Reason to Rejoice

Today was my cardiologist appointment. Let me first say that my cardiologist is VERY attractive and super super nice!! LOVE HIM! Anyway, he did an EKG, echo, and then sent me home with a monitor for 3 weeks. Basically, he is saying what everyone else has said...he isn't terribly worried about it. He said that if my heart is indeed doing what he thinks it is that he is okay with it and it is just going to be annoying. The reason for all of the tests is to rule out anything more serious. He said that there is medication for this irregular heartbeat but he does not want to give it to me while I am pregnant...AGREED! Anyway, I have to wear this heart monitor for 3 weeks and record heart events and then download them daily for him to read. I see him in 3 weeks and will see my regular OB again in 2 weeks. I have decided to stop stressing about my weight gain. It is happening and it is happening quite a bit faster than I wanted but whatever! I don't feel large even though th

She helped herself to this apple and ate a great deal of it! I thought it was funny.

Rachel has been on this kick where she isn't requiring as much sleep as she used to or as I would like for her to! She has been going to bed around 9:00 and getting up at like 6:00!! That's nuts! She has done this for about a week and is only taking an hour to an hour and half nap in the afternoon. She is wearing me out! Maybe she is just preparing me for life with an infant and a toddler!!!

I just have to say that I know SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE PREGNANT!!!! It is insane! Just found out that another of my friends is pregnant. I found out yesterday that another is pregnant....woah!

This has been an insanely busy past week!!! Let's see...I went to the doctor on Wednesday...see last post! The only thing that I didn't include is that I am going to see a cardiologist on December 23rd for my heart issues. Funny thing....since I have had the appointment scheduled my heart has not been doing what it was doing before....*sighs* Anyway, Tuesday I cleaned like a mad woman. Somehow motivation came to me...I got all of the Christmas decorations up and the house spotless. The maids came on Wednesday to do some more deep cleaning including the fridge!! YAY!! We had dress rehearsal for our Christmas play Wednesday night. Thursday I worked....it was busy!! Then off to church again for another dress rehearsal. Brice was off on Friday and it was nice to have him home!!!! He didn't even turn his computer on. That's rare! We took Rachel to my aunt's house for her to spend the night and the dog to the boarders to have a weekend away, including a haircu

Yes, 2 posts....both in the wee hours of the morning. Bad thing...I have to go to work in the morning!!!! Anyway, have to tell about what Rachel said last night. We were driving home from church after dress rehearsal for our Christmas play. Brice and I were talking and Rachel was blabbering in the back seat about something. Finally she said something that sounded like a real legitimate sentence...we get these occasionally. Oh, and SHE IS SOOOO LOUD!!! Anyway, she said, "Come back!! Come back!" and she had her little hand pointed in front of her as to be pointing out the front windshield of the car. I asked her who she was talking to. Her response: "Come back little cars, come back!" We died laughing!! She was telling the cars in front of us to come back. We had been stopped at a stop light and there they were. Light turned green....they zoomed on. She wanted them to come back. So, it continues.... Rachel: Come back little cars! WAIT!!!! Me: Baby,

Why am I up at 2:49 AM blogging about gaining weight? Well, I guess because it is bothering me....right now! Actually, I was woken up by my 2 year old daughter who started screaming for no reason...not that anyone could tell anyway...must have been a bad dream. Brice went to check on her (we have a gate at her door so she can't get out of bed and wander down the flight of stairs in the middle of the night and I cannot step over the gate due to shortness and pregnancy). Anyway, Brice checked on her, said she was completely sideways in her bed and completely asleep while crying. He made it all better like a good daddy would do! Anyway, as a result, I cannot sleep and I left him upstairs in the bed tossing and turning. Okay, back to weight gain.... Today (well, technically yesterday) I had my 24 week checkup. All was okay. My blood pressure was a little high which TOTALLY freaked me out! With my history from my last pregnancy, that is not what I want to see. Doctor was not

Okay, let's play a little game. We are trying to pick potential names for our newest baby girl that will be here in March. I am going to do a poll...okay, not a fancy one because frankly, I don't know how. I am going to just put some names here and ask you to comment me and let me know what you think. There are a couple of rules though... 1. You can't get upset if ultimately we don't pick the name you voted for. 2. You can't ask me what the names are that we pick because we won't name her until she is born. 3. You can't get mad when you ask me and I don't tell you (see #2). 4. You CAN choose to use any combinations of the names that you would like and comment me with your suggestion. Okay, here we go.... Madelyn Elizabeth Kathryn Grace Allison Elizabeth Lauren Elizabeth Emily Grace Anna Grace Peighton Elizabeth Lauren Abigail

Her new favorite phrases: "Guys, guys, guys! I show you." "I coming.....I MADE IT!" "Mommy, where are you?" "Where going?" "How you doing?" "No, go back" - she says this when Brice or I go in the room and catch her doing something she isn't supposed to be doing! =P I am sure there are more....

This morning I fell down the stairs. From the top step all the way down nearly to the landing...about 8 steps or so. I bounced on my bottom, felt like I nearly ripped my arm off, and I think I will always walk with a limp from now on!! It scared me really bad. It also scared Rachel. She was at the top of the stairs too and she started crying and yelling "Mommy!!" I am pretty sure Baby is okay. She is well cushioned and I didn't hit or land on my belly at all. She is still moving and I am not hurting in my belly...no bleeding, etc. It was just a little scare.

In my previous post, I said that we got Rachel her very own Christmas tree and I said that it is 4 1/2 inches! Let's try 4 1/2 feet!!! HA HA HA!!! I just laughed until I cried about that. A 4 1/2 inch tree!! My unborn baby is bigger than that!! Okay, I crack myself up! I'm done....

This day started REALLY early for me! I got up at 3:15 and went to Kohl's and got there about 5 minutes after they opened at 4:00. It was CRAZY!!!! I couldn't find the cookware set I was looking for and really was too tired and overwhelmed to think about it. I got what I needed and got in the line...it wound all the way around back by housewares! I got in line at 5 til 5:00 and I finally checked out and was in my car at 6:25. It was NUTS! I had seriously thought about going home after that but I was on a mission. It was still dark outside and my family was probably still in bed. So, I headed to Arlington because I needed to go to Hobby Lobby and I was hungry! I stopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond because they opened at 6:00. It was pleasant! No crazy people! It was nice. I got most of my shopping done there. I still needed to go to Hobby Lobby for a gift for my brothers. I went by Chick Fil A and then headed to Hobby Lobby with 15 minutes before they opened. I sat

Well, as some of you know this year I spent Thanksgiving Day with some friends at Texas Stadium in Irving watching the Cowboys play the Seahawks. Brice was invited to go too but he isn't much on crowds and just wasn't interested in going. So, we discussed it and he said it was more than fine if I wanted to go. He and Rachel took a dish and went to my granny's for lunch. Well, the game was SO MUCH FUN! We got there at about 10:45 and tailgated with turkey and all of the Thanksgiving goodies. It was great! Then we went to the stadium around 1:30. We found our seats (not too hard...they sit in those same ones every game). Then, we still had a good long while before the game started. Anita and I walked around the concourse the entire way around the stadium. I was checking out the food (and stopped for some Dippin Dots along the way). It only took us about 10 or 15 minutes to walk around. It was fun! The Cowboys played an AWESOME game!! They won...AND...I even saw

This was prior to the afternoon in the ER..... We had to go to the mall for some shopping and wanted to beat the Christmas crowd to Santa. Rachel was NOT impressed with Santa. She was terrified and screamed. We tried to tell her that Mommy and Daddy would stay in the picture...she was not having it! I had to get a picture anyway!

I will likely do several posts about this past week. It will be hard to put it all in one. First....the heart "issues" that I previously posted about returned on Tuesday. Wednesday they got really bad and I called the doctor again. Brice was off work starting on Wednesday. The nurse from my OB/GYN's office called back and after assessing my situation, told me to go the emergency room. UGH! So...I did. They did and EKG, drew blood, and put me on the heart monitor for an hour. The blood work came back normal. The EKG showed some abnormality and the heart monitor did indeed show some irregular heartbeat. The doctor called my primary care doctor to see if she wanted me to stay the night for observation. They agreed that it wasn't necessary (boy am I glad)!! Anyway, basically this is the deal...I am having premature atrial contractions, sinus tachycardia, and irregular heart rhythm. None of these things are thought to be harmful unless heart disease is already

And look how much she has grown!! Soon she won't be my "baby" anymore. Yep, I'm pregnant....and emotional!!!!

My heart flutters came back briefly at the beginning of the week but have gone again. Whew..... Rachel's doctor called yesterday and said that all of her test results were normal. She said she was a little surprised that her thyroid wasn't "off" because she was pretty sure that's what it was. Anyway, my baby girl is perfectly healthy despite her big-ness. We are on a pretty strict diet. No fruit juice at all. She can't have fruit snacks and she said to limit the french fries and fried foods. She said if she wants a snack during the day to give her fruit or veggies. Luckily my child will eat those! Her favorite food is tomatoes! =) It will definitely be an adjustment but we can manage. Thank you for everyone that has been checking up on us. Rachel is officially in her big girl room!!! It is mostly all decorated and looks just darling. She is getting too big for me. As I was taking stuff from her old room to the current one today we kept talking a

What a crazy week we have had!! It started with us finding out that we are having another baby girl (see previous post). Then, I worked Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday I started having some heart "weirdness" where my heart would skip a beat and then beat really fast. It wasn't really severe on Wednesday so I went to sleep in hopes that it would just go away the next morning. When I woke up Thursday morning it was worse so I decided to call the doctor. I went to work anyway and got an EKG done which was slightly abnormal. I had an appointment at the doctor at 1:15. She said that she thinks I am anemic and put me on a prescription iron pill. She also told me to increase my fluid intake. I started taking the iron pills on Thursday evening and had the heart issues up until yesterday morning. I haven't had any more "spells" since yesterday morning. I guess the iron pills are working. I am VERY thankful..it was odd and now I can concentrate on other

GIRL!!!! We had our appointment this morning. It was so good to see the baby again. I was so used to sonograms so often with Rachel and this is only #2 for this baby. I was anxious to see the face and how much bigger she has gotten. Everything looked great. The doctor said that she usually tells people that you can't see everything on a sonogram but that everything with this baby so far looks perfect. That is such a relief after my last pregnancy. The next few months will be crucial with blood pressures and stuff since that's when mine started going up last time. I have to say that when she showed us the girl parts (and I definitely know it's a girl) I found myself to be unexpectedly a little disappointed. The entire time I have said that I didn't care if it was a boy or girl but then I guess deep down I wanted a boy and didn't even know it. I am very happy but the initial reaction was very different than I expected. Daddy is happy and Rachel will be a g

Here is a picture.... Pretty bad picture of me but I have been working all day and I am tired....

So...a lot of you know that I am now 20 weeks pregnant. I have my next doctor's appointment on Monday with sonogram first to hopefully tell us the baby's gender. I was going to post a picture to help with guesses but I haven't taken any. So....here is what all of the "prediction websites" say....it's another girl. My guess is that it is another girl. I don't have any reason to think that really. I just think so. I have had other people tell me girl too...again based on nothing scientific. However, I thought the majority of the time (until they told me it was a girl) that I was pregnant with Rachel that I was having a boy....so...we'll see! Honestly, I do not have a preference. I really wanted a girl the first time and I got her! So....I don't have any girls in my family and I think it would be fun for Rachel to have a sister but then again I think I would like to have a boy too. So...I really don't care at all. Names?? For those of

...when I am home alone!!!!??? Yep, ALONE..except the dog and baby in the belly! Brice is gone to a retreat with the church and I have to work in the morning so I sent Rachel to my Aunt Donna's to spend the night. After I left her with Aunt Donna, Tonya, and Justin, I went to eat Chinese buffet. Yes, I was the loser in the booth eating by myself but it was good and EXACTLY what I wanted!!! =) Then, I went to Kohl's. I got Brice a green shirt and me a red shirt to wear for our pictures on Tuesday. We are actually getting Rachel's birthday pictures taken then but decided it would be a good time to snap a family portrait or two for Christmas cards. Anyway, I also bought a Christmas present for a family member whose name I drew that I don't know very well. Got me 2 maternity shirts and a comfy pair of maternity pants. I still have my clothes from last pregnancy but I was quite a bit larger then. OH...and Kohl's was having a great sale and additional % off if

So, as I have previously posted, I have been sick. I AM sick. I called the doctor's office on Tuesday to see what medicines I can take while being pregnant. I never was sick like this with Rachel so I honestly didn't know what was off limits. Anyway, the nurse called back and said I could take Sudafed and Mucinex, Tylenol for fever or pain, and any throat lozenges. I went and bought Sudafed. After taking it for about 3 days, I quit because it wasn't working. I thought I would go to Mucinex. I went to the store and there are about 3 different kinds of Mucinex. I asked the pharmacist which one I could take and she said it didn't matter. I went home and got online to research the substances found in this particular type of Mucinex to make sure it was on the "safe list." What I found was that it was perfectly fine to take but that SUDAFED is not! Basically the FDA has said that Sudafed taken during pregnancy, especially first trimester, is dangerous to

Okay, so maybe I have been living on some cloud somewhere but I have just realized some things.... 1. My child...my first born...MY BABY will be 2 years old next Friday!!!! It's hard to believe until she starts throwing her fits...then she definitely seems like she is two! 2. It is November. Okay, so it is the 5th day into the month, I have changed my calendar and I have even written the date a few times but IT IS NOVEMBER!!!! Where in the world did 2008 go!???!! It just seems insane to me. Which brings me to... 3. It is almost Christmas! C H R I S T M A S!!! Wow.... 4. I am going to be the mother of two in a few months. Two kids....hmm...I am very excited, don't get me wrong. It was planned and all but things are going to be harder. Again, these are my realizations...revelations, whatever....don't say, "I told you so" or I might just...probably do nothing, but still.... 5. The Dairy Queen Blizzard might just be the best thing ever invented!!! Man,

Some of you might be tired of hearing about this but it's my blog.... Jill Jarvis Attebery was called to her home in Heaven on November 2, 2008. Born in Lufkin, Texas, she was a graduate of Lufkin High School. She earned a B.S. in Biomedical Science at Texas A & M University, a B,S, in Nursing at Stephen F, Austin University, and a Masters in Nursing at the University of Central Arkansas. She loved her work in nursing and nursing education, but her favorite role was that of homemaker and supporter of her husband, Scott, as Pastor of Wyatt Baptist Church, Eldorado, Arkansas. She was active in music ministry, womenÕs ministry and discipleship ministry. She volunteered in many educational ventures such Pregnancy Crisis Education. She had a great passion for organizing and traveling on foreign mission trips. She was widely traveled in and out of this country. Prayers were sent up here and in other countries from people whom she had touched, She impacted old and young alike and made

I am still very sad about my friend. Please continue to pray for Scott and Baby Bryce Attebery. Jill's funeral is Wednesday. I am sick. I have a cold. Of course, there is very limited things that I can take. Sudafed, here I come!!! Going to bed. Hopefully I will feel better soon. November is a big month.

A precious friend that I knew in college died this morning with injuries from a car accident that happened yesterday. Her name was Jill Jarvis Attebery. Please pray for her husband, Scott and their infant son (I believe that Baby Bryce is only about 3 months old). It is so devastating. Jill was so full life and always had a beautiful smile. She is with Jesus and for that we can rejoice but it still is hard to understand when these things happen.

I was going to wait to post until tomorrow. Here it is 3:12 in the morning and I am posting on a blog. I woke up with a burning belly and took some medicine. I am now waiting for it to kick in so I thought I would type a little since sitting upright feels better than laying down. Anyway.... Apparently, Grand Prairie and Irving had small earthquakes on Thursday night (around midnight or so). I didn't know a thing until someone was asking about it....I was asleep and although some reported being woken up by it...not me! If only I was able to sleep like that tonight..... Brice came home early today...like 1:00 early. It was nice. I wasn't quite ready for the day as I had just put Rachel down for a nap and that's when I normally get a shower, etc. When he got home he said, "Let's go put together Rachel's swingset." So...we did. It isn't anchored to the ground yet but she did get to slide and swing some and was not happy when we made her come inside

I have had this list of things to do for the past week or so. Included in that list: grocery shopping, exchanging some things that I bought that didn't fit, voting, rescheduling appointments, making appointments and the list goes on. I got some of that done today. I had a jewelry party in the middle of the day so I just took Rachel to daycare (school, as she calls it). It was actually kinda nice. I was able to go to Babies R Us and get some things and do the jewelry party then take a nice nap (if the phone would have quit ringing), and then exchange a dress that I bought for Rachel for Christmas that was too small. I also got my flu shot today...my arm hurts. I have another jewelry show tomorrow during the day so she is going back to school. Hopefully I can get some more things accomplished. I really hope to vote tomorrow. Not much new happening in our world. It is 11:34 PM and I am still waiting on Brice to get home. He had a meeting at church tonight regarding the ch

I think I actually have blogged about this before. I know I did the last time I was pregnant but I mainly talked about nightmares. I had the most bizarre dream last night. I woke up sick at about 2:00 this morning but in between sleeping on the couch and being in the bed, I dreamed something COMPLETELY impossible! I had a dream that my aunt had a baby which in and of itself isn't impossible but she had MY baby!!! My grandmother (she lives in the same city as this aunt) called me to tell me that my baby girl had been born. So...my aunt delivered my baby out of her body that I was pregnant with. She delivered in Arkansas and she stated that the doctor that delivered her baby was one of the pediatricians that work in the office of Rachel's doctor. The most hilarious part...well, apart from someone giving birth to a baby that was conceived and carried in someone in another state....the baby was born at 21 weeks and weighed 8 lbs, 14 oz!!!! I don't know....blame it on ho

Today was a productive day. We got Rachel's swing set for her birthday. Let me explain the entire process... The swing set that we finally agreed on is called the Little Tikes Clubhouse Swing Set. It wasn't too big to fit in our yard (which is actually quite small) but it was what we were looking for...a slide and 2 swings (to accommodate our growing family). Anyway, I originally found it on Toys R Us but beside it was "Out of Stock." Brice looked for it on Walmart.com...they had it but it was more expensive. Toys R Us was $399.99 and Walmart was $429. So...we looked other places and they were all out of stock. I kept the swing set in a walmart.com shopping cart for a few days and kept the browser open on the computer. We browsed other options but we both agreed that we really liked this one. Yesterday, out of sheer curiosity, I went back to the Toys R Us website and it said "In Stock." I was excited...it was $50 cheaper there than Walmart. Here

I am so so thrilled to report that my friend's baby, John, is doing really really well. He will be a week old tomorrow (which would actually make him 31 weeks gestation) and he is completely off c-pap. He is in a normal isolette and completely breathing on his own. He has been off c-pap for 24 hours and is doing well. They were monitoring him for a respiratory infection but is off antibiotics now. He also had some air in his belly due to the c-pap but they aren't terribly concerned because it should clear up now that he is off c-pap. He is just doing remarkably well. Mommy Ruth and Daddy Matt have been able to hold him some and he is getting a little bit of fat on his body. This is truly a miracle from God and again....reason to rejoice!

The past two days have been hard...lessons are being learned. I am growing. God is teaching me much about myself that I really didn't want to know but in order to be more like Him, it's a must! It's okay. I am good. I feel good about myself. And that is....Reason to Rejoice! =)

A public blog is not a place to "air out dirty laundry" and I apologize. Matthew 18:1 says, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you....." Also, I Corinthians 13:4-7 says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Most will find this post boring....there will be no pictures because I didn't take any pictures! =P I went to an all day CEU thingy on Friday in Fort Worth. Let me just say...it was about death. 8 HOURS ABOUT DEATH!!! UGH!!! I mean, most of the information was helpful and useful and thought provoking. I didn't agree with most of what this man was saying but he was a good speaker. He kinda came across as a "quack" to me but whatever, it was 8 FREE CEU's, FREE breakfast, FREE lunch and it only cost me $52 in childcare!!! =) Gosh, what a poor attitude I have! Saturday..let's see....we had lots of plans of doing things around the house..none of which we did. FABULOUS! I wanted to get some stuff ready for Rachel's room and her bed to be delivered this week....didn't even go in the room. I wanted to clean the carpets...nope. Instead, we sat around and did nothing. It really was nice! I watched football which I love....didn't love that the

My friend, Ruth, had her baby boy late last night/early this morning....about 10 weeks early. Baby John wasn't due to arrive until sometime in December but he graced the world with his presence a little early. Ruth had a placental abruption last night just after midnight and was rushed to Harris Methodist HEB where she delivered via emergency c-section a little after 2:00 am. John weighed 3 lbs, 13 ounces but is actually doing very well. He is only on CPAP with a very small amount of oxygen. He isn't quite out of the woods yet but he is doing well. Ruth is very tired and she gave everyone a scare with the amount of blood that she lost but is doing better. She will likely go home on MOnday or Tuesday and Little John will have to stay for 6 weeks or so in the NICU. Please pray that he gets stronger and stronger everyday. Ruth says, "We are just so amazed and blessed by God's mercy and grace." It has been a rough road for them conceiving and carrying a chil

October 15th....today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. Most people don't know that this day even exists...well, you know, outside of it being October 15th. I just pray for those that mourn the loss of their little ones everyday...not just one day. I am sure that most don't need a special day to miss their babies. My heart goes out to you.

I haven't been posting much because there's just not too much to post about. I had a doctor's appointment today. It was super quick. The heartbeat was 160. Rachel had to go with me because my babysitter fell through. She was an angel the entire time...I was really surprised. She liked hearing the heartbeat although she didn't know what it was....we told her and she said, "Baby heart." So cute! I got stuck again for the quad screen tests. We didn't do this with Rachel but decided to go ahead and do it for this one. Again, she said no news is good news. All seems to be well. I feel the baby move all of the time now which is neat...my absolute favorite part of pregnancy.

I wanted to take Rachel to a pumpkin patch last year...REALLY bad but for some reason no one else wanted to go and I just couldn't really find one close. So, on Brice's last day off we went to Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie for their petting farm and pumpkin patch. My impression of it...Rachel liked it but it was WAY over priced! It was $12 each for Brice and I. It was just a huge field with animals and then you get to pick a pumpkin at the end. Anyway, it was fun but we probably will not be back next year. It's almost worth the trip to go to Flower Mound where they have a FABULOUS pumpkin patch...I hear. Anyway, I loved the baby pigs and had the discussion with Brice on the way home that I wanted to raise them....he found me to be completely random and STUPID! =) After the pumpkin patch, we went to the Oasis Restaurant that is right by the park at the Joe Pool Lake marina. Rachel loved the ducks and the fish were HUGE!!!!! The food was good....again overpriced

We left last Thursday afternoon for a little visit to Hope. Brice hasn't been to Hope since April of this year and wanted to go visit. We had to stay in a hotel because my mom's house is only partially liveable at the moment. I have to say it was wierd staying in a hotel in the place where you grew up! On Saturday we got to see Alison, her mom, and THE BOYS!!!! I finally got to see the babies. I was so excited! I wish I could have loved on them longer. They are so sweet! Then Saturday evening we went to Christy's daddy's house for some good ribs and company! Rachel and Adi played and the adults visited. I forgot my camera...boo for me!!!! They aren't going to be able to come to Rachel's birthday party this year so they gave her a present while we were there. It was a total hit. It was a Dora bag with colors and stickers in it. SHE LOVES IT!!!! Sunday, we went to my church in Hope and then after a short visit and lunch with my mom, we drove to Hot

Today will consist of several posts...I am trying to catch up from the weekend. Brice has been off since last Wednesday and we have had the best time. We went to the Texas State Fair last Wednesday. Rachel loved the animals. I loved the corn dogs! We didn't get any of the crazy fried foods this year...and they ARE crazy!

Okay, I confess...I love this whole kid!!!

Well, I thought that today was going to be a day where we had to choose between several things to do. Turns out, we did them all!!!! I went to work this morning and had a busy yet not too eventful day. Working in the ER, you never know what kind of day it will be. So, that was good. Then, I came home and got Rachel and we went to what seemed like the other end of the world to Gage's 3rd birthday party!!! It was so much fun! Rachel had a blast. She played on the swings and slide and in the sand and ate hogogs (hotdog) and cookies. She really did have a good time at "Dage's" party! Brice went to a men's fellowship at the church then we all came back home. The other thing we wanted to do is watch the Razorbacks play. We caught glimpses of it but judging from the score, I don't think we really wanted to watch it anyway.....Let me just say... I AM EXHAUSTED!!!!!!!!!!!!! Between being pregnant and toting around an ever growing belly plus a 40-lb toddler

YAY!! My friend, Krista is pregnant and I can finally blog about it!! Our first children, girls, are only 3 months apart and our next ones, according to due dates, will be about 2 months apart. I couldn't be happier for them! I am ready to feel this baby move all of the time! I know that sounds weird but I don't like being in the stage of not really feeling him/her consistently and then thinking that something is wrong because I don't "feel" like I think I should or because one of the symptoms I have had is now gone. I like knowing that all is well. Being pregnant is a huge faith builder. It is something that you can't see yet believe that it's there and thriving. Hmm....that could be a whole other blog.... We got some of Rachel's new "big girl room" stuff yesterday. We got the sheets and the entire bedding ensemble. I ordered them last week and they came yesterday. Here is the bedding: The room that she is moving to has a red stripe around t

I cannot tell you how many people I know right now that are pregnant. I started to write down names and then count them but I would assume that it is around 20-25. It is insane!!! I guess I am just at that age. I am so incredibly happy for all of my prego friends!!!! I love sharing this time with others that are experiencing the same things. For those that are pregnant with their first, I love being the one to tell the newly pregnant mommies to enjoy every minute because it is over before you know it! I remember thinking that I would never have the baby when I was pregnant with Rachel and then longing to feel that kick and movement inside after she was born. It is absolutely the most incredible thing EVER! I also am reminded of the fact that there are so many that want to experience these things and can't. I find myself feeling almost guilty for being insensitive to the fact that I have so many friends that I love dearly who have lost babies in the womb or shortly thereaft

Well, what a horrible couple of days I have had! About 2:00 yesterday I started having awful pains! Almost felt like contractions in my stomach and my back but it was continuous. It lasted all night long and I didn't sleep hardly at all. I thought maybe it was just those growing pains that you get when pregnant but for 12 hours???!!! I took Tylenol....notta! It was so bad that I had a dream that I miscarried. It was horrible. I woke up at about 6:00 and got something to drink because I was so thirsty...I think I was a little dehydrated from not drinking enough water yesterday. Anyway, got up this morning, still hurting pretty bad. I ate breakfast and then later on in the day realized that the pains were from constipation!!!! It was so bad! Worse than I ever had with Rachel. I felt better at about 2:00 and I have felt great since. Lesson learned: drink LOTS of water during the day!!!!! Um...found out yesterday that my 17 year old cousin jumped out of a moving vehicle

Well, we are good here in the Hester household! We had a really good weekend. Rachel was a really good girl. Her old ball pit busted so I went to Toys R Us and got her a new one. This one is way cooler! And...it is DORA!!! My child is obsessed! =) Anyway, she LOVES it and just plays in it...um....pretty much all day! I also got her a little miniature Dora doll because I realized that she doesn't have anything Dora. I bought a couple more things for her birthday and Christmas while I was there. I can't believe it is coming up so quick! We are thinking of getting her a swingset for outside. Speaking of outside...the weather is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!! I love love love this weather! Highs in the 70's....me like! I just hope it stays nice for awhile...I hate the heat. So, we got the garage door fixed. It was a broken cable. For the moment everything is working properly...yippee! My mom got hit hard by Ike this past weekend. She lives in Hope, Arkansas and a huge oak tree

Do you ever feel like there are days when NOTHING works right????!!!! It seems like that has kinda been the trend since we moved into this house. Let's see if I can list all of the things that we have done since we have been here.....I am not going to list things that we have done prior to moving in like painting and replacing carpet.... changed light fixtures in several places Brice worked for HOURS trying to fix a lighting problem in the office air conditioner went out replaced faucet (because it wouldn't work anymore) in the guest bathroom had to pay a HUGE amount to get the alarm system reinstalled b/c it wasn't done correctly the phone line was out for weeks because whoever installed it did it wrong and it was between the house and something else, so the line was pinched and wouldnt work....that took FOREVER to convince the phone company and the internet company that something was definitely wrong I am sure there are lots of things that I have left out but here is th

MAN....being without the internet was both good and HORRIBLE all at the same time! Good because I spent more time doing things I needed to be doing. Horrible, because well, my computer is vital to me. I do business on it and I email because I am not fond of talking on the phone! Anyway, I went into Staples 10 minutes before they closed tonight and finally purchased a new wireless router, husband installed it, and tada.....internet working like a charm!!! YAY!!!! I honestly felt completely disconnected to the world! What did they do 30 years ago?????? Not too much going on this way. I have my next doctor's appointment on Monday....ready to hear the baby's heartbeat again! Okay, some people that read this post might say that I am completely ridiculous and losing my mind or making crap up or something, but I can already feel this baby move!!! YES, I am only 12 weeks, NO it is not gas!!!! I know what it feels like and I don't care what anyone says, I feel this little

So, I haven't blogged much about this pregnancy. I am 11 weeks today!!! YIPPEE!!! All is going well. I have had a little morning sickness...nothing major. I have definitely been more nauseated with this little one than I was with Rachel. HOWEVER, it has not kept me from eating! =) Suddenly being off my diet when I found out I was pregnant was like a celebration but I probably won't be celebrating when I go to the doctor next! With Rachel I craved fruity things...especially chewy candy like Starburst. So far with this one I have just wanted cold things. Not necessarily ice cream but really cold things. Mainly, I just like to eat! Like I posted previously, we had our first doctor's appointment on August 18th and it was good. Since I work at the ER, I get to see the baby a little more than your average person. A friend of mine and I like to sneak a peek occasionally with the machine in the ER. We got to see the little person yesterday. The sono machine at work is

Okay, so you ever have those times when you have just witnessed something that could have been awful and you replay in your mind a thousand times "what could have happened?" Well, last night was one of those times for me. It was about 8:45 and we were about to get Rachel ready for bed. Well, she was crawling from the ottoman to the big chair, as she usually does, except this time they weren't as close together as they usually are. Brice is literally an arm's length away from her and as he says, "Rachel, be careful, they are too far apart...." DOWN SHE GOES!!!! All I see from across the room while I sit on the couch is her head (the front of it, mind you) going straight for the fireplace....the BRICK fireplace! Brice snatched her up as she is screaming and I ran to her. He was comforting her and my maternal instincts tell me to look for blood. I checked the mouth for broken teeth and busted lips. I don't see blood anywhere. I found where she hit.

Well, it's started...the horrible dreams!!! I had awful dreams with Rachel and they have already started with this one! Let's see, in the last 2 days, I have killed someone (and my husband, in my dream, convinced me to cover it up, ha!), last night I can't remember the first one but it was bad and the second dream I had was AWFUL....I won't go into details but it was a "go into labor early" dream. I had those with Rachel too...probably nerves! Some of my dreams I can't explain and honestly, I don't want them explained...they are pretty graphic. Now to the good stuff....MY CHILD IS GIFTED!! Okay, maybe not but whatever. Yesterday we were at my Granny's house and I told her to count for Granny. Well, she didn't and then after awhile, she was laying in the floor and I heard her saying something sorta rhythmically (how do you spell that???) Well, she was saying, "Cinco, seis, seita....." I was like WHAT???!!!! She continued and

Well, things around the Hester household are interesting to say the least. We are quickly approaching the terrible twos with our little one!!! She is a MESS!!! She will even tell you that she is a mess. She had a terrible incident yesterday which involved waking up totally distraught from her nap and going immediately to the bathtub....I will spare the details but I am sure you can fill them in! We try time out...works sometimes, others not so much! She does get spankings when needed as we are not opposed to them....they seem to work well. Rachel is, as her daddy put it, stubborn. I can't tell you who she gets that from....in all honesty, probably a little of both. Her new favorite thing is to scream when she doesn't get something she wants....we are quickly trying to fix this! In other news, we have known for about 5 weeks now that we are going to have another baby!!! We had our first doctor's appointment today and all is well with Baby Hester #2! The due date is March 27t

So, I had my first jewelry show on Friday night. It was good. Not many people and not a very big $ show but it was fun. My next one was Saturday night....about the same amount of people and I will not know $ amount until Friday...when she closes her show. I had another show last night....AWESOME!!! There were about 12 people there and it was a pretty high $$ show!!! We will close that one on Friday too! I have another show on Thursday night and one on Friday night. I work Saturday night and then have 2 more shows next week!!! Whew!! Surprisingly enough I have not been completely exhausted. I do get a nap during the days when I am home. The jewelry parties are fun so it isn't a lot like work for me. More later....next week is a big week for LOTS of things!!!! =)