My 2009 Highlights

As this year comes to a close, I have decided to document my highlights of 2009 (the good and the bad).

• December 31, 2008- I took a pregnancy test and it was positive!!!! Then I took 3 more! :) All positive.

• January 2009- My niece, Claire Bear, had her 1st birthday! My husband turned 24. I was soooo nauseous, and craved cheese. And lost like 15 pounds! Entered back into my addiction of LOST.

• February 2009-Entered back into my American Idol addiction. Paid off alot of debt with our tax refund!

• March 2009- Started this blog. Audrie started really growing. Went to court alot for work.

• April 2009- Found out we were having a GIRL! Gt was laid off. Started my journey of learning about childbirth! Zoe turned 1.

• May 2009- Went to Amarillo with Cherie. Put our house back on the market. Got a nasty stomach virus and threw up like 20 times in 2 days...ugh. My best buddy Allison came to visit!!!! Painted the nursery. Kept my nephew Carter by myself overnight!

• June 2009- My parents celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary. Took my glucose test and passed. One of my best friends lost her dad :( Audrie started moving ALOT. Went on the lake with the in-laws! Had my first baby shower. Started Bradley method classes. Entered back into my addiction of Big Brother!

• July 2009- My dad was put in the hospital for blood clots. Had another wonderful baby shower. Put on bed rest. Put in the hospital. Started reading the Sookie Stackhouse books. Our 1 Year wedding anniversary!!!!!!

• August 2009- Audrie was born! Learned what "survival" meant for the first few weeks home. My cousin Cheryl gave birth to Jacey. Lynzie gave birth to Adalynn.

• September 2009- My sweet niece, Ellie, was born. Another cousin, Heather, gave birth to Reese. Jeff from BB went to the jury house- sad day. Allie Bear turned 2. Started watching the first season of Fringe and got addicted! GT got a job!

• October 2009- Found out we were going to be able to stay in Longview and took our house off the Market! YAY! My buddy and her hubby came to visit and go to Tech Homecoming!!!!!!

• November 2009- Started making baby food. Audrie rolled over from her stomach to back for the first time. My grandma, Nanny, had a stroke and fell. Saw New Moon! Put Audrie in her room, to sleep in her crib, for good!

• December 2009- My nephew, Carter, turned 1! Audrie was put in the hospital with the Croup. Made my first pecan pie! Sold GT's truck. Put Audrie in the church nursery for the first time!

Gone Baby Gone

Tonight, the movie Gone Baby Gone was on tv. GT told me it was a good movie, I would like it. Aparrenty, we own it, so we watched it. Whoa. If you havent seen it, I would suggest it. And now, I cant sleep without getting my thoughts out.

Because I worked for CPS, this movie was more real to me than fiction. When it comes to child abuse alot of people think Ignorance is Bliss. I am not going to lie, I was relieved to no longer work for CPS thinking this would be the case for me. It is not. There isnt a day when I dont think about one of my kids or parents or both. When people would ask me where I worked, they would always respond with, "That has to be a tough job". I would respond with, "it is hard because of the hours and amount of work, but it is rewarding to know I am giving a child a new chance at life or I am helping a family get reunited to have a better life together." The truth is working for CPS, being a social worker, is hard. It is hard because for the most part people dont change. My eyes were opened to so much in that year and 1/2. I saw parents who quit drugs cold turkey the minute their children were taken away and then I saw parents who wouldnt even show up to see their child for their weekly 1 hour visit. But it was ALWAYS for the child. However, there were the hard cases, when there was a fine line. What is really best for the child? I would try so hard to believe in some of my parents, just to be let down time and time again. There were times I would come home and just cry because I didnt know what to do to help them and I knew they were going to lose their child. Or I would cry because they were doing everything "right", but I knew the child didnt need to go back home.

I really thought when I left CPS, I would never look back. I was very wrong. It is like it is deep in my heart. I feel empty because I am not "saving the world". I dont know if I will ever go back. It is alot of work. Long hours. Stressful hours. Alot of traveling. I dont feel like I could be the kind of parent I want to be to Audrie and my future children. Yall know from my previous posts how strongly I feel about staying home. Watching that movie just made me feel sad, empty and like I am not doing my part. Really though, I dont know if I could make it working for CPS again. Having a child, my perspective has totally changed on 2 levels. 1) I cant imagine ANYONE taking Audrie from me. Now, I know I am not a parent that would have her child taken away, but most parents really do love their child. So on that level, I feel like I might sympathize with a mother or father who has had their child taken. 2) The 2nd level, I would want to yell at the parents for doing something SO stupid to have their child taken away. That they would do something so selfish and put there child in harms way, etc... It could possibly make me a better caseworker because I wouldnt put up with crap that I used to prior to having Audrie.

Anyway, it is a sad world. Before CPS, I was so ignorant. I cant ignore it any longer because now I know. Everyday I thank GOD that He placed me in my family. It is so hard to understand why I got wonderful, loving parents who love the Lord and other children get parents who are cracked out and leave them at home for hours alone. Or gives them drugs. Or puts them in cages. Or doesnt give them food but instead buys alcohol or beer. Or doesnt take them to medical appointments and lets them become "failure to thrive". There were many times during my CPS days, and even now, I ask God, "Why?". Life isnt fair. But there is hope, God loves everyone. Jesus died on the cross for every person. No matter what their life was/is like. " But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us"- Romans 5:8 " And He has a plan for everyone. "For I know the plans I have for you, declare the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope a future.- Jeremiah 29:11

New Developments!

I have just realized I havent done a post on Audrie developmental updates in a while...so here goes...

• On December 23, Audrie learned how to roll over from her back to belly. She did it like 30 times in a row. Everytime we would put her on her back she would just roll over. Now, she is rolling over more from her belly to back for some reason. 
• Yesterday (12/29), I started introducing Audrie to a sippy cup. I have to put her hands on the handles for her to grasp it then she sometimes gets it in her mouth. I am hoping by 6 months she will be good at it, so we have a whole month to work on it!
• Since my last baby food making posts, I have introduced sweet potatoes and avocado. She really likes the sweet potatoes. She isnt too sure about the avocado, but she eats it anyway. 
• Audrie is smiling sooooo much. She can find me by my voice in any room even if it is full of other people. She will just start smiling if she hears me talk.
• I think she recognizes her name. I cant decide if she looks at me because I am talking to her or if it is because i am saying her name.
• She is pooing ALOT. Prior to baby food, she pooed once every other day. Not so much anymore. More like 4 times a day. BUT it doesnt stink as bad, and GT has started changing poopie diapers. 
• Not teeth yet. She shows all the signs of teething, but she has for a few weeks now.
• Audrie has spent 2 Sundays in the nursery at church!
• I am going to start putting Audrie in Mother's Day Out on January 6. I am a little nervous. But I really need the break. And I am just doing once a week and its just from 9-2:30. I know Audrie will do fine, not too sure about me! 

I think that is it for now! Audrie is soooooo much fun! BUT boy, am I tired! 

My Messy Plans

Today at church, the sermon was one of those where I felt like the preacher was talking just to me. It was titled, "When Your Simple Plans Get Messy". GT and I had simple plans. He moved to Longview in September 2007 to work at Eastman. I came in March 2008. We got married July 2008. We got pregnant December 2008. Everything was going beautifully according to OUR plans. We were going to have a baby, then I was going to stay home and we would still be comfortable financially.

Then our plans got messy. GT was laid off in April. We had to put our house up for sale. I was put on bed rest in the hospital. Audrie came 4 weeks early.

Then God showed us HIS plan. GT got a job as service manager with Terminix. Our house was taken off the Market. God KNEW I needed the bedrest and could not have worked my job the last 4 weeks of the pregnancy. Audrie came into this world a beautiful, healthy baby.

The pastors 3 points where GOD is trying to get our attention, God has a better plan and God wants us to learn to trust HIM.

All three of these were BIG lessons for us during this year and continues to be the lesson He is teaching us daily. God's plan was not our plan.

There is a way that seems right to a man, 

but in the end it leads to death. --Proverbs 16:25

I continue having a hard time trusting God. Even though He proved faithful over and over again. I continue wanting to do things MY way according to MY plans. And I worry...I worry about the finances. How will our mortgage get paid? How will we live when the savings run out? Should we put our house back on the market? Are we doing the right thing? Then God says, "Lydia, trust me." He is the reason we even have a house. He is the reason we have savings. He has it under control. 

"And without faith it is impossible to please God" --Hebrews 11:6

For 2010, I pray for stronger faith. To trust completely and stop worrying. To follow God's plan and stop trying to follow mine. To give God more of my attention/time and give Him time to speak to me. 

Our First ER experience

I hate the unknown. And for us going to the ER was a BIG unknown. Here is a detailed account of our experience so far...

Yesterday morning when Audrie woke up I was feeding her her bottle and I could hear some congestion in her chest. She has had a runny nose for a few weeks, but the doc said it was the weather and she didnt ever run fever. So I check her temperature mouth (pacifier thermometer), rectal and underarm. She has no fever. And is acting fine. Playing and smiling. So we bring her to church and we pick this Sunday to be her first Sunday in the church nursery. Well, she did fine. When I picked her up, the worker said she played and played the whole time. She never fussed. We went to eat with our friends, the on the way home, Audrie started coughing and crying. It sounded like a seal. I bring her inside and put her on her changing table to suction her nose. It made it worst. She couldnt breath. So I picked her up. Called the weekend nurse. She said go to the ER. GT is driving 90 to nothing with his hazards on. We get here and a nurse at the front desk ask me whats wrong. I start explaining it, then she hears Audrie. So she picks her up calls the back and says, "we have a baby respiratory distress". That freaked me out. First off, she took my baby from me, 2nd of all, what do you mean respiratory distress? It does not sound good.

So they take us back to a ER room. 4 nurses come in and start doing all sorts of things. Drawing blood, doing an IV, taking a urine sample with a catheter, doing nose swabs, chest x-rays, etc... They tell us it might be RSV or croup. The whole time Audrie is screaming and not breathing well. Her cry sounds like a seal mixed with a barking dog. It is very scary. I was crying the whole time. And they kept asking me if I was ok. GT was in the corner getting mad because they were hurting his little girl. It was a mess. So finally they are done running test, so I pick her up and hold her. Also, I failed to mention, she hadnt slept all day since she woke up at 8 and its about 2 at this time. Usually she would have had 2 1hr naps. So I holding her and she is kind of sleeping. The nurse comes in to give her steroids and cant get the IV to flush. So he has to re-do it. No fun. Then the doc comes in. Explains its either RSV or croup and will be getting results shortly. And he said he wants an x-ray of her neck to check out the flap on the esophagus. The nurse checks her temp its 101.7. So we give her tylenol. Doc comes in a little later says its not RSV but her white blood count is high. It is croup. Prior to this experience, I thought croup was the name they gave sickness if it was nothing else. You know, like, if a baby is fussy for no apparent reason, they are colicky. But I was wrong. Here is the definition found on google: a disease of infants and young children; harsh coughing and hoarseness and fever and difficult breathing". Treatment for croup is steroids and breathing treatments. They admitted Audrie into the hospital since she was so little and her airway was so constricted.

We got into a room about 6:30 last night. Grammy and Pappy came to help out. She was given 3 breathing treatments through-out yesterday, along with steroids and anti-biotics. Last night, she started to smile and laugh again. Poor little girl. She was such a trooper. She went to sleep for good at midnight, after a bottle and a breathing treatment. When they came in at 3 to give her steroids, her IV wasnt flushing again so that was a mess. She went back to sleep right when they were done. Then woke up at 7. Our pediatrician came this morning. He said as long as she can go 12 hours without a breathing treatment we can home, which will be at noon.

This experience so far was very scary. My mom always told me when I hurt, she hurt. I never understood until now. It is like you are helpless and you would do anything to make your child stop hurting. You wish it could be you and not her. It was scary too because it happened SO fast. In like an hour.



I am so grateful for everyone praying for us. I knew God had his hand in it all the time. His plan is perfect even though we sometimes cannot understand it. My dad reminded me yesterday how children do not belong to us but the Heavenly Father. And in times like these we have to continue giving God the control of His children. It is a hard lesson to learn and I re-learn it every day. Audrie does belong to God and I am extremely thankful and humbled that He chose GT and I to be her earthly parents. I feel that I am so unworthy. He is Good and Faithful always.

Santa Baby

We went and saw Santa at the mall on Monday. It went over better than expected. Audrie didnt cry, she didnt smile either, but that was to be expected. If you didnt know, my child is quite serious and doesnt smile too much at people other than me or GT. And I thought the Santa at our mall looked real!

Lynzie and I have been talking alot about what we are going tell the girls when they are able to understand Christmas and Santa. My parents didnt tell us that Santa was real, but they didnt tell us he wasnt either. It didnt ruin my childhood. I understand why to tell a child and I understand its fun to believe in Santa. I guess I am just going to see what Audrie thinks about it and try to make the main focus Jesus. I would like to teach her more about giving then receiving. I cant wait for when she is old enough to understand it all! And at the same time I want her to stay 4 months! AH!

Making Baby Food

I know I have mentioned making baby food in previous posts, but I wanted to go into an extensive account of it to have the memories (and possibly to remind myself in the future).

In November, Lynzie and I decided to make green beans and green peas. Even though our girls wouldnt eat it for sometime we wanted to be prepared. So we purchased frozen green peas and beans at wal-mart. Along with small round tuperware bowls, ice trays and ziploc bags. We began by steaming them in our rice cookers. Mine is small and Lynzie's is rather large. But we felt like it took forever. (***Just for a side note, the only vegetable I eat is LeSuer (sp?) english peas, so I have no idea how to cook vegetables) So then I read the back of the bag and it says you can boil them. We did that with the other 2 bags we bought (we were a little gung--ho). Then we used a stand-up blender and a hand blender. We pureed them or so we thought, poured them in ice trays and stuck them in the deep freeze. A few days later, Lynzie popped them out and put them in Ziploc bags. 1st attempt at making baby food: successful. However, we did not puree them enough, so I have to mix them again once they are thawed.

2nd attempt at making baby food: We did carrots, squash and sweet potatoes. Carrots were done the same as the green beans and peas, except they were fresh so we had to peel and slice them AND we steamed all of them because we found out that is the best way to keep in all the nutrients. Then squash and sweet potatoes were not so easy. To do squash you cut them in half length-wise, scoop out seeds, put them face down in a pan with an inch of water. bake them in the oven, then scoop out the inside. It didnt make very much and it was alot of steps. but the pureed really well. sweet potatoes you cook like regular potato. wrap in foil. cook in oven. peel the skins. puree. they were actually hard to puree. maybe cause they are already so soft?

anyway, that has been our adventure so far. Audrie has been eating green beans for 2 days now. I offer her food 3 times a day, morning, afternoon and night. I just cant give her green beans for breakfast, it weirds me out, so she gets oatmeal. then lunch and dinner she gets green beans. at lunch she didnt care for them too much, but dinner she ate 2 oz's! And might have eaten more, but I didnt over it to her anymore!

We have been very blessed with a baby who sleeps well and eats well. Audrie met Santa too, but I will save that for another post!

Audrie and Oatmeal

I thought I would give an update to how baby food is going. We started doing it twice a day last Thursday. Naturally, we started with rice cereal. The first 2 times was a little rough. Audrie never made a bad face, however, she would push it out with her tongue instead of swallowing it! But after the first few times she eats like a pro! She opens her mouth when the spoon is brought to it. She swallows...sometimes I will say mmmm...yummy and she gets a huge smile! I love it!

So Tuesday, I was already bored with rice cereal. I knew she was getting the hang of it and I knew she wasnt allergic...so we went to oatmeal! SHE LOVES IT! GT tasted it and said it was gross. I am not one of those mama's that will taste everything I give her. No. Gross. I am making her baby food, so I hoping it will taste better than the stores, but Im still not tasting it. Anyway, she will eat all of the oatmeal sometimes...looks like she likes to eat as much as her mom and dad :) Next Tuesday, I think I will start green beans...then peas...then carrots...then squash...then sweet potatoes...

I still havent decided about giving her juice. I think I might wait until I give her a sippy cup which will be around 8 months. Who knows. Oh and today we let her taste a lemon...it was quite entertaining. I will take some pics of her eating and post it soon!

Worst Mommy Ever

For those of you moms, you know what it is like when something happens and you feel like the worst mommy ever. In just the short 4 months, Audrie and I have had together, there have been quite a few of those moments. For example: Audrie had heartburn the first 2 months of her life and I didnt know...When Audrie was about a month old, I was buckling her in her car seat, and got a piece of her leg in the buckle...etc...

well last night it happened again...For the first 2 1/2 months of Audrie's life I bit her fingernails off instead of clipping them or filing them. **For those of you who do not know babies fingernails grow really fast and are really sharp, and they like to touch their face, which=scratches** So anyway, hers are pretty long and she will not sit still enough for me to bite them anymore. I used to do it when she was eating or sleeping, but now she moves too much. SO, last night after I fed her I was going to cut them. I have successfully done this twice. I am holding her hand still and I cut a few, then one time I am cutting them, she jerks her hand, and I cut the skin :( She screams, so I hold her tight...she cried for like 20 seconds. Then she was ok. GT asks, Is she bleeding? I look at her finger and I am like no, thank God! Then I look at her other hand, it was bleeding, I was looking at the wrong hand!!!! So I put her on the changing table and there is blood everywhere. All on her pajama's, on her face, on her blanket...So GT goes and gets little bandaids and neosporin. It wasnt successful. Her finger is still bleeding the whole time. Then I try part of a cotton ball and medical tape. It worked for about a minute. The reason it was bleeding so much was because Audrie kept clenching and un-clenching her fist! The only thing that made it bearable is the whole time we are trying to put a band-aid on her, she was smiling and cooing. After she cried those 20 seconds, she never cried again.

Anyway, I felt bad. So to vent, I thought I would blog it. I mean really I know I am a good mom. That might be a cocky sentence. But after working for CPS, I KNOW I am a good mom because I have seen the definition of a BAD mom up close and personal. But when things like this happen it just makes you feel bad. I am sure there will be more of these post to come!

Turning 25

Four years ago...I guess I was turning 21. My mom sent me this email on my birthday:

Hope you had a great birthday...I know you were a blessing in our lives 21 years ago. I had already had 2 miscarriages. We didn't know if you were a boy or girl. I was having blood pressure problems and had been dilated 4 cm for a few weeks. When I went for a checkup, I used the stairs, so that didn't help the blood pressure. The Dr. said , go home get my bag and head straight to the hospital to try to get things under control and rest. We shipped the boys off to the Mudges until Mrs. Allen could get there. After several hours in the waiting room, Larry had to throw a fit!. He said we came because my wife needs to get some rest and her blood pressure under control..she needs a room right now! A little more forceful as I remember! It worked. They even put us in a special beautiful private suite...go Larry! The next day they started a drip to make contractions come faster...nothing...Dr. came into examine, said you were breech, and that the monitor was half broken...whatever...still didn't know if you were a girl...after several more hours they scheduled a c section...we had to wait after deliveries already scheduled were done and rooms cleaned after births...finally...our turn...I ask the Dr. if he thought you were a girl..he said he thought so...I was awake the whole time with an epidural...Larry was in the delivery room too... Dr. asked me about names...I said Lydia if a girl, no boy names yet...He said Lydia the tattoo lady then started singing a song...no, I assured him, Lydia from the Bible. He quickly quit singing Lydia the tattoo Lady...smile...then you arrived kicking the dr., feet first. Just like when the boys were born, I looked at Larry and he smiled and said a girl and whispered to me all fingers completely formed...something that was always such a matter of prayer for us...Dad wanted Jesus to be one of the first names all our children heard, so when they handed you over to him, he whispered the name above all names into your ear...of course, we had prayed, read, and talked to you for 9 months, but now you had arrived...perfect in every way...The Lord had answered the desires of my heart...Nanny came and spent the nights with us in the hospital for 4 nights. Mamaw Joyce was at our house taking care of Dad and the boys.Since you came a few weeks early, the Christmas tree was half decorated...we didn't mind... You came home in a bright red dress that Mamaw bought you. What a priceless gift from the Lord. You went to church when you were about a week old, you were fine, I could hardly walk, much less care for 2 little boys and one big boy...then dad made us a bed in the van and took us to Nannys for someone to help as I recovered...Just thought you might want to hear a few of my memories about your first birthday...I love you, Mom

I cant never get through reading this without crying. If you know me well, you know my mom and I are bestfriends. Having a daughter, this email means so much more and hits home right to my heart. One time I let a co-worker read this, and she said "girl, you were spoiled before you ever came out of the womb!". Haha. This is very true. I am still spoiled :) and now...I am passing it on to my daughter.

I am pretty sure the first time my dad held Audrie, he did the same thing. He whispered in her ear the name above all names.

Looking back on the past 24 years of my life just reminds me of how blessed I am.

We DO have a GIANT

Today Audrie is 4 months old!!! I cant believe it! And being 4 months old means a check-up and shots :( Her weight is 14 lbs 7 oz which is in the 72 percentile and height is 26 3/4 inches which is in the 100 percentile! When they told me, I was like, what? 100? It shocked me. At her last appt she was in the 80th, I think. Doc said she looked good and was healthy.

Here are some pics for our wonderful doctors appt. I know it is dorky, but I scrapbook!

Audrie and Daddy Looking at the Fishies


Being weighed, she didnt like the cold scale


Being measured, yes, our little Giant


I love her little facial expressions!


Daddy dont make me get the shots!

So the doc said we can officially start solids...We have tried rice cereal a few times for fun, but now we are supposed to do it twice a day for 2-3 weeks then start vegetables! THIS IS HAPPENING TO FAST! SO I asked the doc, well when do I feed it to her, before her bottle, after, in between? His response was yes, yes and yes. He said you have to do what works best for the baby. I wish that wasnt his answer. I need something concrete. He kept saying dont overthink it. Well I am pretty sure that is impossible. Because then I am like what vegetables do I do? Some people say only do green ones in the beginning then the doc said carrots, sweet potatoes and squash. But those are sweet vegetables and you want your baby to eat all of them not just if they are sweet. Then it said I can start her on juice. Why would I do that? Does she need juice for nutriotinal value? I dont understand. It is stressing me out. I know its not going to be perfect and every baby is different, blah, blah, but I feel like I everything I read about starting solids is different. If any of you mothers have advice please pass it on. At least I know I am doing rice cereal for the next 2-3 weeks...

Being Human

We have had such a good week! Audrie has been such a trooper! Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday we were out the whole day doing various things. Shopping mostly. I didnt have money to shop so I shopped for my mom and my aunt :)  It was still really fun! On Saturday, we kind of had a Thanksgiving lunch and my parents house...it was so much fun. All the grandkids were together for the first time! I didnt get many pictures :(  But the few I did get, I will post soon. 

I have been thinking alot about life and being thankful in lieu of Thanksgiving. I really have so much to be thankful for in my life. Sometimes it is hard and I get very selfish thinking about the things I dont have or about the things I used to have. But the truth is, I have more than alot of people. There are so many people who dont know where their next meal will come from. I have been blessed with a wonderful Husband, a beautiful baby girl, a cute house, 2 silly puppys, good friends, awesome parents, caring in-laws, loving brothers and sister-n-laws, exciting nieces and nephews and so much more. I was reminded how blessed we were when so many people and family members loved on Audrie this week. AND my last thought...I know this is probably going to sound really cheesy. But tonight GT and I went and saw New Moon. I have read all the Twilight books. I understand why it is so popular. Not because of vampires. Because of Edward and his love for Bella. I was sitting in the theatre thinking how cheesy some of the things Edward says was. Then I thought, no earthly man is like that. I mean they might be some of the time, but not perfect like Edward. But God is. God loves us like that and even more than that. God wants to protect his children and love them unconditionally. That is why so many people love Twilight, we fantasize about this love that does and cant exist between humans because it is perfect love. The way God loves us. And for that I am SOOOOO thankful. Because I am so human. 

Fun DAY!

I feel like all of sudden Audrie has grown alot. She is starting to smile so much more and coo alot. She talks the most at night. We put her in her highchair seat and she just goes at it! It is sooo cute! I need to get it on film!

We had such a fun day today. Lynzie and I brought the girls to Randi's lovely house. We let the babies play together (although we dont think they really know each other are there!) Then we had some delicious sandwiches and made some Christmas ornaments. I made a pink house. And Lynzie made some christmas tree cookie ornaments. It is so good to get together with other moms and talk about mommy things. Remember in my last post when I said that woman had invited us to MOPS? It is the one Randi goes to! How crazy is that???? 

Here is what is coming up for us this week:

• Shreveport trip tomorrow--gonna help my mom clean to get ready for Thanksgiving and help her put up her Christmas tree
• Visit my grandma (nanny) in the hospital. I am sad I have been there yet!
• Thanksgiving of course! Lunch at my Aunt Peggy's, then to Aunt Charlottes!
• Visiting GT's grandparents, Mamaw and Papaw
• Saturday night--Jessica turns 25! AH! Party @ Macaroni Grill
• Then Sunday, a bridal shower! 

I cant wait! I am so excited about getting to spend some time with family and friends! I am sure there will be MANY pictures to come! 

Hope everyone has a SPLENDID Thanksgiving!

Need creative help...

I have decided to start selling the canvases I paint with scripture verses on them. Before I set up my etsy site...I need a name. I cant come up with anything. I dont want to do anything with "canvas" in it because I might eventually sell more than just canvases. Any ideas?

Also, I have to figure out the kinks of how much it will be per size of the canvas. I have been making some for Christmas presents and I forgot how much I loved it! And GT and I could really use the money right now.

I havent done it before now, because I didnt think I would have time due to having Audrie, but I have found out over the past few days, I do have the time. I just have to paint during naps. And sometimes she sits in her high chair and watches me paint. 

Anyway, if you can think of a name for my etsy site please HELP! 

Some more...

Some more firsts have been happening! Friday, when Lynzie came over to walk, Audrie was awake so I didnt want to wear her...so I tried putting her in her stroller without the car seat! She did great it in and liked it until towards then end of the walk. We walk 2 miles in about 45 minutes, so that is understandable. I didnt get a picture. Lynzie wouldnt let me because she said Audrie looked too grown up in it :) haha. 

And then Friday night...we gave Audrie a bath in her bathtub without the sling on it! She loved this too! She kept kicking and splashing in the water. All of these new things have started because she had good head control now, I cant imagine what new things we will experience when she is able to sit up! 

      

Yesterday, on our walk, this woman gave Lynzie and I a postcard for a MOPS group here in Longview. We are thinking about joining. We know our girls need some more socialization and need to be around different people. They are pretty attached to us. Moving Audrie in her room in her crib was my first step. Now, I need to put her in the church nursery. Then maybe leave her for a few hours at Mother's Day Out.  I need the break, thats for sure. But for almost 4 months, I have constantly been with her. I have left her four times since she was born. Twice with my mom while GT and I went on a date. And twice with GT. But all those times was like before she was a month old. And now I am way more attached to her! I guess I just need to suck it up and get over it. I did that with moving her to her room and it has been over a week now and we are both OK! 

High Chair, Bouncer and Wanting to Drive

We have been having alot of firsts around the Nehls household. I guess thats what happens when you have a baby. The big one has been moving her to her nursery in her crib! It has been going good the best few night. She has slept all through the night in her crib like a big girl! 

So to some new things happening...

Audrie will be 4 months in 15 days! AH! So I am not sure yet when we will start her on rice cereal. I am going to talk to my pediatrician alot about it and I have been reading about it on the internet and in books. My child definitely does not need it for weight gain! And I would hate to mess up her digestive system by starting to early. BUT anyway, I brought her high chair out and set it up. I put her in it when I eat meal, if she is awake, to get used to being in it and to see mommy eat. She LOVES IT! Our kind reclines, so I think she feels like it is her lazy boy! HAHA. Here is a cute picture of her loving it:

And then today, I set up her jumperoo.  I thought it was for when they could sit up on their own, but I didnt see an age anywhere on it. So I put her in it and she LOVES it. She has learned how to make it make noise and she bounces to make it make noise! HAHA! It is so cute! She looks kinda mad in these pictures, but she isnt!

 

Then I was cleaning the kitchen while she was on the play gym,  I went to check on her and she had gotten her keys around her wrist! I told her she could not drive yet, silly girl! 

And I almost forgot! We bought this carrier before Audrie was born. Well I put her in it at like 5 or 6 weeks and she did not like it! And then as most of you know, I got the Moby. Which Audrie still loves, but she doesnt love it so much when she wants to be awake. Well Lynzie and I have been wearing the girls when we walk because they seem to get pretty fussy recently in their car seat/stroller combo. So I tried this out today and Audrie loved it too! She is such a good baby! She actually ended up falling asleep in it, but it did the job! 

The BIG Move

Audrie rolled over again! And again, no video. I put her down in her crib for a nap and she just plopped over. So I think I am going to give up on catching it on film. 

Recently we have a had a change ( a big change to me). I started putting Audrie in her nursery. The first few nights home from the hospital Audrie slept in her crib while my mom would watch her at night. Well in between feedings...So anyway...when my mom went home we started putting her in the basinet in our bedroom next to me. And sometimes in bed with me. Well, she had starting getting really good about sleeping all night in the basinet, but sometimes she would wake up around 6 am. She wouldnt be hungry and still sleepy. SO I think it was because GT was getting up for work around that time. AND I decided that was pretty selfish of me because I was keeping her in our room, next to me, because I needed it. And she wasnt able to sleep through the night.

SO...Thursday, I decided, all or nothing. So we moved the basinet into the nursery. She slept in it that night, Friday night and Saturday night. She has done pretty good so last night I put her in her crib! She is still waking up some in the morning like around 6 or 7, so I just get her and put her in bed with me and she sleeps until 9. I dont understand why she is still waking up! Sometimes she does it at like 4! I dont know what wakes her up. We have a loud box fan running for white noise and I have a navy blanket over the window so it cant be the sun coming up. I have no idea. 

I feel like we are making baby steps. I do miss her. And I have had a hard time sleeping because I am worried. But I know it is whats best for our family. For mine and GT's relationship. I wouldnt mind a bed full of children, but I know my husband would! :)

I have done pretty good emotionally about it, I think. I didnt cry. Yet. I mean I do spend ALL day EVERY day with her. So it is a good break. But a little sad. 

What It was Like Being Pregnant

I went back and read some of my old posts...and I never discussed what it was like to be pregnant. Last night as I was scrap booking my labor and delivery page, I realized that I need to start writing alot to keep these memories because if not they will fade over time.

So here is my story of what it was like to be pregnant...

Nausea. I had mentioned in one of my previous post about being scared in the beginning that I was going to have a miscarriage. So the first few days I knew I was pregnant I felt like I made myself nauseous. But then it really kicked in at about 7 weeks pregnant. I got nauseous mostly around 5:30 pm. My best times were in the mornings. Odd. I know. So I would come home everyday from work and just lay on the couch until bed time which was about 9pm in my first trimester. I was soooo exhausted and nauseous that all I could do was lay down. Our house was a mess. I dont remember cooking even one night during that. I didnt have much of an appetite. I would feel hungry and when I started eating it would make me sick, so I would quit eating. I was lucky and only threw up twice. I will share these stories, so skip down if you dont want to read.

The first time was one night I was craving eggs and I was starving. So I asked GT to make me some egg sandwiches. So he made me two of them. Well compared to what I was eating, this was alot. So I scarfed them down and yepp an hour later they both came back up. 

The second throw up story was when I think I was in my second trimester. I was on my way to work. I ate a granola bar and took my prenatal pill (which I didnt do too often). I stopped by a foster home for about 30 minutes, then when I got to the office I started feeling funny. Anyway, I went to the bathroom and threw up about 30 times. I dont know why. But I never took a prenatal pill again until they put me in the hospital.

I did get a stomach virus when I was preggo...it was HORRIBLE! I threw up alot then too, but those dont count because they werent because of the pregnancy. 

Stretch Marks. Up until about my 7th or 8th month of pregnancy I only had two stretch marks. I named them stretchy and marky. Then one day I woke up looked in the mirror and stretchy and marky had alot of friends! I think this was about the time I had developed gestational diabetes and Audrie grew really fast. I really looked like a red zebra. And I didnt know this happens, but I got stretch marks on my thighs and my upper legs. I started developing these from like week 10. I am not sure why. You might ask if I used any kind of lotion? Yes. In the beginning I used Palmer's. Then I switched to Mama Bee's belly butter. I used it all the time my 2nd and 3rd trimester. I am not sure if it helped or not. I cant imagine my stretch marks being worst because they are pretty bad.

Weight. I will share my weight, because I really dont care. It is what it is. When I  was 6 weeks I weighed 222. (I was about 20 pounds over what I should be) During my first trimester, I lost and got down to about 209. The last time they weighed me in the hospital (the day before Audrie was born) I was 262. So I tell people I gained 40 pounds which I really gained a little more since I lost that weight in the beginning. Currently, I am at 224. After having Audrie, I immediately lost alot and then plateaued around 230. My friend Lynzie and I walk 2 miles 4 times a week. So it has been a long journey to lose those 6 pounds. I am not really on a food diet, but I should be. 

Moods. I did become quite moody especially the first trimester. One thing I remember being very moody about was sleeping with GT. When your pregnant (well some women) you get this crazy enhanced smelling ability. So I could smell his breath no matter what. It was more comfortable for me to lay on my left side and he would always want to lay on his right side, so he would be facing me. Almost every night, I would be like, "roll over, your breath stinks" and then we would get in an argument and one of us would end up going into the guest bedroom. We slept apart many a nights during my pregnancy. 

Anxiety. I had mentioned a little about this in a previous post. When GT lost his job, it seems like my job got more stressful. I had one of the highest case loads, and we had just gotten a crazy case with a crazy amount of kids. I was traveling alot and was behind on alot of my documentation. I even flew to Amarillo at one point which made me very sick to do, so I vowed I wouldnt fly again until the pregnancy was over. Anyway, I was having anxiety attacks all the time. I had never really had them prior to being pregnant so I was scared. I mean, I couldnt control them. I didnt know when they would happen. So when I went for my monthly check-up my doctor gave me a prescription for it. I really didnt want to be on medication. I remember the first day I took a pill on my way to work. It was like magic. I got so much done that day and I felt great. About a month after being on it, I forgot to take them one weekend and  I didnt need it. It was very strange because nothing about my situation in life changed. 

Heartburn. I had terrible heartburn from like 10 weeks pregnant. I constantly took tums. It was worst during the night. Ugh. I dont miss that.

Swelling. Oh my goodness. My feet got so huge. I cant even explain it they got so big. I had to stop wearing my wedding ring at like 5 months preggo. I got a silver band from walmart. Mens size 11. Yeah, thats how bad it was. When I look back at pictures from my last 2 months...WOW. I was huge. And I dont mean fat. I was SO swollen. It was bad. I didnt even realize how bad it was. Which now, I know it was from the pre-eclampsia. And my swelling in my feet didnt completely go away until about 3 weeks AFTER Audrie was born. 

Sleep. Or lack thereof. I slept on my stomach the first 12 weeks. I know some books say your not supposed to but oh well. I couldnt help it. I would just roll that way. Then I got to where I couldnt, so some nights I would sleep on my back, which your not supposed to do that either. I ended up sleeping with a big body pillow in between my legs and hugging it. I miss that thing. I tried sleeping with it after being preggo and it just wasnt the same. But in the last trimester, I didnt sleep well. It was very uncomfortable and I woke up often. One night the electricity was out until 5 am and it was like June. UGH! That was bad! 

SO I guess most of these things were pretty bad. There were good things, like feeling Audrie move around. Which sometimes I was tired of it and wish she would have stopped especially when I was on bed rest in the hospital. I enjoyed the attention of being pregnant. I enjoyed eating whatever I wanted and not feeling bad (except for when they put me on that diet :( ). It seems like there was more bad then good of being pregnant. But nothing is like the experience of growing a child inside of you. It is such a special thing. And while you are pregnant it makes the bad things bearable. 

I hope this was a real enough account of what it is REALLY like to be preggo. Atleast what it was like for me. I am sure I left out some things so I might have a what it was like being pregnant part 2 in the future!

Why I Blog...

I started this blog when we found out that I was pregnant. I did it because I suck at keeping a journal/diary. I will write in it for like a week or two and the stop. So this is my journal. And hopefully one day Audrie can read it and my other children. Plus, I love going back and reading old post! So, I dont really feel like alot of people read my blog, but it gets imported on my notes on facebook and people read it on there. I like to be REAL. Especially when it comes to motherhood. Because I cant really remember what I thought motherhood would be like prior becoming a mother, but I KNOW it was NOT realistic.  I will post soon about some more lessons I have learned in becoming a mother.

I usually do not put pictures on her because I put them on face book. And I figure the people that do read this look at my face book. BUT then as I was reading some other blogs...I decided, reading a post with pictures is alot more fun! So maybe I will put some pics on here that only exclusive to my blog! 

Tuesday, we went to visit my brother, sis-n-law and two nieces in Dallas. GT had to take a test to become licensed for pest control. So I went along because I hate staying at home by myself! 

Here a few pics I took...

Audrie and Ellie. Ellie is actually 5 weeks younger than Audrie! The Allen's make some big babies!

Audrie and Claire. Claire will be 2 years old in January! She was the first grandchild born on my side of the family. She is full of energy! And sooooo sweet...

This post is a bunch of things all rolled into one...So yesterday, Audrie rolled over for a 2nd time. This is how it went. Lynzie was over at the house, and I said, I am going to put Audrie on her stomach and see if she will roll over. I put her down and she starts leaning to the side. Lynzie says, "Go get the camera, she is going to roll over." I say, "She isnt going to roll over she does this all the time." Then, she rolls over. So I might get a roll over on video but it will be her 3rd or 4th. But that okay. I am just glad she can roll over! But she only does it when she wants to, thats for sure! 

We tried to get them to roll over together, but it didnt work. In this picture here, Audrie is reaching for the toy and Adalynn is looking at Audrie's arm because she wants to suck it. She eventually did but Audrie wouldnt have it. It was quite funny.  Audrie finally reached the toy then decided it wasnt what she thought it would be and got fussy. 

And...Yes, my child is naked. She spits up alot when I put her on her tummy. 

Being a MOM

When I knew I wanted to be a mom...Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a mom. When my friends wanted to play school, doctor etc... I wanted to play mom. That was it. I had tons of baby dolls, that I played with probably too long. They all had names and many outfits. I had a baby stroller, pack-n-play etc...I felt like they were my real babies. So I say since I was a baby, I wanted a baby. I really feel like I was born to be a mom. I've always said I wanted 6 kids. I really mean it. I would love a house full of kids, full of craziness and chaos. But my husband only wants 3, so we will see :)

So now on to becoming a mom. When GT and I started dating, I made it very clear to him how bad I wanted to have children. He knew before we ever said I love you, that when I have children I will stay home with them. We got married July 12, 2008...I think every day after our honeymoon I asked if we could have a baby. He kept saying "No, I am enjoying it being just us right now." And how can a girl argue with that? So I held off until September. I told GT I was getting off the pill and it was up to him if he wanted to use other means of birth control. And on December 6 we got pregnant. We found out on New Years Eve. I WAS SO EXCITED! 

Being pregnant...I could write a novel on this, but I will make it short. My mom and mother-n-law had miscarriages. When I found out I was pregnant, I was very very excited, but I knew in the back of my mind that it could result in miscarriage. So for the first 6 weeks that I knew I was pregnant I would go to the bathroom like every 20 minutes to make sure I was bleeding. I had dreams about it. or nightmares rather. So then I was 11 weeks and had my first ultrasound. We saw the heartbeat and the little fetus that would be our little girl. It was such a relief for me. There was really a baby in there! Then shortly after that I started bleeding a little. I thought it was happening. I prayed so hard and God gave me a peace. It was like He just put His hand on me, and said, "I am in control". I went to the doctor and she did an exam and another ultrasound. The baby was fine. Whew. Apparently, I had an infection and it was causing me to bleed. It had nothing to do with the baby and her development. Then at the next ultrasound my parents came and we found out we were having a girl. Since the day I found out we were pregnant, I knew it was a girl. I just knew. And I wanted a girl really bad. So when the u/s tech told us it had girl parts---I was like I knew it!!! And so excited. During my pregnancy, as many of you know, my husband was laid off. I was working at CPS. I really enjoyed my job at times, but it is very stressful and I had to travel alot. So at one point, I was having anxiety alllllllll the time. I had never really had anxiety like that, so I told my doctor and she put me on some medicine for it. Before that, I was crying every night, I wasnt so nice to my husband, I couldnt get work done etc...That medicine was a miracle! It helped me get through the next months. Until one weekend I didnt take it and was fine. So I never took another pill. My bestfriend, Allison, came to Longview. She helped GT paint the nursery. She helped me decorate. Her visit was something I needed SO bad and it came just at the right time.  Thank God for her! I had known from about 7 months something wasnt quite right. I was swelling ALOT but kept thinking it was normal. And I had always thought from the beginning that I would have gestational diabetes, bc diabetes is all in my family. So yall know the rest of this story when I got put into the hospital and so on. So skip all that. If you dont know it, go back to previous post if you are interested. Then we get to August 3 at 7:30 am. The high-risk doctor says, "we have to take the baby today"....   ***Side note that I failed to mention*** On January 28, 2009 ( I just went back and looked at facebook) I had read an email from our previous Sunday School class where this girl I knew had put she was pregnant. So I sent her a message on facebook tell her I was pregnant, and now we (and our daughters :) ) are best friends. Lynzie and I started hanging out when we were our first trimester. We had many late game nights and scrap booking nights. Many lunches on our lunch break. Many conversations during softball games. And now, our life is little girls. I am very very lucky to have such a good friend that is in the same stage of life as I am. When I had Audrie, she was still pregnant (it was supposed to happen the other way) she came over every day for the first week. She was such a big help. She even helped me breast feed. And you would think, no big deal, but breast feeding for me was not normal. It involved two people... Anyway, I am very grateful for her! 

Ok, now for BEING a MOM!...The first time I held Audrie, I was so tired from pushing that I didnt really have time to take it in. I remember when everyone left for a few minutes. It was just me, GT and Audrie. I didnt know what to think.  I didnt feel an overwhelming love or emotion for her. I felt tired. And I was like did I just push that out of me! HAHA. Then family came in and I didnt really hold her again until like 11 pm. and she was born at 6 pm. (Next time I have a baby that will not happen.) So then that night, I got to sleep with her on my chest. Bare skin to bare skin. (Not such a good idea because i was taking vicodin) BUT I wouldnt trade it for the world. That is when I felt the overwhelming love for her and that is when I cried tears of joy. So then fast forward two days and we are home. I remember coming in sitting in the recliner with Audrie and both the pups-thinking- what do we do now? Gratefully, my wonderful mother came like an hour later! She stayed with us for 4 days. Thank God for MAMAS! I had always heard the first week home is survival. For us I think it was the first month. Is being a mom what I thought it would be? Yes and No. It is wonderful and amazing like I thought it would be. BUT it is also extremely hard sometimes. You do learn to become selfless. It is hard on a marriage. It is hard to take care of yourself anymore, because honestly you dont matter anymore. I spent the first month feeling like a bad mom. Feeling like a bad mom because I didnt succeed at breast feeding. Because I didnt follow Growing Kids Gods Way. Because I didnt have Audrie on a schedule. Because I held her most of the time. Because she slept in bed with me most nights. Then one day, I was just like I dont care. And then my life got much easier. I do what works for my family. Yeah, sometimes I do things for me. because of my attachment with Audrie. And I am ok with that. As each day goes by, I become more attached to her. I thought it would be reverse. I thought I would be attached at birth and become less attached as she got older. Not so much. I LOVE being a mom. I LOVE AUDRIE. I LOVE the joy she has brought in our lives. I LOVE seeing GT as a daddy. I LOVE talking to other moms. I LOVE reading baby center :)   

And I still want to do it again 5 more times...

Baby Food Making, Ruston Trip and Christmas

Wow, what a weekend. I am one tired mama! Here is the weekend re-cap!

Friday Night--we went over to Damian and Lynzie's to make baby food. We made big batches of green beans and green peas. It was fun and now we know how to do it, maybe we will be better at it. 

Saturday- We started the day by driving to Ruston. I didnt realize it, but I miss college--AM I CRAZY???? Yes, I believe so. I guess I mainly miss the friendships and not having to be such an adult. We met Jena (our wonderful photographer) at Tech farm. We took some family pics and some of just Audrie. Audrie wasnt very cooperative. She wouldnt smile at all. Then she got fussy. We went to the football field and took a few. Again, she was sleepy and fussy. So, we went to dawg house and had to wait a hour for our food. :( Then we went to visit our friends Jonathan, Erin and Jackson Clark. They are such a cute family. We had alot of fun! I miss Erin so much! I am so excited she is preggo! I wish we lived closer so we could be closer. Then we went to visit Bro. Danny and Mrs. Karan Eddy. We missed seeing them at homecoming so it was good to stop by and visit! They are such sweet people! Then we came home and were pooped from the long day. It was very fun though! 

Sunday (well today)- we skipped church, oops. We were very tired from yesterday. And last week GT worked late every night and we just wanted to relax and spend some quality time together. Excuses, excuses..I know. So I talked him into taking down the Christmas stuff from the attic. We put up the Christmas tree. It was alot of fun to do together. Audrie slept through most of it, but she likes the lights on the tree. Then NaeNae (GT's mom) came over with Bailey (our niece). It was a great time! Bailey is a bundle of energy! She loves our dogs. She did great with Audrie. She sang to her, read a book to her and kept the pacifier in her mouth when she was fussy. Then we watched the Saint games. And now GT is studying. He takes his tests to be licensed for pest control this Tuesday! 

**Weight Update***

 I have lost 2 more pounds. I am now 2 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight. So in all since Audrie was born I have lost 38 pounds. Then I need to lose about 20 more to be at a healthy weight. Its been hard, but I really enjoy walking and it doesnt really feel like 2 miles when you get to walk with your bestfriend! Now, I need to work on a food diet... :( 

November Already?

Here is what has been going on lately in the life of the Nehls family:

• Saturday for Halloween we went to a Bonfire with NaeNae and Poppa Bruce. I didnt dress Audrie up again, I figured it wouldnt be necessary. So she just wore her 1st Halloween onesie which was super cute. 
• Audrie has been smiling alot more and kind of laughing. Its not a really belly laugh but she definitely makes some noises when she is smiling. 
• I cant believe she is already 3 months! Lynzie and I are going to start making baby food and freezing it so we have alot stored up. I am super excited about making Audrie's baby food.
• Lynzie and I have stepped it up and we are now walking 2 miles! I am so glad its not raining and we get to go to the trail!
• I've been trying to get Audrie to roll over. Its not happening. She has started to kind of lean to one side when on her belly so I am hoping thats a good sign that she is on the road to rolling over. But the girl hates tummy time :( 
• I am a little sad we are having to switch to 3-6 clothes. She has some really cute 0-3. But oh well..I guess those things happen. 
• We are going to Ruston for Audries 3 month pictures Saturday! I cant wait! 

I am not going to post a recipe. Tonight, I did make pumpkin pie. Its in the oven currently. I got the recipe off the back of the can of pumpkin...

For a good laugh I thought I would share my dream from last night. I dreamed we had another baby. When the dream started it was post birth--so I asked the nurse how long was I in labor? She said you were in labor for 4 hours and pushed five times...(I hope my next one is like that)...Then GT was in there and he said he wanted to name her Andy Andrea. I was like no. And he said well it has to be an A name. (We are naming our future son Allen Eugene, so we have talked about going with all A's since we already have Audrie) Anyway, so then we go to church with Andy and Audrie and the Duggars are there singing! HAHA! What a crazy funny dream.

Have I shared my obsession with TLC shows? Yes, I love Jon and Kate Plus 8. I have thought about sharing my ideas on this and I might...who knows. And I LOVE the Duggars! I know they are strange to todays society, but I just love them. I wish more parents were like them (not populating the earth) but having values and convictions. This view comes from working at CPS!  They just seem like really good people. Anyway, and my new favorite is The Little Couple. They are too cute. Yes, reality TV gets me. Especially, when its about families. I used to watch Little People Big World and I still do on occasion, but the dad gets on my nerves. 

I think the pumpkin pie is about to be ready...yummy...

Before and After

At the baby shower my mother-n-law had for us, Gt's cousin Hilary organized the games. One of the games was a questionarre to see who could guess my answers. I think it is pretty funny to see how my answers have changed and what it is really like! So I thought everyone out there would enjoy a laugh!

Pre-Baby Answers in Red / Post Baby Answers in Purple

1. What is the first thing you will do when you hear the baby up at night?

• Look at the video monitor to see what she is doing
  
• I roll over, pick her up and put her in bed next to me

2. What will be the first thing you'll do if your water breaks?

• Cry-- because I do not want my water to break before I go into labor!
  
• Actually, this was the first thing that happened. My doctor broke my water to start my labor. I didnt cry. I was like HOLY CRAP I am having a baby today! 

3. What brand of diapers do you plan to use?

• Pampers Swaddlers, because all my friends say they are the best
  
• I have used swaddlers the most. They are my favorite still.

4. What will be the first foods you plan to introduce?

• Rice cereal
  
• Rice cereal is still the plan...In like a month! AH! Not ready for it!

5. What will be the number one place you plan to use your stroller?

• Around the neighborhood on walks
  
• I use it the most when Lynzie and I go on walks. Usually it is at the trail on 4th street, but when it rains we walk at the mall

6. What will you feed your newborn? Nurse, formula. etc.

•  nurse until she is one, introduce solids at 4-6 months, hopefully we wont ever have to use formula!
• well, she was on formula her second day of life. i breast fed while supplementing for 2 weeks then went to all formula

7. Who have you taken the most baby advice from so far?

• Books---GT and I attended classes on Preparing for Parenthood (Babywise) and other various books on breast feeding, natural birth, etc...
• Now, I read alot on the internet and ask my mom, friends and sister-n-laws lots of questions

8. Do you foresee chewing GT's head off while you are in labor? ;)

• Hopefully not, he has been the best most supportive husband through all I have made him learn and all the classes I have drug him too! I think he will know what I need and will be there for my every need during labor so hopefully I wont feel the urge to chew his head off, but it is possible. He is prepared that it might happen and not to take it personally! :)
• I did not chew his head off in labor. When I was pushing, he was sooooo supportive and telling me things to help me. Sometimes I wanted to chew him out but I didnt. But he was trying to help me, and he did!

 9. Where do you plan for the baby to sleep when you bring her home?

•  Basinet/Playpen in our room for the first week then off to her crib! 
• HAHA! This is the funniest! Audrie is almost 3 months old and still sleeps in the basinet next to me! I am not ready for her to go to the nursery! 

10. Do you plan to stock your car with baby cd's after she's born?

• Probably not, GT and I have been getting used to listening to the Christian radio stations more then we normally do
• Last week we got some veggie tale and kids hymn cds! She loves the veggie tales! 

11. Where will you bathe your baby? 

• Bath tub
• Sometimes we put her in the bathtub with me and other times we put her in her bathtub that has a sling on the top of it. She likes it best in the bathtub with me. 

12. Do you plan to use a pacifier?

• Not for the first 6 weeks if possible, want her to get good and used to breast feeding! After 6 weeks, if she likes it, then sure...
  
• She really didnt take a paci in the hospital, but when we got home, I got those soothie pacifers and THANK YOU JESUS FOR PACIFIERS! We have like 10 scattered throughout the house! Cant go an hour without it!  6 weeks...haha, what was I thinking??????

Much better end of the week!

Well in the my previous post I was having a bad day, little did I know the next day was going to make it SOOOOOO much better. 

GT came home and said he had good news and bad news. So I said bad news first...he said I am going to have to drive to Shreveport and Tyler more often for training. I said ok, good news, he said there has been so promotions within the company and he is going to be service manager in LONGVIEW! YIPPPPPEEEEEEE!!!!! We are so glad we get to stay here in our house, at our church, with our friends, still close to our familes, etc...  GOD IS SOOOOOO GOOD! My opinion is that it was a test to see if we would be faithful. To see if we would be willing to go wherever he sends us and all along the plan was for us to stay here! We dont really know how we are going to keep up with our mortgage but we know He will provide! I might have to go back to work but not for a few more months and hopefully it will just be part time if I do. I really really do not want to go back to work. I love love love being home with Audrie. It seems like everyday she changes and does something new. I dont want to miss out on that. I love it. I love our routine. I love being able to control what she hears, sees, etc... But like I said I know God will provide if it His will. We will just have to be patient and see. 

So here are some new things going on with Audrie:

• She still sleeps through the night! Praise the Lord! She has been sleeping through the night for about 3 or 4 weeks now. I thought it might be a phase, but it stuck! She sleeps from about 11 pm until 9:30am! 
• She still sleeps in the basinet next to me. I am not ready for her to be separated from me. And some mornings GT wakes her up on accident when he is getting ready so I just put her in bed with me. I did it the other morning and she wasnt even waking up! I am so bad. But I wanted her to cuddle with me.  :)
• She is drinking 5 oz in almost every bottle! She eats every  3 hours during the day, sometimes she goes 3 1/2 hours.
• We are trying a new formula. It is still Good Start, but it is Protect Plus. It is supposed to be extra good for their immune system.
• She smiles alot now! I couldnt even get her to drink her bottle at 12:30 because she wouldnt stop smiling!  Now, all I have to do is smile and her and she smiles back.
• She loves to "fly" in the air. Her favorite thing is when I lay her down on top of my legs and pretend like she is flying.
• She is grabbing at her toys more. She really likes this one toy. It is a hot pink poodle. Adalynn likes hers alot too...must be the color.
• Recently, I bought some veggie tales and kids hymn cds. She LOVES the veggie tales CD. It is the 25 sunday school songs. And I kinda like it too, so it works out-haha!
• She will be 3 months in 4 days. It makes me a little sad. Like, I want her to get older and do new things, but then I want her to stay a little baby all at the same time. 

Ok, thats enough for now. I could go on and on. You moms know how it is! 

I meant to add this recipe to my last posts, but like I said, Ive been busy! 

Sweet Potato Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

3 1/2 flour (self-rising)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon nutmeg

1/2 tablespoon ground cloves

2/3 cup of water

1 cup nuts (optional)

2 large cans of sweet potatoes or 4 mashed sweet potatoes 

Directions:

Combine sugar and oil. Beat well. Add eggs and beat. Combine remaining dry ingredients and add to egg mixture. Add water. Drain and stir in sweet potatoes and nuts. Pour into greased loaf pans. Bake 350 degrees for an hour. 

Usually makes about 3 loafs. You can also add raisins if desired. 

Also, here is the recipe for a yummy icing if you want to jazz it up!

1 pkg or box of powder sugar

1 tablespoon of butter

1 8oz pkg of cream cheese

Stir together. Add a little water if too dry. It can sit out for a few hours, but needs to be refrigerated.