New Year Greeting

She grows and grows and grows

Our little pumpkin seems to be getting rounder and more curious every day. She's up to about 15 lbs now, I'm just sure of it, maybe fatter. I like to call her the stay-puff marshmallow baby. If you saw the rolls on her fat little legs, you'd understand why. Her hair is finally starting to grow back in, too. No real signs of curl yet, pretty much stick up straight fuzzy kind of stuff right now.

Cora's starting to show real interest in her surroundings now. She loves ceiling fans and blinking lights. Her newest favorite thing is her "exersaucer", the modern-day walker, but stationary type thing. Geron put it together for her last night and we put her in. She went crazy over it. There are several different toys on it that spin, bend, rattle, etc. I think her favorite thing was a blue elephant that can bob back and forth from side to side. I think she's waiting for it to talk to her. She gave it the Stare down--I think it won. I imagine she was thinking something like "What are you? Why don't you talk to me? Why does your nose look like that?" I'm surprised she didn't start talking to it as much as she's been jabbering lately.

Yesterday, Cora demonstrated her conversational skills to our church choir. About 5 ladies were standing in front of us, mingling before practice, and Cora and I were sitting in a chair. She looked up at them, clasped her hands in front of her, and began jibber jabbering. She was very serious about what she was saying and everyone was listening closely, showing her that they believed what she said was important. Don't you wonder what babies are thinking of when they're cooing and gabbing at you? I would guess it was something like "Ladies, I'm glad you could gather here today. Its wonderful to see you and I would like you to know that you are dear dear friends. Would you like to play with me and my rattle? I'll shake it for you, if you like and you can grin and laugh. Then, you can feed me and I'll give you a present in my diaper. What do you say?"

Cora has a sense of humor, too. This morning, as the choir was warming up for the cantata, Cora got a little fussy, so Geron picked her up and continued to direct. At one point, he started singing quite loud and Cora put her hand over his mouth. The whole choir got a kick out of it. I always thought she'd do that to me, but apparently she can handle my quiet singing okay. Daddy, on the other hand, needs to back down a little bit. Ha!

Anyway, thats the latest in the world of Cora. She's a beaut!

Cora's talk with Santa

 

Granny  wants to know what Cora asked of Santa for Christmas.  I'm still learning baby talk, but I think she was asking for Granny to stay through the rest of December.  Mom left this morning and I don't know what we're going to do--we've been spoiled rotten!  Cora and Granny have been playing together all week--kicking, dancing, playing with lovies.  And Granny has really been great to get up in the middle of the night and feed and change Miss Co (as she likes to call her.)  They've talked and smiled and had tons of fun together.  Cora can't wait til Granny comes back to visit at Christmas.  Thanks, Mom, for being such a huge help this week.  We appreciate you so much!! Cora misses you allready!

 

As for Cora and Christmas, what do you get a three-month-old?  She's learning how to hold things right now and has four super soft lovies that she hugs and kisses and drools all over, so she doesn't need any of those.  Maybe a new rattle? Board books? I personally think she would go crazy over a puppy, but that's not going to happen this year! I think she;ll be satisfied just having people play and sing with her.  And of course she enjoys staring at the Christmas tree lights.  She's a great Christmas present for us!

Is That Beard Real?

So Cora is doing a lot better, her appetite has returned with a vengeance and the cough is gradually going away. She is in a new phase where she is really doing good at recognizing voices and faces. and she is starting to really grin a lot. We took her out tonight for the first time since her overnight stay in the hospital last week. Granny has been here all week, and has been a HUGE help. Tonight after a dinner we did a little shopping at the mall. We bought our first christmas gift of the season, and who knows, it may be for one of you. We bought a new dress for Cora, and few other odds and ends. I Pushed the stroller most of the night, and everyone kept telling me what a beautiful baby she was. Several people saw Cora drinking from her podee and wanted to know where they could get one. We just couldn't pass up taking a picture with Santa when we saw that there was no one in line waiting. Cora was pretty tired and didn't give us her best grin, but overall she did a pretty good job.

Thanks for all your prayers for the little one. We are blessed to have good friends like you guys.

a beautiful girl

cora made my day yesterday!  she was having a fussy spell and seemed to be hungry, so i went to the kitchen to fix her a bottle.  As I came back into the living room, shaking her bottle, she looked up at me and gave me the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.  Its like she knew exactly what I was doing for her and was grinning as if to say "thank you, mommy, for reading my mind." I am blessed beyond measure to have such a darling baby!

 

Cora is feeling quite a bit better.  Her appetite is pretty much back to normal and she doesn't seem to be sleeping as much.  She has an ear infection, but is on meds for it, and her cough is improving. 

 

I think she is missing her buddies.  Her babysitter gives us pictures quite frequently of things Cora does at her house.  One of Cora's best friends appears to be a black and white spaniel named Bailey.  We have a sweet picture of the two snuggled up together on the couch with Cora's arm wrapped around Bailey's front leg.  They are good buds.  I was showing her the picture and Cora clicked her tongue at it.  This is significant because TonTon, Cora's sitter, clicks her tongue at her and the only times that I've heard Cora click is when I showed her this picture and when i mentioned TonTon to her.  For the rest of the week, Cora is hanging out with Granny til we know she isn't contagious.  She and Granny are having fun together--they're good buds, too.

 

Please continue to pray for her as she recovers.  Love to all!

Thanksliving

Yes, thanksliving, meaning we are thankful our beautiful baby girl is alive. Our thanksgiving holiday was cut short this year by a sick baby. Cora started feeling bad last Saturday, before Thanksgiving, congested and the like. We went to the doc and he said she was just congested and needed a work of the bulb syringe. Try as we may, we didn't have much success with the thing and by Wednesday, Cora wasn't doing well at all. She'd developed a cough and a loss of appetite. We decided to go to Kentucky only for the day on Thursday and drive back home that evening. Cora enjoyed meeting her great aunts and many cousins and they enjoyed spoiling her rotten, from what I could tell.

Friday morning, back in Chatt, we took Cora in to the doctor's office. They checked her pulsox ---oxygen level in the blood-- and it was very low, an 81. She was asleep, so we woke her up and it went up to a 93, but was mainly resting around the high 80's, which isn't good. The doctor sent us to the children's hospital immediately and had us admit her. They tested her for RSV, a respiratory virus. She tested negative, but was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis, which is also a respiratory virus. She received breathing treatments about every two hours Friday. Albuterol being the drug of choice, made her quite hyper and FUSSEEEEEE! Her little nose was "hoovered" about every hour, too, to get all the mucous out. Let's just say, Geron and I were absolutely exhausted that evening. We stayed at the hospital with her, of course, and managed to get some sleep. We were sent home Saturday afternoon with a nebulizer to give Cora breathing treatments at home.

Granny (my mom) has come down to care for Cora while we work this week since she is contagious and can't go to TonTon's house this week. I think she is missing her friends, especially Bailey, the dog, but she and Granny are getting along well. She is still coughing a bit, but her breathing is slowing back down and her appetite is gradually returning to normal. Please keep us in your prayers this week as she continues to recover.

We have a darling picture of Cora in her oversized hospital gown--just like an adult's with the ties in the back. My fav' is one of her with her backside to us and her Elmo pamper is showing through the opening in the back of the gown. Even when she's sick, she's adorable!

O Happy Day

Hallelujah!!!!

Got the report from the doctors today, and
the brace comes off.
Her hips look normal.
Praise the Lord!!















in other news...

don't make her angry, you wouldn't like her when she's angry!!

the little munchkin

Those blissful days of Cora sleeping endlessly with her little head on my chest are over...well mostly. Cora has been able to sit and hold her head up for a few weeks now, and now she refuses to lay her head down unless she is ready to sleep or she is extremely tired. That sounds ok, but apparently she has decided that sleeping is for losers. If your holding her she pretty much insists on sitting upright. enter our friend bumbo.

who or what is Bumbo? Bumbo is the coolest thing to hit the baby merchandise aisles since the arrival of the Podee hands free bottle. It's a little seat made of a really cushy foam that completely holds baby girl up. It makes her feel like a grown up. I saw these when we were registering for baby stuff back before the arrival of our little princess, and always thought they looked cool. But now i realize they are so much cooler than i could have ever imagined. it even works with her brace that will soon be coming off...we hope. We go monday for her next ultrasound. help us pray that her hip issue is cleared up.

here are a few pics.
the first one is while we were fixing dinner in the kitchen.

notice the cool stack of free formula.




This is is mommy reading to Cora from her new bible. i think this is the christmas story. by the way you should toatally check out "The Big Picture Story Bible". It's the best visual bible for kids i have ever seen.

This one was a gift from Roger and Pam Bartley, our good friends in Ky.


This is Cora doing one of her favorite activities.

my little punkin

new pics are up

this is one of my favorites

Dedication, Exclamation, and Relaxation...

Sunday publicly started a whole new journey for us.  We dedicated Cora to the Lord.  For those of you who may not know what this involves, here is a very basic explanation.  Its a public decision to raise Cora with Christian values so that she might one day accept Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.  We, as her parents, commit to letting The Bible be our "How-to" book for raising her and to it being our personal guide book as well.  It is also a call to the church to hold us accountable and to teach and show Cora the love of Christ through their own lives, too.   I can name many people in the church(es) I grew up in that have taught me so much about God's unconditional love for us and His forgiveness through Christ Jesus.  I don't know if I would be here today without many of them. 

 

The service was beautiful and Cora was soooo good during it.  She wore a lovely little satin dress with embroidered flowers on it.  Check out the picks on flicker.  My favorite (that we have so far) is one of me holding her with her just staring into the camera with her beautiful big blue eyes.  In some ways she looks absolutely nothing like me--except for those big cheeks!  A lady at church took some pics, too, and I really love one of Cora laying on her pink blanket with the dress and bonnet on.  I'll post it when I get it.

 

NOW, for the exclamation part of this post. 

 

MONDAY--a new day.  Cora had her two-month check up yesterday. A healthy 22 inch baby girl, weighed in at 11 lbs, 6 oz, an average size baby.   You may remember that this visit involves immunizations, SHOTS.  I don't remember right off which ones they were,  but she had four of them, two in both of her fat little thighs.  Poor baby cried and cried.  We gave her some baby tylenol before the shots, but they still hurt, of course.  She cried all the way out to the car and once the van started, she went to sleep.  Geron kept her all day yesterday since I had to go back to work.  She slept a good part of the morning, but her daddy related that the afternoon experience was quite difficult.  We're sure she woke up with sore legs--you all remember how shots can leave you feeling.  He fed her and changed several diapers--and dealt with a quite fussy baby.  He told me last night that he understood why i wasn't able to get much done when I was taking care of Cora those first few weeks. 

 

....and finally, relaxation.  Today Cora went to the sitter's and slept the day away.  She was beat!  She normally eats about every two to three hours.  Today--after her noon feeding, she went to sleep and didn't eat again til about five o'clock.  I only hope she'll sleep through the night.  She's got to get a bath, so maybe that will wear her out, too. 

Imitation

Cora is going to be 8 weeks tomorrow.

so it's been a crazy couple of weeks ...Cora is adjusting to life with her hip brace. and sleeping through the night almost every night.(last night being the most recent exception). She is staying awake longer and is being entertained by simple things like mirrors.

we have discovered that she may be a genius which probably is going to cause doubt in most peoples mind about her paternity and possibly even her maternity. Just kidding. Yesterday something really cool happened.

she is starting to really focus on people and look at their faces. And I heard that she smiles real big but hadn't seen for myself until yesterday. I was holding her on my lap and we were spending some time looking at each other. At one point she was looking around and I said her name loudly and she immediately looked right at me as if to say, "what?" this kind of surprised me and encouraged to believe that she may not be taking after her mother in some ways. :) As I held her I starting making motorboat or raspberry noises with my mouth as Cora intensely listened and watched me. In about 10 seconds she started making the noises too!!! She had never done that before, and I hollered for Lydia to watch her as Cora continued to sputter away. It was awesome!!!

It's true that imitation is the highest form of flattery. It made my day.

This one of my favorite pictures my brother took in nashville last week.

Cora's First Word

Now, before all you mothers get jealous at the fact that Cora is only one month old and allready talking, you should know this is only a dream. (although the nurses at the hospital ER said thry thought shetook The Lord's name in vain when they were taking her blood...she sometimes cries something that sounds like "oh guh") Anyhoo, Geron told me this morning that he'd dreamt Cora said her first word in the grocery store. I asked what word she'd said. "GET"was the answer. What did she want us to get? Her pacifier she'd dropped. I thought it was a pretty cute sounding dream. Of course we all know her first real words will be "Mommy, I love you", but we'll let Geron have his dreams for now.

Do you all remember your babies' first words and what the circumstances were under which they spoke them? Please share. I think my sister's baby's first word will be fart. (no, as far as I know I'm not an aunt yet, nor am I going to be one in the next nine months.)

A Big Hit

We're back from an incredible trip to Kentucky. Cora was AWESOME on the road! She is such a good baby. I knew she liked car rides, but I wasn't sure how she was going to do on a five hour one. She was absolutely great. We stopped a few times for diaper changes, of course. I felt sorry for her as her little bum was wrinkled from her diaper and being wedged in her car seat. She didn't seem to care, though.

Friday night, we attended the wedding rehearsal, Geron, me, Granny and Cora. Cora wasn't extremely happy about not being part of the wedding(HA!)--she made her presence known. SHe cried for awhile, but really wasn't bad. We got to introduce her to a lot of college friends, (of whom it was really great to see, by the way.) At the rehearsal dinner we played a round of Hot Potato with Cora being the potato.

Saturday was a very long day. Geron left early to do guy wedding party stuff. Granny came and took Cora to her house while I went shoe shopping. Then, I joined them and Grandpa at the house. Little miss spent the whole day with Granny, Grandpa, Annie and Uncle Daniel while her daddy and I were at the wedding. It was a very beautiful event--very happy for Ben and Rebekah--. I left G-town at 12:45. The wedding started at 3. I made the first call around 2:30. The next call I made right after the wedding, about 4 ish. We went to the reception and I sat in view of a very newborn baby. Noone told me how hard it was going to be being away from my baby for so long. I tried to enjoy myself at the reception, but I missed Cora too much. I did enjoy watching people dance, but called the parents several times to check on the girl. WE finally got back to Mom's house around 9. Cora had done well.

Sunday we went to Georgetown Baptist. MOm and Dad were proud to show their grandbaby off. They were in the choir loft during the service. Their eyes were pretty much on Cora until near the end of the service when I had to take her out because her diaper wreaked. At that point a certain someone fell asleep, but I won't give names. We hit the Plum Tree after church and Cora got to meet some wonderful family and "pretend family". Libby, who is the closest living person to my Granny, got to hold Cora. And Dexter and Cora seemed to hit it off, too. She also met Laura Rose and Andrea Campbell, my pretend Christmas Eve family.

Sunday night we drove to Richmond and Cora met many friends from First Baptist, along with visiting with Aunt Holly and Uncle Jeff briefly. She was bummed she didn't get to spend more time with them, but she's looking forward to possibly seeing AUnt Holly again really soon. We spent the night with "Nana Pam" and Roger and visited with Mel, John and Ethan, too. Cora really enjoyed Ethan holding her.

MOnday we made a trip to Nashville to meet Uncle Sean. Cora modeled for him and he took some EXCELLENT pictures of her. I don't know how to say this so it doesn't sound like an insult, but I would hire him any day to do pictures of her over any professional photographer. IF we get some pics, I'll try to post some so you can see what I'm talking about. ANyway, Cora loves her uncle Sean.

Tuesday we made our way back home. We are exhausted! Cora's first road trip was a successful adventure. She thinks she might be up for a trip to Louisiana at Thanksgiving if her mom and dad are up for it.

We all enjoyed visiting with good friends and family this week. We love you!

Road Trip and a misplaced hip

WOW! Today is our big day. We're going to Kentucky for Ben and Rebekah's wedding--yea!! This will be Cora's first big road trip. Right now, as far as we can tell, she loves car rides, but I don't know if she loves 5 HOUR car rides. I guess we'll find out quickly.

This week we found out that Cora has some slight hip displasia. On Monday, we got the call telling us that she would have to wear a brace. I imagined it would be something simple that would just fit on over her diaper that she'd wear only when she was sleeping. (I'm no doctor, obviously) I imagined WRONG. Geron says her brace looks like "liederhosen". Its a pink strappy type thing that goes from shoulder to toe pretty much. She can wear it over her clothes and we can change her diaper without taking the brace off. The really rough part is that she has to wear it 23 hours a day for 8 weeks.

Miss Cora does not like to be restricted. The thing keeps her legs in a squatting position, so she can't stretch them straight out. When she was fitted for the brace, she pitched a royal tantrum. Her face turned bright red, her bottom lip got tight and started quivering and then she just howled at us. It was absolutely awful seeing our baby so upset and not being able to do anything for her. After the first day, her tantrums got shorter, but there are a few moments where you know she's just so upset about not being able to stretch. We treasure the hour where she doesn't have to wear it. I strip her down to her diaper and cuddle her and play with her toes and rub her back. And then I pass her off to Geron so he can do the same thing. Cuddling with the brace on has become rather awkward, but we do that too as much as we can.

This incident with Cora has only given me a tiny glimpse of what the Lord must have felt seeing his son on the cross. How incredible it is to see how He uses parenting to teach us more about His grace. We really have soooo much for which to be thankful.

So, today Cora, Daddy and Mommy are going to Kentucky, brace and all. We'll get to see some great college friends and church friends. And Cora is especially looking forward to spending some time with Granny and Grandpa. She's only seen Grandpa twice since she was born and they were instant buddies. (I'm just waiting for her to yank a hold of his beard and pull as hard as possible. ) She's going to meet lots of new people, so I hope she'll be on her best behavior. HA! She's a really great baby, actually. A lot of her fussy spells have seemed to left the building (with Elvis.) Please keep us in your prayers while we travel. We'll blog about the trip when we get back.

Random cora

I know I haven't been on here lately, so I'm sharing some random bits about the week with Cora.

My little girl is the prettiest little thing I've ever seen--especially when she sleeps! However, I think she might be sleeping too much at night now. Last night she slept from 10 to 6. I guess its possible that I'm getting up to feed her in the middle of the night like geron says I did, but I don't remember doing it if I do. or maybe she is just wearing herself out during the day.

Other things--wednesday Geron came home for lunch. One great thing about him coming home during the day is that he helps with Cora so I can get a chance to actually do something like take a shower if I need to. This happened wednesday. While I was getting out, Geron informed me that there had been an accident in the living room. Don't tell that to a newborn's mother. I couldn't imagine what had happened, but Geron seemed more amused than panic-y. He said "scooter scooted out of her diaper." She was in her pack and play and had scooted across it leaving behind her diaper and a yellow "treasure".

today we discovered that she might like rain. It was pouring, so she didn't have a choice but to be in it a little bit. She didn't cry at all, though. Perhaps we should try giving her a bath in the rain instead of the kitchen!

And in other news, Cora is getting a boyfriend-HA! Seriously, congratulations to our friends, Lindsey and Eric who just found out they're having a boy in February. Cora's getting several new friends around the eastern states and we pray for them and their mommies daily.

Cora can't have cookies. She doesn't have teeth to chew them yet. She's been going to the nursery at church and spends time with Mrs.Jan, Miss Jennifer, and/or Mrs. Lynn. And her friends, Madeline and Hannah (2-year-olds) are usually in there, too. Wednesday night, Hannah tried to feed Cora part of her cookie. Its okay, Hannah, I know you were just SHARING and sharing is good.

Lastly, Granny and Grandpa are coming to visit Cora tonight! YEA! They'll be here for the weekend and I'm sure baby girl will be spoiled rotten by the time they go back home. But hey! Thats what Grandparents are for! ( And yes, I realize I might regret having said this later on.)

2 new nicknames for Cora

Our baby girl showed us she can accomplish some amazing feats this week. The other night we put her down to sleep in the middle of her crib, between her lamby sleep positioner. When she woke about an hour later, she was at the EDGE of her crib--thank God for whoever invented the crib bumper! This incident(and several like it since then) has earned her the first nickname--Scooter.

For her second nn, she really didn't DO anything. I merely put her down to bed in her fleece sleepsack around 11 last night. I awoke to baby peeps and cries this morning at --get ready for this people, this is big--almost 7 AM!!!!!!!!!! nickname? SLEEPING BEAUTY!

**UPDATE by Geron**
apparently mommy doesn't remember getting up at 2:oo to feed baby, but daddy does. So the nickname will have to go to mommy instead.

Happy Days are Here Again!

Cora seems to be having better days this week--and me, too. YEA! I must admit my last blog entry was typed at about midnight or midnight thirty when I was exhausted and Cora wasn't. Yesterday and today have both been good days for me with her. Her gas doesn't seem to be as bad--at least its not lingering IN her tummy as long. She hasn't been incredibly fussy either day. She really is a sweet, good baby all the time. I'm just a new mommy learning about babies--I've never had to take care of one 24/7.

I try to be sure she knows I love her all the time, even when she is fussy. We pray together when she wakes up in the mornings and when I put her down for bed at night. Of course, she basically can only say "ooooee Aahhhh" kinds of sounds, but I know God knows what she means. I say a prayer on her behalf so she can learn how to say real words to God later on. We're learning to pray throughout the day, too, when she's having a hard time or when Mommy is frustrated or hurting. I want her to know her Jesus is there to hear her WHENEVER she needs Him, and especially when Mommy or Daddy can't tell what she needs.

She's calling me now, so I better see to her. I've got a great little girl. Thank you all for your advice.

BY the way, my lactation nurse from the hospital called yesterday and told me about a support group for nursing moms that meets at the hospital. I'm going to check it out.

hungry

I'm thinking my body is not working properly right now and perhaps Cora is starving. Well, perhaps I'm exaggerating, but I do have a problem with nursing right now. I seem to be clogged up on the right side. Some days I dream of switching Cora to formula. At least then I would know how much she's eating. She has gained a pound since her first doctor's appointment. But tonight has been another problem night for us. Cora has been wide awake since about six--its almost 1 am now. She wants to eat forever. I've tried to put her down to sleep several times and she starts screaming. I feel ashamed for thinking this, but I'm starting to wonder what happened to my easy baby. Also, I don't think the mylicon is working for her. She seems really uncomfortable. I feel like a miserable mommy right now because I can't meet her needs or really struggle to understand what her needs are. i even gave in and gave her a paci. I need some encouragement desperately!

going to the doctor

Yesterday we noticed Cora had started wheezing. Her breathing had been sounding congested the last couple of days. So, when the wheezing started I got worried. We made an appointment right away and headed to the doctor's office.

Cora has a wonderful pediatrician. The Lord has really blessed our family with great doctors in all areas. Her doc has about 30 years of experience under his belt and used to be head of pediatrics at the children's hospital here, so we are well pleased and comfortable with him. He examined our girl and, in my words here, said there was nothing to be concerned about. If she has trouble breathing while eating we're supposed to give her a saline treatment in her nose. He also told us to invest in a coolmist humidifier for her room. We bought one on the way home. As for the congestion, if it sounds like its in her chest, but we can't feel it resonating there , then we need to make a new appointment. For now, our pumpkin is fine and her mommy is just a woory wart.

In other baby news, I think I'm ready to take some friends' advice and turn off her monitor at night. I was once an EXTREMELY sound sleeper, but now I wake up at every tiny peep. It seems Geron and I have traded places. He wakes up to her cries and gets up and changes diapers. I wake up if her foot pats the matress. This morning, Cora was wide awake at around 4:30 0r 5 and wanted to be held. Geron, being the sucker I told him he was going to be, got her up and the two of them went to the living room to watch t.v. I think he'll be sorry for that later.

Cora is a funny little girl

Little Miss Cora seems to consider herself a lady, but she doesn't appear to have any manners. I love watching her. She cracks me up! I never realized newborns could be so funny.

First of all, when she's awake, she likes to cross her legs and lay her hands across her chest, kind of in a prayer-like position, fingers intwined. When you say something to her, she often closes her eyes, raises her eyebrows and gives you that "OH, REALLY? IS THAT SO?" kind of prissy look. She behaves herself very very well in church (sleeps mainly, but for a baby, that's behaving.) And when people hold her, she snuggles with them and kind of grins from time to time. She thinks she's a lady, I'm sure.

But this little peach has her moments and they crack me up. I'd say she takes after her "Annie" and even her "aunt Holly" in some regards. Well, I guess I must admit, she takes after me, too, in this area. She burps LOUD! And she doesn't say "excuse me". She expects us to tell her "That's a good one, Cora.".... She also poots LOUD. These really make me laugh. She lays in your arms looking ever so sweet, hands and legs crossed politely and then SUDDENLY, she opens her eyes really wide, puffs out her cheeks (I know they're allready pretty fat) throws her arms up in the air, kicks her legs out straight and lets the loudest one you think you've ever heard. And then, she sweetly returns to her previous position like nothing ever happened. Sometimes she'll even look up at you after its over with an expression that seems to say "What?"

Cora seems to know when people are talking about her, too. Especially when she's asleep. Someone will say something cute about her or say "She's so beautiful" and she'll kind of open her eyes a little and look up at the person and sort of grin. She also has a habit of opening her eyes and rolling them back in her head while she's sleeping. And somehow this action seems to occur when Geron and I talk about plans we have for the day IF ALL GOES WELL...Its like she's saying "Yeah, that's what THEY think they're gonna do. Wait til they see what I have in store for them."

Geron likes to sit Cora on his chest, face to face, --cutest thing that seems to happen around our house--and they talk. They were sitting this way the other evening and Geron said "Cora, smile at Daddy. Show Daddy a smile." She paused a second and then made the HUGEST frowny face. It was hilarious! I think she's got his sense of humor (and you friends from the BSU know--his gas.)

I enjoy her sooo much! She sleeps, she cries, she eats, she poops and wets, --can't read yet, Grandpa, but we're working on that one--she even grins from time to time, and even though its probably gas, its cute. She sneezes and coughs and cuddles, cuddles, cuddles. She wakes us up in the middle of the night yelling at the top of her lungs "LAYYYYYYY! LAYYYYYYYY! LAYYYYYYYY!" which means "I'm wet, I pooped and I'm weally weally Hungry!" She's a beautiful baby and we are so in love with her.

M&M's and Babies

I don't know exactly what happened yesterday but I'm blaming it on the M&M's I ate in the late afternoon. I'd kind of been taking it easy on chocolate---a brownie a day is easy for me and when you have RP's caramel brownies you'll understand that I was really trying hard to take it easy. Anyway, yesterday I had a regular size bag of m&m's and I think they made a little girl living in our house VERY HYPER.

Starting around 7, Cora woke up and wanted to eat. So, I fed her. About an hour later, she acted like she was ready to eat again, crying like mad all at the same time. This cycle went on until Geron finally said "Honey, she's NOT hungry. She CAN'T be hungry after eating every hour." I'd been told by all the lactation nurses and books that when a baby shows hunger signs, offer them "food". So, I was just doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. Finally, Geron took her off my hands and tried to see if he could calm her down. We were up til midnight, at least, with a very fussy, angry baby. At midnight, I took her and we went on a walk through the house. Sometimes this works to console her-- It wasn't working last night. We ended up in the nursery and I sat down in the rocker with her, worn out (Mommy, that is). Cora continued to yell for about 3 minutes and suddenly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. We didn't hear a peep out of her between one and 7:15 this morning.

Normally, we have a very calm little girl who sleeps about two to three hours between feedings and only fusses if she's waited too long to eat, is having gas or poopoo problems or has a wet diaper. (for some reason the poopoo ones don't bother her, its just getting it out) I think the m&m's had to have gotten to her last night. So, while they happen to be one of my FAVORITE candies, I believe I will lay off them for now. PRAY HARD, PEOPLE.

A Full House

It has been a whirlwind couple of days. Lydia's mom left on friday afternoon and our good buddies The Prossers arrived late Friday night. Holly and I gave Miss Cora a bath on Saturday morning and we all went out to buffalo wild wings for some wings and college football. Cora was loving all of the sounds and lights in the restaurant, but feel asleep after a few minutes. They went home on Saturday afternoon and literally met Everett, Lydia's brother in the front yard as he was arriving. We all went to church on Sunday and of course everyone had to see Cora. Everett left this morning, and it's finally just the three of us. Cora is sleeping and eating good, so mommy and daddy are getting up to five hours of uninterrupted sleep most nights. Here are a few pictures from this weekend.

Cora likes buffalo wild wings.

Survivor: Chattanooga

We've made it through the first week of life with a baby and we are POOPED (and pooped on.) Even with everything I've been through, I can say with the rest of the world's moms "I would do it all over again just to get this beautiful baby."

I wish I were more eloquent to be able to express just what a week we've had without using the words "Awesome, tiring, extreme joy, frustration, precious moments,etc." Cora is a wonderful baby. She has a very sweet disposition and cries only when she's about to poo or mommy is late on feeding her. Big appetite, this one has!

My mom has been here all week babysitting me and Cora while Geron works. It has been a bonding experience like no other. We have an entirely new relationship now as I have now joined the ranks of motherhood. She's taught me a lot this week about feeding Cora and comforting her at 3 a.m. Thank you, mom, for taking such good care of us. Her leaving was hard for both of us, but there comes a time that I have to start learning things for myself.

Geron and I are ready to start this parenting journey together. We are adjusting to waking up to cries and peeps. Geron has seemed to have figured out the codes for poopy diaper, hunger, and "Will somebody pick me up allready?!!!" I am still working on them.

As for my recovery, the worst part has gone I think. I had my drain and staples removed Wednesday. I yelled and cried like a baby. Its a very good thing I didn't go through regular childbirth afterall.

Cora and I are blogging this together and she just made some buisness transactions in her pants, so we'll be going now.


Thank you for loving us and praying for us. We love you!

New Pics

Hey I Put a bunch of new pics up last night over on our flickr.
I hope to get the video up of her first bath soon.

My Personal Favorite


Check them out here.

My Saviour My God

My Saviour Loves, My Saviour Lives, My Saviour's Always there for me
My God He was, My God He is, My God He's Always Gonna Be.............


There is no doubt in my mind that My God is GREATER today than He was yesterday and continues to become greater and greater as each day passes.

Thank you all for praying for us this week and especially for me. I am SO thankful for the life I've been given and the BEAUTIFUL baby girl that the Lord has delivered to me. I am overwhelmed by the love that has been outpoured to us from all over the country, and as I hear from even other countries.

We came home today and are doing well. Cora Sophia is a beautiful, sweet baby and I couldn't have imagined her being this incredible. Daddy Geron is exhausted as am I, but we are very very happy and have much to praise our Jesus for today.

Thank you all again for your love and prayers.

P.S. To see our beautiful baby girl's first "modeling" pic, go to

www.parkridgeeasthospital.com

and use this code to view her picture: 017223

New Baby

Everybody is doing great !! We will probably go home Sunday

Video

Everybody Is Doing Super!!! We will probably get to go home Sunday.

She's Finally Here

Check out our baby blog over at

http://thebrownbabyblog.blogspot.com/

for all the details.

God Is Good

It's been a really long day, I want to write about this while it is still fresh in my mind. It's been a whirlwind day. Our baby girl Cora Sophia came today just after 1:00. Lydia was doing very well but suddenly took a turn for the worse. During Cora's birth there were a few complications. Lydia had some pretty bad bleeding after delivering, and it wouldn't stop. A 1 hour c-section turned into a 3 and a half hour emotional rollercoaster.

Apparently there was a major problem that no one knew about with Lydia. Thankfully we had a c-section, and the docs were able to diagnose it and begin treatment immediately. If Lydia had delivered naturally, The bleeding would have happened, but we would not have been able to catch it as soon as we did. They had to remove the right ovary and Fallopian tube, but the bleeding was finally stopped after several tense hours. She lost a lot of blood and had to take two units afterwards.

Lydia is doing pretty well tonight, She knows that God's hand has been on her today, and we have felt the prayers of our Christian family on our behalf. The medical staff is keeping a close watch on her tonight and we will know a lot more tomorrow.

Cora is BEAUTIFUL. The perfect combination of our features. She fed really good twice this evening, and is "Latching-On" like a champ. She's 7lbs 3oz, 20 in, pink, loud, and gorgeous!!!

Continue to pray for Lydia as she recuperates from her ordeal. I really felt a special peace that only Christ can give through all of this today. I felt like I had ran a marathon and won the gold medal only to be run over by a dump-truck as soon as I crossed the finish line. God is faithful and true when we are at our highest highs and at our lowest lows. I feel like I have been both places today.

now for the good stuff!!!

Cora Sophia Brown

Cora Sophia Brown
Originally uploaded by gdaphunkiest.

7lbs 3oz and dark hair

Happy Birthday Little CSB

So there's her initials.  Today is her birthday. YEA!!!!  I am feeling pretty good right now, a little nervous, but not nearly like yesterday.  THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!!  God is good and He is watching over us.  We are soooo excited we don't know what to do with ourselves.  We're leaving for the hospital soon.  Geron has had the video camera out this morning--UGH!  I know he's big on documenting things, but I just can't get into the video thing.  A regular camera I can somewhat handle but I don't know what to do when someone turns the other in my direction.  He can shine it on little one ALL he wants.  And I'll record the two of them all he wants, but as for me, just do a quick clicker. 

 

I've got a song for myself today to get me through.  I don't know if any of you have heard of Aaron Schultz (sp?), but he sings "My Saviour, My God".  I don't know the verses, but I love the chorus.  ITs very simple, but it has been my theme this summer. 

    "My Saviour Loves, My Saviour Lives, My Saviour's always there for me"

    "My God He Was, My God He Is, My God He's Always gonna be!" 

 

I PRAISE HIM AND LOVE HIM FOR THIS! 

 

I love you all, too and will try to call or post as soon as we can!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Not me! I know a wolf can't actually blow my housedown. There is another big bad wolf, though, who is called the devil and is trying to scare me senseless. This morning, I woke up feeling okay. I hugged Geron before he left for work--no kisses because he has a cold--and started my day. As I was in the middle of my morning routine, I started thinking about tomorrow and my impending surgery and started to feel very frightened. I cried and cried like a baby. I sat in the nursery, in my great great Granny's rocking chair, and hugged a teddy bear and cried and shivered and cried. I felt paralyzed with fear. I wanted to stay in that chair forever and do nothing. I began to pray and call on the Lord. And gradually, Jesus started filling me with verses and songs of comfort. I thought of our baby and how she will need us to comfort her when she is scared and crying, to hold her and let her know that she is going to be okay because we will take care of her. As I thought of those moments, the Lord said "Lydia, this is exactly what I am doing for you. Right now. I'm in control. I know you are afraid, but you are my daughter and I'm going to take care of you. Even as much as you love the little girl I've given you, I love you and her MORE. WAY MORE. Don't be afraid for I am with you. I am your God and I will comfort you." Eventually, I was able to get out of the chair and continue through the day. Yet, God was still doing things to show me that He is in control and that His plan is to give me hope and a future.

This afternoon we went to the hospital for my pre-testing. The ladies who helped us were WONDERFUL. God knew I needed peace and He used the right people to help me receive it. We saw the hospital's labor and delivery unit and the Mother and Baby unit. I was impressed and felt good knowing a little something about where I would be staying and how my baby would be taken care of. THe nurse also talked with me about the procedures for the surgery tomorrow and helped to give me a better understanding of what was going to happen. When we left the hospital, I was definitely feeling less aprehensive.

Later, I talked to my mom and she sounded really excited about her coming grandbaby. I'm really glad she and Daddy will be able to come down and visit with me before surgery and meet their beautiful baby granddaughter so soon.

After talking with mom, we finally got back home and I checked my email to find a note and prayer from my good friend, Holly. It seems that the Lord was telling Holly to encourage me about the same time that I was feeling so scared earlier today. Things she told me in the email were the exact things I felt Jesus was saying to me as I was sitting in the rocker. GOD IS IN CONTROL---that has been my stronghold today. He is in control and HE has a plan to give not only me, but to give our baby a hope and a future.

Tonight, Geron and I are going to hang out and go to a late night movie. Tomorrow, we're going to go to the hospital and have our lives changed forever.

Congratulations, Ann!!

I think Ann, my sister, is going to win the poll on the baby's birthdate and time, unless others have posted and I just haven't seen them yet.    We are scheduled for a c-section on Wednesday, August 23rd at noon.  We wanted to go to the hospital that is right beside my doctor's office, but they are allready booked up for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.  So, we'll be across town from there in a hospital that is supposed to be just as nice, and some say nicer. 

 

Our ultrasound showed us a BIG baby.  Well, a little bigger than average anyway.  She is probably going to weigh around 8 1/2 pounds.  Our technician projected her to be 8 lbs 10 oz, but she said that she might be guessing just a little big.  Little Miss passed her "physical" with an A+.  I'm so proud! Her first A!!!  Her lungs and heart both looked good and fingers and toes appeared to be there, as well.  She is definitely still sideways.  The fact that she won't probably turn and that the doctor predicted her to be a week ahead of what we had orginally thought would be her due date are the main reasons we're having her Wednesday. 

 

We did the nesting thing this weekend--cleaned like crazy, did laundry, bought last minute needs, packed hospital bags, etc.  We are ready for her.  Our house is ready for her.  Our van is ready for her.  Church and school are ready for her.  And definitely our families and friends are ready for her!!  What we, or should I say "I" am not ready for is SURGERY.  I've heard lots of good things about "c" s, but the fact is Surgery is still surgery.  Please pray for me this week.  I know my Jesus is Good and faithful, but I am still scared.  My mom and Dad and Geron's mom and dad are going to be at the hospital that day, so I hope to see them and visit with them before I go in.  I think that will help a lot and Geron will go in the OR with me.  As long as he doesn't tell me what's going on behind the sheet, we'll be fine. 

 

Tomorrow night, I think we're going to go to a late night showing of a movie because I doubt either of us will be able to sleep.  Its our last date as non-parental units.  I don't know if either of us really realizes what is about to hit us, but we are definitely looking forward to it! 

The Last Hurrah

Tonight Lydia and i are enjoying the last few moments of sanity before our little girl gets here. We chose to come to the Dead Lobster. We asked for a table that could accomodate both of our bellies and they put the two of up in a great big corner booth.

When Babies are Sleeping...

I'm under the mindset that babies need  to learn to sleep through anything.  If I'm watching the t.v. in the living room, she should be able to sleep through it.  If she's taking a nap in her room and I run the vacuum in the living room, she should be able to sleep through it.  I don't believe that everyone should be as quiet as a mouse while the baby is sleeping.  I'm not saying yell all you want, but I am saying do your regular routine.  A very good friend pointed out to me early on that this baby is going to be PART of our family, NOT the center of our family.  What are your opinions and experiences with getting your little ones to nap regularly and with or without noise?

a baby poll

Geron and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby girl.  Her official due date is not until August 31st, but people at work keep saying she will come before then.  SO, I've decided to take a poll.  Please post when you think this little bitty girl is going to make her grand entrance into the world. (Day and time)  Whoever guesses correctly will get to perform a free diaper change!! HA!  And if you tie,  you can also perform a 3 a.m. feeding! YEA!!! 

 

I think I've actually stolen this idea from my friend, Tonya's blog.  My apologies for a lack of originality. 

the last few things

So, our lives are about to radically change. we have our list of things to do before our little bundle of joy gets here. today i went ahead and installed the child seat in the van. It went OK, but it was so hot out in the van this afternoon that my underwear started melting. After the car seat was fixed i came in and made 3 meat lasagna. mmmmm.

after we had dinner and watched Big Brother:All Stars, our favorite summer show, we started reorganizing the kitchen cabinets. We had to find room to put the bottle sterilizer, bottle warmer, baby bottles, breast pump, pump accessories and so forth. We had to do some shuffling to get all the important stuff in the cabinets. By the way, Lydia is going to shoot me for this, but i had to at least try to figure out how that breast pump thing works. here are some pics of my amazing educational journey.

Pregnant Olympics

I probably could qualify for the high jump today. Tonight at church, I was talking with some ladies in the kitchen. As we were chit-chatting I notice a movement across the floor out of the corner of my eye. I asked "Did a ball just roll in here or was that something else?" The lady standing in front of the sink quickly jumped up ON the sink and said "That was a rat! It ran under the refridgerator." ..................I DON'T LIKE RATS..........I DON'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THEM........... I was standing next to a TALL island in the kitchen and JUMPED on top of it PRETTY FAST!!! I remained sitting there for several minutes, even though our Bible study was about to start in the next room. When I finally worked up the nerve to get down---knowing I was going to have to pass the refridgerator to get into the other room and knowing the rat was still under it---I COULDN'T get down. I looked around and spotted a step stool. An older lady got it for me and it was just the right height to kick my feet off the island onto. I got down and practically RAN out of the kitchen.

NOW ladies, I DO know that I"m nine months pregnant. I DO know that I shouldn't be climbing on things. I DO know that I shouldn't be running. AND I DO know that I certainly shouldn't be afraid of a rat. BUT I DID do those things and I AM afraid of rats and mice. They absolutely disgust me and I don't want to be anywhere close to them. If it makes any of you feel better, Baby Girl is just fine--moving around tons sense then, and I am fine, too. Although, tomorrow I might find that I pulled something, but I don't think so.


P.S. this is a side note having nothing to do with the afore mentioned incident. I was working with one of my new kindergarteners today and he is African American. I told him "My name is Mrs. Brown." He laughed and said "THAT'S FUNNY! You look like a white woman to me!"

an upbeat attitude?

I received a compliment this morning that I don't know that I deserve, but sure made me feel good to get.  A friend posted on my blog that I had kept an upbeat attitude throughout my pregnancy.  I have TRIED.    Yet, I haven't experienced a lot of the woes that most pregnant women experience, either.  Morning sickness never stepped foot in our house, nor did midnight cravings.  Even the frequent trips to the bathroom haven't really occurred--I guess because I'm used to having to go all the time anyway!!  Now, I"m sure Geron could point out times that I have not been upbeat---like my psycho chic visits or my poor nights of sleep---but I HAVE tried to stay positive. 

 

I think something that hit me this morning was what a blessing I have truly received.  I don't know if I'll ever realize what God is doing in our lives by trusting this baby to us.  I have some friends who want DESPERATELY to have babies and haven't been able to thus far.  AND PLEASE DON'T HEAR ME SAY THAT GOD DOESN'T WANT THEM TO HAVE CHILDREN.   I have no idea what His plan is for them, but I know they would all make INCREDIBLE parents!  Its very humbling to realize how easy this has been for us when they are having such a difficult time.  I want to be careful to be thankful for this little girl every day and for the priviledge to have carried her.  Yes, there have been a few moments where I want to say "GET HER OUT!"  and there, I'm sure, will be moments when I want to say "PUT HER BACK IN!"  but I never want to take her for granted nor be less than the best Mom I can be to her.  

 

still waiting

We had another doctor's appointment today.  Went on the monitor again and baby still proved herself to be a champ.  In fact, Geron and I got a real kick(excuse the pun) out of watching my tummy "jump".  Baby girl was quite active, needless to say.  We asked Doc if we would be having her next week before he left town.  He said we'd do another ultrasound NEXT Monday and if she's still breech, then yes, we'll be having a baby next Wednesday. (August 23rd).  If she's not breech, then he said we should try to hold out.  I haven't dilated any yet and haven't had any contractions, so she doesn't seem to be in a hurry.  At this point, I'm hoping she's still breech and that we will have her next week.  That way I definitely get MY doctor and we KNOW when she's coming.  And while I don't intend to sound selfish here, I've allready scheduled my leave--so I really need her to come on time so we can afford her!! (I don't know if we'll ever actually be able to AFFORD her!)   I'll keep you updated.

 

Today was quite rough.  Students started back to school-YEA!!! I've missed my kids.  That part was good.  The hard part was that I've started having pains in my lower pelvic area--I'm assuming thats part of my body getting ready.  Well, it took me about a minute to walk halfway down the hall at school--a walk that could normally be made in about 10 seconds.  I think I'm hitting the "Get her out" phase finally.   Just another reason to hope she's breech so we can meet her early.  I'm guessing her to weigh about 7 pounds now, maybe 7 1/2.  YET ANOTHER reason to go c-section.  If we make it full-term I might have to have one anyway because she will be huge!

 

So, there's the latest.  Please pray with us for a healthy baby and safe delivery. 

 

P.S. thanks for all the clothing advice.  I put the bubble away--we'll save it for her first trip to church.  I've packed a soft romper and a beautiful pink gown my friend Wanda gave us in Richmond.  Both are big enough for larger babies, so hopefully that will cover it. 

 

 

My New Purchase

So I fianlly Got a new dvd burner today, like $43 bucks from bestbuy. My old burner that came with my dell machine bit the dust a few weeks ago, I have been without for a while, and I saw this bargain and jumped on it. It has lightscribe, which lets you burn images right on the disc surface. I'll keep you updated on the results.

new project

I've been fooling around with a new blog powered by VOX. I finally got the invite I had been waiting for to join up. It's a very handy blog interface. and some are even calling it a myspace killer. Check out my new project. I'll probably try this out for a bit to see how I like it. No permanent changes yet, but who knows.

check it out

http://geronbrown.vox.com


by the way I can invite 2 other people to get a VOX blog. If you want one you should give me some reasons.

My New Book

Last week, after our appointment with the OB, Lydia wanted to run into the motherhood store to see if they had any specials. She is getting sick of wearing the same 5 outfits over and over. While she was in the
changing room I picked up a little book called "Father To Daughter". I started reading it, and figured if Lydia could buy a few dresses, I could at least get a $7 book. Each page has a couple of sentences about raising a little girl. I love this book and have read from it almost daily ever since I got it.

Here are a few of my favorites

"She may look adorable, but be forewarned - her diaper is going to be just as challenging as any boy's."

"Let her sleep on your ches when she's a baby. This is when the world begins to make sense."

"Be prepared to watch Walt Disney movies with her some 200 times. Each."

Stay tuned there will be more to come.

What not to wear

I thought that title would get my sister's attention, at least, since she likes that show! I'm actually in a dilemma about what TO wear---and not for me, but for baby.  I've thought that I was ready for the hospital.  I packed mini-me's bag and have started my own.  (some things just can't go in til last minute.)  Now I'm starting to second guess myself.  So, ladies, I need your advice. 

 

I've packed undershirts for while she's still in the hospital, cute little white, pink, and purple ones.  I've also packed to pairs of " booties".   The check list said to pack only one blanket.  Is this for the trip home or for while she is in the hospital.  I'm under the assumption that the hospital would provide receiving blankets during her stay and then we would just need one for the ride home.  The list also said to pack an outfit for the trip home.  This is where my dilemma arises.  I packed her pink bubble--I think its Mom's, Patsy's, and my favorite of all her outfits here.  But I'm beginning to think maybe she should be wearing something long-sleeved like a gown or sleeper.   I think Geron actually came home in a Christmas stocking---since that's the day they were released from the hospital.  I'm just trying to think of what will be comfortable for HER in the carseat.  She'll have about a 15 to 20 minute long ride home and I want her to be comfortable.  Any suggestions?  What did you all bring your babies home in?  I want to be able to use the same outfit for her pictures, too.

things that make you go boom

Today I had a little bit of an accident.  I was sitting in a chair and tried to scoot forward.  Well, I scooted forward, but the chair scooted backward and tipped me out on the floor on my behind.  It didn't hurt, but everyone around me panicked.  I got helped up and finished what I was doing.  Baby seemed to be sleeping and that was making me a little nervous, so I drank a diet coke to get her awake and moving to make sure she was okay.  Now I am sure she is fine because that got her going and I've felt her move throughout the day since then.  As for me, I am starting to feel a little sore down below but I still think everything is okay.  If things should happen to feel worse tomorrow, I'll call my doctor.   Pray that I can be more physically graceful until baby is born. 

wayback wednesday

The main reason I attempt to maintain a blog and a myspace page is to keep people up to date on what's going on in my life, and to make it easy for old friends that I've lost track of to find me. Last month two old friends, both found me through myspace. LB was a childhood friend from church and DL was a girl that I was friend with in middle school.

My oldest friend Travis, that I have been looking for, has finally found me. I've googled for him about a million times with no luck. When i was 4 or 5 my family moved to 704 Royal Street. It was a good neighborhood with lots of kids and dogs and stuff. Travis lived next door and was six months younger than me and we quickly became inseperable. We went to school together for the first couple of years until my folks took me out to go to private school. He was my best friend.

I was raised in a very sheltered home. We never had a tv growing up, but got one much later when i was in middle school. A lot of my earliest memories were at Travis's house. We would watch He-Man and GI-Joe after school every day. We also watched a show called Tranzor-Z. It was kinda like a poor man's Voltron. In the summer we always set up the slip'n'slide in the backyard. I learned the secret to a great time on the slip'n'slide is plenty of ivory dish soap. We played jarts and rode bikes a lot. I was intoduced to Mtv and vividly remember seeing my first Madonna video. Travis had a computer. It was a Commodore-64 and we would play games for hours. beach-head was one of the games we played alot, but my favorite was always Gunsmoke.

A funny thing I remember when we got a little older was Travis and his older brother Brian trying to teach me how to dance . I think we were listening to Kyper. I wasn't a very good student at dancing. One memory really sticks out. We went through a phase where we wanted to make our own cinnamon toothpicks. One day we decided to see what would happen if we put pure cinnamon oil on the family dog's tongue. Now I can't remember that dog's name, but i remember what happened next. Have you ever seen a little lhasa-apsa run in circles trying to wipe it's mouth out on the carpet? It's not something you soon forget.

39 i s the new 40

The doctor tells us we will probably be having baby girl a week earlier than we were planning.  Not that we're farther along, but because he's going to be out of town, well, COUNTRY, on her due date.  So, it looks like we'll be meeting our daughter on August 23rd or 24th.  What we don't know yet is whether she'll be making her grand entrance by c-section or natural delivery.  At this time, I'm guessing c-sec since she hasn't turned herself around yet, as far as we can tell.  Next Monday is our next doctor's appointment and we will be finding things out and finalizing the delivery date then.  And, I'm hoping for a c-section now, since I hear inducing can be WAY more painful than regular labor. 

 

In the meantime, I don't think I've become one of those pregnant women who says "I can't wait til this is over.  GET her out allready!" because they're soooo miserable.  I do get VERY hot, but its the summer and who else isn't burning up, really?  And I'm not getting a full night's sleep now, but I'm getting more than I will once she arrives--in fact, I think last night was the best night of sleep I've had for about 2 months. YEA!!!!  ANd I take naps after work, so, I'm doing okay.  I never had morning sickness and I didn't have the strange cravings.  I could pretty much do whatever I wanted to until my fluid got low.  Now, I stay off my feet as much as I am able to do, and that's actually kind of nice, too.  Besides all this, I also have a WONDERFUL husband who has been doing SOOOO much to help through this whole pregnancy.  Give him a standing-O, people!!!  Unfortunately, many people go through this alone or with someone who just doesn't know what to do and doesn't even try to help.  I AM BLESSED!!! 

 

So, it sounds like I'm giving my acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, I guess.  Well, of course I want to thank GOD!!  SERIOUSLY!!  He has brought us through this in His great and mighty way.  All our fears, He has calmed.  All our infirmities, He has healed.  All our anxieties, He has stilled.  He has been faithful in every way, giving us a healthy baby girl to love and care for.  What an honor that we have been chosen to be her parents.  AND He has given us fabulous friends and family to help us care for and nurture her, and who support and encourage us so often.  Thanks, people!! 

I will do my best to blog again before she comes and hopefully more after she comes.  Forgive me if I seem like I'm slacking, but we're having a baby!

great video

this reminds me of those old 50's and 60's musical movies where they involve everyday items in their elaborate choreographed dance routines.

these guys have way too much time

Sesame Street Pinball Song

If you are or have ever been a fan of Sesame Street, then you probably know that I'm talking about the tune sung while the pinball is being shot around the game board. "1-2-3-4-5...6-7-8-9-10...11-12!" (If you don't get it, go watch an episode of Sesame Street and you'll figure it out.)
My level went up to a 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been singing that song in my head since the ultrasound yesterday.

We had EVERYTHING done yesterday: ultrasound (baby is still breech and loving it) , another stress test to monitor baby's heartbeat (still a champ!), AND I even got checked to see if I had dilated any. yippee.<--I meant that sarcastically. Talk about making a first impression with someone. My doctor is on vacation this week, so I had to see someone else and I was NOT expecting "the works", BUT, at least I can say I am thankful for the good report yesterday. God is definitely working and taking care of baby and me.

P.S. Another thing we found out from the ultrasound is that she has a lot of hair allready. How crazy is that?! Of course, even though he wears his short, Geron and I both have tons of hair, so we shouldn't be surprised. I can't wait to see what this little girl is going to look like--hair color, eye color, skin tone, goatee, JUST KIDDING! I know she'll be beautiful, but will she be beautiful like me or like Geron?

Update

Our baby is a champ!!! Doctor's words. We went in Friday for what we thought was going to be another ultrasound. Apparently we didn't listen as well as we had thought on Monday. Friday, I spent 15 minutes, at least, attatched to a monitor to see how baby was doing. BECAUSE of the low fluid levels on Monday, they did this just to make sure that SHE was okay. When 15 minutes of sitting in the best recliner I've ever sat in was up, Dr.K checked out the readout and said " She's doing good. Actually, she's a champ!" Very relieving to here.

As for fluid, today we go back for an ultrasound--yes, its definitely an ultrasound day today. So, I'll probably be drinking a little bit of caffeine on the ride over to wake her up and get her moving around. Fluid will be checked and baby's position will be checked. After this past week, I'm guessing that my fluid has probably gone up because I did really well with my water and keeping my feet propped up. (I'd lost a pound or two at the appointment on Friday--and I'm sure that was from my ankles!!) I even think our big six pounder has started to turn, possibly because I felt a kick in the middle of my tummy last night as opposed to the left side where she has LOVED practicing her soccer moves. So, today will bring good news, I hope.

Thank you all for your prayers this week. I have felt so good about what is going on, even if we have to go early. THe Lord has given me that peace that passes understanding and I know that things will be allright because He is in control of the situation. You would probably not believe it, but I've heard so much about c-sections this past week, that I'd almost RATHER have her that way. Well, good reports and the fact that I saw an episode of A BABY STORY where the little girl came out with a cone head!!! AND we remember seeing our little friend, Jake, after we was born by c-section---he was absolutely BEAUTIFUL--probably the most beautiful newborn WE'VE ever seen. Whatever the scenario, we know we're getting a wonderful little girl who will definitely be beautiful in our eyes!

Relying on Someone Greater

I'm having mixed emotions as I blog tonight. Good thoughts--our church gave us a shower yesterday and it was WONDERFUL!!!! I was a little overwhelmed by the turnout of guests and the extremely nice gifts we received. I mentioned in our service last night that I was blessed to be part of such a church BUT even more thankful for God seeing my needs and meeting them above and beyond what I can imagine.

Today, God showed me a different way he would meet those needs. We had an ultrasound this morning and got to see baby again. She looks good!! Her lungs are working and she is appearing to weigh about 6 pounds give or take. AND she's DEFINITELY a SHE! We also found out that she is laying sideways. Her head is on my right and her feet often kick me on the left. I knew pretty much that she was in this position and until today it hadn't bothered me one bit. However, we found out that my fluid is kind of low. The level is about 8--which means its a little low is all I know. If it goes down to five, we'll have to have an emergency Cesarean. I asked if there was anything I could to do raise the level and Dr.K said I could drink MORE water and keep my feet up as often as I can--pretty much sit around and do nothing but drink water. This late in the pregnancy, most babies have turned and are head down. There is only a 15% chance that she's going to turn and with my levels being low, the doctors won't be able to ''help" her turn, at the risk of hurting baby or even me. So, it looks like I'll have to have a c-section even if we make it til the end of August.

As you faithful readers know or could imagine, my finding out that a cesarean would probably be most likely, shocked and scared me. I could feel the tears just ready to pour out as I learned more today. FORTUNATELY, I have a wonderful doctor who was willing to answer any questions I had and help calm those fears. And an even MORE WONDERFUL husband who immediately moved to my side and explained to the doctor just HOW scared I was. I've only had four stitches in my life, and those were in my knee. SURGERY!?? I was hoping I would never have to face the possibility of it happening to me. Now that it's real, it hit hard.

The good news is IMMEDIATELY God began filling me with a peace--once again meeting my needs beyond my imagination--letting me know that things will be okay. I've trusted Him for a healthy baby and everything so far has been good. He saw us through the first scare when my progesterone levels were low. He pulled me through some colds and muscle strains and baby stayed fine. And now, if I have to have a cesarean, I know He will see me through and calm my fears and anxiety. I'm continually amazed at how God's word affects us in different ways throughout our lives. Last night, after the shower, I thought of how God sees our needs and wants to give us those things. It seemed to be a more physical need that I was thinking about at the time--stuff for baby and such. The Lord brought this verse to mind, but I believe He gave it to me for what happened today and not so much yesterday's concerns. Hear it is:

"My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19

Yesterday I thought "He's giving us the things we need for the baby. Thank you, God." But today, more than anything, I needed peace and calm and my Savior knew that and provided immediately. Sometimes we learn the hard way what a MIGHTY God He is that we serve, but I am thankful that at least I've learned.

He's Crafty

I knew my husband was multi-talented when I married him six years ago. Many of you know what an incredible singing voice he has and have also had opportunities to see him act or hear his public speaking skills. He's quite humerous, too--I've got a great catch, definitely!! Computer whiz, Mr.Fixit, you name it. I hear stories from his family of the young "inventor" Geron and all the many contraptions he would come up with for performing different tasks. He's still very creative and I've recently learned, crafty. (My husband, who can't stand craft shows)

Yes, this all leads up to something baby related. He and his Dad went out to buy valances for the nursery Tuesday night. I wasn't feeling good, so I put my one request in. " Color: white. Other than that, get whatever you think will look good. " Geron has good taste, so I wasn't worried. He came back with white tab-top valances and rods to hang them on. Good job, Geron. After they were hung, we got to talking about different ideas to liven them up and Geron suggested buying pink ribbon to go across the bottom of all of them. I was thinking "yeah, if you want to sew it on there because I don't think I could do it straight." The rods they hang on fit in three little pegs that stick out from the walls and I thought it would be good to tie ribbons on those pegs. So, we set out to Hobby Lobby and bought pink ribbon with white polka dots---goes with the bedding perfectly. My brilliant man used fabric glue to add the ribbon on to the bottom of the valances and they are SOOOO O Cute!!!! We'll have to post a picture, I know. Then I tied the three bows
above each window and I love it. Its amazing what just a touch of color will do. Geron picked up some little butterflies at Wally World the other night and is probably going to attach them to the valances somehow. He's crafty, folks! Who knew?

The Dummy Went and Hurt Myself

So I'm a dummy. Apparently there are things you shouldn't try to do when you're expecting that I do anyway. I confess--I'm a very stubborn girl. (Mom, Geron, Ann, People, stop shouting your hoorahs so loudly!) I don't listen too well to ideas that aren't my own. (PLEASE, PEOPLE, QUIT CHEERING AND LAUGHING) So here's what the dummy has gone and done to herself. As you know from reading this blog, Geron and I sanded the nursery windows Monday. I, having never sanded before, thinking as long as I'm wearing my mask nothing can happen to me, tried to do my part to help get the job done. I watched what Geron did and tried to do the same thing. Of course, Geron is about a foot taller than me and can reach places easier than I can, but I just assumed I was doing the right thing trying to sand from top to bottom of my side of the windows. When we finished, and it needs to be said that Geron Brown worked a lot harder than I did for sure!, I felt fine, just tired.

The next day was the big surprise day--Geron painted the windows and put the furniture together with his dad. That day I was feeling a little ache in my right side, but figured it was just a growing pain. I made the beds in the nursery and set out some toys to make it look like home for baby. I also happened to pick up the rocking chair and move it at one point... and move the changing table at one point... and move the crib at one point... If Geron had been in the room, HE WOULD NOT HAVE LET THAT HAPPEN! So, don't blame him for my foolishness. In fact, when he saw what I had done, he gave me a good lecture about taking care of myself and baby and how moving that stuff around was NOT doing so.

So, Wednesday came and I still had that pain in my side. I took tylenol, went to work and called the doctor's office. By this point, Geron said I'd probably strained a muscle and that it wasn't just a growing pain.

Then, Thursday hit and I was in major pain last night. My sweet husband brought me a heating pack and put it on my side. I slept halfway through the night. Then, I got up and reheated the thing, and made it til the alarm went off this morning.

Today, I called the doctor's office again and asked to speak with him or his nurse directly. Finally, I got them! I have an AWESOME team taking care of me, by the way! Nurse J asked me what I could've done on Monday to hurt myself (the pain had started Tues, morning before the furniture moving). She said I probably over extended myself by reaching to do the sanding over my head. She confirmed Geron's opinion, that I had most likely strained the muscle in my right side and told me to stay off my feet as much as possible until it heals. In the meantime, I'm using a heating pack, taking tylenol about every 4 to 6 hours and wearing Geron's abdominal binder from his surgery. Dr K said it was okay to do so as long as I didn't wear it too tightly. Dr. Geron's orders have been to keep the phone with me at ALL times, to wash only the things necessary for this weekend, and though HE didn't say it, "to be less stubborn!" (Oh, and to get my bag ready for the hospital.)

AND DON'T WORRY, BABY IS FINE! She's still moving around, kicking, doing her usual thing. In fact, she's been such a good baby to keep her kicks to my left side only. I might give her a treat for that when she gets here.

great prank

this is a wonderful idea to get someone good if you happen to have an extra 3000 golf balls lying around

Nursery Pics

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps some of you know that we have been stuck in a rut for a few weeks now. Our nursery has been empty, windows waiting to be sanded and painted. Well, Geron has been working his you know where off trying to sand those windows. Yes, there were some big lapses in between sanding, but yesterday we both finally tackled the chore together and HE did a good job on them.

This morning, when we left for work, Geron mentioned he might take half a day off from work this week to paint the windows. I mentioned Friday would be good because I didn't have to work and could help get it done. He agreed that sounded like a good idea. Of course, we have a really busy weekend ahead with a baby shower, memorial service, prenatal classes and getting
ready for Assembly, so I don't know what I was thinking.

So, the day went on. This afternoon Geron called to tell me that he was busy on a project and was sending his dad to come pick me up from work. I asked "Did you paint?" and he answered, "yes". So, Preston showed up at work and we headed home. On the way I asked "What are you doing on this side of town?" (They live about 20 minutes away from us.) "Oh, we just had a bite to eat and I've been hanging out." was his reply. When I got home, I walked in the house and went back to see how the painting went. As I opened the door, I saw that Geron had done WAY MORE than paint today. HE PUT UP OUR BABY FURNITURE!!!!!!!!!! MY HUSBAND ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!! He and his dad had been busy today doing that while I was working and clueless. I AM SO EXCITED THAT I CAN FINALLY START PUTTING THINGS OUT IN THE NURSERY!!!!!! I'm sorry I'm yell-typing, but I just can't help myself. This has been a very good surprise. We'll post pictures when we get the room together, or you all can just wait and see it when you come to visit baby!

Hot headed

I'm actually not referring to my temper here. Its my hair--or was. I'd let
my hair grow til it was almost halfway down my back. And for the last year
or so I've been wearing it in a pony tail or hair clip. While its a kind of
easy do, I was very bored with it and it was getting quite heavy and making
me hot. Around February I started saying "I'm going to get my hair cut."
I'm sure people finally got tired of it and said "Yeah, whatever. We'll
believe it when we see it." Well, I took the plunge Friday. A good church
friend of ours is a hairdresser and she told me I could come over to her
house and she'd cut it for me. I armed myself with a picture of something I
wanted it to look like and headed over.

For most people, getting a haircut is just a regular thing you do about
every 6 or 8 weeks. You have a standing appointment with your stylist and
they know exactly how you like it. For me, it is GRUELING. I don't care
who the stylist is or how good their reputation is. Naturally curly hair
can be a major pain and sometimes you run across those people who don't know
what to do with it and you leave the salon looking like you have an afro.
So, needless to say, I was nervous, nervous, nervous. When we first moved
to Chattanooga, my hair was as long as it was just recently and I let a lady
chop it all off--above my shoulders. It actually turned out really cute and
for a few months I had regular appointments with her. Then I decided I
wanted to let it grow back out. But now, with baby on the way and the
summer air being as hot as you know where, I needed to have a lot less
hair.

So, I arrived at Chris's house. Her husband, Warren, gave me a can of diet
coke and then I sat in "the chair". I sat there for two hours, about, and
when Chris was finished, I stood up and made the long walk to the mirror. I
was a little scared, but then I saw that hair I had right after moving to
Chatt. and LOVED it! I feel like I've lost 5 pounds!! And, to see all the
hair that remained on the floor after the cut, you would believe I'd lost
that much and more!

The nicest thing about having my hair this short is that I rarely get
tangles and it takes maybe 10 minutes to fix, counting the blowdry. Even
letting it dry natural doesn't take all day now. (No kidding, there are
nights that I've gone to bed with my hair STILL wet, even after I'd used a
blow dryer on it that morning.) And best of all, when baby gets here and my
hands are full with her, I can set her down for 10 -20 minutes, do the
routine, and be ready to go. YEA!!!!!!! I'm glad I've made the change.