More family photos

Here are a few more of the photos that we took on the beach in Gulf Shores. Tanya Wright did an awesome job!

SO much different from June of last year huh???

I am so excited!

Thanksgiving is so close I can already smell the turkey and dressing cooking in my oven. I am so excited this year because my family from Georgia and Arkansas are coming up. I love me some crazy family time, and I need it. There is nothing better to me than sitting around the table or living romo with my family and just being with each other. LOVE IT!

I am not quite as excited about the food this year since I realized I am overweight, ergh. Back on the super diet plan and working out for me. I am going to start the Couch to 5K program, again. I have only ever made it to week 5. I am determined to be able to run a dang 5K though!!!!! If you are not familier with the program, take a look at it. It gets you off your rear (couch) and gets you running (a 5K) by doing interval training. I LOVE IT and HATE IT at the same time. I will try to remember to update you all on my progress.

What are you thankful for?

Nylin came home from school yesterday with a new book.  It is about being thankful. Very fitting for the month of November huh?

After reading the book Nylin asked me what I am most thankful for. I told her that I would tell her but she had to tell me first. her response?

"My family. I love you, daddy, Jace, Kara, Jackson and Buddy so much."

Sweet right?

Then she goes on.....

"and I am thankful that you have a good job so you can pay the bills and we can have a house."

I love this girl! She is so smart and loving, and one of the big reasons I am so thankful!



Wordless Wednesday

October

October is always a favorite month of mine. There is always so much going on and I just LOVE IT. There are so many reasons to love October.....

The weather changing is something I look forward to every year. I wish it would stay like this though. Highs in the 60's and lows in the 30's is PERFECT weather.

My amazing husband was born in this month too, that makes it all that much better. Today is his birthday! Happy Birthday to the one and only love of my life. I would be lost without him. I love my husband more and more everyday. I thank God for him always but the month of October makes me thank God a few extra  times!

I also love Halloween. I love going to the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, getting the kids all dressed up and of course the candy!!!!

And my newest reason for loving October?? The last week of October is International EB Awareness Week. The week is October 25-31, 2010. 
The main objectives of International EB Awareness Week, and the Walk a Mile in My Shoes campaign, is to boost awareness among policy-makers and society at large about EB and its impact on the lives of patients and patient families.  As the month progresses I plan to post a lot about EB. I hope that new people come to read about it and I pray that some people learn some things. I am so new to the EB world and the only thing I really have to offer is my experiences so far and my BIG MOUTH! I knew having a big mouth would pay off someday!!!!

I am so thankful today.

I was not yesterday. Yesterday I felt sorry for myself and for Jackson and all he has to go through. I was angry and depressed all day. I wanted nothing more to just crawl back into bed and not face the day or the blisters or the diaper changes that revealed my sons raw hiney. I just hated everything and even said out loud several time "I HATE EB!!!!!!!!!!" I really do hate it but what gives me the right to feel sorry for me???

Around 4 yesterday afternoon while I was lying on the couch feeling sorry for myself I decided that was it. I got up and told Jason "I guess I need to snap out of it and stop feeling so damn sorry for myself." He just smiled at me. He knew I was going to realize that eventually and just let me come to it on my own. Some days we just move on like normal and some days I need that slap!

Today I am so thankful for everything in my life. Not just the normal stuff like my husband, my kids, our health and our jobs. I am really truly thankful for things like the ability to hug and hold Jackson, my ability to dress him in normal clothing, put him in a car seat, and even just to feed him. I am just so thankful for the little things that we get to enjoy with Jackson. Even though EB really sucks no matter the type or the severity,at least we have some things to be thankful for. Do we have to be super careful? Yes, but at least WE CAN do some things. Some EB babies are covered from head to toe with bandages and they wake up and go to bed in pain. Hugs, clothes and food are all things those babies hope for.

Although Jackson's wounds make me sad everyday I just realized that I have to stop feeling sorry for me. Really how is feeling sorry for me going to do any good? How is it going to do Jackson any good? It's not. Not at all. Of course I can be sad for Jackson sometimes but not to the point where it is going to slow him down. From the looks of it, this kid is not going to take EB lying down. I am sure he will have his days where he screams "I HATE EB!" just like his mommy BUT I bet he laughs at himself when he is done. That is just who he is. I can tell already. I am so thankful for that!!!!!

A BIG thanks to  Courtney for helping me to realize that we have so much to be thankful for. Courtney is an awesome mother and I just pray that one day I have the same strength and faith that she does. The way she carries on her life with her amazing son Tripp is a true inspiration. To make a long story short, Tripp has junctional EB and has been having a rough time lately. Please say a prayer for Courtney, her husband Randy and Tripp. I know I do, everyday.

I have a first grader!

Today was the first day of school for Ms. Nylin.
Although I was teary eyed it was nothing like last year. I am glad she is back in school and she is too. I have never met a child so eager to learn!!! She is ready to see all her friends again and ready to get back into a schedule as well. I think I was more nervous than she was, lol. Although we planned to wake her at 7 this morngin she woke us at 6:15. She was SO EXCITED!!!!

Here are some pictures of her big day :)

One Lucky Dude

Jackson is one really lucky dude. He has so many people in his life that just love him so much.

For starters he has an amazing set of siblings. When I see all my kids together I just smile. They make me so happy and I love them so much. The day that Nylin, Jace and Kara came to the hospital to see Jackson was so overwhelming for me. Seeing all four of my amazing kids together and seeing the love they share with each other was nothing short of perfect. Again, I knew in that moment that what Jason and I were doing was right. Jackson has completed our lives and seeing his brother and sisters with him that day reminded me of that.









such an excited big sister-



Jackson also has so many grandparents he is going to lose count.

Nana


Grandma Janice


Papa


Grandpa or Poppa


Grandma Margo





And most of all, he has parents that love him more than their own lives.

My birth story...finally!

Today’s post has been a long time coming. I know I have been silent since my 37 week post. Things have been hard. Really hard. I will get to all of that in due time. Right now I would like to focus on my birth story. At some point I will have the strength to post more about recent events but at this time I would like to post about one of the very best days of my entire life. Something happened to me that day. It was perfect. Of course the births of all of my children were amazing and perfect but there was something about May 18th 2010 that was more than perfect. It was amazing. I think my world was complete that day. My life was complete. I knew that what Jason and I were doing was right and what we were doing is what we meant to be doing. My family was complete. It is complete. I love my life.



I woke up feeling just like every day. Tired. The contractions were moving right along just like the last 4-5 days. They were there, they were strong but consistent, they were not. I called Jason several times to tell him that I was feeling like crap but I thought it was just pregnancy crap, not labor crap. I cannot tell you how many times I cursed my doctor for telling me that I would not make it to my next appt. I swear I wanted to give her a piece of my mind. My appointment at this point was less than 24 hours away. The clock was ticking in my head!


I had been monitoring my BP for the last week since we had a high reading at my last appointment so that day I decided to check before I showered. It was high. I took my shower and then took it again. It was still high. The machine I have at home is not always 100% reliable so I called Jason and told him I was heading to the store to have it checked again.

Once I arrived at the store I was greeted by several workers who I have come to know in my daily BP check trips. I talked for a few then I headed over the BP machine. It was high. I called the doc to give them the readings and then everything went SUPER FAST. I will the rest of this in timeline form to make it an easier read for you.

3:00- nurse at OB-GYN tells me to head to ER to be checked. I check the kids overnight bag to make sure everything is in there, check my hospital bag/suitcase for the one millionth time, JUST IN CASE….

At this point I was NOT thinking I was having a baby yet. I swear I wanted to stay home because I just knew I was going to miss the evening with the kids and be sent home babyless.

4:00 Jason is home and we head to ER to be checked. Contractions seem to be getting closer and stronger. I am crabbing the whole time about how I am going to get sent home and I am going to be one of those women that arrive and everything is fine, wasting everyone’s time.

5:00 We arrive at hospital after sitting in traffic due to an accident on the exit ramp. I almost pee my pants running to the bathroom. Get checked in to be monitored.

5:30 They check my BP and it is normal.
WHAT?? Normal? I did not just drive here for them to tell me it was normal and send me home. I KNEW IT!

5:35 they hook me up to the contraction monitor

6:00 the nurse tells me my contractions are 6 minutes apart.
WHAT? How come I do not realize this? How come I am not feeling 6 minutes apart???

6:10 the nurse comes in with some paperwork for me to sign. I thought I was going home. I asked her what they were and she said they were permission to treat papers and she said “You are not leaving here without a baby”. I started bawling. I was not ready for this. For some reason I was not mentally prepared to go through labor yet. I was MORE than ready to meet my Peanut but I was not ready for all the hard work that was required of me. I looked at Jason and he could tell I was not there all the way. He mouthed “I love you” and I saw a little tear drop down his cheek. He was ready to meet Peanut and he knew I could do it. He has seen me do it before and he was so confident in me. His confidence in me is the only thing that got me through!

6:30 they transferred me into another room and asked to hook me up to an IV. I refused the IV fluids but let them put a HepLock in for the just in case. They check me and I am dilated to 3-4cms and I am 90-95% effaced.

6:45 I got to get up and walk around to get the contractions going.

7:45 The contractions stopped. WHAT??? I was scared to tell them because I did not want to be sent home, HAHA! I told you I was scared that I was leaving without a baby!

8:00 back on the bed for monitoring. They promised they would not send me home. They wanted me to rest for a bit.

9:00 The nurse came in to tell me that the doctor wanted my water broken and asked how I felt about that. I told her I was ready to get the show on the road.

9:30 doctor came in to break my water

9:32 heavy contractions started and did not stop!

10:00 Jason can tell that the pain is getting worse for me and that I am not all there in focusing on the contractions. He asks everyone to leave the room (my mom, his mom, my dad and my dads girlfriend, Margo was on the way and his dad would have been there but he had the other kids).

10:01 Jason and I decide that the epidural was needed. I had planned to just go with the flow and see if I could do it. My head was not in the game though. For some reason I just could not concentrate or focus on my breathing. We call the nurse and we are in luck, the anesthesiologist is on the floor already and will be in shortly.

10:10- the wonderful epi arrives.

10:30- I am feeling pretty dang good. The nurse checks me and I am an 8. WHAT? I could have done the 2 extra cm’s and pushed this kid out, dang it! Oh well. I fell great.


FEELING GOOD!

10:50- I feel lots of pressure. Call the nurse- they check me- its time to push.

11:07 doc arrives. I remember telling her she had 53 minutes to get this baby out because I needed to be released on Thursday (having the baby before midnight counts as day one for insurance purposes!). I needed to make it to Nylin’s kindergarten graduation!!!

11:10 doc tells me to practice pushing while she goes and gets the right size gloves.

11:12 baby nurse runs into the hallway to get my doctor because Peanut’s head is out!

11:14 Peanut is born!!!!! Jason yells- “IT’s A BOY!” the next thing I know there is a brand new baby boy on my chest!!





It was so amazing. I could not stop crying, kissing Jason and kissing Jackson John. It was amazing. I felt this amazing rush come over my entire body. You can call it hormones but I call it God showing me that everything is great and I am doing what I was intended to be doing, having amazing kids with my amazing husband. It was all, well, amazing.




We were cleaned up and sent up to our room where we just stared at Jackson and took pictures and just enjoyed our time. It was amazing.

Jackson John, 5-18-2010
7 pounds 11 ounces 20.5 inches

Checking In

I am just doing a quick check in. It has been a long crazy week around here and I have no energy to write a full post.
Basically- Jason landed himself in the ER on Sunday night. He is fine but it was stressful. AND Jace had his tonsils and adenoids removed on Monday. He is also fine, but again, it was stressul. And on top of all that, I am still pregnant. Of course I knew I would still be pregnant and I WANT to still be pregnant since I am not exactly full term (will be on Wednesday). BUT being pregnant and dealing with all this stress has been pretty crazy. I need sleep. I need Peanut to get here so I can sleep again :)

Anyways- we are still here and we are all doing fine! I will update with pictures and a bunch of awesome stories about my Mother's day weekend (that's right my husband gives me the whole weekend!). I hope to do that update on Wednesday.

Conversing with a 2 year old

Jace: Nonny, et Duddy out.

Me: Nonny's working, you let Buddy out.

Jace: No, I boss Nonny!

Nice.
after a little back and forth he finally gave in and let the dog out.

It is good to know he is the boss now though. I would be glad to hand over the bills and my job to him.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious......

Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious!
If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious....

I took Nylin to her first ever show at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, Mary Poppins.



It just so happens that Mary Poppins was/is my favorite movie of ALL TIME. When I heard it was coming to my city, I just knew it was the perfect show for Nylin and I to see together.



We also took my mom for her birthday present from us and Lori and Jake also joined us. We had a spectacular time! Who wouldn't have a grand time with Mary Poppins???



I have to say- I did not expect to love it as much as I did. I mean Mary Poppins without Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke??



It happens a lot with movies you love and then you see the play- it just isn't the same. It was not the same at all. Of course the most popular songs and most of the storyline was the same but you just cannot do somethings on stage that you can in a movie. You also can not do things in a movie (and expect greatness) like you can in a play. There was some super cool things that would not have made Mary Poppins the movie great but it sure made Mary Poppins the play AWESOME! I hear that the play actually follows the book more closely than the movie.

I have no idea why I never thought to look for Mary Poppins THE BOOK. I always read the book! After a little googling I have found that there are actually 8 children's books that feature Mary Poppins. I will be starting this series (reading it with Nylin!) after I am done with the current series I am reading- Sookie Stackhouse, a way different type of book, but a welcome change!

Original Cover Art for the 1st Mary Poppins book by P.L.Travers



The props in this production were amazing. The transitions happened right there on stage, curtains open and lights on. Nylin loved this. Seeing the living room turn into a kitchen in a few spins was exciting for her!! She was asking questions about it and talking about how cool it was all night (and all day today). I am so glad she payed attention and noticed things like this.

Of course my favorite part and Nylin's are one in the same. They had a scene where the chimney sweeps were tapping all over the place. About midway through the song Bert (played by actor Gavin Lee) started tapping up the side of the stage wall, when he reached the top he tapped all the way across the top of the stage, then back down the other side. Amazing. This is the only way I can describe this scene. Just amazing.

Of course we all enjoyed Mary Poppins flying into the audience at the end of the show. It was GREAT. All in all I had a great night, watched a great show and spent it with great people. I am so happy that Nylin enjoyed herself. She acted like such a little lady. It is a great compliment when people stop you to tell you how amazingly beautiful and well behaved your child is. We were actually stopped 3 times, each time complimenting Nylin. It is just heart warming.

Nylin and Jake, both first timers at The Fox!



Nylin giving her first ticket at The Fox. I wish they would have let me keep my camera out so I could show you the amazed look on her face when we walked in, the ornate ceiling and columns had her mesmerized.



Posing out front



My attempt at being creative. I like it, but I am not in love with it.

New Do's

Nylin and I were tired of our hair so we cut it all off!!!

2 down, 1 to go!!!!

So Nylin started school last week and Jace started this week. I feel a little lost!!!

Jace did better than expected which was a tiny blow to Nonny's heart. I needed him to cry and NEED ME, haha. I guess to help Mommy feel better Nylin cried, she was worried about Jace being alone in school all day without her. What a good big sister she is!!!

Jace is AWESOME, according to his teachers, Ms. Sharon and Ms. Michelle.