Recent Happenings

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post...whether in sympathy, encouragement or advice. It's so nice to know that so many people care! The next two nights of VBS went more smoothly; I just avoided the "opening ceremonies" in the auditorium altogether and brought Will in time for his class. That seemed to work much better. We survived and VBS is over--yea! VBS is always a stressful time for our family since Scott is one of the main people in charge, so we always feel really relieved when it's behind us.

On Thursday, Scott took a much needed day off and rested as much as possible. That night, he and I went on our last Midland trip before Claire comes. Will stayed with his surrogate grandparents while we went shopping for a few essential baby items.

Why was it our last trip you ask? Well, because on Friday morning, I became really dizzy and swollen very quickly. I called my OB/GYN office to see what I needed to do. The nurse told me she would feel most comfortable if I went up to L&D and let them check me out. So, we went back up there, me thinking that this probably wasn't necessary...maybe I just got too hot or something. Well, evidently I was wrong. When we got there around noon, I was dilated to 2 cm. I already knew this because my doctor had told me so at my regular appointment on Monday. They of course hooked me up to the fetal monitor and discovered I was having contractions--again, something I already knew because I'd been having sporadic Braxton-Hicks contractions for a couple of weeks. Problem being, I was having a lot of them, and they started to become a little more regular/closer together than they wanted. So they flushed me with fluids for a while trying to see if maybe I just wasn't well hydrated. That did not stop the contractions. So they then gave me terbutaline (a contraction-stopping drug) at two separate times. At about 4:45, the contractions had pretty much stopped and they were ready to let me go home. But, of course, they had to check my dilation again. It had progressed to 3 cm with all that contracting. They still let me go home, but I have to take oral terbutaline every six hours for this next week. And I have to "rest." So, therefore, no more working, shopping, etc! It was a good thing we got that last Midland trip in before this happened :)

I'm feeling alright, but of course I'm paranoid that I'm having contractions and not knowing it. Also, the terbutaline makes me very shaky and kind of crazy feeling. I guess it also makes my heart race, so I feel more tired than normal too. I will be 37 weeks (full term) on Tuesday, so maybe if we can just get past then, everything will be good :)

This has made us really get down to business on getting ready for Claire's arrival, though...we finally hung up the shelves in her room and washed the infant carrier seat pads today. Our bags are packed and ready to go, too. Please pray for a safe and uncomplicated delivery...I have no idea if I'll be able to post again between now and then :) It seems my babies don't like to cook as long as they're supposed to!

Terrible Twos

Oh. My. Word. My son has dove in headfirst into the terrible twos. I am somewhat beside myself. The past two nights he has put me in tears. I know I'm hormonal because I'm pregnant, but he's really got me at my wit's end lately.

I don't want y'all to think he is a horrible demon-child. He's not. He's just two, and I'm tired and 9 months pregnant (in fact, I don't even remember sleeping last night. I know I must have, but it seems like I looked at the clock a thousand times and just waited for the sun to come up). I'm starting to freak out a little about what will happen when Claire gets here. How will I handle things then?

Anyway, I'm just a little frustrated. It seems like it centers around church. I absolutely cannot keep the child in worship service. He will not be quiet ("Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!") and he will not sit still ("Get down!"). I try to make staying in the auditorium fun for him...we bring books, colors, cars and snacks...but he just won't sit still and be quiet. So we take him out. We do not take him to the nursery so he can play with toys; we make him sit on our laps and be still. This makes him pretty mad, but we feel like he needs to learn that you can't leave worship service and have fun--it's not supposed to be a good thing to be taken out. But, this has gone on for a while, and he still hasn't gotten the picture. So, last night I was upset because I had to take him out, yet AGAIN, and it's just so horribly embarrassing. Everyone knows us; everyone knows Will. It's not like we can just sneak out and fade into the background.

Then, there was tonight. We started VBS tonight and for some reason, which I have never agreed with and still don't understand, we include two year olds in VBS. (I have always thought it should just begin when kids start school, but whatever.) Anyway, since Scott is one of the main VBS organizers and I was a helper, we had to be there at 5:30 (it started at 6:30). So, we ate dinner and went over there. Well, Will just wasn't cool with the fact that Daddy was there in plain sight but could not hold him every second. We tried to sit down in our designated little pew with his teachers, and I even held him and told the teacher I was supposed to be helping that I didn't think I could leave Will because he was on the verge of a melt-down. Even with me holding him, he still couldn't handle it. I was so embarrassed that I just decided to take him home. I felt really bad because when we left, he was the only one in his class, but Scott told me later that five others ended up coming. I asked if they were as horrible as Will and he said no, but they also didn't have their dads there standing up in front of everyone and ignoring them (which Scott really wasn't doing, but that's probably how it felt to Will). Anyway, I was just really upset because Will doesn't usually act like this. It's a new development and I'm having a really hard time dealing with him.

Okay, well I guess I've spent enough time venting about my mothering problems...but I know (well, I hope) that some of you out there have had similar experiences. And I guess I'm just hoping that you understand what I'm dealing with. It's just hard for me because I see so many kids at church that are so very good and almost never have to be removed, and with mine, it's an every-time thing. And we're the youth minister's family!

As for other news, my grandma will be having surgery next Monday. The tumor is benign, but still needs to be removed, of course, because it is causing problems. Thank you so much for all your continued prayers...my family and I appreciate it so much.

Maternity Portraits

Yesterday, Scott and I went and took "maternity portraits" at Sears. Will stayed with a good friend from church because he's not feeling too well. So, unfortunately he didn't get to be in the pictures with us. It was still fun and I think they turned out pretty good. What we ended up getting, I can't post here, but it's a really neat "portrait study" with 9 square black & white pictures. Below are a few of the individual shots in natural color. For some cute recent pictures of Will, visit www.pratherplace.blogspot.com :)

On a completely different note, I ask for your prayers for my grandmother. It was discovered this week that she had a mini-stroke in the very recent past (maybe even when I was there last week) and today we found out that she has a brain tumor. She's in the hospital right now...I don't really know anything else. I'm not sure what this all will mean for the future. I just know that I am extremely thankful that God allowed Will and I to spend some good time with her last week. Thank you in advance for your prayers.

Showered with Love :)

Last Saturday was my baby shower! It was so nice--very lovely with lots of goodies to eat and of course, some really wonderful gifts! I am so blessed to have such sweet people in my life. Thank you!

A few pictures from the event:

Yummy!!

Awww...

All the goodies

The lady whose home at which the shower was held had this motorcycle on the back porch (her son-in-law's). We thought it was too funny and so I had to pose with it! Just call me "Motorcycle Mama."

Best Dad Ever!

Proud dad with a brand-new baby boy (probably only two or three days old)

Cuddling after a bath

Scott's first Father's Day

Posing professionally in November 2005

Taking a wagon ride

My son has the best dad ever! He is such a wonderful daddy--never squeamish about changing diapers or handling sickness; never afraid to be the disciplinarian; always willing to give baths, tuck in, and get up in the middle of the night. I could go on and on. But these aren't the only things that make Scott a fabulous dad. He loves his children deeply and truly. We are sad because our Daddy can't be with us all day today. He is travelling on his way back from a mission trip to Wyoming and won't be home til tonight. But at least he will be home! We are ready to see him again and give him lots of hugs and kisses! We love you, Daddy!

33 Weeks and "Glowing"

I'm in the shadow because the sun was SUPER bright and it was really hot out, so we took these as fast as we could so we wouldn't be all sweaty at church! :)
In front of the pomegranate (sp?) trees on the other side of the alley. This is what I back my car into everyday :)

Overdue Update

Thank you to everyone for their sweet comments concerning my birthday and anniversary! Even though we were apart for the actual day, we still had a good anniversary and birthday. Scott and Will went to the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area for Scott's family reunion and I travelled as far as Amarillo with him and stayed a few days with my wonderful friends Chelsey (at her home) and Jen. I hadn't seen Chelsey since September, so it was really nice to get to spend some time with her. I was glad to get to see my friends one more time before Claire is born. We had lots of fun cooking, watching movies, catching up, and we even got to relax by the pool. It was an excellent way to spend my birthday :)

Scott and Will came back through to pick up Jen and I on Tuesday morning and we all headed home. Wednesday was an exciting day because some of our very best friends had their third baby! I spent most of the morning at the hospital waiting but I had to go to work at 1:00 pm. Sure enough, as soon as I got to work, the baby was born. So I played flower-delivery-girl and took some flowers up to the hospital and just stayed a little longer than normal :) Congratulations to Leland and Harmony on the birth of Reese Ann! Go look at her adorable pictures here.

Scott and I had our anniversary date on Thursday night. We had a great time enjoying a meal with just the two of us and ate waaayyy too much. We walked it off by going shopping afterward :) Friday was spent preparing for our yard sale on Saturday...finally!! It seemed like everytime I would try to do this thing, it would rain or some other circumstance would pop up. We finished pricing things and prepared ourselves to wake up at 5:30 on Saturday morning to get set up and get the signs out. Yuck. We ended up doing pretty well, though, and it wasn't unbearably hot, so that was all good! The rest of the stuff was donated to charity, so hopefully someone will get some good use out of it.

This week, we will be preparing in a couple of different ways. Scott is headed to Laramie, Wyoming, for a mission trip on Sunday. He just found out last week that a couple that was going to go was going to have to stay home (for good reasons), so he has to take over their class. So, he'll be busy not only getting prepared to lead the trip, but also putting together a VBS class for 4th through 6th graders. My dad is coming on Friday to pick up Will and I for a trip to San Antonio. My cousin is getting married on Saturday and then I am going to stay there with my grandma for about week until my mom comes through to take us back home. My baby shower is on Saturday, the 16th, so she was going to be coming back our way anyway. So I figured it would be easier for me to stay with my grandma than be without Scott for another week at home.

After all that, I think we'll slow down a little (with the exception of local VBS) and will be getting ready for and anticipating the birth of baby Claire. I can't believe that I am 33 weeks along...that means only 7 to go! Hopefully we'll find a moment to take some pictures of my growing belly sometime soon. She is really quite the gymnast/kick-boxer. Sometimes I wonder if she will actually break through my skin, she pushes so hard! Seeing Reese got me really excited to get my little one here (although I don't really want her to come quite this early!) and see what she looks like and hold her. Babies are so precious! Soon enough...

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Committment

Scott and I will have been married for seven years this coming Sunday! It's hard to believe that seven years have gone by so quickly. We have both grown and changed so much, both as individuals and as a couple, but one thing that hasn't changed is our love for each other.

Maybe I should say it has changed, but only for the better. I know that we love each other more now than we did that hot May evening in 2000. We have gotten to know one another better and that has deepened our bond. We were blessed to spend almost five years just with each other, being able to do a lot of things that we couldn't have if we'd had had children. But then in 2005, 17 days short of our 5th anniversary, we welcomed into our lives the biggest blessing we've had to date--Will. And this summer, we'll be welcoming another precious blessing--Claire (yes, that's what we're naming her!).

Our marriage isn't perfect. We're still young and still face challenges almost daily, but we're committed to working through those challenges together. That's what marriage is about--you must work together to create happiness and good things. I love you, Scott! Happy 7th Anniversary!

More of Will's Birthday

Singing "Happy Birthday"

He just blew out the candles
Mmm...good cupcakes!

Mom passing out cupcakes to everyone Chocolate-y goodness


Malaki eating his cupcake
Ryland and Harmony (and Harmony's belly :) )
The Mallett clan playing games


Lauren talking to the Rodgers clan

Raylee and Leland

Chuck E.'s drawing of Will, Papa (Harvey) and Grammy (LaDon)
Chuck E.'s drawing of Grandma Connie and Will

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! It's a beautiful day in our neighborhood, and I hope yours is beautiful, too.


Since I work in the floral industry, I've had a busy week. I worked all day Friday and Saturday and I am pretty beat. I feel like a bad mom because I've barely seen my child the past couple of days! When I got home yesterday, I crashed for about three hours. Thankfully, that little rush is over and we won't be as busy in the next few weeks to come. While his parents were in town, Scott and his dad were able to paint the baby's room. It is now a beautiful shade of buttery yellow! When we get it all set back up (currently, most of her furniture is residing in our bedroom), I'll take some pictures.

This morning we enjoyed a breakfast of assorted cereals and exchanged cards (Scott's parents and grandmother were still here). I was very excited to get a gift certificate for a massage. I will (hopefully) be redeeming it very soon!

Scott, Will and I headed off to church and left Grammy, Papa, and Grandma Connie to pack up and head on home. When we returned and before we got all our fancy clothes off, Scott took some pictures of Will and I outside. The first few are in our front yard. I wish I could take credit for the flower-bed in the other pictures, but that belongs to a neighbor around the corner. Her flowers are gorgeous this year because of all the rain we've had. So, without further ado, here they are:

Belly shot -- 29 (almost 30) weeks along.

And finally, I leave you with a few pictures from Will's birthday. I wanted to do a great big birthday post with lots of pictures from his party, but I forgot my camera's memory card when we went to Chuck E. Cheese's. We did borrow Leland and Harmony's camera, but she hasn't been able to send me the pictures yet. So, here are a few from my mother-in-law's video camera. Hopefully more will come soon!

We got Will a "Cozy Coupe" for his birthday...here he is test-driving after his traditional blueberry muffin birthday breakfast.

Wow, Chuck E. Cheese is a pretty good artist!

Will eating his birthday cupcake

Raylee and Will at the party...Grandma Connie is in the background, too :)

One last thing...tomorrow, Monday, May 14th, our baby name poll will be featured on the www.babycenter.com homepage. Head on over and vote for your favorite!

Two and Terrific!

Today, our baby turned two years old! On Tuesday, May 10, 2005, at 10:29 am, he made his entrance into the world and changed our lives forever. We are so very blessed to have this boy in our lives! Here's a look back to that special day two years ago:

And here is our big two-year old boy!:

Tonight, we are going to Chuck E. Cheese with some good friends and plan to have a ball! I will post more pictures of birthday celebrations tomorrow!

Fun with Diapers

This morning, I hostessed (is that a word?) a baby shower for my good friend, Harmony. We threw her a little diaper shower since this is her third baby (a girl) and she already has a boy and a girl with lots of baby things. So, she mainly just needed diapers, wipes, and a few season-appropriate baby girl clothes. Problem is, my friend is not a fan of the color pink :) So, we had to get a little creative on shower decorations. I was contemplating what to do for a centerpiece that looked babyish, but wasn't pink and it came to me...make a diaper cake! I had seen this done one other time at my friend Carrie's baby shower and thought, how fun and appropriate would that be?! So, I had great fun gathering up all the supplies and making this little "cake." I think it turned out pretty cute and everyone at the shower wanted to know how I did it. It was really pretty easy; it was just a little time-consuming. But, then again, I'm sort-of a perfectionist when it comes to things like this, so I might have taken more time than I really needed to. Anyway, here are some pics of my creation!

Front view

Back view