Friend Makin' Monday ~ It's Project Time!

It's Friend Makin' Monday! This week Amber asks:

What kinds of projects are on your to do list this year???

If you're like me, January can be a bit . . . overwhelming. It's the start of a new year which leaves me wanting to do everything. I need to start small and move forward, but instead I run around starting a whole bunch of projects, leaving many unfinished. Anyway.

♥ We have one BIG project planned this year. We are hoping to build a house. We meet with a builder this week to see if our ideas and his ideas mesh. And alsoto see if we can afford to build a house! I am SO excited! Eeeekkk! ♥

***Other than that, I'm dreaming of finishing a million little projects.***

♥ Organizing our homeschooling cabinets and drawers.

♥ Organizing in general.

♥ Finishing the scrapbook{s} I have started, and moving on to some digital scrapbooking/photo organization.

♥ More activities and crafts with the kids.

How about you? What kinds of projects do you have planned this year? Head on over to Amber's and link up!

Oh, and stay tuned. I'm finally going to post some pictures of one ADORABLE, brand new little sugarplum from my first ever newborn photo shoot. Talk about baby fever ;)

A Year Ago Today . . .

A Year Ago Today

I sat nervously in the waiting room at the Perinatologist.

A Year Ago Today

I was called into the ultrasound room and patiently lay there with goop on my belly as the technician checked on our baby girl.

A Year Ago Today

Tears filled my eyes, and I hung tight to my husband as we were told to head over to Labor and Delivery seven weeks early.

A Year Ago Today

I had my first of two steroid injections to help develop Kam's little lungs.

A Year Ago Today

I said good-bye to my husband and daughters as they left for home while I stayed in the hospital.

A Year Ago Today

Was the start of a very long two weeks of waiting, worry, prayer, and ultimately a miracle only God could have provided.

How Do You Use A Soft Voice?

I've been debating whether or not to post this. But in an effort to be more authentic, I think I need to put it out there. I'm sort of at my wit's end, and I really don't like feeling that way.

One of my goals as a mama is to be soft and gentle in words and actions. At all times. Even when I'm feeling frustrated. Even when I'm tired. So, here's my question. It's a question to myself, really, but please feel free to leave me an answer if you have one. And I'll do some soul-searching myself.

How do you find your soft voice

when:

You walk into your girls' room to find lotion squirted all over the place from their earlier "beauty shop" play.

You've asked {nicely, softly} about 1.2 million times {just this week} for your children to not climb up on the counters. And they continue to do so. Every.15.minutes.

You've mentioned {over and over} that as soon as socks come off the feet, they go in the hamper. And still the carpet is littered with little socks. Daily.

You've asked for scissors to be put up as soon as they are done using them, and you still have to wrestle them out of Kameryn's hands on a regular basis because they've been left on the floor.

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The list goes on, but you get the idea. Just typing this, I know it seems so trivial. And no, I don't need to be reminded about the crisis in Haiti. I know that I am blessed. I know I have nothing to complain about. But I honestly don't know how to use my soft voice to ask the same question hundreds of times every day. And I want to so badly. I have been, actually. But I find myself getting close to losing my temper. So I need to know, am I asking too much? Is it just me?

Whew, it feels good just to get that out.

Flashback Friday Pregnancy Journal, Week 32

Alright y'all, welcome to another week of Pregnancy Journals. I kept this journal a year ago, when I was pregnant with Kameryn. We're in the home stretch . . . and it's about to get a little exciting.

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{originally submitted to Storknet.com January 14, 2009}

Week 32 ~ What a Week!

It looks as though I spoke too soon, last week, regarding peace and quiet! This week has been quite the whirlwind.

Remember a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Makenna had come down with Fifth Disease? Back in October we were exposed through our Sunday School class, I mentioned it to my midwife, and she assured me that it was probably nothing to worry about. It finally made its way to Makenna right before Christmas, and shortly after, Sierra came down with it. Being that I wasn’t just “exposed” to it now, I was actually living with two little pumpkins who had it (loving on them, and in close contact 24 hours a day), I thought I would mention it again. The midwife agreed that I should probably be tested, though it was unlikely that I wasn’t immune to it, as I’d probably had it as a child, and didn’t even know it. So, I had some blood work done at my last appointment, and the nurse assured me that they’d have the results “soon”. When I hadn’t heard anything in over a week, I just assumed that the results were fine, and I put it out of my mind.

Imagine my surprise last week, when I received a call from the midwife letting me know that the tests came back that I had a full-blown case of Fifth Disease! I was so sure that I was immune to it. As I had mentioned in a previous entry, Fifth Disease is completely harmless and often times mild, but it can present complications in pregnancy. Because the hospital I go to now isn’t equipped to monitor this type of situation, I was referred to a
specialist, and ordered a Level 2 Ultrasound at a larger hospital that specializes in high-risk pregnancy.

Yesterday was the big day. My mother-in-law came over to watch the girls as it is close to an hour and a half drive each way to the hospital, plus the wait time for the ultrasound and appointment. We were so grateful for Geri to be able to watch the girls. My parents took off last week for their annual 6 week trip through Nevada and Arizona, so we don’t have quite the help we normally would have.

My ultrasound was scheduled for 2:20 with a follow-up consultation appointment at 3:00. Through the worry and concern, I must admit it was wonderful to be able to take another peek at our little princess. This ultrasound was a bit more detailed, so we really got a good look at all her little fingers and toes, her adorable little mouth and nose, and her little heart, just beating away. We even got a 3-D picture! After the tech took an extensive look around, she gave the results to two other doctors, and they both came in and had another look around. While they found no fluid around our little girl’s heart (a sign of severe anemia), they did find a sign that she had possibly developed the anemia. It is at a mild stage at this point, so I will be monitored up at this hospital 1-2 times per week via ultrasound, and I have been ordered to have a NST (non-stress test) twice a week at my regular hospital. I’m going to be one busy gal!

After the ultrasound, I got to meet with the perinatologist. He was wonderful in helping explain everything to us. He let us know what we might be able to expect every step of the way. Once our consultation concluded, he wanted me to have a NST, so we got set up for that. The nurse had mentioned that we would need to get a good reading which means having the baby alert, awake, and moving. Well, that was no problem! As soon as the monitors were strapped to my tummy our little girl kicked, punched, and prodded the entire time! Needless to say, it didn’t take long to get the reading they were after. About a half an hour in all, and we were on our way.

By the time we left the hospital it was after 5, and we had a long drive home in rush-hour traffic. It was the perfect time to reflect on the day, I suppose. I feel so blessed that I was able to leave the hospital last night. I couldn’t help but think of all the women who wind up with complications during pregnancy which keep them hospitalized for days, weeks, or even months! I, on the other hand, was able to go home and see my precious daughters and enjoy the rest of the evening with them. It will be a bit of a pain to make weekly trips up to this new hospital. The drive is long, and it’s not easy to get there. But I have to remind myself just how lucky I am that our baby is doing so well through all of it. I truly feel taken care of.

Of course, any and all prayers are welcome. With 7 weeks to go, we have our fingers crossed that baby girl doesn’t decide to make an appearance too early!

Until next week, enjoy all the blessings in your life!

Liz

Dance Class Days

The girls started back to dance this week. They were so excited. We took a break through summer, then had swim lessons through the fall that conlicted, so it's been awhile!

On Monday they tried the Tap class and Tuesday was Jazz. They settled on Jazz. Both of them. Have I ever mentioned how cute they are in their dance clothes???

Kam loves watching her big sissies.

Maybe someday she'll be out there in her tutu too ;)

Wordless Wednesday ~ Birthday Invitations!!!

How I Became the Mother I am . . .

Connie at The Young and the Relentless tagged me for this special meme. I am to share five experiences that have shaped me into the mother I am today, and tag five moms I admire.

1. My parents. My mom stayed home when I was little. I'm so happy that I wasn't shuffled back and forth to a babysitter day after day. My childhood memories include being at home, playing, and being a kid. That was special to me. My dad worked long hours when I was young, but he was at every dance recital, every performance, everything that was important to me. As I got older my mom went back to work, but she took a job at my school. Honestly, I loved it. She was there whenever I needed her. Of course, my parents shaped the way I parent in other ways too. My mom was very very strict about bedtime, and when I was young it stressed me out. I would lie in bed and worry that I couldn't fall asleep immediately. I worried that my mom would come in to check on me, and I would still be awake, and oh how that stressed me out. So, of course, I had sleep issues. Those issues have translated into me being pretty lax about bedtime around here. And while my sister and I had a lot of rules to follow {I'd say my parents were pretty dang strict}, I think my girls would tell you that life in our house is pretty un-scheduled and laid back.

2. I played house all.the.time. Luckily I had a younger sister to add to the fun. Our imaginations ran wild. We had perfect husbands who worked hard for us so we could vacation together. Honestly, from the time I was little, I knew that my sister and I would raise our babies together. I just knew we'd live right next door to each other and share in motherhood together. I never envisioned it any other way. Unfortunately that's not the way it happened. And I am just now, years later, coming to terms with the fact that we will never live close to one another :( My sis is 300 miles away, and I haven't seen my niece and nephew since August. I have to plan a trip to see them, because I am seriously having withdrawls.

3. The birth of my nephew. My older sister had her first baby when I was thirteen years old. I vividly remember my mom getting a call at school {Mom used to work at the middle school I attended} that Heidi was in labor. And at the ripe ol' age of 13 I was in the room as she gave birth to her first child. It was such an amazing experience, but I will be honest, after seeing what she went through I decided adoption would be my best bet ;) I guess I changed my mind over the years.

4. Sierra's birth. When Sierra was born she developed a staph infection in the hospital that we didn't know about until after we got home. It was one of the scariest times of my life. Here I was, a brand new mom, and no one would listen to me when I called {time after time after time} to let someone know that there was something wrong with my baby. The nurses, the doctors, they all thought I was a new mom that was being a little . . . emotional and neurotic. Finally, after my 6th call, and coming up on closing time at our pediatric clinic, I demanded to speak with our pediatrician. And I broke down and told her that if she didn't see us, I was taking Sierra to the Emergency Room. That got her attention. We went in and were immediately taken to the hospital where Sierra spent the following few days in ICU. She had a spinal tap, rounds of antibiotics, and was finally released 3 days later. But wow, that experience definitely changed me as a mom. Sierra did not leave my side for a long time, and I think we bonded even more strongly because of it. That experience, alone, probably had a big impact on my decision to attachment parent. I wanted my babies next to me every night, and carried close to me during the day. I suppose the experience also made me a stronger mama. I learned early on that moms often do know best, and no one is going to stop me if I need to get care for one of my children. Sometimes we are their only advocate.

5. My pregnancy with Kameryn. I know it wasn't that long ago, and I was already a "seasoned mom", but Kam's birth last year changed us all. As I mentioned above, I'm a bit of an attachment type parent. I rarely leave my children. In fact, last year, when Sierra was 6 1/2 and Kenners was creeping up on 4, I had only ever left them for 24 hours. One time. When Jeremy and I escaped to the coast for our anniversary. I don't know that we were even gone a full 24 hours ;) I take that back, I had left Sierra for 24 hours when Kenners was born too. But you get what I mean, we just don't leave them that often. So, when I was hospitalized at 33 weeks pregnant with Kameryn, that shook us all up. Two straight weeks of not being home with my girls. It was excruciating. I had to watch, every night, as Jeremy and his parents would have to carry both the girls out of my hospital room crying. The thought still brings tears to my eyes. It was horrible. But, I think it made us stronger. I know it brought Jeremy and the girls even closer. And the experience ended with a brand new, beautiful addition to our family. There were good memories too. Several nights they all surprised me by staying the night with me. It was squished, and quite uncomfortable for them, but we have such sweet memories of our slumber parties at the hospital.

That's that. A handful of the experiences that have made me who I am as a Mama.

I would like to pass this along to five moms whom I find to be pretty spectacular:

Tiffany at A Moment Cherished

Rhonda at Down Memory Lane

Kelli at Random Thoughts of a SuperMom!

Becca at The Texas Darlings

Kasey at Beautiful Mess

Flashback Friday Pregnancy Journal ~ Week 31

Hi y'all! Another Flashback Friday. Is it just me, or does it always seem like Friday around here?? So . . . we're getting close. Week 31. I was hospitalized by Week 33, and Kam was born just shy of 35 weeks, so the end is in sight ;) For those new {and not-so-new} this weekly installment of Flashback Friday Pregnancy Journals follows my pregnancy with Kameryn . . . exactly a year ago. I kept a journal for Storknet.com, and am having such fun going back to read all about my experiences. Funny how quickly you forget! This week had me chuckling and shaking my head a bit. I submitted this journal on the morning of January 7, 2009. Blissfully unaware that mere hours later I would get a phone call from my midwife with the news that I had Fifths Disease. Oh how life was about to change drastically. And with that, let's get this show on the road! :)

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{Submitted to Storknet.com Wednesday, January 7, 2009}

Week 31 ~ A Brand New Year

It’s hard to believe that a new year is upon us. I find it to be so true that once you have children, time flies right by! This week was delightfully quiet. After two months of going, going, going, and the excitement of constant holiday activities, I welcome the peace.

As predicted, we had a quiet New Year’s Eve. My parents invited us over to play a few games, and we had a great time! My dad went all out and bought prizes for Bingo games, and as you can imagine that was an exciting surprise for the girls. Sierra is quite the Bingo champ, as she won 7 out of the 10 games. Makenna was content to snack and sip her sparkling apple cider. We made it home by eleven, and a very sleepy Makenna was definitely ready for bed, but Sierra made it to midnight . . . Barely!

Monday marked the first day back to home-schooling in more than two weeks. We took advantage of a few extra days of Christmas vacation due to all of the snow and local school closures in mid-December. We enjoyed our time away, but are all looking forward to following a schedule again.

I’m finally feeling a little more organized in the baby department. The girls and I picked up my mom yesterday for an all-day shopping trip. We bought the stroller and carseat (yay, we are set to bring our new little one home!), bath tub, towels, wash cloths, and a few other odds and ends. I still have a running list, but at least I’ve made a dent. Besides, I’m finding it harder and harder to ‘power shop’ all day. I’ve got the pregnancy waddle down, and I tire way too easily.

Speaking of waddling and exhaustion, I didn’t want to do it, but I’m going to have to complain a bit. I am having some of the worst back and leg pain these days. I’ve been through a couple of pretty bad car accidents in my lifetime, so I have a little back pain on a regular basis, and I do remember having my fair share during my pregnancies with the girls. But this leg and pelvic pain is driving me crazy. There are times that I can barely walk, and forget about sleeping at night. I know, I know, this is preparation for the sleepless nights ahead. But, I would rather be sleep-deprived because I am up all night with a new baby than be sleep-deprived because I am up all night with leg pain !

This afternoon we are going to visit some home-schooling friends of ours so that the girls can play. I’m not sure who looks forward to these “play dates” more, me or the girls!

I hope this week finds you all enjoying the start of 2009!

Blessings,
Liz

Random Thoughts for Thursday

I went to Stephanie's service on Sunday and am so glad I did. I got to see many friends from high school, and we all got to reminisce and remember great times with Steph. Funny thing, I somehow thought that if I just got through the service, that would be that. I'd move on. The lump in my throat would vanish. But it hasn't happened that way. Stephanie continues to be on my mind throughout each day. The lump is still there. But, while it was overwhelming at first, it's becoming more manageable. I'm happy that she's in a better place. Cancer-free.

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On a much {MUCH} lighter note, Kenners has informed me that she'd like to have a picnic on the moon sometime. You know, if we get a spare minute, and can just make the trip to the moon for a quick bite to eat. She said that if we're still up there when Daddy gets home maybe we can call down to him {with a microphone, of course, because the moon is far away} and wave. Oh how that girl makes me smile. She talks non-stop {hmmm, where or where does she get that?} and has the most inquisitive personality. She keeps me on my toes.

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I have a To-Do list a mile long. Or rather, 42 million miles long. And I don't know where to begin. I've even made lists, but there's only so much room on the paper, and it gets a little . . . overwhelming. Tell me I'm not alone here.

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{Almost} Wordless Wednesday ~ Best Pals

I had my first ever newborn photo shoot for my good friend, Lisa, on Monday. {Insert happy squeal}. And I brought Kenners along to play with new big sis, Kyla. They always have such fun together.

Not Myself

I haven't been myself lately. I'm not really sure who I've been, but I'm definitely not feeling myself. Maybe it's because I'm tired. Maybe it's because we spent a whole month gearing up for Christmas, and now it's over, and I'm trying to find normal again. Maybe it's because I'm trying to make sense of things that aren't making sense to me.

Today I'm going to a service. A celebration of life. I don't want to go, but I do. Do you know what I mean? I want to celebrate this life, but I'm afraid I'm going to break down. No, I know I will break down. Stephanie was a friend from high school. Sadly, we lost touch shortly after. But I remember so vividly how much fun we'd all have together. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer a few short months ago. Truly, three months ago she was going through life without a care, and last Sunday she lost her battle and left this world. She was twenty-nine years old. I'm trying to make sense of it, and I cannot. She left her son behind. Not much older than my Sierra. She left family and friends who loved her. My heart aches for them. And I'm trying to make sense of something that just doesn't make sense. And I'm not myself.

Oh for goodness sakes, late again!

******EDIT*******

Hey, y'all, I'm sorry if I'm totally confusing you. I am not pregnant. My Flashback Friday posts {that are now super confusing because sometimes I don't post until Saturday}, are flashing back to a year ago at this time when I was pregnant with Kameryn. I submitted these journals to Storknet.com while pregnant with Kam, and am posting them here as a reminder to me what my pregnancy was like. I'm forgetful, don'tchaknow. Don't worry, Kam's birthday is coming up which means that these journals will be coming to a close shortly ;) Sorry for the confusion! :)

Here I am, late again for Flashback Friday. Oh well, that's the story of my life these days. Better late than never, I guess.

{Last week I deliberately skipped out being that it was Christmas day ;)}

{originally submitted December 30th, 2008}

Week 30 ~ Evening Gown for the Chubby Lady, Please

What a wonderfully memorable week we had. Each year brings more excitement as the girls get a little bit older, and this Christmas was definitely our best yet! Jeremy was able to get Christmas Eve off of work, so we enjoyed a full week at home with him.

We spent the evening of the 24th at Jeremy’s parents’ house watching home videos from our last several Christmases. It was so fun to watch the girls grow through the years. Afterward we stopped by my mom and dad’s for a quick visit. Then it was home to bake cookies for Santa, and get the girls to bed. Jeremy and I had a late night putting together Makenna’s new bed from “Santa” and moving Sierra’s new dresser in from the shop, but we managed to get it all done.

Christmas morning was a flurry of excitement. Sierra awoke before Makenna, and could hardly wait for her to get out of bed. Finally Miss Makenna joined us and we got started. Once we had opened our presents here, we went up to Jeremy’s parents’ to have brunch and our Christmas with them. Then it was over to my parents’ for turkey and to spend the rest of the evening with them. It was a long day, but full of happy memories.

This week I received a wedding invitation in the mail. A dear friend from my pageant days is getting married in February, and I would love to be there to celebrate this special occasion. However, this wedding is an evening wedding, and formal wear is required. I will be almost 37 weeks pregnant at her February 6th wedding . . . What is a girl, who is as big as a house, to wear? Now, I’ve worn many an evening gown in my day, but a maternity evening gown? I kind of have to chuckle at the thought. So, my question is: Where does a pregnant girl even find an evening gown? The answer: ebay! Honestly, I hadn’t even thought of it as I don’t shop on ebay, but my mother-in-law mentioned it, and now I’m on the hunt for (as silly as it sounds), a maternity evening gown. Wish me luck, oh, and please don‘t laugh.

Sunday night we (finally) had our church Christmas program. After almost two weeks of snow and ice, it was nice to get out of the house. Sierra and Makenna had a wonderful time up on stage, and they looked beautiful in their little angel costumes. There’s nothing cuter than a stage-full of little ones belting out Christmas carols.

On Monday I had another appointment with a midwife. It seems as though I live at the doctor’s office these days. But the frequent appointments mean that I’m that much closer to meeting this little one! Everything looked great, and I got to hear the heartbeat again ~ my favorite part. This little princess did not like the pressure of the doppler, though, and she started kicking at it. Seems we already have a bit of an attitude ;)

Now we get to enjoy a little down time before the hustle and bustle of getting everything ready for our new baby’s arrival. We look forward to a quiet New Year’s Eve, and hope that the new year finds you all happy and healthy! Wishing you warm wishes for many blessings in the coming year!

Hugs,
Liz