Beach Fun

Noah and I made a last minute flight "home" to Panama City Beach, Florida this past week. As I said in my earlier posting, my doctor gave me approval to travel and my Aunt Mamie's doctor gave her some time off between her experimental treatments (she's fighting bone and brain cancer) to go to the beach for our annual Beach Week trip with our family from Nashville. Kelly, Mom and Dad were there and we stayed in our condo in PCB and the Nashville clan (the Masons) stayed in their places in Destin.

On Saturday, we all got together and had a wonderful time. It was my cousin Leigh Ann's birthday so I knew we were going to throw her a little party. But what I didn't know was that my family had planned a surprise shower for Ellyotte! She got so many beautiful and PINK things - I was overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. I got tons of smocked outfits, blankets, a pink tub, towels - everything I wanted for my baby girl. Our suitcase was overweight coming back home!

Seeing Aunt Mamie was really great. She's had cancer for many, many years. It started as breast cancer and she fought that valiantly. But after a while, it invaded her bones and now her brain. She's a fighter - no doubt - but this is not what you want a loved one to have to suffer through. So being together as a family was a very special event - it is always so hard to get everyone together in the same place, at the same time.

If you could be praying for her, I would appreciate it. She's been undergoing experimental treatments following long chemo and radiation treatments that didn't work like the doctors had hoped. And this last experimental treatment didn't "take" either - the spots on her rib cage grew and the spots on her brain stayed the same.

So when she gets back to Nashville, she will begin another experimental treatment and as her husband of 50+ years, Uncle Bob (who married us) said "be a guinea pig again."

Please pray for her. She's an incredible woman of God and says daily that the "doctors' reports haven't yet caught up with God's report." Yet while her spirits are strong, her little body is not and it is painful to watch someone you love so much suffer at all. I will keep you posted but I ask that you remember her.

She's my mom's oldest living sister. My mom was the youngest of 6 and Mamie was the 3rd of the 6. She is who Noah got his gorgeous red hair from - and we are so thankful for that gene she passed down! Noah wouldn't be the same without that incredible hair color. Maybe it is that hair color that gives Aunt Mamie AND our Noah their awesome feisty attitudes and fighting spirits.

We flew back into Louisiana last night and I am WIPED OUT. But my sweet husband has been good to make me take naps and rest. I can't believe that we are about 7 weeks from Ellyotte's c-section. On one hand, it is going fast. Yet on the other, this 100 degree Louisiana heat and humidity is dreadful! I am soooo bloated. And the heat only exhausts you further. But, babies are worth it, right?!

Our home has flooded.... You read it right. So Dan stayed behind this past week to deal with that. The dishwasher repairman (4 times over) didn't reconnect it correctly when we called in service on the machine time and again. So when we noticed wetness in our guestroom, we called the plumber through our home warranty service.

Yep... half of our entire home is flooded from the foundation up. We are waiting for the insurance adjustor to come on Tuesday following the long holiday and give us an estimate. But ServPro came on Saturday to begin drying out our home and left 4 dryers and one de-humidifier (at the cost of $250 A DAY) and will come back tomorrow to check on things. They said to get ready for some costly repairs. Our deductible in $1000 and we have already far exceeded that.

Moral of the story: Do NOT ever rely on Sears service... Our home is flooded because of their carelessness! And what a frustration - carpet, tile in kitchen, cabinets, baseboards, and possible furniture have to be replaced and we are having a baby in a month and a half. Another prayer request: pray that our home is repaired in time for Ellyotte's arrival! I couldn't bring myself to bring her home to this should she decide to come early. However, I have to add that we are still incredibly blessed. A home flooding is nothing compared to what some people are dealing with in their lives so for us to complain over this water damage isn't something we want to be guilty of. So, Dan and I have chosen to be THANKFUL that our home was not destroyed and that the damage is fixable. Annoying, yes. Devestating to our lives, NO.

Update

I have been meaning to update the blog but with Dan working 14+ hours straight since last weekend - with no break at all - I have had little time to myself. And I start my last term this weekend before Ellyotte's arrival so I have been busy getting my students set up for the class this Term 5.

And whew! Have the 2s hit our home this week! Maybe I am just noticing them more because of Dan's absence or maybe it is because I hit 8 months pregnant this week and I am physically wiped out... who knows but Noah has been giving me a run for the money.

Unfortunately, Dan's working until tomorrow night - straight through the weekend. Boo. He's had to go in at 0530 each am since last Sunday!! And Noah and I wake early on Tuesday morning to catch a flight to Panama City Beach, Florida for a last minute doctor approved trip home. So we are missing each other entirely. So sad about that.

My Aunt Mamie (from Nashville) has been bravely fighting cancer for some time now and is going to be between treatments and is traveling to Florida for our annual Beach Week family trip. It has been a while since I have seen her and the family and I don't know when I will again have the opportunity with #2 making her appearance soon. So, Noah and I got the approval from my doctor and from my husband to travel from Shreveport to Panama City Beach. It will be a taxing and short trip (Tues - Sunday) but entirely worth it.

Noah is all but 100% potty trained! Talk about easy... I don't want to sound like I am bragging, but this big boy has trained himself. I can't tell you the last #2 he went in a diaper. And he's now taking off his pull up or diaper to go tee-tee in the potty. It is wonderful. And he's not even using a kiddy potty - he's going on the straight up toilet with NO training seat. Whew, this was easy! But I will hold my breath for how it might go when we start training Ellyotte - when something is easy for one kid, it isn't always the next time around.

Today at church, we were informed of a Lake Charles, Louisiana family - Amy and Mike LaBlue. They lost their home... and four of their five children in a fire. I cried the entire service after hearing that. All weekend, I have been complaining about being tired, being alone, being something negative and then we learn of a family who has lost their hearts - that is what happens when you lose a child. I don't know how your heart continues to beat inside your body.

Since the service, I have been committing myself to praying for that family and counting my blessings. Here is the link to an article about the family and their loss:
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2010/may/13/4-children-die-la-house-fire/

On a lighter note, my sweet neighborhood girlfriends threw me and my friend, Joni (who is delivering her third baby - a girl - on 21 June, exactly one month before me) a surprise baby shower! I knew we were having a neighborhood barbeque but had NO idea that it was a baby shower as well. Noah had almost done me in for the day, so when Dan came home a few hours early (total surprise, but he wanted to be at shower!) I started crying and handed the reins over to him. He kept encouraging me to come outside and be with our friends but I insisted on hanging out in the a/c and doing some housework. He made me PROMISE I would come out at some point, so when I did, I was totally surprised! We got some really wonderful gifts for Ellyotte - mostly diapers, which is an awesome gift for any new parent. I was very touched.

I might be away for a few days as we are at the beach with limited computer access. But I will update you at my earliest opportunity!

Bossier City, LA Fair 2010!

And be sure to read the below post if you are interested in continuing to be a reader of this blog :)

Unfortunately...

Many of you readers remember that I went private on this blog about a year ago because of a very scary case my sister was prosecuting. At her urging, we went private because he had the potential to be violent against the prosecutors (my sister being lead).

After a while though, I opened the blog to the public again. I think my husband assumed (as did my sister - who is VERY protective of Noah's information and pictures of him because of what she does day in and day out as a child sex offender prosecutor) that the blog was still private. During a recent conversation, they both realized that it wasn't private any longer and man.... did I get an earful!

Per my husband's and my sister's request, I am begrudgingly making the blog private again. I hate doing this because I know - based on the number of people who have visited; close to 25,000 now - how many readers log on daily. But, I have to honor my husband's wishes.

So for now, the blog will go private again soon. If you want to be added to the list of readers, email me your email address or post it in a comment and I will add you to the list.

Thanks for being understanding about this. I hate to do this but do understand the concerns of the ones I love most in this life.

Big, big belly

I promised some belly pictures so here they are. I am 30 weeks tomorrow with Ellyotte and time is really flying by. I cannot wait to meet this precious baby girl - she's so loved already.

Photos from the Beach!

We just got back from a wonderful 9 day vacation at our condo in Panama City Beach, Florida. We spent the last part of the time in Alabama where I was the speaker at the CHHS Spanish Club Banquet and Honor Society Induction. It went well. It was an honor to be there - what a special night.

We ended the vacation at my parent's home and had so much fun seeing them and letting Noah spend time with Jan Jan, Graddy and Kelly. A vacation following a vactation! My parents were not at the beach with us but did stop by to see us while we were down there. They were so gracious to allow us some alone/family time while using their condo.

Noah is ALMOST swimming on his own! He uses his floaties but it won't be long before we are able to take them off. He's fearless! And he loved the water - the pools at the beach and the Waters and the ocean. He's a beach boy.

I am feeling good. Hitting the 30 week mark this week and starting to wind down in the energy department. Ellyotte is ALL feet these days and halfway through my speech last week, I thought I would pass out: she stretched her feet as hard as possible and since she's head down, they went straight into my lungs! Ugh, not cool.

Enjoy the photos - we had such an amazing time.

28 Week Appointment

Today I had my 28 week appointment for Ellyotte. She's growing right on schedule, her heart rate is measuring in the 140s and I am scheduled officially for my c-section: 21 July 2010 at 0730! We are really excited to have her "birthday" written on the calendar.

I am feeling good - not sleeping very well lately because as soon as I lay down at night, Ellyotte wakes up and moves/kicks well into the night (hopefully not a sign of things to come!).

So far, I have gained 15 lbs, although I still don't know my weight since I asked the doctor from the get-go not to tell me. I am very thankful I did that because this time around, I am not obsessing and obviously am not gaining as much or as fast as I did with Noah (I had gained 35 lbs by this point with him).

I will have Dan take a picture of my belly and will upload it for you to see soon!

Dance at Your Feet

As you all know, my family (most of them) live in Nashville. Ah, my beloved Nashville... anyways, back to my point ;)

I grew up going to Belmont Church in downtown Nashville. At one point, it was the "it" church to go to - the Holy Spirit overflowed from the doors. Through the years, it has had its trials and troubles - as many churches do - and the attendance numbers have dwindled. My family in Nashville no longer attends there but my memories of Sundays worshipping at Belmont are among my most precious.

The singer Kim Hill used to attend there when we did (maybe she still does) and I remember sitting behind her and just being taken to the Throne as I listened to her sing during worship time. I have one of my most favorite songs of hers - and of all time - on the playlist playing now. It is called "You are Still Holy" and each time I hear it, I am so moved.

The words of the chorus are:

And so I come into Your chamber
And I dance at Your feet, Lord
You are my Saviour
And I'm at Your mercy
All that has been in my life
Up 'til now
It belongs to You
You are still holy

Holy, You are still holy
Even though I don't understand Your ways
Sovereign, You will be sovereign
Even when my circumstances don't change

Everyday, it is a challenge to find time to "dance" at my Savior's feet. But how IMPORTANT it is to remember that we are called to do just that. He longs for the time in our day when we will fall at His feet and just be. There are days when I don't even bother finding time to do that - I become so self-consumed. And I know it breaks His heart.

I want to remember every minute of the day that the God I worship now is the same that He was yesterday, and He will remain the same today and forever more. He was the God that Job and Abraham and Moses, etc. worshipped and adored and since the beginning of the Earth, He has remained as sovereign as He was in the beginning. And He loves me just as He did Job, Abraham, Moses, Noah, you name the person and He loves ME just the same. And I have the distinct privilege of being able to "dance at His feet" every minute of every day. We all do. Praise Him.

All Things Pink

I initially wasn't going to post any pictures of Ellyotte's nursery till closer to the time of her birth. But once I hung the gorgeous ballet shoe painting my girlfriend, Melissa McCord Amos, did for her, I couldn't resist sharing the pictures.

I never, EVER knew that I liked pink till I found out we were having a girl. And while her room doesn't look like it is bathed in Pepto by any stretch, we are in love with the pink and femininity that oozes from her room.

As I said before, the quilt above her bed was made for me when I was born by my mom's side of the family. It is so precious to me to be able to look at that quilt daily now and study each square cross-stitched with love 3 decades ago.

The AWESOME glider/ottoman that my parents bought for us when we had Noah will go in Ellyotte's room. We decided to not recover it (it is currently covered in blue/white gingham) because the same fabric is in the quilt above her crib. So, it actually works and I am thankful. Right now it is still in Noah's big boy room - he may be a big boy in so many ways, but I haven't been able to let go of the habit we have of rocking together at the end of the day! Once we are closer to her arrival, I will move the glider into its rightful place next to the window in Ellyotte's room.

Hard Workers

How hilarious is this!?

Noah is obsessed with his daddy. So everything Dan does, Noah has to mimic. I am not complaining: Noah is turning into one masculine little boy! He is ALL BOY. From football, to baseball and even golf, he wants to play it. And when his daddy's not available to play catch all day, then that duty falls to me.

Today the masculine event was mowing the grass. The boys did the front yard and the back yard. By the end of it, Noah was a sweaty mess - just like his Dad! But he definitely loved being out there with Dan. They are so cute together. I just can't wait to have Ellyotte arrive now so that I will actually have a playmate :)