed, and coming and laying down on the pallet. This would be really great if he didn't wake me up but he never fails to get all settled then say, "Mommy, tuck me back in." I refuse (am I a bad Mom?!?!) but I'm still up and, like I mentioned, cannot just fall right back to sleep. Jenny, we switched him from the crib at about 2 yrs and maybe that was a bad idea. My best friend's little boy launched himself out of his crib around that age while "crying it out" one night and ended up with a broken arm so I kept thinking about that! Anyway, we've gotten a bit more sleep with the pallet thing but that has to stop at some point too. Then, we went to his ENT yesterday for his PE (ear) tubes check-up....

The doctor questioned about his sleeping, snoring (why yes he does!), and overall wakefulness/sleepiness during the day. I gave him a brief report. He told me that the likely culprit is that his tonsils are a 3+, with the largest being a 4+. He might be waking himself up several times a night with obstructive sleep apnea. Poor fella! And here I am thinking, "He is the Lightest. Sleeper. Ever." Anyway, we're supposed to continue to watch/listen to him while he sleeps and if he starts "gasping" more often, to make an appt. I'm assuming the tonsils will have to come out. I know that's a really painful surgery as my 4 yr old nephew just had it so I'm hoping his throat will grow bigger and the tonsils will stay the same size, creating a bigger airway. Until then, I guess I'll just listen out for my child. stopping. breathing a few times a night. Yikes!

Oh, Beloved Sleep, how I miss thee.

2012-01-31T10:05:00.001-08:00

Disclaimer: Our boy is one of the most laid back, cautious, easy, loving kids ever. I swear he's totally chill and knows his limits. It makes me nervous when we have friend's kids over and they're launching off couches/ottomans. He's never tried anything like that and, while he is a total busy body, he has never really tried anything crazy. He eats anything I put in front of him. While broccoli, carrots, or any other veggie might not be his pick over a cookie, he realizes you have to eat them if you want the cookie. I realize I got lucky with this one. However, before my readers go rolling their eyes and thinking I'm saying my boy is some kind of genius, I have to be perfectly honest. His ease of parenting skills go out the friggin window from 8pm-5am. That being said, I could use any help I could get...

We have a fairly solid bedtime ritual. His Daddy bathes him around 7, after dinner. We brush teeth, jammy and lotion up, pick out two books and typically "read them in Mommy/Daddy bed", then I've gotten bad about putting him in his toddler bed and playing with my Nook on his floor for the ten minutes it takes him to go to sleep. He's really not hard to put down...it's after this where our problems begin. We are usually crashing by 9 or soon after because we haven't slept through the night but a handful of times in the last month or so. Anyway, we crash and then sometime between 11pm-3am, he wakes up screaming. It sounds like a nightmare scream. Starts with, "No! NO!" Then a frantic, "MOMMY! DADDY!" We go in there to comfort him and I can usually pat him to sleep within seconds. However, this may happen a couple times a night. He requests going to sleep in Mommy/Daddy bed but we quit giving into this months ago. Following our OB's suggestion, we made a pallet on our bedroom floor that he can lay on if he can't sleep (which seemed like taking steps backward but we were desperate) but all he does is lie there and say, "Mommy, lay down here with me" all night. Sometimes, he just starts crying and gets out of his bed and comes into our room. We lead him back to his room where he sobs a few minutes then goes back to sleep. Usually within minutes, he's up screaming in his bed again. We are desperate for advice. Last night he told me, "my bed scared me." I kid you not, I almost got on Pottery Barn Kids that very moment (3 am) and purchased the big boy bed we've had our eye on. He also told me this morning that the reason he woke up was that he had a bad dream. When I inquired what a toddler could possibly think was a "bad dream" he stated matter-of-factly, "There was a ladybug outside my room."
"Lady bugs aren't scary, Baby," was my reply.
He looked at me in that parents just don't understand look and said, "Mom, it was a BIG ladybug." Okey Dokey.
The other thing is, even if he just wakes up a couple times and goes right back to sleep, I'm not the type of person that can immediately go back to sleep. I'll stare at the ceiling for an hour, despite how tired I am.

Other info:
He takes a two hour nap in the middle of the day. We've tried going without the nap considering that maybe he was getting too much sleep but those were the nights he's had night terrors because he was overly tired. If you've ever experienced night terrors with your child, you know what I mean when I say we avoid ANYthing that will cause THAT again. Had I not known exactly what was happening the first time he did it, I swear Homet would have rushed him to the ER.

Please, oh please, friends of mine with advice, chime in. I don't care if you've got 15 kids or none, just give me some suggestions. We are in survival mode in The Watts camp and are thanking our lucky stars for grandparents (the only nights we've slept solid have been those when we've desperately handed him off. It takes a village, I swear.)

New Years, fried chicken, and fessing up

2011-12-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

Well, that's embarrassing. I was just thinking about needing to update my blog, I downloaded a few pics, and BAM! I forgot my blog password. I guess that means I've been gone too long? Whoopsies! Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I will not apologize for not blogging because we've been BUSY living and attempting to appreciate every morsel of these holidays. I do believe we have been successful in this endeavor so far with only one more holiday to go....LOUNGERAMA! We do the New Years Eve thing at my sister's house with close friends. It's what we've done for at least 7 years or so now and it's what we love. I told Homet that I pray to never be one of those people that says, "Well, I was in bed by 10 on New Year's Eve." Something about the New Year, wiping the slate clean, and a fresh start make me giddy. Hom and I have "Goal's Dinner" every year on the first week in January where we go somewhere super fancy and make goals for the next year. We each have to come up with a spiritual, professional, and personal goal and can't tell each other until dinner. We, then, record it in our "Goal's Book" and look back over the previous years and what we have/haven't accomplished. Yes, gasp, sometimes our goal's fall short but that's part of the fun. Anyway, I love everything about a New Year. That being said, the best part about New Years is our annual Lougerama (also held at Lindsay's.) We wake up late, stay in our pjs all day, put blow up mattresses all over her living room, pick up KFC fried chicken with all the sides, and watch football all day. It is heaven. We were talking about the logistics of it last night and I recalled that the last time I ate KFC fried chicken was....Jan 1, 2011. Love it. Anyway, I didn't intend on this being a blog about New Years and fried chicken. I actually was going to blog in reference to a friend who had "Fessed up" about being obsessed with Pinterest. She asked who had tested out some of the ideas on the site so here goes, Ashley...
Here were our fall/Christmas projects (all of these were from Pinterest and I am taking no credit for the creativity of them.)
The first was just a little centerpiece for our island. It was popcorn, split peas, and red beans topped with a orangey red candle and tied with some twine. My twine obsession is a blog post in itself. Anyway, the pic doesn't do it justice. I thought it turned out adorable and since I already had most of the items (I didn't have any split peas and Wade wasn't all too happy when he went to cook red beans and rice and I had used them, but anywho), it was cheap. When fall was winding down and Christmas decor started, I just popped that popcorn, strung it up, and put it around our tree.

Notice, my (reused) popcorn garland

This next one was free. I love all things fall. The football, the weather, the soups, and most of all, FREE ART SUPPLIES! E and I went walking on our neighborhood trail and collected these pine cones and leaves. I then spray adhesived them to a vase I had, tied on a little twine, and filled that sucker up with pine cones. I put this on our dresser in our bedroom. I don't think I got this from Pinterest but I'm sure it's an idea adapted from something I saw on there.

I made these little cuties for our Halloween party. They were a hit. Just a mini Nutter Butter, a bit of melted choc chips, and a Hershey kiss, and Ta-da---you have acorns. Plus, they were yummy too.

At Christmas, I repeated my fall layered decor for the mantle and gave it a Christmas candy land touch. It's hard to see in the pic but I layered Life Saver candies, then Hot Tamales candy, then red/green/white gum drops on the bottom. The jar to the left is just candy canes. The vase to the right was layered red hots, peppermints, and Hershey kisses. The garland was from our tree and there you have a mantle piece for less than $10. Not the fanciest mantle around but it was ours and we loved it (or at least I did. I think it was torture for E as he kept pointing up at the mantle and saying, "Mommy, I like to eat those.") And, yes, my TV is above our fireplace. I know it's tacky. Don't even get me started. That fell into that category with my beloved husband, "Makes him so happy/Not really worth fighting over."

Seaside Wine Festival

2011-11-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago, we traveled on down to Seaside to celebrate their annual Red Wine Festival. Months ago, Homet and I were looking for some way to, without child in tow, celebrate our 6th anniversary. As we asked around, a plan was hatched. It was also two of my favorite people's 40th birthday party (I can tell their age now because 40 is the new 30.) About 18-20 of us came from all parts of the country to join in the festivities. We had one house in Seaside for "the couples" and one house in Seagrove for "the girls." GOOD TIMES were had, I assure you. Anyway, if you're a wine drinker at all, I encourage you to try this out. I'm not much of a red wine drinker but they had options for all palates. If you've ever trekked to Florida with an almost 2 year old then repeated the trip without said angel a month later, you will realize that a 6 hour car ride really ain't that bad (the second time around.) We were well rested, bellies firm from laughter, and felt totally full (metaphorically and physically) by the time the long weekend was up.
When we left for our vacay, we left behind a one year old, barely grasping to the innocent one-ness. As I kissed him good-bye all I could think was, "When I return, you will be two." We returned on the day of his second birthday to an energy-filled two year old and were grateful for our weekend of rest and relaxation.
My littler big sis and I

Just a few of my fave PICU girls!

My sweetie and I celebrating 6 wonderful years. Hard to believe he's put up with me for over TEN! Sucka!

Love this guy. Too bad he lives in Cali/Texas:(

Wild Man

2011-11-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

We took our Christmas pics a couple weeks ago and, to say the least, it was an adventure. I got so bad about taking pics after E turned one. I just didn't feel like stressing (and paying a small fortune). We have a nice camera and I usually have it perched in our living room shelves for easy access to capture priceless moments. Well, as he approached two, I started feeling all guilty that we hadn't had any professional pics in a year. Let. Me. Tell. You. It is way different taking professional pics with a two year old than it was just a short year prior. That child has his own agenda. If she said stand, he laid. If she said run, he walked. I have no idea where he got that stubborness from (wink wink.) Anyway, she took about 50-75 pics and I walked away with VERY low expectations. I was surprised a few days later with about 20 absolute gems. Here are a few of the wild child himself.

Media Days

2011-10-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

I have been making a point to read more lately. It makes me happy, makes me feel more informed, and chills me out (typically before bed.) Lately, I have read some great books. Of course, I read The Help a few months ago which was unbelievable. My goal was to finish it prior to the movie coming out because I can't stand to see a movie THEN read the book. So, finish it I do and then.... I never got a chance to see the movie. I'm now waiting until it comes out on DVD/Infiniti. I know, I know, it was a breathtaking movie. You don't have to tell me.
After I finished The Help I was given a recommendation to read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I went into this read very skeptical. I am more of a chick lit sort of reader. I think a lot at work and don't want to think at home. While Homet reads something like The Life and Times of Genghis Khan, I'm snuggled up with Shopahaulic Takes Manhattan (and loving it. Don't judge.) Anyway, Unbroken is a story about a POW in World War II. I know right? I sound smart now. Told you not to judge. This book was so well written and the story so captivating, I couldn't put it down. After Unbroken was complete, I set my Nook down and allowed Homet to borrow it so he could read the book I had been gushing about for the last week. Well, after longingly staring at my Nook gathering dust on his bedside table, I swiped it back and bought another book. I gave him a solid 5 days and after that, I say "Too bad, so sad." (Poor fella was actually too busy reading up on some financial church literature that he has to teach on in a couple weeks. SUCKA!)
So then I just went into B & N Top 100 feeling all inspired by a "real" book. I kept seeing The Hunger Games pop up. Though it was, again, totally not my style, I bought it anyway. Y'all I REALLY couldn't stop reading. Homet found me reading while....putting on make-up, folding clothes, drying my hair, and even DURING BREAKS IN THE SAINTS GAME (I found myself wishing Payton would take a time-out at non strategic times.) It was quite out of control and I had to stop myself when I got flour all over my Nook while reading and rolling out dough for a pizza. Needless to say, it is a really strange plot but so well written.
Since my post is "Media Days" I feel it necessary to insert at least one other form of media besides books. Last night I got this great idea that, in "celebration" of Halloween, we put E to bed, pop some popcorn, and watch a scary movie. All that we could find was Halloween H2O which is apparently some sequel to the 5 previous Halloweens (is it called a sequel if there's 6?) Anyway, both of us couldn't even remember if we'd seen the first Halloween but we were both certain we hadn't seen 2-5 and feared we might be a bit behind with the info leading up to H2O. We opted for the only other option, The Happening. I'm not a big scary movie watcher. Hell, I'm not really a big movie watcher at all. I despise sitting still and not talking that long. Drives Homet crazy. Anyway, maybe I'm rusty on my movie critiquing but that was one of the worst movies ever. I was confused throughout and not in a really-pay-attention-you'll-figure-it-out-by-the-end-DaVinci-Code sort of confused. It left me scratching my head as the credits rolled. They tried to insert an occasional kiss and couples' dispute but it wasn't even a good love story. One plus was it had Mark Wahlberg and he's just as cute as he ever was (though this might be his first movie where he never lost his shirt:(()

--Please forgive my lack of underlining and quotes as appropriate. For one, I can't remember what's supposed to be in what. For two, I'm too lazy to look it up. Threesies, my almost two year old just woke up and I don't have time.

Yep, we're alive.

2011-10-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there, blogging world! It's been a while. I have no excuses other than we've been busy. This blog post will be heavy on the pics since they pretty much sum up our recent life. Happy Halloween from our little boxer...

No, the shiner's not real.

Our little sports lover is gearing up for his second birthday in a couple of weeks. Here's a pic from his birthday photo shoot.

And here's his "Mom are we done yet?" face. He has mastered this quite well in his 23 1/2 months.

And a shout out to our pal, Lala, for E's birthday invites. Love them. Check her out at http://www.pickled-paper.com/. Not only is she fabulous, but she's super quick too.

Mouth of the South

2011-09-15T14:47:00.001-07:00

Since our boy got his ear tubes in May, his language skills exploded. He now repeats EVERYthing. It might be the scariest, cutest, funniest, most intriguing trick as of yet. Here are a few gems you might catch if you get to spend a few minutes with our busy body.

Me: Ev, what's today?
E: Game. Day. (He says all compound words as two separate entities like he has to catch his breath between. Pine. Apple. is one of our faves. No Reunion jokes needed here.....)
Me: What do we say on game day?
E: Go Tigews (Tigers.)

You see, I'm a nurse and all about using the correct words for your body parts but when penis started coming out sounding like pieces, I must admit I did like that better. In fact, it came in pretty handy in the store the other day when I was holding him on my hip and he looked at me, scowled, and yelled, "MOMMY, MY PIECES."Sorry, Bud, I'll readjust so I don't squish your "pieces."

Mommy, moowwnn. (Come on)

He also LOVES to pray but mainly for Paw Paw and Gen Gen (my Dad and StepMom.) We haven't figured out yet why they need more prayers than the rest of us but you better believe they get prayed for multiple times a day. We pray before each meal then, as my hubs says, "We have to pray our way through dinner" as E will often stop us, try to hold our hands, and say, "Mommy, Daddy. Pay." and bow his head.

My Beach Baby

2011-08-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

We go on a family vacay every year at the end of the summer. We stay around the Seaside area so as to avoid the big crowds. This year has been the funnest so far as Shoog thoroughly enjoyed every minute at the beach. He could have spent the entire time covered (literally covered. Like HEAD TO TOE) in sand and been perfectly content. Here's a progressive tour of our last three years. How time flies...
2009--The pregnant year. I think I was 26 weeks. This was the year that while my family enjoyed a nice glass of vino, I sipped on one of my hub's custom mocktails. There was alot of mocktail drinking this year.

2010--The year with a baby. This was a cool year. Shoog was 10 months old and FINALLY got a tooth (actually two, on the bottom) while we were on vacation. We were starting to think he was going to be toothless the rest of his life. We were thinking about the bright (cheap) side though...after the dentures, no real dentist visits. No dental insurance, no braces! Unless he got gingivitis...or we had to replace the dentures...I bet dentures are expensive...anyhow, he got teeth this year!

2011--The year of the busy toddler. His favorite game ended up being, "Whoa whoa whoa!" As in: Ev's heading straight for the water, who's going to stop him? Then, one of our crew would jump up and cut him off screaming, "Whoa whoa whoa!" He though it was hysterical. Actually, I was driving around today and heard him talking nonstop in the back saying, "Beach, whoa whoa whoa! Birds. Fly away!" Yeah, it was a hit.

Lazy Summer

2011-08-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

There is gloriously absolutely nothing going on in our lives right now. We just returned from a family vacay to Florida. We were pleasantly surprised that Ev LOVED the sand and water. He would play with his cousins for HOURS. It was a nice change from last year where he just sat in his baby pool and stared at us as if to say, "What am I supposed to do now?"
I have been off of work for somewhere north of 10 days. I lost count. I go back Wednesday and am probably going to spend the first few hours just trying to remember what to do.
We are almost finished filling up our house. This has been a painfully long process as we moved in sometime in January. However, Homet and I are super picky (and cheap) so it's taken a while to find/purchase the extra furniture we need to fill up this extra space. I'm just grateful to have extra space.
Ev starts MMO next week and I am super fired up. I'm ready to grocery shop in peace and possibly get a pedicure (gasp!)
Last but certainly not least: FOOTBALL STARTS THIS WEEK and while I couldn't give a flying taco about Mississippi State's season, I sure will be glad to see some college football in action! It will be a holiday around our house and we grocery shopped today, planning our meals around what we were going to cook each game night. "Let's see, Thursday's just MS State so maybe burritos and Rotel." "Saturday is LSU so we'll channel our inner fall weather behavior and try beef stew." Speaking of MSU, why do they spell dogs, dawgs? It's not shorter and it just looks silly. Misspellings are the last thing Mississippi needs to bring down our academic image. Drives me crazy. What's so wrong with "Go dogs"?

Too much sugar

2011-08-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned that I love birthdays. Perhaps it's because of all the sweet things that are guilt-free for a birthday. After all, it'd be rude not to sample the cake and ice cream with the birthday recipient. I'm pretty sure I learned that in an etiquette class once (or perhaps made it up...) Well, my favorite man had a birthday this weekend and that has meant one thing for this house. SWEETS. We have had three birthday cakes (thank goodness we left two at the host's house but we still wound up with one.) Then, he requested that I make brownies and who am I to turn down the birthday boy? Thus, brownies were made...and ice cream bought. In his humble opinion, you can't have brownies without ice cream...and chocolate syrup...and Whip Cream. Who am I to argue? I also made cookies for a friend that needed a happy and was left with about a dozen. If anyone has a sweet tooth, come on over. Our grand birthday total is=one birthday cake, one dozen choc chip cookies, a dish of brownies, and ice cream.

Dear Diabetes and extra 10 pounds, It's been a fun road, was a wonderful birthday, but I'm not so sure it was worth it.

Glass Half Full

2011-07-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's the eternal optimist in me but this drives me crazy...

Isolated T-Storms High
92°F
Precip
30%

I mean why does it have this ominous looking storm cloud and lightening for a 30% chance of rain? If I'm doing my math correctly, there's a 70% chance that it will be sunny with a few clouds, no? I think they should bring that little sunshine out from behind that dark cloud a bit and let it peek it's head around more.....perhaps like 70% of the sun should show. Just thought I'd release this pent up pet peeve since Homet is tired of hearing it every night while watching the news. Thank you and have a great weekend. After all, I'm banking on 70% chance of sunshine in my neck o' the woods!

Parenting 101

2011-07-25T10:23:00.001-07:00

I should have been terrified for the first few weeks of E's life. However, I was in too much of a sleep deprived stupor to gather a rational thought. As the weeks turned into months and the nighttime "naps" got longer, I started to realize I was totally in charge of raising a person. Raising one, I discovered, is not all bedtime stories and boo boo kisses. I actually had to feed, change, and basically keep this person alive forever. I was gripped in fear for a little while and constantly panicked that I'd do something wrong. I would run through infant CPR in my head while he nursed, slept, burped, etc. The months turned into a year and he was still alive and, dare I say, thriving! Then....toddlerhood started. That is in a league all it's own. He's 20 months and I feel like in the last few months he's a different person. The vocabulary has exploded, the personality has come to life, he has his own opinion, and oh that temper. I find myself in situations at times where I have NO clue what to do. I've even started thinking, "Is he smarter than me?" That being said, maybe some of my Mom readers out there could bail me out of the following conundrums (it's spelled right. I googled.)

1. This potty training business isn't quite as hard as I expected. However, what the heck do I do if we are running errands, going to the park, etc. He's about 90% trained wearing big boy undies while we're at home but I've only braved leaving the house a few times. He's done fairly well but he has to pee about every 30 minutes. I know I should be consistent with either a diaper or undies as I don't mean to confuse him. However, if we're in the car longer than 30 minutes, he starts, "Mommy, peepeepeepeepee." Should I pull over and let him go on the side of the road? Do I stop at the next available gas station? Or should I just say diapers for errands, undies at home?

2. He loves to kiss my feet. Yeah, you read that right. At first, I thought it was funny. He's 100% Momma's Boy and kisses me whenever the chance arises. However, I keep telling him feet are yucky and not to be kissed. It never fails though, I'm getting ready in the morning, drying my hair, minding my own business, he's busy watching Cookie Monster and then, BAM...he's at my feet smooching away. Weird, huh? So anyone thinks my boy has a foot fetish or is this normal? I CANNOT imagine this is normal.
What, you thought I was making this up?

3. The hair. Oh man, that hair. I have just about surrendered to it. I have thrown in the white flag to this hair. If I comb it, it is a straight up afro. No joke. It gets so big. I end up having to wet it again and let it dry on it's own. I've tried to blow dry it while brushing it down. I think he might be too squirmy for the straightener (I kid, I joke.) I feel like I've tried everything and we end up just going into town/church/MMO looking like the toddler who's Mom forgot to fix his morning hair. Perhaps I should make him a shirt. I can see it now, "This IS brushed." On a side note in regards to this pic, where do kids learn to pull an Oreo apart and eat the white stuff first? The first time I saw this I was shocked. I certainly didn't teach him (I like mine all put together and thrown in some milk.) Homet swears he didn't teach him.

That's all my questions for today. I feel sure next week will be filled with more parenting uncertainties.

My Nook Book

2011-07-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

I realized recently that I have hardly read a book in 20 months. Me, who used to read no short of a book a week prior to Ev, has barely picked one up. I have had the Drew Brees book beside my bed for 6 months and have only made it halfway through. I CANNOT get into it. I assumed it would be as good as Sean Payton's but I was sadly mistaken. However, my reading life changed on Sunday night. You see, I had to work and our boy was sick. Some fever virus that caused his temp to spike to 104.2. Yeah, scary even for a pediatric nurse Mom. Trust me, I was more "freaking out Mom" than "pediatric nurse Mom"! Anyway, after sitting with Ev all day while I worked, Hom talked my Mom into coming to see Shoog so that he could "run a few errands." After work, he met me with a "just because happy." Those don't happen too often after 5+ years of marriage so I was delighted. I opened my happy to find a Nook Color. Let me tell you. I am obsessed with that thing. In the three days since I've had it, I've already read two adult books and countless children's books. Ev is obsessed too. It has apps on it with buttons that make sounds. If you know my boy (or probably any boy, for that matter) you know that he is crazy about anything with buttons. That being said, Ev is napping so I am going to sit on the couch and finish another book. It's a hard life I lead, I tell ya.

My Work

2011-07-09T06:41:00.001-07:00

I know I talk about my job on here quite often. If you're not interested, I apologize (or you can just stop following my blog. Trust me, I'm not very interesting anyway. You won't miss a thing.) It is such a huge part of my life, professionally and socially. My co-workers are my friends, my family (strangely enough, my real sister actually does work alongside me--in addition to all my co-worker sisters and brothers. If she and I are working and there is a nurse between us, it's technically called a Clairain-wich. We're working on the patent.), and a big part of my support. Anyway, a colleague posted this on her Facebook page and reminded me how lucky I am. I knew it had been filmed a few months ago but never knew where it ended up. I never realize why I can go through tragedy, triumph, and everything in between everyday at work and shed a tear only occasionally. However, if I watch stuff like this, listen to the telethons, or see the kiddos after they've gotten better, I'm a weepy mess (like most rational humans would be.) Without further ado, I introduce you to my beloved place of employment...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx2EQrdf4fo

Growing Up

2011-07-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

My boy is starting to look more and more like his Daddy everyday.

Turns out, I'm crazy about both of my Watts' Boys.

"Oww Sigh"

2011-06-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

That is what Ev says 85% of his waking hours. What is it with kids being obsessed with being outside? He has far more toys inside than outside. It's certainly cooler inside. While I always knew I LOVED the summer and triple digit days, I actually realize I more prefer to just lay out with a cold drink in hand on triple digit days, not chase a toddler. There are more biting bugs outside (errr...usually.) I guess, while he naps, I'll just chug some ice cold water to prehydrate and rest up. When he wakes, his first word will be either "Oww sigh" or "Paw Paw" (he's a bit obsessed with my Dad these days too.)

Fathers

2011-06-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

One of the many times my Dad made me smile...

My Homet with our boy, Day #1

To the commoner, it may seem as if I am quite late to be giving "shouts out" to the Fathers in my life. However, to my medical family out there (read: that have to work many holidays), you know that events such as these can be celebrated for weeks after the fact. As a nurse, "Christmas" didn't fall on Christmas Day for my first five years. Easter, Father's Day, Thanksgiving can be celebrated whenever, as long as you have your family surrounding you and you remember what you're celebrating. If you call me sacrilege, go take your complaints to the moms whose babies I'm saving while you're carving your turkey. Trust me, they're a tough bunch. You won't get very far.
That being said, we had Father's Week last week for my beloved Homet and last night we had Father's Day in order to celebrate my Pops. I could go on and on about how fabulous they are but it seems silly to do that for you, my readers. If you know me well, you probably already know that I think those two men hung the moon in the sky for me. I am thankful for them every single minute of every day. They are two fabulous fellas that have made me who I am today.
I came across this article that begs to be shared. I am aware there are men like this that exists. This article just makes me appreciate what I do have. Wonderfully written...

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/16/pearlman.fathers.day/index.html

A Shocking Revelation

2011-06-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would say this but as it turns out...I'm a sucker for a boy in tighty whities (or navies). Don't tell his father.

Here's that adorable little bum walking the pet dog that we allowed him to have. (Because we're such giving parents and he is such a responsible pet owner.)

Chattin' Granna up

Showing me how big he's gotten.

I know he looks big but, no fear, he promised me he'd stop growing right about now.

A new business venture???

2011-05-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

I am a nurse and have no intention of being anything else. I LOVE my job and cannot imagine there is anything more fulfilling than taking a scary, sometimes horrible situation and making it tolerable to a parent. I work in the Pediatric ICU. Most of us CANNOT imagine what it would be like to have their child critically ill. I hope to have never experience it. However, my passions are taking care of Mississippi's kiddos to the best of my knowledge and taking care of Mississippi's kiddo's parents to the best of my heart. That being said....
I may have mentioned a time or t wo (or even three or a final four) that I also LOVE a good craft project. My mom has a fabulous sewing machine with a few awesome attachments. Namely, an applique and monogram program. We have had a ball using them and have created some adorable stuff. I thought some of the stuff I received when I was pregnant for Everett were the cutest things ever. We started thinking that we could probably do some of those things. Thus, we set out to try. Never hurt to try right? We ended up creating these for Ev's classmates at MMO for an end of the year happy.

We, then proceeded to attempt bloomers. Everyone loves a good bloomer, right?

And some burp cloths. Goodness knows, I used to heck out of a burp cloth with Shoogs.
Girly

Boy

Houndstooth for that Bama fan out there. I love houndstooth. We plan on monogramming "I drool crimson and white on this one."

Then, my neighborhood had a "Market in May" where local vendors made and sold their crafts. We (well, mostly me convincing Mom) decided that we could really do this. Our big problem is that A.)We suck at all things business related and B) We suck at all things media/logo design related. I was hoping to get help from one of my friends and whip up a quick logo on Photoshop but her computer is on the blink. Argh.
We do have a name already...Naptime Designs. Why you ask? Well, because that is the only time I'm able to sew and applique. During Shoog's naps. So, my honest friends, any ideas? What things do you buy friends having babies? I love all things baby related. We have even made a few outfits but they take a long time to make and we'd probably never get our money's worth.

Baby Angler

2011-05-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

We have an annual crawfish out at my Dad's land in Ebenezer (read: the COOOWN-TRY). Dad has a catfish stocked pond in front of his house so Ev and I decided to wet a line. He was reel (get it...reel. harhar) interested in throwing the line out there and reeling it back in. However, when he realized there was an actual squirmy fish on the end of it, he clung to me like an alligator was coming after him. It made it easy for me though with him clinging to me like that. I didn't even have to hold him. Look ma, no hands. Tadaaa!

This is about as close to touching a fish as I'll get. I was pretty proud of myself. You know, I had to appear brave so my boy will take them off the line for me one day.

Hom came in to rescue us and get hook out of said fish's gum. Otherwise, the fishing day was over. I decided that if I caught a fish when no man was around to take it off, I would just leave it on the line, prop the pole near the water, and let the guy get himself off. Survival of the fittest. I think he'd have figured it out eventually.
Side note: When the men folk were talking about how to get rid of a coon this was the convo between my father in law and Dad:
FIL: Make sure you check your trap everyday.
Dad: Yeah, that's what I heard.
Me: (brow furrowed) Why would you have to check it everyday? I mean, what if you go on vacation?
FIL and Dad (in unison): Coons will eventually chew off their leg to get out of the trap.
Me: Fab.
Survival of the fittest, I tell you.

He was much happier when the fish was out of sight. Boy better get used to it! Wait until he's expected to skin a deer. He won't make it very long in Talullah if we don't whip him into shape. I probably could have helped out his cause if I'd have put him in a manly T-shirt instead of crawfish smocking. Made him feel the part, ya know?

18 months and Tubes

2011-05-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

Well, after battling our 6-7th ear infection (who's counting at that point) in the span of 12 months, we are finally on tap for PE Tubes in the morning. I am more scared of the anesthesia than the procedure itself. I know it's routine, but the only "routine" surgery to me is one that's not on MY kid. Honestly, the whole situation makes me want to barf but I know we have to do it. If for nothing else, to get him some relief. He goes about 2 1/2- 3 weeks then he stops sleeping, gets fussy, refuses food, and then spikes a fever. This has been every 2 1/2-3 weeks since he was 6 months old. Not to mention, we had become somewhat concerned about his hearing. He talks CONSTANTLY (yeah, he looks just like me and got Momma's mouth too) but he didn't have too many appropriate words. he finally went about one month straight without an infection right before Easter and, all of the sudden, his vocabulary exploded. Then, another infection. Argh. Poor guy. Luckily, we have an UNBELIEVABLE pediatrician. I really don't know how Hom and I would've maintained our sanity without him. He is such a calming voice when we're at our wit's end. He makes it all better (for E as well as us) and now that he can't, Dr. Reed will! Thus, the Watts' family will be waking sometime around the 4:00 hour of the morn and heading up to the Children's Hospital. Please pray for our boy in the morning, if you think about it.
On a healthy note, he is 50% weight and 95% height. His head circumference is "off the charts" (apparently got my big ole melon too.) Looks like he's gonna be tall like his Uncle Jay and Paw Paw.

Two inches to trouble

2011-05-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

There's not too much more growing to do for our boy before we will have to totally rearrange our house.

Easter Thanks

2011-04-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

These pics are slightly mortifying so please excuse me while I get sentimental. This was me and Mom just two Easters ago. I was 8 weeks preggers, still not believing that Wade and I would have another person in our house in a few months. Easter Sunday 2009 was spent in Houston, TX with Mom, Bert, Lindsay, Wade, me, and my in-laws. We spent it with Wade's best friend from college, Anthony, his wife Katie, and their adorable son, Andrew. You see we had just started treatment for Mom's cancer. She was so incredibly weak and pale, a shell of my Mom just a month prior. Some days it was hard to look at her without crying. However, if we did that, she would quickly question what the problem was. She didn't want to end up "gray like the other MD Anderson patients." No one told her then, but she did turn quite a morose gray color.

Easter Sunday, Mom and I woke up early so that we could catch the service at the hospital prior to her chemo for that day. Cancer doesn't take Sundays off. I loaded her in her wheelchair and wheeled her down to this strange chapel, surrounded by people I'd never seen. Almost everyone in attendance was accompanied by an IV pole, some beeping straight through the service. Most churches give a glance to "that" Mom that just had to bring her fussy baby to church. At MD Anderson, you could dance on the pew and scream out and everyone there will just turn a blind eye and resume with their prayers of thanksgiving for living one more day.

We sat on the outside seat of the first row in a circular chapel so that I could pull Mom right up to the pew next to me and, if she got sick, we could get out quickly. I could tell that Mom wasn't feeling good but when I questioned if she wanted to go back to the hotel and lay down, she stated quietly and slowly, "I'd rather feel crappy in a chapel on Easter Sunday than good in a hotel. I'll stay right here." Seeing as she's as stubborn as me, we hunkered down for this (hopefully quick) worship service. It didn't take long before Mom started dozing off. Chemo does that. It just sucks the energy right from your bones. I pulled her over to me and let her sleep from the first hymn until the final prayer right there on my shoulder. I sobbed the. entire. service. What had our life become? Whey did THIS have to be my last Easter with my Mom? Why did she have to hurt so much? I would never liken Jesus' suffering to Mom's, but I sure was questioning why anyone so good would have to suffer so much? In addition to the ignoring of beeps at church, the congregation also turned a blind eye to those weeping in the pews, unable to stop the tears (and snot. ewwww.) A sweet lady just quietly walked over and handed me a box of tissues. The church service concluded and I woke Mom. We headed upstairs to fight the damn cancer again. I must say that I was having quite a pity party. I watched as the poison dripped into her veins. I was bitter at those that I knew were eating lunch with their families. I tried to be grateful but I just couldn't find the energy.

This year, this is us. She wears the hat, not because she's covering a bald head, but instead because it looked fab with her outfit. I cannot believe where we are today. I cannot believe our blessings. So many people are not as fortunate. I let myself go back to that day when I woke Easter Sunday. I shed ONE tear, then I got up, took my baby to his Easter basket, and texted Mom that we'd see her at early church. I, then, finished preparing the lunch that I was going to be eating with my family.

Thank you, God. For my Mom's health and for your suffering for me.

Easter

2011-04-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Well, Easter has come and gone. This was the first big holiday we got to spend in our new house and what a fun one it was! We had lots of church, family, food, and laughs. Also, I gave up all candy and sweets for Lent so LET.ME.TELL.YOU, there was some chocolate eaten in our house yesterday.
Since I am short on time (Shoog is napping and didn't have MMO today), here's a summary of our Easter in pics...

Shoog had his first Easter eggs hunt(s)

A couple of these

A little of this

And thousands of these (my boy has finally mastered the "pucker"!!!)

Also, I can't leave you without our Easter card craft. Last year was a bit easier since Shoogs was younger (read: more cooperative). However, I am a sucker for a snail mail card. I swear if I knew anything about technology and ever wanted to quit nursing, I'd go into graphic design. Here is a sampling of our Easter card from last year...

With a little of this enclosed to up the cute factor.

Well, this year, his feet/ears were too big and his thumb isn't big enough for those adorable chicks. Thus, we improvised. I painted his index and pinky fingers with paint and we started stamping. Notice the bunnies are on a separate sheet of paper. That's because it took about two hundred tries with a wiggly toddler and I didn't want to waste my cards.

Cute factor upped with this...

I haven't downloaded the pics from yesterday so I'll try to do that on the next nap!

Independent, Yet Practical

2011-04-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

"I'm outta here and I'm taking my dustpan with me."

Snakes.

2011-04-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

Okay is it just me or is the snake population exploding right now? Last year we lived in a neighborhood that was very urban, few trees, no lakes, etc. This year our hood is very wooded and has a fairly big lake. You guys think it's just the location or has everyone else seen tons of snakes already this year? I've seen 2 alive and about 5 dead in the last week. The other day Homet and I were riding our bikes on the trail behind our house and, I kid you not, I almost ran over a copperhead that was sitting up, mouth open, tongue flicking, ready to strike. Thank God we were on bikes and went by fast. I was terrified Hom (who was behind me) would get bit and wreck his bike with Shoog on the back. Luckily, the snake decided against it and slithered away (ugh, I even hate the word slither. On a side note my mom used to wake us up by saying, "Come on kids. Hop up!" Who hops in the morning? By the time we were teenagers we told her to quit saying that as she was acting way too perky in the morning for our hormonal little attitudes. She changed it to, "Come on kids. Slither out." from then on out.) Anyway, two minutes after the snake-about-to-bite episode, we passed a dead copper head in the road. Then, fishing a few days later, one swam by our boat. Ugh. I can't even count the number I saw today dead on the road while I was out running around our neighborhood. Then, as if I'm not creeped out enough, I look at my friend's blog only to find this...
http://tocaya365.blogspot.com/
Yep, that would be another copperhead.

My sweet Yankee neighbors asked if we should tell the homeowners association so that they could "do something about all the snakes in the woods." I giggled and told her, "Welcome to Mississippi."

Meet My Boy, Safety McSafetyson

2011-04-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

We're all about no traumatic brain injuries around this house. However, if you've ever seen me trying to pump that bike up a hill with a 30 pound boy on the back, nothing's a sure bet. Just sayin.

(In my first "draft" of this, I accidentally put '30 year old boy' instead of '30 pound boy'. Now, I can't quit laughing thinking about me hauling a 30 year old man up a hill strapped to my bike. Just picture that. If you don't at least smile, there is something bad wrong with you.)

Say Cheese...or not

2011-04-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Know what makes me crazy? Well, even if you don't care, you're reading my blog so you too bad. What makes me crazy is that my boy has figured me out. When I pull out the camera and start making strange sounds, he doesn't even glance in my direction anymore. It used to really work. You know the scene. Baby is doing something cute. Mom pulls camera out. Mom starts jumping around and making monkey noises. Baby looks over and SNAP! the picture is taken with the baby glancing happily and curiously right at the lens. Not so much anymore. For a few months now, I can hang from the ceiling and E won't look at me. It's like he knows. Ugh. I get many pics of him looking away, running away, and many in his high chair as I have found his head turning radius is severely cut down when strapped into a seat.
For that ONE good shot, I end up with a whole lotta nothing.

Someone got into the toilet paper. Yeah, that someone's little head is in the foreground.

There he goes!

Anyone want a Ritz? (and a view of a half-chewed apple.)

Very interested in the ceiling at the Children's Museum.

I imagine I will look back at these outtakes one day and laugh at my busy toddler. Until then, I'm going to keep working on my "attention getters."

Is it time yet?

2011-04-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Now that we've survived winter and spring is in full effect...is it time for training camp yet?! I don't want to wish time away or anything as I can't wait to sit out at a pool this summer but come on already August. I'm ready to see my boys play!!!

So sad that with the exception of ole Drew here, none of these fab guys play for the Saints anymore (though Freddy Mc is on staff!)

Who Knew Swaddling Could Be So Scary?!?!

2011-04-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

So I went to a pediatric orthopaedic seminar the other day and learned a few things. Most of the things you really won't care about (I REALLY tried to care since it pertains to my profession.) However, there was one point that I got out of this thing. Research has shown that incorrect swaddling (also "bundling" in Native American cultures) made hip dysplasia diagnoses sky rocket.

Hip dysplasia typically requires multiple surgeries and therapies to correct. I don't know about you guys but, in addition to swaddling my babies at work, I swaddled Ev almost daily. Now, I need to clarify. There is a correct way to do it. The main thing to realize is that baby's legs, in a resting position, are frog-legged. You know how their little legs stay drawn up to their belly? Well, let them stay that way. People were swaddling babies with their legs straight and hip dysplasia started to grow in numbers. The people were educated and numbers started decreasing. Turns out, babies need their legs to stay in the "drawn up" position to develop properly. Anyway, I just thought this was important info to pass along to you moms or soon to be moms out there. It's okay to swaddle just make sure their little fat legs are relaxed and not constricted down. Sorry this was a long, boring post but when I googled "How to Swaddle a Baby", most of the videos showed people swaddling with legs down. I'll leave you with a pic of Homet trying to learn to swaddle prior to Ev being born. This is what I found when I walked in our living room after work one day...

Yes, he's practicing on a sock monkey and, yes, I just wrote a post with "Research has shown." Who the heck am I?!

99.99% Boy*

2011-04-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a picture that is all boy more than this?

(*The only reason he got gypped .01% is because the boy loves to carry my purse. What can he say? He's a sucker for a pretty bag.)

Real Men Wear Pink

2011-03-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

A warm spring day + A strawberry push-up= One happy, messy boy

Things I didn't know...

2011-03-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have been around children my entire life. Every job I've ever had has, in some way, involved children. Prior to having one of my own, I'd like to think that I was pretty baby savvy. However, after I had The Shoog, it turned out that there were LOTS of things I didn't know or expect when that sweet, yummy smelling baby was placed in my arms.
(Excuse the pics. Most were taken with my phone.)

Taking apart/"fixing"/reassembling technology is a universal boy desire.

Football comes fairly primitively as well (Thank you Lord!)

When I imagined breastfeeding a baby, my visions were those of chubby baby hands cupping my face, grinning up at me as he drank greedily. Not. So. Much. In reality, he couldn't have been more distracted. If that milk was coming from a dog's butt he wouldn't have cared, as long as the milk was coming. The "cupping of the face" was more like digging in my nose or trying to pull my eyelashes out. No joke. This was taken in the hospital. I was laid up for almost a week with complications following my thyroidectomy. It was definitely my breastfeeding low point. Ugh. I dreaded feeding him in that hospital, but clearly, it did not bother my boy.

Wade had never been around kids and, while I didn't think he'd be bad, I was not prepared for the awesomeness that was about to unfold between that man and his boy. He adores the child. I have never seen such patience, awe, and pride seep from the pores of one man. This pic was of Wade on July 4th. It was the first time Ev spent the weekend away from us. We had a party at a friend's house and Wade found the lone kid to play with. Even when he had a break, he opted out. Yep, that's someone else's pride and joy.

Now, this here is our pride and joy. Have you ever seen such pride in the face of a Dad?! Not only that but he still loved our boy even while he was sporting an Ole Miss polo. That, coming from an LSU alum Dad, is love if I ever saw it.

The wall always wins.

Grandparents are quite fond of their "second generation babies." Grandbabies can inspire you to fight like you've never fought, to live fully without a complaint, and to cherish every single extra minute you have. Grandbabies can force you to get out of bed, even when in a chemo-induced hangover, and laugh like there's nothing wrong. Grandbabies, I've been told, can inspire you to look terminal cancer in the face and tell it, "Kiss off. You've messed with the wrong Granna."

Honey do....

2011-03-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

We hosted a honey-do shower for one of my "daughters" at work. See, I'm an old lady in the PICU now and have had a hand in training a good portion of the nurses, making them all my girls. I even have one son. Anyway, one of my babies is getting married next month and I couldn't be happier for her. I was really excited about decorating for this and had many ideas that I couldn't wait to try out. Google is quite lacking in the "honey-do shower ideas" category so we were pretty much on our own. We ended up having a ball coming up with decor. They registered at Home Depot and Lowe's so most of the decorations are from their registry and they just took them home at the end of the night!

Their invite:
"Hang a picture!" "Hang a curtain!"
She'll ask it sweetly I'm quite certain.
"Weed the garden." "Paint that wall."
He'll do it quick and never stall.

It's time to celebrate Courtney and Lee.
At this shower, you'll need to be.
A blender, mop, or hammer, if you choose.
Help Courtney and Lee fulfill their honey-dos!

A grapevine wreath wrapped in the extension cord they registered for, along with two screwdrivers and, if you look closely, some needle nosed plyers. We also put their monogram on it to jazz it up a bit! Oh and the rake was theirs too!

Chocolate cake with chocolate dipped pretzels in planters. I ended up wishing we had done the pretzels a little longer so you could really see them but, oh well! The bride is a choco-haulic, just like her Momma!

The living room all spruced up. We used two of their patio chair covers tied to my dining room chairs for their seats.

Pics of the couple along with gardening utensils.

The table with more pics of the happy couple and tools tied to the chandelier (and adorable hostess Courtney Jane Carter Boatright who just so happens to be another of my "daughters" that married her sweetie last August! They're all growing up (tear.))

This one totally came to me in my sleep. I woke up and had to try it. I tried to think of the things we used alot of in that first year and we always seemed to be changing/buying lightbulbs. Perhaps because, in addition to being a choco-haulic, I'm also a lamp-ahaulic. Anyway, I wanted to get them lightbulbs but make it cute. This was 60 and 100 watt lightbulbs with a lighter and sprinkler that they registered for placed in one of my big vases. A little twine (I do LOVE some twine. I mean you can use that stuff for anything. It's like the string version of duct tape.) to make it fayn-cy.

I hope Courtney (yes, I have two "daughters" named Courtney) and Lee had a fab time. We can't wait until April!!!

Toddling: to walk with short, unsteady steps

2011-03-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

At fourteen months, our boy finally started walking without holding on to someone or something. I am immensely proud of him as he has finally gained a shread of independence. However, I have started to notice some things around the house have started turning up in strange places. Since Wade has been walking for 30 some odd years and we've lived together for over 5 and has never put my shoes in the tub, I can only assume the culprit is our toddler. I have yet to catch him in the act but, rest assured, when I do....I'll probably laugh alot. Here's my evidence.

My tennies in the tub.

A few books in Ev's dish drawer.

Sesame Street channel changer in the pantry.

Our Willow Tree in the towel cabinet.

My flip flop in the dirty clothes hamper.

A high heel about to take a dive into the tub.

And last but not least...a few Mardi Gras beads in my hair fixin' drawer. Now that I'm thinking about it, I do usually fix my hair without a shirt on. Hmmm (scratching chin), maybe it is Wade.

Bonny and Blithe

2011-02-25T06:45:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by saying I love birthdays. Every single thing about them. I love getting older and reflecting on everywhere I've been, everything I've seen, everyone I've met along the way. It's a fabulous life I've got going here and I can't wait to see what another year will bring. Yep, it's my birthday today, February 25. I'm 32. My typically stagnant Facebook page is blowing up. Here's a few things about my birth that you may not know...

**Disclaimer: These facts might in all actuality be total fabrications from a guilt ridden mother of a THIRD baby (two other kids ages 2 and 6.) You see, my baby book has nada in it with the exception of my name and date. I do know the date is correct because I found my crumbled up, yellow (which did not start yellow--my fave color-- if you know what I mean) birth certificate under a pile of books in the garage. Totally kidding about most of that description. I'm pretty sure it was in a file somewhere. Anywho, it's funnier when I think of it that way. You see, my bro (the eldest, golden Clairain child) had a baby book filled to the brim. Literally, bursting at the seams, you can follow when each tooth burst through his golden, perfect gums. Every single burp is documented. It's quite amazing. My sister's (middle, silver child) book has all the blanks filled in. You can quickly appreciate when she walked for the first time and other major milestones. My baby book (the bronze child?) Not so much.
Maybe for my third child (God--and Wade--willing), I just won't buy a baby book. When they grow up and ask about it, I'll make a big fuss looking everywhere for that darn scrapbook. I'll overturn pillows and pull drawers out and at the end of the day, I'll sink down on the couch despondently, sigh, and start crying that "I can't BELIEVE I would lose my child's scrapbook! It was so THOROUGH and took years to compile. Years, I tell you!" Then, I'll hug said third child and take them out for ice cream in which they will say, "Mom, it's fine. I think I remember seeing it when I was five or so and it WAS, indeed, thorough." (I'll totally show them Everett's book alot when they're little.)
Now, before you go off calling DHS or referring me to some psychologist, I had a completely FAB childhood. My Mom thrust upon us copious amounts of snuggling, hugs, kisses, and the value of healthy eating (just throwing that in there because it is VERY important but I sure didn't think that when I was a kid. No Fruit Loop ever crossed the Clairain threshold. I went to other people's houses and seriously thought white bread was a dessert until I was about 10. Appreciated habits now, terrible then.) Wow, longest disclaimer ever.**

I was born on a Sunday.
"...And the Child that is born on the Sabbath day is bonny and blithe, and good and happy." I would have to agree.
I was born right around my due date at noon(ish). Mom had always told me I was born around noon. I eventually came across a pic of the delivery room clock. Aww, how sweet. Dad was snapping away and even thought to get a photo of the time I was born. However, upon further inspection, the clock showed sometime around 5. Hold. up. Mom swears the clock was broken. What.Ever.
I was 9 pounds, 8(ish) ounces.
I was between 18 and 22 inches long.
I am a girl, though they didn't know before I came out.
I got teeth, walked, and grew up.

I always thought it was funny that I was celebrated on my birthday. Especially after having a child, I must say that shouldn't my Mom and Dad be celebrated on my birthday? Mom's the one who did all the work to get me here. They're the ones who raised me right. However, it involves cake eating so who am I to argue?

With most of my undocumented growth, it made me a tad crazy about getting all of our memories down on paper. Like ALL memories. Mom says, "Just wait until you have to chase a toddler around and have a baby. Then we'll see how much scrapbookin' you get to do." (That's why I already have a plan for my "third child's scrapbook." Bwahahaha.)
I even have a room in my house devoted to all things "crafty" (and not in the Beastie Boys Crafty sort of way.) Notice Rhett's little table on the left. I can only dream that he likes to be crafty too.

Just a couple of our scrapbooks from the last 9 years or so.

Now, some nuggets from the past.
This pic nearly brings me to tears. Mom and Dad swear it's me and not Jay or Lindsay. I think I'll believe them on this one as I'm assuming Dad's shooting the pics and Dad's weren't allowed in the delivery room for my sibs. Crazy, huh?! Look how fat my head was! Guess that explains Ev's 95 percentile noggin!

A totally happy childhood...Oops! How'd that one get in there.

Oh, wait. None of us are smiling here either. I think Fritz, the dog, is even frowning. Merry Christmas from The Clairains. Whomp, whomp.

That's more like it. Dang, that fat head again! But it was a happy fat head, no?

Now, we're happy! Cake's involved! Holla. Look at Lindsay. Acting like she's actually going to eat a sweet.

Hope everyone has as Happy a Birthday as I always have! Thanks, Mom and Dad for choosing to have me (unless I was an accident and in that case, SUCKA!)

Sigh

2011-02-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

Shoog has bilateral ear infections and RSV. He doesn't even go to daycare. He's not around any kids. Poor fella. He had to get a Rocephin shot and is now on breathing treatments. Here's praying that after his nap, he wakes up happy and refreshed...

I do NOT like to read mopey blogs with poor me, poor me so I will not elaborate on the two hours of sleep Hom and I got last night, most of which I had one eye closed, one open, one hand on Shoog's wheezy, crackly-filled chest counting respirations and contemplating if his exhalation was truly twice the time of his inhalation. Let me tell you, it is not easy for a Pediatric ICU nurse mom to treat her baby without a blood gas machine, IV, and a monitor. Maybe a ventilator and breathing tube on the standby just for safety sake. And a feeding pump with NG tube (he didn't get those thighs from fasting all day. Boy's gotta eat.) Would def need some Fentanyl and Versed for sedation as our boy isn't fond of sitting still either. Anywho.

Here's to praying for a well-napped, well baby. Gotta go now. I've got a few pulses to palpate and breath sounds to evaluate.

Make love, not war

2011-02-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

I was listening to a radio talk show on Valentine's Day and they were discussing wonderful love stories, new love, etc. Someone posed a question to the host that went something like this: "If you could give someone one piece of advice that is starting a new relationship, what would it be?" It really got me thinking. What would I advise them?

When Hom and I got married, his uncle and aunt were celebrating somewhere around 50 years of marital bliss. We were at the rehearsal dinner when Uncle J. O. walked up to his nephew. He was usually fairly light-hearted. However, at this moment, he got very serious and told Hom, "No matter what's going on, no matter what cross words you've spoken to each other, no matter what grudges you are carrying, when your eyes open in the morning and before they close every night, tell her you love her. Then, you'll last a lifetime." Homet and I have taken that advice to heart and hope to live long enough to celebrate another 45 years.

When Homet got home Valentine's Day, arms full of flowers and steaks, I offered him that question, "What would you advise new couples that want their relationship to last?"
I followed it with my already prepared answer, "I would tell them to 'not sweat the small stuff.' Most things are really not worth fighting over. "
"Huh," Hom said nodding.
"So. What would your advice be?" I pressed.
Homet, with little hesitation, smiled and stated, "Marry your best friend."
I didn't know whether to hug him or cower in shame. Here I am talking about how to fight properly and my hubs is talking about how to love properly.

Umm. That was definitely my second piece of advice.

The Home Team
11/15/2005
3 days old
Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI

Essentials 1/10

2011-02-16T04:55:00.001-08:00

Drum roll please...

1. PumpEase. If there is one sole thing that totally changed my life during that first year, it would probably be this. If you are planning on nursing or are in the process of nursing (and pumping), run out immediately and buy one. Actually, you have to order it because mine came from the Ukraine or something but….if you live in the Ukraine, run out immediately and buy one. If not, order it STAT. I used to pump while holding the little sucker things onto me. I remember our fan was on and my hair was blowing softly across my face. It tickled so much but if I let go to ITCH MY FACE, the pumping would stop. That was the final straw. Wade and I thought we were doing something wrong. Surely people don’t just stop every time they have to scratch, sneeze, etc. One of my friends informed me of this jewel after about a month of pumping. I bought one that day thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to try. I strapped it on and my life was never the same. I got the T-bird red color because I figured if I was going to do this, I was going all out. I could pump and….change Shoog, read a book, change the TV channels. The possibilities were endless. Lindsay said that if there were an Olympic sport for pumping and multitasking, I’d have won gold. I ended up giving many as gifts and they were all first time moms. Each one looked at me and said, “Umm, thanks.” (With shoulders shrugged.) It didn’t hurt my feelings though because I was smiling on the inside thinking, “Oh, Girlfriend. You. Just. Wait.” Sure enough, each recipient thanked me profusely when they got to utilize that bad boy. I even had one tell me that, with her Medela backpack pump, she’d strap on that thing, plug the battery pack in, and unload the dishwasher, vacuum, etc. That, my friends, is gold medal material if I ever heard it.

Essentials 2/10

2011-02-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

2. Baby Cubes. Many people told me that you could just use ice cube trays to store the baby food but I was confused about “popping them in a Ziploc if you want to go somewhere.” I kept thinking, “But once you’re there, you have to try to get thawed, gooey baby food out of the baggie and into a receptacle to feed babe.” I Googled baby food storage and a million things popped up. You know new moms will buy anything. I spotted these “Baby Cubes” on Amazon and thought they looked easy and reasonable priced (I’m going to stop saying I’m cheap. People will start to believe me.) The reviews were mostly positive. I remember the only negative was that they “popped open on occasion.” The only time mine popped open was if the food was too hot or the cube was too full. I got the 2 oz. 8 packs and, as I made more food (see Essential 7 & 9), ended up with about 8 trays. I tried mini Tupperwares and they just didn’t stack as tightly as I wanted. With the BC, I would stick a couple frozen ones in his diaper bag and, when we got to the restaurant, ask the waiter for a mug of hot water. I’d stick the cubes in and they’d be thawed and hot within minutes and ready to be eaten. The main thing I liked was that you could pack 1-2 if you were just going to be away for a little while but when we went to Florida, I just popped a few of the 8-pack trays in a cooler and he was fed for the week. Anyway, the Baby Cubes worked great. Also, I now use them for his snacks. I fill three up with raisins, blueberries, yogurt puffs, etc. and stick them in his diaper bag. I sometimes even pack them in my lunch for salad dressing or M & M’s (salad dressing and M & M’s??? What a bipolar choice of an example. Am I healthy or no? Keeps you on your feet.)

Essentials 3/10

2011-02-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

I remember reading a list such as this when I was pregnant. It helped me a bit and also made me conscientious, during Ev’s first year, of our needs. Without further ado (since it’s 3 months late anyway. Who am I to make my readers wait?)… I present the ten things we could NOT live without for our first year of parenthood. I’ll post them one at a time because they’ve turned into quite lengthy little guys!

3. “The Pink Bucket”—When I asked the hubs what he thought was the most valuable asset to him in E’s first year, he quickly replied, “The Pink Bucket.” I’m going to include this as one item while in all actuality it included a plethora of goodies. It was our portable diaper changing station. At the hospital, we’ve all seen those plastic, flimsy pink tubs. Everyone gets one (or ten) when you are admitted into the hospital. Well, when we were being discharged, we were packing up our room, sorting, throwing things away, etc. We came across two pink buckets (I’m pretty sure they were given to me because I thought I was going to hurl when I reached 9-10 cm but I never did. I promise we didn’t take home a used puke bucket.) Anyway, I was about to toss it when Wade said to just pack the extra diapers and wipes they had given us in it so that we’d have some way to carry a bit of the extra stuff. When we got settled in, it ended up finding a little home with the Watts. We filled it with about 7-10 diapers, a box of wipes, some A & D ointment/ Boudreaux’s, and a changing pad. We would keep it in the living room or our room and would tuck it away when guests came. It was easy to just whip out the changing pad and do our stuff wherever the need arose instead of having to run back to his nursery changing table. We also used it when he got out of the bath because he always bathed and got ready for bed in our room and bathroom. I’m sure they have cute portable diaper caddies but seriously that pink bucket worked like a dream and was the perfect size.

Essentials 4/10

2011-02-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

Essentials 5/10

2011-02-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

10. Co-sleeper. As most of you know, I am a Pediatric Intensive Care nurse. I see a lot of really sad, tragic stuff on a daily basis. It’s a wonder I don’t make Everett wear a helmet for his daily risky behaviors (such as walking, bathing, and eating.) I vowed to never, ever let my infant sleep in our bed. I’m not going into detail because we’ve all heard the horror stories but, guys, I will say it happens all the time to good parents. When Ev was still waking every 3 hours throughout the night to nurse, he was in the pack-n-play beside my bed. Around 10 weeks, he started sleeping through the night. I remember him getting a set of shots that made him run a fever. I was too nervous to put him ALL THE WAY IN HIS NURSERY (ummm. about 19 steps away.) We put this co-sleeper in the bed between us and he was protected. Also, I was able to wake up throughout the night and check on him. He got three ear infections between 6 and 11 months causing high fevers and we did the same thing. Another way we used it was when we’d travel. Instead of taking the whole pack-n-play, we’d just make sure the hotel was giving us a king size bed and put him between us. I’m not real sure why we were so picky about it in the hotel as we only have queen size at home. Anyway, with this, I felt like he was always protected from us while still allowing him to sleep in our bed on occasion. It has rigid, padded sides about halfway down. You cannot roll over this unless you are comatose (and if you are comatose and rolling you need to be in a medical study.) The only negative is that it's only about 24 inches long and has a rigid, padded foot rest. After only a couple months, our boy was propping his feet on top of the foot rest because he was too long. We finally just gut a slit in the side of the foot thing and pulled out the rigid piece, allowing the bottom to just lie flat.

Our model at a few months old:

Essentials 6/10

2011-02-08T07:27:00.001-08:00

6. Humor/Laughter. Oh, my hubs and I. We love to laugh. I must say we went into the parenting thing with a really good relationship. Parenting a newborn is NOT for sissies. If you are tumultuous prior to baby, just wait for the fireworks to begin after! Wade and I agree that when Shoog starts screaming or crying (which even perfect babies do), the tension in the room goes up ten-fold. Even if there was not a blip of tension before the fit, there will be during and after. It goes up twenty-fold if you are in a car. Just ask my Mom and Sis about our Oxford trip. Oh, Lawsy, was that a doozy. Definitely the lowest point of my Mom’s cancer battle by far. Anyway, Wade and I decided early on that when we are tested the most, we might as well laugh or else we’d cry. Going into parenthood with a light heart is ESSENTIAL. Every family is different but with ours…nothing was set in stone, we had no rigid rules to go by, etc. It worked for us. I was thinking of some times when we were really challenged in that first year. I kept thinking of little episodes such as peeing on our bed (Ev, not us), spitting up on the carpet of a house we were looking to buy (and didn’t. Shhh), or the growth spurts that required every hour nursing. None of them really compared to the poop/Halloween/white costume instance. It’s the best occasion I can think of where “Laughter (truly) was the best medicine.”

Here goes: It was the week before Halloween and we decided to do the Halloween activities in our community instead of trick-or-treating with a 1 year old (also I was working Halloween anyway). That left us with our church fall carnival and our community’s trunk-or-treat. Well, both grandmothers and my sister decided to go with us to the community party as it was E’s first experience with dressing up. You see, as I imagine a lot of mothers do (I am not a freak on this, right?), I bought E’s costume oh…about….August. I was so excited. It was a stark white (my first mistake but I actually did think that if he spits up milk, it will totally blend.) He looked adorable and so angelic in his little astronaut suit. It was even personalized with ‘Watts’ (cheapness rears it’s ugly head again-I wouldn’t put Everett so that I could use it with a second child. Hehehe.) Anyway, we get to the event and it was windy and cold. The dirt lot was jam-packed. Wade had said in route that he “smelled something.” Well, we decided to just change him in the lot before taking him onto the fun. OH. MY. GOSH. Wade went to get him out of the carseat and stuck his hand in a whole mess of junk. He, quickly, retracted his hand and we knew we were in for it. Luckily, I had thought to just put him in the white onesie so that we could dress him when we got there. I mean, I wouldn’t have wanted to ride in a carseat in an astronaut costume. His “dinner deposit” was EVERYWHERE. It was all over the onesie, the entire carseat was covered at the bottom, up his back almost in his hair, you get the idea. Wade took him out and put him in the back of our SUV to start cleaning (we were at a park, no bathrooms). Well, God forbid, I only packed about 100 wipes b/c this was a 300 wipe mess. We ran out about ¾ of the way through with cleaning him. I decided at that moment that if I was a single mom, we would have bolted in our poop mess, gone home, gotten in the tub, and called it a night. However, his gmoms and aunt had come for the big event (and were rolling on the dirt lot laughing at us. I’m pretty sure there were some pee-pants in that crowd. Just sayin.) so we didn’t want to disappoint. Long story short (well, this isn’t exactly short) but we finally got him presentable and had a grand old time. Got back to the car, still freezing, and, yep, stuck him right in the carseat with the poop that we had no wipes to clean…in his angelic white suit. Ugh. We just laughed and wouldn’t touch anything the entire ride home (or let E touch a thing.) There was NO candy swapping/eating in our car that ride. Anyway, the moral is: it does zero good to dramatize or weep in a situation because it’s making a memory, making a story to tell at his wedding. It’s just life. Laugh through it or else you’ll cry…and nobody wants to be around a crybaby.

Essentials 7/10 addendum

2011-02-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

One of my faithful readers and friends, M Buff, just sent me this pic. I guess she felt sorry for the black tinted wine glass pic. This was probably taken sometime in July of last year on one of my marathon baby food days. Goes to show how much I loved my stacked steamer. I was even giving her a little squeeze!

Essentials 7/10

2011-02-07T04:59:00.000-08:00

7. Stacked steamer. Not much to say about this other than the fact that it goes along with the 11-cup Cusinart when I say it made baby food making much easier. Most fruits and veggies have to be steamed prior to food processing them. When I wanted to do a few batches. I could load this bad boy up, put a couple other things on the stove, and really whip out some food. My sister gave it to me years before because I’m a steamed broccoli-haulic. I used it a few times but always found it rather cumbersome for ‘just broccoli.’ Oh, man, it has found it’s identity now. That thing can steam some stuff. Also, if the steaming times are different, I would just take that rack out to start food processing it and load another food in it to start steaming. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about a steamer so much in my life. I’m done now. It’s fab though. Okay, now I’m really done.

Obviously, this is not a pic of my actual steamer but it is the same kind I have. I've never tried to steam fish, broccoli, corn, carrots, and potatoes at the same time. I guess the wine is placed in the pic to really show how entertaining steaming can be. "You just put your colorful, fay-ncy food in there, pour you a glass of ummm red wine in a black tinted glass and Voila! Dinner!" I would think it would drip fish juices down on your corn and broccoli and really be a buzz kill but....

Are you ready for some football?!?!

2011-02-06T12:00:00.001-08:00

This guy is...

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! It's a holiday around this house!

Essentials 8/10

2011-02-06T06:19:00.000-08:00

8. MMO. Ev started Mother’s Morning Out when he was almost ten months old. I only work two days a week. When I’m working, my MIL, Mom, sister, or friend Mollie stay with him. I was starting to feel like he had no interaction with other kids. Also, let’s be perfectly honest…he was starting to get around, not sleeping quite as much, and I couldn’t get ANYthing done around the house. MMO is 3 hours, twice a week. He has 3 other kids in his class. He has 2 fabulous teachers. The first time I dropped him off, I was in shock that I could just go to the grocery, shower, or even get my nails done on occasion. Let me tell you, though, that 3 hours flies by!

Essentials 9/10

2011-02-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

I remember reading a list such as this when I was pregnant. It helped me a bit and also made me conscientious, during Ev’s first year, of our needs. Without further ado (since it’s 3 months late anyway. Who am I to make my readers wait?)… I present the ten things we could NOT live without for our first year of parenthood. I’ll post them one at a time because they’ve turned into quite lengthy little guys!

9. Cuisinart. I was a baby food making junkie. I never bought jarred food and really enjoyed cooking for my boy. However, I started the process with a mini Cuisinart and it would take me all day to make one weeks worth of food. You have to steam most foods before you food process them so the entire process of steaming/broiling, peeling, food processing a cup at a time, labeling and storing food, then cleaning out mini Cuisinart for next food was taking forever. We purchased an 11-cup Cuisinart and I was able to do the entire batch of apples, squash, etc. in one push of the button. It was SO incredibly easy. The hardest part of the whole process was finding a few straight hours to devote to it a month. I had a few good friends that would come over and entertain our boy while I cooked. I could spend about 3 hours in the kitchen and make/store enough food for Ev for over a month. I really liked knowing exactly what he was eating. Also, on a side note, I’m a complete cheapskate and those baby food jars are EXPENSIVE! One month I totaled up what I purchased and prepared and it came to $22 for over a month of baby food. Holla!

My trusty mini: (on another side note: I LOVE kitchen gadgets and such. I actually begged for this little guy for our first Valentine's as a married couple. Wade tried to refuse saying it wasn't very "Valentinsey" but I told him, "If you want to make your Valentine happy, get the adorable mini. Please and Thank You.")

Mini's big brother. Though I don't make much of E's food anymore as he now eats most of what we eat, I still use this bad boy at least once a week. It can grate a 16 oz block of cheese in 30 seconds flat. No lie. Super handy with the pimento cheese making. I don't remember how much we paid for this but I do remember we got a great deal on it from Kohl's. Man, I am really revealing my cheapness in this post.

This was one of my first times to make his food. We bought a deep freezer for times such as this with the hypothetical second child. If anyone has any better ideas to store breast milk, throw those hints in here for me too. I would freeze 3 oz in each bag, lie them flat to take up less space, then stack in Coke cases in chronological order.

Essentials 10/10

2011-02-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

10. Pacifiers. I tried to follow all the rulebooks on when the best time to introduce the ole nuk into our boy’s life. If I recall correctly, you aren’t supposed to introduce the paci to breast fed babies for at least 2 weeks. Something about nipple confusion. I could’ve recited you the entire article a year ago, with references. Oh, how things change. I lectured Wade and anyone else within earshot about NOT giving my baby a paci. Well, we did fine the first week and he was pretty good at self-pacification with the hand or fist. Then, week two began and our boy had his first growth spurt. By the third day, I was nursing every 30 minutes. I remember meeting Wade at the door when he got home from work. I was exhausted. Five o’clock could not have come fast enough. Ev had a paci in his mouth and was just as quiet and angelic as ever. “I give up,” was all I had to say. He was happy and so was I. Turns out he just needed SOMETHING to suck on, regardless of what it was. A monster was created that day, as our boy is now a big fan of the “noonie”. In fact, we are working on weaning it and this SUCKS. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Random Thoughts

2011-01-27T13:47:00.001-08:00

It gets on my last nerve when people say that the baby was 7 1/2 pounds when it was actually7.5 pounds. "You crazy Americans will never understand the metric system!" (said with a strong French accent.) People, there are 16 ounces in a pound. This means that if the baby is 7.5 pounds then it is actually 7 pounds, 8 ounces. You see?

My boy is still taking two naps a day. Usually about an hour after breakfast and two hours in the afternoon. Everywhere I've read and everyone I've talked to said that between one year and 18 months, they typically drop the morning nap. I'm really dreading the day he doesn't take a morning nap. One question: How the heck am I supposed to shower in peace?

The Watts had the stomach bug this week. Let.me.tell.you. It ain't nice. Ev had a few nasty diapers and went through three pairs of pajamas Sunday night but we just thought it was something he ate. He acted totally normal. By lunch Monday, Homet was home and sick as a dog. I was at work so my awesome in-laws picked up the little guy and took him to Talullah for a couple days to try to keep him away from his Dad. By Tuesday night, I had some projectile stuff going on. As soon as I got back in bed (just after midnight) my phone rand and my MIL was almost in tears saying she had just gotten sick. I assured her that no matter our condition, we would pick up our boy in the AM. By Wednesday, we were feeling mighty puny. All of us, except ole Ev. He was raring to go. It is tough taking care of a one year old when all you want to do is curl up and die even when you have both parents home. Now, excuse me while I go write a few thank you notes to co-workers for filling in for me Wednesday. I'm fairly certain they wouldn't have wanted me there anyway.

A matter of perspective

2011-01-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

A couple of views from right outside my back door...

A couple of views from right inside my back door...

If this life is a dream, don't wake me up. Thanks.

First Haircut...Checkity Check

2011-01-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

Shortly after Christmas, our boy's hair was noted to be a bit on the shaggy side. Since I vowed to do his first year in DETAILED scrapbooking, this blog will have to chronical everything thereafter. Sorry, son. This pic cracks me up because you can see the poor little haircutter lady in the mirror attempting to make Ev smile. He just thought she was kinda strange.

He kept looking at me as if he was thinking, "Why is she all in my personal space?"

A little Elmo distraction.

Almost done! He looks like a goob here with the combed front do but I promise when it was fixed, he was a handsome fella. He was just in a foul mood at that point so the only pics we have are him throwing a fit (with his totally adorable haircut.)

Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-dog open sleigh!

2011-01-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

Everett is the only biological grandchild on both sides, you see. This makes him, what would we call it? Um, yeah, spoiled rotten. His Grandpa Tilford (Wade's Dad) decided this Christmas that Ev needed his own sleigh. He actually ordered a sleigh but something happened with backorders, etc. Anyway, what pure-bred Southern boy doesn't have a sleigh, he asked? Well, he went about rigging up one for our boy to match what he had always wanted as a boy. From the sounds of things, I can only imagine this will get more elaborate as Shoog gets older. This was what he had this year. Mr. Tilford had "trained his reindeer", Bailey, to ride Ev around in his jog stroller with a harness. None of us were brave enough to actually let Bailey take off on her own as there are alot of black bears in this neck of Louisiana and we'd like to keep Shoog a while longer. Without further ado, I give you: Everett and Grandpa Tilford's one-dog open sleigh, featuring the most patient dog alive, Bailey...

Ev was quite a fan!

See you later, alligator.

2011-01-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

Saying good bye to our old house. Bye-Bye, living room.

Bye Bye, nursery. Oh, I was such a hot mess.

A bit of catching up

2011-01-20T10:33:00.001-08:00

So we finally moved into our new home last week and have been BUSY moving, straightening, cleaning, etc. After going without a computer for over a month, I realized how much I miss this blogging business (and Billpay. and deleting obnoxious friends off Facebook. Anywho.) I could blog all day and post a million pics since the last post but I'll just leave you with a few gems from Christmas.
All bundled up in Canton. Could you not just eat up those dark eyes?!?!

"Light!" His newest fave word during Christmas.

His expression when he opened every gift. Literally. Every. Gift.

A memoir

2010-11-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

I typically don't blog about the stuff that I scrapbook as it's a little more personal. However, tonight, as boxes pile slowly (Ugh--so slowly. Anyone want to come move us?) around me, I'm feeling quite sentimental. Thus, my three readers get a glimpse into my thoughts...

Oh, this house. We have always dreamt of having something bigger and nicer. We have been saving from soon after we got married for our “house on the hill.” However, now that our house has sold, I’m getting a little sad and sentimental about our first home. This was the first house your Dad ever bought, the home that I moved into after your Dad and I married, this was the home in which we brought you, our first born home from the hospital. This house is oozing love, memories, fun times, laughter, and all sorts of “firsts.” It will always hold such a special place in our hearts. It is just big enough for the three of us. It’s big enough that we aren’t under each other’s feet but small enough that you can’t get away from each other! This home has been the place where all worldly worries fade and the important things become the focus. Work is forgotten and dreams are realized. The Home Team has actually become a team under this roof. When the builder of this house was putting brick to brick and linoleum down (yep, linoleum) he couldn’t have anticipated the wonderfulness that would take place in these 1300 square feet. We will always fondly remember this wonderful, simple, small sanctuary. 702 Oak Lawn Lane, thank you.

One year. Ups and downs

2010-11-16T11:14:00.000-08:00

Ups go first:
Our boy is 24 lbs. (75th percentile), 34 inches (95th percentile), and 90th percentile in noggin size (that means he's real smart even though he won't wave or clap. Argh. What one year old refuses to wave or clap? I mean, he shows me his belly button to tickle, he'll high five, and will even give me the "tough guy face" on command. Why not a simple wave? I digress.)

The downs:
While he is RSV negative, he was noted to have some crackles and wheezes (lung sounds that aren't good.) He probably has a bit of bronchiolitis and will have to be watched closely for the next few days. He's also got some fluid in one of his ears but it's small so if he spikes a temp, it is probably another ear infection. This is for all you formula and day care moms out there: I breastfed for the full year and he didn't even start a mother's morning out program until around 8 months and it's only twice a week. He'll be on his 4th ear infection. Ugh. Just goes to show that no matter what you try to do to protect these buggers, it really comes down to luck, family history, and neurotic hand washing (although sometimes that doesn't even work.)
I just realized my "downs" paragraph was way longer. That's just sad. Here's some more "ups."

--He's not in the hospital and I will keep it that way with lots of fluids and fruits and veggies (and neurotic hand washing.)
--He's going to his first college football game for Thanksgiving, The Egg Bowl. I'm pretty fired up. I'm just hoping that after 5 minutes, when he's over it, I'll have a willing babysitter (read: Granna) to take him home so that we can actually watch the game. Don't worry, she doesn't like football either.
--Speaking of Granna: she looks like a picture of health. She's almost totally given up Diet Coke and replaced it with....wait for it...aww yeah...WATER! My Mom is the bomb. Next, she's going to join a gym sometime this month.
--I'm looking at 8 houses Friday and have already fallen in love with one last week. I'm making sure it's THE house before we make a bid.
--My Mother in law is awesome. I just thought I'd throw that in there because, well, frankly, she is. Also, I think it's pretty rare to have a MIL that you love and I am totally crazy about her.
--The wall came down at work. For those of you that work with us or even within a 50 mile radius of us, you'll know how big this is. We've been working in a construction zone for over 6 months now and we were over it. The new rooms are so nice and state of the art. Can't wait to see it tomorrow!!
There we go. Lots of ups!

Humor me.

2010-11-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

I am fired up. Really. Our house just sold. It was on the market 35 days. We're even going to make a little change on it in the process. HOWEVER, I was not expecting for the "grass is surely greener" side. First off, I love our starter home. It is the perfect size for us. If we want another rugrat, that's another story, but for us, it's fab. It's so cozy and is in the perfect location. We are within 2 miles of restaurants, grocery, our gym, E's Mother's Morning Out, Lindsay, Mom, ice cream (oops!), etc. We're only 10 minutes from my work and about 5 minutes from Wade's work. This is the house Wade bought when we were dating, the house we moved in after we married, and the house in which we brought our first born home from the hospital. I do NOT love our neighborhood, lack of yard, and I'm not super keen on the school district. Thus, back to the fired up about selling our little home. I have looked at over 10 homes in two days for us to buy. Who knew people, in general, are messy folk? Wade and I found ourselves almost putting a bid down on a house just because it was actually clean. Never mind the fact that the entire backyard was a HUGE pool and we have a one year old. Almost every house we have looked in is a mess with "projects" throughout. I'm not even talking change the paint color. We're talking change out crown molding (with an emphasis on the molding part), sand and refinish hardwood floors, knock down walls. We will be homeless as of December 17th. Yep, just before Christmas. The guy accepted our counter offer on the price of the house but not the date of closing. We took the money and quit fussing. Anyway, I keep trying to think how fortunate we are that we actually sold our house in this market. I know a lot of people would like to be in this predicament. Someone call the wambulance. I'm back to being grateful that our house sold without hassle. Thanks for allowing me to get it off my chest.

First Birthday

2010-10-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

I love a good craft project. However, with Shoog's first birthday, maybe I got in a bit over my head. I am making all the decor which includes a "Happy Birthday" banner, his invites, sewed his birthday pants (Mom says if all the stitching falls out, it really will be his birthday suit. Harharhar. I got a lot of confidence from her.), his scrapbook actually up to date for the big day, and his guitar cake/smash cake. I won't even go into all the pics that'll be decorating the place. And this is just a little family get together. I LOVE this stuff but it makes me sad that it's actually stressing me out more than anything. With the help of two awesome people tonight (Holla, Aunt L and Aunt Buff), I finally got it almost done. His birthday's in a week and a half but I work the next five. I think on the day after he turns one, I'll take a deep breath (read: drink a glass of wine), sit back, and start slowly planning for NUMERO TWO (as in second birthday, not a second child. Simmer down, Grandmas.) Anyway, here's a snap shot that went out with his invites. The theme is Sheriff/Cowboy. Ever since E could hold his head up, Wade "rides" him on his knees and does this whole monologue about E being the Sheriff "out west." Here's a snippet, "In my town, there'll be no horn-swagglin', loan jumpin' (very appropriate in these economic times), or scallywaggin'. But what will be tolerated is whiskey and wild women." Yeah, we'll have to change it up a bit soon with that last part now that he's starting to understand us but nonetheless... I actually printed the pic in sepia so all the rando colors weren't so distracting but I'm not super computer savvy so you'll just have to be distracted. Also, here's the poem I wrote for the occasion.

Howdy, Folks!

It's been a great year for our buckaroo.
We'd like to throw down and wish you would too.
He won't arrest you. Have no fear.
Unless you're an outlaw, well, then I wouldn't come near.

Saddle up, Folks, we're circling the wagons.
Keep those boots up, don't let them go draggin'.
We're ropin' you in, it's time for some fun.
Because Sheriff Everett is turnin' ONE!

You can keep your comments to yourself. It took me at least an hour to come up with it so if you have nothing nice to say, shut your pie hole.

Summer is over (ugh.)

2010-09-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Well, after hearing about all my friends' wonderful beach trips all summer, it was finally time for the Watts/Clairain/Felder/Hill family beach trip. I never thought it'd get here. We had to wait until September this year secondary to a beautiful little addition to our family, Evan (my cousin's baby), scheduled to make his arrival in August. Don't think for one second his Grandmother was going to miss that! Anyway, we had a great time. Everett LOVED the Gulf. He thought the waves were hysterical and would laugh every time they came at him. He was mostly indifferent about the sand. He did great though and would stay out there in his little shaded pool for a couple hours everyday, happy as a little clam. He also (finally) got his first tooth the first day we were there. Just a little bitty white speck on his bottom jaw. Anyway, here's a few pics.
Not real sure why he's pulling on his nipple here...

Fam beach shot. I was about 26 weeks preggers with him last year during our trip. How time flies.

On another note, we put our house on the market the day after we got back. I am a bit nervous but trying to be excited. Neither Wade nor I have ever sold a house and he's only bought the one we're in. I've never actually purchased one since we were just dating when he bought this one. Anyway, here comes another chapter!

Splish Splash

2010-09-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

I know most of you probably don't care what goes on at the Watts' home somewhere between the hours of 6:30-7:30 every night. However, for those of you who are interested (read: Granna, Grandma Patty, Aunt L, and probably Aunt Buff) here's a chronological photo set just for you. Yep, it's BATHTIME. Since our boy was days old, he's LOVED bath. For the first 6 months of his life, I bathed with him and loved it. As he grew mobile though, my free time got more precious. Thus, this job is happily (for Hom and I) delegated to Ev's doting Daddy. Don't think I'm off lying on the couch or anything though. I'm usually cleaning our dinner dishes. Wade allowed me in our their sacred ritual to snap a few candids. ((Side note: Who knew that Wade sings "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" during his bath every night? No clue why.)) Anyway, without further ado, I give you....Bath time for men

First, you gotta run some hot water.
Only tough guys take baths.

Then, you gotta get the clothes and diaper off (throw in a little tickling for kicks).

Every night that's rolled since we first bathed Everett, Wade has done this. It's kind of a big deal.

"Let's stop and look how handsome we are today."
On the infrequent night that I bathe Ev, Wade checks to make sure I "looked how handsome we were today."

Then we're off to get our scrub on. Land of a Thousand Dimples. Bring on the wedding photo montage. His future wife is gonna love this.

Spend a few minutes playing with our bath toys. Gotta have a boat. Did I mention that his Great Grandfather, Uncle, and cousins were Riverboat pilots?

And finally, the drying. In this pic, Wade is chanting Ev's wrestling chant. I swear we don't watch wrestling but my hubs has quite the imagination. Shoogie Shug is Ev's "wrestling name."
"And now, in the white corner, weighing in at two zero point two pounds from the great magnolia state of Mississippi. The Master of Disaster, the Minister of Mischief, the Iotola of Rock and Rolla, The King of Sting.....SHOOGIE SHUG!!! Shoogie! Shoogie! Shoogie!" Again, no clue.

A funny thing happened...

2010-09-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

in labor and delivery. Yeah, you read that right. Here's one of those stories that people often nod their head and state, "Only me." This is the truth according to my orthopedic doctor. I can't decide whether to laugh or cry about it so I'll share it here in order to make light of it. Maybe then it will seem funnier. Probably not.

It all started when I decided I wanted a drug-free delivery with my children. My Mom had done it with me and my brother (and I was 9 lb. 8 oz.). Now, don't get me wrong, I would never break my leg and ask for no pain meds but I had always wanted to feel the true pain of labor. It is LABOR after all. I told my doctor my intentions but that I would do whatever I could to keep the baby the safest. If that meant pitocin, epidural, etc. I'd do it against my wishes in order to get baby and mom home in the best condition. Well, my labor went exactly according to my plans. Water broke at 10 pm, at hospital by 11:30 (having 3 minute contractions but still felt the need to shower and straighten hair). By the time they checked me at 11:30, I was already 4 cm. By 0509, I was starting to push. That's when things got a little hairy. I pushed. and pushed. and pushed. I had to play a sort of "tug-of-war" with the nurses to push in the right spot. The nurse held a towel and I pulled with all my might against it. Some say that a doctor won't let you push in excess of 2 hours. For some docs, it's a 3 hour cutoff before they take you for a C section. I'm assuming because I'd labored that long successfully with no drugs and my doc knew my intentions, she didn't opt for a section. Maybe she knew I was getting close. Anyway, I pushed for 3 hours and 15 minutes exactly (0824) when my beautiful, healthy barely cone-headed boy emerged into this world. Now, I've talked to friends that had an epidural and "pushed 3 times and out popped the baby." Well, (while jealous) that's not the way my story was intended to be written and I wouldn't change it (but, God, if you're listening, it sure would be nice to only push like maybe 2 hours for the next kiddo. Just saying.) Anyway, I was cleaning up my hospital room by 10 am in preparation for visitors and felt great. I was sore all over which I would imagine is normal. A week later, things were starting to feel normal again except this nagging left shoulder pain. I assumed it was because I was holding babe with my left arm more because I'm right handed and needed it free to write, unload dishes, and all the other things multitasking moms do. Anyway, a few months go by and I tried to be more diligent about swapping him to each arm but to no avail. When Everett was about 7 months, I offhandedly mentioned it to my internal medicine doctor. I showed him what hurt and he referred me to an orthopedic doctor. The Ortho doctor then asked if it was a sports injury, accident, etc. Imagine his surprise when I casually mentioned it was from labor. Anyway, after weeks of physical therapy, a contrasted MRI (OUCH) revealed that I have multiple longitudinal tears in my bicep with some fluid accumulation along with tendonosis. He said the only cure was to scope my shoulder, cut out the "bad spot", and "tie the good ends together." Sounds easy peasey, right? Yeah, if it's not your shoulder. Anyway, so while I bull-headedly opted out of the damn epidural, I now have a torn bicep to show for it. I keep having to tell myself that it would have happened anyway. Ortho doc has allowed me to put surgery off until early next year since I have to have my thyroid out next month and my shoulder is non-emergent. I would give a moral to this story but, honestly, I don't have one. Maybe you guys can help me out and, no, I still would opt out of the epidural. Sorry. They don't call me stubborn for nothing.

MMO

2010-08-31T13:28:00.000-07:00

So I have been looking forward to Everett being in a Mother's Morning Out program since before I knew Everett was an Everett. I just think it's a great way to ease into socialization without being in daycare 5 days a week. Plus, with me only working 2 days a week, daycare seems silly. Anyway, we had meet the teachers Monday and Ev had a ball exploring his room. He seemed shocked that people come in his size too. On the other hand, I might actually be able to wash/fold clothes, cook dinner, shower, or any other crazy things I want to do for those precious 3 hours. Well, I've been working several days in a row lately and got a bit behind on things so....
I will be spending Ev's first day at MMO.......making him food, putting up his outgrown clothes, and scrapbooking in a book that only his wife will ever appreciate. Oh well, in two weeks I've already scheduled an eyebrow wax and pedicure. The spa laughed at me because I was planning "so far ahead of time." If they only knew.

9 months

2010-08-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

This just sums up what my life has been the last few weeks...

Our boy can pull up, cruise, and crawl now. Anyone else out there have a kid who could walk before he had teeth? That just seems strange to me.
Also, for those checking in on my Mom...she's officially (again) cancer free. She went to Vanderbilt last week and had her "enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes" biopsied and guess what?? They were simply enlarged because of her two lobectomies. We knew this was a possibility but thought it an outside chance. Looks like we should have believed. You'd think we'd be used to believing in the unlikely, being Saints fans and all. Speaking of Saints....first game tonight! Whoop whoop! It's amazing how short the off season seems when your team plays in the final game of the season.

Body Parts

2010-07-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Just a little photo shoot with my boy in the hopes of never forgetting the little baby parts that make him mine.
Those legs. Oh, those legs. This close-up would be a right thigh. He's actually not that big of a baby and usually falls in the 50% range for his age based on weight. However, those thighs are pure fatty goodness. I could pinch on them all day. He even has fat on the front of his leg. We call it his "knee pads."

The hair? He got from his Daddy (or was it Granna?) At first, we thought the wild mane came from his Dad. However, since my Mom's hair has started growing back after chemo and revealed a plethora of cowlicks, we aren't sold it's Daddy's fault. I call this his "Hurricane Katrina cowlick." I mean check out that rotation.

Those fat hands. They are constantly reaching for something. I have long fingers, good for basketball and such. His Dad's are short and fat, good for...um....massaging my back. Yeah. Anyway, the boy's got his Daddy's hands. Hope he likes soccer because a basketball star is not likely in the cards.

Chin decor... There's always something hanging on that little fat chin. It might be spit, carrots, pears, milk, etc. but it's always something. It's like a dog's tongue. If it ain't wet, he's probably sick.

Those yummy cheeks. I've often wondered if he had a "kiss counter" attached to them what the tally would be daily. Who would kiss him the most when I'm working? His Dad? Grandma Patty? His total has got to be in the millions already. Oh the things those cheeks have seen.

Mom

2010-07-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't keep up with my Mom's caringbridge site...
After 29 days of believing this monster named cancer was gone, we got confirmation that there were about 5 "enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes." This is basically medical jargon for, "Crap, the cancer is likely back and has now spread to her lymph system." We met with Mom's oncologist in Oxford a few weeks ago and he recommended biopsies. So there she and Bert go again to Vanderbilt. She will have a bronchoscopy (camera down her throat) to visualize and biopsy the nodes. Ugh.
It's crazy for me to imagine a life without my Mom. We talk several times a day. She is the model of the Mother that I want to be and, with her gentle guidance, think I have been in Everett's 9 months. She is the most influential person in my life. Literally, from when I was born and she gave birth to 9 lb, 8 oz ME with no drugs. She claimed"it wasn't so bad." Thus, began my quest to labor drug free. While Ev was 7 lb, 5 oz, it was the most beautiful 10 hours of my entire life and I would do it again in a heartbeat. She kissed all of my bobos and spanked me when I deserved it (yes, Mom, I DID deserve it.) I can't imagine my children (future, god willing, and present) not knowing her. The tears have dried since the most current news as they always do. I cry for days and question how the body can lose so much water and not just shrivel up. Then, we accept the news and come up with the next plan. This is the bearable part...having a plan. Please keep my Mom and Bert in your prayers tomorrow as we start another phase of this horrible journey.

10 things...

2010-07-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

We've had quite a draining few weeks in the Watts' household so I've been thinking of 10 things I am especially thankful for today. I encourage you to do the same!

1. My son is 8 1/2 months old and still does not have a tooth in his head. Why am I thankful for this? I still nurse him about 3 times a day and, since before he was born, have been dreading that first bite.

2. My Mom is alive today. It's been a roller coaster 18 months and it isn't over yet but, for today, she's alive and well...and did I mention that she just closed on a house 1.5 miles from me? Whoop whoop. Driving to Oxford was getting old since Everett can make it exactly 2 hours in the car before totally losing it and Oxford is right at 2 1/2. Not a fun last half hour.

3. My husband, my Homie. We met under the strangest of circumstances but he is the most perfect person for me.

4. The hours 8pm-10pm. I love my boy but I totally cherish when he crashes around 8pm every night. Wade and I have two hours of quiet bliss. We can have a glass of wine and talk, watch TV, or even hang from the chandeliers. The world is our oyster...for two hours.

5. My Dad is finally getting his house built on his land. I am ridiculous proud of him. He's been planning this for 3 years and is finally making his dreams come true.

6. My in-laws. You know, I've realized not many people are crazy about their in-laws. I love mine almost as much as my own parents. They are so wonderful to me and treat me like their own. Also, I am so thankful for the way they raised their boy to be the man he is to me, Dad he is to my son.

7. The heat. Yep, I said it. I love summer so much. I hate cold. During the winter, I always tell God that I'll never complain about the heat if he'll just make winter shorter and milder. During the summer, when it's 100+ for 12 days straight, I keep my little mouth closed and thank God for the sun. I think, "It could be worse. It could be 31 degrees."

8. This sounds so lame but I am thankful for Facebook. I live 3 hours from most of my family. I love that I can keep up with my cousin's day-to-day activities. Before, we would see each other about twice a year and they always felt like lovable strangers. Now, I know that my cousin's middle boy, Carson, graduated from kindergarten and saw the adorable pics to prove it. I would have never seen that a few years ago.

9. My job. Oh, don't get me started on how much I love my job. I'm an RN in the Pediatric ICU at Batson and have been for over 8 years now. It is what I was born to do. This sounds so strange but I LOVE to be the support to families going through the worst times in their lives. I leave most days feeling like I eased a little of the pain they were going through. Plus--you should hear some of the stories I have witnessed over the years. Here's a nugget from last week:
Me: Oh I love your baby's chunky legs! (as I squeezed on those adorable baby fat legs. you know the ones.)
Mom: Yeah, he got those from my Mom. She got fat thighs. (Dad nodded in agreement beside her but kept his trap shut.)
Niiiiccceee.

10. My gym nursery. It took me over 6 months to get okay leaving Everett there but, now, oh the freedom! I can go work out for 2 hours without a care in the world. It's especially nice now that it's so hot outside (not that I'm complaining) but it was getting almost impossible to run in 100 degree weather. Not to mention, I didn't want to take Rhett out in that heat.

This is just 10, not my top 10. God's up there somewhere but he needs no elaboration. What are 10 things you're thankful for today?

Seven

2010-06-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

Our boy is seven months old and scary close to crawling. Ugh. How did this...

happen so fast?

Zerbert=blowing on baby's belly/side/anywhere else that might be ticklish that day, baby laughing hysterically, Mom snapping pictures furiously, rinse & repeat. Why does this never get old?

Rhett's Freezer

2010-05-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is just ridiculous...

The top shelf would be the result of a Marathon Baby Food Making Day Wednesday. My dear friend, Mollie, came over and held my Boy so that I could focus on peeling, steaming, and food processing. I now have over 50 servings of pears, apples, zucchini, carrots, squash, peas, green beans, and sweet potatoes. I did all this in under 3 hours and for around $20. Not too shabby. The bottom shelf is only God knows how many packages of breast milk. Since Everett's eating 2 meals a day now, I have alot more to save. Also, I'm having surgery in July and can't feed him for at least 2 days. I'm not supposed to hold him for 2 weeks after either. We still have 6 months until my year goal. Thus, I'm now a breastmilk hoarder.

Baptisms, Tornadoes, and sitting up

2010-05-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from recent (major) events in our family...
Everett's Baptism...

We were delighted to have our two FAVE preachers involved in Everett's baptism. These two are really important to us because they have helped our family through so many things. Richard (on the right) was my preacher in high school. He was the solid rock during my crazy senior year and was usually one of the first persons at my side during the hard stuff. Eight years later, I asked him to be a part of the happiest day in my life (since he'd helped me through the worst days), November 11, 2005...the day I married my Homet. He also did all of our pre-marriage counseling. Two years later, we joined his church in Madison, Parkway Hills UMC. He will retire this summer which saddens me deeply but makes me happy for him. The one on the left is my one and only stepdad, Bert. He's married to my Mom and is the other preacher that married Wade and I. I don't even know where to start in how much he means to us. He's already retired but came out of retirement this one day to baptize his grandboy.

Don't know why my eyes are closed. Maybe I was praying that Everett wouldn't throw up on Richard's pretty robe.

Rook's fan club!

The next day, we found this at Dad's land. This was the path of the 2 mile wide tornado.

Dad's new barn. He just completed this project about 8 months ago. There was only half a wall standing.

Fragile, yeah right. Gwendy had started moving her china and dishes to the barn since they had already almost filled a storage unit.

Dad's "home." His bedroom and closet was to the right. This is what his neighbor saw when he thought my dad had been home. You can see why he thought he'd find a body. Dad's future home site is on the hill in the background. Another blessing is they hadn't started to build yet.

My uncle's camper was parked there too. They were supposed to start on the home this week and my Uncle was going to live down here (from TN) to help build.

Our 6 month old boy is sitting up unassisted which scares me. Why, you ask? Guess what's next?...crawling. NOOOO! Wish he'd stay small forever. At his 6 month check-up, he was 50% (17 pounds, 4 ounces) in weight again and 75% in length (27 inches).

Life

2010-05-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

I will never apologize for not blogging because I have been too caught up living life to actually sit down and type about what we're doing. So if you're one of these Generation Y people that gets their feelings hurt because you aren't coddled nearly enough...here's a snapshot of our life in the last 3 weeks since my last blog:
--Rhett attended his first and second crawfish boil. We were eternally grateful for the first because it was at my Dad's land and I'll get to that. We fished, ate, laughed, and planted 5 magnolia trees symbolizing Dad's grandkids (Rhett has two step cousins--the other two trees don't have kiddos attached to them yet but we're holding out that their will actually be two more. If not, Dad figured he'd plant a few extra in case a couple die, the kids won't think "their" tree died...He'll just reassign who's tree is whom's.) It's called Grand Avenue and is fabulous.
--Dad finally married my wonderful stepmom, Gwendy, after 10 YEARS of being together. We are super fired up about it being official now. In fact, I dropped them off at the train station this morning so that they could begin their honeymoon trip to NOLA!
--Dad's land got destroyed by the tornado. This was quite a surreal experience and one I wouldn't wish on anyone. Dad has worked on this land for over 5 years now and all his blood, sweat, and tears has poured into it. See Dad's a bit of a minimalist and when he sold his Vicksburg house after being on the market one day (during the housing slump), he didn't really have a living situation back-up plan. Thus, he moved to his camper on his land in Ebenezer. He has finally finalized house plans and was supposed to begin last week. The camper is in pieces as is my uncle's who had left his there (he lives in TN) because he was going to help Dad build. Both barns were nearly destroyed. One of which he just finished building about 8 months ago. His canoe that he's had since he was a teenager was found hugging a tree about 15 feet up and riddled with holes. The hundred year old trees....don't even get me started. Luckily, Dad was in Oregon on business. His neighbor came to check on him and told Dad, "I'm glad to get in touch with you. I walked into your place, took one look around, and turned on my heel to head back to my place. I just knew if I even tried to look, I'd have found your body." Ugh. PS--Grand Avenue survived because the trees were so small! Glass half full.
--Rhett was baptized the day after the storm and we had so much to be thankful for. Namely that we were celebrating a baptism instead of burying his Paw Paw.
--Mom retired from the Ole Miss School of Nursing after over 20 years. She's now a full-time grandma and we are all happy about it.
--The last three weeks, Everett has been waking up a few times a night to eat which he hasn't done since about 2 months. Let me tell you, it's one thing to wake up and function several times a night when on maternity leave. Everyone expects you to be in a fog. However, when I have to wake up and work a 12 hour shift the next day, it's almost scary. Thank God I only work 2 days a week or there would be some serious kid's lives at risk.
--E got his 6 month shots and check up. He's 17 pounds, 4 ounces (50%). He's 27 inches long (75%).
Anyway, that's all that's going on here. I'm not even going to try to download pics because I'm flat out exhausted. To you Generation Yers--will try to update sooner next time. To Generation Xers--don't hold your breath.

Yumm-o Pears

2010-04-13T06:48:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer for those of you wanting to make your own baby food and think that I'm some kind of super Betty Crocker for doing so---(I've gotten alot of comments on the squash post.)

Making baby food is SUPER easy. It's so not hard that I almost feel silly saying I'm making it. I've "made" squash, pears, carrots, bananas, and avocado and the most steps I've had to do is about 3. It's also way cheaper which, for those of you that know me, is big. I'm a bit of a penny pincher/cheap/Boxcar Willy but who's counting? The only disadvantage is the convenience with traveling which we do alot. It would probably be easier to just grab a jar for most people. However, if we're going somewhere I wouldn't feel comfortable pulling myself out to feed Rhett, I just pump before I leave and could easily put his food containers in the cold pack with the bottle. I'm not really sure how formula works but I guess you have to have a cold pack with you for those bottles? Wait...aren't they powder too? OK, maybe not. I digress...

So pears has turned out to be his favorite food yet. I'm not a huge pear fan. Something about the grainy texture kinda weirds me out. Anyway, the beauty of a pear is he likes it cold. I have discovered that he likes most things slightly warmed. I can serve the pears straight out the fridge. He also likes them mixed in rice cereal or oatmeal. The boy loves him a pear. Here are the steps and I'm telling you people, it's easy peasy so I won't even call it "making baby food" anymore. I'll call it...hmmm...any suggestions? I get such a bad rap for saying making baby food, I've gotta figure some other way to put it. Maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut and jar up his homemade baby food. That way I just don't have to hear it.

I used 3 pears and it made about 7 2-oz. servings.

Slice them up, roughly the same size and cut out the core remnants. Put the slices in a pot to steam. I, honestly, can't remember how long I steamed them. Just do it until they are easy to stab with a fork.

Peel off the skins...

I skipped a step in pics but you then Cuisinart them. I've found it purees better if you mash with a potato masher then Cuisinart them. Here's your pears.

Here's Everett dive bombing his pears. He does this arm out, mouth open thing for every bite. Is that normal? Wade contemplated how we'd all look if we all ate like that. Talk about people watching at restaurants.

Easter Arts

2010-04-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Project #1
This was one that Everett and I told noone about (for those of you who know me, that's a big deal.) Anyway, we wanted to send a few cards to the Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles so we made these cards a few weeks ago. I searched online for Easter hand/footprint ideas but all I found was these lame thumbprint chicks. My son's thumb print is about as big as a pin top so I didn't really think I could make a chick out of that. I brainstormed and came up with these cards. I'm no artist so I was pleasantly surprised that they even resembled bunnies. Here's what you need (which you probably have most of these things lying around the house--maybe not lying around the house but if you have an art box, definately in there. or maybe you're messy and do have paintbrushes lying around your house. anywho...) Michael's or Hobby Lobby sells the blank cards.

Then, you need two of these adorable little things...

And here's the final result. Write a sweet message inside like Happy Easter (Hoppy Easter gets on my nerves for some reason?) and there you have it.

Project #2:

Mom came last week and we completed (read: I forced her) Project Easter Basket Liner. Mom wanted to just order a basket with liner from Pottery Barn kids but I refused. I had this fab basket and wanted Everett's monogram on it somewhere. Mom has all the equipment so my strong, willing stepdad lugged all this stuff down from Oxford so that we wouldn't have to lug all of Everett's stuff to Oxford. This is the original basket with some blue seersucker material and all those navy bags are sewing maching, embroidery machine, etc.

Here's the finished project. All that candy for a 4 month old? Don't judge. The Easter Bunny gave up sweets for Lent and anticipated being sick on chocolate for a few days. Hope everyone has a Happy Easter weekend!

Happy Easter! (or not)

2010-04-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Wade took Everett to meet the Easter Bunny today. He was underwhelmed.

When thumbs just won't do...

2010-03-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

My boy had a craving for something a little fleshy, warm, stinky, and ambitiously hard to attain. This is what he ended up with...

The toe-suckin' phase has descended upon the Watts' household.

Butternut Squash

2010-03-28T14:41:00.001-07:00

I have wanted to make baby food for my children since...well, since before I actually had children. I love to cook. I love babies. Why not try my hand in baby food cooking? Plus, why are the jarred bananas pink? Ugh. My friend Mollie knew this and got me this fabulous cookbook for Christmas. After the rice cereal was eaten and accepted, it was time for solids(ish). First up...butternut squash. I've never even eaten butternut squash but my child does have quite the refined palate (or it was recommended as a first food.) Anyway, it was totally easy and actually quite delish. Here's what they started out looking like... (looks like a gourd, eh?)

Then, cut in half, scrape out the pumpkin-like insides and bake. Everett's not so sure...

After baking a while, scrape out the insides and you end up with this orange mess o' stuff.

Then the mini Cuisinart (I added about a Tbsp. breast milk to thin it a bit. Just enough to make it thinner but not so much that I didn't want to gag when I tried the squash with MY OWN BM in it.)

And, voila! Yummy.

I know he's acting like he's not quite sure but he totally loved them. He's such a poser.

Trend setter?

2010-03-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

I love a white onesie. We use them almost daily for undershirts. I'm having a crisis lately. Well, crisis might be a bit of an exageration. Anyway, I refuse to buy 6-9 month long sleeved onesies. We have 3-6 month which technically my 4 month old boy should fit in. However, due to his length, they are a bit tight in the button crotch area and a bit short in the sleeves. I'm determined that the weather is going to heat up and we can go to the appropriate Mississippi baby undershirt, the short-sleeved onesie. Wade keeps telling me to go buy more. I mean a 5 pack is about $10. However, that's $10 that I will not spend. Our result from my stubborness falls upon my boy though. I was just looking at his "long sleeved" onesie under his short sleeved polo (I'm not buying anymore long sleeved shirts either, dangit. This weather has to heat up!) Guys, he has 3/4 length sleeves now and looks quite metrosexual. Bless his soul. Weren't capri pants and such trendy for a while for men a few years back? No, not here, somewhere like France or something. We'll call his 3/4 length sleeves fashion forward for the baby generation.
PS-I just did an entire post about onesies. My convo skills suck.

Completely random thoughts

2010-03-12T07:07:00.001-08:00

I'm doing a quick update before Lindsay, Everett, and I head to Oxford to see MOM!!!!! For those of you who don't know, she's been in Nashville getting her left, upper lobe removed. They removed the first big spot and she'll go back in 2-3 weeks to remove the right lower lobe. This will leave her with 3 lobes total but since she's never been a smoker and has never had any lung infection, her remaining lobes should compensate. After that, she'll receive no more chemo and will probably just have routine 3 month CT scans to check for new malignancies.

I cannot say how big of a deal this surgery is. New Year's Eve 2008, we were told she had 6 months to one year to live. Hospice was offered which we politely declined. After a year of surgeries, chemo, and LOTS of units of platelets, Mom will have her life back. Lindsay and I agree it feels almost too good to be true but, at this point, we'll just count our blessings and continue to make memories. I've had two friends over this last year that have seen their Mom's diagnosed with cancer and pass within months. I cannot imagine the pain that they feel. It makes me appreciate Mom even more. If I even hesitate on the ingredients or measurements of one of her recipes, I immediately call her to clarify. I remember when they told us it was terminal that I was scared I wouldn't know how to do all the things she does. Learning to sew, cook, even quilt from my Mom are at my disposal and I'm taking advantage while I can (okay, so I'm not really taking advantage of the quilting. Guess Mom's got to live to be 80 or so because I'm pretty sure you can' quilt before your 50's.) Anyway, she's supposed to get her second chest tube and epidural out early this afternoon. Lindsay and I are going to get to her house early to try to clean and cook. Then, we are heading to Tupelo to pick Sophie up from the Bed and Biscuit. We told Bert that the countdown is on for him to sit back and let us do the work.

This post is all over the place. I won't apologize, I'm a bit excited. Anyway, for more rando thoughts...

Everett's 4 month shots and check-up were this week. The shots went fine. As soon as I pick him up, he stops crying. Grandma Patty (Wade's Mom) went with us for the appointment and I think she had a harder time than Everett. Grandma Patty stays with Everett while I work and they are quite attached. I hated to see both of them sad. Everett's sleep schedule was a little thrown off because of the shots (he sleeps all day after and is up at night. ) Thus, he's slept in the co-sleeper with Wade and I for the two nights after but, thankfully, was back in his crib last night. Wade said either he or Everett was going to have to go because a co-sleeper and queen size bed, do not a good sleep make.

Stats: Head circumference was 50% (sure looks like he's got a big ole' noggin, but I guess not.)

Weight--15 pounds, 5 ounces, 50% (I guessed 19 pounds. Can't imagine how big he'll feel when he actually is 19 pounds.)

Length--26 inches, 90% (Who'd of thought we'd have a tall "skinny" boy?)

We just started rice cereal which he has about 1-2 times a day. I'll introduce real food in a few weeks. I'm in no hurry but I have been looking forward to making baby food since before I was preggers. Wade never gave in with the cloth diapers so disposable, it is. Homemade baby food is not even on the table for discussion!

Here's Grandma Patty pointing out one of the two ouchies.

Et tu, Brute?

2010-03-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

If Everett were a Roman Gladiator, he would be Vomitus Maximus.

Rock Star

2010-03-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

He's kind of a big deal.

Dinnertime

2010-03-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

Just your everyday family dinner. Little bit o' sushi, little bit o' breast milk rice cereal. First round of "solids" twas a success.

Here's a shout out to two of Everett's fave men, Grandpa Tilford and Paw Paw! Everett-1, front end loader spoon-0. That thing didn't stand a chance.

Spring Fever

2010-03-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Not much going on this week other than the Watts' household is suffering from major bouts of spring fever. We are so ready for warm weather, swimming, beach trips, etc. I can just smell fresh cut grass in the air! Watching the news last night, Wade and I saw a 7 in the forecast, as in 72 will be the high Sunday. There was a definiate high-five slappage in our bed. Anyway, Happy Friday. Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll leave you with a pic of our hard workin', overall wearin' redneck.

Here's how he comes at me when he wants to nurse. I'm afraid, very afraid. Boy can eat.

All in a year's time

2010-02-25T06:08:00.000-08:00

In honor of the first anniversary of my 30th birthday, I'm recapping how our life has changed...

On this day last year- this is what I woke up to

This year-

Last year- I was 6 days pregnant. Pregnant, you say?

This year-I have a 3 month, 2 week, and 5 days old baby boy.

Last year- these were some of my accessories
(my sister and my boa)

This year-
(my super fab diaper bag and many, many, many "burp" cloths--I don't know if I'd call what Everett does into those things 'burping.' Just sayin')

Last year--I went out to a Japanese restaurant in Mexico and had a glass of wine
This year--I'm going to Soul Shine for pizza and a beer (Why Soul Shine you ask? It's quiet enough to not be annoying but loud enough that noone notices if my son loses it in the middle of dinner!)

Last year--my Saints ended the season 8-8
This year--

(and btw--though I'll always be a "Bless you Boys Believer", if you'd have shown me this picture last year, I'd have asked, "Is that a smaller headed Peyton Manning?" or, perhaps, "Why did Tom Brady let Drew hold his trophy?" But NO--we spanked both of those future Hall of Famers. WHAT?)

Last year--my Mom had just had her surgery to remove the initial tumor and was about to start chemo at MD Anderson. Lindsay and I alternated flying to Houston (to give Bert a break) almost every other weekend for about 2 months. She was 2 months into her one year life expectancy.

This year--my Mom is meeting with a thoracic surgeon at Vanderbilt today exploring the possibility of removing the final spots left in her lungs. If possible, she won't even have to be on chemo until they grow back. It's a long shot but one that we'll take!

(Sorry, Mom, I know you don't like this pic but I do and TODAY, it's all about me!)

Last year-- My number one life goal was to be a good wife.

This year--my number one life goal is to be a good wife.

"The greatest gift you can give your children is a happy marriage."-Anon.

I guess things haven't changed too much.

Oh, that smell...

2010-02-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

One day, when I die, I think my Heaven will smell like spit up mixed with Johnson & Johnson's "unscented" (that stuff SO has a scent!) baby body wash. I heart that.

The Unanswerables

2010-02-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

I know I shouldn’t but sometimes I wonder, “Why me?” I have a friend who is a GOOD person. She really is. I’m talking Christian, caring, sweet, fun-loving, just all around good girl. In the last two years, she has suffered more loss than anyone I know. Among other things, she has lost two children (though painful, I’m not even talking miscarriages) in one year. They had a beautiful, red-headed girl and a handsome, petite little boy. She carried them both the full 9 months and then lost them before she could even “complain” about the trials of parenthood.
When Everett was a baby and needed to be nursed every 3 hours (or less) night and day, I would think how grateful she would be to have to wake up and tend to a baby. Anyway, she’s one of the strongest people I will ever know. But that’s it…What makes me able to watch my healthy, happy son grow and smile and she never will? I did nothing to deserve this more than she does and it pains me that she can’t have this (for right now, I’m holding out hope that one day she will have a child to love.)
I look around at my life. We may not have the biggest house or the nicest things, but all that is so unnecessary. My life is so full and I try to remember that everyday. I have a wonderful husband that is the best teammate in marriage and parenthood. I have a healthy baby boy that has the smile thing down pat and has just recently started laughing. It’s a hiccupping sounding thing that seems to surprise him when it erupts from his belly.
Anyway, why do I get all these things and she has to suffer so much? I know there’s nothing I can do about it but whenever I talk to her, I feel like my words are beyond inadequate. I love her so much and want her to be happy but I cannot imagine continuing to be positive in the face of all that she’s been through. All I know to do is be thankful for my blessings. I just pray that one day, she will get the family and children in which she has dreamt. On this cold, (still) snowy Valentine’s Day, be grateful for all that you do and don’t have. I know I will.

Lunch Break!

2010-01-29T09:30:00.001-08:00

I am sad to say that the happiest, most exciting, most anticipated time in our "work day" is when his Daddy, my Homet comes home for lunch...

To me, this indicates two things:

1)I would suck at being a stay at home mom. It's gotten so bad that I don't dread laundry anymore. It's just something else that keeps me busy. WHAT? I walked or ran 15 miles in 4 days this week with Everett just because we had nothing. else. to. do. Our stroller is t-i-r-e-d.

2)It's time for me to head on back to work. Surely the PICU needs me more than our dirty socks.

Fist Love

2010-01-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

Our boy started his life as a thumb sucker. It was quite endearing, I must say (as I was one myself.) However, now that he's "grown up" to be a big, almost three month old boy, he's decided he must take on a bigger feat than one simple finger. "Thumbs are for babies", he says.

My little overachiever has wholeheartedly taken on the habit of sucking his. enitire. fist. I'm torn between, "Awe, that's cute. At least he's happy." To (immediately after he nurses) "Oh, crap. I think he's gagging himself."

That big boy does LOVE

THAT

FIST.

Get it, Big Boy.

Picky Sleeper

2010-01-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

Why is it that as soon as Everett is in the sling, carseat, or stroller, he immediately falls into a blissful slumber? However, whenever I attempt to place him in his crib (the device we purchased with it's sole purpose being---to sleep in), he wakes right up.

Betty Homemaker, table for two

2010-01-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

I've always loved any arts/crafts project. When I was little, my most prized possession (well, second to my mini Saints football) was my 150 count Crayon "briefcase" with TWO built-in crayon sharpeners. Typing that makes it sound really dorky but it was totally cool. Trust me. As I've grown, I've realized that while I love crafts, I'm not actually any good at them. I'll stick to nursing. However, I still LOVE to try. My Mom, on the other hand, is a sewing and quilting whiz. Quilting doesn't do it for me but I want so bad to be good at sewing. I don't mean taking classes and such, I want my Mom to teach me. Mom is quite the willing teacher too which works out well. I used to look at adorable patterns for children's clothes when I was pregnant. Well, two problems... There are ten times more girl's patterns than boy's. Another problem that most Southern women deal with is the hub's opinion. There are few metrosexual men in the South, which is just fine but try dressing your son "cute" and most men go nuts. That's another post all together though. Right after I had Everett, my Mom bought an embroidering attachement to her sewing machine. It's not been the most economical purchase ever, but it sure is fun to use! Check out the fabulous bib and burp cloths...

Yes, to Aunt Lindsay, Everett will probably be referred to as 'Baby Rhett' until he's 40. Anyway, the other day, I visited Mom for my first baby clothes sewing lessons. First off, F-U-N. Second off, next time I've got to bring Wade so that he can hold Everett because he did not want to be put down. That made for some difficult sewing. Here's him when I finally gave up and just held him while I worked.

"These are deplorable sleeping conditions, Mom!" Sorry, Son, you wanted to be with me so this is what you get!

Anyway, here's my first project. While it's a cute little romper which my husband would probably not approved of, you throw a few tools on it and WAA-LAA, he loves it! The embroidery machine also does appliques. This is the beginning of some serious clothes making if I could find anyone to hold that sweet boy while I work!

Toilet Etiquette in Question

2010-01-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

Wade has always had good bathroom manners. For the 8+ years we've been together, 4+ living together/being married, he's ALWAYS put the toilet seat down. I considered myself lucky but must say that I eventually took it for granted. Well, the last few weeks, I have almost fallen in the toilet when using the restroom. The toilet seat seems to be in a constant "seat-up position." When I asked Wade about the change, this is what he matter-of-factly replied, "You're outnumbered now so we get to leave it up." And so it begins. However, does it really count if half of the guys in this house that I'm outnumbered in, do their business in a diaper?

Stretch Jeans?

2010-01-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

I have never understood why they make infant's clothes sizes based on age. Working in the Pediatric ICU, I can assure you that babies 3-6 months old come in a WIDE variety of weights and lengths. Why don't they just say newborn size is 00? Anyway, it got me thinking. What if they continued age-based sizing up into adult clothes. Would I wear size 30-year-old jeans?

More linebacker than kicker

2010-01-07T08:33:00.001-08:00

I know it will be hard for some of you to believe but I really don't want Everett to play football. If he insists, I keep saying he can only be a kicker (or punter is fine too.) I'd prefer him to participate in a much less violent sport...say tennis or curling. My Dad says he'll never play curling because we have no ice. However, we've got plenty of brooms and I'd love for my boy to be a good sweeper so we'll figure the ice thing out later. Anyway, we went to our 2 month check-up and got his stats. I just thought it was me that thought he looked huge. It took him a few weeks to grow out of his newborn clothes but he flew right through the 0-3 month clothes and never looked back. He's been in 3-6 months since he was about 6 weeks old. Apparently, it's not just me. Our boy is 12 lbs., 13 ounces and 24 inches long. That's the 90th percentile in both. Thus, if Everett insists on football, he may be more suited to play linebacker instead of kicker. Although, now that I'm really thinking about it, Morten Anderson was a "husky" kicker. Here's a pic of someone who'll be one of his biggest fans one day no matter what sport he chooses. Nothing like hangin' with Aunt Lindsay. (Can you spot the ever present Hill dimples finally trying to show themselves?)

The Beautiful Unknowns

2010-01-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

Many people talk about how frustrating it is not knowing what a young baby needs when they're crying. '"I just wish he could tell me what he wants"' is a common sentiment. Well, while I can appreciate that (even though to be perfectly honest, Rhett is pretty predictable), I'm going the other way with it. These are the things I appreciate right now...

--When his head slams into my chest while sitting on my lap, I'm going to assume that he's just ready for a good snuggle and not that actually he doesn't have full control of that heavy head.
--When he smiles and giggles, I'm assuming it's because I'm the funniest thing he's ever been around and not actually that he's tooting or filling up a diaper.
--When he coos and babbles at me, he's saying things such as, "I love you, Mom" and "You're such a good caregiver!" and not actually, "Mom, you look like a real idiot dancing in front of me and talking in that voice" or "Why don't you just leave me alone already. I think there's a nice, quiet peaceful nursery back there where I could get a little private meditation done. Yeah, thanks."
--And the age old: When he "holds" my finger, he really wants to hold it and it's not actually just a primitive reflex which is also shared by our wonderful primate friends, the monkeys.

I'm embracing my nonverbal baby. And, no, I'm not doing sign language. Call me a bad mom but I didn't learn it and I turned out fine (I like to think so.)

Heaven Can Wait

2010-01-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

On December 31, 2008, my sister and I joined Bert (my stepdad) and Mom in a doctor's office at UMC. A week or so before we had been informed of the cancer that unbenknownst to us had been growing rapidly in her uterus. Upon hearing the type (leiomyosarcoma), we were immediately warned not to "google" it. What does the normal person then do? Stupidly, I googled it at work and promptly had to excuse myself to the bathroom to be sick, cry, etc. You get the idea. Anyway, I think back to that day around lunch when the doctor came into the room for our first visit in regards to her prognosis. Mom probed him for details. We wanted the truth and didn't want anything candy-coated. Well, he delivered. He informed us that the average person in her situation (the uterine mass had already metastasized to 5 spots in her lungs) lives for 6 months to one year. He offered the options, one being to begin Hospice care immediately and forgo chemo. It was terminal, Stage IV. Mom looked "normal." We opted out of the Hospice and we agreed to fight the cancer (Mom hates when we use violence to describe taking it out, but that's the only way to describe it!) Being in the medical field, Lindsay, Mom and I all agreed that she would not endure chemo if it became not worth it. We didn't agree on a stopping point or any parameters to discontinue chemo, but she would NOT suffer just to get a few extra days.

At the time, my family thought we were living in a nightmare. I could not work a full 12 hour shift for months without breaking down at some point. Most nights at the dinner table, I would literally cry in my plate while Wade watched helplessly. Wade and I had started trying to get pregnant 3 days before she had the CT scan that initially identified the cancer. Would she ever meet the grandchild that she had BEGGED for forever? We had so many concerns.

On December 30, 2009, Mom sat with some of our biggest supporters. We threw her first annual "Heaven Can Wait" celebratory dinner. Mom is down to only 3 spots on her lung and continues to receive chemo about every other week. They have actually considered resecting the spots on her lungs. While this won't be a cure (nothing will as it will eventually come back no matter what), it will buy more time. Mom has met her first grandchild and completely basked in his presence (she has been in Jackson every week since he was born except one--he's 8 weeks old and she lives almost 3 hours away! You do the math.) This year we assumed would be our worst as a family. However, it has turned out to be the most rewarding year of my life. When you are given a "life sentence" you learn to appreciate all those little things that are typically taken for granted. We've made so many wonderful memories. Everett is going to be the warmest child ever as Mom has gone nuts with the quilting and, as it stands now, he has around 7 quilts to "remember her by." I realize that it could get worse at any point. I still somewhat live in fear that every cough or sneeze that she has is the beginning of a pneumonia.

This year I am so thankful to have my Mom in her (new) healthy state. We are attempting to attain a new normal while still appreciating everything. My wish for my 1 or 2 friends that actually read this is to hug your family just a tad tighter each day, tell your loved ones that you do love and appreciate them, and don't take for granted good health.

Mom meeting our boy, November 7, 2009

Everett's safe in Granna's arms

Mom and Reid blowing out her one year cake!

BFF

2009-12-18T08:06:00.000-08:00

A quote from Wade, the smitten Dad, yesterday:
"Is it weird that my best friend in the world sucks a paci?" Guess I've been replaced.

Rain, Rain, Go Away.

2009-12-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

I am dying a slow death related to cabin fever. Since I'm not yet willing to leave a 5 week old in the gym nursery, it would be nice to at least take a little stroll in the park...

Everett's Birthday

2009-12-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Been meaning to post this for a month! In my eyes, there is no greater experience...
Friday, November 6th. I was 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I had been cold all day so I decided to take a hot bath that night. I sat in the tub, rubbed my belly, and talked to it knowing our days together were numbered. Around 9:45, Wade and I started getting ready for bed. By 9:55, Wade was sacked out and I was right behind him. Right around 10:00, I got a big cramping contraction. It wasn’t out of the ordinary but just a little stronger. I started squirming in bed a little which woke up Wade. I told him I was fine, not to turn on the light. I decided to try to stand up to take away some of the strain of the contraction. At that point, Wade turned on the light as I’d only had to stand up through a contraction one other time. As I stood, I noticed a little drip down my legs. I looked at Wade and shockingly stuttered, “Something is running down my legs!” It’s so cliché but I really thought I was just peeing on myself. Everyone had told me that’s what it felt like. It wasn’t a “big gush” just a constant trickle. Wade immediately started loading up the car while I paced our room talking myself out of the fact that this could be real. I texted Lindsay and Mom (who was staying at Lindsay’s) “Something’s happening?!” Neither called nor texted back. I decided to just wait it out and see what happened. Wade continued to load our bags while I stammered crazy things like, “Maybe this isn’t real. I mean I’d hate to wake everyone up for nothing. Maybe I really did just pee my pants (oops, there’s some more fluid!). Let’s not go to the hospital yet (hang on here comes another contraction—they were 3 minutes apart by this point). I need a shower.” At which point, I jumped in the shower then proceeded to straighten my hair while Wade, frustratingly, watched on. Around 11:00, after talking to Mom and Lindsay and being convinced maybe this was the real thing, I told Wade we should probably head to the hospital. He looked at me and said, “Sara, the car’s loaded and ready in the driveway. You just need to finish packing your bag.”
Upon arrival to OB receiving at 11:23, I got to state those 4 words that I had only dreamt of telling the receptionist, “My water has broken!” Immediately, a door opened and I was ushered inside. Within 30 minutes, Dr. Griffin poked her head around my curtain and told me what was about to happen. She would check my fluid to ensure it wasn’t urine and then check my cervix to see if I had dilated since my Tuesday appointment (in which I was “a good 1 cm.”) As soon as she started checking my fluid, with eyebrows raised, she stated, “Oh yeah, that’s amniotic fluid. Sara, you’re already 4 centimeters!” Wade was holding my hand and we shared an excited smile. We’ll never forget her next statement because it still seemed so surreal. She looked at us and said matter-of-factly, “You guys are having a baby tonight!” She walked back around the curtain and asked the nurse to start our paperwork to be transferred to labor and delivery. Wade and I just sat there, unsure what to do next. By around 12:30 a.m., we were transferred to labor and delivery. One nurse came in to start my IV and draw labs while another, Hope, came in to hook me up to the fetal monitor and get me settled. Hope would be my nurse for the night. Little did we know at the time how perfect of a fit she was for our situation. I told both nurses of my intentions to have a natural, drug-free delivery. The IV nurse looked at me questioningly and stated, “Well, I’m drawing your lab work so if you change your mind and want an epidural, the anesthesiologist will already have everything he needs.” She walked out of the room. I was a little discouraged but then Hope looked at me and gave me her little pep talk. She said, “OK, Sara, you can do this. I’ve been at UMC for 4 years and very few people want this option. Almost every delivery here involves Pitocin, an epidural, et cetera and I never really understood why they had to be like that. Before UMC, I was at Vanderbilt and we did drug-free deliveries there all the time. I believe in you and know you have support already but I will do anything in my power to make your wishes happen. ” That’s all I needed to hear. The word ‘epidural’ was never mentioned in my room again. By around 2:00 a.m., Dr. Griffin came back to check me. Surprised, she looked at us and said, “You are 7 centimeters dilated and 100% effaced. The baby is at -1 station. I’m going to call Dr. Shiflett.” Hope looked at us and told us that we may end up being the fastest first delivery in a while in regards to how quickly things were progressing. By this time I was starting to have severe back labor pains. With Hope’s prompting, Wade took his place behind me on the hospital bed. He straddled my back and I sat at the very end of the bed with my feet almost touching the ground. With every contraction and under my direction, he would put pressure on my spine, hips, and back. I remember him squeezing my hips together so tightly and it made it so much more bearable. Everytime he would lighten up on the pressure, I would tell him, “Harder. Push harder.” He was so scared he was hurting me (turns out, the next morning, as he’d feared I had little bruises marking my back from his touches.) It was so worth it though! By around 3:00, Dr. Shiflett arrived and reassured us that she would not leave until this baby was born. Wade put up both the pink Riley Claire and blue Everett quilt to try and get me focused on something beside the pain. We would learn what our first born was in a matter of hours! At 5:00, Dr. Shiflett came in to check me again and told us that I was 100% effaced and 10 centimeters and the baby was at 0 station. The contractions were really painful at this point but Wade continued to do so good at supporting all the hurt, physically and emotionally. I knew he had to be as exhausted as I. Dr. Shiflett asked if I wanted to start trying to push. At 5:09, we started attempting to push. It took me a solid 40 minutes to push in “the right spot.” Sometime around 7:00 a.m., the day shift nurse came in to relieve Hope. She looked at her and I heard Hope state, “I’ve got too much vested in here to leave now. You can either stay and help or leave and I’ll handle it.” I was so relived that she wasn’t leaving. With each contraction, I would frantically search my room for Hope (who was usually about 2 steps away) and say, “Hope come back over here. I’m about to have another one!” She held my right hand while Wade manned his station on my left. It all seemed like a blur of pushing every 3 minutes for about 2 ½ hours. Then it got really intense. I would have 2 or 3 stacked contractions and then a 1 minute break. Around 8:10, the excitement in the room was palpable. Dr. Shiflett told me that the baby was trying to come out and, with every contraction, she’d see his little head move back and forth like he was trying to burrow his way out. At 8:24 a.m. I heard Dr. Shiflett say, “We’ve got a nuchal cord times two.” I knew that meant the cord was wrapped around his neck but she said it so calmly, I wasn’t worried. Also, I remember being relieved because I knew that meant his head was out. Within seconds, she placed our beautiful baby up on my chest. Wade was crying and looking at me. He said, “It’s our baby.” His legs and arms were so long and moving all around. He didn’t really cry much, just scowled like he was mad about being out. At some point, someone said, “It’s a boy” at which point I lifted up his right leg and confirmed with my own eyes. He cried just a little and someone noticed that there was a lot of blood. His cord clamp had come undone and he was bleeding out of his umbilical vessels. They clamped it again and cut it off closer to his tummy. Wade didn’t get to cut the cord and we were both disappointed but more relieved that he was okay. He started looking really pale and so they took him over to the warmer to get him cleaned and warmed up. His Apgars, I would later find out were 9 at 1 minute and 9 at 5 minutes.

Who Dat???

2009-12-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

We can all rest easy knowing that the Saints good luck charm was born this year. Just sayin'