I went to Lowes to buy a cushion...

So this afternoon we went to Lowes to look for seat cushions for our outdoor patio furniture. The chairs are actually really comfortable without cushions but I wanted to add some color to the patio. We'd already been to a couple of stores and I haven't found anything I liked. Well Lowes likes to play funny little hide and go seek games with their merchandise and so after checking the first spot where they keep some of their cushions we headed to another area that has them and found this:

So needless to say we didn't find any seat cushions but we did find a fun new swing for the backyard that Brayden loves. And sorry if this picture blinds you, my poor son and I glow in the dark. Hopefully as he gets older he will tan like his Daddy!

No more trips to Lowes for me for awhile!

Here fishy fishy fishy...

Today I'm feeling much better! We decided to go with my parents out to the cabin and stay for the holiday weekend. Chris and Dad suggested fishing, something I haven't done in almost a decade!

We put B in his wagon and headed out:

That's bread in his mouth. It was actually meant for the fish, but he ended up eating it!

We stopped and bought B a little fishing pole and I held him while Daddy reeled in his catch!
It was such a fun day! Hope you are having a great Memorial Day weekend!

Good News, Bad News, More Good News...

So lots of news today.

First Good News. I had my OB checkup and everything is a-okay. All is well. Baby's heartbeat was 164 and apparently me being sick and on medication isn't affecting anything negatively.

Bad News: My doctor actually had whatever this weird viral infection is that I have now. We went through everything and it sounds exactly like what he had...and it lasted SIX WEEKS. Which means I'm only halfway done. Which also explains why I still feel terrible.

More Good News: Someone suggested that Chris see our chiropractor, and being as he's been to three doctors since being released from the ER, what's one more right? Ha. So he went and saw Dr. M and he had a slipped disk. Apparently, that disk being out causes the exact same symptoms as appendicitis. He had instant pain relief as soon as he was adjusted. 100% better! He still has this viral thing (not the same thing as me) and a fever but he is doing so much better!!

We are still living with my parents and they are taking care of us and Bman which we are so thankful for! Thanks so much for your emails, comments, tweets and especially prayers!

Update

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated! We've moved into my parents house and I didn't bring my laptop. Chris just picked it up this afternoon.

Basically, we still have no idea what's wrong with Chris. He spent 8 hours in the ER and then has had 3 doctor appointments. It's not his appendix, gall bladder or kidneys. It's also not mono or strep throat. He's running a fever and has to wear a mask so that we all don't get whatever it is he has.

I'm still sick as well. The doctor called in a "super antibiotic" for me and it's very strong. I'm not much better. I never got an answer on what exactly I have, other than it is some sort of viral infection that went too long without being treated, since the NP's at wellquest wouldn't treat me correctly.

Brayden is 100% well and loves that we are staying with my parents. The more attention the better! Ha!

Thanks for all your emails, comments and tweets! Hopefully we will all be better soon!

MIA

Sorry I've been MIA for a few days. I've been sick for about the last three weeks and I've gone to the doctor three times. Well, this last time I went to "my" doctor and she was infuriated! Apparently, the ones I had seen weren't treating me because I'm pregnant. She feels that what I had three weeks ago was a sinus infection and now it's progressed into a much worse infection. I have no voice, my throat is killing me, I'm running a fever and my heart rate is high. I can't be around Bman because of the fever, for at least another day.

Anyway, I feel terrible, and I know this is no kind of post, but I wanted you to know where I'm at!

And B is doing better - no more fever, he sounds SO much better and his eyes look 100% better. Thanks for all your well wishes!

A Sad First

I'm very sad to say that Mr. B had a new first today, and it's not a good one. He got his very first ear infection! Poor little guy. He also has pink eye from wiping the nasal drainage into his eyes, a cold and a virus. Without all the drainage you would never know anything is wrong with him - he is as happy as can be, sleeps great and plays like normal. I took him in because the drainage was so heavy and was surprised to hear everything he had!

The doctor said that his ear infection was very small and only in one ear. I'm surprised and happy that we made it past the 16 month mark before he got his first one though! That's an accomplishment!

So, he is on an antibiotic, which he lovvvves, and an eye drop. Thanks to all my twitter friends and their advice on how to administer eye drops! I've never even given myself an eye drop so I had no idea how best to do it!

Changes to Twitter...And some other stuff

Recently, I've had to go through my twitter followers and delete any accounts that didn't have information. So if you were following me and now are blocked (but would like to follow) email me and let me know you want to follow again. If you have a blog url or something so that I can "identify you" please include that - I unfortunately won't be able to accept anyone I can't identify going forward. Then just send me a follow request again. Sorry about the inconvenience! I just need to be sure I know who is following my account.

And, for the "Other Stuff" part of this post, have you heard of Spokeo . Com ? Well, they have tons of peoples addresses and phone numbers on there as well as other personal information. You can go to their homepage, then to "Privacy" to have them delete your listing. FYI, a lot of the listings had very wrong information on them, mine included.

I don't know how they are getting their info, but my cousin sent an email that Facebook is now giving out personal info. You can disable that option by going into your account settings, privacy, apps and webs, and then disabling the instant personalization program.

So that's my little web safety PSA for the day!

Winner!

The winner of the IntelliGender giveaway is...

Abby from Sugar and Spice!

Congratulations Abby! Email me your address and I will send it out to you!

Thanks to everyone who participated! I have another great giveaway coming your way soon!

BBQ with Friends

(Edited: I know my commenting system hasn't been working for the last 2 or 3 days. I've emailed them and they are working on it! Sorry about the inconvenience!)

Tonight we had a few friends over for a BBQ. Jessica, Billy and their son Parker go to church with us and they are so nice!

The guys hung out outside for most of the time. Between the 8 adults, there were 5 kids, which may not seem like much but it sure made for an eventful night!
This is Jessica with Julie (her blog is private). I had Julie's baby shower here last November.
And my friend Sara and her son Reid (her husband, Matt and daughter Lilly are above). Reid is going to be getting tubes in his ears soon so we stayed inside.
Our grill decided to work today, which is always a good thing when you are going to have a BBQ, so we had beef and chicken kabobs, grilled smoked sausage, grilled veggies, pasta salad, fruit salad and french bread.

It was a really fun night!

Poor Mr. B wasn't quite himself - he seems to be having a hard time with teething. He's not only getting his molars, but at least 1 or 2 other teeth as well. Poor baby!

I hope you are having a great weekend!

Horses and Cows and Pigs Oh My!

Don't forget to enter my IntelliGender giveaway! Just click the Giveaway tab!

I still have to post about our MOPS fiesta from yesterday, but I'm waiting for my friend Sara to upload her pics so I can steal them! haha!

So today, we had a Barnyard Playgroup for John Michael's 2nd birthday. It was so much fun!

This is Robin, the famous cookie maker and her adorable son Caleb:

And Vonda and sweetie pie Brandon (and Brayden...trying to steal a bite of Brandon's yogurt):
And the birthday boy, John Michael with Mary Avery and and Jordan:
See the adorable pig? It's one of Robin's famous cookies. Mary Avery made these adorable favors with sunglasses and sugar cookies! Sooo cute!
Tonight we are planning on going to dinner with friends if this weather permits. I had a terrible migraine last night and this morning and it's probably because one minute it's 84 degrees and sunny and the next it's 70, raining and storming! I can't keep up!

IntelliGender Test

If you follow me on Twitter, you've seen me talk a LOT about this!

IntelliGender is a test that lets you know as early as 10 weeks into your pregnancy what you are having with about a 90% accuracy rate. When they gave me the opportunity to take one for myself (and offer a pretty great giveaway - click my Giveaway tab at the top of this page for your chance to win a test AND some other goodies!) I was pretty excited!

Andddddd....we took the test on Sunday........

But we aren't saying what it said yet!!! I know, I know, that's cruel. But you'll have to wait a little longer for me to post those results! In the meantime, hop on over to my giveaway page and enter to win one for yourself (or a friend!)!!

Poll

This isn't a real post but I just wanted to let you know I added a Boy/Girl poll to the right sidebar!! Can't wait to see what you think!

Mother's Day 2010

Today is Mother's Day, and I know that so many of you out there have been dreading this day, either because of infertility, loss of a child or other loved one. You have been in my prayers all week and especially today.

Today we went to church as usual, and in addition to seeing many friends babies be dedicated, there were also four baptisms. It usually takes about all I've got not to cry during baptisms, and today proved incredibly hard! A sweet lady who I see every Sunday had gone forward on Easter and she gave her testimony today. Jeanine, if you happen to see this, you touched my heart and so many others this morning! Thank you for sharing your testimony!

After church we went to a local restaurant for lunch. I'd call it brunch but the only one who ate anything resembling breakfast food was Brayden with his scrambled eggs. I almost can't type those words...scrambled eggs make me want to lose it! Ick!

My brother, mom and I:

Brayden has gotten 3 of his molars over the last few days. He did not want to go to lunch and he kept saying "Nigh Nigh!! Nigh Nigh!!" because he wanted to go home and take his nap. So he got passed around a LOT!
He always digs into my Dad's pocket on his dress shirts because that's where he keeps his iPhone. Dad has a song on there that Brayden L-O-V-E-S and he always lets him listen to it.
And he got some quality playtime with Unkie:
I'm laughing because Chris wrote "Mama" on my card. For the last couple of months Brayden has protested calling me Mama, something he's done forever...and now he calls me Meow Meow. Like a cat. Uh-huh. Chris worked with him on it today and he has said Mama a couple of times, thankfully. He got it in his head that referring to me as Meow Meow was funny...
We forgot to take a family picture, and when we got home I took a three hour nap. When I got up, I got back into my dress and we took a few snapshots:
I still look tired!
It's been a fun and family filled day!

10/11 Week Belly Shot

This isn't a true 10 or 11 week shot - it's a halfway shot! Haha!

And of course B had to get in on the shot...If he sees a camera he thinks it's meant for him!
Overall I feel okay. With Brayden I was incredibly sick through 28 weeks. This time is very different. Instead of the constant throwing up, this time I just feel like I'm going to. I also have a terrible taste in my mouth that I never had with him. Weird.

So do you think it's going to be a BOY or a GIRL?

Because I promised you...

Awhile ago there was a conversation on twitter about how Brayden fake sneezes. When he was 4 or 5 months old he started fake coughing, and then about 4 months ago he learned to fake sneeze. I have no idea where he picked this up from but it's pretty cute!

And in case you missed it, the winners of my personalized tee giveaway have been posted on the giveaway page!

Winners...

If you entered the personalized tee giveaway, you might want to head on over to my giveaway page! The winners have been announced!

NDoP

Today is National Day of Prayer.

Today I am praying for...

All of the women who are struggling with this upcoming Mother's day.

Our troops.

Megan and Cohen (see left sidebar).

All of the NICU babies and PICU children.

Everyone related to our church bus crash.

Everyone affected by the flooding in Nashville.

The lost.

And my list goes on...

Who are you praying for today?

Final Thoughts

I never finished my recap on the SLI conference, but I've been meaning to get it done!

I know a lot of people have already given their takeaway's and so I'm just going to stick with one that I didn't see covered already so that you aren't reading the same things for the 10th time. =)

No one can STEAL your security. You have to hand it over to them.

When I first heard Beth say that, a million contradictions and "what if's" flooded through my head. Here are a few...

But he/she is purposefully excluding me to make me feel ________.

He/she is talking behind my back and people are forming opinions of me based on that.

This person pretends to be one way so that I look bad.

Now, those things might all be true. We've all probably met or currently know someone who fits one of those descriptives. The conclusion I finally reached after a lot of thought, was that regardless of the truthfulness of those thoughts, I do not have to let it affect me or how secure I feel.

Have you ever been in a group setting where it seems like someone will do anything to make you feel unwelcome? That can do a number on your security. But you don't have to let it. You have to opportunity to show who you are - who you really are - to everyone else that is standing there. Not that it's easy...but what is worse? Letting people form an opinion of you based on how someone else is acting or portraying you? Or letting them see who the real you is, even if it might feel a little uncomfortable?

Lastly, because this is a blog, I thought I'd share one more thought on this topic that is blogging related.

Blogging Transparently.

There are a few blogs that I know of that I think set a great example of this...MckMama, and Caroline. They share what is on their hearts regardless of what others might think about it. They are real and transparent. Not everything is super happy and always perfect.

I know whenever I go to write something that isn't about how great my day was or what a wonderful time I had doing such and such, that there's always a twinge of worry. But I've realized that it's okay - life isn't always perfect, or happy or a scene from a movie. I'm blogging for myself - and I want to remember the good, the bad and the in-between.

So, that concludes my thoughts on SLI...and now, it's Cinco de Mayo and I want to go find some chips and salsa!! Have a great Wednesday!

Need some advice!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a personalized tee! There will be FIVE winners! Click the Giveaway tab to enter!

It's 1:18 and I'm already exhausted!

A new Bible study at church started this morning, and so B and I went. We arrived half an hour late - I hate being late, but I was really sick this morning, so I had no choice. Remember how much B used to hate going to the nursery? Not so much anymore. He still cries when I leave him but his teacher says it's very short lived. When I went to get him he was playing and running. He looked up at me like "Um, I'm not done. You go byebye." It's a little bittersweet!

After that, I headed to Mimi's to meet my good friend Julie and her adorable son for lunch.

This is where the trouble begins. B was still semi ticked off that I pulled him out of the nursery. At least, that's what I think. Anyway, about halfway through lunch he started the second biggest tantrum of his existence (ironically, the biggest one also took place at Mimi's while at lunch with my friend Sarah). I'm convinced that everyone was staring and silently begging me to make him be quiet.

Here's the thing. He's 15 1/2 months old. How do you publicly discipline a toddler of this age? Moms, do you have any tips? I know this is probably a stage but what is your advice?

Edited to add: Does anyone do Time Out at this age? If so, how does it work for you? I know I can't exactly do this in a restaurant, but if we can start good habits here at home maybe that will help?

TV Interview

Be sure to check out my giveaway on the giveaway tab! I'm giving away FIVE personalized tee's from If You Say Sew Gifts!

Last week Chris and I did a TV interview with our local Fox channel for Arkansas Children's Hospital. Kimberly Clark (they own Huggies and several other brands) was donating $200,000 to Children's Miracle Network and wanted an ACH family there to accept the donation. Thankfully, Brian (below, left) was there from CMN to actually accept it - the check was HUGE (literally) and there was no way B would be able to accept it!

Below: Brain from CMN, Chris, B, Me, Cindy from the ACH Foundation:

After the check presentation we sat down to do the TV interview with Sarah from Fox - she was SO nice and really helped us feel at ease:
B started out in our laps but we knew that wasn't going to last!! Haha! He really wanted to play with the cameraman! Thankfully my mom was there to make sure he wasn't tearing anything up!
We've done radio interviews before to help with fundraisers at ACH but this was our first TV spot. It was NERVE WRACKING! It's hard enough for Chris and I to make it through Brayden's testimony and story without totally losing it but to have the added pressure of doing it on camera was SO scary. I hope it turns out okay and will end up raising awareness for the wonderful work done at ACH! It is truly unlike any other hospital!

For the local readers, our interview will be live on May 12 if you'd like to see it!

Baby #2 Questions Answered

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! I've giving away FIVE personalized tee's! Click the Giveaway tab above!

First, thank you SOOOOOO much for all the well wishes, prayers and congratulations!

I received a ton of questions through email, twitter and comments! So here are some answers for you!

- How are you feeling?

Okay. With Brayden I was sick 24/7 for the first 28 weeks. It was realllllllly hard. This time is very different. I don't throw up nearly as often but I feel sick all day. Taking Zofran actually seems to make it worse whereas with B, it helped quite a bit.

- When are you due - specifically?

The end of November. =) I will be a scheduled C-section for a LOT of reasons. For me, there is not another option. At this time, we are thinking that will happen on Nov 23. We are attempting to coordinate so that the doctors that NEED to be there (others in addition to my OBGYN) can all attend. That sounds more serious than it is, really. But I will be very close (days away) from 40 weeks on that date.

- Is this baby at an increased risk for PPHN?

No. PPHN is not hereditary or genetic. There is no known cause for PPHN. The only link they have found so far is taking certain medications in the third trimester, which I did NOT take, nor have I ever taken. If this baby is a boy, it will run the same risk that B ran of getting PPHN, or that any male does - 1%. If it is a girl, from what I was told at ACH, the risk is minimally lower.

- Can they do any testing prior to the birth for PPHN?

Nope. PPHN can only be detected once the baby is born and breathes oxygen. Hence we are taking extra precautions such as having our pediatrician in the OR for the c-section.

- How many months apart with B and Baby #2 be?

22 1/2.

- Are you seeing the same doctor you saw with B?

Yes. I love my doctor, and his wife who is also an OBGYN. They both were present for Brayden's c-section and will probably both be in the OR for this c-section. I've been with Dr. S for many years and he oversaw some of my infertility treatments, my miscarriage and my pregnancy with Brayden. In short, he knows everything about me, my history and my complications. So I can't imagine seeing another doctor.

- Will you find out what you are having?

YES!!!!!!! I admire those who wait for the surprise but that has never been me! I need to know ASAP! Ha!

- Are you craving chips and salsa? I saw you tweet about it a couple of times!

Hahaha!! That was such a cute question. I don't know that I'm craving it. I just have a love-love relationship with chips and salsa all the time. I could eat them every single day of my life and never get tired of them!

I think I answered most of the questions! Email me if I missed something, and if there are enough, I'll do another post.