Just Us and the Kids

My Grandfather

2012-01-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

My grandfather was a stubborn man
with a temper, who didn't know the right
way to say, "I love you."
His smile was crooked and his hair thin,
glasses perched on his semi-pointed nose,
freckled head from his years of
growing old. He was married to his soul
mate until the day he died.
77 years wears a person shabby,
skinny, and pale. He lived longer
than any of his male predecessors.
77 years is quite a long time.
Although the man was stubborn, had
little more than a few teeth,
couldn't say three little words that
often change the world,
I know he thought of me often,
sitting in his room or on his sofa,
watching pointless news or
reruns of Maguyver,
his mutt dog curled up beside him.
Grandpa, Jesus welcomed you into
his kingdom sometime this week.
You were ready to go, I know.
I want to tell you that I loved you,
despite your faults and shortcomings.
I'll miss you.

And the Masterpiece . . .

2011-07-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

Told you I would be back to show off my masterpiece cake. It's a basic sour cream yellow cake again from Anne Byrn. Those of you that are interested in baking must have this book! Check out pages 404-5 for this great recipe. Take my word for it . . . you won't regret obtaining your own copy of The Cake Mix Doctor.

I am going to post the Wilton recipe for chocolate buttercream icing, though, since that's what I used. Here it is:

Class Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 tablespoon meringue powder

1 teaspoon vanilla (or other flavoring)

5-6 teaspoons water or milk (depending on consistency)

3/4 cup cocoa powder

Add an additional 2 teaspoons of water or milk

Mine turned out pretty perfect, which sometimes is unusual. Icing can be pretty finicky. But, all of you out there that aspire to be cake decorators or even to make something fun just for you, give this icing a try.

I finish with pics of my final product. I am quite proud of it really. As if you couldn't tell. I signed up for the next set of courses, learning to work with gum paste and fondant, so keep checking for more recipes and baking adventures . . . oh, and pics of my beautiful little ones. I'll post one more just for giggles.

Cupcakes and the Kids

2011-07-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

I just had to take pics of the cupcakes I made. Here they are.

May I just say they were also delicious! The recipe . . . again from The Cake Mix Doctor Anne Byrn we have Buttermilk Devil's Food Cake:

Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans

Flour for dusting the pans

1 pkg plain devil's food cake mix

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or sunflower

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

The recipe called for white chocolate frosting, which likely would have rocked, but I didn't have all of the ingredients. We used her recipe for marshmallow frosting instead.

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 large egg whites

1 jar marshmallow creme

To get the exact directions, check out Anne Byrn's book. I think I need to buy all of her books! She even has books for dinners and stuff. Anyway, tomorrow marks the end of my second set of cake decorating classes. We will make our masterpiece cake, and I will be taking pics. I'm making two recipes of chocolate buttercream icing, a yellow cake, and about 90 daffodils. I only have 36 done. Yikes. So I am going to stop blogging for now. Check back for pics of my hopefully beautiful cake tomorrow!

Okay. I know, you guys want to see the kids, too. Here's a few shots of fire truck day with Moms on the Move.

Sorry, turn your head sideways for that last one. I don't know how to fix it.

And here's one final one of my two favorite people in the entire world. Thank you, God, for our beautiful children.

Baking and Avery and the Calico Hearts

2011-07-19T14:58:00.001-07:00

So I bought this new cookbook to add to my collection of cookbooks that sit on my shelf until I get inspired to make something from them, which sometimes takes a long time. But when time is lacking, so is cooking, so I don't blame anything but a busy schedule. This cookbook in particular is so fascinating to me because it contains recipes that all use a cake mix. I happen to love cake, so I happen to love this cookbook. I'm going to make something from it as soon as I get off the computer. Lol. With full credit to Anne Byrn, author of The Cake Mix Doctor, I am posting the recipe I am about to try.

Fiddler on the Roof Cake

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan

Flour for dusting the pan

1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

3/4 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or sunflower

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teason pure almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Oven to 350, beat cake mix, sour cream, oil, sugar, almond extract, salt, and eggs on low speed for 1 minute, scrape, beat on medium for 2 more minutes. Pour half of the batter into pan, and add cocoa powder to the remainder. Beat the last half on low for 1 minute. Pour it evenly over the top of the batter in the pan. Marbelize with a knife. Bake until light brown, about 60-65 minutes.

I'm going to make cupcakes, but I think it is actually for a cake. I'm not going to use the recommended frosting, simply because I have a lot of other frosting made already and don't want to make more. If you make this recipe, I hope you enjoy it!

Onto other things . . . my friend's daughter is on America's Got Talent this season!!! Aaahh! If you follow this show at all, look for Avery and the Calico Hearts, a three member girl group from Lubbock, TX. They are so sweet and cute!!! I mentioned that I have been following this show for a good reason, and they are it. They are so great that they made it to Hollywood!!! They will be on August 1, as I understand it, for America to vote for them. Please, if you read this blog, watch the show and cast your very valuable vote for Avery and the Calico Hearts. They need your vote, America!!! This now 4th grade girl is so amazing. I see her almost everyday at school when she comes to meet her mom, who works just down the hall from me. Avery's a great kid! You will love their performance. And someday when they are famous, I will tell everyone that I know the lead singer and her mama! Seriously, guys, just vote.

What is patience?

2011-07-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Patience is waiting for my Kindle to charge so I can download a new book to read.

Patience is cleaning up the chair and floor of Taco Villa after my two year old daughter has her third accident of the day.

Patience is rocking my 5 month old son to sleep and praying he'll make it to 3 AM before he wakes up to eat.

Patience is sitting for an hour at the salon waiting for my newly highlighted hair to dry.

Patience is playing a game that I can't seem to win no matter how many trips I make to United.

Patience is decorating a giant cookie while my hands are starting to hurt like crazy, and I have to stop every so often to give them a break.

Patience is uploading about a billion pictures from my camera and sorting through them.

Patience is not yelling when my kid throws a major fit in front of all my workout buddies and their children.

Patience is recording a TV show so I can catch a glimpse of a sweet fourth grade girl and her friends performing.

Patience is waiting until my kids wake up so I can go get my third coke of the day because I seem to go through them way too fast these days.

Yes, those are all things I've done recently. I haven't really been feeling patient lately, so I made a list of times when I actually have been patient this week. Sometimes it is so incredibly hard to be patient, especially when kids are involved. We've been potty training K since December, and most days she gets it and does well. But today has not been one of those days. I'm trying to keep my cool, despite my frustration, but it is not easy. I think almost every 10th word out of my mouth has been "Grr," because she either had an accident, got into something she should not have, woke up her sleepy brother, or refused to go potty when I tried to take her, which of course is shortly followed by another accident. Don't say she's not ready. She really is. She is an incredibly bright girl and does use the potty most of the time. Really. I see some people that interact with their children so well. They appear to never raise their voices, never spank their kids, and have these great ideas about parenting. Gag. Some days I have to remember that I can get really loud if I yell. Some days I yell anyway. I absolutely love my kids beyond a doubt. They are my sunshine, light of my life, my soul. I just have to remind myself of that sometimes. So this post is my promise not to get angry with my daughter for having an accident every so often. (I am going to set an alarm and take her every 15 minutes, though.) My promise that I will not be disappointed if my son wakes up all too early in the middle of the night. (Although I am still going to pray for 3 AM.) My promise that I will remember that kids are kids, and I have to understand that. Being a parent is the toughest role I have ever played, but I believe it is the most rewarding and beautiful one, too. So, parents, hug your kids today and tell them how much you really love them, despite the times when they try your patience and make you think you just might go crazy. I know I am going to hug mine.

Milestones

2011-07-01T12:51:00.001-07:00

Cannon rolled over the day before yesterday! He also scooted on his belly from one side of my bed to the other, almost fell off, and was screaming when I walked in the room yesterday after nap time. I was so glad I got there before he actually did fall! At any rate, I am anticipating this could mean he'll crawl early. If he's already scooting like that, he might. I don't know that I am ready for that! I tried to give him his first tastes of cereal last week, and he literally screamed as I fed him. I tried again yesterday, and he did better. No screaming, but he didn't want more than like 5 bites. After that, he was really done. I'm going to start making his baby food this week. I keep saying I'm going to do it, but I haven't gotten around to it. I did finally buy him some applesauce, though. K kept asking if it was for her. LOL.

It is hard to believe so much time has flown by since February. Here we are at July 1, half of summer gone, and nearly 5 months since my beautiful boy entered the world. I thank God for him every time I look at him.

I end this post with a few pics of our little man. I'm including a couple of Keely, too. She's hit some milestones herself. At two years old, our girl can imitate the sounds of many animals, since all of her ABCs, count to 20, and use the potty (most of the time). She lights up our world in so many ways. I am incredibly proud of her.

A Random Thought about Sharon Osbourne

2011-06-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

I was watching "America's Got Talent" last night, a show that I never watched until this season and probaly wouldn't if I didn't have a good reason to watch this season. The particular brand of show doesn't exactly appeal to me. In my opinion, the judges are often too harsh and quick to tear down contestants, and some of the contestants are what I would call questionable. But, for my own personal reason, I've gotten into it this season, recording and watching every episode thus far. I'm enjoying it for the most part.

Last night two boys, who looked like they were in maybe 8th or 9th grade but really are 17, came on with funky hair, claiming they were going to sing and dance. Usually when they interview contestants before they perform onstage, they make the cut. My first thought was, "Wow, looks must be deceiving." They didn't look like people that would make the cut. They looked like goofy kids.

The act starts. They are singing "Waterfalls" by TLC. The dance moves are cheesy and simple. The boys are really into it, though. It looked and sounded like something you would see in a junior high school talent show. No offense. Some people in the audience are making Xs with their hands, as if telling the judges to buzz. Piers Morgan does. His buzz is quickly followed by Sharon's. Howie is basically laughing at them. The act ends.

Piers speaks first and says that they were horrible. The white kids says into the microphone, "I don't think we're horrible." He's not angry, though, just a little defensive. Sharon's next and her words are the reason I am writing this post.

"You're not horrible. I think that you are adorable. You're great characters, but it's not . . ." She's interrupted by Howie, who makes the demeaning comment, "You're like Millie Vanilla." The black kid takes offense. Back to Sharon. "Um . . . well, I think you're adorable. It's just a bit juvenile, that's all." The white kid tells her he loves her. He really does. She repeats the adorable part and tells them they can come home with her.

For some reason or another, this stuck with me even after I woke up this morning and even now as I type. I stand by my comment that the judges on these types of shows are often too harsh. The contestants put themselves out there, just for the chance of being told they are even a little talented. I think that takes guts! It's not something I would ever do. Saying they are horrible may be true but it's not necessary, really. I applaud Sharon for making those kids' day. And I think we could all follow Sharon's lead and make someone else's day. If we all did ou best to make someone's day, the world would be that much better.

Incident with an Ant and Other Stories

2011-06-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

So, it's been over a year since I last blogged. I find myself in need of a creative outlet these days. Writing has always been a sincere passion of mine, since I was in 4th grade and journaling in Eddie Fitzgerald's class, moments and a teacher I will never forget. I still have that blue spiral journal somewhere. My relationship with writing evolved into a much more complex one when I started teaching. Carl once told me that he didn't want to teach guitar lessons because having to teach other people the mechanics of something he loves puts a slight damper on its appeal. I understand what he means now. But, I owe it to my relationship with writing to at least write once in a while, so I am picking up with this blog once again.

I begin with a story. My daughter turned two a week ago Saturday. We were driving home from Taco Villa when she burst into these very real tears, screaming, "It bit me! The ant bit me!" I sort of freaked out, because she was obviously upset. I drove to my mom's house about 2 minutes away, parked, and got out. I gave her car seat a quick glance before getting her out of it. She was still screaming and crying about the ant. I tried to get her to tell me what hurt, but she just kept repeating the line about the ant. Finally, I got her to actually speak. "It's gonna get Cannon! On his seat!" she said through tears. I looked at Cannon, who was happy as a lark, and noticed a small fly on his seat. I sort of wanted to laugh at this point, but I held it as I tried to explain to K that there was no ant, just a fly that can't hurt her. She screamed as I put her back in her seat. K is just like me, according to almost everyone who knows her. I was afraid of flies until I was like 7.

A lot has happened in a year. We have a new addition to our family, a son named Cannon Van. He made me realize that moms and dads have this wonderful ability to love their children the same amount. When I got pregnant with Cannon, I remember being afraid that I couldn't love anyone as much as I love K. She lights up my whole world. But when Cannon came along, I knew there wasn't anything to worry about. He lights up my whole world, too.

I conclude today's segment with a few pics and the promise of more to come. I said I need a creative outlet, and this blog is a start.

Happy 1st Birthday, Keely Star!

2010-06-11T11:35:00.001-07:00

It's official, although we all already knew it . . . I am a slacker! This blog comes up as one of four homepages every time I click on the Internet, which lately is no less than 10 times a day. Yet for some reason, I haven't even considered posting. We're now four months past my last post, which makes this Keely's first birthday post. Yes, I promise to complete this with pictures.

I'm not going to write a long post to tell you everything K has been up to lately. It's most of the same, talking, signing, laughing, singing, crawling, and just generally being a baby. She's gotten so big lately. I weighed myself, picked K up and weighed again holding her, and found that the difference was roughly 19 pounds 5 ounces. Depending upon the accuracy of this, we will be changing car seats from our cute polka-dotted carrier to a big girl seat. I for one am really excited about this transition, as it means I can lower my rearview mirror and see Miss Sunshine in the backseat. Not that she needs to be watched back there, but I just love looking at her adorable face. I want to look at her as much as possible. K is also ready for this transition, because she now cries pretty much every time we put her in her car seat. She gets hot in the car, despite us having the AC all the way up. I guess the air just takes longer to get to her. Makes sense.

It is amazing to me that one year has come and gone with so much as a blink of my eyes. I look at myself and realize I am the mother of a one year old beauty, who lights up my whole existence in ways I never dreamed. She's my shining Star and always will be. Being her mother is my absolute greatest joy. Knowing that God picked her out for Carl and me is the ultimate gift, one that I will always acknowledge and appreciate. I pray God continues to bless our little girl as she continues to grow and develop into the amazing person she's already becoming. I pray this next year is filled with many memories, laughs, and even a few tears. Most of all, I pray Keely remains the happy little peanut she is, love of my life, my little princess, my sweet Keely-kins. May the good Lord always bless you, and may you always know the goodness of His love.

This is from our short trip to Conroe for Nathan and Erin Cooley's wedding on April 3. We had so much fun just being with each other. It was awesome that we got to share Nathan and Erin's special day, too.

This is Keely and Evan and Eleni's baby, Jackson. He's about to turn two on July 30. We set up K's baby pool in the yard last Thursday, and the two of them just had a blast! It was adorable!

And here's the birthday girl destroying her strawberry shortcake cupcake. Happy birthday, sweet peanut! We love you!

Slacking

2010-02-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

I've been so busy lately that I haven't had the chance to blog about the past month. Our little girl is 8 months old! Yes, eight. Isn't that crazy?! They say time flies when you're having fun, and whoever "they" are have made a believer out of me. I've been enjoying every second I have with Keely. I wish I had so many more seconds with her. So, what has she been up to?

Lots, actually. Lots and lots and lots. She grows so much each and every day. She laughs constantly and plays with her toys. When she is frustrated or not getting what she wants, she screams or does something to get my attention until I give in. Take this morning, for instance . . . I wanted to sleep just a little later, not even late, but Keely made up her mind that she was not going to let me. She was in the bed with me, because she woke up crying at 6:30 and I went ahead and fed her. So, when she decided she wanted me to get up, she started lifting her head up and smacking it on mine. Then, she would wiggle and wiggle until her feet were by my head and start kicking me. As if she didn't kick me enough when I was pregnant! It was kind of funny. I got onto her for it, though. She does know the meanings of the words "No" and "Quit." This went on for a little while, until I finally caved and got out of bed. Her favorite things right now are her toys, stuffed animals, mirrors, homemade oatmeal, and people food. She loves it when I make something for dinner that she can have, too. When we are eating, she throws a fit if she is not, even if it's not quite time for her to eat. She started feeding herself last month; not with a spoon or anything, just picking up little bits of food and putting them in her mouth. I was extremely proud when this started. She is very smart, has 5 teeth (fifth broke through on Thursday of this past week), and is defintely the sweetest little baby I have ever met. Of course, I am likely biased. Just a little while ago, I walked out of the bathroom after my shower to see Carl holding her, with her head laying on his shoulder and her eyes shut, completely asleep. I grabbed my camera right then. She's been sleeping through the night for several months, since she was four months old, but she has difficulty when she's teething. I am certain her fifth tooth broke through at around 1:00 AM on Thursday, because that is when she woke up crying and kept crying for a little while. I noticed the tooth when I was getting her ready that morning. I'd been keeping my eyes on it for a few days prior, knowing it would break through soon. At her thyroid appointment on January 25, she had her regular lab work. We found out she had not gained much weight, only an ounce actually, which sort of freaked me out. So, we started feeding her more and giving her food basically whenever she wanted it. She still has a schedule, but we just didn't really refuse her if she appeared to want a snack or something off our plates. Apparently it worked at least some, because when we had to take her to Dr. Stripling on February 9, she had already put on 9 oz, making her weigh 16 lbs. 3 oz. Still on the small side, but I'll take it. Also, we received notification that her dosage of thyroid medication needed to be increased. She now takes 1.5 tablets every night. I was pretty sad about it, but at least they know what's best for her. I am hoping and hoping that they won't have to up the dosage again for a while. Her next appointment with Dr. Varma will be April 20. I've already called in a sub for that day. I mentioned she had to see Dr. Stripling on the 9th. That was because she was sick. She was coughing this horrible, deep cough for a couple of days. Sounded like an adult coughing. I felt so sorry for her! Then, she was running a fever, so Carl picked her up from Carrie's and spent that Monday afternoon with her at home. I called in a sub for Tuesday and Wednesday, took her in on Tuesday, to find out she had bronchitis. No wonder she was miserable! Carl's mom stayed with her that Thursday, so I could get back to work. After 10 days of amoxicilin, she got over it. Her last dose was this past Friday, and she's doing great. It's always sad, though, when little ones get sick. We finally cleaned out my car at Quick Quack and took it to get a much needed oil change yesterday. Keely loved the Quick Quack. She was laughing and squealing in the back seat the whole time. It was adorable! Then, she got really tired of being in her seat, so I took her for a quick walk while Carl got the oil changed. She loved being outside on such a beautiful day. It was nice, and the breeze was catching her hair, which she really liked. Her hair is pretty blond, no curls yet, but getting long, considering she's only 8 months old. Carrie and I have put it in a little ponytail on top of her head, which is absolutely so cute. The other day when Tonya was keeping her, she was looking in the mirror and kissed her reflection. Carl and I were on a mini-date, seeing "Dear John," and Tonya called to tell me about it. Speaking of, if you haven't seen "Dear John," it is wonderful. I loved it, but of course, I was a huge fan of the book prior to seeing it on film. That's one of the best books I have ever read, and I was not at all disappointed by the movie, despite the few changes made. Just a side note. Back to Keely. She still takes a pretty long nap in the afternoons, ranging anywhere from 1.5 to 4 hours. That's what she's doing right now, actually. If we go anywhere in the evening, she typically falls asleep in the car. I've been reading to her a lot, and she seems to really like it. As you can imagine, she wants to grab the book out of my hands, but she does listen to it. We have sing time everyday in the car on the way home from Aunt Pete's. We sing all sorts of songs, and I swear, Friday she was singing with me. Not real words, but that doesn't really matter--they were real to her. Our repertoire of music includes: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Keely Star," "ABCs," "Jesus Loves Me," "Jesus Loves the Little Children," "Blue Skies and Rainbows," "Fuzzy Caterpillar," "Little Birdie in the Apple Tree," "Keely Star," "Hey, Little Keely Girl," "Beautiful, Beautiful Keely," "Hello, Little Keely," "I Love You," "Tiny Little Keely," "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians," "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," and probably some more that I can't think of at the moment. Somehow I convinced myself that I can teach Keely the ABCs by the time she is two. We'll see, but I do attempt to sing the ABCs every single day at least once. Then, I expanded my goal to include counting to ten by the time she is capable of saying the numbers. I set crazy goals for myself and our daughter. They don't mean anything, but they are things to work on.

We absolutely love our little peanut. It is amazing that we are capable of such deep love. Being her mom is by far the greatest feeling I have ever experienced. I thank God for the opportunity every night when I lay Keely in her crib for bedtime. We're not quite ready for number 2 yet, but we will be someday, because I know I want to do this at least one more time. So, here's to you, my Keely Star, my light. May you grow healthy and strong and lead a life in Christ's glory. Thank you for being everything I ever hoped for.

Pics to come later. In the mean time, check out my recently published article on Bright Hub at http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/63847.aspx. Expect to see another link in the next couple of days, as I have submitted my second article and expect publication around that time. To my readers, thank you and please keep reading. I am now writing for five different channels on Bright Hub, including Parenting Infants and Toddlers, K12 Education, Preschool Education, Special Education, and Homework/Study Guides. I've only submitted in K12, but I plan to work on the other channels as time allows. Remember I claim to be no expert on anything. I am merely conveying my findings and experiences to people who are interested. Thanks again for being my audience. And, check back in a couple of days for the pics. I promise I will get them there. I just need to find my USB.

Updates and Pics as Promised

2010-01-17T10:30:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. I am such a slacker these days! I should've done this over a week ago when K turned 7 months old. Plus, I promised pics that I didn't post. To my defense, I've been kinda busy. I've written curriculum projects for my 6th graders, played my latest obsession, a computer game called "Coconut Queen," and been a wife, mother, and chef all in one. Busy. Okay, so I probably could've given up some of the time spend on my computer game. You don't understand . . . it's so fun to play and you just have to keep playing to see what task you'll have to complete next. I love strategy games!

As promised, I am posting a new Smilebox with pics from K's 6th month in our world. It was a wonderful month. Christmastime is always my favorite time of year, and I must say that having a daughter of my own made it even more special.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The above Smilebox is of our family pictures. We got them done at Portrait Innovations on December 08. K took some fabulous pics, and we ended up spending a lot more than planned. We didn't regret it, though. My sister, Carrie, took some more individual shots for Keely's 6 month pics on December 11. They will be in the upcoming Smilebox. As for Keely, there's not much new to report. She's still nursing 4 times a day, not really crawling, although she does scoot on her back and can get pretty far that way. She's super smart and a TV-addict. We're trying to work on that last one. LOL. Her best friends are her cousins, who are so sweet to her. I love it when Ella Jean walks up to her and starts jabbering jibberish. K loves it, too. And Branson and Ally will start jumping up and down just to make Keely laugh and smile. It works every time. But, perhaps my favorite is when Bran will get really squeaky and right up in her face. Keely just lights up. Adorable. Jilli, Xander, and Hadley are also really good with her. Since they don't get to see her really often, each visit with them is special.

I'll conclude by asking for prayers for some girls I know who have lost their babies due to infections that caused early deliveries. I don't exactly know what happened, and I don't know these girls on an extremely personal level. I just know they are hurting and in need of kind thoughts and prayers. I cannot imagine laying eyes on something so precious, someone you thought you'd get to watch as they learned to laugh and crawl and talk, only to have it gone in a matter of seconds. It is a constant reminder that we need to appreciate every moment we have here on earth and look forward to a time when we'll be reunited with those who have gone before us and bask in the glory of our creator. Also, pray for a friend who is only 24 weeks pregnant and already having contractions. She lost her firstborn due to early delivery, and her second son was in NICU for something like 80 days for the same reason. Now, it's anticipated that she'll deliver her third child within the week. The survival rate for a 24 weeker is right at 50%. But, I know God works miracles everyday.

Have a good week, all.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Whew!

2009-12-28T12:14:00.001-08:00

I finally have some time to write. I mean, I've actually had time, but I've been playing the new computer game Carl got me for Christmas instead of blogging. Flo on the Go. Sequel to Diner Dash, only it takes place on a variety of sea vessels . . . cruise line, submarine, and everything in between. So close to beating it. Since K's down for a nap, I decided to write today and not play my new obsession. I will beat it by the end of the week, though. I'm very likely going to get on right after I wrap this blog up. Those that know me best know that I cannot stop playing a new game until I beat it completely. And, with Carl being a big computer nerd himself and my new computer crashing and having to be sent back one week after I got it, I don't get to play games very often. Even when K's sleeping.

So, onto more exciting news. The part people actually want to read. Of course I mean the kid. She's growing and growing more everyday. Literally. I think she's in the midst of a growth spurt because she's been eating more and trying to get into our adult food more. So far, she eats Cream of Rice cereal, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, bananas, and has recently been introduced to peaches, blueberries, and carrots. I haven't found anything she refuses to eat, although she is not much of a fan of sweet potatoes. I am going to introduce her to peas sometime pretty soon. She still nurses four times a day and is doing great with that. Her six month appointment was on December 18, and she weighed 15 lbs. 5 oz. and measured 27 in. in length. She's tall! She's in the 87th percentile for length, but only in the 45th for weight. That's okay. She's gaining, so they weren't worried about it. Her next appointment is with the endocrinologist on January 20. We're already praying it will be a good appointment. I'm sure it will be. After watching K refuse to take her medicine and us having to force it down literally, we decided to adjust the time she takes it. Instead of taking it at 6:15, she now takes it right at 8:00. I am toying with the idea of nursing her right after and putting her to bed right after that. It would make her bedtime 8:30 instead of 9. Last night we tried it and were successful. However, I didn't exactly plan to attempt. K missed her nap because we took our niece, Ally, to see The Princess and the Frog yesterday. She was grumpy and fussy all afternoon, leading me to believe she can never miss another nap. It ended up being Carl and Ally watching the movie, while I walked around the theater trying to calm her down. The people in the theater probably hated me. Oh well. So anyway, Ally loved the movie and Carl told me it was seriously a cute one. I was glad we left K with her grandma Christmas Day when we went to see Sherlock Holmes, which TOTALLY ROCKED by the way. I just love Robert Downey, Jr! That was one that I didn't want to miss. I did feel guilty, though, that we left our only child elsewhere, while we took in a movie. I remember making the comment to Carl that families are supposed to spend the holidays together, yet we were leaving a third of our family. It was only for a little bit, though. K got tons and tons of presents. The kid really raked it in! Amongst them were an Exersaucer, giant pink teddy bear, many clothes, and many other toys. We actually had to get her toybox out of the closet in order to have a place to put all of her toys. (She didn't have very many before.) It was so much fun watching her open presents and play with the wrapping paper. She actually assisted with the openings of a few presents. I opened most of them and looked at her with a giant smile, saying "Look what you got, Keely!" I have to say that Christmas is so much more fun when you have a little one to share it with. I've been sharing Christmas with the nieces and nephews for a long time now, but sharing it with my own daughter was even more fun. I promise to post pics of the event soon. My camera went kaput, and I cannot get any of the pics off of it. Sucks, but fortunately I uploaded them to Walmart.com and ordered a CD with all 600 pics that were on the camera. We then got a new, much cooler camera. It's an Olympus. Big thanks for the cash we used to buy it goes out to my Momo. So, we'll be using that camera from here on out. I said I would post pics, and I will when I get the CD from Walmart in 7-10 days from the day before yesterday. It only cost me $2.50!

On a much sadder note, although people will likely think me silly for saying so, our dog Cyrano ran away a week ago last Friday. I miss him. He was my best friend for a long time. I don't think I would have gotten through Carl's 80s Combat tour days without him. I just hope he's out there making some other family happy. He's good at that. We checked the pound, posted multiple MISSING DOG ads, checked the papers, made flyers. No go. We also gave up Apostrophe, our beloved cat, who was having bladder issues. We'd taken him to the vet to get the problem fixed, but it was temporary. We knew that the vet would tell us he can do the same thing as before, which he made sure to say was temporary, or we could put him through surgery. We couldn't afford either (or decided the temporary fix was not smart considering it only lasted one month). He seemed to get a lot better for a while, but then he started leaking urine all over the place, which included on K's blanket. We took him to the pound. I told Carl that he owes me two new animals now, and he agreed to get me one. Then, I told him I didn't want any new animals. I just wanted my old ones back. We'll see what happens. I am not totally giving up on Cyrie yet.

Well, all, check back for pics sometime this week. I have them, promise! I will post them, promise! I hope everyone had a happy Christmas and enjoyed all of the crazy snow!

Today

2009-12-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

Keely got her second tooth sometime this afternoon. When I picked her up from Aunt Pete's, she had been crying. She looked pretty cute with a tear-stained face. Is that horrible for me to say? Keely looks cute all the time. Really, she does. Ask anyone. So, I decided it's okay for me to think she looked cute with a tear-stained face. And, I am not changing my mind. Anyway, we had our family pictures scheduled for tonight, and I was pretty worried that K wouldn't do so well. She cried in the car on the way home and fell immediately asleep after I nursed her. Then, I had to wake her up after like 5 minutes because we needed to get ready for the pics. She didn't do what I thought she'd do. She didn't utter a sound on the way to our appointment. She stayed awake, too. She didn't utter a sound when we changed her clothes and put her in a very frilly, too-big dress. Or when we put on tights for the first time. She smiled and laughed during our photo session. She didn't cry even once, despite my ESP plea for her to stop doing so well so we wouldn't have such a hard time choosing and end up spending a ton of money. We spent a ton of money. But, we got good pics. I was planning on getting one good shot of our family and that's it. I wanted the $9.95 package. K didn't let that happen. Instead, we walked away with a bigger package, having spend 8 times that amount. Whatever, though, it was worth it. We are getting K's 6 month pics made by CT Photography on Friday, when she'll actually be 6 months old. For those of you out there that don't know, CT Photography stands for Carrie Tungate Photography, and she's affordable and great. If anyone is interested in getting some freelance photos made of their little ones, you should consider her. Plus, she's got a brand new camera! So, I walk away from my experience in the studio thinking that it's okay we spent more than intended. We're getting great Christmas photos, and we'll get great 6 month pics on Friday. Congrats on the new tooth, Keely Star. You're getting so big, and we couldn't be more proud of you. Way to go, kid!

To My Husband

2009-11-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we will celebrate our 7 year anniversary. It has been one heck of a ride. Not smooth, although not overly rough. Mostly enjoyable, although not always. It's been exactly as it should be. Marriage is not easy. These days nothing really is. But, people tend to believe marriage is easy because you love each other. They see it in black and white, and seldom see the grey. These seven years have brought many lessons. We are not the same people we were when we got married. We're better. We're wiser. And, we continually learn from each other so that we continue to get better. Continue to get wiser. I love you, Carl! Thanks for being the greatest husband. Thanks for helping create the greatest daughter. We will have many adventures in our lifetime. But being married to you and raising our daughter is my greatest.

Our Girl's 5!

2009-11-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

Months that is. As of yesterday. Crazy how much time has gone by since Carl and I set out on this venture of transforming into Mama and Daddy. Yet in many ways, it seems like Keely should be this old. 5 months feels fast but right. She's grown so much over the past month. I would be willing to bet that she weighs 15 pounds. And, she's gotten tall. Her 3-6 month pajamas are close to not fitting, not because they are too tight but because they are almost too short. She's got chubby cheeks and thighs, but that is about all that's chubby. She gets prettier and prettier everyday. I could just stare at her all the time, if I had nothing else to do that is. I tell my little girl all the time that mamas need to get paid for loving their babies so that I wouldn't have to work anymore. Not that I dislike my job. I love what I do. I just miss her all the time. Being away from her is hard. But, I rest assured knowing that she is in great hands at Carrie's.

I am posting a new Smile Box, which has a ton of pics. You may notice that not all of them are of our sweet girl. I threw in some of Evan and Eleni's son, Jackson, who was a pirate for Halloween, and of course, I had to throw in some of the nieces and nephews, because they continue to make me smile every time I see them. Keely loves her cousins, and they are so cute with her! We finally decided to buy a Bumbo for Keely, and she loves it. We feed her and let her play with her toys in it. She's close to figuring out how to sit up on her own, which is funny because I don't think she rolls over completely yet. Would've thought that would come first. She can hold her own bottle for a few seconds, and she loves to hold things. She still loves to cuddle with her frog, like she has since she was less than a month old. She laughs and smiles constantly. She inherited my loudness, which can be good and bad at the same time. I think it's funny, but Carl gets frustrated when he's trying to talk on the phone or watch TV and she's just talking away. Carl and I feel so blessed to have such a sweet daughter. We thank God for her everyday and pray that he continually blesses her as she grows. She'll always be our shining Star.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I have such a great baby!

2009-11-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

It's true, and I am not just saying that. All mothers think their babies rock, and I am no different. I really, really think Keely is just the greatest! I couldn't ask for a better or easier baby. Last night, we made yet another adjustment to our little girl's schedule. The reasons leading up to this decision? Well, for starters, I have to feed her every morning at 7 AM because that is the last time I can feed her before I leave for work. The past few days when I would get her up to feed her, she would only eat for about 8 minutes. For some babies, that's as long as they need. Take Ella, for instance. She nursed for a solid 6 minutes and was completely done. I can't remember how old she was when she started doing that, but I am pretty sure she was only a couple of months older or less than Keely is now. Keely typically nurses for about 20 minutes. I also noticed that when I would feed her cereal at 7 PM, she would not nurse for more than a few minutes afterwards. I really didn't know what to do. As it was, I only nursed her or she got a bottle 5 times a day, and she ate cereal 2 times. When she wouldn't nurse, I was so confused. So, after thinking about it for pretty much the entire week, we decided to change her schedule for about the 5th time. I compromised her post-cereal 7 PM feeding and her 10:40 PM feeding into one 9:00 PM feeding. Then, I put her in her crib and hoped she wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night wanting to eat. She didn't! As a matter of fact, she was out within 5 minutes. She didn't even stir until 6:30 this morning! She did want to eat then, but I held her off until 7. She didn't even really cry! What a great baby! I just love her so much! She is so easy, too, because she goes right along with any changes we make. She rarely fusses about them. I am pretty sure our next child won't be so easy, but maybe he or she will. At any rate, we're going to wait a little while before we find out.

Another Month Gone

2009-10-10T11:56:00.001-07:00

Consider this my follow-up to the previous post from October 1. I promised pics and more updates, and I am following through . . . just a little later than planned. Well, those that know me best know I am late for almost everything.

Our little girl is taking a nap right now . . . going on 2 1/4 hours. Yay! She never sleeps this well for me in the afternoons. Of course, Carl and I tend to run around like crazy on the weekends, which doesn't account for much of a long nap time for Keely. After talking to Carrie, I found that Keely takes a 3 hour nap for her everyday. I was like, "What?!" So, Carl and I decided to experiment. And, we're calling it a success, because as I said, she's already been down for over two hours and isn't stirring yet. I guess nap time is something we're going to implement into our routine as well.

Updates: 1) She's sleeping through the night!!! Yay! This is perhaps the update that excites us the most. She doesn't have it completely down every time, but for the most part, she does sleep through the night. 2) She's in her own room. We moved her into her own room a week ago yesterday. She is so easy. She just goes with whatever change we make. This change was easy for her. When we put her in her crib that first night, she LOVED it. She was so cute, kicking her feet up in the air and smiling at her mobile. We left her alone, and she drifted off to sleep without making a sound. And, she's done the same thing pretty much every night since. 3) That little tooth has really come in! She lets us see it now. She hasn't bitten me yet, which I am very happy about. I was so nervous that teeth would make nursing so hard, but it hasn't. Here's hoping it stays that way!

I don't really have any more updates yet. Keely goes to Dr. Stripling for shots on October 15 (Thursday) and then back to Dr. Varma to have her thyroid levels checked again on October 22. I'm a little anxious for the second appointment because reassurance that everything's the way it should be is a definite plus. I anticipate that nothing's changed, but you never know for sure until that lab work comes back.

Tomorrow marks the fourth month of Keely's entrance into our lives. In a lot of ways it seems crazy that four months has come and gone, but in other ways, it seems hard to remember life before her grand entrance. At this moment in time, I can honestly say that I feel fulfilled. I feel this incredible appreciation for life, this divine closeness to the God who creates mountains and waterfalls. I attribute a lot of those feelings to Keely. She makes me see things in ways I'd never seen them before, to the extent that many things that used to be important now appear so petty and meaningless. Because when all is said and done, I still have a husband who loves me and a little girl who lights up my world, all provided by a God who loves unconditionally, whom I strive to mirror, realizing that I may be so far off, but at least I'm making progress. It is my sincerest hope that Keely will grow up realizing who this God is and what He has done for this world.

Enjoy the pics and God bless!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Quick Updates

2009-10-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

So, I have next to no time since I have a pile of papers to grade tonight before I have to submit report card grades tomorrow afternoon. I did want to drop in for a quick update on my sweet little pumpkin princess, though. Yes, I said pumpkin princess. Sometimes she's my pumpkin and sometimes she's my princess, and tonight I felt like combining the two.

We have a first tooth, ladies and gentlemen! Mama and Daddy can't believe their baby is so big already when she's still only 3 and a half months old. Yes, it's a tooth. You can feel it and see it sometimes when her little tongue isn't wagging around covering it up. It goes on record that our little girl got her first tooth on September 30. I'll have to write in her baby book. I think I need to start a journal of daily happenings in the world of Keely Star. I think I just might.

Due to Keely's apparent lack of appetite when Carrie tried to give her the 10:30 and 1:30 bottles, we adjusted her feeding schedule this week. It's working out well. Along with the change, I decided to stop feeding her in the early AM hours. She's still waking up, but she usually goes back to sleep once I give her plug to her. This was a big change to make, but I am amazed at how well she's done with it. I'm beginning to think I have the easiest, most laid back daughter in the world. I love her more and more each day. I am so proud to be her mama! I just can't get over it!

This post comes with two promises: 1) I will post more pics very soon, but I don't have time at the moment. 2) I will offer more insight into our busy, busy lives when I post pics. Until then, wish me happy grading, and I wish you all a happy evening.

3 Months Old

2009-09-12T16:24:00.001-07:00

My little girl is already 3 months old, and I can't believe it! These past 3 months have been some of the best I've ever experienced. It is an honor being Keely's mom. I am so glad God chose me for the job. I know Carl feels the same way about being her dad. In some ways, I can hardly believe it has been nearly a year since I found out I was pregnant. It will be a year on October 10, which is really not that far away. That is a day I will never, ever forget. I was thinking that at this time last year, I found out my first IUI did not work. As a matter of fact, as we were walking through the Cowboy Symposium this afternoon, it occurred to me that when we were there last year, Carrie was almost certain she was getting a new niece or nephew. It's funny how things work out. We wake up each day older than we were the previous day, sometimes wiser, sometimes not. I was hanging out with friends last night, and Carl and I were the oldest ones in the room by at least 2 years. My friend, Sam, told me she bought a house, and we embarked on a discussion about how old we've gotten. She has a house, and I have a wonderful kiddo. I love that I'm all grown up. I love that I'm married to the love of my life and that we are parents to our shining Keely Star. Getting older is so much fun. I've decided that Carl and I are going to take Keely to Paris for her 18th birthday. I love that she's so little and adorable right now. I don't want her to grow up too fast, but I absolutely love the thought of how great she'll end up. I just have this feeling that she's going to turn out to be this amazing person who does amazing things. And, I'll get to watch her and help her accomplish her goals and live her dreams. I suppose God must feel that way as He watches us grow and develop. I think He's very honored to be our Father. And, that's the coolest thing ever . . . knowing that our heavenly Father has so much love for us, so much pride in His handiwork that He can forgive the greatest of sinners and love us despite our shortcomings. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful God who has blessed me with an incredible family. He has made Keely in His image, just as He made us all. I pray God will continue to bless Keely and our family. And, thanks and glory to Him who loves unconditionally. May we learn to be like Him more and more each day.

Enjoy the pics!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What a Week!

2009-08-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

This week has been both chaotic and crazy, although it has not been bad overall. I expected the chaos and crazy, given that it was the first week for the kids to report to school. I waltzed in Monday morning with a room that was not finished--had books all over the place--and lesson plans that were not submitted. I was missing my baby girl but ready to see all of the new 6th grade faces that would occupy my classroom for the next 10 months. Although my room was not ready, surprisingly I was. I managed through the chaos of that morning, played some games with my kids, and got all of the first day procedures required by the state finished with very little time to spare. Then, I rushed over to Carrie's to pick up my girl. I'n so lucky to have Carrie around. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her. It is a great feeling knowing that I don't have to worry about Keely being 100% taken care of by the person keeping her. Nevertheless, I am so ready to see my girl at the end of the day! I leave school just as soon as I can possibly get away and speed on my way to Aunt Pete's. Seeing that girl after a day of work is the best part of my day. Needless to say, it's been a chaotic and crazy week, but it's been a good one, too.

Keely has started watching TV! This little monkey watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dora the Explorer, and the Baby Einstein videos. It is one of the cutest things ever! She was watching Baby Beethoven up until a few minutes ago when she started fussing. I'd look over at her, and she would talk to the TV. So cute! It is hard to believe 2 months has come and almost gone. She's getting so big! I almost already want another one! But, that will have to wait until Keely's had her fair share of alone time with Mama and Daddy. I think she deserves that. She's trying to sit up now. I mean, unsuccessfully, of course. But, I had her propped up on her Boppy the other day, and she started trying to lean forward towards me. What a big girl! She's holding her head up really, really well, and she laughs and coos constantly. She's one of those babies that people say was born talking. She's definitely a Mama's girl. She's still nursing, which means that I get to pump twice at work. Yay (sarcastically). But, she's completely worth it. I'd do anything for that sweet baby girl! Speaking of, here is the first of two slideshows I am posting today. These pics were taken on August 11, 2009 at JC Penny.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This next slide show is a conglomeration of pictures from the past 2 or 3 weeks. Isn't she just adorable?!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Have a good week. God bless!

2 Months

2009-08-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

Today marks the two-month anniversary of Keely's birth. Happy two-month birthday, baby girl! Because of this anniversary, I thought I would offer some reflections and highlights of the past two months. Here we go.

Reflection #1: Being parents has completely changed mine and Carl's lives. We tend to get frustrated with each other a little more often, but we have this closeness that doesn't shift despite our constant picking at each other. We've always had a close relationship, but it's different now that Keely has entered into our family. I think those of you with kids understand what I am trying to communicate to you. In short, Carl and I absolutely love being Dad and Mom.
Reflection #2: Even though we had all of those fertility issues, we wouldn't change anything about the past two years. I think those complications helped us to prepare for parenthood. Carl and I were able to focus on our relationship and long-term goals during those difficult years. We did not appreciate them while they were happening, but we've both come to appreciate them now. If we had conceived prior to when we did, we might not have ended up with beautiful Keely. No, we wouldn't change them. We certainly hope it is easier the next time around, though. And, I have a feeling it will be.
Reflection #3: Being a parent is hard. We didn't think it would be easy, honest. We knew it would be hard, but we've still had a few reality checks over the past two months. With Keely's thyroid problem, reflux, and milk protein allergy, we've definitely had our fair share of difficulty. Keely is still perfect. We would not wish any of those complications upon her by any means, but we can work with them (and hopefully through them eventually).
Reflection #4: The things we thought were so important prior to Keely's birth seem to take a backseat to her now. I guess that's part of being a parent. I hate to think not all parents feel the same way about their kids. For us it goes, God, family, then friends.

Highlights:
1) watching Keely sleep
2) listening to Keely laugh
3) hearing Keely say what sounds like Mama when she's upset
4) showing Keely off to everyone
5) knowing that she is ours
6) praying for Keely
7) napping with Keely
8) Keely's first vacation
9) shopping for/with Keely
10) Keely's first play date
11) evening walks with Keely
12) hugging and kissing Keely
13) making Keely smile
14) talking to Keely
15) getting through bath time without Keely screaming
16) nursing Keely
17) being able to check Above Average on the doctor's form when asked to compare her to other kids her same age
18) taking pics of Keely
19) watching Carl play with Keely
20) imagining how wonderful Keely will turn out

Another Smile Box to Show Off Our Girl

2009-08-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

These pics are all from the past 3 three weeks. Most of them are from the past 2 weeks. Keely is 8 weeks old today. I cannot beleive she is already that old! I cannot believe summer is drawing to a close already either. I report back to work on Wednesday, and I am already planning to be dramatic the first day I have to leave Keely with my sister. Thank goodness for Carrie, though. I don't know what I would do without her! Nonetheless, I really don't want to leave my sweet girl. I cannot imagine my mornings without getting to watch her sleep and cuddling with her. So, I am naturally holding her all day long almost, thinking I should savor every last second with her. No one ever said I wasn't dramatic. Anyway, while I am looking forward to meeting all the new faces and getting to teach again, I am not looking forward to leaving Keely. It will be hard. So, say a prayer for me that I will do better than I suspect I will. Say a prayer for my sister because I'm not sure she knows what she's getting into. She'll have her 3 kids and my 1 kid until school starts and Ally reports to kindergarten. Two more things, and I'll draw to a close. First, Keely actually made it through bath time without a single cry! Last night marked the first time we didn't hear wailing and screaming while being bathed! We were both shocked! And, very, very proud. Last thing, we got the lab results from Keely's endocrinologist, and her thyroid medication is fulfilling it's duty. No need to up her dosage at this point--YAY! Have a fabulous week, all!

Updates and Pics

2009-07-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

So, as usual, a lot has been going on. Carl and I have been busy new parents, adjusting to scheduling, budgeting, and hanging out with our sweet little girl, who just so happens to be sleeping at the moment, giving me a few minutes to update my blog and just breathe. This has been a week of doctor's visits, smiles, and a few disappointments. I'll start with the latter of the three.

About two weeks ago, Keely started spitting up a ton. It happened after almost every feeding and sometimes in the middle of a feeding. I didn't know what to do. After she spit up four times in a 35 minute span, I decided to call the doc. Unfortunately, her pediatrician's office was on vacation, so I took her in to see the doctor that was taking her regular pediatrician's calls. He told me that it could be any number of things, including reflux, but he thought it best to just monitor her for now and for me to give him a call if something changed or it got worse. The spitting up continued, although she had days where she wouldn't spit up at all. I decided not to call because I'd scheduled an appointment with her actual doctor for Tuesday of the following week. At that appointment, I mentioned my concern again. Dr. Stripling ordered an X-Ray of her stomach, which was actually called a barrium swallow, which was carried out on Wednesday. I dreaded this appointment, because I was afraid they would have to stick her for the thousandth time. Fortunately, they didn't. As a matter of fact, it was completely painless, except I had to bring her to the appointment with an empty stomach. All they had her do was drink a concoction of barium and water, while they watched it go down on a screen, wash it down with sterile water, and see if anything started to come back up into her esophogus. She did fine, and stuff did start to come back up. I got a call from Dr. Stripling's office Thursday, saying that he wanted to start her on Zantac because she had slight reflux. She started that medication Friday, while Carl and I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with my parents and Carrie watched her. I was so sad about leaving my little girl for such a long time. I wanted to see the movie, but I didn't want to leave her. I guess it's mainly because I know I will have to leave her nearly everyday once school starts up. I'm trying to maximize the amount of time I have left with her. Anyway, I managed to get through it. I did cry in the car after we picked her up. I was just happy to see her. I'll talk more about the movie later. Back to the medicine . . .

Keely does not like Zantac. I asked the pharmacy to flavor it, but they told me nothing could mask the peppermint flavor it naturally had. She makes a horrible face every time she has to swallow it. Really, I think it's kind of cute. She's been taking it twice a day since Friday. With the reflux diagnosis, came a referral to a gastrointerologist, whom she saw Monday. Prior to that appointment, the spitting up continued. I mentioned all of this to Dr. Higgins, and he determined she has a milk protein allergy, meaning she is allergic to dairy products, which she is getting through my breastmilk. He told me to stop nursing her for a week, so all of the dairy will get out of my system, and to put her on specialized formula during that time. I have to pump to keep my supply up and eliminate all dairy products from my diet in order to keep nursing her. I'm giving it a shot. I know I can do anything for Keely's sake, and I'm looking at it from that perspective. By the end of the week, I should be able to nurse again, and Keely's spitting up should be completely minimized. It's been going okay so far, but I hate pumping 7 times a day. It sort of sucks.

I had an appointment with my doctor Tuesday, so I had to leave Keely with Mam and Pete. It was not for very long, so it was fine. Those of you who know me best know that I always run 10-15 minutes behind for everything. I always say that I can plan to leave early, get completely ready without falling behind schedule, but still end up 10-15 minutes late for everything. I don't know why that is. It just is. So, I was running late for my appointment and hadn't dropped Keely off at my mom's house yet. I called Dr. Owen's office to let them know I was running behind. I hadn't left my house yet, but I told them I would only be 10 minutes late. Lie. So, I called Carrie and asked her to run out to my car and grab Keely in a very speedy manner so I could make my appointment. She did, and it was funny. Thank heaven for my sister, I made the appointment only 14 minutes late, one minute shy of the timeline they give you to arrive without being rescheduled. Yay for that! Tuesday was also my niece, Hadley's, birthday party at the pool by my parents' house. Carrie gave Keely a swimsuit that matched Ally's. It was so cute! The suit was a little big, but Keely looked adorable anyway. My brother, Allan, spent a lot of time holding her. He was so cute with her! He'll make a great dad someday. The party was fun, and Hadley got lots of good stuff. Keely got a ton of compliments, too.

This brings me to yesterday, which was Wednesday. Keely had an appointment with the endocrinologist to evaluate whether the medication she takes for hypothyroidism was working properly or if the dosage needed to be upped. This appointment was pretty rough on her. The endo didn't really tell us much that we didn't already know. He said that a lot of children with this condition that take the thyroid medication end up very bright. He even added, "It makes me wonder if I should have taken thyroid when I was young," in a joking manner. He also said that we can no longer give her a compounded form of the medication because there is no guarantee she's getting the same amount of the medication in every dose. So, we have to give her the pill form, which we crush up into teeny-tiny pieces using this cool pill crusher we bought at the pharmacy, and mix it with breastmilk. We put that concoction into a pacifier that has a medicine dispenser attached and let Keely suck it down. We tried this for the first time last night, and it was a huge success! We liked Dr. Varma just fine. He wants to see Keely every 3 months for the next while. She had to have blood drawn from her heel, which kind of offset her for the rest of the day. She wasn't very happy. I felt so sorry for her because I didn't know what she needed. It was sad.

Keely is six weeks old today, and she's having a pretty good day so far. She's sleeping on the couch, propped up on her Boppy pillow, at the moment. She looks so sweet! I am so glad we're not getting ready for a doctor's appointment right now. Unless Keely gets sick, we won't have another doctor's appointment until her 2 month on August 13. I'm taking off work for that, and it doesn't even bother me to do so. We adjusted Keely's schedule to see if we could get her down to one night feeding, instead of two. We started it Monday night, and so far she's adjust quite nicely. We get her up at 3 to feed her, and she goes back to sleep until around 6. She starts to cry then, so I give her her plug or move her into her swing. If she keeps crying, I take her to bed with me and cuddle. She does wonderfully then. We get up at 7, so she can eat again. After that, she usually goes back to sleep until close to 10. She is such a good baby! I just love being her mommy. It's the best feeling in the world.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

One Month Old

2009-07-11T13:38:00.001-07:00

Golly! I cannot believe our little girl is already a month old! Today marks the one-month anniversary of Keely Star's birth. One month ago was one of the happiest moments in my life. One month ago I finally laid eyes upon my little girl, something I'd been waiting to do for what seemed like forever. One month ago I was in labor, trying to convince myself that I could go through it all without an epidural. One month ago I was both terrified and elated, knowing that I was about to become a mom and hoping I would be a good one. One month ago I was looking at my husband and wondering if he was more terrified than I was. One month ago tears filled my eyes when the nurse told me our little girl had dark hair and I thought, "Maybe she's going to look like me." One month ago I heard the precious sound of our baby crying for the first time. And I knew everything would work out just fine.

We love our little Keely Star. She's amazing, and being a parent is amazing. I always knew it would be, but there's a difference between knowing and experiencing. We are lucky to have such a wonderful opportunity as playing the roles of Mommy and Daddy. For that experience, we are eternally grateful to God above. I pray Keely's life is a testament to Him, that we can raise her to live such a life, and that she gets to experience His many blessings, just as we have.

Well, the girl is screaming, so I am going to go get her and hug her till she realizes she's okay again. I love this job!

The Week in Pictures

2009-07-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

Don't I look sweet in green?!

I like to cuddle with Mommy and Daddy mostly, but my new frog is okay most of the time. It says, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on it.

Mommy says this is one of her favorite pictures. Aunt Mamy and Uncle X got this outfit for me.

My cousin, Ella, and I were twinkies on Wednesday. Mommy and Aunt Pete say Ella and I are going to be best friends, just like they are.

My cousin, Ally, likes to hold me. She is so sweet with me!

Mommy found this ridiculous but adorable bow for me to wear. Daddy didn't like it very much. Mommy didn't really care, though. Aunt Pete gave Mommy a ton of Ella's old hairbows, and she bought several more. Now, I have a bow that will match everything! Yay!

It's been a better week this week. I've grown up a bunch! Yesterday, I didn't cry much at all! I even decided to let Mommy and Daddy sleep most of the night last night. I only woke up so I could eat. Mommy and Daddy sure are proud of me. We are getting along great! Mommy took me to get weighed yesterday, and I am already 8 lbs. Here are some things about me that you might find interesting.

Name: Keely Star Kline

Birthday: June 11, 2009

Likes: Mommy's milk, my swing, blankets, cuddling with Mommy and Daddy, visiting Mam and Pop, my cousins, aunts, and uncles, stylish clothing, music, and my pacifier

Dislikes: waiting at the doctor's office, taking my medicine, and having my diaper changed

What a week!

2009-06-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been a strange and long week. There is much to tell, so I suppose I'll start at the beginning, which happens to fall on Tuesday of last week. It was 8:30 in the AM, and the phone rang. I happened to be up, because I'd just finished feeding Keely. Answered the phone. It's Keely's pediatrician's nurse, Reyna, who proceeds to tell me that Keely's PKU test she had in the hospital right after birth came back abnormal for thyroid. They want additional testing to make sure it was done right. After freaking out the whole way to the doctor's office, I got to visit with the doc at around 11:00. Dr. Stripling talked with me for a little bit, explaining that the test shows that her thyroid is not making enough of the hormone it produces. In short, her pituitary gland is telling the thyroid to produce more of the hormone, so it is working in overdrive to fill the demand. If it kept up at the pace it was going, her thyroid would eventually burn out completely. Think of it as diabetes but with an entirely different organ. He did manage to calm my nerves by saying that since they caught this early, she should be completely fine. It would mean a few visits to an endocrinologist and medication. Next, I took her down to the lab for the additional testing. I had to watch them stick my baby again; this time was one of the worst. They drew a full vial of blood from her arm. She was screaming, and I felt helpless. I wanted to cry with her. Poor, sweet baby. Mean lady sticking her with a needle in the arm. I mean, they'd pricked her heel twice within the week. Third time is not a charm. After waiting a day and a half for the results, Keely was diagnosed with Congenital Hypothryoidism. She's okay, really, but it could have ended up rather unfortunately, if they hadn't caught this condition at the beginning. So, this brings us to Wednesday. We got her prescription from the pharmacy the night before. The pharmacist recommended we wait until morning to give it to her. It came in a tablet form that had to be dissolved in 5 mL of H2O. Carl crushed the tablet, combined it with water, and tried to give it to her while I held her hands and head. She hated it! I mean, really hated it. I don't think babies like water anyway, but she really didn't like it with a semi-dissolved tablet in it. It took 10 minutes to get her to finish it. Carl and I agreed that we had to find another way to get her to take this stuff.

Luckily, Keely's 2 week appointment was scheduled for the following day. Carl took off work and came with me. The appointment was at 1:45, but it was literally 3:30 before we saw anyone. Carl's pretty impatient. He did not do well with the wait. It turns out that a different patient had appendicitis, so the situation could not be helped. The good points of the visit: 1. Keely now weighs 7 lbs. 2 oz., meaning that she has surpassed her birth weight. 2. Keely has grown 1/2 an inch since birth. 3. We found a new way to burp her that actually works most of the time. 4. The nurse hunted down a pharmacy that would compound the tablets into liquid form and mix them with grape flavoring. Keely actually likes this. 5. Keely's muscle tone is very good. Dr. Stripling said she is very strong already. The bad points of the visit: 1. They had to do another PKU test, where they pricked Keely's heel and filled those 6 circles. She cried pretty hard. 2. We didn't get out of there until nearly 4:30. Talk about a long wait! Imagine enduring that wait with a husband who needs to get back to work and a baby that had to wait an additional 45 minutes to eat. It was a long day, to say the least. At any rate, we did get to ask our questions and get some answers about this condition. Keely actually got a version of this medicine that she takes well, only I'm afraid it will take her body time to adjust to it. She's had an upset stomach for the past three days, since we started the medicine. It might not be a direct link, but I'm thinking it is. So, now we are at Friday. We had to take Keely to the hospital (doctor's orders) to get a thyroid scan. The procedure resembled an MRI, I guess. They wanted to figure out if her thyroid was fully developed and where it was exactly. With congential hypothryoidism, her thyroid either did not develop fully or developed in the wrong place. The purpose of the scan was to tell which it was. Our appointment was scheduled for 11:00, so we checked in around 10:30. They had to give her an IV in the hand in order to give her a minute dosage of radiation so they could see what was going on and some saline. Poor Keely had to get stuck yet again! It was horrible. Now, I have grown somewhat accustomed to have blood drawn due to all of my fertility treatments and being pregnant. But, I hated watching Keely have to go through all of it. Of course, she cried when they stuck her. I wanted to cry, too. The good points of this visit: 1. We'll get results and know where we go from here. We would really like to know what the next step is. 2. The pictures taken will go to the endocrinologist, and we'll get an appointment set up with him. The bad points: 1. We did not get out of there until after 2:00. Carl had to miss even more work, which he understandably complained a lot about. 2. We had to hold Keely completely still, while at an awkward angle to do so, during the photo session. Keely was not happy, but she finally fell asleep (and so did Carl and me) during the last shot. 3. We won't know results until Tuesday. Friday was a long day, too, to say the least.

So, yesterday, we gave Keely her medicine in the AM. She cried for about half of the day, acting like she just felt off. Carl and I were tired, too, but we mostly felt sorry for her. We would get her to calm down and doze off, but she would wake up as soon as we put her down, crying and crying. We held her most of the day, because of this. Even still, she was not very happy. It wasn't until we took her for a car ride and stroll around the mall that she slept for an extended amount of time. When we got home and took her out of the carrier, though, she woke up again and cried some more. She was having a rough time, and we didn't know what to do about it. I finally called my mom around 9:00 PM. By the time I got off the phone, though, Carl had her settled down, I fed her, and she slept, meaning that I could sleep. We slept on the couch until her next feeding at 1:00 ish. Carl went on to bed, while I fed her. Keely slept until her next feeding at 4:00 ish. She was awake after that feeding, so I didn't think she would let me get some sleep. I was wrong, though. I put her in her swing, and she fell asleep. She didn't wake up until 8:30. She's really a good baby. She just isn't used to all of this medicine and got worn out with the doctor's visits and long waits. Poor, sweet baby. It was as tough on Carl and me, if not tougher, as it was on her, though. So, for those of you who are praying people, send one up to the big man on Keely's behalf. Pray that she'll overcome this condition or at least adjust to the medicine. Faith moves mountains, and I am confident Keely will be just fine. Even still, a few more prayers for her would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy the pics.

Keely Pictures

2009-06-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures I promised. I've taken so many more, but these are a few of my favorites. These are from my camera, but I am sure there will be more to come from Carrie Tungate Photography soon. She designed the birth announcements we got last night and plan to send out soon. Those of you needing a pro photographer, keep my sister in mind.

A week ago today . . .

2009-06-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

I gave birth to our daughter, Keely Star, at exactly 3:32 in the afternoon. I thought I would offer some highlights of the past week and share some of the latest photos I have of our sweet baby girl.

The first night we were home, Keely kept us up all night. Fortunately, Carl didn't have work the next day, which was Saturday; so despite being dragged down from a physical standpoint, the lack of sleep didn't affect us to the point of total inability to function. We figured out real quick that Keely loves to cuddle. She wanted us to hold her, and we did most of Saturday and Sunday--really, most of the week. I guess I like to cuddle with her, too. On Saturday, we realized that none of the clothes we had for Keely to wear fit her. She was born weighing 6 lbs. 13 oz., which is pretty small, given the fact that our last sono estimated her birth weight to be in the vicinity of 8 lbs. After little hesitation, I called my oldest sister, Amy, who lives just about 4 blocks from me, to stay with Keely, while Carl and I ran to Babies R Us to get the girl some clothes that fit, preemie size in other words. I wasn't supposed to drive due to the pain pills I was taking, and I did not trust Carl to pick out clothes on his own. We were only gone about 45 minutes. Amy was thrilled that I had asked her to do us this favor. We got two really cute outfits and some of those waterproof lap pads, spent pretty much all of the gift card we'd planned on saving for an emergency need-more-diapers-but-we're-broke run. Carl and I enjoyed the time alone and out of the house, since we had not left home or the hospital since being admitted the previous Tuesday. But, even though we enjoyed the time away, I ended up feeling super guilty that evening. Keely would not eat--we're breastfeeding--and she kept crying. I spent Saturday night up with her, trying to get her to nurse, and crying my eyes out because who leaves a three-day-old baby with a sitter to complete some mindless task and why wouldn't my baby girl eat, amongst being so tired and feeling the effects of post-partum blues. I decided to give her formula at that point, because I was afraid she would starve. This continued all through Sunday. I would try to nurse but end up giving her formula. I was so sad about it, too. It was a wishy-washy day. Carl didn't know what to do. I couldn't stop feeling the way I was feeling either. Between both of us, we were a wreck. Then comes Monday, the day of Keely's first doctor's appt. I tried to feed her prior to making the 8:30 visit with Dr. Stripling. She actually ate a tiny bit, but I still supplemented with formula, which she only took an ounce of. I left the diaper bag and everything else in the car and headed uo to the 5th floor with Keely in my arms. (I'm not supposed to carry anything over 10 lbs., since I had to have an episiotomy during delivery.) Lo and behold, I brought a starving baby to the appt. The office was freezing, and her blanket was in the car. She was screaming, and I had nothing with me besides the useless contents of my purse. The nurse came in to assess the situation, took Keely from me so I could finish filling out the mounds of paperwork needed, and even found her a bottle of the ready-made formula I'd been using so my little girl wouldn't go hungry. She fed her, while I expressed my concerns about breastfeeding. The lady made me feel a lot better and made sure to list nursing as one of my concerns for Dr. Stripling to address. When he came in, he was almost exactly the same as I remembered him being when I was a kid, only he was quite a bit older. He said Keely looked great, that he thought she was a pretty baby, had great muscle tone, even that he thought her cry was sort of cute, compared to some of the other cries he'd heard. He addressed all of my concerns and gave me the phone number to La Leche League, a group of "breastfeeding experts," according to him. After watching my daughter scream and wail during the PKU test, where they prick a heel and squeeze the blood out of it, I headed to my mom's because my Momo was due to arrive soon to see her newest great-grandchild. I spent the day there, called the number to LLL, and ended up getting some wonderful advice from Helen (of the league)that worked like a charm that afternoon. Keely breastfed for 20 minutes that time. I was relieved and happy. I decided to attend the monthly meeting of LLL the following morning, despite having success for most of the night. I gave in and gave Keely a bottle of formula during her 6 AM feeding, mostly because I was so exhausted. The meeting was at 10. I am so glad I attended, too, because I haven't had to give my baby a bottle since that 6 AM feeding. Helen helped a lot. Breastfeeding in front of people was almost a violation of my modesty, but I got over it because I wanted to help my baby girl get this down. And, I did. Yay for that! I even met another mom of a 6 week old that I thought I could be friends with. I didn't get her number or anything, but I plan to go to the next meeting in July, where I will likely see her. Even though we're getting the hang of things now, I still liked being able to connect with other moms and moms-to-be. Getting and giving advice were also perks of the meeting. Keely's had successful feedings since. That doesn't necessarily mean my darling hubby and I have gotten a good night's sleep, though. Keely sleeps better now that her tummy is full, but she still wakes up wanting to be held multiple times during the night. For instance, on Monday, I was so exhausted that I didn't know if I would make it. I was going off of 2 hrs. of sleep each night for the past 3 nights. I was drained. I also was trying to help Carl out by staying up with Keely during the night. He had to go back to work Monday, and I have the summer off. But, Monday night, I just couldn't do it. After feeding her and putting her down in the bassinet, my energy was shot. She woke up less than an hour later, crying for someone to pick her up. Carl woke me up, thinking I would do it, but no go. I just didn't have anything to offer. He got up instead and brought Keely to bed with him. She slept, while he watched a movie and tried his hardest not to doze off. When I woke up a couple of hours later, it was time for Carl to get ready for work. He told me that she was being so sweet and that it was okay I didn't get up with her. He was pretty tired Tuesday, though, which affected his temperament. At around 5 AM the following morning, I was trying to feed Keely, but she wouldn't wake up. I kept thinking she would wake up any minute, ready to eat, and I would just have to get up out of my comfy bed again and feed her. Rather than do that, I propped my feet up on the couch, got a few pillows, and held her. Of course, I dozed off, only to be awoken at 8 AM by Carl, who proceeded to tell me that I shouldn't hold Keely if I was going to fall asleep. Keely woke up 10 minutes later, ready to eat. I included those stories as precursors to last night, when something so sweet and adorable happened. I was feeding Keely at about 4 AM, and she made this sweet little cooing sound. I looked over at my sleeping-completely-out husband, and he was patting his chest the way he pats Keely when he's holding her. I tapped his hand, and he opened his eyes (still asleep, though). He said, "I need to put her down because I'm about to pass out." I said, "You mean I need to put her down." He responded by repeating what he'd said. I told him he didn't have her. He said, "I don't?" I said, "No, I have her." He rolled over then and was out. I thought it was adorable he was in DAD-mode even while sleeping. Thus, I want to end with some thoughts on what I've witnessed regarding my spouse since Keely's birth. When she was born, she cried and cried, as most babies do. Once they handed her to Carl, though, she stopped. He's gotten up with her at night, watched her while I went to bed two hours earlier than normal to catch up on sleep, changed diapers, and picked out clothes. He's kissed her and told her he loves her every time he leaves for work or puts her down for bed. He's sympathized and celebrated with me throughout the whole feeding debaucle. He even cried with me then. You never know how great your significant other can be until you see how he handles being a new dad. I am so thankful Carl's my significant other and the father of our sweet Keely. Even though our marriage has had some rocky spots, I will always think Keely and I both got lucky when God put Carl and me together.

Keely Star Kline

2009-06-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Okay . . . I finally broke away for a second to update everyone. After my doctor's appt. Tuesday morning, I was hopsitalized due to high blood pressure and other signs indicating pre-eclampsia. I had to be monitored all day Tuesday. Sweet Carl slept on the most uncomfortable couch in the room. We really didn't sleep at all that night. On Wednesday, they checked again to see if I had dilated any more, which I hadn't, so my OB gave the go ahead to start the induction process with Cervadil that night. Still being monitored like crazy. They had to draw blood, start an IV, check my vitals, and do Non-Stress-Tests periodically. After completion of the 24 hr. urine test, I was officially diagnosed with pre-e. Blah. Fortunately, my OB did not see this as an immediate need for a Cesarean. She told me she would probably have me take blood pressure meds after delivery and depending on how my blood pressure looked prior to starting the Cervadil, she would decide whether or not I needed to be on magnesium sulfate during or after the induction. She decided in the end that I didn't need it but did need the meds after delivery. More monitoring all day. Around 8, they wheeled us up to Labor and Delivery to start the Cervadil. They gave me some Ambien so I would sleep, and it helped a ton! I woke up at 6:15 Thurday AM when my water broke. It felt really weird, if I may say so. I woke Carl up and called for the nurse. She checked me and verified that it had broken but I had not dilated any more. Contractions started around 8 that morning, and they began Pitocin. They asked if I wanted an epidural, and I said no. More contractions. They increased and lengthened by 10. I thought I was dying. Another check. Cervix dilated to a 4, which was why I was feeling the contractions more. Carl was helping me remember my breathing techniques, which weren't helping me feel less. I was given Stadol, which made me sleepy but didn't relieve much of the pain. Carl's phone rang. My older sister told him to encourage me to get the epidural if he really thought I needed it. He thought I did. In my state of sleepiness, I told him to call the nurse and ask for an epidural. I gave in, but I didn't care. Those contractions hurt! The epidural didn't hurt, though. The nurse and anestesiologist teased me when I told them I had a fear of needles because they saw all of my tattoos. I fell asleep after that and didn't wake up until an hour and a half later. I was feeling pain on the right side of my body. Pain like the epidural didn't work on that side. More breathing. Nurse got worried because I thought I was dying again. I know . . . I'm dramatic. She called the anesthesiologist who put more meds in my IV. They also upped the dosage I was getting from my epidural. Still didn't help. By now, I was dilated to an 8. Another call to the anesthesiologist. Same thing. Upped dosage and gave more meds in my IV. Told me that if it didn't work this time, I was too far along to do anything about it. Fortunately, it worked. Dilated to a 10 within the hr. Started pushing at that point. I only had to push for about 30-45 minutes. Keely was born at 3:32 pm. She was hollering and hollering, but it was the sweetest sound I'd ever heard in my life. I was bawling as I held that little girl. I didn't want them to take her away to clean her up. Delivering the placenta sucked because my OB was pushing my stomach over and over to get it out. It was not a long process, though. Keely was still hollering. The second they handed her to Carl, though, she stopped. She knew her daddy. I told him all throughout my pregnancy that if he would talk to her, she would know him at birth. He did, and she did. Delivery went according to plan, aside from getting the epidural. Oh, and I had to have an episiotomy. They removed the catheter shortly after that, because I sort of lied and told them I could walk to the bathroom on my own. I mean, I could, but I was pretty wobbly. That catheter was so uncomfortable! I was monitored all through the night and next morning, but we got to go home Friday. Our first night home was tough because Keely was fussing all night. I don't regret losing sleep, though, because I got to bring my baby girl home. She's beautiful and healthy. We go to the pediatrician Monday at 8:30 for a weight and color check. I have to take blood pressure meds and can't drive for about 2 weeks. Other than that, I'm doing great, considering what I experienced. Carl and I are completely in love with Keely. Breastfeeding is hard, but I'm trying to hang in there. Oh, and Keely is so little that she has to wear preemie clothes. They are even a little big on her! It's absolutely adorable. Can you tell we're in love?

Waiting for Thursday

2009-06-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

So, my induction is set for this Thursday, meaning that I will be a new mommy in three days or less. I'm still holding out for Keely to make her appearance on her own, but I'm not really thinking it will happen. Carl said he thinks we're going to have to force her out. We've been cleaning and organizing the house like crazy the past two weeks. It's really coming along. We got our carpet steam cleaned Friday, and we've been working on the rest of the house steadily since before that. I just want to bring Keely home to a nice, clean house. Not to mention, who knows when Carl and I will have time to thoroughly clean it again after her birth. We also spent some time cleaning out our cars, so they are ready for our baby girl, too. Not everything is done. We still need to clean the kitchen floor, sweep, mop, and organize the utility room--our biggest challenge--and mow our backyard. But, I think both of us would be fine if Keely came before we get those things done. Carrie came over this morning to help me finish the nursery. I wanted to move some of the things hanging on Keely's walls and needed an outside perspective. So, as of about 11 this morning, Keely's nursery is completely done. Well, I guess we technically have 4 things to hang, but we know exactly where they are going. I'm just waiting on Carl to take a break from his alternate World of Warcraft universe so he can put them up. For those of you who didn't know, I am married to a computer nerd who plays World of Warcraft like it's the best thing ever invented. I actually don't mind so much. I just like to tease him because it's funny. Anyway, I'll have to post pics of the finished product, soon to be the room of our little girl, once they are taken. I'll get around to it eventually. Maybe tomorrow. For now, I thought ya'll might enjoy more pics from the Carrie Tungate Collection--pics that will likely be the last maternity photos taken before my daughter gets here.

For those of you who are praying people, please send one up to the big man on our behalf Thursday. Look for pics of Baby Keely Star Kline sometime in the very near future.

Pics

2009-05-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

The last pic turned out a little dark, but I like it. I think it's a good picture.

I've Been Meaning To . . .

2009-05-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

Update! It's been a while, and we've been crazy busy since school is coming to it's long-awaited close. First, some pics . . .

Okay, so here's the latest. The pregnancy pic is from 3 weeks ago, when I was at 33 weeks. Today, I am at 36, which is the start of the 9th month. They say the average pregnancy lasts 9.5 lunar months. That means if things go according to the average, Keely would be here in 14 days, or 2 weeks. Wow. Ironically, Keely doesn't have much more than that before our induction date on June 11. 5 days more than that precisely. Our last ultrasound revealed that she weighs in the vicinity of 5 lbs 11 oz, with an expected weight gain of 1 lb per 2 weeks. That ultrasound was done on May 11. Keely is getting big! How we are built to give birth to 7 or 8 lb babies is beyond me. As labor and delivery approaches, I find myself getting more excited and nervous. I am not nervous about being a mom. Really, I am not. I love the idea. I know that I will be a great mom. I trust that God has had his beautiful hands in this for a long time. And, He'll take care of us. I am nervous about labor and delivery, though. I used to tell myself and others that mind is more powerful than body. Because of that belief, I find that I am able to talk myself out of being sick, something my dad can do, too. I've been that way for a long time. I feel a cold coming on, and I just don't allow myself to get the cold or for the cold to last long. I am wondering if the same concept can apply to labor and delivery. Carl and I took childbirth classes this past month. The classes were more informative than I'd anticipated. I am glad we took them, though. Every week focused on a different aspect of pregnancy and post-partum. They showed videos of live births and way too many boobs for my personal pleasure (breastfeeding). When it came to the video about epidurals, I thought I was going to throw up. It was horrible! I was cringing. They combined that video with the one over cesarean, and again, I thought I was going to be sick. Cesarean didn't even show anything other than CG imaging. I told Carl that I did not want an epidural or cesarean. He's so good about telling me that I am strong enough to do without those if I really want to. My mom tells me to focus on breathing and relaxation in order to have a natural birth. Carrie did it with Ella. I guess what it boils down to is that I know I am strong. I have the ability to relieve stress or physical pain by picturing myself somewhere else or by squeezing something as hard as I can. I just don't like physical pain. So, we'll see how labor and delivery go. At this point, I am not planning on getting an epidural. I am planning on getting valid reasons if I am told I need to have a cesarean. I don't want a cesarean to be a matter of convenience. I'm not really planning a natural birth--I am being induced if Keely doesn't come on her own before June 11--but I am planning to limit pain meds. Encouragement would be nice for those of you that read this episode of our lives.
As for the other pics, they are from my baby shower. Carrie emailed me this cool slideshow that contained many more pics, most of which Carl and I were in. I can't figure out how to upload it, though. I just need to play around with it more. We're getting maternity pics made tomorrow. Carrie wants to go into professional photography, and she's building her portfolio. Anyone who needs pics taken should look her up. She's pretty good and has access to professional-grade equipment. I'm sure she'd be flexible about location and everything. Anyway, I will post those once they are finished and in my hands. School is coming to an end, and I couldn't be happier about that. This year has not been bad or anything. It's hard teaching and dealing with end-of-school-rowdiness when you're 9 months pregnant. The kids are probably as ready for school to end as the teachers. We got our TAKS test scores in this week, and the results were less than satisfying. My kids did wonderfully! I am so proud of them, honestly. Overall, however, the school's scores were not up to par, due to low scores in the area of science. I hate the way Texas rates schools! It is so completely unfair. I don't mind the TAKS test. I mean, I hate it, but I can deal with it. I just don't think it is fair for a school to be given a low rank when most of the scores in most areas were high (or average even) but one area was below state standard. Does that seem fair to you? It is completely biased. They are forcing special education kids to take a test that is not built for them. No Child Left Behind causes children to be left behind. They are forced to integrate into classrooms that teach on a level that is too high for them. They are forced to take a test that adheres to the higher level. Don't get me wrong . . . I fully believe that special education students are entitled to a fair education. They deserve the same chances that other kids get. I just don't think the system is just. My kids and co-workers work extremely hard all year. Not one teacher at my school neglects his or her responsibilities to the students. Even though there are many kids at my school that could care less about TAKS and their futures, a majority of the kids work hard. Self-confidence is lacking amongst the kids who do not try to rise above their circumstances. How could it not when they are being told by the media that only people who look a certain way or come from certain backgrounds have a shot at success? I hate the media for conveying such things to the youth. It is tough to be a kid these days. But, enough of my rant. I'll end on a happy note.
Yesterday, my niece, Ally, turned 5 years old. It is so hard to believe she is that old! In some ways, it is harder to believe she is 5 than it is to believe my oldest niece is almost 9. When Carl and I were experiencing all of our fertility problems, I found comfort in knowing that no matter what I will always be a big part of the lives of my nieces and nephews. They are what made everything okay. Watching them grow and learn, playing hide-and-seek with them, going to their birthday parties, and asking them how school is going are some of my favorite memories. I couldn't be prouder of them. I can scarcely imagine a greater feeling than being an aunt. That's why I am so excited to be a mom. Because I know that will feel even better. Carl and I are really looking forward to making such happy memories with our own daughter. Only 2 weeks and 5 days to go!

More Pics For Your Enjoyment

2009-04-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

Carl's mom finished making the bumper pads and bedskirt. We hung up the mobile the other day. We bought new cordless shades for the nursery. It's really coming along. We have to finish the other dresser, which we're working on today, and get some shelves for Keely's bunny collection. Other than that, we're just waiting on the rest of the decorations Tonya is making and the changing pad cover and valances my mom is going to make. Our shower is on May 9th. TAKS is this coming week on Tuesday and Wednesday. School is over in just 4 weeks. Our induction date is in a little over a month and a half. And, time is ticking, just as it always does.

Update

2009-04-17T11:08:00.001-07:00

I don't really have much to update on, but I did think I should share the newest update. We've set a tentative induction date for June 11!!! That means that our sweet Keely Star should arrive in just 56 days! Wow! We're planning to induce for selfish reasons, really. My father is leaving town for a big ASHRAE meeting that was set up some five years ago. Prior to my getting pregnant, my mother was going to go. Carl and I were even thinking we might try to go. It's in Kentucky, and I have never been to Kentucky. I love going places I've never been. I set the goal when I was 15 to see as much of America and travel to as many states as I could by the time I was 25. Now, I have seen most of the east and west coasts and some of the middle. In all, I've been to 28 states and Canada twice. Not bad, huh? Well, we're not going to Kentucky, and my mother isn't either. We're getting to spend time with our brand new daughter, instead. I won't ever regret missing the opportunity to add a state to my repertoire. I'm not even thinking twice about it. But, my father is leaving on my actual due date. I don't want him to miss meeting my first born. He means the world to me. There are some things that a girl just needs her daddy to be present for. This is one of them. So, we set an induction date and are hoping Keely decides to come on her own before then. She might, she might not. It doesn't matter. We'll get to see her soon, no matter what. So, for those of you that are praying folk, please keep us in your prayers as we go nuts preparing for our little girl's entrance into the world. God bless!

Keely

2009-03-18T13:26:00.001-07:00

We had another sono today. Keely is measuring right on cue, and she weighs 2.2 pounds. She was being shy and hiding her face with her hands and feet. You can see it in the last pic. We managed to get a couple of good face shots, however, and she is really, really cute, if I may say so. Anyway, we're excited and working hard to prepare for her. We lack two big things, one of the dressers and the bedding, in the nursery. Other than that, we are practically done. I've been cleaning and getting rid of some of the stuff we have. We're having a garage sale Friday and Saturday. I think it is true when they say that some of the tiredness returns during third trimester, because I am feeling it lately! Even as I am typing, Keely is kicking. I just can't wait until June!!!

WOW, Third Trimester!!!

2009-03-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

So here we are at the start of the third trimester! Only 98 days until we'll get to meet our sweet baby girl! I cannot believe it's gone so quickly! Anyway, we've been working like crazy on the nursery. I thought I would post some pics of what we've done. Our first baby shower was given on Thursday, so I am including some pics of the loot. Work threw us and the 4 other couples who are expecting a joint shower. It was very, very nice, and we got some great stuff. My sisters and friends are throwing a second shower on May 9. Carl and I decided we have way too much stuff crammed into our cute, tiny house, so we're having a garage sale on the 20th and
21st to alleviate some of the crampiness. I plan to spend spring break on cleaning spree, since I won't get the opportunity to thoroughly clean my house again until school is out. I may or may not feel like cleaning it then, since I'll be less than a month away from delivery. Anyway, enjoy the pics!

24 Weeks!!!

2009-03-01T11:42:00.001-08:00

We've reached what is called viability as of yesterday. I thought I would share my 24week belly shot and my new haircut with everyone who reads this. Here you go! Oh, and I threw in a couple of pics of Carl's newest project: Project Nursery 101. He's finishing it up today.

Keely Star Kline Due June 2009

2009-02-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

We Found Out Today . . .

2009-01-23T14:24:00.001-08:00

We're having a sweet baby girl!!! She is healthy and beautiful with a heartbeat of 151 bpm. Baby K is now officially Keely Star Kline! Praise God who rains his blessings on us continuously. We are so excited!

Updates and More

2009-01-15T08:42:00.001-08:00

Starting back at school after Christmas break has been keeping me super busy. I feel like I could use another break already. Luckily, I get Monday off for MLK Day. I guess that will have to suffice for now. Spring break cannot come soon enough. Our kids have been a little nuts. They are still adjusting to being back from Christmas vacation. We had a fight at our school yesterday, and I thought, "Already?!" We've had Benchmark testing all week, and the teachers and admin have been on edge. Yep, we are all ready for another break.

The holidays were nice--too quick but nice. Carl and I got a camcorder for Christmas, thinking that we would get a lot of use out of it once Baby K arrives. We should have videoed our cats, Apostrophe and Comma, the other day, because they looked like they could've been auditioning for the Olympics or something. I was sitting on the couch, and Comma jumped in my lap from literally across the room. I think he's part flying squirrel. Apostrophe almost did a backflip, completely on his own. Animals really do add excitement, I suppose.

Anyway, so our Christmas and New Year's went nicely. Carl's parents were out of town for most of the break, so we got to spend most of our time with my family. It was fun. I finally got in to see our new OB over the break. I got to hear Baby K's heartbeat for the first time. I think it was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. Our big sonogram, where we find out gender and get all of the measurements done, is scheduled for the 23rd. I'll be 18 weeks 6 days, then. Everyone thinks we're having a boy, but I really cannot decide. Some days I'll get this strong feeling that we're having a boy, but others, I will think Baby K is a girl. Carl thinks we're having a girl. Our next appointment with the OB is on the 26th. We ordered a crib over the break, and it came in last night. Carl and I are planning to put it together tonight or tomorrow. I've been sick with a horrid cold this week. It's finally getting better, but I was miserable for the first little bit. Not to mention, I have a little nephew who wanted me to hold him while he finished eating last night. I did, but I probably shouldn't have. And, little Ella Jean kept staring at me and smiling, and I just wanted to bounce her on my knee and sing "Ella Jean, Baby Queen" to her. I resisted that urge, though. Hopefully, I will be completely over this cold Monday and able to hold my sweet nieces and nephews. Amy's kids should be at my mom's Monday, too.

Oh, I forgot to mention our little trip to the ER on December 31st. I woke up at 6 AM with this horrible pain in my side. I managed to go back to sleep for a little longer, but it was still there when I woke up. I got ready and went to my mom's house. The pain lasted the entire morning, and my mom and Carrie freaked me out by saying, "I wonder if it could be your appendix." My new doc's office was closed for the New Year's holidays, so I tried to call the on-call nurse. The automated message said that if you are pregnant, under 20 weeks, and have an emergency to go to the ER. I called my RE's office, and the nurse told me to go to the ER if it didn't get better in the next hour or so. I didn't want to go to the ER. Mom and Carrie somehow convinced me that I needed to. Carl was at work when I texted him to tell him Carrie was going to take me. He was freaking out. Poor Carl! He couldn't take off until 3, which wasn't for another hour. So, he was sitting at work imagining all sorts of horrible stuff. Anyway, they got me in rather quickly, gave me a stupid catheter (which is the worst thing ever), and did a sonogram to check on Baby K. Everything was fine. My uterus is apparently tilted to the right. Since it is expanding, it sort of bumped into some other stuff and caused the pain. No kidney stones, no appendicitis. A stupid catheter for nothing. I did get to see our sweet baby again, though, and that made it worth it. I can't wait until I can see him or her everyday. Carl did manage to get his friend to come in earlier than 3, so he could meet us at the ER. He was quite relieved to know everything was A-OK. I guess I was, too. I mean, I sort of figured I was fine all along. I guess confirmation was nice, though.

Last thing, if you have not seen Marley and Me, you need to. I read the book this summer, and it easily made my top 5 list. The way John Grogan writes and being a dog person myself made the book easy to fall in love with. They did not screw up the movie in any sense at all. They were pretty out of sequence and got a couple of things wrong, but it was enjoyable nevertheless. I highly recommend it. But, if you are going to see the movie, you really should consider reading the book.

In Commemoration of a Life Well Lived

2008-12-20T07:29:00.001-08:00

I'll be the first to tell you that teaching 6th grade ELA was never a part of my plan. It just so happened that God had other things in mind for me than writing a Great American novel or a groundbreaking Broadway play. When I first decided to teach, I wanted to have seniors in high school. I had dreams of teaching kids that already knew how to write. We were going to write plays and synopses over "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or "Sir Gawain and the Green Night," all of the literature that enamored me when I was in high school. I wanted to teach about the Beatniks, who went overseas to write about their perspectives of America and American life. I was going to be just like my senior ELA teacher, Shirley Webb, one who inspired me in ways I never imagined possible. (Ironically, I had the pleasure of teaching with Shirley the first two years of my career--in middle school.) So, I worked my heine off and finished grad school and student teaching in a year. My certification was in ELA and Reading, grades 8-12. Now for the job hunt . . .

I submitted resumes and made phone calls to places an hour away. I spent money we didn't have on classroom enhancements--posters, tape dispensers, markers, and more. By the end of summer, I'd had two interviews and didn't get either job. Our bank account was getting ridiculously low. Carl was working hard at a dead-end job that paid a lot less than it should have. I was worrying if I'd made a wise decision about going into the field. I enlisted as a substitute teacher for the fall semester. I spent the first 5 weeks of school subbing in LISD and Frenship, where I did my student teaching the previous spring. I'd given up on getting a real job that year. Carl and I were cutting back on our expenses as best as we could. Then the call came. I interviewed at Dunbar for a position in sixth grade that suddenly opened up. I knew I got the job before I was even told. I thought if I could just stick it out until the end of the year teaching kids that knew nothing about writing, I could move on to my dream job, already having a year under my belt. I had no idea what I was going to teach. I would be the head ELA teacher in 6th grade. My colleague taught reading mostly, but she helped me through a really difficult year. When I was worrying about curriculum, I tried so hard to think back on what I learned in sixth grade ELA. The name Joanna Dunn will forever be in my mind as a teacher that taught me the most.

Joanna Dunn was my sixth grade English teacher. She was old even when I had her. She was extremely familiar with the Branson clan, since she taught my older sisters and younger brothers. Anyone with that amount of experience with our family remembers us long after we left elementary school. She had us spouting off prepositions, identifying prepositional phrases, diagramming sentences, moving to a rhythm while we conjugated verbs. We learned grammar and had fun learning it. I decided to model my teaching after what I could remember, which was quite a bit, of hers. I go into the school year promising my students only one thing . . . that they will learn. I believe Joanna made the same promise to us. We did not always enjoy her classes. She got onto us for yawning in her class. She was tough, and sometimes we moved on when I wasn't quite down with the current concept we were learning. But, she was a good teacher, a great teacher, who was passionate about what she was doing. That passion came out everyday. And, it was obvious.

I saw Joanna just last year. She was older and looked more worn. I talked to her for several minutes, making sure to tell her I still knew all of my prepositions by heart. She was proud to know that I'd grown up and sort of followed in her footsteps. She offered me advice about how to teach certain things and gave me her email address so we could exchange ideas. She was now teaching at MacKenzie Middle School, having moved up with the fifth graders when they converted junior high into middle school and changed the grade levels contained to 6-8. She told me she was having a tough year because of the change and leaving Honey Elementary behind. She talked about retiring in the near future. It was good to see her and to know that she was proud of me.

My brother and Carl, who are basically best friends, were talking last night, and Carl told me that Joanna Dunn was killed in a car accident earlier that morning. I immediately kicked Carl off the computer and looked it up online. Her picture was on the first page of local news. The caption read "Beloved Teacher Dies in Car Accident." I read the story. The jaws of life had to remove her from the wreckage. She was speaking on site, so they thought she might live. Surgery was conducted, and she died before it was over. She was in her 49th year of teaching, quoted at saying she hoped to make it to 50. It made me sad to think about her family and her students, how this happened just before the Christmas holiday. I imagined her granddaughter, whom she was very close to, receiving the news. But, Joanna lived a good life. She was a devout Christian woman, who was passionate about family, friends, and teaching. She touched lives because of that passion. I thought about her all last night, said a little prayer for her family and students. I was sad but didn't cry. She lived a good life, and I suspect that yesterday was her victory, although it was our loss. God rest her soul.

We Have a Mover!

2008-12-02T15:14:00.001-08:00

Our third ultrasound was today. I must confess that I was sort of nervous because some of the girls on my fertility website have had recent miscarriages. They were due around the same time as me. For some reason, I tend to associate myself with everyone else. I've always been that way. I remember hearing stories about kids getting kidnapped and being terrified that I would get kidnapped, too. So, when these girls announced miscarriages at or around 11 weeks, I got a little worried. In the back of my mind, I knew I was worrying about nothing, but I still wanted assurance that my pregnancy was going the way it should. I got more than just assurance today, and I was so thankful. The little one is growing and moving around like crazy. We saw it's eyes and ears. We saw legs and arms and hands. It was so amazing! He or she currently measures at 12 weeks 2 days, meaning that it is measuring ahead by nearly one week. I asked if that meant my due date is moved, but she told me it doesn't. It just means that the baby is growing rapidly and is big. The differences between this ultrasound and our last one were phenomenal. It is amazing that so much has happened in just 3 weeks. I also "graduated" from my specialist doctor and can now go see a regular OB/GYN. I had to get a new doctor because my previous one evidently decided to stop delivering babies. I haven't made the appointment yet, but I am going to call soon. Please continue to keep Carl, me, and our sweet little miracle in your prayers. We feel so blessed in so many ways.

Ticker

2008-11-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

Update

2008-11-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hey, all! I just got back from our second ultrasound. It went so great!!! I actually got to see our little one move around in there! Wow, so cool!!! I wish Carl could have been there, but he was stuck at work. They did video it for us, and we got printouts of the pics. Our sweet baby is measuring 2 days ahead, at 8w 4d. It looked so big compared to last time! It had the beginnings of arms and legs. Its head was huge compared to everything else. Its little :heart: was beating at 159 bpm. And, I was reminded that by our next u/s, which is December 2, our baby will look like a real proportioned baby. Yea!!! This is too cool. I called Carl as soon as I got out, and he was really excited to hear about the new developments. My mom and sister were, too. I love this feeling! So, anyway, I felt awful most of the day yesterday, didn't throw up, but I felt like I could have. Today, I woke up nauseated, but still went to work and made it through the day without too much trouble. When the people at work don't know anything yet, it is easy to make yourself put on a smile despite feeling sick. At our department meeting, they talked about more things they want us to do this summer as professional development. I am going to have to tell them that I cannot make any committments for summer. I want to wait until after our 3rd ultrasound, though. Does anyone have any advice for telling people? I am going to tell my friend, Malli, at work tomorrow. I am only spilling to her, though, because she's been doing me lots of favors by watching my class when I have an appointment. She's getting curious. I am going to tell her that she can't tell anyone else, though. Well, I am off to eat something. My stomach is growling. I hope everyone else is doing A-OK! Thanks for your congratulations and responses. I am trying to keep things updated more now. I wish I could post a pic from our ultrasound, but I didn't get a CD and don't have a scanner. I'll see if I can figure something out.

Wow!

2008-10-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

Time is flying by, and I am getting old. Funny how that happens. I don't update this blog much, because I don't really know that many people interested in reading about my crazy life. So, here I am, updating at my older sister's request.
Life is funny. The older and wiser I get, the more I realize that God has a hand in everything that comes and goes. It becomes more and more apparent that He knows exactly what he's doing, too. We live our lives, make countless mistakes, and ultimately learn our valued lessons, without ever realizing how truly perfect it all is. It occurred to me when I was in the ninth grade that in the end, things just work out. It may take a lot of drama to get to the end, but things happen exactly the way they are supposed to at exactly the time they are supposed to. I adopted this philosophy, but I never really understood it. Knowing God has a hand in everything and truly realizing it are two different things.
The past two years have been nothing short of trying for Carl and me. We've been struggling with infertility for just shy of two years. I have PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome). I was diagnosed with it after we'd been trying for the better part of a year and a half. We've been seeing a specialist for the past 4 or so months. There were times in this journey that I wasn't sure I would ever make it to motherhood. I was a little jealous of people I knew who were having babies and adding to their already beautiful little families. I felt isolated. Carl and I shelled out quite a bit of money to pay for an IUI procedure that our specialist doctor redcommended. I thought it worked, even convinced myself that there was no possible way it couldn't have. It broke my heart to get confirmation that the procedure was a failure. I spent a day feeling sorry for myself. Carl was so sweet to me, but I didn't feel much better. I got it in my head that I was likely not able to get pregnant, which made it even worse. Then, something happened. I reunited with an old aquaintance who helped me realize a few things. She was going through a similar situation, but she voiced these words of confidence that stuck with me: "I know I can get pregnant." It struck me then that feeling sorry for myself was not helping the situation and was making me feel worse. If I wanted to conceive a child, I was going to have to fight against this infertility with all that I had. I knew that God was on my side, because I could just feel it. I'd been praying steadily for guidance and patience since we first started having trouble. I knew God would never turn his back on me. We had our second IUI done on September 26, which was a Friday. I am a school teacher, so finding time to relax is almost impossible. I found it that weekend, enjoying time with my man and just focusing on the good things life has to offer. I know this sounds really crazy, but I am almost convinced it has something to do with the end result. I promise I am sane. I started talking to what could be my future baby the day after my IUI. I would tell it and myself that we were going to fight, I would fight for it and Carl would fight for it, and with God on our side, we simply could not lose. About 9 days later, my BBT (Basal Body Temperature) dropped, and I thought it was over. Carl and I had a long talk about what we were going to do if it was indeed over for that cycle. We even decided that if we don't get pregnant within a year, we would adopt. I felt better. The next two days, my BBT shot back up. I still was not hopeful. I refused to take a pregnancy test until my scheduled blood test. I went in two Fridays post-IUI feeling broken but okay. I was pretty sure I would not get the result I wanted, but I was convinced that I would eventually. If this cycle was not the one for us, then the next one would be. I got the call at my sister's house later that afternoon. I was sort of panicky when I answered the phone. I stepped outside and heard Angie on the other end say, "You're very pregnant." I cried like crazy, asked if they were sure those were the correct test results, and thanked the Lord for really being with us all along. It occurred to me later that evening that I'd read several stories about people finding out they were pregnant and being happy enough to shed tears. I always wanted to be one of them. I remembered wishing I would get a happy surprise, and I got one. I went inside that afternoon and told Carrie that she was going to be an aunt again. Then, I left and went to Bear Castle, which is like Build-A-Bear, to carry out the plan I'd developed two months prior for telling my husband that he was finally going to be a daddy. When I gave him the bag carrying the bear and birth certificate, he reached for the certificate first. He stared at it for a few minutes, then the sweetest, most genuine smile crossed his face. "We are?" was all he could say. Our first ultrasound was yesterday, and we got to see our little coffee bean and his or her heart beating at 130 bpm. I am not sure I have ever seen anything more beautiful than that little baby. I know Carl agrees.

Quite Possibly the Worst

2008-09-21T12:25:00.001-07:00

After the new Hastings opened just down the street from us, we decided to rent the first movies we'd rented in at least four months. The new store was really nice, and we knew they gave a $2 credit for rentals returned the next day. As we were roaming down the aisles of new releases, we stopped in front of "No Country for Old Men." We picked it up off the shelves, thinking, "This movies has to be good because it won an Academy Award this year." WRONG!!! SO WRONG!!! We watched it on Saturday with my little brother, Colin. After it was over, we all three simultaneously said, "What? Who would vote for that?!" The story had no redeeming value whatsoever. Despite the outstanding acting, it still sucked. The story line was weak. There was no resolution, and nothing got solved or even close to being solved. It ended with no point. I thought Hollywood must've lowered it's standards for Academy Award winners. I am a literature buff. I read constantly, and I am always looking to learn about parts of history. All I got out of the movies was some old guy with no sense of direction and a creepy serial killer who killed for absolutely no reason other than just to do it. I would not recommend watching it to anyone. However, it beat the heck out of the other movie we rented.

We decided that if we were going to rent one Academy Award winner, we might as well rent two. So, we picked up "There Will Be Blood," since we had heard raving reviews from people obviously on crack. It was quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen. I feel sorry for myself because I saw it. After eating dinner with my family at Cracker Barrel, I told my sister, Carrie, that we were going to watch it. She told me she had seen it and absolutely hated it. Carrie and I typically have similar tastes in movies, so when she said that, I figured I probably would not just love it. We paid $4 to rent it for a week, so we decided to watch it no matter what. I am also a big believer in making up my own mind about things, so I wasn't going to let Carrie's opinion shape mine completely. We popped it into the DVD player, and it began. At first, I found it confusing and a little on the boring side. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really care for it. There was no action, other than the occassional guy getting popped on the head with part of the oil rig or barrel or whatever it was. Carl looked at me and said, "You don't really like this do you?" I told him that I didn't really get what was going on and that there was not any real action. He explained that it was documenting the rise of industrialization and how the world was affected by the oil industry. I understood that. I do love history, but I was falling asleep from boredom and missed some parts. I decided to stay awake and see if it picked up. It did, and about halfway through the movie I thought it might be an okay movie after all. WRONG, again. Daniel Plainview, the lead character, randomly started killing people and not caring at all about doing it. His killing spree seemed to come out of nowhere. The scenes got pretty bloody, which doesn't really bother me, but it certainly did not help me to like the movie any more. It, too, ended with no redemption and no point. The last scene was horrific and didn't really make much sense. I will say that I understood the movie in the long run, but I absolutely hated it! It sucked!!! Carl and I looked at each other with this horrified, confused expression. He didn't like it at all either. We both decided that whoever nominated and chose this movie to be the winner of an Academy Award has some serious issues and wouldn't know good movies if they smacked them in the face. At 11:30 at night, we went to turn the movies in. It was dark, and Hastings is new, so we didn't know where the drop off was. At the front of the building sit two big, green trash bins. From a distance, they looked like they might be return bins. Luckily, we figured out they weren't and found the return bin. But, as we were driving off, Carl said, "Both of those movies could've gone in the trash." I said, "I know. I feel like we need to save people from watching them." I am literally sad for myself for having watched them. For years, the worst movie I have ever seen was "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Now, I am almost convinced that it is "There Will Be Blood." Carl and I are not trusting Hollywood any more.

Litter Sucks!

2008-08-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Carl and I live in this not-so-nice-not-as-trashy-as-they-come neighborhood. Our house is one of the cutest on the block. It is small, but we love it. We've been homeowners for a little over four years. During those four years, the only neighbors we really got to know were the ones of both sides of our house. The house across the street, a cute little blue number, is a rent house. The people that live there currently have only been there for about a year. Before that, I think some college kids rented it. Most of the homes on that side of the street are rent houses that run between $600 and $700 per month. All of the houses on our block, including ours, are small, two to three bedroom, suitable for college kids or small families just starting out. Our neighbors to the left are older than my parents.

My complaint is that the neighbors to our right and the neighbors that rent the house across the street keep trashing our block. First off, the neighbors to the right are decent people with no class whatsoever. We know them by name but choose not to associate with them very often. Their children are 4 and 2, and they practically live outside. Their parents are smoking and beer-drinking folk nearly every time we see them. They continuously have people over for parties, and they do not pick up their trash. As a matter of fact, half of the time we find their trash in our yard. Sometimes, it is even in our back yard. Their curb is currently littered with an empty 12-pack box of Miller, napkins, and plastic cups, amongst a few other bits of trash. The neighbors across the street are African-American and have about 5 kids of various ages at their house all the time. I actually do not know how many children belong to them. I've seen up to ten kids in their yard shooting hoops at one point. Their children are always outside, riding bikes or playing basketball, typically unsupervised. One day, I was driving home after a big rain and witnessed a 12 or so year old playing in the muddy water along the curb. I was horrified but dismissed it quickly as simple child's play. Once again, no parents were in sight. Their curb is completely littered with trash, too.

When I got home, I noticed that there was a lot of trash in my front yard and along my curb. I do not litter, so I knew I did not put it there. I looked around the neighborhood and realized that not only was my yard trashed but the whole block looked trashy. Now, I am not too much of an environmentalist. I do care about the environment, but my concerns are limited to picking up trash and planting trees and that sort of thing. I grabbed a trash bag and started picking up the trash, so I could water my poor, brown lawn. I was so annoyed that my yard was full of litter that I did not put there! If our neighbors do not care about the appearance of their house, fine. I cannot make them and would not try to convince them to attempt to look like decent folk. However, I do care about the appearance of my house. I certainly do not appreciate non-sensical, thoughtless idiots making it look like I can't take care of my property. It angers me! So, Carl called his ex-lawyer dad to see if there was anything we could do about this problem. Joe recommended talking to the people first and asking them to please make sure their trash does not wind up in our yard. If it happens again, then we should file a report with the city to make them aware of the situation. We skipped step one. It would be different if this was a once-in-a-while thing. But, we have this happen on a near-daily basis. We'll see what happens. I seriously doubt the city will take the time to investigate one couple's complaint, but maybe, just maybe they will.

August 2, 2008

2008-08-02T13:51:00.001-07:00

So, I really don't know why I decided to get my own blogspot. I guess I noticed that everyone has one, so I needed one, too. I'm so easily influenced! Anyway, I used to blog a lot on MySpace, but I sort of stopped. I get so busy living my life, that I forget to do things like blog. Those of you that read this will probably notice I'll go long periods of time without exercising my right to blog. Today, however, I felt like I needed a blogspot. And, I don't want my page to be blank and without blogs. That would defeat the purpose, right?

So, what's on my mind? I am being quite the computer nerd today. I've almost literally been at my computer all day. I blame my husband. Anyone who knows Carl would know that he is an extreme computer nerd. He even plays World of Warcraft! How nerdy is that?! I love my computer, but I did not love it this much until after Carl was on it constantly. I guess that proves that you tend to want things you cannot have. Carl's at work right now, so I am going to make the most of the time I have to spend being lazy and typing away on my computer.

I don't know where to begin. School is starting soon, and I am not really ready. I've been spending nearly everyday with my nieces and nephews. During the school year, I don't get to see them all the time. I sometimes go 2 weeks without seeing those sweet kids. Since it's summer and I did not teach summer school, I've been helping my mom and Carrie (my sister) out with my other sister's (Amy) three kids. Carrie adds another 3 to that picture, so I've basically been spending the summer with 6 kids. It really has been fun. I love getting to see those kids daily. When school starts, it will be hard to go back to seeing them every couple of weeks. My nieces and nephews are the cutest kids I've ever seen in my life. They have this great zest for life. It reminds me of what it was like to be a child and things were so much simpler. I cannot wait to have kids of my own. I can only imagine how great it would be to hear someone say, "Your daughter looks just like you!" or "You're son is the most intelligent kid!" or even "Wow, your kids must take after you because he/she is so bright!" Yes, kids are great.

I used to think I wanted to be a writer of Broadway plays. I even wrote my own one-act in college. It was silly and dumb, but I was proud of it. I couldn't live in New York, though. I would miss my family (especially my mom) way too much. I've actually never even been to NY. I almost got to go once. Carl's old band, 80's Combat, was touring, and I flew down to meet them in New Jersey. Speaking of, that is one state I do not recommend visiting. Our experience there, however short-lived it was, was clouded by a young guy throwing the F word into every sentence as much as possible and this stench that beat the pants off of the cow smell we get in TX. Anyway, when I planned to meet the band in NJ, I had the understanding that we would be going to NY the next day. As it turns out, the band decided to go to NY the previous day, therefore resulting in my missing a trip to NY. Boys suck. I did get to go through several East Coast states, though, and it was a good experience overall. I still wanted to go to NY, though. I'll get there, eventually.

My one claim to fame is that a small, homey restaurant posted a saying that I had come up with on their marquis. Glazed Honey Ham has these comment cards, typical of most restaurants, and I decided to fill one out sometime last year. The last question on the comment card was reserved for Additional Comments, and I penciled in that I thought "I think, therefore I ham." was a superb slogan for the restaurant. This probably sounds strange considering I haven't given you the back story yet. It all started several years ago when I was taking Carl to one of his band member's houses so they could embark on yet another multi-state tour. (This was one I was not going on.) It was something like 6:30 in the AM, and I passed by Glazed Honey Ham. I'd never eaten there before, but I have a habit of reading every marquis and billboard I encounter. Theirs said, "Will trade ham sandwich for clever saying." I went home and unable to drift back into peaceful slumber due to my sadness over Carl's departure, I started writing down as many clever sayings as I could possibly come up with. I carried this paper in my purse for months, never stopping at Glazed Honey Ham to turn it in and retrieve my ham sandwich. I forgot about it until my man and I decided to try Glazed Honey Ham on one of our Friday night date nights. In exchange for my "clever saying," I received not a ham sandwich, but a gift card for two meals and two desserts. They also displayed my "clever saying" on their marquis for about a week. I have a picture of it somewhere.