merry christmas early. won't have computer access tomorrow.

Christmas Pic

Blogging through 2007

this is the 2nd in the series of blogging through the year.
last year i did this too.
i went to the first post of every month and posted the the first sentence of that post.
so here goes...

January: i've kept a list of the books that i've read for the past three year.

February: Things you love!

March: this is fun.

April: three places i've lived

May: i don't think that there is any other way of saying this...........it's a boy! :)

June: random tuesday fun with cheryl....

July: this isn't my normal random tuesday post that i get from cheryl.

August: just a quick post to let everyone know that last night at weigh-in sawyer weighed 2 lbs 15.8oz.

September: so thanks to everyone for their comments about him coming home.

October: on monday michael called the surgeon office and asked if they could get sawyer in earlier than thursday.

November: so today was my first day back to work since sawyer was born.

December: so i want to explain what is going on with my boy and what you think about it.......

what a year!!!

Big Boy

little guy got his 3rd RSV shot on thursday and he did much better than he did at his last one. where was defiantly crying but he got over it a lot quicker and he didn't cry so hard that he popped blood vessels in his face. mom was happy about that. the exciting thing is that he weighs 11lbs. another exciting bit of news is that we fed him at 9:30 last night and he didn't wake up till 6:30 this morning. he slept the whole night and there was no medicine involved. yeah! for baby and for mommy and daddy too. :)

Thanks to all....

...for the poop advice. after a karo syrup, a warm bath, and a qtip to stimulate the butt to poop i called the doc and he said to give him an ounce of apple juice every 12hours. so on my lunch break yesterday i got some apple juice. my biggest thing was i didn't want him to have a lot of sugar. luckily there was no added sugar so i'm guessing it was just the sugars in the apples. anyways i gave it to him at 6:00 last night and he took it like a champ. i think he really liked it. he should mommy and daddy like apple juice. :) anyways, once i gave him his milk he pooped. i just thought that it would be one little turd but come to find out it was a pretty good bit. it made it up his back on his onsie and one his pants. i just wanted to thank everyone for their words of advice and encouragement. i know that i am not alone in things like this but sometime is sure feels like it until i hear from all of you guys. i'm happy to know that baby constipation is a normal thing. just learning. thank again.

Calling All Moms

so i want to explain what is going on with my boy and what you think about it.......

saywer went to the doc for his 4 month shots on friday and he weighs 10lbs 14oz. (YEAH FO THAT WE ARE SO EXCITED) he's getting so big and the nurse was surprised at how much he had grown lenght wise. she said that he grew 4 inches in 2 months. (I GUESS THAT'S GOOD) he still looks small to me, but i love it.

he slept through the night last nigh, for the first time. he went from 1030 to 630. we were thrilled. though it may have been from the shots and the tylenol. i guess we'll find out tonight.

my biggest concern now is that he hasn't pooped in a couple of days. we started him on one bottle of formula a day the day after thanksgiving and we did that for 3 days then we went to 2 bottles of formula a day for 3 days and then 3 bottles of formula a day and i did 3 bottles for one day and then yesterday he only got 2 bottles of formula and i noticed that he wasn't really pooping. today i only gave him one becuase it's been over 48 hours since he's pooped. he doesn't seem like he's uncomfortable or constipated and he's happy when he's awake too but i'm concerned. we are now going to do just breast milk until he poops again. and hoping that the breast milk helps him to get the poop out. what do you guys think about that? is that sometimes normal? HELP!!!

Elf'd

so my mom just send me an email of me and my hubby and my little boy as elfs and they dance and they are so hilarious. you need to check out this site and make yourself an elf.

Our Boy

Happy Baby

this was taken about 2 weekends ago when we went through the galaxy of lights. basically a walk through of lots of Christmas lights. sawyer started off sleeping and then he woke up. don't let this picture deceive you though. after about 5 min of the happy baby he got really mad because he had gas.

A Boy and his Bell

my parents had their Christmas tree up this weekend when we went to see them for thanksgiving. they put it up for sawyer because he loves to look at lights. this one little bell on one of the bottom branches held his attention and he loved it. he would sometimes involuntarily hit is but this one time he actually held onto is and pulled it off of the tree. we put it back on but he kept doing it. it was so funny. i love how babies amuse themselves.

Sleepy Baby

i love this about him. this is how my baby boy sleeps. it's great!

Aubrey

Happy...

...then sad

Random Tuesday

Ten things I did this weekend:
1.went to see my parents
2. went to see my grandparents
3. rode in the car for way to long
4. did laundry
5. saw my best friend
6. ate at shoney's (yuck)
7. took pictures of my boy
8. talked to my sister on the phone
9. did some shopping
10. ate lots of food

9 things on my agenda this week:
1. take the baby to the doc for his 4 month shots (yuck)
2. got to work
3. relax
4. work on some Christmas projects
5. buy some more Christmas presents
6. decorate the house
7. work on the baby's scrapbook
8. laundry
9. get groceries

8 shows I watched last week:
1. greys anatomy
2. some of the auburn vs alabama game (war eagle)
3. news
4. general hospital (yeah it's silly, i guess it's a guilty pleasure)
5. house
6. everybody loves raymond
7. i can't believe that there is nothing else that i've seen. sometimes i'm a tv junkie
8. and last i haven't watched it but an super excited about watching lost, cheryl i'll have to go and watch the episodes on abc.com

7 things I cooked last week
1. i
2. cooked
3. nothing
4. but am
5. excited about
6. cooking a
7. baby food cake

6 things I read this past week
1. sunrise by karen kingsbury
2. some of the last promise by richard paul evans
3. friends blogs
4. green eggs and ham
5. the itsy bitsy spider
6. and i'm sure another kids book to my baby

5 Reasons to be happy today
1. my baby smiled at me this morning
2. he ate at 845 last night and woke up at 330am to eat again. he's going longer and longer which means he will be sleeping through the night soon.
3. work has been busy today so it's not boring
4. i'll get to see my baby in a couple of hours
5. and my sweet hubby too

4 things I need to buy
1. gifts
2. pads
3. scrapbook paper
4. food

3 people I saw this weekend
1. my parents
2. my grandparents
3. 2 of my best friends

2 things I am thankful for right now
1. my family
2. my hubby and baby

Happy Thanksgiving...

...a day early.
going out of town for thanksgiving.
won't have computer access.
so that means no blogging access.
hope everyone has a good time.
don't eat to much.
yeah right. :)

Random Tuesday

What foods do you traditionally serve or eat on Thanskgiving? turkey of course, dressing, my fave cranberry sauce, oyster dressing, rice and gravey, granny's mac n cheese, mandarin salad w/o coconut in it (granny makes it special for me and my dad), brown n serve rolls, green bean cassarole, sweet potatos and pies. i think that's everything maybe there is more though.

Do you have any specific recipes you'd recommend?
pumpkin cranberry bread
here is the recipee that my friend amber posted on her blog. so yummy!

Praise for Poop

so on sunday we went to sunday school and of course little guy came with us. he really loves to throw us off schedule too. we try to feed him right before we leave for church but he always manages to eat once we get there. no big deal we adjust. so i fed him once we got to sunday school. our sunday school class was somewhat different this week. it was definitely a cleansing of the soul. there were tears shed and problems spoken about. instead of our typical lesson we had a discussion time and lots of prayer. after my hubby opened with prayer we kept if open for anyone to pray. as people are praying i'm smelling something and just know that it's baby boys gas. i'm thinking oh know somethings coming. and sure enough after a couple of people are done praying and there is that silence he decided it was his turn and he let loose. over and over again. it was to much for everyone we laughed till we were crying. it was a much need time of laughter and my hubby praise God for His perfect timing and the much needed humor and our class definitely need at that moment. it truly was great. i never thought we would be giving praise for poop. poor little guy was laying in my arms looking around like "...what's so funny? why is everyone laughing?" he had the sweetest innocent face too. it was great.

More Cow-people...

...i had a request to see the big cowboy and cowgirl so here we are. the other pic is my bro and sis in law and their 2 kids.

Bath Time

The Littlest Cowboy

A little late: Pumpkin Patch Pictures

pretty pumpkins

this is what baby boy did at the pumpkin patch

my nephew, at this point he was saying cheese in somewhat of a groan. he was ready to play and we wanted to take all of these pictures.

Baby Boy News

on thursday we took him to have his next RSV shot. the appointment went great until it came time for the shot. they weighed him, 9lbs 9oz. the doctor said that he's doing really well with his weight. when it came time for him to get the shot the nurse put it in his leg and he turned beet red. he was almost purple and it wasn't until she took it out the he really let out a scream. after i scooped him up and held him for a couple of minuets he was okay. but while putting his all in one outfit on i noticed purple dots all over his jaw line and on his forehead. when we were headed out the nurse said that it was probably from him straining so hard with the shot and the doctor looked at it and assured us that it as okay and should go away. it's not saturday and they are still there but definitely fading. just pray that they completely go away.
he's doing so well. my mom came to stay with us for a week and my sister came for a couple of days and we had so much fun watching him laugh and smile at us. it was great.

Random Tuesday

1. What is your favorite Fall color (on clothes, on trees, etc.)? i love them all. green is my all time favorite color and it amazes me that leaves can change from green to all different colors. God is truely amazing. i love fall.

2. What is your favorite Fall food?almost anything pumpkin, apples, thanksgiving dinner

3. Do you like or dislike daylight savings time?i'm not a big fan of it getting dark earlier and i don't really understand daylight savings time. who came up with it? but i'm not sure if it's something that i can say that i like or dislike. the extra hour is yummy.

4. Do you like or dislike football?i guess i like it but my hubby is somewhat obsessed with it so sometimes i don't like it because of his obsession. i actually like going to the games and it's been years since i've been to one.

5. Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions?not really. maybe we need to start some but just getting together with extended family is great to me.

6. What is the weather like where you live this time of year?i have a love/hate realationship with cold weather. i love bundeling up in warm clothes and drinking warm coffee, cider, coco...but really hate being cold. like right now my toes are feezing and i hate it. the weather is a strange thing here. sometime perfect and then we hear the next day the lows are in the 20's. WHAT! the south! you never know.

7. Share at least one favorite Fall memory. going on hikes, with my camera and viewing fall folage (as my hubby calls it) :)

8. What are you thankful for today? that my mom is here to watch my son, that my sister and grandparent are coming to see my son (and me too), that my hubby is such a hard worker(even when his job can sometimes get him down), that he has that job and makes just the right amount to have the perfect insurance so that we don't have this astronomical bill for baby boys first couple of days.

By The Way...

...i failed to mention that on october 29th my sweet little boy rolled over. i think that is something that is worthy of a post. :) he amazes me every day.

Back to Work

so today was my first day back to work since sawyer was born. it's good and bad all together. i miss him terribly but enjoy the time out and being with grown ups. still at the same time i ache for time with him and would love to be a stay at home mommy. i'm so indecisive. my mom is keeping him this week. she wanted an excuse to come up and see him and i am grateful for it. it made the first day back to work easier not having to get up and get him out of the house. he woke up and i just handed him to my mom. pray though. next week i will be a lot harder getting me and him ready as i go to work and get baby to m's mom. oh! pictures will be coming soon. i'm a little slow getting them put on a cd and then uploaded.

Random Tuesday

* Are you dressing up this Halloween? cowgirl

* If you have kids, are they dressing up? little cowboy (picture to come.)

* Do you have memories of a specific costume from your childhood? i don't really remember any memorable ones. i think that i may have been a punkrocker one year.

* If you could have any candy put in your Halloween basket, what would it be? tootsie rolls

* Fill in the blank: "Trick or treat____________________." definatelly "Smell my feet; give me something good to eat."

*Note*

keep scrolling! tons of pictures to follow!

Kisses For All

Superman

So Sweet

Smiley

Big Boy

Mommy and Baby

Look at That Double Chin

He Likes to Sleep Like This

Sawyer Update

things are pretty good with baby. his post-op apt with the surgeon went well. things are looking good. only today i called his doctor this morning because he had some white bumps in his mouth and we thought is may be thrush. the doc didn't think that it was when he looked at it but the went to test it and come to find out it is. this kid just can't win. i have to be grateful though because at least he isn't sick. they weighted him with this clean diaper and oneis on and he was 8lbs 8oz. he is now grown out of his preemie clothes and in into new born clothes. it's so funny to me because he's 3 months old. i can't believe it either.

Check This Out

this will be a little easier to get to see this video. click here!!!

i'm not sure how to post video's on the blog thing but if you go to this blog spot and scroll down to the post titled THE BEST LOVE STORY I'VE EVER SEEN. watch the video. it's amazing and it may make you cry. it made me.

Hernia Update

on monday michael called the surgeon office and asked if they could get sawyer in earlier than thursday. they had a opening on tuesday and we took him. it was confirmed, yet again that it was a hernia and that he needed surgery. the doctor was going to be out of town for the week coming up so he said that he would get him into do that surgery the next week. we weren't to happy with that because we knew that he was in pain and wanted him to be seen sooner. that's when the begging happened. he had his nurse check his schedule and they were able to get him in for the surgery sooner that next week. he had the surgery on friday.

we are truly blessed. that's not where the blessings stop though. at the doctors office the nurse went over when to be at the hospital and things that i needed to do. one being that sawyer couldn't have anything to eat after midnight the night before. my heart sank. what was i suppose to do with a screaming baby for that long. he just said to hold him and to give him his pacifier. yeah right, i thought. my mom came up to help out and to stay with us for a couple of days so we were excited about that. yet another blessing.

the third came on thursday night. we gave him his bottle at 1130pm and he finished at 1150pm. he went to bed just fine but decided to wake up screaming at 100am. we didn't know what was wrong. after changing him he was still upset. he cried till 230am and during that whole time i thought is this going to be what the rest of the night is going to be like. around 230 he took his pacifier and was laying on my chest and decided to fall asleep. i rolled over to look at the clock at 441am and thought oh my goodness he's lasted this long and has been truly wonderful. my mom took him at 500am while i got ready and we packed up and headed to the hospital at 600am to be there for 630am. he was the first surgery with the doctor and it was super fast.

he did so well all the way till the nurse took him back to surgery. i was so impressed. he's such a good, strong baby. i got to be with him in recovery and he came out of the anesthesia very well. we spent the night in the hospital and while he was a little fussy he did really well. we are now back home and he is taking his bottles very well and back into a pretty good routine. we are blessed all around and just so thankful that he was able to have the surgery as soon as he did. thank you everyone for your prayer and encouragement. we really appreciate it and please continue to pray. i'm sure there will be more road bumps along the way but we are prepared to deal with them as they come with our warrior baby.

Hernia It Is...

...the doctor confirmed it is a hernia. he referred us to a pediatric surgeon and we see him on thursday. i'm actually going to call them on monday and let them know that if they have any cancellations to call me and we will be there. he's doing surprisingly well. the doctor said the if it turns black and blue and he's crying and can't be consoled then to get the the er. he's going to have to have surgery though so just keep praying. i hurt for him daily when he's upset or straining and crying. i can't imagine his pain. i feel so bad for him. he's such a tough baby though.

No More Please...

update.....sawyer did really well on shot day. he cried very little after the shots and there was no swelling or brusing in the days to follow. he was fussy 2 days later but who wouldn't.

now on to what's bothering me. we are going to the doctor again today because when i was giving him his bath last night i noticed a bump right above his penis and we think that it may be a hernia(sp?) please be in prayer for him. he's been through so very much and i just want to cry to think that he may have to be going through even more. i'll try to get back to the computer to post the outcome of the visit sometime this weekend. thanks everyone for your prayers and support.

New Pics

momma and baby

daddy and baby

my sweet boy

war eagle!

my hubby's cousin took these today. it was very hard for us to get baby boy to work with he. first he was fussy and wanted to eat and then he knocked out and we were able to get some pics but not without some pee-pee being sprayed on us.

6lbs

we don't have a confirmed 6lbs weight yet but last monday at his doctors apt he was 5lbs 14oz. he's been gaining an ounce a day and sometimes well over an ounce a day so that being said we believe that he weighs over 6lbs now.

please be praying for us on monday. he gets his 2 months shots on monday and i may loose it. hopefully not though. just pray for my little guy that he does okay and that i can hold it together for him. thanks everyone for you comments thoughts and prayers i love, love, love hearing from everyone. it looks like i may only get computer time once a week for a while but that's okay. i'm still here though so don't leave me. :)

Still Alive

it's been a long time since i've posted because we don't have a computer at home and if we did we wouldn't have internet access because it's an expense that we just can't have right now so that being said i don't get to get on the computer very much. but here i am. sawyer is doing really well. at his dr. apt on monday he weighed 5lbs 5oz. he's growing every day. my mom left on wednesday so it's just been me and him during the day. it's been great but i am tired. on thursday night he had his best night ever. he went 4 hours between feedings. i never thought i would see the day that i was happy to get 4 hours rest at a time. (well acutally it's less than that i guess but whatever)
we go back to the dr on monday for another weight check. he's still not nursing very well. the dr said that is will happen though just to keep working with him. he said that boys are just lazy. :)
not much else to report here. i'll try to post pics when i can just wanted to update about him. thanks for all the prayers. keep praying.

Lots of Pics

here's my sweet little guys sleeping

my silly sister took this picture and it's so funny. we just love it.

oh my he was not to happy about getting into his car seat for the ride home. luckily he calmed down pretty quick and decided that he likes car rides.

the cousins. lovely with the bbq on cousin jacobs face.

aubrey was not all to happy about being put down. her mom warned us though. she really does like sawyer. see picture above.

Home at Last

so thanks to everyone for their comments about him coming home. we are really excited and tired. we stayed thrusday night in the hospital to see what it was going to be like to bring him home. not that we were going to change our minds or anything. :)
anyways he was on a 4 hour sch. so we thought great we will keep him to that. well his first feeding was less than 4 hours so we fed him and then from then on we were off. there isn't really a sch that we are going by. he eats every 3 and a half to 4 hours sometimes less than that. he is however nursing and taking his bottle very well. it's not always hard to keep him awake for his feedings just sometimes hard. he really like to eat. m- has been really good helping out he really is a great dad. not that i had any doubts about it. i don't have any pics from his coming home day yet but i promise that when i get them i will get to posting them.
thanks you guys for you kind, encouraging words and prayers. we will defiantly need them in the next couple of days. love everyone.

Big News

well i just wanted to let everyone know that baby boy is coming home. we are going to stay in a room in the NICU tomorrow night that they have for parents to have a first night with their baby before they actually take them home. that way if we have any last minute questions we can ask them and if we need anything they are there to help, but for the most part we are on our own. so tomorrow night we do that and then on friday morning he comes home. we are so excited and maybe a little nervous too because he is so little still. last night he weighed 4lbs 9.6oz. thanks to everyone for your prayer and support we really appreciate it and ask that you continue to pray because the excitement and journey has just begun.

Baby News

so it's been awhile since i've put an update on how baby boy is doing. he's really good. he is now 4lbs 7.6oz. he's taking all of his feedings by bottle or nursing. that's right he's caught on the nursing thing. and today they put him in a crib. we are very excited and hope that he continues to do well. we are thinking that he will be coming home on thursday but it could be before that or even after. there are still a couple more things to have done. thanks for all your prayer and support.

Survey

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? lever 2000
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? no
3. Is there anything moldy in your refrigerator? maybe an onion
4. Are there any dirty dishes in your sink? yes
5. What would you change about your living room? get some book shelves and hang some pictures on the walls
6. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? dirty
7. Do you have a can of mushrooms in your pantry? no
8. White or wheat bread? honey wheat
9. What is on top of your refrigerator? table runner, banana hammock, candles, vases (i didn't realize that i could fit so much on the top of my fridge)
10. What color is your sofa? brown leather
11. What color or design is on your shower curtain? sailboats and lighthouses
12. How many plants are in your home? one fake tree
13. How many candles are in your home? 5, maybe
14. Is your bed made right now? no
15. If you have a coffee pot, what color is it? white
16. Electric or standard can opener? standard
17. Theme in your living room? contemporary, maybe???
18. Colors in the bedroom? rust colored walls (like something santa fe-ish), wood floors, tan comfortor
19. Colors of your bathroom? blue with ugly flowered boarder (we havn't gotten around to doing the bathrooms yet)
20. Comet or Soft Scrub? i like both, i have comet but need to get some soft scrub
21. Is your closet organized? somewhat
22. What color is the flashlight that you use the most? blue
23. What kinds of things are in your junk drawer? coupons, nails batteries
24. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? plastic water bottles
25. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? i have a small bit of milos tea in the fridge but rarely drink it. i drink a lot of h20
26. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? no garage but our shead is definatelly cluttered
27. Curtains or blinds? both
28. How many pillows do you sleep with? two
29. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? there are a couple of plug in night lights around the house but none in our room
30. How many ceiling fans are in your home? 4
31. How often do you vacuum? usually my hubby does that but it needs to be done and since i'm home now more than he is then i need to do it. maybe tomorrow
32. Standard toothbrush or electric? electric
33. What color is your toothbrush? white, gray, orange
34. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? it's a piece of nasty carpet that was pulled out of the house when they were finishing up the floors. we use the side door mostly.
35. What is in your oven right now? nothing
36. Is your microwave clean or dirty? clean
37. Is there anything under your bed? yes (luggage)
38. Chore you hate doing the most? dusting
39. What retro items are in your home? my hubby's drum set
40. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? yes
41. If you have a yard, who mows it? my father in law
42. Is there anything on your kitchen floor right now? the baby's bath tub (it need to get to the bathroom)
43. How many mirrors are in your home? 9 we really aren't vain. the house actually came with 3 in the master bathroom, there's one in the hall bathroom, 2 in our bedroom (but one needs to be moved into the spare bedroom, 2 that are in the spare bedroom (one needs to be hung in the den) and one in the den that i need to move to the shead because we are selling it.
44. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? no
45. What color are your walls? the living room-pumpkin butter, the kitchen-maple sugar and the babies room-green
46. Which rooms in your house have wallpaper? our bathroom still has a boarder the will come down
47. Do you have a peephole in your front door? yes
48. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? anything can really be a weapon right
49. What does your home smell like right now? not to sure
50. Fave candle scent? cookies
51. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? dill
53. What color is your Bible? marroon
54. Do you have plenty of cabinet space in your kitchen? yes
55. Do you own a stereo? no
56. How many tvs do you have? 2
57. How many house phones? zero
58. Do you have a housekeeper? i wish
59. What style do you decorate in? none really whatever i like
60. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? solids
61. Is there a smoke detector in your home? yes
62. In case of fire, what are the items you would grab if you only could make one quick trip? photo box
63. Do you know how to work your electrical box? no
64. What temperature in your home is most comfortable to you? 75

Baby News

so today when i got to the hospital to see him he had a iv in his arm (which i knew that they were doing blood work) but he was going to need a blood transfusion because his blood count was low. the nurse let me know that the procedure was normal for preemies because they use up their blood cells to grow and eat and all. so at 430 he had the transfusion and it lasted for 4 hours. he missed a meal because of it so when we went there tonight he was not a happy camper. he was more then happy to get his food. we decided to give it to him through the tube since he had a long, hard day. tomorrow at noon we will try a bottle and then he gets his bath tomorrow night. he was so sweet tonight. he looked so different and just happy that he was getting food. he wasn't really smiling but he just had this look on his face like he was happy. it was cute.

New Pics

here are some of my favorite pictures of my little guy. here he is before he was in clothes.

and of couse here he is sleeping and he's always so peaceful and perfect when he's sleeping.

this one is of baby boy holding his daddy's finger. i just love it.

and here he is wearing a hat that our neighbor made for him. he wasn't very happy that we put it on him because he was ready to eat. as you can see he was chowing down on his hands.

Yeah For Baby!

he made it to 4lbs last night.

we are very excited.

keep praying though because he's struggling with the bottle thing.

Less Than 4oz To Go

that's right....as of last night little guy was 3lbs 12.5 oz. he only has 3.5 ozs to go before he is 4 lbs. well that might not be exactly right because i don't know how many grams are in an oz but still less than 4 ozs to go. we are very excited. i got to attempt a bottle with him yesterday when we went to see him in the morning and then i got to again today and then the nurse finished and got the whole oz in him. that's all he's getting at every feeding is one ounce. we go and see him tonight and he gets weighed again so we are thinking big thoughts. :)

20 Things (REVISED, again)

....i want to do this summer!

1. finish setting up the nursery
still working on this but it will be done before he comes home. it looks really good as of now though. i need to get his curtins and valance hung.

2. rent some good movies
so i've seen
you, me and dupree and ice age: the melt down
i've also seen
because i said so
the holiday
while you were sleeping (which i've seen a ton of time already but love it)
little miss sunshine
inside man
i watch a lot of movies since i'm still recovering and all.

3. go to the theater to see some movies
harry potter and the order of the pheonix

4. read some great books
i've read
reason and romance by debra white smith
finding noel by richard paul evans
sisterhood of the traveling pants by ann brashares

5. cook something new

6. bake something new

7. finish updating my photo albums
almost done with this task. i think i have to get through may and june and then i'll be updated.
still working on this but it will all come together.

8. have some friends over for a girls night

9. teach my nephew something new

10. spend quality time with my hubby

11. kint a baby blanket
i just finished it last night and it's so pretty i want to keep it for me. :)
working on another one.

12. finish kintting the stocking for my friend

13. have maternity pictures taken
these are coming up soon but they haven't been taken yet
so i never got these taken since he was an emergency delivery

14. finish setting up the house
i think that we are pretty much done here. we still have some boxes and stuff laying around but i'm really not to sure what we are going to do about that now. we really need to get some book shelves and we just aren't ready yet to buy them.
my mom and dad were huge helps with doing this. it looks great.

15. get some pictures hung in the house
this too. we still have plenty more but they got my kitchen looking great.

16. buy an album for little guys soon to be pictures
at one of my baby showers i got a scrapbook kit to make for little guy. it's a little scary to me to be doing one because i'm not all that creative and crafty when it comes to scrapbooking. i'm nervous to see how it comes out. i'll keep you posted on that one.
so i've done a page with is ultrasound pics, a page with a couple pics of me prego, and a page of me with him in the NICU and a page with his daddy and him in the NICU. they actually came out better than i expected.

17. plan a trip for next summer

18. take some good pictures
most of my pics have been of him and he's so cute that they are all good. :)

19. try out a new restaurant

20. deliver a healthy baby
again an unexpected event but aside from him being in the NICU and little he has all his body parts and organs so he's as healthy as he can be for being a preemie.

Baby News

so little guy is now 3lbs 9.4 oz. they are also attempting a bottle with him once a day. he's doing okay. he had the sucking down but he only swallows every 3rd time or so. they did increase his milk amount to 1 oz though so that's good. we were blessed last night to have the lactation consultant as his nurse so we were able to have some breast feeding questions answered. she was really great and we were so thrilled to have her with him.

Steps Foward and Steps Back

last night at weigh in baby boy was 3lbs 8oz. he's half way to 4lbs. while we were there he wasn't very happy and he had some spells where he stopped breathing. when we asked the nurse how many he had had, he said that he had about 6 that were recorded. (he was taken off the medication at the beginning of the week too.) so when we got there today to see him he was swaddled up and sleeping which made my heart happy and once i spoke with the nurse she let me know that they were putting him back on the medication that helps him to breath because he had way to many episodes. we know that the meds are the best for him and he needs then because he is still a preemie even though he is growing but be in prayer for him because we want him to be better in all areas, especially the breathing one. pray for me and m- too because it's really hard on us and we just need to be better at supporting each other and not getting frustrated with one another.

Big Boy

so last night i didn't get a chance to post sawyer's weight from his weigh in. he made it to 3lbs 5oz. we were very excited. but even bigger news is that tonight at weigh in he was 3lbs 7.2oz. aunt amanda, my sister-in-law, went with me and we were so thrilled. the nurse even weighed him again to see if it was right and it was. she said it could be a difference in scales and if he looses tomorrow then that may be it but i like to think that he actually did gain that much and that tomorrow he could be 3.8 or even 3.9. smiles all around.

Baby Update

so it's been a while since my last post but i wanted to let everyone know what was going on.
sawyer is doing very well. he's now 3 lbs 4.3 oz and on saturday when we went to see him he was in clothes. that means that he isn't depending on the incubator to keep him warm, he can do it himself. yeah!!! he has another weigh in tonight so we are hoping for 3lbs 5 oz, obviously. now we need to get him to 4 lbs, he needs to take a bottle for every feeding, and then they will move him to a crib and see how he does. then he comes home.

as for me...doing better. still sore, and they YI rash looking thing is better. i have two more pills to take on wed and sat and then hopefully it till be all gone.

Growing

just a quick post to let everyone know that last night at weigh-in sawyer weighed 2 lbs 15.8oz. we were so excited. we are going back tonight and we are hoping for a 3lb baby.

Highly Emotional

i'm not to sure i understand post pregnancy emotions. but they may not have been meant to understand and are terribly ridiculous. i have pretty good days for the most part considering my little boy can't come home yet. which brings me to my yesterday and my emotional state.

i've been battling an itch around my c-section incision, which just looked like a reaction to the tape over the stitches or quite possibly an itch from the hair growing back. then this irritation turned into red bumps and on sunday night they were under my arms and by monday on certain spots on my arms and now today on my back. the hits keep coming.

yesterday i called the doctor, who is amazing btw, and they worked me in, despite the fact that they had to resch. 8 of their morning patients to the afternoon because he had 2 emergency c-sections. i waited for three hours and he told me it was a yeast infection. let me say i am glad that i went because everyone else that i talked to was telling me it was a heat rash. if i would have waited longer my whole body could have been covered in it, even though it seems like my whole body is.

now for some good news on baby. he is now at 2 lbs 14.4 oz. they are having to feed him his 22cc's over a one hour period (still on a feeding tube) because of some spit up spells that he was having. his last spit up spell was 7:15pm on sunday night and so far he hasn't spit up again since. he had some blood work drawn today because he was forgetting to breath, which we've been told preemie do, and they all come back negative but they gave him a med with his feedings to help that. it's basically caffeine. we are going back tonight to see him and hoping for an increase in weight gain.

please continue to pray for sawyer and definitely for me as i live the day with itching. he didn't give me that pill for a yeast infection but it's 5 pills at 150mg that i take every 3 days for the next 14 days. thursday morning, when i can take my next one, can't get here soon enough.

Sawyer Steps

first bottle

good news coming you way. last night when they weighted him he was 2 pounds 13.2 ounces. he was 2 lbs 11.4 oz the night before so we were super dupper excited about the weight gain.


eskimo kisses

today when we went to see him durning the morning the nurse was just getting him out of his incubator and she had a bottle. she said that she wanted to see if he would take it. she thinks that every baby should get at least one chance a day to take a bottle. it doesn't mean that he will get a bottle every time that they feed him though.


looking right into the camera

after she fed him she said that i could hold him. of course i will take every oppourtunity to hold him. then michael came in and asked about holding him and she said that he could (he hadn't held him yet) he was letting mommy do all the holding.


daddy holding him for the first time

so here is a picture of daddy holding him for the first time. it was so cute to see them together.

Bath Time

yesterday baby sawyer got his first bath.
i was so excited for this time. after we got him out of the incubator and got his diaper off and all his wires we started the process.

we filled up a little pink bucket with some warm water and got some johnson and johnson baby wash and some soft wash cloths. the nurse told me to start with his face and to wash his eyes from the inside out. and i also washed his mouth. she also said that he probably wouldn't like his little face being washed, and he didn't. until i got to his ears. he loved that and just stopped fussing and watched me.

then she squeezed water on his body and some soap and i started to clean his body. he wasn't happy about this either. i washed his whole body and arms and legs and hands and feet and that's when it happened again. i got to his feet and he got real quiet and i could tell that he liked his feet being washed. then we rinsed him off and wrapped him in a blanket, patting him dry and i got to hold him over the little pink tub while the nurse washed his hair with the little brush (as shown in pic) and of course hie just loved that too. he laid there looking around and was so sweet. it was such a fun time and i was so glad that we were there at that time for his bath.

he's gained 2 ounces over the last two days and they weighted him tonight but i haven't been in there yet to find out what it was at. it would be wonderful if he's gained another ounce. here's to hoping. continue to pray, he's doing great.

I'm Here

i'm not to sure how detailed i need to get about the whole hospital ordeal because so much has happened this post could be miles long if i did so i will try to keep it brief.

i was put in the hospital for my high blood pressure and potential preeclampsia on thursday july 12th. after blood and urine analysis they came the the conclusion that they needed a little more tests but that i would be spending then night in the hospital that night for sure. we started to collect my urine for a 24 hour urine analysis. after that on late friday night they came in and started my iv on magnesium sulfate which burned the heck out of my arm and body. i was hot for the next 3 days after that. they also started me on my steroid shot and i got to of those with 24 hours in between them. this all meaning that they were going to deliver the baby on sunday night around 8:30ish. the doc came in and let me know that he was going to have to do a c-section because he thought that there would be to much stress on the baby to try to deliver. i was fine with that because obviously i wanted what was best for the baby.

i had a ton of visitors during the whole time but was so out of it that i didn't get to really communicate with any of them. i knew that they were all there though because i recalled conversations that they had when they were all visiting. it was a little twilight zone-ish. very strange.

so on sunday the anystesiagiolgist (sp?) came in and after not being happy with the way my arm that had the iv in it was swelling he asked the nurse to change it to the other arm and then let me know what there was a chance that he wouldn't do a spinal and he would put me to sleep. this was not completely alright with me but i said okay for the good of the baby. it was very scary for my hubby though. luckily he came back in 5 min later and said that my labs were good and that they could do the spinal. once i was ready they got me to surgery and got started. it wasn't as terrible as i expected and hearing his cry for the first time was wonderful. it made me start crying and then a few minutes later they brought him over all bundled up where i could just see his beautiful face and let me look at him really quick before they whisked him away to get him hooked up to all the monitors and machines. he was so beautiful and just opened his eyes and looked right in my face as i talked to him. it was wonderful.

i didn't get to see him until tuesday and i was still a little out of it even for that trip.
i got discharged on thursday afternoon and i've been resting a lot but getting to the hospital twice a day every day. i would go more but it's really exhausting and the nurses (even the ones in the NICU) encourage mothers to get plenty of rest. my healing is going well though.

baby boy is doing great though. he's up to 12cc's of milk every 3 hours and we figured that was about 1/2 an ounce. i've changed his diaper a couple of times and fed him (he's on a feeding tube) and today for the first time i actually got to hold him. it was so amazing. he was so light but just fit right in my arm perfectly and was so still and quiet as i fed him. he opened his eyes occasionally and looked right at me. i was so shocked that i was able to hold him and thrilled at the same time. i'm not sure how often i will get to hold him but i will take what i can get and enjoy every minute of it.

please continue to pray for him as he still has a long way to go. when the weighted him last night he was 2 lbs 9.2 oz and he was to get to at least 4 lbs before he can go home and has to maintain a body temp. we know that he has a while to go and as much as we want him in our arms we know that the NICU is the best place for him right now. the nurses and doctors are great and we are so grateful for all the wonderful care that they provide for these babies.

unexpected treasures

my hubby and baby

me seeing my baby boy for the first time

20 things (REVISED)

....i want to do this summer!
1. finish setting up the nursery
2. rent some good movies
so i've seen you, me and dupree and
ice age: the melt down

3. go to the theater to see some movies
4. read some great books
i've read reason and romance by debra white smith
finding noel by richard paul evans
sisterhood of the traveling pants by ann brashares

5. cook something new
6. bake something new
7. finish updating my photo albums
almost done with this task. i think i have to get through may and june and then i'll be updated.

8. have some friends over for a girls night
9. teach my nephew something new
10. spend quality time with my hubby
11. kint a baby blanket
i just finished it last night and it's so pretty i want to keep it for me. :)

12. finish kintting the stocking for my friend
13. have maternity pictures taken
these are coming up soon but they haven't been taken yet

14. finish setting up the house
i think that we are pretty much done here. we still have some boxes and stuff laying around but i'm really not to sure what we are going to do about that now. we really need to get some book shelves and we just aren't ready yet to buy them.

15. get some pictures hung in the house
16. buy an album for little guys soon to be pictures
at one of my baby showers i got a scrapbook kit to make for little guy. it's a little scary to me to be doing one because i'm not all that creative and crafty when it comes to scrapbooking. i'm nervous to see how it comes out. i'll keep you posted on that one.

17. plan a trip for next summer
18. take some good pictures
19. try out a new restaurant
20. deliver a healthy baby

Random Tuesday

just a little more pregnancy randomness.
i've been having some really bad back pains and chest pains and pains in my ribs.
i know, i'm a big baby and need to suck it up.
i'm at 32 weeks today.
last night my sweet chariot took me to the mall to purchase this.
yes i am now the proud owner and wearer of the belly belt.
it seems to work too.
at least my back seems to feel better.
i'm just a little worried that i'm squishing my baby boy.
it's not all the tight either.
i'm going to call the nurse today and ask her about it today.

oh and keeping with the randomness we went to get the babies stroller set this weekend.
you can see it here.
i put it together all by myself and it's so stinking cute.
we also got the high chair which i love.
you can see it here.
being the geniuses' my hubby and i are we arrived at target in our car and then quickly realized that the 2 big boxes probably wouldn't fit in the car.
we weren't really thinking, which i guess is sometime like us, because we do have a truck that we could have brought.
anyways we got the high chair box in the back seat and then quickly realized that the stroller box wasn't going to fit back their with it.
we decided to put it in the front seat and while my hubby was diligently shoving it into the front seat he knocked the rear view mirror off the windshield.
so i'm rear viewless but he's going to fix it tonight.
i'm sure the whole scene would have been hilarious to someone passing by.

hope everyone has a random tuesday.
i'll check you out later.

Random Tuesday

this isn't my normal random tuesday post the i get from cheryl. although is there really anything normal about random tuesday. this tuesday though was far from normal. well let's see..........it seemed to start out normal.

i was off of work, so after sleeping in i got up, got ready for the day and ran some errands. i went to the bank, walmart, got gas in the car and the library. after that i went to my mother in laws house to see my nephew and at around 1:50 left for my doctor's appointment. this is where it gets a little random. my apt was for 2:15, but being the day before the 4th the reception area was packed. i waited about an hour and 15 min before the got me back and put me in a room. in the mean time they had gotten my vitals and a urine sample. it really wasn't a big deal to me because i had my book with me. never leave the house without a book, you never know where you will be, what you will be doing, or if the people you are around are so boring that you need something to entertain you. (just kidding about the last one but i guess it could happen. it would be rude though, huh!?!)

so once i got back the doctor came in and went through his list of normal questions and then he got to my blood pressure and stopped saying the it wasn't normal. he had me lay back and the nurse came back in and checked it again and it wasn't normal. also he said that there was protein in my urine which i guess is the beginning signs of preclampsia (sp?). i'm getting a little freaked out at this point but trying not to show it. so he writes up some papers and sends me over to the hospital for some further monitoring and tests.

on the short drive over there i'm telling my hubby what's going on and he's asking me what they are going to do and i'm just as clueless as he is. i get there and the nurses are super nice. they get me a gown and hook me up to a blood pressure monitor and take forever locating the baby. they could hear him but he wasn't really cooperating with them. finally they found him and got the monitor in place and i just rested there and waited. my hubby showed up and waited with me. they took some blood for testing and did a swab and after what seemed like waiting forever they came back and let us know that all the tests were negative and that i could go home. during the monitoring part they were checking for contractions which i was having but they weren't to painful. just a tightening up of my tummy. what hurt was that whenever i would have a contraction my chest would tighten up as well. after telling the doctor all of this my orders were to drink a lot more water. try to get my feet up as much as possible during the day and that the tightening up in my chest was probably a little anxiety whenever i was having the contraction. we didn't leave the hospital will probably 7ish and at the point i was super hungry.

i'd say that this was about as random a tuesday as any. the doc wants to see me back in a week to make sure that i am doing okay. i only have 9 weeks left till full term. i'm hanging in there. hopefully i won't have to go back to the hospital again but to deliver the baby.

20 things....

....i want to do this summer!

1. finish setting up the nursery

2. rent some good movies

3. go to the theater to see some movies

4. read some great books

5. cook something new

6. bake something new

7. finish updating my photo albums

8. have some friends over for a girls night

9. teach my nephew something new

10. spend quality time with my hubby

11. kint a baby blanket

12. finish kintting the stocking for my friend

13. have maternity pictures taken

14. finish setting up the house

15. get some pictures hung in the house

16. buy an album for little guys soon to be pictures

17. plan a trip for next summer

18. take some good pictures

19. try out a new restaurant

20. deliver a healthy baby

Random Tuesday

books, books, books........

1.Hardback or paperback? i like hardback the best but i tend to buy paperback more.

2.Buy on line or in a store? in a store. i've bought a couple online but the store is much more fun. i can spent hours in a bookstore and it drives my hubby crazy.

3. Favorite bookstore? any bookstore. i haven't really bought many books lately i've been trying to get them from the library, which i hate, because i have to return them. i need to set aside money and go on a book buying frenzy.

4. Bookmark or dog ear? i hate dog eared pages. like cheryl i use the book jacket of hard back books and some random piece of paper for softback books.

5. Keep, throw away, or sell? i rarely throw away or sell. so i'm a keep girl. it's just to hard for me to part with them.

6. Short story or novel? i haven't read many books of short stories i'm a novel person but the couple short story books that i have read were okay.

7. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? definitely chapter breaks. i'm a little obsessive like that.

8. New or used? anyway is fine with me.

9. Morning, afternoon or nighttime reading? i mostly read a night but if i have time any other time of the day then i could quite possibly be found with a book in my hands.

10. Stand alone or series? i really enjoy both.

11. Favorite series? when i was a kid they were the christy miller and sierra jensen series by robin jones gunn. now it's the glennbrook seriers by her and the redemption, firstborn and i'm sure the 3rd one after that by karen kingsbury

12. Favorite books read last year? grace in thine eyes by liz curtis higgs and dear john by nicholas sparks

13. On your “to read” pile right now? i'm reading forever by karen kingsbury and before i wake by dee henderson but i'd also like to read the cape refuge series by terri blackstock and the sisterhood of the traveling pants series by ann brashares.

14. Favorite books of all time? definitely a hard one cheryl. i really loved clouds by robin jones gunn in her glenn brook series, and the partner by john grisham, return by karen kingsbury, and redeeming love by franceine rivers.

Prayers! (UPDATED)

the latest is good news....all the tests came back negative and she just seems to have acid reflux. so when mom and dad feed her they need to keep her elevated for about 20 min after to make sure there it's any vomiting. good news.

my bro and sis-in-law had to take my niece to the hospital because she was running a really high fever last night.
i don't know how a spinal tap on an infant is routine but that is what they said that they did one on her at like 8ish last night.
after putting in a catheter and taking some of blood.
please be in prayer for this sweet little baby as well as her parents.
i can't imagine going through something like this with your week old baby.
i'll keep posted anymore that goes on with her as i find out but as of now i've heard no more than this.

not to much to update i guess.
they have taken her home from the hospital.
they are waiting on the results from the spinal tap.
they have a doctor's appointment with the pediatrician.
and her back is pretty sore from the spinal tap so she's resting.
well she's a baby, and a good baby, so she does a lot of resting.
when we find out more like the results, i will post them.

love, love, love...

...so you think you can dance. it makes me wish that i never stopped dancing.
lauren and neil's hip hop routine last night was great and jessi and pasha are wonderful together. it may not have been my favorite jazz type dance but i still really enjoyed it.
i thought hok and jamie did a great job, but they are also one of my favorites.

i love lacey and kameron. they are amazing together and i just like watching them dance. sabra and dominic aren't one of my favorite couples but i really enjoyed their contemporary dance. the contemporary numbers tend to be my favorites though even though they are somewhat strange. anya and jimmy's waltz was great despite the fact that they've never done that sort of dance and were nervous. it was so beautiful.

i like shauna and danny's hip hop routine but did find myself watching him more than her even though i thought she did an excellent job. i think that i can so without faina and cedric even though she did look beautiful doing their routine and sara and jesus' danced the pasa doble (sp?) well but it was somewhat distracting because of the music selection.

my favorite couples are:
lauren and neil
jessi and pasha
jamie and hok
lacey and kameron

i have no clue who will go home but i hope it's not one of these couples.

NOTE: i'm not sure if i got all the other couples names correct with their partners. i was trying to remember but was struggling.

To Do List #4 (not posted)

i have a massive to do list for this weekend but i won't post in for fear of overwhelming people.
i can't believe i'm on week 29.
only 11 weeks left or as my husband informed me last night anywhere from 9 to 11 weeks.
AHHHHHHHHHHH!
i'm not sure i feel ready.
there's still so much stuff to do (HINTS: the to do list that's not posted)
my sis-in-law gave me bags of clothes last night that was my nephew's.
my little guy maybe clothed for the rest of his life with his cousin's clothes. :)
no, i'll still buy him some new things but for now i think that we are set for clothes.
now i just need to wash them and put them away.
oh the lists..................

My New Neice

aubrey

who knew you could love someone so much. i can't wait to meet my little guy. aubrey was born a week ago and she was 7 lbs and 1 oz. she's so little and tiny and her aunt and uncle just love her.

aubrey and her big brother jacob

jacob just loves his new little sister. my sis-in-law said that he says, "i hold her." he's so sweet with her and he just kisses her the whole time that he's holding her.