Happy 1 Year, Drew!

Dear Baby Boy,

It's here. Some days dragged. Some weeks dragged. But my, how this year has flown! This time one year ago, we had no idea what lay in store for us. I was so excited, so ready to experience this uncharted territory of my life. I vividly remember lying on that operating table with Daddy at my head, waiting to hear it-the most beautiful sound to a mother's ears. Oh it was beautiful. That sweet, sweet cry. You were finally REAL. Touchable. Audible. I was straining to see your face. I had imagined it for 9 long months. You were absolutely perfect. One year ago we saw God through you. Such innocence. Such perfection.

One year ago today. I can still remember the back pain!


SO ready to meet you!


This probably grosses 99% of you out, but I love it!


Finally a family of three!

My, what uncharted territory we had to face! But, oh, it has all been worth it. Your life makes my purpose clear. The world seems to be running short on God fearing men; I guess I'm a small part of that solution! You are the brightest part of our day, and the reason we make the decisions we do. You make us less selfish people. You make us look at your environment and constantly question if it is beneficial to you. I worry sometimes at all the garbage that comes our way--through television, radio, or even in the grocery store! I want to protect your little mind and keep it pure. I want you to keep your innocence for as long as possible.

You, my sweet Drew, are my greatest blessing. You are growing up far too quickly. Please, please stay little for a while longer. Your smiles and laugh are worth far more than gold! Your hugs, your kisses, the way you lay your head on our shoulders, the way you lay limp in our arms when you fall asleep. The way you squint your nose and smile. You are nothing but pure joy in our lives.

To simply say "we love you" seems oh-so inadequate. It's more than that. So much more. The English language doesn't encompass that feeling we have for you. I guess you will understand one day when you hold you own little one. But for now, stay little for me. Keep me on my toes. Allow me to tear up as I look at you when you sleep at night, not being able to believe how I feel about someone I've known only a year. Keep making my heart flip when you look at me and grin across the room. Just for a while longer....stay little.

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At 12 months:

You like: eating, trying new foods, orange juice, water, playing outside, "mowing" the grass, wrestling with Daddy, pulling things around the house (garbage cans, laundry baskets, your horse), climbing on Mommy's back, being chased, balloons, seeing family members, bathtime, bouncing, dancing, running, chewing Daddy's belt, balls, putting things together, taking things apart, figuring out new toys and how they work

(Pulling the horse around)

You dislike: (See, I was gonna write "naps," but he's gotten so much better that, for the first time, I'm not gonna write it. Let's hope it doesn't come back to haunt me!) Confinement: at diaper changes, in carseats, or in store carts. This child likes to be on the GO!

Accomplishments:

Your mouth: 8 teeth now! You love to eat just about anything! You've gotten so good at chewing. You're taking a sippy cup without problems, love to drink out of a regular cup, and can use a straw really well! You learned how to blow a whistle on 7/5/09. I'm getting ready to regain my body! That's right, we're going to start gradually weaning soon. It's so bittersweet. :(

You can say: e-i-e-i, ahhhh (when you drink), mmmm (when you eat), ah oh, mama, dada, daddy (first time on 7/6), roar (when asked what the lion says), and you sniff with your nose (when asked what your nose does or if you're stinky). You also speak in Drewese. I would love to know what you're saying as you babble on continuously!
Your nose: When we say, "What does your nose do?" you squinch your nose and breathe in and out quickly. You love doing that!

"Doing the sniffy nose. Love. It."
Your hands: You can wave bye bye, give five, blow a kiss (with the back of your hand) and clap. Your fine motor skills are progressing. Your pincer grasp is excellent and you love to feed yourself from your high chair.

Your ears: You know what "no no" means, but you don't always choose to obey. ;) You love listening to music and dancing/bouncing along. You have a LONG list of favorite songs! Any song with your name in it is always a shoe-in!

Sleep: My, how far we've come in this area! You go down for the night around 8:00 and sleep until 7:30-8:00am. You take 1-2 naps a day. Sometimes you sleep 45 minutes, sometimes 2 hours! I think you're trying to phase out your morning nap, much to my dismay!

What a long way from one year ago. Your list of accomplishements was: eat, pee, poop, and sleep...all frequently!

Happy Birthday, Angel! I pray you have many more healthy, happy years ahead of you! We love you deeper than the ocean!

Mommy & Daddy

P.S. I'm working on his one year video slideshow. It'll probably be around 10 minutes long, so that means: 1) It'll be for the avid Drew lover (aka probably family) and 2) it'll take FOREVER AND A YEAR to upload.

Calling All Couponers!

Southern Savers listed some great sites you need to check out:

1. Procter and Gamble is giving out their $30 coupon books again. These are high value coupons which sometimes give you free stuff!

2. Johnson&Johnson is sending out coupons to your inbox and your home address. I have a specific email I use for couponing so it doesn't fill up my regular mailbox. Just a thought.

Our Last "First" Holiday

Nicki so sweetly reminded me that yesterday was Drew's last "first holiday," and I dare say we had a blast celebrating it! You really can't beat good family, good food, and good fireworks all in one day. Kacie and Judd even made it up for the weekend-always a treat!

This time last year I was, well, for lack of a better, more fitting term--large. Drew had five days left to bake inside me before making his grand appearance. That goes without saying that we did not make it out in the 90 degree heat to see fireworks on July 4, 2008. So my plan for the last year was to make up for it in 2009.

I'm a worrier by nature. I attempt to avoid any meltdowns or cryfests if at all possible, but am starting to realize that would mean locking myself indoors for most of my life (hm...I DO like air conditioning...). I donned my big girl panties last night and took Drew to see the fireworks, against my better judgment. Why the worry?
1) His bedtime usually falls around 7:30-8:00.
2) The fireworks started at 9.
3) They last at least 30 minutes.
4) Getting out of the park in traffic takes 30 min.
5) No nap since 1:30pm

This would not be a good combination. Especially if heat were added.

So it kinda started like this.

But do you know what the magic solution was? Orange juice. Sunny D to be exact, if you count that as "juice." It did the trick quite beautifully! We went without meltdown, scraped knee, or explosive diaper. A lovely evening if I do say so myself!


Not one tear shed over the fireworks!




Impressive. She's holding two babies at once. ;)


Love them and can't wait for their baby to arrive in September!



Oh and what's a southern celebration without sweet tea? Drew's a BIG fan!




Hope you all had a fabulous 4th with your families, celebrating all the sacrifices made for our country by our servicemen and women. And happy birthday to my sweet cousin Aaron! A smile from him is worth a million bucks!

Be a blessing this week!

Kitchen Window Dilemma- HELP

You guys were so much help with my bedroom decor dilemma that I thought I'd really test your skills and ask you about my breakfast room. I want to put some wall words on the long, thin space above the breakfast area.

However, my question is more about curtains. How am I to cover these windows? I know it desperately needs something, but when it comes to curtains, I pretty much pick floor length panels or nothing. Obviously, I'm no window treatment fashionista. I've checked out Nester's site for easy window "mistreatments," but am not sure any will work with how little space we have to work with.



I'll shut up now. Just give me you 2 cents. It has to be better than what I (don't) have up.

Macho Man & King Drew

Drew is all boy. He loves to push, pull, and pick up things that aren't considered toys. For example: Full 2 liter bottles, metal bathroom scales, pushing laundry baskets full of clothes, moving dining room chairs, moving his high chair, etc.

I came out of my bedroom the other day when I saw him pushing the empty laundry basket and straining like it was the heaviest thing ever. I grabbed the camera and caught the tail end of his macho impression. :)



Ride requirements: able to stand. Oh, and Tylenol for the driver for his next day back pain.



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Sleeping Issues

Do you remember all the sleep issues we had for the first...I don't know....9 months of Drew's life?

• Peeing through the diaper only at naptime/bedtime
• Waking up after 30 min of nap
  
• Waking up after 40 min of nap
  
• Waking in the middle of the night
• Wanting only to be held while he slept

Well, for those of you with a child such as mine, know this: THERE IS HOPE! This week has been a little crazy at our house napwise, but Drew pretty much takes an hour and a half nap once or twice a day. I think he's trying to cut out that morning nap, but I'm fighting him for it! I'm just not ready for afternoon showers...or midnight showers. My next day hair looks like a grease ball if I shower before bed. It was suggested to me by a few that that's what ponytails are for! Touche!

So how did we finally get to the nap instead of the catnap? It just happened on its own--no tears, no fighting! One morning he just slept past the 30 min mark, past the 40 min mark, and when he got to the hour mark I was worried sick; I had to go in and make sure he was still breathing! Since that day his naps are so much better!

I don't think Drew will ever be one of those lucky children who falls asleep over their toyboxes or in their highchairs, but I'm happy with a long nap!

So to those in the "bad sleeping child" situation, hang in there! One day it will just magically get better!

Sweet Moments

My love for these two boys is incomparable!

Prayer Warriors--You are Needed!

Sorry to my sweet readers for the lack of posting over the last few days. Life got the best of me! I have videos and pictures to upload over the weekend, but right now I want to ask for just a minute of your time.


The story of a little girl, Kate, has captivated me. How this family was at the water park a few days ago, went in for a check up on Kate's hand the next, and are presently standing next to the bed of their daughter who just had surgery for a malignant, aggressive brain tumor.

I . cannot. imagine.

Take a minute to read their story and their journal updates on their caring bridge site here

or

Visit their youtube video here.

Flood the gates of heaven with prayers. This family needs it.

Kraft Coupon Booklet

If you're a couponer, you might wanna sign up to receive this booklet worth $55 in savings! You DO have to create a user account on their site (takes less than a minute), but for 55 dollars, it might be worth it!

He's Learning Fast!

Daddy's Home!

You have to listen closely, but at the beginning of the video you'll hear the *beep beep beep* which is the sound the alarm system makes when the garage door opens. Drew associates this with Daddy coming home! He hears the beep, and heads for the door!

5:30pm makes for two happy boys!

Tour of Homes: Master Bedroom

I guess I've been living under a rock in blogworld because I just discovered Kelly's Korner. She's hosting a carnival of home tours, and this week is Master Bedrooms. Well, this is one of 3 incomplete rooms in our house (meaning, I'm not yet satisfied), but I'm gonna participate because you might could give me some advice to solve my problemo.

I know there's too much brown in here. Brown walls, brown curtains, brown picture frames, brown blanket. We used to have a yellowish/tan color for the walls, so the brown was okay then. I'm dying to find some curtains with a large bold print like this:

...but without the price tag.

Either that or new bedding. I'm even considering jumping on the blue/brown train, but throwing green and white in there. I love large modern floral prints or large paisley prints. Know where I can find it? By all means, COMMENT.

Oh, and FYI: I actually had to make my bed for this post. I went to all that trouble for you.

Terrible picture of the nook from the den to the MB. Purpose of said nook: to make it nearly impossible to move anything larger than a human inbetween the space without scarring the walls. Namely, furniture, mattresses, and boxsprings. You know, everything needed in a MBR. Note to self: no nook in next house.


Pan-0-ramic view


Love the ceilings. The blanket on our bed turned out greyish, but it's actually brown.


My problem wall: I have no idea what on earth to put here. This is where you come in. COMMENT.


Andrew's nightstand. Confession: I cleaned off his stuff and stuck that candle there. He'd be mortified if I made it look like he had put a candle on his nightstand.


Some people really hate matchy-matchy. I'm not one of them. I want everything in a MBR to be the same, balanced. So this is my matching nightstand, complete with water bottle for middle of the night thirst quences, a phone charger, and a really long stand-outish electrical cord. I made Andrew's side look decent. I left mine.


Some little guy came into our world approximately 11 months and 2 weeks ago, leaving our office stuff without a home. It moved from our bedroom to the dining room and now, back to the bedroom. And here it will stay until...well, until our house multiplies itself.


Some say ceiling fans are eyesores. I say if you live in hot & humid MS, it's called a necessity.

So, there you have it. The brown bedroom! I welcome your suggestions!

Drying up the Scabs & Tears

Thank you for your prayers, dear friends! I'm back among the walking and the non-sobbing. To make it short and sweet: the scabs are drying up and people don't cry "leper." More like..."Ewww, what's wrong with your arms?" So I'm still sticking with at least 3/4 sleeves. Can you spell HOT?

But seriously--thank you!

Guest Posting & Prayer Request

Take a minute to check out Amy's blog about SAHMs. She so sweetly used part of my SAHM journey in her post today.

Oh and quickly--could I please ask for your prayers? Remember that poison ivy I kinda joked about earlier today? Well, I guess it got mad because it's taking its revenge. I've had it 8 days now, and it's still spreading, itching, and burning. Many tears have been shed today! Please, please knock God's door down with requests for relief!

The Attack of the Ivy

"Leper!!!!" they cry. And the crowds immediately part like the Red Sea. And there I am. Standing all alone...in the middle of Target.

Okay, so it's not quite that bad. But it hasn't been fun.

The last week of my life has consisted of caladryl, cortisone creams, pouring salt in my wounds (yes, you read correctly), popping blisters with needles, wearing gauze to bed, wearing long sleeves in the dead of summer, and taking Clorox baths. Oh and being stared at in public. And drive thrus.

You guessed it. I have poison ivy- and I'm not the only one. My dear Andrew has it as well. We cleaned out his mom's backyard of fallen trees LAST Sunday, and apparently, rolled in poison ivy while we were out there. He got it on Tuesday. I got it on Wednesday. He got a shot. I did not. And I'm glad now because he's no better off than I am!

The leper-like rash was clearing up some around last Saturday. Sunday I broke out in brand spanking new spots. GRAND! I got to start all over with this beautiful healing process. I have no idea where it's coming from now. Apparently, the oil from the plant (which is what causes the allergic reaction) can get on anything and live there for....well, indefinitely.

I've washed bedsheets, towels, and clothes twice just to make sure they are not the source. Andrew scrubbed the truck seats. I'm now Lysoling everything down. If this doesn't work, we may move and sell all our belongings. Or maybe just leave our stuff in the house and sell "as is." Requirement of buyer: immunity to poison ivy/oak/summac.

If you'd like to submit an offer, just leave it in the comments section. I'll get back to you after the morning's Clorox bath.

My Journey to Becoming a SAHM

I want to preface this post by saying that I DO NOT believe it's wrong for a mom to work out of the home. It doesn't make her ANY less of a mom than those who stay home. Some moms CAN'T stay home. I understand that--I've been there! We all have to do what's best for our own families. So this post isn't about putting down working moms because they don't/can't/don't want to stay at home. This post is more about following your heart when God plants a seed there, whether it be staying at home with your child, teaching, managing, or becoming a missionary! This post is about going where God leads you and having faith that He will see you through, even when it doesn't make sense at times.
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Amy @ Finer Things published a post last week about stay at home moms. Even though many won't be able to relate to my story, I thought a few people just might. I was hesistant to post this on my blog at first, afraid it might offend some, but then I thought, "It just might give one woman comfort or hope or an added ounce of faith." So here goes...

"Mommy, come home!"

Though my tiny newborn couldn't utter these words to me as I headed back to work after a short 6 week maternity leave, I could feel it. He needed me. The Lord had grown him inside me for 9 full months and I'd been his provider of everything for the past month and a half. I nursed him, rocked him, comforted him when he hurt, and held him while he slept. He had given purpose to my life. And there I was, laying him into arms he barely knew to walk out the door for my night shift. "Gotta make ends meet."

Guilt. Sadness. Frustration. Anger. I felt them all. But how could I ever express these feelings of negativity to anyone when I was "only" working 1-2 12 hour night shifts a week. People thought I had a luxury by only working ONE day a week. I felt like I would be perceived as ungrateful and lazy for desiring to be a stay at home mom. A lot of my fellow nursing friends thought it was crazy that I'd spent 4 1/2 years in college and taken a large chunk of student loans, "just" to stay home. I wanted to pull out my hair; no one seemed to understand the way I felt! Was I crazy for wanting this?

I examined my motives. Why do I want to be a stay at home mom? Why do I feel guilty about my desire to raise my own child in our own home? Am I putting too much stress on my husband to earn that extra dollar? What do I think God wants for me? It's like Amy stated: "Staying home to raise my children is so much more than what I do. It’s who I am." I've felt that yearning and tugging at my heart to be a stay at home mom since I was a teenager. I just felt like it was what God wanted me to do. And then I remembered, "he knows the desires of my heart."

I explained my desires and frustrations to my husband, Andrew. He and I both wanted me to stay at home, but the funds just weren't there. The numbers didn't add up at the end of the month. I prayed fervently as I continued working. I went in for my night shift, exhausted, feeling as if I were a danger to my patients at times. My energy level was nearly zapped seeing as how I was still nursing every 2 hours at night and not getting a nap during the day. Oh, and let's not forget mommy brain. I couldn't remember what medication I was supposed to be giving, what patient just called for a urinal, or why I was standing in the kitchen break room looking for casting supplies. I wasn't doing anyone any good, and I feared I would end up actually harming someone! Something had to give.

We prayed. And prayed some more. And some more. We cut the extras: no more satellite, drastically reduced the take-out, started cutting coupons, only drove when we had to. Finally we thought we had a financial break. I counted down the weeks to hand in my resignation. I was preparing to head into work to announce to my boss my new job as a SAHM. To say I was excited would be a severe understatement. That's when my husband called and explained that the financial break we thought we were getting wasn't going to occur anytime soon. I was crushed. Was God not listening? Did he not want me to have the desires of my heart? Why the wait? Am I supposed to be learning something here? I held my baby and cried. That afternoon while he napped, I prayed. I literally cried to God, explaining my thoughts, questions, hurts. This will be strange to say to some, but, I felt him telling me to hand in my resignation anyway--even though there wasn't enough money in the bank. "What a crazy idea," I thought. "We can't pay the bills on nothing. God, I feel you telling me to stay at home, but I don't know for sure that's what you're saying. God, I need a physical sign!!! How will this possibly work?!"

A few minutes later the phone rang. It was one of my best friends calling to tell me that she and her husband were in a similar situation. I asked her what I should do, fully expecting her to tell me to just wait it out at work until the finances came through. "You know what?" she said. "God is gonna provide. I think you should resign and have faith that God will let your ends meet. He won't let you go without food and shelter! He says we're supposed to trust him in EVERYTHING, including finances." I cried tears of joy on the phone with her, explaining to her that she was my "sign."

I poured my heart out to my husband and told him my burden had been lifted. He was 100% okay with me resigning that night. So I did. I put my letter in my boss' box with no fear, guilt, or worry. I knew God would take care of us, even if the numbers didn't add up on paper right then.

It's been months since that day. And you know what? We haven't gone without paying the bills, without eating, or without a roof over our heads. And we're finding that the more we give to God and others in need (even if we may not have it to give), that he blesses us right back. Little things are always happening to give us extra income. My dependence on God has made my faith and my relationship with him so much stronger.

I know I am right where the Lord wants me. Being a SAHM is not for everyone, but I know it's for me. And if you feel a tugging in your heart that the Lord has placed within you to be a SAHM, don't fight it! Trust that the Lord will take care of you and your family. He is such a generous God and wants us to have the desires of our hearts--especially when our desire and His plan is to care for His children!

Free Tea at McAlisters!

Today only, get a glass of sweet tea at McAlister's for free! If you've never had their sweet tea, friend....you are missing OUT. Go get you a glass of sugary goodness. In this kind of heat, the sugar might just melt right out of you, leaving it guilt free!

A big thank you to Daphne for announcing this!

Best Qualities in a Man

I was thinking last night about why I love my husband so much. There are tons of reasons I wanna list, but I started wondering, "What do other women find so attractive in their husbands/fiances/boyfriends?" Is it his patience? His love of children? His manly arms?! Come on. Brag on your man.

I'm eager to see what we women REALLY look for in a man. At 60 visits a day, there are a lot of lurkers out there. COME OUT AND VISIT! I don't bite. Not hard at least. ;)

Today in Pictures

Drew's favorite pastime...


Whatever Papaw was whispering must have been pretty interesting because he was captivated.


He gladly donated his straw to a good cause--distraction of an almost one year old.




I managed to venture out into the heat today with my poison ivy wounds. I was gonna post a picture of the nasty, seeping welp on my right forearm, but I forgot to take the picture. What? You didn't wanna see it? Well why in the world not?! So anyway...I ventured out into the heat with my gauze covered, seeping wounds only to get bitten by ants on the feet and chased by the world's largest, angriest bumblebee. So I'm protesting summer. I'm ready for winter. Or at least fall. Nature is out to get me.

On with the cuteness...

HOW STINKIN' CUTE IS HE? Thanks for the hat, mom!




Surveying the area.




He's showing Daddy what needs to be done to the yard!

Life with a boy. I never thought I'd enjoy being a mommy to a male this much! I'm getting better at it. Apparently, I just need to cover every inch of skin before venturing out of the air conditioning!

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Easy Schmeasy Dinner

Edit: In my original blogging of this post, I incorrectly called an apostrophe a common. Oh the embarrassment! I beg your forgiveness. I could not simply leave it there or not call myself out. I am ashamed!

If it takes more than 30 minutes of work to make a meal (minus cooking time), it won't be made in my kitchen. My mother dislikes cooking. My sister dislikes cooking. And frankly, I'm not a big fan either. I try to keep a good attitude about it by reading helpful websites, meal planning, and the like, but what is especially helpful? Finding easy, quick things to make. Now THAT makes me happy!

A few weeks ago I found a $2.00 off coupon in the Sunday flyer for Hormel meat. I headed to my local Kroger to see if this meat was $15.00 a package--cause why else would they give out a TWO DOLLAR coupon? Well, it was like $6.00 for two pieces of meat...so all you mathematically challenged folks take your time subtracting. I'll wait.......

Yes. $4.00 pkg/$2.00 serving. Hey, I'll try it!

Y'all (please note the apostrophe in the correct location here--pet peeve!)....it was good! I mean, I would expect a little better if I were at some fancy schmancy restaurant, you know where you don't throw peanuts on the floor, but for $2.00/serving it was tasty!

And you know what the best thing about it was? Easy cooking, easy clean up. See...Look...


It comes in a package like this, and there are other things besides pork you can choose from.


They're wrapped in bacon and vacuum sealed.


Here's the hard part. Pay attention....Pull the plastic off. That was it. Are you still with me?


Preheat the oven to 425* and pop it in for 35 minutes.

Start easy schmeasy side dishes. Give your kid a bath. Sweep your floor. Start you laundry. Talk to your husband. Get a back massage. What? No one gives you a back massage at night? Hmph. Me either.


Voila! 35 minutes later, you've got easy schmeasy dinner on your hands. I would also like to not be decitful and say that I DID eat (at least) 2 crescent rolls (with butter) and another large serving of green beans & potatoes.

There. Easy schmeasy dinner. Oh yeah? My other favorite part? Just throw the pan in the trash. Clean up's done! No scrubbing and washing of pans.

You have no excuse now. Get thee to the Hormel section--pronto!