Fun Christmas Survey

Some friends over at Titus Two were passing around this survery...so I thought, why not?

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Usually wrapping paper, except for those crazy-shaped presents

2.When do you put up the tree? Thanksgiving Weekend!

3.When do you take the tree down? When Kris decides it's been up long enough! I don't like to take it down too soon!!! :)

4.Do you like eggnog? Blech!!! No way!!!

5.Favorite gift received as a child? My bicycle, or my Cabbage Patch Doll

6.Do you have a nativity scene? Of course...it is the one my mom had, and it's beautiful! I also have the old one we set up as a family when I was growing up.

7.Hardest person to buy for? My father-in-law, until he took up golf this year! :)

8.Easiest person to buy for? my hubby

9.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? USED lipstick and earings

10.Mail or email Christmas cards? MAIL! And they just went out today...I know you will all be eagerly awaiting them!

11.Favorite Christmas Movie? The Nativity Story

12.When do you start shopping for Christmas? Well, this year, we bought some gifts in May, but now...8 days before Christmas, they are the only ones bought! :( Ususally, I start shopping in November, though.

13.Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I plead the 5th.

14.Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? sausage and cheese balls, and all the sweets!!!!!

15.Clear lights or colored on the tree? definitely clear!

16.Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells and Silent Night

17.Travel at Christmas or stay home? This year...traveling to see my family!!! :)

18.Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Let's see...Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzin, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, oh, and Rudolph! YEP! :)

19.Angel on the tree top or a star? A star because I couldn't find an Angel that didn't look wierd!

20.Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas eve, the others in the morning.

21.Most annoying thing about this time of year? The commercialism of it all.

22.What do you the love most about Christmas? That Christ came to save us!!!
"And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2:10-11

You know you're an adult when...

Your most exciting purchase of the year is this:
Ordered on black Friday, our new range is here!!! :) We are so excited to no longer hear a clicking noise the whole time our oven is on. This is a brand new Kenmore range, with electronic controls, a self-cleaning oven, and a broiler drawer! It is sooooooo much nicer than the piece of junk that came with this 17 year old house, and we are cooking a lot! :) My sausage and cheese balls actually came out GREAT this week, and cooked them all for the same amount of time! Oh...small miracles! I wonder how long I can keep it this clean! :) :) :)

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Silly Baby!!! :)

I know, I know...I needed a new post. So, here is a picture I think is really funny! I don't know why, but this is what baby girl decided to do between each bite of green beans at lunch today. And she smiled at me when I got the camera out to document it! Too cute!!!!

Free Rice

This website is fun, and addicting! Please check it out!

Free Rice

Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I have been thinking a lot about how grateful I am in my life today. I thought I would share why I feel this way. I'm sorry this is long, but it could have been a LOT longer! :) There are many things for which I am so very grateful, but here are just a few:

First and foremost, I am eternally grateful for my salvation! Now that I am a parent, I look at Emmalyn and think: Could I EVER sacrifice her for a group of people that would disobey and forsake me, despite how much I love them? NO WAY! I cannot even fathom how much God loves me, willing to watch His Son beaten and murdered, just to cleanse me of my sins. WOW! My feeble mind is overwhelmed! I am thankful that He provided a way to life with Him, because I know I could NEVER have earned this! "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."-Isaiah 64:6 I'm trying, but I could never put into words how thankful I am for the completed work of my Lord Jesus Christ!

Not that I can really compare other things to my salvation, I am also very thankful for...

I am also very grateful for my wonderful husband, Kris. I am so blessed to have found a man that is so generous in spirit, kind, and loving! He takes awesome care of me when I am in poor health. He is a GREAT daddy to our baby girl, he loves her unconditionally! He provides for us, and planned that years ago! He makes me laugh every day! He loves me! He really, really loves me! He takes seriously Ephesians 5:25, which says "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." He tells me how much he loves me, probably daily! And he tells me I'm beautiful, which every woman needs to hear, right? :) And most importantly, He loves the LORD with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength, and encourages me to do the same! I am blessed to be called this man's wife, and pray I am a worthy help-meet to this terrific man! I love you, Kristopher!!!

I also feel indebted to God for my precious daughter! Emmalyn makes my heart literally warm and fuzzy! :) I am so overwhelmed by my love for her, every day! I always knew I wanted to be a mom...but was clueless about how it would change me. She has taught me so much about love, patience, and compassion! I have never experienced as much joy as I do now, watching her learn new skills and just caring for her each moment of my day. She makes me laugh, she makes me cry, how wonderful is parenthood!!! I pray I am the mother this baby girl deserves, and that she grows up to love and serve the Lord every day of her life!

I am also giving thanks today for my family! My dad, my sister, and my brother and I are very close, and I am thankful that I have a family that loves me, that prays for me, and that will always be there! I know this sounds like a "given", but how many people don't have a strong family support system? More people in this world than we probably realize. I know that there will always be people that love me by my side! How blessed I am!!! Not only do I love them...but I LIKE them! Even if they weren't family, I would love to be friends with them! :)They are all very smart, funny, and very very loving! Dad, Kim, and Cal, I love you!

My husband's family is also a reason to give thanks this week! My mother, father, and sister-in-law are very close to me, Kris, and Emmalyn, and for this I am very grateful. They too are very sweet, generous, and caring people. They are truly a support system for us, praying for us, caring for us, and loving us! They have welcomed me into their family with open arms, and I love them! I am blessed to be a part of this family! Mike, Cheryl, and Kelli, I love you!

And what would I be without my friends? Old friends, and new ones I have made recently...they are a source of strength I could not imagine living without! When I am down, they lift me up, when I am happy, they share my joys! To have true friends, that I know love me and pray for me, is a blessing I have taken for granted. Ecclesiastes 4:12- "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Thank you, to my friends, for the advice, fun times shared, and love you give me! I love you all VERY much!!!

Thank you, to my readers, if you have made it this far! I am very grateful this morning, and wanted to share it with the world!!!

Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
AMEN!!!

10-20-30 Meme

Okay, so I have accepted Jana's challenge! A look back on life as Heather:

30 Years Ago:
Well, I don't think Mom was even pregnant with me yet. But about to be. I was not thought of yet, though. Dearest mommy and daddy only wanted 2 kids, which they already had. I was affectionately called a "surprise" by my momma, and (just as affectionately) an "accident" by my dad. :) They had moved to Texas just 2 years prior from Tennessee, and about to get more than they bargained for! :) Of course their family had to get bigger...everything is bigger in Texas, right?! I was actually born 29 years, 2½ months ago.

20 Years Ago:
I was 9 years old and in the 3rd grade at Anderson Mill Elementary in Austin, Texas. I think this is the year I had Mrs. Rowan. She was pretty cool. I can't say I remember much. I do remember my best friend was Holly down the street, and we walked to and from school together, usually through the ditch picking up "treasures" for our treasure box (an old cigar box, I believe) along the way. I also remember the 3rd grade playground was surrounded by cedar trees...to which I am very allergic! I was the only kid that dreaded recess! I think this is around the time I was also VERY into Care Bears. We painted my room lavendar, and added a Care Bear wallpaper border. I bet that was fun to redecorate for the people who bought our house!

10 Years Ago:
Okay, so now this, I can remember. It was 1 year out of high school, and I was living in an apartment of my own, with a horrible roommate that drove me crazy. I loved the new freedom that came with living on my own, but went back home when she got too bad. (I'll spare you the gory details!) I was working at a preschool with 3 year olds, and loved it. This is when I decided to go to college and become a teacher. I had previously wanted to do child psychology, but "teaching" and doing lesson plans for this preschool convinced me that this is what God wanted me to do with my life. I had tried community college the year before, but dropped the classes a month into it. I decided to try again later. So, in the Fall of 1997 I went back to Austin Community College and began what would become a 5 and a half year college career! I transferred to Southwest Texas State University in 1999 and finished my certification process in December of 2002. And my life was pretty different than it is now because I was not at this point saved. I did not have a real relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ. That miraculous transformation, only possible through the grace of the LORD, happened 4 years later.

So, that brings us to today, I guess. I feel like I have been a long way in my short 29 years, but so grateful to be alive and learning each and every day. Now, my goals in life are similar to my friend Jana's...to be a joyful help-meet to my AWESOME husband, and a good mommy to my precious little girl! And to be a worthy servant to the Most-High God!

I'd love to hear this from my other blogging friends...won't you try it? :)

It is finished!!!

Here it is, my first quilt!

And a close up of the binding, and such...

I am pretty proud of it, even if it is only a 30 inch square! :) I was able to finish it in a 6 week class, using mostly the 3 hours a week at class to do most of the work. I learned a lot in the class, and had a lot of fun! I think I would like to try clothes, next! :)

Time change isn't for babies!!

Well, someone forgot to tell Emmalyn that we set our clocks back!!! For the last 3 mornings, she has been waking up WAY TOO EARLY!!! ..and getting sleepy early! I guess she'll get used to it if we stick to her normal routine soon enough...but in the meantime, AGH! So, when she woke up this morning, I couldn't simply nurse her back to sleep because of the procedure I had on my back yesterday afternoon. I won't be able to give her MY milk until after 7PM tonight because of the IV medications I was on. So, we tried to give her a bottle of formula. NOT HAPPENING! She screams and cries, looking at you like you have 2 heads for trying to make her drink this stuff! But, the baby has to eat, right? So off we go, (me very groggy, and her just as awake as possible) to the high chair for cereal. This is how she acts when we are finished with the meal:

BTW...sorry for the "rude" noises she makes at the end...she does that a LOT, and I don't know how to edit the video. It's pretty funny, anyways. :)



She doesn't make it sound like it is 6:30 AM, does she?!?!!!! I also just wanted to show you her recent babbling. It is really cute, and she usually quits when we turn the camera on. :)

Our little flower child

We don't really celebrate Halloween, but we do get dressed up in innocent little costumes for the Fall Festival at church...isn't this adorable? She got to go and hang out at the festival, but Mommy was REALLY sick and didn't get to go. :( I had been excited about her first costume for months, but I got a stomach bug or a migraine, and couldn't quit "losing my lunch" long enough to go! I don't know what was worse...how I felt physically or emotionally! But, we took these pictures to show friends and family how much fun she had being a little flower! :) There are more at http://picasaweb.google.com/MammaSpell

Sears does good! :)

Well, Emmalyn went for her closeups again this month, and my oh my...she is soooo adorable!!! (If you couldn't tell we thought so already.) Here are a few of our favorites:




And the whole *little* family:

I have posted the rest of them on the Picasa site, if you are interested. :)
http://picasaweb.google.com/MammaSpell

Growing too fast!

Well, our little angel is now 8 months! Can you believe it?! She has so much personality these days! She is no longer quiet enough even to take out to eat (though we do it anyway)...she loves to squeal, giggle, and scream! She isn't really talking yet, no consonant sounds, but babbles constantly! It is really cute! But I can't wait to hear that first "Mama" or "Dada!" Here are some "highlights" from this month:

*She is now sitting REALLY well on her own, unassisted.

*She has now tried LOTS of solids, and loves almost everything, especially fruits.(You really need to check out the photos in the 7 month album to see her reaction to baby food jarred chicken!)

*2, count them, 2 teeth are poking out of her little gums! :)

*She is very easily distracted while eating! :)

*I walked in and found her sitting up in her crib last Friday...the first time she sat up from a lying down position on her own! Now, that is how I always find her in the morning or after a nap.

*She falls forward onto her knees when she sits on the floor...I believe she will be crawling very soon!

*We can no longer put her in the elevated "bassinet" of the pack'n'play...she pulls up on the edge, onto her knees as soon as we put her in it. She has even pulled up all the way onto her feet a few times...scary! Needless to say, she now has to use it as a regular playpen...much lower, much further from the rail. :)

*She gives lots of kisses and smiles to Mommy, Daddy, Grandma/Grandpa, and Nanny.

*She has begun the game of "How quickly will you pick this up for me if I drop it on the floor?!"

*She makes diaper changes difficult if not on her diaper table because she wants to roll around on the floor! :)

You MUST check out the 7 month and 8 month albums on Picasa (http://picasaweb.google.com/MammaSpell)...There are some awesome photos! :)

I hope I don't sound too gushy, but I can't help it...I love this little bambina more than I ever thought possible! Kris and I still look at her and say things like "Good grief, she is beautiful!!!" We are enjoying her everyday so much more than we would have ever dreamed! Parenthood is so wonderful! We thank God for giving us such a precious blessing, and pray we learn from Him everyday how to care for her and raise her to know Him! We love this baby girl!!!!!!!!!!!!

Learning to sew...

Look what I did!

And here's a close up of one square:

Part of Kris's birthday present to me was enrollment in a beginner's quilting class, primarily to teach me HOW to sew. I am having so much fun! This week's homework was to finish 12 of these squares (we completed one in class on Monday). While Emmalyn naps, I have found time to finish them, and feel pretty proud of myself. :)

A Day at the Park

Emmalyn and I were left as golf widows this past Saturday while Kris went with some friends to play in the church golf tournament. We also had with us our friends' daughter, Kristalin, so we headed to the park here in town. She had never been to this park just to sit and play (She's been there in the stroller while Daddy was doing some evangelism.), and she loved it! There is a pond in the middle, complete with a fountain and ducks to feed. It was a beautiful day here in Southeast Texas, one of the first in MONTHS cool enough to spend some time outside, comfortably. Here are a few pics, but please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/MammaSpell to see them all! There is also a link on the right called "family online photo album" if you ever want to check it out! :)
OH...and if you click on the first photo to make it nice and big...you will notice her first 2 TEETH!!! :) :) :)

HaHa!!!

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting or changing of one letter and supply a new definition.

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and a jerk.

3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize that it was your money to start with.

4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

10. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

11. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

12. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

13. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good you.

14. Glibido: All talk and no action.

15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

17. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

18. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

This is too funny!

I don't usually spend much time on YouTube, but came across this and thought it was too funny! I used to LOVE that dancing baby on Ally McBeal and it reminded me of that...

A photo to add for your "reading pleasure"

Not that my last post had lots of opportunities for photos, I thought I would at least add a photo of our pups! They get so little time in the limelight since Emmalyn arrived! The afflicted pooch it the one on the right, the uh...brown one cleverly named Mocha. :)
This is rare to find them all in one spot at the same time, but since we added hardwood floors, they spend more time on their beds.:)
Aren't they adorable?!

Quite a week for a hurricane...

I'm sorry this is a lengthy one...but it has been a crazy week!

Well, this week has been eventful, long, and well, pretty terrible.

It started out with the dog having to go to the vet. Mocha managed to pull her entire nail off the nail bed, it looked pretty bad. She is pretty tough and never whines, so we knew she had to go. Poor baby, it was pretty pathetic. So on Tuesday, off I go to take this 55 pound mutt to the friendly small-town vet we go to. She managed through the appointment, and $125 later I was on my way with a dog who was of course now up to date on all shots and junk the vet always seems to think necessary when he sees us coming! And he cut off her nail, hoping it won't grow back to funky, and she is now on anti-inflammatory and antibiotics. Again, very pathetic.

So, then, I wake up on Wednesday morning to very fearfully discover I can't walk because my back hurts so bad. It has been hurting for a couple of months, whereas most of my flare-ups only last a few days. But this was AWEFUL! I called Kris and he told me to get his parents to come take care of the baby while my friend Krissy drives me to the hospital. I ended up there for the day, being admitted. I was at this point just praying for some answers...I am 29 and my back hurts all the time! Very frustrating! Well, God is again, as always and forever, faithful, and he gives us answers. I had a MRI that revealed I have bone on bone inflammation from the disc removal surgery I had 4 years ago. I will eventually have to have surgery again, but the neurosurgeon on the case said I can probably hold off for about 10 years or so....Praise God! I DO NOT want another surgery!!!!!!!!!

So, we wait around all day on Thursday for an epidural steroid injection (that was a much harrier deal than I anticipated, might I add!), and the doc finally comes in at 6:00PM to get me down to day-surgery. So, I have the procedure, and I think I am going to be on my merry way in a few hours. He tells me to lay flat for 4 hours, and I do (not that I have many options with a nurse practitioner husband taking care of me). I go to get up, thinking I am just a little sore, nope... I can't walk! And this doc had just stuck a 5 inch needle in my spine!!! I have NEVER been so scared in my life! Long story short, my AMAZING, WONDERFUL, CARING husband managed to get me home by about midnight on Thursday night. Mostly via wheel chair and he and his dad helping me into the house.

But,...I wake up on Friday morning able to walk...painfully, but I am walking! And now, just 72 hours later, I was able to climb a set of stairs to get to our Sunday school class this morning! God is sooooo GOOD!

But there's so much more...let me tell you how God has just covered us and protected us this week!

For starters, my in-laws are wonderful and stepped in without missing a beat. They took great care of Emmalyn, I didn't have to worry about her at all. Don't misunderstand, I missed her terribly, but didn't worry. Praise God!

I also didn't have to wean her from the breastfeeding because we got a pump in the hospital, and she was eating plenty of cereal and fruits and vegetables with the little formula she would take to sustain her. (I had to pump because the drugs they gave me and the MRI contrast stuff can't be in breast milk, obviously.) She didn't want to have much to do with the bottle, but we got through it. By Friday morning I was nursing her like we never skipped a beat! Again, Praise God!

Then, there were lots of things in the hospital...it is VERY beneficial to have Kris on my side. Because he works at this hospital, we were able to see the MRI, he was able to interpret it and explain it to me probably a week sooner that most patients get results.
We also don't have insurance at this point (his new job...insurance not effective until November 1st). So, I was freaking out about how to pay for all of this. Well...again, why do we worry? Matthew 6:25-34 tells us that worrying is for the pagans...we do not have to worry as sons and daughters of the King! And in comes the neurosurgeon to tell us he is not going to bill us for the consult!!! Then...even better...the anesthesiologist tells us that he is not going to bill us for the procedure he did!!! Together, this saved us about $4,000!!! (They did this because of the relationship Kris and his practice have with them and the hospital.) Oh my gosh! I cried when Kris told me all of this! Could God reveal Himself in a more upfront way?! Again Praise GOD!!!!!

Oh...and did I mention, we had a hurricane this week?! Yep, while I was clueless and in the hospital, a "tropical storm" coming in Wednesday night decided to "become a big boy" as my friend Jana put it and become a hurricane as it entered our fine city! But...again, God protected us. We apparently didn't even lose power here at the house (125,000 people in the area did), and nothing was badly damaged. Kris' greenhouse suffered a few slats torn off, but nothing major. It even closed schools for Thursday, which allowed for my great sister-in-law to have the day off to help care for Emmalyn! (Kelli's a teacher.) And honestly, I think my family here really enjoyed all the time they spent with our little angel!

Well, it is getting late, this post is WAY TOO LONG, and I am starting to lose my train of thought. I just thought you may all want an "update", and I needed to let the world know how God has taken such amazing care of us this week!

Just when I think she can't get any cuter...

Emmalyn has a new "trick" she has been doing lately that is just TOO CUTE! She has decided it is great fun to grab you on either side of the face and dive-bomb with her mouth wide open to give you a "kiss." She puts her whole mouth on your face, getting slimy baby juices all over you, but we laugh hysterically every time. And your laughter along with everyone else's in the room lets her know how adorable she is, and she decides to do it over and over again...only coming up to give you a HUGE smile in between kisses. It is really sweet! I didn't realize at first exactly what she was really trying to do, but now she frequently does it in response to you giving her kisses. In the last few days, she even does it when asked for kisses...if you put your face near hers and she is in the right mood. :) It is SO MUCH FUN watching this little baby girl learn new skills and "tricks!" Here are some pictures of her attacking daddy:

I am blessed!

Well, yesterday was my 29th birthday. Yep, I am now 29...and holding. And let me tell you why I feel so blessed...
Friday, Kris and I asked his sister Kelli watch Emmalyn (thank you, Kelli!), and we went to dinner with our good friends James and Kristin. We went to one of my favortie restaraunts, hung out at LifeWay Christian store, and then went to a great local bakery/coffee shop. We had a great time...we really appreciate them and their friendship, and had a great night out with them! (Kristin also gave me a beautiful candle and pillar candle holder to match my new bedroom.)
Now I want to brag on my amazing husband...
On the morning of my birthday, Kris surprised me with breakfast in bed. Delicious cinnamon apple pancakes...wonderful being married to a great cook! :) He also brought my presents in with him. It looked like Christmas! I have been wanting a sewing machine for a while, I really want to learn! So, not only did he get me a very nice Bernina sewing machine, but he also enrolled me in some classes! I get some Mommy time all by myself for a hobby...woohoo!!! He also bought me Ice Age I and II. (Yep, I love kid movies!:) And to top it off...he got me a label maker I have been harassing him about for months. This was fun!
He also presented a gift from my sister that she had him hide when she was here 3 weeks ago! What a fun surprise, thank you Kim! It was a beautiful clipboard she had decorated with decopage (is that the right term/spelling?) and a book about the year I was born with a very sweet card. Thank you, Kim!
We then spent the afternoon at his parent's plant nursery with a friend who has an 8 month old baby boy...very cute! Emmalyn LOVED being with another baby! :) Mike and Cheryl's nursery is a great place to get to sit and visit...we love spending time there with them!
Later in the evening, my family here in Nederland took me to dinner at another favorite, Caraba's Italian Grill. His mom, dad, and sister are very sweet, very generous folks that I am lucky to call family! The dinner was wonderful, and they then showered me with an awesome picture printer/copier and Grey's Annatomy, Season 2. :) All in all...it was an awesome birthday!
As I look back at the post...it seems like it was about the presents...but not really so. It was partly about how perfect the presents were for me, how much thought had gone into just what I would like. It makes me feel really special that this much time and effort would be put into the gifts. The greatness of the day was also about the time I got to spend with family and friends...precious time to be cherished! Kris and I also got to spend this afternoon together, just hanging out. I try to thank God every day for how blessed I am, and today I not only want to thank Him, but shout to the world how grateful I am to have these wonderful people in my life. Especially my dear, sweet husband. He is a wonderful, attentive, God-fearing man that I am soooo very lucky to have. I truly believe he is a gift from God every day! Here is a picture of our little family. :)

Seven Months...WOW!

I CANNOT believe this precious blessing has already been in our lives for 7 months! But then, I can't imagine life without her, either! Aside from her extreme contempt for sleep, she is a really good, really happy baby. We are so lucky!
She has been falling asleep pretty easily and staying asleep (at least at night time, I can't say the same for naps) for a while, until recently. For the last few nights, she has decided to wake up 2 or 3 times. Two nights ago, she awoke for the second time in a 2 hour period and I went in there frustrated and perplexed. I picked her up, and as usual, she quit crying immediately. I sat in my well loved glider in the nursery and began to rock her...all the while, thinking "Good grief!, Why won't this child just sleep?!" As I hummed Amazing Grace to her, I was hit with a sudden, overwhelming feeling of love for her. I was now thinking not about my frustrations, but about my indescribable gratefulness for this little being in my arms. As frustrating as the sleep problems are...how much time in the short span of my life will I get to hold this little princess? How long will she even be small enough to hold and rock? How long will she let me kiss her head over and over as I tell her how much I love her? God had calmed my spirit and given me the much needed perspective I needed. I then gladly rocked her for the next 10 to 15 minutes with tears in my eyes, a little sad to put her down once she was asleep. These moments are so fleeting and I pray I remember to cherish as many of them as I possibly can!
We have grown to really love the way her personality is "growing and glowing" as my aunt put it.
Here are some of the blessings we are counting this month:

* She can now sit up on her own, even if just for a minute or two, or until she gets too excited about your praises and knocks herself down. :)

* She is eating solids, not just breast milk anymore. (By the way, she is already very opinionated...she LOVES carrots, squash, and prunes, but HATES peas, and can take or leave the cereal.)

* She can find the pacifier (or "nu nu" as we like to call it), and get it back in her mouth on her own. This is a much bigger deal than it sounds! :)

* She reaches for the dogs and grins from ear to ear, all the while squealing, when they come close enough to pet.

* She can not only lie on her back, somewhat unattended (she would have NONE of this a month or so ago!), but she can roll over onto her tummy. She then lifts up and looks at you like "DID YOU SEE THAT? WAS THAT NOT AWESOME?!"...very cute!

* Even better, she can lie on her tummy now for more than 20 seconds without screaming her head off!

There are others, I am certain, but it is getting late, and my brain turns to moosh at about this time of night, and I shall return to the blog another day. I just needed to express how grateful I am. Have I mentioned how much I love being a mommy? How much Kris enjoys being a daddy? What an indescribable miracle!!!

Emmalyn's Happy Noises

Emmalyn loves to hear herself squeal a lot recently, and I managed to capture it with my camera yesterday...she is so funny! She is sitting in her high chair for one of the first times, and I think she gets a kick out of it! She seems to be getting so big!

Family is everything!

My dear sister got to visit with her 5 beautiful children last weekend, and we had a blast! I got all but one niece in a picture, I don't know how I missed her. Sorry, R! Emmalyn loved having all her cousins here to love on her and spoil her with attention! We also went to a birthday party for a good friend of mine, they seem to have fun. They all live about 4 hours away from me, and I so wish they were closer! My sister is 10 years older, and an experienced AWESOME mom, so I really wish I had her expertise around more often. :) I just wanted to share some great photos and tell the world how abundantly I am blessed with an amazing family. My sister is a generous, loving, intelligent, beautiful woman that I am not only lucky to call my sister, but my best friend! And the children she is raising are turning out to be just as incredible! I am one lucky aunt!

Posting Photos Online

I have been playing online today, trying to learn how to post photos on Picasa, an online photo sharing site. I think I have it figured out, and have posted some recent photos of Emmalyn there. Here is the link to the site: http://picasaweb.google.com/MammaSpell
Save it to your favorites...I will try to post photos there regularly! :)

Emmalyn's first swim

I figured out how to get a YouTube video directly on the blog!

We went to a birthday party this weekend, and we put Emmalyn in a baby pool to see how she would like it. It turned out, she had a blast! :) I apologize for the goofy commentary by me, but listen closely, the best part was her squealing. :)
She is really fun these days, lots of personality! How awesome is being a parent! :)

Welcome back

I know it has been forever...I think I had resigned the blogging idea, not to do it anymore. But, I have recently been so overwhelmed with how much Emmalyn is changing and growing...I want to share it. (Not to mention the friends and family that a badgering me.)

Emmalyn is now 6 months old...can you believe it?! Her "Half Birthday" was this past Tuesday. It kind of makes me sad. I was just getting used to the idea that I had a newborn...and she is longer considered that. I guess in my mind, I see babies that are 0 to 6 months and "tiny", and 6 to 12 months as big babies. I know it sounds silly, but I am a little sad to see the "tiny" days behind us. Gone are the day where she was just a little baby lump...not able to do ANYTHING for herself, relying on me for EVERYTHING. Now she can do a little for herself. She can grasp anything (and does, right out of your hands:) and hold onto it. She can sit up assisted very well. She can blow "raspberries" and squeal with the best of them. (That is REALLY cute!) She smiles a LOT. That litterally warms my heart every time...especially when she does it upon me or Kris entering a room! All of this is so exciting and I am so blessed to be able to stay at home to cherish every moment with her.

Speaking of moments with her...she is getting hungry. I will try to write more later, I promise.

Life with a newborn...

is a lot harder than I thought it would be! I knew it would be hard, but I had no idea it would be THIS hard! People talk about the difficulty and the sleep deprivation so flippantly, you don't understand the magnitude of it all until you experience it for yourself! I will admit, it is getting a bit easier just in the last week, and the "baby blues" that hit me pretty hard during the first 2 weeks are fading. I still get frustrated in the middle of the night when she won't sleep, but I suspect that isn't going to change very soon, and I should just get used to it. But...with all that said, can I just say...knowing what I know now, I would do it all again 100 times just to be with her! She is so absolutely precious, and that love I have for her is so intense, I just can't imagine life without her now! To look at her and understand the blessing from the LORD that she is...that He has given us, it takes our breath away. Okay...so maybe the emotions aren't completely under control... I am crying just typing that. :) I just can't express in words how in love with her we are, what she means to us!
We did go to the pediatrician yesterday, and our baby girl is growing! If you will remember, she was born at 5 lbs, 9 oz., and 18½ inches long. Well, she is now 7 lbs, 2 oz., and she is 19 1/4 inches long! I often worry that the breastfeeding isn't always satisfying her, but I guess it is going well! :) Oh, and I on the on the other hand, have lost 27 pounds! woohoo!! The c-section took a few weeks to recover from, but the pain is gone for the most part now, just a little pressure every now and then.
We spend most of our day feeding and sleeping, yes...both of us. I feed every two to three hours, and we try to rest between those feedings. We did take a walk on Wednesday, it felt great to get out of the house! I think she really liked it... she was alert and looking around the whole time. Kris and I are also alternating going to church, this week will be his week and I will stay home with her. We are just very cautious while she is so little, and it is flu season. We did take her to dinner last Saturday night, it was Kris's sister's birthday, and we all went to a local Italian restaurant. It was her first outing! :) I look forward to her getting a little bigger, so I can run errands and such, and just take her with me. But for now, I will just stay home as much as possible, keeping her safe and well. :)
Well, that is us in a nutshell for now, I will try to blog more frequently now that I think our schedule is a little easier. By the way, I am looking to change the name of the blog, "Preparing for Motherhood" is no longer completly appropriate. Any clever ideas? I am not the most creative writer. :)

It's a GIRL!!!

I would like to introduce you our new daughter! Isn't she BEAUTIFUL?!! She was born on January 31st, coming into this world at only 5 lbs 9 oz and 18 ½ inches long. But she is perfectly healthy! We were induced (because of my kidney problems and high blood pressure) Wednesday morning, the 31st at about 7:30 a.m. By 2 or 3 p.m., I was only dilated to 2 cm. By about 4 p.m. her heart rate was decelerating with every strong contraction, so my doctor decided to perform a C-section. They moved quickly and she was born at 4:31 p.m. We are enjoying her like you wouldn't believe...she is absolutely perfect!!! She is actually asleep right now, so I have been told I am supposed to be sleeping, so I am going to make this short and go get some rest. I will try my best to report as often as possible, of course with pictures.

Hello Again

I'm sorry it has been so long since my last blog...this has fallen short on my priority list over the last few weeks. Since I last wrote, I have been back to the hospital twice more, and still no baby. I came home on the Friday I told you about, the 5th...just to return the following Thursday, Jan. 11th. The pain had returned with a vengeance and I was admitted for another 3 days, and came home on Saturday the 13th. Frustrated, there was still no sign of the stone and no answers. We came home just praying the pain would not return. But, it did. On Sunday the 14th (which happened to be Kris' birthday...CRAPPY timing!) the pain returned. This time I tried REALLY hard to tough it out at home with the oral pain medications they gave me. You would be surprised how much you can actually take while pregnant! Well, I did not sleep, but writhed and paced in pain all night and hurt all day Monday. By that night at about 8:00, Kris and I decided I should go back to the hospital because not only was the pain not letting up, but I now had a fever and was throwing up. So, here we are at the hospital for the 3rd time, not for the reason of having a baby! This time, we were not leaving until we had more answers or they did something more about getting rid of this stone. My doctor felt the same way when she came to see me Tuesday morning. I was now at 37 weeks, a little less scary to have the baby at this time. She did another ultrasound of the kidneys, but still can't find the stone, and doesn't want to do xrays because of the baby. So she decided that after being fever-free for 48 hours she would do an amniocentesis to find out if the baby is ready to live outside the womb without complications. If so, they would induce and deliver this baby and more deliberately treat the stone. So, I waited the 48 hours, and she came in to do the amnio. It didn't work. There was not enough fluid to reach that didn't have baby or chord floating around in it. I couldn't help but cry immediately...I thought I was going to have a solution to the whole mess, and it was not happening. I have never felt more discouraged. So, they kept me one more night and sent me home on Friday, again to pray for no pain and take it easy. So, I have been taking it easy, and Kris has been taking very good care of me since I have been home. We are now just thankful that I have been pain-free for a week and just waiting for this little one to make it's arrival and treat the stone. As long as I don't move much, the stone doesn't move, and I stay out of pain. The doctors have not said so, but I wonder if this stone is simply to big to pass on it's own, if that is why it is still here after almost 4 weeks. But I am not a doctor...who knows? I'm sorry if I rambled a bit...this has been a long, complicated ordeal to write about in a short format. (And I am certainly not the writer my sister is.)
On another note...I would like to thank those of you who have been praying for me and putting me on prayer lists. I know God is still in control, and as my mom always told me, He doesn't give you anything you can't handle. I have been very fearful and depressed through most of this, and He has truly given me a peace and calmness that can only come from Him. I still worry when the kidney starts to hurt a bit, but lying down to pray and relax has a tendency to ease the pain as well as my nerves. I cannot imagine going through this (or the upcoming fear of childbirth) without my savior!!! Praise Him!!!

Oh... and if you were wondering, I am now 38 weeks, and this is how our angel looks this week:
Your baby has really fattened up. She likely weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds now, and she's probably between 19 and 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon feel when she wraps her little hand around your pinky! Her organs are fully developed and in place, but her lungs and brain — though developed enough for her to function now — will continue to mature right through childhood.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Yes, I'm still here...

I'm sorry I have been absent from Blogger for a while...life has been busy! I have no excuse for the weeks before January 3rd, but as of then, I have been a bit out of commission for a while. You see, I was driving home from the courthouse on Wednesday, January 3rd ( Jury Duty called...woohoo!), and all of a sudden felt a lot of pain in my lower back and lower abdomen. On the short 15 minute drive home the pain went from bad to worse. By the time I got close to home, I was in excrutiating pain and calling my OB/GYN. I got home during the phone call, thankful Kris was still homeat 9:00 a.m. When I finally reached the nurse, she told me to come on into the hospital, she thought I might be having contractions. I was terrified something was wrong with the baby! I was right at 35 weeks...still 5 weeks to go before my due date...I was NOT ready to have this baby! So, Kris and I went to the hospital in Beaumont and discovered after some monitoring and urinalysys that I had a KIDNEY STONE!!! So, I was admitted Wednesday and given IV pain medication that dulled the pain a little. I was there until Friday at about 4 P.M. Thursday was the worst, and Kris and I agree that we cannot convey the ordeal that this was. I have never been in so much pain, they say childbirth is sometimes less painful! That just means I want my epidural quickly!!! I am home now, but I am not convinced it has passed. It is most likely out of the kidney because the side pain is pretty much gone, but it still hurts low, so it might still be in the bladder. I am ready to feel back to normal and quit hurting!!! But, the pain now is a cake walk compared to that in the hospital...I shouldn't coplain. The good news is that the baby is completely fine! The movements never slowed, and the heartbeat never dropped. So, the concern for the baby was nothing. Praise God!!! Now I am home, and my nursery and the rest of the house are still yelling to be cleaned and organized. Ugh! Thank you to all who were praying for me!
Oh...and if you are interested, here is how the little bambino is this week, at 35 weeks (but I will technically be 36 weeks as of tomorrow. :)

Your baby's getting big. He weighs a tad over 5 pounds (think bag of sugar) and is just over 18 inches long from head to heel. Of course, he's still curled up inside you: It's getting so snug in your womb that your baby isn't really floating anymore and he isn't likely to be doing somersaults. But tighter quarters don't mean less frequent movement; your baby should still be kicking at the same rate he always has. If you notice a decrease, call your healthcare provider. Your baby's kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — the next few weeks are all about putting on weight.