Thinking Out Loud

October 15th

2011-10-12T17:30:00.002-05:00

In memory of my two babies in Heaven....

Good Song :-)

2011-09-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

Analeia Christine's Birth Story

2011-09-01T08:34:00.003-05:00

On August 23rd, around 7pm I noticed I was having some mild contractions that were a little irregular but for the most part every 2-4 minutes apart. I decided to recline on the couch to see if they would go away and after a couple hours they were still there and settled into a regular pattern of 3 1/2 minutes apart and about a minute long, so at around 9-9:30 pm I decided that I might want to go ahead and go to the hospital to get checked since I was Group B Strep + and at a 4 already. I had Tom help my grab the carseat, hospital bag and Analeia's bag just in case I was admitted. It took a few minutes to get him motivated enough to leave the house since the little league world series was on and the game was getting good but I finally got him to go lol.

When we got there they put me in a triage room so I could be checked to see if I was still contracting and if there was any progress. Now, at my last checkup the week before my cervix was still pretty thick but when the nurse checked me I was 80% effaced. I was also contracting every couple minutes. The nurse called my doctor and the he said that since I was contracting and had progressed since my appointment that I was going to stay! They then moved us to a labor and delivery room and hooked me up with a hep lock for the IV for my antibiotics but I didn't have to have the IV just yet so I was able to walk to halls to encourage labor along. Every once in a while I would go back to my room to take a break and let them monitor the baby. At around 1:15 am the doctor got there so the nurses hooked up my IV and the doctor broke my water to get things really moving. They also brought me a birthing ball since I wanted to use one for labor :-) For the first 30 minutes I had to lay down in bed because the baby was still high up when they broke my water. They wanted to make sure that the cord didn't come down. During that time I didn't feel much which surprised me since with my last two babies I had intense contractions within a couple minutes after my water was broken. After the 30 minutes was up I got on the ball to help the baby come down and get the contractions to intensify. After a few minutes it worked because I started getting really good contractions. Every once in a while the nurse would come in and check the baby's heartrate and said that whenever I feel like it I could have her check my progress. It was nice because I felt like I was in charge the whole time. Things got done when I was ready. I wasn't told what to do or when to do it. Once things got really intense an hour later I asked the nurse to check my progress. I was at a 6 so I got back on the ball and toughed it out. I had the ball next to the bed so I could lean against the bed when needed and grabbed the rail (I was worried I would crush Tom's hand if I grabbed it lol.) After a while my legs got tired so I climbed back in bed and tried to relax through the contractions though they were pretty intense. By 3:30 I was curled up in a ball on my side in the bed I was in so much pain so I asked the nurse to check me one more time and I was around a 7-8 (if I remember correctly lol) so they started getting everything ready and then I felt the urge to push so she checked me once more and I was ready to go so they got the doctor and she was born at 3:51 am after just one push! She was 8lbs 13oz and 20 inches long.

Because she was born so fast she had a lot of fluid in her so they had had to suction her really good and Tom followed her to the nursery because she was still having a little trouble with fluid. In the meantime I was bleeding a lot so they had to give me a shot to control the bleeding and clotting... That didn't work so they gave me cytotec and that didn't work right away either so finally the doctor had to come in to fix me up. Not sure exactly what he did but I think they pushed down on my uterus while he removed the massive clots and blood, which hurt almost as bad as the childbirth! Finally the bleeding/clotting was controlled so I was wheeled over to postpartum. Shortly after that they brought Analeia to me and I have been on cloud 9 since :-)

Stretch Marks

2011-08-12T09:57:00.000-05:00

A mark for every breath you took, every blink, every sleepy yawn. One for every time you sucked your thumb, waved hello, closed your eyes and slept in the most perfect darkness. One for every time you had the hiccups. One for every dream you dreamed within me. It isn't very pretty anymore. Some may even think it ugly. That's OK. It was your home. It's where I first grew to love you, where I lay my hand as I dreamed about who you were and who you would be. It held you until my arms could, and for that, I will always find something beautiful in it.

(A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I thought it was beautiful.)

Raspberry Filled Butter Cookies

2011-08-10T18:10:00.000-05:00

As a mom of five children (and one on the way) I am always looking for quick and easy recipes, whether it be for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in this case, cookies. I love to make butter cookies, especially when I have two very impatient toddlers begging for a snack, and I'm out of my usual arsenal of graham crackers, nilla wafers, and bananas. This time I decided to try something different. I put raspberry preserves in the middle :-)

Here's my recipe for a delightfully easy/yummy cookie:

1 stick of butter (may use 1/2 cup margarine)
1 cup flour
5 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
raspberry preserves (or whatever flavor you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix ingredients together and roll into balls. (I used a tablespoon to measure out the dough so the cookies would be the same size.)
Press thumb into the center of the balls to make a place to put the preserves then add enough preserves to fill that thumb indention.
Bake 10-13 minutes or until done.

I've recently made these using sugar free strawberry preserves and they turned out yummy too!

My Preterm Labor Scare

2011-08-02T19:49:00.002-05:00

Late Monday/early Tuesday of last week I had a bit of Déjà vu... Just like my pregnancies with Alex and Jaina, I had an episode of preterm labor. Last Monday afternoon I began to have contractions that were a couple minutes apart so I drank a bunch of water and laid down to rest. After a little while they stopped but I had a nasty headache so I took some Tylenol (didn't help). A few more hours go by and at around 9pm the contractions start up again. They were a couple minutes apart and I still had the headache. I laid down again and tried to relax, drank some more water, but this time they weren't going away so finally (after much debate because I didn't want to wake the kiddos) I went to the hospital to be checked out. Tom stayed home with the kids because it was so late.

By the time I got there it was 1:30 Tuesday morning. They hooked me up to the moniter and saw that I was definitely contracting every couple minutes so they did an internal check and found that I was dilated 4cm... I had the nurses pretty concerned lol. While all this was going on a lady from registration came in to get my info and while I was answering the questions, one of the nurses got onto the lady for asking too many personal questions. The lady apologized and said that she was new and that she was just following the questionaire sheet then left. The nurses then had me move to a different room and hooked me up to an IV of fluids, antibiotics, and Mag Sulfate. I also had the joy of getting a catheter since they had to make sure I didn't OD on the Mag Sulfate. A lab tech then came to draw my blood and missed my vein the first time. The nurse went off on him saying if he couldn't get it the first time to get someone else to do it then proceeded to draw my blood. I was thinking in my head by this time that I shouldn't make this chick mad lol. Otherwise she was very nice to me at least... Another nurse then gave me a steroid shot for the baby's lungs.

After I got all settled in for the morning, the nurses would come in every hour or two to check on me to make sure I was doing okay and checked once or twice to make sure I hadn't dilated more. I also had to have my blood drawn every 4 hours to check my mag sulfate levels. After a little while the meds did their job and made the contractions almost non existent. Around mid morning the doctor came by to see me and made sure I wasn't dilated any more also. He told me that I would get the mag sulfate for at least the next 24 hours and then if things were okay then I could possibly go home.

A little before lunch time Tom was able to come up to the hospital when my mother-in-law came to the house to watch the kiddos. She helped them pack up and brought them by the hospital that afternoon to see me before going to stay with her for a few days. The rest of the day Tom and I spent time together watching tv while I laid in bed resting. I didn't like being stuck in bed and getting "poked and prodded" lol but I knew it was for the best and I had Tom with me which helped a bunch. He even stayed the night with me in the uncomfortable chair after I begged him to go home and get a good night's sleep! When I was ready for bed they gave me an Ambien to help me sleep and it did a good job :-)

The next morning Tom went home to shower and I was taken off the mag sulfate at around 8-9am. Shortly after that they took out the IV and catheter then around 11-11:30 the doc said I could go home on bedrest...

Today I had a followup appointment and the doctor said I don't have to be on bedrest anymore but "no marathon trips to Walmart." Those were his exact words lol. He also said that at this point, if I go into labor, they won't do anything to stop it since I'm 35 weeks tomorrow.

So that was my preterm labor experience for this pregnancy. It was unpleasant but luckily the process was made easier to deal with because of wonderful supportive friends, family, and medical professionals. I want to thank everyone who kept me and baby Analeia in their thoughts and prayers. I love you all and God bless :-)

Shop my AVON store!

2011-07-22T09:24:00.001-05:00

New Doctor

2011-07-15T18:08:00.002-05:00

My first appointment with the new doctor on Tuesday went well. He seems to be pretty much on the same page as me as far as labor and delivery wishes. Since I was Group B strep + last time though they will probably make us stay 48 hrs after baby is born regardless if I'm positive or not this time to monitor the baby. On another note, I asked about permanent birth control options and found out that as long as I don't have a nickel allergy then I should have no problem with the Essure procedure :-)

Pondering...

2011-07-08T12:26:00.002-05:00

As the time for Analeia to arrive approaches, I find myself wondering about how she will look. Will she have my brown eyes like Alex does? What color will her hair be? Will she have any hair at all? It's fun to imagine what she will look like. All of our girls have blue eyes so I'm wondering if she will too but I will be happy with brown eyes too. I also wonder if she will be an easy baby like my last two or will she break the mold. Who knows... I guess in the end it doesn't really matter all that much, as long as she is healthy :-)

Switching

2011-07-05T16:52:00.001-05:00

Well after discussing it for a while with Tom, we decided to transfer care to an obgyn. I'm planning to get a tubal after baby is born (looking into NovaSure as well) and I know my midwife can't do that plus she was an hour from my house. Luckily I found one that will see me this late in the pregnancy and they have very good reviews :-) I also toured the maternity area of the hospital where I would deliver and was impressed by the fact that all my questions and concerns were addressed, I wasn't treated like a weirdo for going all natural, (I have in the past by irl friends, family, and people in the medical community) and it looks like I won't have to worry about unnecessary interventions... Plus it's less than 10 minutes from home! :-)

All's Well!

2011-07-01T19:02:00.002-05:00

Sorry I took so long to update! My appointment showed that everything is okay! I found out my glucose is fine too :-) Now I'm just getting through one day at a time...

As of right now... I'm having one of those evenings. I'm just trying to cook dinner and have already broken a plate and my only measuring cup. But hey, if that's all I have to stress about, I'll gladly take it!

"This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use"

from "This is the stuff" by Francesca Battistelli

Possible Complication

2011-06-15T16:07:00.002-05:00

We could really use some prayers... Friday I had a sonogram to check the baby's kidneys because they couldn't see them in the 19 week sono. Kidneys are fine. Baby was just too small to see them last time. However I got a phone call from my midwife yesterday to let me know of a new problem. Apparently in Friday's sono the doctor found that the placenta is possibly aged prematurely to grade 3. Basically that means that the placenta possibly is not able to do as well as it should to nourish the baby. So the midwife referred me to maternal fetal medicine to get a more detailed sonogram and possible other testing to see if the placenta is truely as bad as it looked. That appointment is Monday. Good news is baby looks fine and the fluid is good so I've got a lot of good things going. I will hopefully have good news when I go to the doc on Monday :-)

26 weeks and summer's almost here!

2011-05-31T15:35:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by for me this time around! I just wanted to give an update...

I'm now 26 weeks along with a little girl! We are naming her Analeia Christine. I have my next appointment with the midwife in a couple weeks to get my Rhogam shot and do my 1 hr glucose screening (so fun, not! lol) I also have a repeat sono on the 10th because the tech couldn't see Analeia's kidneys last time. Luckily they said it's no big deal because she was moving around so much last time which made it hard to see them.

We are nowhere near ready for a new baby in the house... All we have are a few outfits and onsies that I found on sale lol. I know we'll be set by the time she arrives though. I am super excited about having another baby at the birth center with a midwife. My birth experience with Jaina is filled with so many wonderful memories and look forward to more good memories with Analeia's. Maybe I'll even get a water birth this time (Jaina came too quick hehe).

For the rest of our kiddos...

Jaina is doing good. She is super shy with everyone but me when I'm around but does well when I'm not around. She is very bright and sweet... Potty training is in progress. We are still working on timing :-)

Alex is the life of the party... All the big boys think he's the coolest 3 year old on the planet lol. He is very loud and has some pretty brutal tantrums but is generally sweet. He will talk to EVERYONE lol which is not always a good thing... He is getting so smart it's scary. He remembers everything. I'm planning to begin working with him on some prek stuff since his birthday is after September 1st and won't be able to go to prek until fall 2012. We are (still) working on potty training. I'm a little worried because I will take him potty then 5 minutes later he will be wet already. I don't know why he doesn't hold his bladder. If he's not trained by the time his well visit then I'm going to bring it up to his doctor. I do have to say that he is getting really good at going number 2 in the potty and rarely has accidents.

Myranda is getting a lot better with her school work. She just has to slow down and think about what she's doing sometimes. She (finally) likes to read. It took most of this year but she finally is onto chapter books! She has her down times emotionally. We are a little concerned and think it may be because she is too old to do a lot of things with her younger siblings and too young to do a lot of things with her older siblings...

Andrea is doing well. She competed with the school honor choir and they got 1st place in the Sandy Lake competition. She also had one of her art pieces featured in the Keller Art Show. She did very well with her TAKS (state standardized test) and got commended in Math! She is looking forward to going to camp with the church youth this year for the first time this summer :-)

Samara is doing good too. Her drama performances in school were awesome and she did well on her TAKS tests too. She got commended in Reading :-) She's looking forward to camp this summer as well but wasn't too thrilled to find out she will be bunking with Andrea lol. We are glad they will be together though because it's Andrea's first year... Also we just celebrated her 12th birthday... I can't believe she's almost a teenager! AAACCCKKK!!!! lol

That's about all... Hopefully I remember to update again soon!

This song has so much more meaning recently...

2011-03-02T15:47:00.005-06:00

This past month I have seen more people that I've known leave this life than I have in my entire life. My heart aches for their families but I know that they are safe and in peace with the Lord. I have learned a hard lesson in all of this that young or old, you are not safe from death and sadness but you can find comfort in knowing that God's grace through Jesus Christ can save you from and eternity of suffering in the afterlife.

Funny Link

2011-02-27T22:14:00.003-06:00

I know it's too early for me to get this question but I remember hearing it a lot during the end of my last two pregnancies so I got a kick out of this link!

http://www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com

Prayer

2011-01-26T13:38:00.003-06:00

I admit. I struggle with words, especially when it comes to prayer. I feel like nothing I say is worthy enough to be said to the Creator of the universe. Especially praying out loud. I fumble over what to say. I get overwhelmed because I want to make sure I pray the right words.

This has troubled me for some time but today I saw a wonderful Bible verse. Romans 8:26 says, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

This verse reminds me that even when I can't find the right words, the Lord knows what is on my heart, whether it is something of praise or concern. There are times that I am so overwhelmed with the current situation that all I can say is "Thank you!" and/or "Help!" And while I may still turn bright red when asked to pray out loud, at least I have peace knowing that God knows what it is that I'm trying to say.

Tiny Tillia Joins Avon!

2011-01-26T08:19:00.002-06:00

I'm so excited about the launch of Avon's newest baby and children's brand, Tiny Tillia!

"As a mother of two, I wanted to give my babies the best. I looked all over but couldn't find anything that was as high quality or as fun as I wanted. So I decided to create it myself! The playful bunch of Tiny Tillia characters wer inspired by members of my family, including my mom, author Jackie Collins."

-Tiffany Lerman, Tiny Tillia Founder

This brand features several products for bathtime, playtime, babywear, nursery decor, baby gift sets, and mommy must-haves. You will even have the opportunity to create a baby registry!

As a mother of five with one on the way I am beyond thrilled (The nursery decor is too cute!)

Shopping begins April 12, 2011... Until then you can visit the site http://www.tinytillia.com

You can also shop my Avon site 24/7 http://www.youravon.com/mfraker

Free shipping on your first order with the promo code: FIRSTREP

People can be so hurtful...

2011-01-18T13:38:00.000-06:00

God please help me watch my words. Someone recently said something very ugly regarding our children and it is taking all of my willpower not to respond to that person in an extremely ugly way.

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29

I forgot to mention...

2011-01-17T10:35:00.005-06:00

I already made this announcement on Facebook but just realized that I haven't updated my blog in a couple weeks.... We are expecting again!!!!

This is our newest little addition at 6 weeks and 2 days. We are expecting their arrival to be September 7th. I have a sneaking suspicion it may be a little sooner since my last two babies were early as well. We are super excited because we saw the heartbeat on Friday which means that risk of miscarriage is significantly lower :-)

How to Tell if You are a MoM (Mother of Many)

2010-12-29T17:16:00.002-06:00

(#14 doesn't really apply to me since we will be done for sure after this one.)

You know you are a MoM (Mother of Many) when:

1. You know where the bathroom is in any major store you visit.

2. Your car has more seatbelts than windows.

3. Your grocery budget is higher than your house payment.

4. You do most of your thinking and praying in the bathroom.

5. Creative decorating means lots of bookshelves and bunkbeds.

6. You no longer carry a purse, but use the diaper bag instead.

7. Your idea of good commercial building design means a comfy mother's lounge.

8. You constantly find yourself marveling how short the time is between birth and toddling, birth and schoolage, birth and graduation, etc.

9. Even your two year old knows that they must hold someone's hand in the grocery store.

10. You have a routine for stopping pacifiers, toilet training, cup training, and every childhood “phase”.

11. You have at least three witty replies to "Are they all yours?"

12. You just really wish people would not think they were clever for saying, "Don't you know what causes that?"

13. You have forgotten how many times you have been asked, "Are you Mormon or Catholic?"

14. You are still afraid to tell your husband how many more kids you want!

15. Your food storage takes up more room than your entire kitchen... And that is just for this week!

16. You have so much laundry that when you finally get to the bottom of the pile, it's actually stuck to the floor!

17. You spend a lot of time at church in the foyer or mother’s lounge, wondering why you can’t just stay home and listen to the baby fuss there!

18. You spend more money on diapers each month than you do on entertainment!

19. You instantly sympathize with any woman who is obviously pregnant in the middle of summer.

20. You are up to double digits in years that you have spent with a baby attached to you in one way or another!

21. Taking the kids grocery shopping with you makes you feel like a mother duck.

22. You hate carpools because you know who is going to get stuck doing the driving.

23. When you see photos of castles and grand mansions, all you can think is how many bedrooms it has (YES!), and how much space all those other rooms provide for the kids to mess up (NO WAY!).

24. You know that every time you move the couch or couch cushions, you will find Cheerios under them.... Even if you have not had Cheerios in the house!

25. You know the “law of crumbs”. “Any food item that will crumble will produce twice its own weight in crumbs.”

26. You know by experience that paint NEVER dries until it has been spread around in all the places you did NOT want it to be.

27. You know what to use to remove lipstick, shortening, and indelible marker from any surface.

28. You know how to get smashed raisins out of a carpet, and how to get bubblegum out of hair, and so do all your older kids.

29. You are certain one of your kids is sneaking rolls of toilet paper out of the house and selling them because you know there is no way they could be using that much of it, even if there ARE a lot of bottoms in your house.

30. When you go to order fast food, you order 6 hamburgers, one with ketchup only, one plain, one with no pickles or onions, two with no pickles, onions or mustard, and one with nothing but cheese, plus one fish sandwich, one chicken sandwich, one large hamburger, and one large hamburger with bacon. You then have to repeat yourself three times so the person at the window can get it right.

31. When your kids are learning a foreign language, you wonder how it is that they can find the words to insult each other faster than they can find the words to say “I'm sorry.”

32. If two kids bring home identical toys from their kid's meal, you know you have to put names on them first thing, or they will fight over whose is whose, even if both of them have one in their hand.

33. You spend a lot of time looking at the little kids, urging them on to the next step, while still wishing they could stay little just a bit longer.

34. You have a full baby book for your first two children, half of one for the next one, and nearly empty baby books or none at all for the later ones.

35. When the many-times-handed down clothing is finally too worn out to hand down again, you still have a hard time letting it go because it has so many good memories attached.

36. You don't have a wardrobe of “fat clothes” and “skinny clothes”. You have "regular clothes”, “pregnant clothes”, and “nursing clothes”.

37. When a child outgrows something, you put it away in a box in the closet or garage, even if you don't have a younger child of that gender, because you just know you are going to need it eventually!

38. Your idea of a great dining set is one that has lots of expansion leaves. When you see a corporate boardroom on TV, all you can think is what a great dining table the conference table would make.

39. You can list at least three different technological advances in diaper design which you, personally, have used on your kids.

40. You have at least one specialized medical skill because at least one of your kids has some kind of potentially risky condition which you deal with.

41. You sometimes wonder how it is that other moms get really nice gifts for holidays, and you end up with 6 pieces of cardboard with “I love you Mom your the best.” written on it in crooked writing. And you have a box in your closet that you put them in.

42. You cook dinner in pots large enough to bathe a baby in, and frequently lament over the insufficient size of convenience appliances like mixers, waffle irons, and crock pots – and you compromise by owning two of each.

43. Your car is large enough to hold the entire family, but if you go camping, you have to rent a trailer just to hold all the camping equipment.

44. You can't believe with the size of the larger RVs out there that they couldn't fit more beds into at least ONE of them, and you really wish they'd design one with two bathrooms!

45. If you see a home design with a Master Retreat room, you think what a great nursery it would make.

46. You can quote entire pages from Dr. Seuss without having to pause to think about it, and can sing any number of Raffi or Disney songs from memory.

47. You can think of more than three great Christmas gifts for a child of any age... Because you always have a child close to the age in question!

48. You have at least one story stored up for each of your kids which is guaranteed to embarrass them if you recount it in public.

49. You know, and are thankful, that when they get too old to send to their rooms, that possession of the car keys gives you the ultimate power!

50. When the first two kids move out, you can't believe how much smaller your family feels.

51. You think that a mini-van is just too small to be a practical family car - but you wish they'd make a shopping cart about that size!

52. Getting the whole family to fit into the Wal-Mart photo booth, and then getting a picture when nobody is crying, making bunny ears, blinking, or sticking their finger in their nose is a major triumph!

53. Your stretchmarks might better be described as "pleats".

54. Your kids don't need as many toys, because they always have someone to play with.

55. Other people dream of buying a Porche or other sports car, but all you can think is that it wouldn't be good for anything because it is not cheap enough for your husband to commute in, and it doesn't have enough seats for the family, and there's no WAY you are going to let your teenager drive that!

56. You have to take off your shoes to count all the kids.

Written by Laura Wheeler

Co-Owner of Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc, and Firelight Web Studio – Laura writes instructional materials, produces infosites, and builds affordable websites for her business startup clients. Her varied experience allows her to give exceptional service, and to produce instructions on a surprising range of topics. Laura is a busy mom of eight, homeschooler, and home business owner.

This article may be reprinted if it is unaltered, and if the signature line is included with the article..

I love this time of year :-)

2010-12-28T17:08:00.003-06:00

What a wonderfully blessed holiday season we have had! Thanksgiving was a lovely time of gathering with our family and thinking about everything that we are thankful for. And Christmas... Christmas was just... Uh-ma-zing! This was our first Christmas in our home here in Fort Worth and I couldn't have asked for a better time of celebration! Oh, and the food. Don't get me started on the abundance of food at our house! In fact I am just now getting to the pumpkin pie. We had so much food that I didn't have room for the pumpkin pie. But hey, at least it's now cooling on the stove :-)

On another note, I have some big news that I just can't wait to share. (I learned last time how important it is that friends and family are in the loop from the beginning...)

This morning we found out that we are expecting again! After last month's problems I am a little paranoid but since I have given birth to 2 healthy children, I'm thinking that things should go well this time. This baby should be due around the end of July or beginning of August :-)

Christmas Message :-)

2010-12-14T16:51:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year

2010-11-30T07:06:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is the first of December so to get into the Christmas spirit here is my favorite Christmas song sung by my favorite singer :-)

Powerful Stuff

2010-11-28T23:25:00.002-06:00

It's amazing how God speaks to me. I can't fully explain it because I don't fully understand it myself but I know that he does speak to me in different ways, like through music or a devotion that pertains to something I am dealing with at the moment. When I realize what is going on a wave of emotion envelops me because I am amazed that the Creator of the Universe is speaking to little 'ole me! I know that people that do not know God or Jesus have no clue what I am talking about and probably think I'm nuts and that's okay. I have an awesome God and Savior and that's what matters!

You Must Believe

2010-11-23T21:39:00.002-06:00

This evening I was going through an old box of things that I had collected since I was little and found this poem.

"You Must Believe"

When faith grows dim in the darkest night,
you must believe God makes things right.
When belief is strong and joy surrounds,
you must believe God’s goodness abounds.
When prayers go up to heaven above,
you must believe God responds with love.
When it may seem He doesn’t hear,
you must believe God's always near.
You must believe God has a plan
of which we’re a part but don’t understand.
You must believe your prayers are heard…
you must believe and accept God’s word.

Hello holidays!

2010-11-22T15:33:00.004-06:00

As I sit here with a house full of children (school is out until Monday) I can't help but be amazed that the holidays are now upon us and we are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. Luckily we have most of our Christmas shopping done so it won't be so bad. I can't stand the busy holiday shopping season. It brings out the worst in most people. (Who goes to a sale at midnight? I'll pay the couple extra cents/dollars, thank you.) We also have most of the tree up. We went with a traditional red, green, and gold theme which is turning out nicely so far. Now we're deciding whether we want a bow or a star on top. When it's finished I'll post a photo of it.

Speaking of the holidays. Here's a little video that I found from 2006 that may help get you in the Christmas spirit a little early. Samara was 7, Andrea was 6, and Myranda was only 3 when they did this :-)

To try or not to try?

2010-11-18T23:17:00.003-06:00

Tom and I discussed recently whether or not we want to try again, considering the events that recently took place. We decided that we will go ahead when we are ready. So yes, we hope to have one more in the future. We aren't going to stress over things though. If it happens, great; if not, no worries. Besides, I truly believe that God is in control and if he wants us to have one more then we will, regardless if we are trying or not :-)

I love my husband

2010-11-17T16:38:00.003-06:00

This morning he came home from work with these beautiful flowers:

I am so lucky to have a man who loves me as much as he does. Love like that is rare. He knows I am hurting right now and although he can't help me much he does try his best and for that I am so thankful.

Goodbye

2010-11-16T20:21:00.002-06:00

It's official. The baby I would have had in early July is gone.

Goodbye, my angel. Mommy will see you in heaven someday.

Waiting

2010-11-15T17:04:00.003-06:00

Why did they have to give me progesterone? I'm so ready for this nightmare to be over..... Instead I have to sit here and wait longer for the inevitable. If they hadn't jumped the gun maybe I would be getting through this sooner. Sadly, until things finally take their course, I am still sitting here with some small glimmer of hope that a miracle might happen and I don't lose this baby but the numbers don't lie. I actually did research to see if there has ever been a pregnancy survive dropping HCG levels and found one or two. In those cases the levels dropped but then rose back up and things were fine. Unfortunately that rarely happens. I just have a feeling that I will be an emotional wreck when I finally miscarry :-(

Sorry but I have to vent and my blog seems like my best way get this frustration out.

What I needed to hear

2010-11-14T16:10:00.002-06:00

We sang this song today in church. It was just what I needed to hear. I almost fell apart in the middle of singing but held it together. How amazing God is to speak to us especially when we need him!

Joy Comes In the Morning

If you've knelt beside the rubble of an aching, broken heart,
When the things you gave your life to fell apart;
You're not the first to be acquainted with sorrow, grief or pain,
But the Master promised sunshine after the rain.

Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
Weeping only lasts for the night;
Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

To invest your seed of trust in God in mountains you can't move,
You have risked your life on things you cannot prove;
But to give the things you cannot keep for what you cannot lose,
Is the way to find the joy God has for you.

Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
Weeping only lasts for the night;
Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning,
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

Bill and Gloria Gaither

So much for good news :-(

2010-11-12T14:42:00.001-06:00

For just those few weeks
I had you to myself.
And that seems too short a time
to be changed so profoundly.
In those few weeks,
I came to know you...
and to love you.
You came to trust me with your life.
Oh what a life I had planned for you!
Just those few weeks...
when I lost you,
I lost a lifetime of hopes,
plans, dreams and aspirations.
A slice of my future simply vanished overnight.
Just those few weeks...
It wasn't enough time to convince others
how special and important you were.
How odd, a truly unique person has recently died
and no one is mourning the passing.
Just a mere few weeks..
And no "normal" person would cry all night
Over a tiny unfinished baby,
or get depressed and withdraw day after endless day.
No one would, so why am I??
You were just those few weeks, my little one.
You darted in and out of my life too quickly.
But it seems that's all the time you needed
to make my life richer
and to give me a small glimpse of eternity.

~S Erling

I was going to have good news because I found out that I was expecting a week ago but today I found out that the baby will not make it. Now I'm just waiting for the inevitable. I feel like the joy was ripped out of the very core of me today.

What's up --->

2010-11-07T20:15:00.004-06:00

This past week has been fun... I called my mama and made plans with her for Thanksgiving. She and my stepdad are going to come over with my stepsister and possibly my younger brother. My mother-in-law and father-in-law may possibly come over too if they get the chance. It will be a noisy, crowded home on Thanksgiving but that's okay. I like my home lively :-)

Samara, Andrea, and Myranda are doing UIL this year. Myranda is going for Storytelling. She had her first practice on Wednesday and it ran late. It was supposed to end at 3:45 and didn't end until almost 4:00. That made things interesting because Andrea has honor choir practice on the same day. She got out at 3:55 and she goes to a different school a couple miles away so I was late picking her up. Luckily she had her phone so I could explain what happened. Hopefully Myranda's practice won't run that late anymore. Andrea is going to do Music Memory for UIL this year. She did that before a couple of years ago and learned quick that you have to study and practice to do well so hopefully she does great this year. Samara is going to do Art Appreciation I think. It's the one where she has to memorize the titles of famous artwork. She did that a couple years ago too and won first place so I'm sure she will do well again as long as she prepares.

I really need to get Alex and Jaina scheduled for their yearly well child visit. I've been putting that off because there's been so much going on. I also need to get their yearly photos done but I may wait until we get our family portraits done.

Just for future reference, I *may* have a big announcement soon...

Tom and I received some very interesting information that, once we have validated, we will share with everyone.

That is the only hint I will provide ;-)

Beautiful the mess we are...

2010-11-02T08:01:00.001-05:00

I love this song...

God loves a lullaby
In a mothers tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves a drunkards cry,
The soldiers plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

The woman holding on for life,
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done,
The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Better than a church bell ringing,
Better than a choir singing out, singing out.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Happy November!

2010-11-01T17:01:00.003-05:00

Whoops! I blinked and there went a decent sized chunk of the year!!! I really need to get on here more often (I keep saying that, I know!) so why not now? I have way too much to update on so I will just touch on a few things.

Now where did I leave off? Oh yeah. We celebrated my 27th birthday and Samara's 11th birthday in May and Andrea's 10th birthday in June. Tom turned the big 3-2 in June as well. Just this past month Jaina turned 2 and Alex turned 3.

Samara accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior (YAY!) and later was baptised in July! I am also growing more in my faith and making some wonderful friends since I started taking the kids to Spring Valley Baptist Church after moving to Fort Worth. I could go on about my faith but that will have to be another blog post.

School has been keeping the kiddos busy especially since Andrea is in honor choir and Samara is in drama. Myranda is having a little trouble in school but we are working on that. Alex and Jaina are both currently working on potty training. Both of them are pretty close to being done. I became an Avon Rep on October 8th and last but not least, Tom and I celebrated 5 years of being together on October 20th :-)

So that's it in a tiny nutshell...

Fast and Slow

2010-06-06T08:06:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my little ones watching Nick Jr., this song has been stuck in my head :-) At least it's not an annoying one lol.

As we celebrate Memorial Day...

2010-05-31T08:28:00.003-05:00

Let us remember and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we may still call our country the land of the free...

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Fading light, dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.

Thanks and praise, for our days,
'Neath the sun, 'neath the stars, neath the sky.
As we go, this we know, God is nigh.

Sun has set, shadows come,
Time has fled, we must go to our rest.
Always true to the promises we've made.

Fading light, dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh,
Falls the night.

"Taps"

57% of Americans dont think women should breastfeed in public.

2010-05-13T13:46:00.002-05:00

According to Babytalk Magazine, 57% of Americans dont think women should breastfeed in public.

Wow.

*headdesk*

I guess women who exclusively breastfeed should hide away for the remainder of the time that they nurse their children? Um, no. Those 57% should grow up and stop this crazy obsession that boobs are strictly sexual, indecent, etc. and be glad that those children are being given the best possible nutrition. Sorry but if breastfeeding women can't feed their babies in public then bottle feeding shouldn't be allowed in public. Sounds silly doesn't it? That's the same idea.

End rant.

Cafe Manager Berates Breastfeeding Mom
http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/breastfeeding-mom-harrassed-restaurant/story?id=10627999

Can I have just FIVE minutes?

2010-05-06T20:53:00.002-05:00

I stumbled upon the following letter at http://www.topbabypages.com/. I couldn't help but feel this author's pain. I cannot count the number of times I have been interrupted while attempting to take a shower. While it is frustrating, I wouldn't trade my life for anything in the world. I love every bit of it, good, bad, and downright ugly :-)

Dear Kids,

Don't be alarmed, the world isn't coming to an end. I am simply taking a bath. It will take about 30 minutes and will involve soap and water. Yes, I know how to swim. Even if I didn't, forcing myself to drown in a half-inch of lukewarm water is more work than I've got energy for. (Which reminds me, I'm all for science projects, but the next time you want to see if Play-Doh floats, use cold water.)

Don't panic if I'm not out right on time. I've heard that people don't dissolve in water and I'd like to test the theory. While I'm in the tub, I'd like you to remember a few things, the large slab of wood between us is called a door. Do not bang to hear my
voice. I promise that even though you can't see me, I am on the other side. I'm not digging an escape tunnel and running for the border, no matter what I said a while ago, I didn't mean it.

Honest.

There will be plenty of time later to tell me about your day. Later means at a time when I am no longer naked, wet, and contemplating bubble gum in the blow dryer. I know you have important things to tell me. Please let one of them be that you have invented a new way to blow bubbles, not a new way to add gum to your hair.

Believe it or not, shouting, "TELEPHONE!" through the closed bathroom door will not make the phone stop ringing. Answer it and take a message. Since Amazing Mind-Reading Mom has the day off, you'll need to write that message down. Use paper and a pencil. Do not use your brother and the laundry marker. We can't send him to school with telephone-number tattoos.

Water makes me wet, not deaf. I can still tell the difference between the sound of "nothing" and the sound of a child playing the piano with a basketball. I can also hear you tattling at the top of your lungs. I'm choosing not to answer you.

Don't call your dad at work and tell him I am unconscious in the
bathroom. He didn't appreciate it last time. He won't appreciate it this time. Trust me.

No matter how much I would like it, water does not make me forgetful. I remember who you are and why you are grounded. No, you can't go to Shelby's house to play. No, you can't go to Shelby's house to use the bathroom.

If someone is in our other bathroom, you will just have to think dry thoughts and wait. Unless you have four feet and a tail, do not think of going outside to "water" the lawn. I know the dog does it. The neighbors don't feel the need to call me when the dog does it.

Unless the house catches on fire, stay inside and keep the doors
locked. Do not go outside and throw rocks at the bathroom window to get my attention. I know it works in the movies. This is reality, the place where people don't like to sit in a tub while rocks and broken glass rain in on them.

Do not set the house on fire. Call me if there is an emergency.

Emergencies are:

1. Dad has fallen off the roof.
2. Your brother and/or sister is bleeding.
3. There's a red fire truck in front of our house.

Emergencies are not:

1. Dad has fallen asleep.
2. Someone on TV is bleeding.
3. There's a red pickup truck in front of our house.

One other thing: Being forced to use the last roll of toilet paper for a towel does not make me happy. It makes me sticky with little white polka dots. In the future, when anything in the bathroom overflows, use a mop to clean up the water instead of
every towel in the house. For my sanity's sake, let's pretend it was the tub, O.K.?
No, I don't want to hear the real story.

Ever.

Especially not while I'm standing in the pool of water you missed.

(P.S. All Play-Doh experiments are canceled.)

Be good. Entertain yourselves. Yes, you can do both at the same time. Try coloring, playing a game, or paying that stack of bills on the coffee table.

I'll be out soon. Maybe.

Love, Mom

I Can't Wait

2010-04-19T06:48:00.001-05:00

When you reach the proper age
I will teach you to read and you can turn the pages
How to dress and tie your shoes
Your one plus ones, and your two times two's
And you'll teach me
Of hearts and dreams
And all the most important things
And all that i have lost along the way
And I can't wait

As you grow, I'll show you things
How to ride your bike and kick your legs out on the swings
To fold your hands and bow your head
How to say your prayers before you go to bed
And you'll teach me
Of hearts and dreams
And all the most important things
And all that I have lost along the way
And I can't wait

How do you sleep so peacefully?
How do you trust unflinchingly?
How do you love so faithfully?
How do you dance so joyfully?
Oh you'll teach me
Of hearts and dreams
And all the most important (essential) things
And all that i have lost along the way
And I can't
No I can't
Come teach me
Of love and dreams
And all the most essential thing
And all that I have lost along the way
Cause I can't wait

"I Can't Wait" by Sara Groves

A Post With No Name

2010-04-05T21:36:00.003-05:00

Why is it as a child you feel as if time crawls, but as you get older it feels like somebody is slowly upping the tempo to your life's song until it moves so fast that one day you look in the mirror and realize that the person staring back at you is not the one who did 10, 5, or even 3 years ago? I mean, it's not always a bad thing, it's just a little alarming at how fast time goes by. I'm sitting here pondering the things that need done in my life and while I subtract the hours required to do these things, I realize that I am in some serious debt, time-wise! There are so many things that need done but no time to do them. I almost feel guilty sitting here writing this because at this very moment I am thinking of those few dishes left in the sink that need to be added to the dishwasher or the remaining pile of dirty laundry that needs washed, or heck, the mountain of boxes in our garage that needs tackled. But you know what? Now that I have a few minutes to myself with the children asleep in their beds, I think I'm going to spend the last few minutes of my day to destress, wind down, and veg :-)

I honestly planned to post a detailed update with these few extra minutes (No, really!) but everyone will just have to wait. It's not like there's anything major to report at the moment anyway so I will just leave you all with my "mini-rant" :-)

My Valentine's Gift

2010-02-16T21:15:00.002-06:00

My hubby is so romantic :-)

On another note, we have a big chunk of our stuff moved into the house. It only took two trips in a 26 foot Uhaul truck but we got it done. We will probably have to rent another truck in the future when we are ready to get the last bit of stuff but it can wait for now. Now I'm surrounded by boxes that haven't seen daylight in over 2 years. It's like Christmas and Halloween all wrapped into one because the majority of boxes have nice things in them that we need for the house, and then there are a couple of boxes that have unpleasant surprises from being in storage for so long lol. Well, I better get back to work while the house is quiet!

Snow Day!

2010-02-11T21:03:00.003-06:00

This morning we woke up to a surprise- snow! This is the most I have ever seen it snow here in Texas, and I have lived here my entire life. We got at least 7 inches or so. We are really close to the record for here. The girls actually had to go to school today but luckily they got out an hour early. Tomorrow school is closed so we will have to see how we will spend the day :-) I know this doesn't even come close to the amount you folks up north see but for us it's pretty darn amazing...

The view out our front door this afternoon.

The view out the back door this afternoon.

Our house around lunch time today.

Back on Track

2010-02-10T21:53:00.003-06:00

Whew! I feel like I need to knock some cobwebs off of this blog, it's been so long since I've posted an update! Where should I begin? (I can be really corny and bust out into a very well known Sound of Music song here but I will refrain...)

Back in December we FINALLY sold our home in Abilene. We were really bummed to let it go but it was for a good cause. You see, we could not get a place of our own in DFW until we sold the one we owned in Abilene. We have actually been staying my husband's wonderfully AWESOME parents (Yes, I love them to pieces and am not being sarcastic, unlike so many out there who LOATH their inlaws, many times for good reasons.) since we moved from Del Rio so Tom could work in DFW.

While we all get along wonderfully and have helped each other out in so many ways, we knew it was time to focus on a new chapter in our life and get a place of our own. Up until now, Tom was driving 1 1/2 hours one way to and from work. When gas prices were sky high, that hurt. On top of that, he's not a fan of driving, so his stress level was pretty high. To top it off, while staying there, our family of 5 grew to be a family of 7, so things got pretty cramped. So, after selling our home, we immediately began the search for a place to rent close to Tom's work.

Now, many people ask us, "Why don't you buy instead of rent?"

I wish we could buy, but we can't right now. We really need to save up some money and take care of a few things. Well, we could buy SOMETHING. But we don't want to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on just SOMETHING. If we are going to invest our money in something that costs so much, it's going to be our dream house.

Unfortunately we had to take a break from looking for a couple weeks in January while Tom was in Chicago for work. When he got back though, we started our search again. While looking for homes, we came across a few hurdles, the biggest one being the amount of scams out there (There are one or two in particular that I will go into detail about but that will be another post some time later, I have a bone to pick with Quest Property Services.) so that took up a lot of our time. Luckily I worked with a wonderful agent, Debbie Holt, with Re/Max Masters in Grapevine. She helped us out with our search and we finally found a 4 bed 2 bath home in Fort Worth. Once I get a chance to take pics, I will upload them.

Another big change is we enrolled the girls in public school when we moved. I know that some may think that I'm crazy for having them in public school and others may think I was nuts for homeschooling but either way, we decided that this is what's best for them. We enjoyed our homeschooling adventure and may homeschool again in the future. I don't feel too bad about it because the schools that they go to now are excellent and so far the girls love it. They come home every day and tell me all about their day and look forward to going. I'm sure it is just the excitement of a new school but I will enjoy it while it lasts :-)

Well, I guess that's the majority of what's happening right now. Once things settle down a bit I hope to post a little more.

The last few weeks...

2009-11-11T12:58:00.002-06:00

...have been flying by! Where does the time go? Jaina celebrated her first birthday on October 11th and Alex celebrated his 2nd birthday on the 28th. They had a blast on their special days and I now have two toddlers running around the house! What did I get myself into? Just kidding! I wouldn't trade my life for anything.

Homeschooling Samara, Andrea, and Myranda continues to be a learning experience for all of us. It has it's ups and downs and I have definitely found my patience limit :-) It's really cool to be completely involved and aware in their educational accomplishments and each day I appreciate the fact that we chose to homeschool. I was a bit nervous in the beginning but I now am confident that we made the right choice for our family.

Samara and Andrea are pretty independent with their learning although I do step in occasionally to point them in the right direction if they get lost and if I feel that a certain topic hasn't been covered as well as I would like. I am super proud of them and amazed at just how fast they can learn when there are no boundaries!

Myranda is doing pretty good as well. She can be very stubborn and distracted at times with her learning. Until recently, she was having a little trouble with learning to read but I have started to notice that everything she has learned is coming together. She can now read well with just a little help with new blends where needed. Now we are having trouble with math. She will sit for a very long time on the same math worksheet. It's not that she doesn't know how to do the work. She just chooses to daydream and goof off. I'm not too worried yet because I'm pretty sure that things will "click" for her in math just like they are in reading. In the process I have learned that beans, candy, etc. when used as a counting tool are more of a distraction than a help, even when the candy is used as a reward for good work :-)

2 Hours Left!

2009-10-17T08:57:00.000-05:00

I'm helping to raise funds to
#beatcancer, by blogging, tweeting
and posting Facebook status
updates.

Click here to join me!

From Baby to Toddler

2009-10-11T20:28:00.007-05:00

Wow I can't believe it's been a full year since Jaina was born! It seems like only yesterday I was typing the last blog before she was born. I have to say she has been the most easy going baby I have ever known. It's a good thing because Alex is definitely in the terrible twos! Looking back on the day she was born, all of my memories are good ones. It was the most wonderful experience and if we were to have another baby (not happening, lol) I would definitely use the birth center again. I only wish that I had known my options when I had my son but I can't change that and that is okay. For anyone who is having a baby in the future I strongly recommend doing your research and deciding the best option for you. For anyone in or near Denton, Texas I strongly recommend Innana Birth Center (they take most insurance) http://www.inannabirth.com. Everyone there is very friendly, caring and helpful :-)Anyway, I gotta get Alex to go to bed. He's been fighting sleep all evening... I'll leave you with the link to Jaina's birth story: http://mistyfraker.blogspot.com/2008/10/settling-in.html

A Time For Learning For All of Us

2009-09-01T22:35:00.002-05:00

Now that I have a few minutes to myself I can give a little update. We are officially in week 3 of homeschooling, and while we are still working out some kinks, it seems to be going well. I have quickly noticed that each girl has their own unique learning style. Samara is an independent learner who can read something and recite it back to me almost word for word and retains what she learned. Andrea has a little more difficulty with comprehending what she reads but when I can get her to slow down and actually pay attention to what she is reading she does pretty good. Myranda is easily distracted and sporadic. If she finds something the least bit uninteresting then she gives up. I have had and interesting time finding creative ways to get her interested in what she needs to learn. I have found that games that incorporate what she needs to learn work really good. I am also debating whether I should have them study together or at seperate times. I began with a set schedule for each subject and have had a hard time with the girls disrupting each other. Also, if I have to go over something with one of the girls, the other two are distracted by me. I have started working with each one individually the past couple days and have found that this way has its good and bad points also. I guess I will just have to weigh the pros and cons of each way and go with the one that comes out ahead.

Besides all that we have joined a homeschool group in the county that has been a big help to us in our learning process and we have made new friends as well. We even had our first field trip last week to a coffee roaster!

Priorities

2009-08-11T21:15:00.002-05:00

So yeah I'm not keeping up with the weekly updates for my weightloss but that's okay. I'm still keeping with my goals... I'm down to 198 as of Friday (-8lbs total!!!) so I think I'm doing okay :-) While I'm going to continue working on that I have put the record keeping on the backburner because I have an entirely new project to work on. Tom and I have decided to homeschool the girls!!! I will have more info on that later. Until I get more time to update... ;-)

Wednesday Update (Just a Little Late!)

2009-08-02T23:47:00.002-05:00

Week 3 (Yeah I skipped week 2; shame on me!) 202 (-3lbs, 5lbs total)

Sorry about not updating sooner! It's been another crazy time, but then, when isn't it? LOL

So far my weight loss has been on track so that is good news. I've been pretty lazy at following any sort of a plan but I have been a lot more aware of what I eat. Sometimes I will splurge, like yesterday I had some yummy pizza from Papa Murphy's. I have pretty much cut out all night snacks except for the occasional banana plus I have been sticking to water and diet/sugar free/low-carb drinks. I have also been trying to stay active with my children so I think that has been helping too. Tom and I have decided to homeschool the girls for this year for various reasons so I will have to spend time with them working on physical education. That should help me get more exercise too. Hopefully I will continue having good results to report :-)

Wednesday Update

2009-07-22T20:22:00.002-05:00

Lots of stuff going on right now with illness wreaking havoc on the family so I won't have a chance to update today. I have a wedding to attend tomorrow so I won't be able to do it then. Hopefully Friday I will get a chance...

Curiosity Killed the Cat

2009-07-17T14:56:00.003-05:00

I have heard the term "partial-birth abortion" and never really knew what it was.

So being the curious type I decided to research it. BIG MISTAKE.

What I discovered makes me sick to my stomach.

I wanna go curl up in a ball and cry.

My heart aches :-(

Why is this legal???

Wednesday Weight Loss Update

2009-07-15T18:10:00.002-05:00

Hello! I will be posting my weekly updates on Wednesdays so I keep myself in check. I will be posting the successful and not-so-successful weeks.

Week 1: 205lbs (-1lb)

Well, at least I have lost a pound. My plan started off with a bang but quickly fizzled as I have kinda lost track of my motivation. I worked out with the Wii Fit last Wednesday and that was the last of my actual working out for the week. I did walk around Space Center Houston all day on Saturday so I guess that counts for exercise as well. As for the dieting, I've had good days and bad days the past week. My problem is that I will do good all day then when night time hits I am starving like I haven't eaten all day. It's not that I'm not eating right. I make sure to eat lots of protein and drink water. I don't know what it is but around 8 or 9pm I'm ready to scarf anything in sight! I try to not give into the craving but sometimes I eat a banana or some cheese to take the edge off. I also have a big problem of tasting everything when I'm cooking dinner.

So, here are my goals for the next week:

-Cut back on the extra "taste tests" when cooking dinner...
-Cut back on night snacks...

I would like to get more disciplined with the work outs but I'm really going to focus on the first two. At least I accomplished one of my goals last week of losing at least one pound :-) Off to work on a more successful week!

Reality Check

2009-07-08T13:00:00.003-05:00

I've put it off long enough. I need to get myself in better shape. I've been lacking in the self confidence lately and I'm pretty sure it's because of my shape. I'm not as healthy as I can be and I need to hold myself accountable. The stretchmarks and flabby skin doesn't bother me. It's all this excess weight. I know it's not from the pregnancies because I started gaining weight before that. I was 163 when I met my hubby in October 2005 and was up to 194 when I found out I was pregnant with Alex. On top of that I had lost weight after having Jaina. I was down to 198 not too long ago. Now I'm back up to 206. Shame on me. Now I need to get myself back to a healthy weight range which according to Discovery Health is about 167. That's pretty close to what I weighed when Tom and I met. They say that it is best to only lose 1-2 lbs a week so that would give me 20 weeks to lose 39 lbs. That would make my target date to reach my goal around Thanksgiving. So, my goal is to lose 39 lbs by Thanksgiving. I want to remind myself to check in on here with my weekly accomplishments so hopefully I remember :-)

Here's my first check-in:

July 8, 2009, 206 lbs

June 22, 1978

2009-06-22T12:53:00.003-05:00

That was the day my wonderful husband, Thomas Carl Fraker, was born. Happy birthday honey!

For My Daddy on Father's Day

2009-06-21T08:45:00.001-05:00

"Buttefly Kisses" by Jeff Carson is our song... Here are the lyrics :-)

There's two things I know for sure.
She was sent here from heaven,
And she's daddy's little girl.
As I drop to my knees by her bed at night,
She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes.
And I thank God for all of the joy in my life.
Oh, but most of all:

For, Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayers.
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair.
"Walk beside the pony daddy,it's my first ride.
"I know the cake looks funny, daddy, but I sure tried."
With all that I've done wrong I must have done something right,
To deserve a hug every morning
And butterfly kisses at night.

Sweet sixteen today.
She's lookin' like her mamma a little more every day.
One part woman, the other part girl;
To perfume and make-up,
From ribbons and curls.
Trying her wings out in a great big world.
But I remember:
Butterfly kisses.

She'll change her name today.
She'll make a promise, and I'll give her away.
Standing in the bride room just staring at her,
She asked me what I'm thinking,
I said: "I'm not sure.
"I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl."
Then she leaned over....
An' gave me, Butterfly kisses with her mamma's air.
Stickin' little white flowers all up in her hair.
"Walk me down the aisle, Daddy, it's just about time.
"Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy? And Daddy, don't cry."
With all that I've done wrong I must have done something right,
To deserve a her love every morning,
And a butterfly kisses for life.

Once A Year...

2009-05-20T06:24:00.001-05:00

Jimmy Buffett More CMT Music More CMT Music Videos

Right Now

2009-04-09T06:25:00.003-05:00

I've been a bit busy lately but here's a quick update:

So a couple weeks ago Tom and I go to a Kia dealership in Irving which is about an hour and a half away from our home to look at a van I found on Autotrader. Big suprise the van no longer is there so we find a different one we like. It's pretty much like the one we were looking at. Unfortunately the battery is dead so I can't test drive it but I really like it so we work up some numbers and send us home in a similar van that is like the one we are getting but a foot shorter and a 2009. The other one is a 2008 but still new.

Our only chance for financing is our credit union (divorces kill your credit) so they fax a buyer order to them to review. After a couple of days of phone tag the credit union informs us that they will only finance 2008 vehicles for NADA book value as if it were used and on top of that based on credit they will only consider financing 85% of that. The dealership wouldn't consider that because that would be too big of a loss for them so they ask if we would consider a similar van that was a 2009 model. It would be less rebates but easier to finance. I say sure...

They call me back and tell me that all they have left are short wheelbases and asked me if I like the one they sent us home in. I tell them that it is great except for the fact that I can't fit my double stroller inside it... I would have to strap it on top! BUT if that is our only option then we would go for it. My transmission is about to go out in my van AGAIN soon so we need something reliable. So right now we are waiting to hear back about whether or not we can finance it.

In the meantime both Alex and Jaina got sick again. They both have a horrible cough and chest congestion plus night before last Alex had a fever so I took him to the doctor. They diagnosed him with a double ear infection. Again. As I was driving home late that night, a huge wild boar charged the van so fast that I slowed down the van but he still hit me. Alex was sound asleep in the back seat so I wasn't about to pull over or anything plus we were almost home. When I got home I found that the boar ruined the bumper but luckily it looks like that's all it messed up. I submitted an online claim to my insurance company and all we have to worry about is the $500 deductible.

So that's what's happening right now...

A Favorite of Alex's

2009-04-03T09:14:00.001-05:00

He loves the Imagination Movers!

I'm such a slacker.

2009-03-25T06:23:00.004-05:00

So yeah, I've been a bad blogger. Shame on me! Here is a much needed quick update...

Hmmmm...... Where to start?

Well after several months of my Ford Freestar minivan sitting in the driveway of our home in Abilene we finally got the money to get the P.O.S. fixed. So far I have had the transmission rebuilt and replaced the compressor. Now I have a light that turns on occasionally telling me my transmission is about to crap out on me again and my rear air control doesn't work. It blows hot air when we need a/c and cold air when we need heat. I had it checked out at the shop and they tell me that it will cost around 3500 to fix it. All I could do was laugh. I recently tried to trade in my van and they appraised it at 3500! I still owe over 8500 so yeah we are going to have a slightly difficult time trading it in. I'm going to keep trying though :-) Until then I'm just using the van as little as possible hoping it doesn't completely fall apart on me.

On top of that, the past couple weeks we have all been battling chest colds. The youngest two also have pinkeye and Alex is getting over an ear infection. Everyone is slowly getting better except Jaina's eyes are still about the same. The pediatrician thinks she may have blocked tear ducts. I think she has bad allergies. But what do I know LOL.

We are still working on our house in Abilene trying to get it ready to rent. The kiddos and I spent all of spring break working on it getting carpet pulled up and cleaning *Special thanks to my brother, Jessie, for helping us out*. We were supposed to have carpet installed on Sunday after we left and my dad was supposed to be there to let the installer in and pay him but my dad had a bad asthma attack and had to go to the hospital. He said that he is getting better and should be allowed to go home Friday. After we get the carpet installed, the rest of the stuff cleared out, and countertops installed in the kitchen then it should be ready to go. I'll be glad because we are paying $600 a month plus utilities on a house that we are not even living in. Once we are finished we should be able to get at least $1000 a month if not more because there are not many 4 bedrooms in the neighborhood.

On to some happy updates... Samara, Andrea, and Myranda are continuing to do great in school. Samara was on the A-B honor roll last six weeks and was the top reader in the entire school. Andrea was on the A honor roll, and Myranda received an award in her class. Can't remember what exactly it was but it was something to the effect of "Best overall" or something like that. Alex is continuing to amaze us with how witty he is and with his strength. He can run, climb, and get into all sorts of trouble lol. Jaina is growing so fast. She rolls over on both sides and may start to crawl soon. She can sit unassited for a few seconds before falling over and so far has tried rice cereal, banana, sweet potato, and peas. I'm amazed and proud of myself too because on April 11th I will hit the 6 month breastfeeding milestone, a great accomplishment for me considering I gave up breastfeeding Alex by 3 months. I've actually tried giving formula to Jaina once or twice and she won't take it LOL. I'm debating whether or not I want to transition to formula soon or to go the full year. I think my experience with her and the formula has made up my mind for me though :-)

Well, I guess that's it for now...

Hope

2009-02-24T21:28:00.001-06:00

This passage always gives me hope....

"So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it all could mean. They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered when and to whom all this would happen. They were told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years later, during yours. And now this Good News has been announced by those who preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:6-16"

Just the Two of Us

2009-01-25T21:20:00.004-06:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Friday was a blast... The day that Jaina was born, my mother-in-law bought tickets to the AC/DC concert in Dallas as a Christmas gift to Tom and me. We had great seats and my ears are still ringing! The intro video to the concert was hilarious and ended with a giant train with devil horns appearing behind the band. Too cool :-) They played a few new songs as well as a lot of their hits, including my favorite, "For Those About To Rock." This was the first time we have gone anywhere without any kids in a long time.... For a breastfeeding mama, it seemed like an eternity! I was worried that she wouldn't take a bottle, but Jaina did great.

Here are a couple pics from the concert:

Interesting

2009-01-15T09:07:00.002-06:00

I took the Jung Typology test for giggles and grins and here is what it came up with:

Idealist Portrait of the Counselor (INFJ)

Counselors have an exceptionally strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others, and find great personal fulfillment interacting with people, nurturing their personal development, guiding them to realize their human potential. Although they are happy working at jobs (such as writing) that require solitude and close attention, Counselors do quite well with individuals or groups of people, provided that the personal interactions are not superficial, and that they find some quiet, private time every now and then to recharge their batteries. Counselors are both kind and positive in their handling of others; they are great listeners and seem naturally interested in helping people with their personal problems. Not usually visible leaders, Counselors prefer to work intensely with those close to them, especially on a one-to-one basis, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes.

Counselors are scarce, little more than one percent of the population, and can be hard to get to know, since they tend not to share their innermost thoughts or their powerful emotional reactions except with their loved ones. They are highly private people, with an unusually rich, complicated inner life. Friends or colleagues who have known them for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that Counselors are flighty or scattered; they value their integrity a great deal, but they have mysterious, intricately woven personalities which sometimes puzzle even them.

Counselors tend to work effectively in organizations. They value staff harmony and make every effort to help an organization run smoothly and pleasantly. They understand and use human systems creatively, and are good at consulting and cooperating with others. As employees or employers, Counselors are concerned with people's feelings and are able to act as a barometer of the feelings within the organization.

Blessed with vivid imaginations, Counselors are often seen as the most poetical of all the types, and in fact they use a lot of poetic imagery in their everyday language. Their great talent for language-both written and spoken-is usually directed toward communicating with people in a personalized way. Counselors are highly intuitive and can recognize another's emotions or intentions - good or evil - even before that person is aware of them. Counselors themselves can seldom tell how they came to read others' feelings so keenly. This extreme sensitivity to others could very well be the basis of the Counselor's remarkable ability to experience a whole array of psychic phenomena.

Mohandas Gandhi, Sidney Poitier, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Goodall, Emily Bronte, Sir Alec Guiness, Carl Jung, Mary Baker Eddy, Queen Noor are examples of the Counselor Idealist (INFJ).

I found the test here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

New Year, Renewed Hopes

2009-01-01T10:14:00.000-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve! I had a good one at home with the family. This year we bought a little party kit with hats, noisemakers, and leis which the kids enjoyed. All but Alex and Jaina were awake to ring in the new year! That means that Alex was bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7:45 am this morning. While I cannot say the same for myself, I was however awake as well :-)

I want to apologize for not being as active lately online as far as keeping in touch goes... The month of December kind of took me by suprise, keeping me constantly moving with last minute Christmas shopping, school plays, wrapping (which took lots of time considering we have 5 kids with at least 10-15 presents a piece), working on our house in Abilene (still not rented) and various illnesses and appointments. This is the first time I have been able to really sit down and write anything. The fact that our internet was down for a few days didn't help matters much either. I'm just glad that I wasn't in school and that I was taking a break from my Creative Memories business at the time otherwise that little outage would have hurt!

Next, a couple updates... Jaina had her 2 month checkup in December and weighed 13lbs! She is 95% for weight and 75% for height. Pretty good considering she's not bottle fed :-) The pediatrician told me not to worry about her weight, that it's pretty common for breastfed babies to be chunky monkeys now and then thin out around their first birthday.

Alex has been quite the handful considering he can run and climb, making it hard to keep him out of things and from jumping up and down on the sofa. He's actually fallen a couple of times but do you think that stops him? Heck no! He climbs right back up there and resumes his jumping. He's also talking a lot more. Right now his favorite word is "cool." Anything he likes he will point to and say, "Cool!" He's also eating everything that we eat with the exception of tomato sauces. His tummy doesn't like them for some reason. He will also point to Jaina and say "Sissy." If you ask him to love on her, he will lay his head next to her and sing, "Love" in his pretty little baby voice. It's too cute :-)

Myranda is doing great in Kindergarten. She is learning how to read and while she gets frustrated at times and wants to give up and go play instead of working on her words she eventually learns them. It's so neat to hear her randomly call out words that she recognizes when we are out and about. She has been getting a little mean streak lately but I think its a little phase that she is going through and she is just testing her limits. She has a best friend named Dennis that she plays with at school but don't dare call him her boyfriend or she will scold you LOL.

Andrea is doing very well at school. So far she has had all A's on her last couple report cards and competed in UIL Music Memory. Her team took 2nd place! At home she has been singing karaoke with us when we play Karaoke Revolution and Singstar and has been doing really good. She has an ear for music and I have noticed that she sometimes picks up harmony. She can belt out a Hannah Montana song with the best of them!

Samara is doing great in school too. She's been a straight A student all year. She competed in UIL Art Apreciation and her team took first place with Samara taking first place over all!!!! She also had the lead part in the school play as the grumpy elf (think Scrooge) and did wonderfully.

I am so proud of all of our children :-)

Christmas was great. The kiddos all enjoyed their presents as did the grownups. I was happy to expand my collection of Phantom of the Opera music boxes and Tom was happy to finally get that set of Cowboys floor mats for his Tracker that he had been wanting.

If you have read this far, thank you! LOL

I also want to let you all know that I am back to being a Creative Memories Consultant. Thanks to my wonderful upline, she explained my situation to home office and they were more than happy to reinstate me. If you want more info or anything just send me a message with your email...

Well, I guess that's it for now. I'm sure I left out a ton of stuff but for now that's all I could think of. Take care and Happy New Year!!!

I don't know if I shared this or not...

2008-12-13T15:11:00.002-06:00

This is the song that was playing on the radio the moment Jaina was born:

Now every time I hear it I get all emotional :-)

Quick Update

2008-12-04T13:53:00.000-06:00

Just wanting to let you guys know that I am taking a break from the Creative Memories business. While I knew that when I signed up I could run into a speed bump when Jaina was born, I was told that I would be able to take a leave of absence if needed until I was ready to get rolling again. Unfortunately, I later found out that I had to sell a minimum amount of product before I could do that (Kinda defeats the purpose if you ask me lol) so I am officially no longer a consultant. I'm a little bummed because I did invest a bit of money into this business and if I was informed about the minimum amount in the first place I would have never signed up, because I was pretty sure I would need that leave of absence.... Oh well. At least I got some goodies out of it :-)

On another note, I had my postpartum checkup yesterday finally and was glad to hear everything is good. I can now start exercising more and get rid of this weight! Oh and thanks to Mirena, I will not have to worry about having any more babies for the next 5 years! I've got my body back - well, at least all but my boobs LOL. But it's well worth it :-)

3 Ring Circus

2008-11-10T06:12:00.002-06:00

That's all I could think of to describe Saturday afternoon. We decided on Friday that we would have family pictures done on Saturday. Tom was taking the girls to see High School Musical 3 also so I had to plan around that so Saturday morning I checked the movie times and found that the movie was playing at 1:30. We figured it was the perfect time for them because it was matinee prices plus it left plenty of time for them to get home, change, and head over to the studio for pictures. I then called the studio to set up a time for pictures and the latest they had was 4:30 so I reserved that time. Well a little while before they get home from the movie I begin getting out the dresses I wanted them to wear and realize that Myranda's dress is missing! After looking everywhere I picked out another dress for her and looked for Andrea's dress. Big suprise, hers was missing also... I couldn't find hers so I picked out another dress for her as well. Luckily I did find Samara's dress. When they got home they got ready (We couldn't find Tom's belt so he went without.) and we headed to the studio. I didn't have a dress that fit Jaina so I bought one quick before we had pictures done. Now for the actual session, it was definitely interesting. Let's just say that trying to get a family of 7 to smile and look at the camera at the same time is like trying to squeeze water out of a rock! Funny thing is the most cooperative child was our one year old son LOL. Of course we didn't expect Jaina to cooperate because she's only 4 weeks old but our oldest 3 were arguing and refusing to smile and giving attitude. I couldn't believe it! Eventually we got decent photos done. Now we're just playing the waiting game until the pictures come in on the 21st...

On another note: I got a new haircut Friday! I have been thinking about getting a swing bob for a while and finally took the plunge. I love it! It is much easier to manage than the layered bob and looks cute too.

Who's it gonna be?

2008-11-04T21:21:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm glad I voted early because man the lines sure looked long on tv! As of now, Obama's in the lead and I'm wanting to go to bed but I'm also excited to see who wins... I love listening to everyone talk about their views and I will get in conversations but I definitely don't say who I voted for, I just keep a neutral tone because I was always taught that there are two things you don't talk about: religion and politics. I agree with that to a point. I believe that you can as long as you stay neutral and don't pick a side, because once you start trying to discuss what you believe is correct is when all hell breaks loose and before you know it you're in the middle of a full blown debate and quite frankly I'm too lazy to debate LOL. So to end the night all I have to say is:

May the best man win and God have mercy on him because he has one heck of a mess to clean up!

I love this poem...

2008-10-30T22:02:00.002-05:00

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Happy Birthday, Alex!

2008-10-29T07:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a very special day... Alex celebrated his first birthday! I can't believe that he is already a year old! Wow time flies....

Ah the joy of living in the boondocks....

2008-10-25T23:17:00.003-05:00

For some reason today my lovely internet connection is crappy today and that is annoying the hell out of me. I have Verizon wireless internet that connects into the USB port and it usually runs pretty good but today it will only open some sites and won't open others. I'm not too happy because I keep in touch with friends and family via Myspace and that is one of the sites that it doesn't like today. Anyway, enough ranting...

Yesterday we took Alex to get his first year photo and Jaina for her announcement photo. I had a coupon for each one so it was FREE :-) We took them to the Kiddie Kandids in Grapevine Mills so afterwards we walked around the mall. Good thing we did because when we stopped at the Disney Store one of the employees informed us that if we applied for a Disney credit card that we would get a $10 gift card regardless if we were approved or not. On top of that, Tom and I had the option to apply seperately and get two gift cards. We figured why not, we could always use an extra $20 to spend there! After we were done in the store we ended up spending $12 for a ton of clothes for the girls for Christmas :-) I love freebies!

Today Tom took the girls to Six Flags for Fright Fest. Last week Tom and I went with just Jaina and Alex for a couple hours to see how scary it was because Myranda scares easy and found out it wasn't bad at all so he had a daddy daughter day while I kept the youngest two at home with me. I was worried about being bored but it wasn't too bad.

Well, I guess that's it for now... Here are Alex's photos and Jaina's photos:

3 years of happiness and counting...

2008-10-21T21:53:00.002-05:00

Wow with everything going on I totally forgot to post about the importance of yesterday! October 20, 2005 is the day that Tom and I met in person for the very first time...

We had actually met on Myspace first when I was bored one night and decided to find people that I may know in the Abilene area. When I did the search I didn't really find anyone familiar, but I did see one profile that caught my eye. Back then I had several of those silly surveys that says your love style, personality, etc. on my profile and funny thing is that this person had the exact same surveys with the exact same results. I'm easily amused (as many of my close friends know; it doesn't take much to make me happy) so I sent this person a quick little message complimenting his profile.

This person happened to be my future hubby, although I didn't know it at the time. I had no intentions of dating anyone because my divorce from my ex was final only a couple months earlier and I was in the process of joining the Air Force. I never thought that I would get a response back but sure enough the next day I get a message from him asking if I used Yahoo Messenger. I figured that a little harmless conversation couldn't hurt anyone so we started chatting on messenger.

Soon that led to phone conversations, then finally we got to discussing where we lived and found out we were only a block apart! The evening of October 20th at around 10:30pm we were talking and finally he said that it would be easier if we just met in person and talked so being the risk taker that I am, I agreed and met him at his house. We ended up sitting on his front porch talking for a couple of hours about anything and everything. We didn't go inside because he was embarrassed about how dirty his house was at the time because he was a single dad of three girls. Once it started getting late I decided I better head home because we both had to work the next day and before I left he kissed me. We decided to meet again the next day and have been inseparable ever since :-)

Early Voting and Better Ears

2008-10-20T22:33:00.003-05:00

I am proud of myself today! I actually showed up bright and early at 8:00am for early voting :-) I have made sure to vote since I became old enough to because I figure that if I don't vote but don't like who is in office, I have only myself to blame.

Afterwards Alex had a check up to make sure his ears were better and that his yeast infection was cleared up and they were! I'm so happy! Poor guy has had to take 3 different antibiotics to get rid of the ear infections but it finally worked...

Nothing much else to report. Tomorrow I have to be at the WIC office at 7:15am to get Jaina added as well as for Alex's 1 yr visit and for income qualification. Besides that the girls are just busy working on homework all week and Tom and I are getting things ready for Alex's first birthday and pricing items for the kiddos for Christmas.

I can't believe we're already having to worry about Christmas shopping. Wow...

Settling In

2008-10-19T20:46:00.006-05:00

Well hello there! I've been MIA for a week now because we welcomed our baby girl, Jaina, into the world on October 11th! I know this may sound redundant to the ones who have already read my birth story, but I figured I better post it here:

When I went to my appt. on October 7th I was 3-4 cm dilated and 65% effaced so they told me to come in that Saturday at 10 am. To help things along on Friday, the family and I went to Toys R Us and the mall to walk around. It must have worked because while I didn't have contractions when I came in Saturday morning, my midwife checked me and said that I was then 4-5 cm and 80% effaced!

She then gave me my first dose of antibiotics for Group B Strep and had me use the breast pump for about 30 minutes to encourage contractions. I wasn't really feeling anything so she had me go walk at the park across the street for an hour. Luckily it was a beautiful day and not too too hot but it was warm. Towards the end of my walk I started to feel a couple small contractions and when I got back I let my midwife know. She checked me again and I was almost 6 cm and my bag of waters was bulging...

She decided to have me use the pump again for 30 minutes to help the contractions I was having and by this time it was 1:00 pm so she sent me on another walk for 30 minutes. Towards the end of that walk I had some stronger contractions but nothing major. When we got back to the birth center, my midwife discussed breaking my water and I agreed so after I got my second dose of antibiotics at 2:00 pm, she broke my water and then the real contractions began!

It wasn't as bad as I expected because when I had my son last year they broke my water right after starting pitocin and I had immediate "take your breath away why did I agree to this" contractions. This time it was different. The contractions were painful but I had time in between to relax and gain focus.

My midwife suggested I try the birthing ball to help ease the pain and progress things and so I did. I will strongly recommend a birthing ball to any pregnant mommy because it made things so much more manageable and really helped me focus on what my body was supposed to do! At one point I thought that maybe laying on my side on the bed may feel a little better... BIG MISTAKE!!! The moment I laid down I was in EXTREME pain! So as soon as I was able to move again, back to the ball I went!

After a while the contractions started coming one on top of each other and it was getting tough to focus so I wanted to try laboring in the tub. I sat on the ball some more while the tub was filling and when it was halfway filled I was going to get in but first my midwife wanted to check me to see how far I progressed. When she did she said let's not worry about the tub, we are going to have a baby! I was 9 cm!

While they were getting things ready they commented on how they couldn't believe how fast I progressed and that I was still smiling and cheerful. I said that the reason is I know that I will be meeting my littlest girl soon! After just ONE minute of pushing, Jaina Elizabeth Rose entered the world at 3:00 pm :-) Later on I found out that the cord was wrapped around her neck twice! I'm glad I didn't know that at the time.... I would have been a wreck! She was 8lbs, 11oz and 20 1/2 inches long.

Since she was born she has been nursing like a champ, has reddish blond hair, and blue eyes. After resting for a while and bonding with Jaina we were told that as long as I feel okay we were allowed to leave whenever we were ready as long as it has been at least two hours so we decided to head home at 5:30pm. We were kinda worried about how Alex would react to Jaina when we got home but when he saw her he got very excited and happy. He's still adjusting well and the only issue we have is reminding him to be gentle with her. He's such a boy LOL. The girls are doing great as well. I had no worries with them because they were wonderful when Alex was born. They love to spoil them :-)

Luckily I have recovered rather quickly. I'm still a little sore but that's expected. I can walk around for quite a while before I have to rest and as of last Tuesday I only have 4lbs to lose before reaching my pre pregnancy weight.

On another note... The girls had school photos on October 8th. That morning I put the money for the photos in each girl's backpack and sent them to school. Well, last week Samara and Andrea brought their photos home but Myranda did not bring hers. I asked her where they were and she said that the teacher did not have them. We thought maybe the teacher forgot to give Myranda her photos so we decided to wait a couple of days before worrying about it. Well, this weekend, Tom happens to walk through the hallway here at the house and notices her photo money envelope in the hall. There was our answer! Apparently Myranda's money fell out of her backpack, so this is our idea: Instead of paying a $10 late fee on already ridiculously priced photos, we are going to get her dressed in the same dress that she wore for school pictures and take her to the Walmart studio. Heck, it'll be cheaper than what we would have paid for the school pictures, plus we will get more... We decided that we'll probably go ahead and get our family portraits done as well since we'll be there anyway.

That's it for now... Nothing else going on except the girls are working hard on earning their Girl Scout badges... So far they are almost done with one and have a bunch more that they are working on. Yay!

Before I go here are a couple pics from when Jaina was born plus Samara and Andrea's school pics:

Today is the day!!!

2008-10-11T07:24:00.003-05:00

OMGosh! We are going to the birthing center today and probably won't come home until we have a baby! Wowza!

Okay, I feel better now... I just had to get that outta my system :-P
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I've got this funny feeling of dejavu like I've done this before less than a year ago LMAO!

Okay now I gotta get ready! Only an hour until I leave!!!!

Not much longer...

2008-10-10T21:20:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that tomorrow's the day I go to the birthing center for natural induction. It seems like it was yesterday that I found out I was expecting again! I still remember the day I found out officially. It was the end of February but I had suspicions since Valentines Day. I was super excited because we were "unofficially" trying to get pregnant but was a little nervous about having one again so soon after Alex was born. Luckily this whole pregnancy has been pretty uneventful except for the preterm labor scare, but even that was taken care of easily.

I'm a little sad because Tom and I decided that Jaina will be our last baby but then I'm excited as well to finally hold her in my arms and have my body back (except for the breastfeeding part but that's perfectly okay). I'm just ready to get back into shape, a shape other than round LOL.

I'm just wondering if I will be able to sleep tonight because I'm so excited. Today the family and I went to Toys R Us and Stonebriar Mall in Frisco to get out of the house and so I could walk around to hopefully progress things a little. I've had a few Braxton Hicks contractions since then but nothing major. Maybe I'll have a glass of hot tea to relax me before bed. That usually helps me sleep :-)

I've got to be at the birth center by 10:00 am so I will get up around 6:30 am or so that way I have plenty of time to get ready, pack last minute items and load the car. It takes us a little over an hour to get there so we are going to try to leave by 8:30-8:45. Tom's mom will be taking care of the kiddos while we are there and will bring them up there when Jaina is born.

Well, I'm off to make some tea...

So Here We Are....

2008-10-09T23:55:00.002-05:00

After over 3 years of journaling, ranting, raving, and catching up on my lovely MySpace blog, I realized that I have not kept a good daily account of my life. Until signing up with MySpace, I actually kept a journal that I would write in almost daily. I really need to get back to a daily journal because it is almost a form of therapy for me. It makes me happy :-)

Perhaps I can accomplish this task here. Who knows... Well, for those who have not kept up with my MySpace blog, here is the link to catch up:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=15692950

Since it is so late, I must get to bed. Morning arrives much too early when up at this hour...

'Till next time :-)