Interior Monologue

Conversation with 3 1/2 year old Fox

2010-05-12T15:07:00.001-05:00

{Actual conversation with Fox today, heading home from playing with one of his buddies}

Mommy, why do we have a house?

Well, sweetie, we have a house to live in and sleep in and eat in.

If I was a bear, I could live outside.

Well yes, if you were a bear you could live outside.

I'd be a bear with big sharp teeth and I'd bite people that came near me. Bears are mean.

Oh, not all bears. Winnie the Pooh is a nice bear. You could be a nice bear too.

Oh. OK. Can I play with this? (holding onto carseat strap)

Sure buddy.

GRRRR...I can't pull it! My carseat is too heavy. I can't lift it. When I'm a man I can lift it off the strap.

Yes, that's true, when you're a man you can lift it off the strap. But when you're a man you won't need a carseat.

Oh, you're right. I'll sit there and drive!

Yes, you can drive when you're 16.

Are you 16?

No sweetie, I'm 31.

Oh. Is Daddy 16?

No sweetie, Daddy is 35.

Oh. When I'm 65 I'll be a man and drive.

Grandpa is 65.

COOL! I'll drive like Grandpa.

No sweetie, we don't want you to drive like Grandpa.

Why? (Corrects himself) Yes ma'am, may I ask why?

Because sometimes Grandpa drives too fast.

But I wanna drive fast like Grandpa.

I know sweetie, but sometimes that's not safe.

When I'm a man I wanna drive fast like Grandpa in my Viper.
(Note - my dad does not drive a Viper! He does however, drive fast!)

Well sweetie, when you're a man if you get a Viper then you can drive it fast.

Okay, thanks Mommy!

A new year, a new habit...

2010-01-02T00:29:00.008-05:00

Okay, I'm going to try this blogging thing again.
I want to do this for her, so I can recall Zoey's moments.
We are too quickly forgetting Fox's moments, so here is my attempt to collect some memories.

Zoey is 3 1/2 months old, and the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.

Her smile lights up her entire sweet face...I can't believe I get to be her mother.

What's more amazing is how much Fox loves her.
She's teething...not fun.

Fox is so funny...I love listening to his little songs he makes up. He's growing into a little man.
Of course, this means he wants to be just like Daddy.

I pray he will be like his Daddy...an amazing husband and the best father I know.

It sounds like she might be waking up...
time to sign off...I hope to do this again soon!

What's your 6th picture?

2009-07-01T11:20:00.004-05:00

Wow - I haven't blogged since January.
Leave it to FishMama to get me back on board.

This picture was in the 4/3/07 folder...so Fox was about 6 months old.
He was in his beloved exersaucer, gnawing away at the lion.
That area in the house, and Mr. Fox himself, has changed drastically since then!
Here's a more current picture from a similar angle...

Gone are the soft pillows and baby teethers, now that area houses awesome storage cabinets from IKEA, a kiddo table and chairs, and the fish tank against the other wall.
Oh, and the kids are holding the only things that I managed to grow in my garden this year.
I am trying not to be disappointed in my lack of gardening zeal this year, due to the impending addition to the family. ; )
There will also be a cozy pillow/cushioned topper on the cabinets, so hopefully they won't be as cluttered as they look now...

The storage cabinets were necessitated by the fact that Vance will be losing his closet full of stuff due to the arrival of Fox's baby sister Zoey Caroline, making her entry sometime in early/mid September. She's already got some clothes, just waiting for the closet space!

Fox's friend in the picture is Edrie, who I'm taking care of Monday through Thursday each week. She'll be 5 in 4 days.
It's been good for both of these only children to have to get used to sharing toys and attention, but it is very tiring being 7 months preggo keeping up after these two! Oh, and of course it's the hottest summer we've had in ages.

Okay, I'm heading back to bed. It was a rough morning, but thanks FishMama for getting me out of my lazy/facebook junkie/busy doing nothing blog absence.

If you want to play along, here are the rules:

1) Go to your photo folders
2) Select the sixth file folder
3) Open it and select the sixth photo in that file folder
4) Write a story for that picture, post it and
5) Select five bloggy friends to tag
6) Be sure to let them know they've been tagged

I'm not going FishMama's route, and am going to tag some folks.
Hope they have fun with the trip down memory lane like I did!

1) Danielle
2) Mom Rutherford
3) Sandra
4) Julie
5) JanelM

Quick Stuff

2009-01-03T00:45:00.003-05:00

Vance and I are both up messing around on our respective computers at 12:50AM. Just wanted to let everyone know about our exciting lives.

A few funnies, and then a post that kicked my butt into gear. Well, hopefully...

Sometimes it's great not being the favorite...
Last night (like tonight) Rob and Anna were over for dinner. It happens a lot now since they moved down the street and I love to cook big meals.
Anyway, Fox had just gone to bed, and about 10 minutes later we hear him on the monitor. Vance peeks at him and sees that he's standing up, calling out (paci in mouth) DADDY!! DADDY GET MY (garbled word)!!
So Vance goes in and finds him standing up in the crib with his finger pointed, and he realizes that Fox is yelling 'DADDY GET MY BOOGIE!!'
Of course Vance, great dad that he is, takes the booger off Fox's finger and throws it away. Fox lays down and immediately falls asleep.
Like I said, sometimes there are great benefits to being the not-favorite parent!

Today Fox told me that "Daddy lives at Church". Poor kid. He was suffering from withdrawals after having Daddy home for 9 days in a row!

So, the post that kicked my butt. Hope it makes you think.

Be sure to check out Vance's blog for some fun Fox videos. We're enjoying the new video camera!

Okay, I think BOTH of us are really going to bed now. Peace Out! And Rock On!

Merry Christmas from Fox!

2008-12-24T00:25:00.001-05:00

Vance and Fox had some fun with the video camera...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktPCup_LqjY

Quick Updates

2008-12-03T21:32:00.009-05:00

Fox is out of the cast. Most of y'all knew that.

We're sick. Most of y'all knew that.
(no picture, just imagine lots of tissues and laying around coughing)

Fox spelled his name in fridge magnets this afternoon - completely unprompted!

And, he turned the "H" on its side and said it was 'another I'.

He freaks me out.

You know what else freaks me out?
This.

Yep, Fox found the zipper to the beanbag. Luckily the shop vac made quick work of the cleanup.

It's cold out, so the dogs are in the laundry room again. Lucky wanted out.
He didn't get very far.

Fox is funny, did you know that?
Lately he's been making his 'surprise face'.

Today when he wasn't spilling billions of tiny bean bag balls or spelling his name, he wanted to work with tools. Like Daddy.
So I gave him a real screwdriver and a footstool.
Then I remember a Christmas present I bought months ago and stashed...
...his own tools!

Okay, I have to sign off so Vance will leave me alone. He wants to set up his new computer since this one is one its last legs. Gotta love Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals!

So, CHEESE!
(this is right after cast removal and x-ray - happy family!)

I need to win this!

2008-11-13T20:40:00.001-05:00

Oh, what wouldn't I do with this printer/answer to all of life's mysteries?
Seriously, all of the above. Printing my photos would rock, and faxing? How awesome is that? Ooh, and printing on a CD...that is so cool.

You can try to win one here...but if you do remember it's because I told you about it!

What a week!

2008-10-25T23:07:00.002-05:00

I will apologize in advance for the lack of pictures - I'm posting this from my parent's house in Orlando.
Once I remember Vance's password for Picasa, I'll add a few to this...

I'll try to catch up on some stories and give y'all a glimpse into what life is like for us.

Sunday - I discovered that the bar across the front of our big stroller is detachable, so Fox is able to ride around in that instead of the wagon. Much less conspicuous!
We went to church, beanbag in tow. Fox was glad to see everyone and show off his boo-boo. He actually told people "I bwoke my wight femur". Gotta love the 2 year old that uses the correct names of bones!
Vance and I got his fish tank cleaned up and set up on Saturday, so Sunday after naptime we headed to the pet store and picked up a few fish to get our tank started with.

Monday - his foot was still quite swollen, so I called the Ortho doc and they got us in at 11. He was quite the charmer (as usual) and listened intently as I explained how the x-ray machine worked. Doc checked out the x-ray, took a look at him and said he was healing well, and we could start decreasing his pain meds. Remember this phrase.
Monday afternoon my amazing sister Shannon (Fox calls her Shi-Shi) and my nephew Dylan arrived to help me out and keep Fox entertained. What a blessing!

Tuesday - I only gave him 3 doses of medicine during the day, instead of the strict 4 and 6 hours dosing schedule I had been keeping. During the day, it was no big deal. He was entertained by Dylan, playing trains, coloring, and DVDs. Bedtime? That was another story. Basically, he screamed off and on for about 5 hours. We gave up on getting him down in bed and he watched "Pride and Prejudice" with me and Shi-Shi. It seems like the pain got ahead of the limited meds in his system. Note to self - not time to wean off the codeine!

Wednesday - We had a great day. Stayed home and got things done, ran a few errands while Fox napped. It was so nice to have my sister to help! Our friend Liz came over with her awesome kids. They each brough Fox a little something to help pass the time. The big hit, though, was a seahorse that had a glowing tummy (like a glo-worm) that played music. Since getting his beloved seahorse, he's fallen asleep almost immediately at naptimes and bedtimes!

Thursday - Dylan wanted a sticker from Thomas, Fox's favorite teller at our bank (which has a branch in Wal-Mart) and I had a few checks to deposit, so we headed to WallyWorld for an outing. It seriously took us all morning to get out of the house, so we treated ourselves to Moe's for lunch. I also packed up for our big trip.

Friday - got moving super-early, went to Fox's music class at TMH, and hit the road. I had already planned a trip for Fox and I to Orlando to help my sister get some projects done around her house, but wasn't keen on driving the whole way with him in his condition by myself. So after much deliberation (Vance hates it when I take his boy away) we decided it made more sense for us to ride to Orlando with Shi-Shi and Dylan. Vance will join us the following Thursday, and we'll ride back home Saturday.
I am amazed that we managed to pack everything we needed into Shi-Shi's truck. Needless to say, I had everything wedged in just right - except I forgot to leave room for the beanbag. And THAT, my friends, is an essential part of Fox's life right now! So, the beanbag resided at my feet for the trip. Kinda comfy, if a little cramped!

So, we are here in Orlando for a week. I'm trying to block out the trip down (don't ask, just don't ask) but we arrived safely and mostly still sane. My mom (of course) teared up when she saw Fox, but they are impressed with how well he's handling all of this.

I'm impressed with how well he's handling all of this too. Sure, there are times when he gets frustrated after he drops a toy and can't reach it, and any time anything remotely brushes one of his feet he says it hurts, but overall, he's coping.
I hope he doesn't have any memories of the pain or the frustration when he's older.
I hope I can forget how he was hurting and scared.
I hope he heals quickly.
I hope...that I never forget how helpful and compassionate my friends and family have been through this ordeal.

Okay, time for bed. I will try to go back and add pictures later.

Finding our "new normal"

2008-10-18T01:13:00.004-05:00

Most of my blog readers (I think) are friends and family members.
However, there is a chance that people I don't know personally read about our adventures.
So, I'll post the emails I've been sending out to update everyone about our situation.

Sent Thursday:
Hello family and friends.
First off, thanks to all of you that have been praying for us today.

For those of you that haven't heard, the short version is that Fox slipped on the playground, fell on the equipment and broke his right femur. He's in a cast, chest to ankles, for 4-6 weeks.

10:30 this morning, Sandra and I had her 3 kids, 2 of Carey's, and Fox at Tom Brown Park today. It was still slightly wet from the morning dew, and Fox took off running to the playground.
Before I could even see where he went, I heard him screaming. He was very upset, but I thought he just bumped his knees again.
I took his pants off to change him into shorts, and I couldn't straighten his leg without him screaming.
Sandra and I swapped vehicles and I took him (per the pediatrician's orders) to Radiology Associates to get his leg x-rayed.
At this point, I thought his knee was popped out or something like that.
After the x-ray, they did a quick read of the films and called the ER to tell them we were on the way.
I held him in the back seat while Vance carefully drove us to TMH. He was taken back pretty quickly, where the docs called the Orthopedist.
We weren't sure if he'd need surgery, so he couldn't have any food or drink, and he was still in considerable pain.
Finally the Ortho doc came and said that he could set it without surgery, but he would be in a Spica cast for 4-6 weeks.
The nurse came in with a shot of morphine (for Fox, I had to wing it!) and he was not at all pleased about that.
After a short time, they came in with all of the preparations to immobilize a very active 2 year old boy.
He's in a cast from his chest to his ankles with a bar between his legs. There's a cut-out so we can change diapers.
He was so brave, and has really handled this well.

We've rented a special car seat, and I'm going to look into a special stroller so we can get around a little easier.
For now, he's sleeping, thanks to Tylenol with Codeine and Motrin.
He's got a place set up on the couch, and thanks to the Conrads, a comfy bean bag to help him sit up.
We've got his train set on the coffee table, coloring books, and lots of videos lined up to watch.

Will you please pray that we are able to manage his pain over the next few days?
And that we will be able to keep him comfortable and entertained over the next 4-6 weeks?

Thank you so much, we really appreciate all the prayers and support!
Michelle, Vance, and Fox

Sent Friday:
Well, last night was quite similar to life with a newborn.
Up every 4 hours giving medicine instead of nursing, but the interrupted sleep was eerily familiar!

He's starting to get frustrated that he can't move much, but we try to let him do as much as possible, like turning on the lights when we leave a room, etc.

Last night shortly after putting him in bed, he was crying and really upset.
When I asked him what was wrong, he said he had a big boo-boo on his leg.
So I thought for a minute and asked him if he needed a band-aid.
Since a boo-boo to a 2 year old means a band-aid, I figured it might help. It did, and he went back to sleep.

He's trying to figure out the cast thing. He pats his legs and asks for kisses on his boo-boo.
At one point, he said he needed to poop, so we thought we'd try to get him on the potty.
It went pretty well, and I think we'll continue trying to let him use the potty as much as possible since it is so much easier than trying to keep his bottom dry in the crazy diapering method we are using right now.

We took him for a walk in our neighbor's wagon this afternoon and again this evening. I think he likes being outside and moving around a little more.
We're going to try and make it to church for a little while Sunday, not sure how long he'll want to stay.

We're looking forward to seeing the Ortho doc next week and figuring out how he's healing.
I'm not sure what comes after the 4-6 weeks in this cast. Maybe another, smaller cast, physical therapy, who knows.

We've enjoyed the visitors, but if you are here in Tallahassee, don't feel like you have to come over right away.
We will be home for quite awhile, so just give me a call if you'd like to come by and play trains with Fox or go for a walk with us.

Anyway, time for bed. I'll be back up in a few hours for another dose of Tylenol with Codeine!

Thanks again for your continued prayers. We really appreciate them!

Soup Swappin'

2008-10-02T22:14:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite blogs that I read is "Life As Mom".
Today's guest post was a soup recipe swap, so I'm posting my dear friend Robyn's Minnesota Wild Rice Soup.
(It's a REAL Minnesota recipe - she's a native!)

Anyway, this is a delicious soup that I love - I hope y'all enjoy it!

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup (serves 3-4; I usually triple or quadruple the recipe!)

2 T butter

1 T minced onion

¼ flour

2 C chicken broth

2 C cooked wild rice

(can use Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice)

Cooked chicken to taste

½ t. salt

1 C half and half

3 T grated carrots

3 T slivered almonds

Minced parsley

1/3 C minced ham

Cook wild rice according to package instructions – set aside.
Melt butter in heavy saucepan, sauté onion until tender.
Blend in flour; gradually add broth.
Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens slightly
Stir in rice and salt – simmer 5 minutes
Blend in half and half, carrot, almonds, chicken and ham
Heat to serving temp – garnish with parsley

Giveaway Goodness...

2008-09-29T23:24:00.002-05:00

Okay, I must be on to something.
I've won two giveaways from the blogs I read.

This is not helping me cut back on my blog reading...
Sorry Vance!

Anyway, the blogs are Fiddledeedee and Beachy Mim i.
Did I mention that they rock?!?

Believe it or not, I have plans to jazz things up around here.
But I'm too busy reading all 84 blogs I subscribe to.
Problem? I don't have a problem...I can quit whenever I want...

More updates since I can't sleep.

2008-09-12T00:34:00.025-05:00

Yep. Good ole insomnia. Might as well be productive, right?
Got me some Pandora Radio going, and a whole list of pics to use for a post.
I apologize in advance for the lack of cropping, and copious amounts of red eye. Vance just rebuilt his computer after a hard drive died, and Picasa hasn't been installed yet, so I can't edit.

I laid on the couch pretty much all day today. Vance was able to work from home, which was great since I was super-sick last night. Some kind of quickie stomach bug.
Then once I felt better tonight, we did an amazingly thorough cleaning and decluttering job in anticipation of my sweet friend Mary and her family arriving tomorrow.
That picture was from Carey's twin shower last month. Here's all the Monday Night Girls...

...minus Rebecca who snuck out before the inevitable group shot time came along.

The day before the shower, Darcy left her girls and Adah with me while she went to a meeting. After naptime was popsicle time!

The next weekend brought Tropical Storm Fay, and TONS of rain.
On Saturday, we ventured across the street to let Fox play in the rain with his buddy Ethan.

With all of the rain, one of our trees started leaning...

...so we had to have it taken out before it took out the garage!

Fox thought it was the coolest thing ever...

...but it left quite a mess in the yard!

So I know I talk about how funny Fox is. Recently, his imagination has really come alive. He tells me he's a doggie (always named Buster) and wants me to be a doggie with him...

and the other morning he came into the kitchen while I was making breakfast, telling me he made a lamp.

Pretty impressive for a not-quite-two year old!

He is such a sweet little man. Loves his Daddy so much...

...and loves helping Mommy with the dishes. I am totally using these pics as blackmail when he's older!

We headed down to Vero Beach for Labor Day to spend some time with our wonderful friends, Jeremy and Darcy. Jeremy wanted for Vance to see this crazy vintage car-themed restaurant, so we all loaded up in the van and headed there. I didn't get any decor pics, but here is a shot of the kids dancing to the fun music.

Then we headed to the beach - Fox's first time!
He kept close to Daddy for awhile...

...but eventually got a little braver, and loved the 'dirty' factor.

The waves were quite a shock...

...but overall, he thought the beach was a great place to be!

Unfortunately, our stay with the Walworths was way too short. We had lots of fun playing!
Ever try to get two active toddlers to sit still for a picture?
We got this one just in time...

...and they're off again!

We had to say goodbye to our sweet friends. But not before more pictures!

Of course we needed a big hug...

And then a crazy face picture!

After leaving Vero, we headed 2 hours north on I-95 to Daytona Beach to visit Granny and Grandpa's condo with Aunt Shi-Shi, Uncle Jay and Dylan.
For whatever reason, my camera stayed in my purse, so I have to get some of the 40 billion pictures my mom took and post them later.

For now, I'll leave you with a picture of Fox's favorite phrase...

CHEESE!

Big Ole Brain Dump

2008-08-17T20:22:00.017-05:00

I should be cleaning the kitchen after last night's dinner with Rob and Anna, but I'm not.
Instead, I'm going to waste all of this kid-free time telling you what's in my brain.
What have I been doing? I'm a Twitter Addict and on Facebook too much.
Here are the June Pics - I realized I never linked them here.

How about a fun Fox story?
It's potty time, y'all. Poop, too.
I spent all day asking Fox to tell everyone in earshot what he did to Daddy's toe. "I pooped ona Daddy's (big pause) toe...".Vance will tell that story on his blog this week.

We've been talking about the potty for awhile now. Sometimes he's interested, sometimes not. This weekend, pretty interested.

(I would be almost finished with this if I didn't spend so much time linking.)

So anyway, we sit him on his little potty, we talk about making sure his 'boy parts' are pointing down into the potty, we run the bath water to motivate the pee-pee, we read books, etc, etc.

Yesterday Fox peed on his potty. Then he gets up and wants to dump it in the big potty so he can flush. However, he's not quite finished peeing. So when he flushes and hears the water, he realizes he needs to pee more. So he pees all over the floor and base of the toilet. Lucky for me, this is just as I need to leave to make it to Carey's twin shower. So I handed Vance a towel, kissed the both of them and headed off to celebrate with the girls.

This afternoon he pooped and peed on the big potty with Daddy holding him in place. Tonight before bed he peed (a lot) on his little potty. I guess we're potty training. Time to go get some pullups.

Fox and I have been to Orlando three times in the past 6 weeks. The first trip was to see this sweet lady, my Granny. She's 84 tomorrow, and lives in Charleston, SC. We had a wonderful visit, going down on Sunday and heading back on Tuesday. Lots of cousin time, of course. Here are a few of the best pictures from that trip.
Reading tiny little books with Grandpa
Watching ridiculous amounts of Thomas the Train while sitting in Granny's chair (or on her bed)

Lots of hugs and snuggles with my sweet nephew.

The second trip was completely unexpected. Fox and I were getting ready for church around 9 on Sunday July 13th. My sister calls and asked if I had talked to Mom this morning. Now, in my family, "have you talked to (insert name of another family member) today?" is code for "something is wrong but I hope I don't have to be the one to tell you". Of course, I haven't talked to anyone yet. Shannon starts crying and tells me that one of her and Jay's best friends killed himself the night before. I immediately start crying too, and Fox is seriously confused. I told her we would be there in 5 hours. She tries to tell me not to come, but I told her she didn't have to worry, I would pack and leave.
So I quickly packed for Fox and I for an indeterminate length of trip and headed to church to tell Vance his family was leaving and I didn't know when we would be back. The drive down was not at all terrible, Fox was content with his books and the occasional puppet show from the top of my head.
Dylan was already at my parent's house, he stayed over with them for the weekend. Then he stayed with me at their house until Thursday morning. There was lots of cousin time and I tried to take decent pictures of them.
Cheese, anyone?
I was amazed at how the details worked out. Typically, my week is full of stuff going on. Doctor appointments, playdates, co-op babysitting, and little jobs. That week, my calendar was completely empty. Not a coincidence. I needed to be in Orlando, to help my sister and love on her and Jay. Thursday we got to spend some time together, mostly talking about the fact that it was okay to be upset and that it's okay to ask for help. Friday we took the boys to Target to get their pictures done. I'm sorry to be so biased, but these are some seriously cute boys.
After pictures, we had lunch and then Fox and I headed back home. Vance was so glad we were home, but was terrible leaving my sister when she was still in so much pain. Thank you to everyone who prayed and please continue to pray for them and their friends. There is still a lot of healing going on, and it will be a long road to recovery.

The third trip had been planned well in advance. My Uncle Bill and Aunt Kathi were coming down from Michigan (where we visited last summer) and they wanted to see the boys. Vance got to come with us this time. We had a great visit, celebrated Shannon's birthday, and enjoyed swimming in the neighbor's pool.

Some other fun pictures - most of these are also in the July upload that I just finished.

Fox likes to 'fix' his scooter and digger like Daddy fixes cars. This mostly consists of him turning them upside down and sticking crayons in any available orifice and turning them, kind of like a screwdriver I guess.
He also loves to play his guitar with Daddy. Using a pick is a special treat since we usually have to retrieve it from inside the guitar afterwards.

Is there anyone else who loves to give their kids lemons? He makes these hysterical faces, and then asks for more!

This is the point when Daddy decreed it was haircut time.

Rock on!

Post-Haircut Cheese!

I love my sweet Dylan.

Fox loves his Daddy. This was at Coosh's after we returned from our 6-day trip to Orlando.

I am constantly amazed at how awesome my kid is. I love him more than I ever thought possible, and more every day. Vance and I are truly blessed.
He is the funniest, smartest, most exhausting boy on the planet, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Okay, enough for tonight. Hope you've enjoyed novel. ; )

I am the biggest deal geek...

2008-07-08T12:46:00.002-05:00

I am laughing at myself for the amount of geekiness this exhibits...

Babycheapskate.com is one of my favorite blogs that has helped me save some serious money since staying home with Fox. A new deal for Pampers diapers and wipes just came out, so I got my act together to take advantage of it.
I posted this on their website and had to make fun of myself.

Oh girls, I made out like a bandit.

I printed 4 each of the $5 off and $5 GC coupons, then picked up 4 papers ($0.96) at Wal-Mart for the $1.50 coupons in each.
Then off to Target.

I did 4 transactions of dipes and wipes, the AMAZING cashier was so impressed and helpful, he just added the $5 to the same GC.
Then I plopped down the $27 of (mostly clearanced) stuff I needed, so I got out of there with 4 size 5 jumbos, 4 3-packs of sensitive wipes, kleenex (much needed!) 2 adult 4th of July tshirts, 6 baby/toddler shirts, 6 baby/toddler shorts, 4 educational goodies from the dollar spot, all for a grand total of $40.30!
Regular price would have been $84.94!

Anyway, just wanted to pass along a great resource. Happy Deal-Shopping!

Overheard at the table tonight...

2008-06-18T17:14:00.004-05:00

This was such a typical exchange over dinner that I had to post it.
Vance thinks it makes him sound like a jerk, I think we both sound like jerks.
On with the jerkiness!
Bear with me, I am going to experiment with font colors...

V - "That was a good idea, making French Toast with the leftover bread from Monday Night"
M - "Thanks, I know it's not your favorite, but I wanted to use it up before it went stale"
V- "That's not true - you make it sound like I hate French Toast!"
M - "It is true - whenever I give you a choice of French Toast or Pancakes, you ALWAYS choose Pancakes. So that means that French Toast is NOT YOUR FAVORITE."
V - "Well...next time only give me one piece of sausage - I don't eat as much as you."
~ Painful Silence ~
V - " I meant - I don't eat as much as you think I do"
M - "That is so much better. "
Fox - "Handa dicky!" translates to "Hands are sticky!"
~ Uproarious Laughter all around ~

I love our family. ; )
Seriously, we are not this jerky. It was a pleasant dinner, and we all cracked up as a family.

May Pics uploaded

2008-06-08T22:05:00.002-05:00

I've just uploaded 80 pictures to the picture site. Hope you enjoy them!

I'd like to add that I had bronchitis, not Fox. Sorry for the lack of clarity in my previous drug-induced post.

I'm on the mend, thanks for asking. ; )

I'm planning a post about the craziness growing in the front yard. Here's a sneak peak:

My words, they have been eaten.

2008-06-04T09:28:00.004-05:00

The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that kids not watch TV until they're 2.
I have faithfully followed this recommendation for nearly 20 months.
Then bronchitis enters the house.
Fox is loving watching Toy Story right now.
And I am too. Let me tell you friends, this is comedy gold!

Even better? I can lay here on the couch, surrounded by tissues and sweet boy snuggling.
I for one, welcome my video overlords.

Updated the picture site...

2008-04-27T21:11:00.003-05:00

I've been uploading tons (well, 48) of new pictures to the picture site. Be sure to check them out!

I was going to post stories, etc, but then I remembered that I promised Vance I would go to bed early. So I am going to honor my commitment to my husband and hopefully be asleep before he returns home from Men's Bible Study.

I've got to be well-rested to wrangle Fox , Ranen and Clark in the morning!

A Story from Fox...

2008-04-01T21:28:00.002-05:00

Vance was giving Fox his milk before bed tonight, and Fox said the following words, in this order, to his Daddy.

Shelf
Shelf
Matt
Tim
Terri
Toby
basketball (bakitball)
kick
football (fooball)
outside
baseball

I laughed out loud. Vance realized that Fox was telling him about everything that happened today during our visit to the Halls.

We went over and saw Matt and Tim building shelves in the garage. Then, an old wire shelf fell down and made a huge mess. We hung out with Terri and Emily, and her dog Toby. They played under the basketball hoop, kicked the football outside, and threw the baseball.

My 17 1/2 month old son told his father about his afternoon.

Seriously, this kid amazes me.

He sings along to a few songs on the radio. Last week he identified a song when the music started, even before the artist sang any of the lyrics.

He's starting to work on cleaning up (sometimes that results in a nasty tantrum), and likes to be my 'big helper' when I'm shopping at the grocery store, folding laundry, or many other usual tasks around the house.

We bought him his first 'guitar' last week. It's a little ukelele that is just the right size for him. He carries it everywhere, and usually refuses to leave the house without his 'geetar'. Fortunately, I can convince him to leave it in the car.

His memory is remarkable. We went to Chilis for a free lunch thingy and when we pulled in the parking lot, little genius boy said "PawPaw eat". He remembered that when my parents came up in JANUARY we ate at Chilis. That was the last time we had been there, and he remembered it three months later.

His expressions just kill me. Sometimes, when he furrows his brow just right, it's almost like you can see the gears turning in that noggin.

His transportation speed is now full-tilt running. Why were we so determined to get him to walk again?

He takes some of his toys and waves at them, saying "Hi Fox".

Each morning I am greeted by a smile, a sweet sounding "goo moning" and then in the same breath "BANANA!". It is almost tortuous to him that I must change his diaper before fulfilling the need for his beloved BANANA.

He's beginning to identify his name, which is really fun. However, when you ask him how to spell his name, or how to spell Fox, he says "Uh-oh X".
Seriously, it's funny. Robyn from church asks me how "O-X" is doing. ; )

The other night when Vance was putting him to bed (seeing a theme, are we?) he was rocking in the rocking chair, and Fox looked up at the awesome print above the chair, of a Fox playing the saxophone, and the word "FOX" on it too. Smiling, he looked at his Daddy and said "name".

I think that's all the stories I can remember for now. I will get some pictures uploaded soon. You can head over here where Vance's mom posted her pictures from our last visit to PC.

Non-Fox Related Post

2008-03-03T22:07:00.004-05:00

Just in case you thought it wasn't possible...here are pictures that do not involve the kiddo.
; ) Don't worry, I just posted the Feb. pics!

Rob and Anna have started making cheese. As a bonus, we get to eat some of it!
Rob (and Anna, his lovely assistant) made mozzarella and ricotta on Friday. I made a delicious Spinach Lasagna with the mozzarella, and he made a yummy appetizer with the ricotta and pesto and salami. Here's a picture of the lovely plate of appetizers:

There were a few tomatoes left from the salad and some mozzarella and pesto, so we made up a little caprese-style yumminess in the middle.
Everything was so tasty!

There is something to be said about a woman and her favorite brand. Reynolds, anyone?

Okay, I'll work on a decent post with some fun Fox-ness tomorrow. Hopefully the little booger will take a decent nap.
Oh crap - I almost made an entire post without a mention of my joy. ; ) I do love the cuteness of him. So - here's a pic to tide you over.

Night-night!

Big Changes

2008-02-24T22:04:00.004-05:00

I'm no longer a member of the Tallahassee Irish Step Dancers.
While that may not sound like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, it is to me.
I was there for the very first meeting, in September of 1999. I took a few months off in college, and 6 months off during my pregnancy and after having Fox.

There are many reasons that went into this huge decision.
But the biggest one is that my priorities have changed.
I love dancing. That hasn't changed.
But I realized that with the short time I have to mold my son into a godly man, and increasing demands for more rehearsal, that something had to give.
My priority has to be being the best mom and wife I can be.
Not being with my family for 2-5 hours each Sunday afternoon was not accomplishing that.
I would come home exhausted, more often than not injured and sometimes frustrated.

This afternoon I took Fox into the studio with me and shared my decision with the group.
I will miss these people that have been a part of my life for so many years.
This is a picture of our group in 2001. The little girl that I was dancing with is now a junior in high school. Her name is Kate, and she's an amazing dancer, and a beautiful person. Kate promises we will keep in touch via Facebook. I hope so!

After leaving the studio, Vance asked me if I wanted to go get some ice cream. Ice Cream? I just cut out my main source of exercise, and the man wants to take me for ice cream. ; )
Vance has been so supportive through this process. He never told me to quit, but he helped me look at my reasons for staying vs. going. There was a lot of praying out of the both of us.

We went over to our friends Barb and Rick Theobald's house. (Aunt Barb and Uncle Rick to Fox). I just wanted to sit on their beautiful deck and look out onto the water and thank the Lord for my many blessings.
We played on the deck, I petted Tum-Tum the Wonder Cat, Fox hung out with Barb and Rick while Vance and I took the canoe on the lake, and we enjoyed a meal together. We enjoyed the meal in spite of the fact that I caught the stove on fire. Seriously. Flames, smoke detector blaring, the whole shebang.

So, that will explain my bit of melancholy. I'm mourning the girl that was the Irish Dancer. It's okay though. That was a season, and there will be many other seasons to look forward to.

Our singing Fox

2008-02-18T21:56:00.010-05:00

Here's Fox hugging Katelyn, whose parents were in our childbirth class oh so long ago.

Isn't it a parenting rule that you have to take a "Spaghetti face" picture? Well, here's Fox.

Fox likes to peruse Daddy's Hot Rod Magazines...he gets very excited talking about the "WHEELS!"

Fox has started singing.

Saturday was Ranen's 2nd birthday party, and he enjoyed everyone singing "Happy Birthday". After the party, we headed to Sam's Club to pick up a few things Sandra needed for the Strickland's baby shower.

Somewhere on Capital Circle, we heard something out of Fox in the back seat...kind of like "happy...birday...you...Ranen...birday..." I asked Fox if he was singing Happy Birthday to Ranen, and he just got the biggest grin on his face, he was just thrilled that I had figured it out! So we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Ranen in the car on the way to and from Sams.
This morning when we woke up, we heard his little voice on the monitor "Happy...to me..Birday...Ranen"
Just in case you've ever wondered how to keep 5 toddler boys still for almost 10 minutes - the answer is cupcakes.

Then today we were playing at the house before dinner and Fox get his little sing-songy voice and says "Jesus...me...Bible..." I think about it, and then realize he's singing "Jesus Loves Me"! So of course we've been singing that all evening.

Here he is saying his latest favorite phrase..."Hold ME!" (emphasis on the ME!)

This picture makes me wonder...where did my baby go? Here he was a year ago...

And here is our walking, talking, singing Fox.

LOLCats...

2008-02-17T21:03:00.002-05:00

This one made me think of Fox and his "mookey" (monkey)

Any time I need a good laugh, I head over to www.icanhascheezburger.com. Love me some LOLCATS!

The One Semester of Spanish Spanish Love Song

2008-02-14T20:32:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Please ignore the gratuitous nippleage.

The promised updates...

2008-01-27T21:47:00.000-05:00

I'm supposed to be getting ready for the garage sale I'm having on Saturday, but I wanted to update the photo site and blog a bit. So there!
I realized in uploading the pictures that I took almost no pictures in December. Slacker Mom!
I somewhat made up for it in January.

It's getting harder and harder to catch the good shots. Just when he's doing something super-cute, I grab the camera and capture this...
...and he's off!

My parents came up this weekend to spend time with the Fox (and us, purportedly!). After a day of trying to keep up, my mom looked at me and said "Is he like this all the time?" My answer? Of course!
It's funny, but I guess we're just used to him so we don't think anything of it. My nephew, Dylan, is a totally different type of monkey. He's funny, but he isn't as active and all over the place like Fox. No doubt some of that is his age, but I just don't see Fox changing his ways too much as he gets older.

Vance's mom is STILL plugging away at the Clean Sweep we started on 12/29! I am so proud of her - they have been in that house for 23 years (I think) and she's doing an amazing job of tossing the stuff she doesn't need and organizing the rest. While I was there, we did the living room and kitchen. Since I left, she has done the dining/craft room and her sitting room (that she calls her angel room), and started in Vance's old bedroom that will be a guest room. The only rooms left after that are their bedroom and the laundry room! I called her earlier to tell her what a fabulous job she was doing. It has been inspirational too...

I've organized my pantry...

...and my cabinet...

...and taken an inventory of the contents so I can cook all the food I've stockpiled!

See, the life of a stay at home mom is wayyyy too exciting, right?
Honestly, I have loved my time at home with Fox. I'm getting things done that I've wanted to do for almost 5 years (since we moved in) but never had the time to do.
I'm planning out our meals to use the food we've got, so we eat out less to save money.
I'm available to help people in need - when Robyn, the church secretary calls me, I can step in and do whatever it is that needs to be done.

Fox is the funniest kid. I love being with him and getting to watch him grow and help him learn. He is such a little man, and loves to be with people.

I love my job!

Fox is quite the talker too. He has actually said a few three-word sentences.
He will sometime put 'a' in front of the word he wants to say. Usually it makes sense.
A truck, a ball, a cracker, a help? Not so much on the help!
His latest funny word is 'bicycle'. Sounds like 'bi-kikle'.
He also says 'sit', but this is a family-friendly blog so I'm not telling you what that sounds like. ; )

Well, Vance just got home from the Men's group.
He told me Rebecca has been admitted to the hospital for overnight observation. The baby isn't due for another 2 months, so please be praying that everything stays put and the baby (and Rebecca and Michael) will be able to rest.

Got an extra kidney?

2008-01-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

Have you been wondering how to reach out to others? Have you ever wondered if there is someone who needs your help; who the Lord might be leading you towards? opening doors in their direction?

Here is your opportunity to help a fellow blogger.

Spread the word about Kelli.

Many of you are probably familiar with her situation. (If not, you can catch up on it here.)

Kelli needs a kidney. She has been waiting and waiting and waiting... for a kidney. No one in her family is able to be a donor: her husband isn't a match and her children aren't old enough.

Obviously, this is something that you will want to spend time in prayer about before you jump into it. But perhaps you are the answer to this family's prayer.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
Esther 4:14

The reason I'm posting this is because I'm going to see if I'm eligible to give Kelli one of my kidneys. Will you pray for us as we figure this whole thing out?
Maybe it's not my kidney that will be the right one for Kelli. Is it yours?
Pray, read her story, pray some more. Let me know if you hear from God about it like Vance and I have.

What a start to 2008!

2008-01-08T23:41:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed ringing in the New Year at a friend's house, playing a few rounds of Mafia and catching up on life.
The week to follow was pretty laid back, we enjoyed visiting with friends and settling in after way too much holiday travel. Fox had a little cough at night, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

Sunday, the nursery workers reported that Fox wasn't his usual fun self, he was kind of lethargic and didn't want to play, just wanted to snuggle on one person per service. We came home and all took a great nap. Fox's cough was worsening, so I called the on-call nurse for the pediatrician's office. She really wanted him to be seen Sunday for an RSV swab test and a chest x-ray. She also insisted that he not be given a decongestant because he's under 2.

So after naptime, Fox and I went off to Patients First. They said it was just a cold, didn't do an x-ray or RSV swab, and sent me off with a prescription cough syrup. I picked up the Rx and headed home. When I got home and read the info on the Rx, it turned out to be a combo - cough syrup/decongestant/antihistamine. So I called the nurse back b/c I was concerned about the decongestant. She was still insistent that he needed the x-ray and swab, and said that we needed to get him to the ER for those tests.
We tried TMH, but there were no seats in the waiting room, and they said it was probably an 8-9 hour wait. So off we went to Capital Regional. We were in and out in 5 hours with a negative RSV test and no x-ray.

Monday morning I woke up around 5 feeling yucky, but nothing big. 7 am, that all changed.
I started throwing up (among other issues) and would continue to throw up for the next 12 hours. I couldn't keep anything in my body. (I'm trying to state all of this gently, but it is always a feat when you manage to vomit every color of the rainbow!)

It got to where I couldn't open my hands all the way and I was so scared. I have never been that sick in my entire life. So Barb came over after Vance put Fox to bed, and we headed to TMH. The waiting room was much less crowded, and after nearly three hours, I was given a bed in a hallway. Not just any hallway, but the hallway on the way to the trauma area. Where our friend Cynthia is a nurse. She saw us come in and got my IV started right away.

This, my friends? This is how I spelled relief. They gave me a great anti-nausea drug, and a pain killer that is apparently better than morphine. Within 5 minutes of the fluids coming in, I told Vance I was starting to feel like me again. My hands unclenched, I was able to relax and rest for the first time since 7:00 that morning.
We filled my phenergan prescription at CVS on the way home (I am so glad there is a 24-hour pharmacy nearby!) and I made it to bed at 5. Vance followed shortly after he sent an email to his boss about taking another sick day.

Today (um, I guess now it's yesterday - Tuesday) I slept until 2:30 and then was up for a few hours. Slept a few more hours, then got up and ate a little bit of Chicken and Stars soup. Thanks to Rebecca for the groceries!
Was talking to Vance, trying to figure out why I still had so much pain in my abdomen. He suggested I take a hot bath. As I slipped into the tub (gracefully, not accidentally!) I realized that my tummy was sore from all of the puking yesterday! Duh!

Vance will be heading back to work and I have a sweet friend from church coming over in the morning to help out with Fox. I am still super-weak and sore, and standing for more than 5 minutes totally wears me out. Keeping up after a boisterous toddler is not on the list of how to recover from the stomach flu!

So, just to keep you from being bored to tears with the medical drama that unfolded at the Casa de Rutherford this week, I leave you with Bacon.

Quick Updates...

2008-01-04T16:17:00.000-05:00

Much like Julie and Darcy have done recently, I will attempt to quickly summarize some things.

Of course, Fox just woke up from his nap while I typed that sentence. So I shall leave you with a fun picture of Ms. Adah Bennage and I, not feeding Fox her ice cream cone as he plays with his hair.

I WILL POST MORE SOON!
Hold me to that, y'all.

The Big Day...

2007-11-24T15:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally gave in to all of the begging and pleading from Vance.

We went from this:

...to this:

All thanks to Mr. Tony.

Fox did great, and Mr. Tony was super-fast! We followed the advice of the Kagys and the Johnstons and visited Mr. Tony's Hairstyles. Mr. Tony was a pro and Fox didn't seem to mind all the fuss.
To help me get in the right mind-set, Vance had to take me to Sonny's for lunch. We are working on compiling a list of where and when kids eat free. (Sonny's on Saturday!) Mr. Fox was quite the flirt with the greeter.

It's been crazy around here with this toddler that has invaded our home.
He is into everything.
And now he is awake, so I can't finish this post!
More later, I promise!

Crazy Talk

2007-10-17T06:54:00.001-05:00

Make sure you turn the volume way up to get the full effect. Vance and I were cracking up through dinner!

Finally...new pictures!

2007-10-07T22:37:00.000-05:00

Here.
I went through and uploaded a bunch of pictures from May up to yesterday.
My kitchen is not clean, but the interweb is graced with tons of pictures of Fox.
Enjoy!

It's a Small World...and we are walking through it!

2007-09-22T20:30:00.000-05:00

Fox's first LAN party!

So tonight Vance is in the office, watching online videos of churches similar to ours and how they do worship. I came in and watched a church for a little bit...they got to the announcements and this guy bounds onto the stage. It was my youth pastor from high school. I just sent him an email to say hi! Small world, that interweb.

We have a walking Fox now. He's been taking a few tentative steps here and there for a few weeks. Thursday he decided it was time to get on the walking train. I haven't taken a good picture of it yet. I'll work on that!

But, I have lots of other good pictures to (finally) share!

He's teething again...he's got 8 teeth now, and the drool is excessive.
We've been having lots of fun outside...I bought a bike trailer at a consignment sale, and Fox and Ethan have been loving it!

Fox is really getting into reading his books...

Sandra and Carey and I are doing a little co-op so we can all work a bit. Fox loves having the big boys over, but sometimes has a hard time understanding that ALL sippy cups in the world are not his! I actually managed to get all of them in the same area long enough for a few cute shots...

And the moment passes..One of the things about having three little guys in the house instead of just one, is that things get overlooked that would have normally been stopped right away...enter exhibit 'a', the tissue box...

Snack time!
Momma brought up Dylan's Halloween costume from last year...if it's cold enough and Fox cooperates, we may have the Monkey for MonkeyNinjaPirateRobot....
That's a big if...this is not a happy little monkey!
And now, for the monkey tantrum!

I have a feeling that soon enough he will be throwing King Kong sized tantrums...this child has apparently inherited my temper.

And now for a series of Fox in hats...he will actually consent to wearing them for a few fleeting moments...some of which we managed to capture on camera!

Fox's latest obsession is shoes. It's crazy how well he says 'shooooooes'. He was on cloud 9 earlier tonight...I sat him in the closet surrounded by all our shoes. Everywhere he turned, there were shoes. He finds them in every room...maybe we should keep them more confined!

My Jesus

2007-09-10T16:06:00.000-05:00

Warning - this is a complete departure from my usual posts full of cute baby pictures and funny Fox stories.
I'll write one of those soon enough. I've just had a lot of heavy stuff on my heart lately and need to get it out in the open.

I'm writing this while looking at my sleeping son on our video baby monitor.
We are blessed, really, with so much material stuff. I might gripe about the price of cherries going up by $2/lb at Publix, but when it comes down to it, I could still buy them at $4.99/lb vs $2.99/lb and we wouldn't suffer from it.

There's a song that I've liked for awhile now, but recently I've been contemplating what it really means, and how it SHOULD affect my life.
Todd Agnew's "My Jesus" is a seriously hard song to listen to. This link may or may not work, give it a shot.

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Do I look like the world? I probably do. I was so thrilled with the new cute pants my mom bought me Saturday, and I wanted to make sure to wear them to church yesterday since I was singing on stage.

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

I do spend most of my time with believers. It was a total shell shock this summer when we spent a week with some family members who cuss. Vance and I were pretty uncomfortable with it, realizing we are quite insulated from the 'thieves and liars' that Jesus spent His time with.

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

How many prayers of ours are for the wealth of this land? I jokingly talk about when Daddy wins the lottery and we get out cut, but honestly, we could live without a lot that we have. My attempts at frugality are just that - attempts. I could be a lot more hardcore and survive without the cute cover-up for my bathing suit I picked up at 75% off Saturday at Dillards.

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Would I walk by? Is Jesus that guy on the corner who needs a shower, shave, meal and a bus ticket? I unconsciously reach over and check that my doors are locked - a sad commentary on how suspicious society has made us.

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

We do picture Jesus with a handsome face. I haven't watched The Passion of The Christ - Vance thinks it would be too hard for me to watch. He's right, but it was harder for Jesus to die, wasn't it?

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet

My toes are pretty, Momma came up this weekend and we got pedicures.
I like to think that Jesus would be accepted at my church. We're definitely very laid-back on the dress code. We can always spot a first-time guest - they're wearing ties and 'Sunday dresses'. But would a shabbily dressed, dirty man be welcomed? I hope so.

But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

The way Todd Agnew really cries out at this part is what hits me hardest. Does my desire to be like Jesus outweigh my desire to be comfortable? I didn't sign up to go to Nicaragua with the team from our church like so many others did. Is it because I'm afraid of getting dirty? Or am I afraid of being too saddened by what I'd see? The stories the team came back with had our entire congregation in tears.

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity

I've always said I wanted to be on Jeopardy! - what a better way to be successful and popular!
My priorities need to change - seriously.

I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like my Jesus

Okay, enough of that for now. I'm going to join my family, and enjoy listening to my son's new favorite word - SHOE!

More Milestones...

2007-09-05T22:37:00.000-05:00

Fanged Fox is fanged no more. The front two teeth are nearly in. This kid talks ALL THE TIME, with crazy words like 'backpa' (backpack) 'acaca' (avocado) and 'gogoo' (yogurt).
Oh, and he took two steps tonight. HE TOOK TWO STEPS!

(I'm shaking my head...he's growing too fast)

I promise I will post pictures next week...maybe even a video if I'm feeling adventurous!

I am embarrassed to say I am from South Carolina...

2007-08-27T15:22:00.000-05:00

...after seeing the "Miss Teen USA" South Carolina delegate...

Of course, I wasn't educated in South Carolina, just born there. Man, that is scary!

No pinch.

2007-08-21T22:17:00.000-05:00

Reason # 756 Why I Love My Husband

2007-08-13T20:46:00.000-05:00

Most of you know about my obsession with finding the most efficient way to do, well, anything really. While on the way to Monday Night at the Mitchell's house tonight, I was excitedly sharing with Vance that I had discovered the most efficient way to navigate the contact list in our new cell phones. See, I had to call Carey and let her know we were running a little bit late, and "Mitchell" falls smack dab in the middle of the "M"s, so I didn't want to start at the beginning of the "M"s or the "N"s and then have to scroll all the way through them to get to "Mitchell".

Wow, this story is so dull. I'll get to the point, the reason that God made Vance just for me and me just for Vance. After sharing my phone hack with him and telling him how excited I was to be sooo efficient, he looked at me and said "Babe, you're a real "efficianado". Ba dum bum.

Y'know, he just gets me.

He's going to have a fit when he sees this pictures I found from his Hummingbird days!

Fanged Fox

2007-07-26T09:22:00.000-05:00

More pictures and a real post soon - just couldn't resist posting Fox and his fangs...yes, he is hanging upside down in this picture - it was the best way to get the full effect!

It's Done...

2007-07-23T22:23:00.000-05:00

I've finished the book. Maybe now I can get to sleep. Or maybe I should get something done around this house - I've been slacking since Friday night.

My review? Without spoiling, I will say that it was a fitting, satisfactory end. Thanks for the ride, Ms. Rowling.

Pics and stuff

2007-06-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

I love my little man.

I love his Daddy too.

Fox is cutting teeth #3 & 4 (oh so fun). He stands for up to 10 seconds, and waves at everyone he sees.
I was totally in denial about this earlier, but now I'll admit it.
He is (sort of) talking.
He says "Dada" when we talk about Vance, "Tss Tss" when we go out and visit Tanji, and today at lunch when Vance asked him if he wanted more, he said "Mmmm".
Notice the significant lack of the word "Momma".

This morning I think he signed "fan". We've been doing baby signs for a few months now, mostly at meal times. I recently started signing 'fan' when he would point at the fan, and then I would help him sign it. Today he signed it on his own, and was so proud of himself.

We went to the TMH Music Therapy Playgroup today. He was quite a hit. All the other babies were sitting in their mom's laps, smiling and enjoying the music. Fox, on the other hand, wanted to stand up on me the whole time and talk - loudly. I truly believe this child was put on this earth to make people laugh. He really enjoyed himself, and we will certainly be going back!

Here is a real conversation Vance and I had earlier this week. I swear, we can't make this stuff up.
"Oh, you can't eat my Oreo McFlurry, it's got chocolate in it."
"No, it's okay, I'm starting to introduce little bits of chocolate into my diet to gauge his reaction."
"Oh good. With your PMS back, I'm afraid you'd kill me without chocolate"

That's all for tonight folks.
Stay tuned for more updates.
If yer lucky.

A few updates...

2007-06-19T21:56:00.000-05:00

Fox is way too mobile!
He climbs up and furniture walks all along whatever he can.
No more inchworm, the boy is seriously crawling now.
He does the funniest wave - he just sticks his hand up in the air like he's issuing a proclamation.
I think it's "Yes, I am here, and I am the cutest, funniest baby ever. You may giggle."

Okay, time for bed.

Just a quickie...

2007-06-10T22:31:00.000-05:00

One of the silly things I like to do is dress Fox to match Vance.

Here's an example...

Yeah, I need to get out more!

Happy, Danielle? ; )

2007-06-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

Danielle has been getting on to me about my lack of posting. I know, I compose them in my head, but y'all don't know that unless I actually get things on the blogosphere. What a weird word that is.

I'm thinking I psyched myself out trying to do big meaningful posts once a month. Yeah, that's the excuse I'll use for not posting. ; )

I'll have to get Vance to show me how to get to our pictures. He's rebuilt his machine (with all the pictures) with some crazy Linux thing called Ubuntu. Every time he says Ubuntu I feel compelled to respond with "God bless you".

Quick Updates:

I started a part time job as a Research Assistant with FCRR. I only go in to the office one day a week for 5 hours!
Fox has two teeth, and the next few are imminent.
He has also started crawling - sort of this modified belly flop that reminds me of an inchworm.
Both sets of his grandparents came for the Mother's Day weekend. A good time was had by all.

And now he's awake. Time to get ready and head to church!

Really?

2007-04-29T21:51:00.000-05:00

I noticed this while handing Vance a roll of TP tonight...
Um, duh?

Hmm...Maybe I should start posting all the little things like this that just make me shake my head. Nah, then y'all would know how REALLY crazy things get around here.

I always said I'd try anything once...

2007-04-26T22:19:00.000-05:00

So I've now installed a theatrical standee.
I totally got suckered into this one. A $50 job! How great! That would pay for my dress for Darcy's party...except I made $10 after paying a babysitter and Emily, without whom I could not have done this 12 foot wide 8 1/2 foot tall behemoth. Oh, did I forget to mention that it took us 4 SOLID HOURS?!?
No Vance, we're not taking it home when it's over.

Go by the AMC Tallahassee Mall and marvel at our hard work. And then come over here and rub lotion on my hands. If I never see a piece of cardboard again, it will be too soon.

Emily and I are awesome.

best.crackers.ever

2007-04-12T21:07:00.000-05:00

Saltines Multi-grain. Almost makes up for having a yucky tummy. Almost.

6 Months...

2007-04-12T15:42:00.000-05:00

Dear Fox,
Wednesday you turned 6 months old. About a month and a half ago, I discovered a crazy mommy blog where the mommy writes her daughter a letter on the blog every month. I thought it was a great idea, so I'm copying it. (Warning - Dooce.com is not G-rated, more like R-rated- the author is a rather potty-mouthed liberal, but I admire her honesty and sometimes we think alike in the realm of mommy-related OCD things) I was planning to start this last month, but we all see how that turned out! Next month I'll start this a week ahead of time so it might get posted on time!

So back to the all about you thing. When I first started composing this post, you were napping - your second attempt at an afternoon nap is proving to be much more successful than your first. You sneaked a power nap in the car after lunch, so by the time we got home you tried to convince me you didn't really need a full nap right then. I let you roll around and talk to yourself and then fuss at me in your crib for 45 minutes, then gave in and got you up.

I keep expecting your first tooth (or teeth) to pop up any day. You've been drooling like a champ for 3 months now, but this week in particular have kicked it in to overdrive. Wednesday night you woke up after 45 minutes asleep, which was really weird for you. Compounded by the fact that Momma and Daddy were at Praise Band practice at church, and you were home with Miss Katlynn. Poor Miss Katlynn was pretty surprised at how mad you really were.

You are so happy in the mornings - this is the smile we're greeted with when we come get you - super happy boy!

I think a lot of people don't believe me when I tell them about your temper. You totally got that from me, along with every other negative aspect of your budding personality. You look just like Daddy, and you act just like Momma. It's all your Granny's fault. When I was a kid, she told me that she wished I would have one just like me. Thanks a bunch! Miss Terri knows all about your legendary temper - you threw down a royal fit when she was hanging out with you in the waiting room and I was seeing the doctor for a checkup. That's okay, she still loves you!

Today a new toy came in the mail, your first Legos. Predictably, you were at first more interested in the box than the actual toy. After a few minutes of exploring the box, you toppled over onto your belly and then discovered that there were TOYS in the box, TOYS that could be put in your MOUTH! Which of course is your latest favorite thing to do - putting EVERYTHING within reaching distance in your mouth. Your Daddy is so excited about the Legos...excited for you of course, not that he has told me to start buying you the real Legos when they're on sale or anything...no, not that at all.

You've become very adept at sitting up. I think you really love the new perspective from which you can see everything. I think you'll be crawling soon, which by the way FREAKS ME OUT! I know, you have to grow up, I think that part is cool, but the idea of you being able to get around by yourself is just a bit TERRIFYING. We'll have to have Noah Conrad come back over and show us everything you're likely to get into.

You have the best smile in the world. Everyone comments on how smiley you are. Last Friday we went up to the hospital to visit Ms. Jo and Mr. Jim. Mr. Jim fell in his garden that morning and broke his wrist and kneecap. He was in surgery when we got there, so we were able to keep Ms. Jo company in the waiting room. You not only kept Ms. Jo in a good mood, you managed to have the entire surgical waiting room smiling and laughing at your antics. You have such a sunny nature, and love to interact with people.

This is you eating squash...
We started feeding you solids a few weeks ago. I wanted to wait until you were 6 months old, but Dr. Martin said that we should just go with it then because you had such an interest in everything Daddy and I put in our mouths. So far, so good. You didn't like oatmeal at first, but we switched brands and started mixing it with breastmilk instead of water, and you've come around.
This is you eating the other brand of oatmeal...
You really like squash and prunes (which we introduced earlier this week in response to the lack of poop - too much oatmeal and bananas!) and don't seem to mind green beans or peas.

You're finding your car seat slightly more tolerable these days. We went up to Thomasville, GA two weeks ago with Ms. Mary, and you talked the whole way there. It's amazing, I'm almost forgetting how you used to scream your head off anytime we went anywhere. Almost.

You're funny. Nena taught you this one, huh?

Whenever we go to Publix or any other grocery store, you talk to everyone that walks by. They all comment on what a cute baby you are, and you smile and put on quite a show. Yesterday I sat you in the seat part of the shopping cart, instead of sitting you in the carseat. You were just fascinated with all the sights you could see without the constraints of the carseat! It's hard to believe you're big enough to sit up like that on your own.

This is you and Daddy in the truck you'll rebuild together...if it's still running when you're 16, we won't have to buy you a car!

You are obsessed with trying to watch TV. We don't let you watch it, but any time we're at someone's house with the TV on, you contort yourself into all sorts of interesting positions to try and be able to see the action.

I think the coolest thing about you this month is how you're interacting with things so much more. You are now able to see what you want, and lunge toward it. You scoot around in circles in your play gym, and pass things from one hand to the other. You're always trying to help us turn the pages in your books.

This is you with your cousin Keyan in Panama City.

Superstition is your favorite song. That's right, the Stevie Wonder hit. Daddy made you a CD of funky tunes (he thought the classical music we listened to was too dull) with a good beat. You can be in the middle of a huge throw down fit, and we just walk you over to the CD player. Sometimes you calm down before we get a chance to turn the song on. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer. You've learned that song, and when the track changes, you will occasionally get fussy until we turn your song back on. It's a little creepy sometimes, how much you love that song.

I hope you enjoy this effort of mine to document more of your development. You know that Momma and Daddy love you very much, Little Man!
Love,
Momma

What makes me tick?

2007-04-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

"I loathe the expression "What makes him tick." It is the American mind, looking for simple and singular solution, that uses the foolish expression. A person not only ticks, he also chimes and strikes the hour, falls and breaks and has to be put together again, and sometimes stops like an electric clock in a thunderstorm."
- James Thurber

Food makes me tick. Raising the awesome son that God has blessed us with makes me chime.

Just a quick peek...

2007-03-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

At all the fun Fox and I had in Orlando...

Crazy Eyes

2007-03-15T22:11:00.000-05:00

Decent post forthcoming...(read Vance's post to tide you over.)

Grabby McDroolybuddy (or it's all our fault for naming him Fox)

2007-03-07T21:57:00.000-05:00

Our son has proved to be terribly stealthy about his ability to roll over. Previously, we only saw the results of Fox's craftiness by finding him on his back in the crib when he wakes up. Little stinker would only roll over when no one was looking. Last week, he rolled a few times while Vance was watching. BUT NOT ME! This morning, Fox is playing on his back in his play gym. I step into the kitchen to make my oatmeal. I'm out of sight for an entire 45 seconds and the little monkey manages to roll on his tummy. WITHOUT ME SEEING IT. AGAIN.
Then he rolls over again for Vance while I'm working on dinner. I MISSED IT AGAIN. This makes about 10 times that I have not seen my son, who I am with almost 24 hours a day, roll over.
Finally tonight after Vance left for band practice, my patience was rewarded. Fox was on his back. He very determinedly grabbed his feet, swung himself to his side, and rolled onto his tummy. And I SAW THE WHOLE THING. I guess if you're gonna name your kid Fox, you have to expect him to have some sort of sneaky, stealthy habits, right?

Back to Grabby McDroolybuddy. We used to be able to hold him on our lap while we ate. Not so much anymore. Fox now tries to grab whatever we are putting in our mouth, or anything too close on the table. He's also drooling like it's his job. Thus, Grabby McDroolybuddy is his latest moniker.

When I got back home from band practice tonight, Fox's "Aunt Barb" was watching Steel Magnolias on ABCFamily. That movie has some of the most quotable lines ever. One of my favorites - "I'm not crazy, I've just been a very bad mood for the last 40 years!". I hadn't seen it in years. I didn't get to finish it, since LOST was coming on.

I am so thankful...

2007-03-05T22:51:00.000-05:00

...for our awesome friends who came over tonight and helped Vance make forward progress on the fence.
I am so thankful that Vance ran to Wal-Mart after everyone left and got the parts he needed to fix the cable that was cut so I could blog now and work tomorrow.
I am so thankful for the amazing friends God has blessed us with.
I am so thankful that almost all of the dishes fit into the dishwasher.
I am so thankful my son managed to go back to sleep by himself when he woke up at 11pm.
I am so thankful that it's time to go to bed now.

Irish Macaroni...big surprise!

2007-03-04T23:37:00.000-05:00

Aight, the masses have spoken. But I mean it, next time, I'm making something different.
See you at 6:30...or earlier if'n you wanna bang on the fence with Vance.

Dinner Monday Night

2007-03-03T21:16:00.000-05:00

We're hosting this week, and I have no idea what I want to make. I'm just doing this because my house is seriously clean after my mom was here.
So, in the spirit of "American Idol", we'll go with the popular vote.
I'll make whatever gets the most individual votes. You can vote via email or comment on the blog. The winner will be chosen after Ladies' Bible Study tomorrow night and revealed here and on the website.
Each person with a valid email address may vote once (no having your kids vote unless they can type their own email)...
Okay, let the fun begin! If you need ideas for suggestions, let me know. I'm just taking the lazy route to deciding tonight.

Loudest Baby Ever...

2007-02-22T22:38:00.000-05:00

I went to visit my friend Sarah to see their new baby, Collin. Fox, predictably, screamed for half of the trip down to Southwood. When we arrived, he was wailing at about a 7 (he has cranked it up to 13 on occasion). It was great to see Sarah, KC, and their daughter Emily, and meet little Collin. After awhile, Collin got tired and began fussing, making these tiny little cries. I observed for a bit, and then asked Sarah if that was as loud as he got. She replied that yes, he was pretty upset.
I shook my head, realizing that Collin's 'pretty upset' ranked about a 1 on Fox's scale of mad.
We have the Loudest Baby Ever.

Such a happy boy...

2007-02-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

Anna told us a story about something she heard at an infant massage therapy workshop. Apparently, there is anecdotal evidence that babies whose mothers ate chocolate have happier babies. Here are some pictures to back up that theory...

And yes, I totally ate A TON of chocolate. Good thing!
As always, you can see the rest of these pics here...

Slacker me...this is going to be a long one.

2007-02-11T23:05:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. So much has been happening, I'll try to recap.

Let's see. Our trip to Arkansas for Bonnie's wedding in December was awesome. All the prayers must have made a huge difference, because we had the world's best traveling baby with us. He was happy and/or sleepy the whole trip, and only fussed when it was time for him to eat.
We visited with Bonnie, Justin, and Bonnie's family the night. They were all so excited to meet Fox! The next day we were up for the complimentary breakfast at 6am-when it started! That would never have happened before we became parents.
It was also our 5th wedding anniversary. We celebrated in style, eating two meals at McDonalds and visiting the Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas (right across the street from the enormous Home Office!) After that we headed to the Wal-Marts ; ) to buy the necessary ingredients for the Wedding Night Basket 'O Fun I put together for special people when they marry.
The wedding was beautiful. I only cried a little, not like the huge racking sobs I busted out with at Shannon's wedding. It was amazing, getting to be a part of such a special time.
Fox was awesome the whole time. What a blessing!

Christmas was beautiful. We enjoyed seeing both sides of Vance's family in PC, and celebrated with our Canopy Roads family Christmas Eve. The next day we joined the Theobalds for Christmas Dinner and Jesus' birthday cake! Wow, I think that may have been the last time I had chocolate. (We figured out that chocolate upsets Fox's tummy. Yeah, it sucks.)

My folks came up for a few days shortly before the New Year. It's so great having them here with us. Fox got way too much stuff (I know, it's just going to get worse each year) and we all ate too much.

We went to Flager's for New Year's Eve, but left around 10 to try and get the Little Man to sleep.

January was an eventful month of milestones. On the 12th, he let out his first big belly laugh. Ironically, he was strapped in his car seat at Smokey Bones while Vance and I enjoyed lunch with some of Vance's coworkers. The next day we took him over to Julie's house for his first set of pictures. They turned out so great! We, of course, bought one of each one she took! (So did the grandparents). The next day was Sunday. I went into Fox's room to get him up for church. The sight that greeted me was Mr. Fox on his back. He had rolled over and I missed it! Four days later, he slept throught the night (9:30pm to 7:30am with two wakeups) without a feeding.
February has been exciting too. Last week Fox slept all night (no waking) three times. He woke up twice last night, but is on par to make it all night again. This morning I went in to get him up for church (it was his debut for drama-more about that later) and once again, he had flipped himself onto his back. That makes it 4 times that he's done it - AND I HAVE MISSED IT EACH TIME! Little stinker won't do it when he's with me, just when he's waking up. And each time, when I come in for him, he has the biggest, sweetest grin on his face. He seems quite proud of his latest little trick.

So now about the drama. Fox played my son (I know, a stretch) in a powerful piece about a family who is on the verge of splitting up due to the parents not appreciating each other, and losing sight of why they got together in the first place. Fox stole the show when he started cooing and blowing raspberries into my mic. But the point was made. I think a lot of folks were touched today, and it was an honor to be able to help facilitate that.

So what's been going on? Well, Fox still loves standing up, but now he's liking to sit up too. He's able to stay upright for about a minute and a half before leaning over and toppling. He thinks its just great, and then tries to eat his toes as he tips over forward.
We have the happiest baby (most of the time). He's much less fussy, and when he does get fussy, he calms down when we take him outside or hang out in front of the radio. Vance has made him a playlist with lots of funky grooves so we can dance around the house. He has the best laugh. Vance gets him going better than I can. Everyone we see comments on how smiley Fox is.

I've gone back to Irish Dancing. It was easier than I though to just jump back in and pick up where I left off 7 months ago. I really missed my friends from the group, and it's a good break to get out of the house and do something for 'me time'.

I think that about covers everything I can think of. I'd better sign off so Vance and I can catch up on '24'. We're a year behind, but we're going to finish!

New Pictures

2007-01-13T10:37:00.000-05:00

Check 'em out here.

New Me...

2007-01-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

Just in case you haven't seen me in awhile, I got my hair cut. Alot of it. Enough for Locks of Love. I think it wound up being about a foot (you know, 12 inches?)

So here's what I look like now. No makeup, nursing tank top and the little man.

I promise, a decent, detailed post is forthcoming in the next few days.

New Post - Video!

2006-12-23T11:14:00.000-05:00

Go to Vance's Blog to see what Mr. Fox has been up to...

It's that time...

2006-12-14T02:15:00.000-05:00

I should be asleep. I've packed all our things for our trip to Arkansas, my hair is washed, dried, and straight, the kitchen is clean, and I'm blogging.
I would go to bed, but I know as soon as I do Fox will want to eat. He and Vance are asleep on the couch, and have been for about 3 hours.
I love my family. My son is so adorable, I sometimes just stare at him, amazed. How can something so precious scream so much? He's only 2 months old, what does he have to be that mad about? He is learning and growing each day. Today, he realized that when Vance rubs his finger on his mouth and he 'talks' to us, we crack up. Kid's already hamming it up. Last weekend he discovered that when he kicks his legs in his bouncy seat, the animals move. This week he started batting at the animals and smiling even bigger.
Vance is about to have his work cut out for him. I'll be pretty busy with wedding stuff this weekend, so SuperDad is on full-time duty.
I can't wait to see Bonnie. It's been since...February? March? I can't remember. Terri hemmed my bridesmaid dress for me, since I waited till the absolute last minute to have it altered. I don't know what we'd do without the Halls.
I'd better try and relax enough to sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us, and we're praying for a cooperative little man. (Or at least understanding folks on our two flights!)

Sleep

2006-12-04T23:28:00.000-05:00

Sleep. I've missed it. I'm heading to bed now.
We're trying to get Fox to sleep more regularly. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is the latest (and hopefully last) sleep book. It was really hard, but tonight we put him down and let him rest on his own. Cute little bugger was cooing and talking to himself for about 10 minutes, then realized we weren't coming in to play. This apparently made him mad. So he cried. And he cried. Vance came out of his office after 10 minutes and gave me a pouty lip and a stern look. I didn't like hearing it either! But, 2 minutes later he stopped crying. He looked up at his monitor, and then fell asleep! It's been 20 minutes. I hope this does the trick.
Sandra came over today to give me a break. She said his crying reminded her so much of Ranen. I told her that if that means Fox is going to be that much fun, then I would survive this colic.
She held him while I cleaned the kitchen, and then when he really got going, I held him and she cleaned the kitchen floor. I have the best friends. Thanks a bunch.

Sleep. I've missed it. I'm heading to bed now.

New Picture for my profile?

2006-12-04T15:24:00.000-05:00

Blogger didn't like the old URL for this picture, so maybe this one will work better.

Let's see...

2006-11-28T15:01:00.000-05:00

...how fast I can post these pics from the hospital 7 weeks ago...

Whew. Fox went back to sleep once I gave him his paci.

This was Dylan's first meeting with his new cousin. Right after he 'kissed' Fox, he bopped him in the head. It was hysterical.

7 weeks ago my water broke.
7 weeks ago I was 27 and huge.
7 weeks ago I could sleep for more than 3 hours at a time.
7 weeks ago I could eat when I wanted.
7 weeks ago I had no idea what being a mom was really going to be like.
7 weeks ago I didn't know I could be peed on, puked on, screamed at, and love him regardless of all that.

Fox is having a fussy period. His acne has cleared up, but I think he's getting cradle cap. Poor kid is so over his car seat. It took us almost 7 hours to get home from Orlando after Thanksgiving. Being at home with my parents was awesome. I was slightly worried that they wouldn't be as nuts about Fox as they were about Dylan ('cause they were really NUTS over Dylan), but I had nothing to worry about. My dad was cracking me up with his insistence that we take pictures of him holding Fox so he could take them to work. My mom told me that he was worried about how much Fox screams, and that we should take him to the doctor and make sure there's nothing wrong with him. Mom had to remind him that I used to scream for 5 hours a night. ; )

Momma, Granny, Shannon and I went out for Black Friday. I got almost all of my Christmas shopping done. Killer deals out there. The fun part was pumping in the car in the parking lot, trying to hide what I was up to. Vance and I dashed out for an hour and left Fox with Momma and Daddy. It was kind of weird. First time we've both been away from him.

He's starting to chunk up a little bit. His face looks rounder, and he's starting to get some rolls on his arms and legs. He's still in the Newborn diapers though. We have tons of size 1 diapers, just waiting for him. I tried one on him Sunday, and it practically came up to his armpits. Hopefully he'll grow into them soon. We keep buying 40 Newborn diapers at a time, hoping each pack will be the last. He looks so much longer now, lying in his crib. It's amazing how calm and peaceful he is when he's not screaming. His cries have changed too. He sounds older somehow.

We're praying for a smooth trip to Bonnie's wedding next month. I'm a bridesmaid. We're taking our two month old baby to Rogers, Arkansas in the middle of December. It could be snowing. Are we nuts? Probably.
I've been watching all these birth shows on Discovery Health. I guess I'm in the minority for not having an epidural.
Well, I'd better go ahead and post this before Fox wakes up again.

Smiley Baby

2006-11-15T21:09:00.000-05:00

I know, I don't post enough pictures. So here are a few of my smiley fella. We're totally expecting him to bust out a giggle any day. He is so sweet in the mornings after his first feeding.

Vance is such a great daddy. Fox just loves him. I always knew that Vance was good with kids, but seeing him as a daddy has made me love him even more.

1 month...wow!

2006-11-10T22:56:00.000-05:00

What a month its been. Our son is a month old, and so amazing. He's smiling at us, and tracking things in front of him, and turning when he hears a toy on one side. Vance has posted more pictures here at his Picasa site. He also posted a review of our voting experience on his blog here. I just love his Photoshopping ability.
Our lives are settling into somewhat of a routine. Mondays we walk around the street and then go to Monday Night wherever it is. Tuesdays and Thursdays we walk again. Wednesdays we go to the Breastfeeding Support Group at Best Beginnings and then Vance meets us at Subway for lunch. Fridays I walk with Kelly and Gina with our 5 boys. I try to get out of the house at least once a day so I don't go crazy.
I hate to put it into print, but we may have a colicky baby. Apparently I used to scream from 5pm-10pm as a baby, so his fussiness isn't as bad as it could be. I guess we didn't petition quite hard enough for him to have Vance's temperment.
Fox and I are heading to a Family Reunion in Charleston, SC next weekend. Vance is stuck here, he and Jeremy have a big project to do at work and will be working through the weekend. So Fox and I will meet my parents in Jax, one of them will hop in with me (I'll probably let them drive so I can sleep) and then we head to Charleston. Shannon, Jay and Dylan will meet us up there. My dad is so excited about having his two grandsons at the same time. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again. All of my cousins will be there. It's weird now, we're all parents.
So, this stay at home mom thing can be pretty isolating. I spend a lot of time at my house with Fox. (well, duh.) I haven't been able to keep the house clean or really cook a meal for Vance and I yet. Whenever I try to be 'a good housewife' I wind up totally exhausted with a grumpy baby. Sometimes it's hard to get out of the house, but I know I need to. I miss the interaction and open air. It's just a gamble on keeping Fox happy. I never know if he's going to have more gas problems after a feeding session. Vance and I joke that we have a bipolar baby. I'm sure most parents wonder the same thing.
Well, I'd better get some sleep. Last night Fox slept 5 1/2 hours before waking up for his next feeding. Let's hope for another night like that! I'll clean up in the morning. I should have plenty of time. Vance's parents are coming to visit in the afternoon after Vance's dad plays golf. It will be his first time seeing Fox, and Vance's mom's first time back after she was here for his birth. My mom is so jealous that they only live 2 hours away.
My mom has started reading our blogs. I'm glad...I know there are things I forget to mention that I post, so now she'll see them.
Okay, it's really time for bed. Hopefully I'll be there awhile!

Picture Albums...

2006-10-29T20:51:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to the Picasa albums Vance has set up. Enjoy!

Just a few quick pics...

2006-10-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

I am totally not biased about my cute kid...
I went for my first decent walk today. Just about a mile, I walked over to the Conrad's house and back. Got caught in a light shower shortly before the end. It was refreshing. And yes, I closed up Fox's stroller so he didn't get wet.
Well, back to Thank-You Note duty...we have so much to be thankful for.

Welcome to the world, Fox.

2006-10-17T21:45:00.000-05:00

I see that my last post was last Sunday, the 8th. To put it mildly, a lot has happened since then!
Here's one of Fox's first pictures:

Vance's mom took this in the delivery room after he was cleaned up.
Here are a bunch of other ones she took the first few days: Fox's Album

We've been home since Friday afternoon. My mom just left this afternoon, and Vance will be home for the next five days. After that, his mom has offered to come and stay with me. I'm not sure if I'll take her up on it right away. I may see how it goes for a few days and then have her come for a bit.

So, since Sunday. I went in to work on Monday to 'wrap things up'. 6 hours later, I dragged myself away. I finished my leave plan, my boss agreed, I'd work 10 hours a week from home until Fox was born. Sounded like a wonderful plan.
(this post has been interrupted by my son peeing all over his daddy and the changing table...back in a moment)
Okay, we're back. Tuesday, I wake up, go to my OB checkup and hear that I'm still at about the same place I was on Friday. They still aren't happy with my blood pressure, so they send me to Triage for an NST. It turns out fine, so they turn me loose. I head up to work to deliver the thank-you notes I finished and pick up the laptop I'll be using from home.
I get home and sit at Vance's computer to catch up on email and then I'm heading to the couch for a nap. I'm perusing Julie's Smugmug gallery of all of our friend's adorable children that she photographs. Apparently Fox liked the pictures so much, he wanted to meet his friends early.
I felt a funny feeling downstairs, and wondered if that was my first 'real' contraction. As I pondered this, I heard a "pop" and all of the sudden it was rather wet all around. I was kind of in shock, because a woman's water only breaks like that on TV or in the movies, and it never happened to anyone I knew! After I got the situation slightly more under control, I called Vance to come home right away. I called my doctor, and they wanted me in to Triage immediately. Tip for anyone who's water breaks and you're full-term - unless you're having serious contractions - stay home as long as you can.
So I called my family, Vance's mom, and a few other folks to let them know Fox was on his way. I made sure to call Sandra to cancel dinner-the girls were planning on going to Bella Bella to celebrate my birthday (which was Wednesday).
My neighbor Katlynn came over and emptied the car of the stuff I was going to return to Target and loaded it up with my birthing ball, and our pillows from Childbirth Class.
Vance FINALLY got home and we finished the last minute packing and headed to TMH. We stopped at Wendy's since it was almost dinner and I figured a grilled chicken sammy would do me good. And a Frosty, of course!
We check in, and sit. And sit and sit and sit. My pastor and his wife come, expecting us to be in a l/d room by now. No, not us. We rushed to the hospital to sit and wait an hour and a half to be admitted to Triage. The only positive I can say is that the two fun nurses from my NST that morning were still on duty. We finally got back to a l/d room around 7:30 or so.
I was having contractions, but they weren't doing a whole lot to progress my labor. My dad arrived, Vance's mom arrived, and things still weren't moving along. They checked me out, and gave me a warning that if things didn't get moving, they might have to make them get moving. Apparently I work well when being threatened with Pitocin.
I got in the tub, and my contractions intensified. Man, I would have stayed there all night if they had let me! Then my mom and my sister arrived with Dylan. That kid got so big! He is seriously a cute kid. We visited for a bit with me modestly draped in the tub. They left to get Dylan and my dad settled in the house, and Sandra came by with some beautiful flowers and encouragement.
They made me get out of the tub to put me on the monitors and see how things were going. Basically, they still weren't. So they had to put internal monitors on to keep a closer eye on Fox.
This upset me a lot, since I wasn't allowed back in the tub with those monitors. So I hung out on the birthing ball most of the time as my contractions intensified more. I had to kick my mom and Vance's mom out. It was too much, and my mom doesn't do well with me in pain. So it was Vance and my sister Shannon for the long haul. A word about that-we could not have done it without my sister. She was able to spell Vance when he needed a break, and the two of them tag-teamed keeping me hydrated and my forehead cooled when I needed it. Vance was still recovering from his sinus infection, and it was so awesome that my sister could be there to make sure he was okay too. They had to start an IV antibiotic drip since it had been 12 hours ago that my water had broken.
So things got pretty intense. I was basically communicating in one-syllable commands/requests and was getting extremely tired. Thoughts of C-sections flitted across my brain, and I wanted to be checked for progress. I had reached 5 cm, but that's only halfway. I decided I needed something to take the edge off, since my contractions were serious now. They gave me a hit of Stadol. Apparently it only lasts 30 minutes. Good thing they didn't tell me that, I lasted 2 hours before I wanted another one. That was just enough to allow me to rest between contractions. I'll spare the gory details after that, mostly because I don't remember all of them. I know that it's a big deal when you have to be reminded to breathe. Thanks, Vance. ; )
Essentially, the next time the checked me, Fox was crowning. Everything got really busy around me, but I just tried to focus on breathing. Pushing was seriously the hardest thing ever. Let's leave it at that.
Fox arrived at 6:47 am on Wednesday, October 11th, 2006. My birthday. Best present ever!

So Blessed...

2006-10-08T20:16:00.000-05:00

I've made it through 2 1/2 days of 'bed rest'. Well, 'couch rest' for me. I can't just stay in bed, I'll sleep all day and then be up all night. Vance has been to Urgent Care and been diagnosed with a nasty sinus infection. You know the man is sick when he misses church and is staying home from work tomorrow (Sorry Jeremy...).
I haven't been as good as I should be...with Vance sick, and these nesting urges, it is so hard not to do a load of laundry here and there. I get back to the couch in between loads, I promise! But I'm totally letting him clean the dishes from dinner, and I'm going to pay one of the youth that cleans houses to do my floors later this week. The kitchen and our bathroom floors are driving me crazy, but I am not about to get down and scrub them.
So, I'm catching up on thank you notes from previous showers, I'm making lists like crazy, and watching way to much Food Network. I love me some Rachael Ray!
About the blessings...
Canopy Roads threw us a shower this afternoon. Yes, I got permission from my midwife to go.
It was so amazing to see how many people came and blessed us. There were at least 40 people there! It was fun to hang out with the ladies of our church, but it will be nice when Fox is here and he can be the center of attention for a change! As I looked around the Fellowship Hall, I was blown away by the generosity and love shared by the ladies from all different ages and stages in life. I love our church.
Then Allyson (the Pastor's daughter and wonderful friend) came back the house with me to help me unload and hang out. We got all the loot into Fox's room, and unpacked and sorted out what needed to be washed, returned, or put away. Then she asked if I'd like to have my toenails painted. But of course! I certainly can't reach them at this point. So we went across the street and borrowed a cute color from Katlynn, and headed to the couch. We went to the couch so that I could at least claim that I was behaving myself. She was just finishing the first coat when the bottle accidentally dropped. On the carpet. And splashed on the couch. Yes, the new couch.
I didn't freak out, I just grabbed the laptop and Googled "Stain Removal Nail Polish Carpet". There were tons of results, and most of them were pretty similar. So, the nail polish is mostly out of the carpet, it's mostly off of the couch, and now we can all relax on the couch a little more since the first stain is taken care of. ; )
I'd better go...more thank you notes to write, and I need to get to bed at a decent hour. I'll be going in for my likely last day at the office tomorrow. Let's hear it for Bed Rest!

Bed Rest...well, maybe just the couch...

2006-10-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

Soooo....
I've been swelling a lot this week and my blood pressure has been high. Went in for a checkup this morning and I've been told to get to the couch, at least for the weekend.
Fox is doing well, his heart rate is great, he's in the right position to come on out, and things are moving along well in that department.
I'm hanging out on the couch, I have permission to come to my shower and church on Sunday, and I'm going into work for a bit on Monday to wrap things up.
My next checkup is Tuesday morning. They'll have my lab results then, and we'll see if I can go back to work part time or not.
Please be praying that my blood pressure regulates, that my body makes more progress toward birth, and that I can relax and rest, knowing that God's in charge of all this, and not me!

Thanks for your prayers and support as we prepare to welcome Fox Carson Rutherford sometime soon!

PersonalDNA

2006-09-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

Sandra started it...keep it going! This thing is cool.
Encouraging Realist...sounds accurate to me!

Running Late...or right on time?

2006-09-25T21:18:00.000-05:00

Lots of stuff has happened lately. I'll try to catch up later, but I have to share a cool story about dinner tonight. We had Matt and Terri Hall (our Pastor and his wife, one of my best friends) over to eat with us. We've been very close to them since they did our pre-marital counseling 5 years ago, and haven't managed to have them over dinner before tonight. I had a nice roast thawed, and it was getting to the point of no return - you know, eat it in the next two days or you've wasted your money?
So, I talked to Terri last night about how best to cook it, how long, etc. Then I invited them over to come eat it! We agreed to eat around 6:30 or so, Matt could come right from work, etc, etc.
Well, Matt got a call from someone whose relative (a young woman) was visiting from out of town this week. The woman had gotten word that her alcoholic uncle (who lives in Tallahassee) was hospitalized, very ill, and not given much time to live. The woman called Matt to see if he would visit her uncle in the hospital, since she had been praying for him for a long time. Matt went to the hospital, planning a short "hello, how are you, sorry you're sick" kind of visit.
God had other plans. The uncle had been discharged from the hospital and released to a rehab center. Matt didn't know where the place was located, and he knew that he and Terri were supposed to be at our house for dinner at 6:30. Matt hates being late. But, as he drove toward his house to get Terri, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was supposed to see this man today. So he called Terri to find directions to the place, turns out he was right near it, and told her to call me and apologize, but he had a visit he had to make.
Meanwhile at the Casa de Zorro, I've had this roast in the oven for an hour and a half, and it's still reading 100 degrees in the middle. I was trying to get everything cooked and ready for 6:30 dinner.
God had other plans. The roast was taking forever, I didn't have room in my oven for the roast and the cake I just had to make (darn nesting instinct) and I had to take the cake across the street to bake at the neighbors house.
Vance calls. He's running late, some sort of last-minute emergency at the office and he doesn't even leave until after 6:15. On the way home, the Hulk starts ticking in the engine. Never a good thing. So when he finally gets home at 6:40, he's surprised that Matt and Terri aren't there yet, but relieved that he has the opportunity to diagnose the ticking issue before they arrive.
Matt and Terri pull in, Matt helps Vance with the truck, Terri helps me get the roast out and the darn thing is still not done.
Eventually, Vance and Matt come in from the garage, we get tea for everyone, the roast finishes and we sit down to eat, right around 7:15.
At this point, Matt tells us about the visit with the dying man that caused him to be late.
That man is now going to heaven when he dies, because Matt listened when God told him not to worry about being late to Vance and Michelle's house for dinner.
If Matt, Terri, and Vance had all arrived at the house at 6:30 for dinner, I would have been so upset that everything wasn't ready. Vance wouldn't have had time to figure out what was wrong with the Hulk. More importantly, Matt would have missed the opportunity to share Christ with a dying man. That man told his niece on Saturday that he had done too many bad things to go to heaven. I'm so thankful that nothing worked out on my timetable tonight.
Dinner was awesome, probably one of the best I've cooked in years. Just ran a little late...or did it?

Labor Day! (No Kidding!)

2006-09-04T15:17:00.000-05:00

Whew. Vance and I have worked our tails off today. (Yes, I'm taking plenty of breaks and drinking enough water.)
Details on all that's been accomplished to follow. First, pictures! (if blogger cooperates...)

Here's Momma (Granny to him) and the Dylan monkey at Shannon's house after my shower last weekend.

I got to feed him...good thing I can practice on him before Fox is born!

Shannon's friend Teri takes care of her twin grandsons...they came over to hang out after the shower. These guys are so cute!

Here's my Granny playing with her 10th great-grandchild. Granny and Aunt Joyce drove down from Charleston Saturday the 26th for my shower. It was so special to celebrate with them!

Ok, I am totally not kidding when I brag about how cute and funny this kid is. I sure hope his fun disposition runs in the family! Vance and I were cracking up with him at bathtime.

This is Vance's Aunt Angie and her first grandson, Mario. Vance's cousin, Tonya, hooked us up this weekend with a ton of clothes from Mario. He was born last October, so Fox will be quite well-dressed for the seasons! This is the little guy that Vance's mom was talking about with the great eyes...Fox comes from good blue-eyed stock, huh?

This is Vance's cousin Tonya and her husband Jeff. We are so blessed with awesome family that shared cute baby boy clothes!

Here is Tonya's brother Corey and his wife Katie, holding their sleeping little girl McKinley. She is the sweetest little girl!

So, about what got done today...
I've now washed all of the clothes and stuff that has been given to us. We have effectively determined that our unborn child has more clothes than Vance. Keep in mind, we've only had one shower, and have three others scheduled.
I put away all of the goodies from last weekend's shower into Fox's room.
Vance re-arranged Fox's closet to accomodate the 3 large Rubbermaid tubs of clothes that don't fit me for the time being.
He lowered the mattress on Fox's crib so Dylan can sleep in it when he comes this weekend (and when Fox is born).
I folded and sorted all of the clothes for Fox and put away the bigger stuff for later.
I folded and tried to organize the myriad blankets, burp cloths and bibs into some semblance of order.
Washed our sheets and towels and re-made the bed.
Vance cut the grass in the front and back (good thing, based on what happened next...)

So we got all of that accomplished, got cleaned up and ready to head out for a date at the Melting Pot.
Vance thought this would be a great time to fall down the stairs in the garage.
His right ankle instantly swelled up to the size of a softball. I had to run (yeah right) next door and have the neighbor help me get him in the car. We headed to Urgent Care.
They were really quick, and the nurse kept us entertained. After a few x-rays, the doctor came in and declared that it was "a big honkin' sprain". The nurse wrapped it up, put a brace on it, gave him some motrin and sent us on our way.
We headed to the Walworth's to mooch off of their ESPN and catch the game.
So, Vance is learning how to us my crutches from last year's ankle fiasco and we've had quite a role reversal. I'm glad I have the opportunity to take care of him after he's spent the past 8 months taking care of me. He's trying to sleep now, so I should shut the laptop down and join him. I'm still pretty wound up from all the action, but I know I need to rest and get ready for tomorrow and the rest of the week as we carpool!

Pictures!

2006-08-22T20:02:00.000-05:00

I've got pictures to post...so here they are!

Here's the Dylan monkey with my dad...he's such an awesome Grandpa!

He has the most amazing eyes...

He really likes the new blocks I bought for him...apparently they taste great!

We put Fox's crib together Friday night...man, it is weird having a crib in the house. The X-tra parts are for converting the crib to a toddler bed and then a full size one day.

The Conrads dropped in earlier tonight. They tested Fox's crib for it's jumpworthiness...(I made that word up...) based on the amount of fun they had, I think it will work out nicely for the little man.

Conrad boys...chillin' in the crib...

That's all for now...time to practice our Hypnobirthing exercises!

Hey Hey, We're the Monkees

2006-08-18T14:05:00.000-05:00

I spent last weekend in Orlando, to visit my family and attend the wedding of a childhood friend.
The last of our group of Monkees, Jesse, got married. We grew up in a wonderful, close neighborhood, and there was a family with three boys that lived across the street from us. It was great, Shannon and I got to kind of know what it was like to have brothers, and the guys kind of got to know what it was like to have sisters. Here's a picture of the 5 Monkees (not 4 like the TV show) all growed up:

Left to Right: Nate Kline, Me, Jess Kline, Shannon, and Aaron Kline.

It's so funny to think that we are all married now, Aaron and Shannon and I (almost) are parents, and we still can hang out just like we used to.
Okay, so the Monkees reference. (I'm planning on linking to a wikipedia article, but I can't get wikipedia to load...)
When we were little (elementary age) the Monkees came on Nickelodeon every day after school. The boys would come over and we would watch the show together. Eventually, we decided that we wanted to be the Monkees. Never mind the fact that the Monkees were a band of 4 guys, the 5 of us we determined. We sang along in the garage ('cuz that's where all bands practice) to our LPs and later, cassettes, and pretended to play the instruments we built out of cardboard boxes. Aaron was Davy Jones, I was the invented twin sister of Aaron/Davy, Nate was Mike "Wool Hat" Nesmith, Shannon was a girl Peter Tork, and Jess was Mickey Dolenz.

We played a lot of different things in our garage. Mom always kept the freezer stocked with popsicles, and we played marathons of Monopoly and Clue. We built forts with all the boxes Mom's work stuff was delivered in, and worked on the tree fort in the big tree behind the boys' house. As we got older, we moved indoors when our NES came home, and worked collaboratively to beat Super Mario 3 one summer.

Anyway, I'll add more photos as soon as Blogger cooperates with me. My sister emailed me pictures from the wedding and more of the cutest Jr. Monkee, my nephew Dylan.

"I Get By With A Little Help..."

2006-08-16T20:07:00.000-05:00

Vance and I are so blessed with such wonderful friends. Barb Theobald and her teenaged daughter Jordan came over tonight to help me out.
I've been feeling a little (hah!) overwhelmed this week. When I went out of town last weekend, I left the kitchen a disaster, and stuff all over Fox's room. Guess what? When I came back, it was all exactly as I had left it.
Sooo...my hormones are a total mess (I'll leave out the gory details for our sensitive male readers) and I have apparently gotten into this funk where I spend most of my time looking at everything that needs to be done in the next 9 1/2 weeks and I can't figure out where to start.
I was really struggling on Monday and in a moment of desperation called Barb. We talked about our schedules and she offered to come over on Wednesday (tonight) and help me do anything I wanted help with. Apparently what she meant by help was for she and Jordan to come over and clean my kitchen while I sat on my butt and told them where to put things. As all of you are aware, that is a tough thing for me to do. But I did, for the most part.
I'm supposed to make a list of the things I need to get done and then she'll come over every few days and help me get it all done. It is so hard for me to admit that I can't get it all done by myself, when I'm so used to being able to, and having the energy to spare to go over and help my friends get their stuff done too. I know I really have to slow down and get enough rest for Fox and I, but instead of slowing down everything seems to be speeding up. Kinda like that silly quote about life seeming to get faster toward the end, like the end of the roll of toilet paper, except this is life getting faster at the end of my pregnancy.
I'll have to finish this later...and I'll post pictures of Dylan from this weekend.

Titles are so cliche'

2006-08-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

We had a great checkup with the midwife this morning. Fox has decided that head-down is his direction of choice. Honestly, it kinda took me by surprise. I guess I thought I had another month or so before we got to that point. I know, it's a positive move, but yet another example of how time is just flying by!

Vance wrote a great post on his blog last night regarding the saga of naming our son. Check it out here.

I read a really thought-provoking post on a website this morning. Warning-the language is not rated PG. However, I felt the author made some excellent points. It made me thankful for my community of friends, and all the more cognizant of our need to be a friend.

The Hypnobirthing self-training we're doing is going well. I do get a little tired of some 'well-meaning' folks who look at me like I'm so naive when I talk about planning to give birth without pain medications or medical interventions. I don't want to make this blog a gripe page about pregnancy issues, but sometimes that's really what's on my mind.

I had my annual review at work this morning. It went very well, I earned an "Excellent" rating in all areas assessed. Now I just have to get my leave plan worked out. I'm planning on taking the full 6 months FSU will allow me. We'll see what happens after that. ; )

NPR's Storycorps

2006-07-28T07:55:00.000-05:00

I am a self-confessed NPR junkie. Some people find that interesting, given my conservative beliefs and Republican affiliation. True, many stories/commentaries are challenging, but I feel that by learning about other views, it strengthens my own. They have an amazing series called Storycorps that has really opened my eyes to so many other things happening that don't make the headlines.
This morning as I was in the bathroom putting lotion on my belly and the rest of me (I really hope to avoid major stretch marks!) NPR's storycorps ran their story of the week. I urge you to listen to it here, then continue reading. I was struck by the amazing gift that the family gave to help others, when their child was the one that needed help. I stood there, tears falling down my belly, on the life growing in me, wondering if Vance and I were ever put in that position if we would be able to do the same. I pray that we'll never have to make that choice. It makes the sacrifice on the cross even more real. Giving your only Son. Thank you, Lord.

Third Trimester...time is ticking...and we have a name!

2006-07-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe I'm in my third trimester already. I can remember very vividly the morning I woke up and tiptoed into the bathroom to 'pee on the stick', as I so delicately referred to taking the pregnancy test.
I've come full circle back to some of my favorite first-trimester hobbies, such as napping on the couch every day after work and heading to the bathroom every 2 hours. Unfortunately, the napping and peeing are cramping my time available to get all of the stuff done that I want to in the house before the baby comes.
That list includes:

Culling through all of the stuff in the guest room closet so we can actually fit baby stuff in there.
Selling the roll-top desk to make room for my computer desk to move out into the front room area.
Organizing/getting rid of the ridiculous amount of paper I have filed/piled in various locations around the house.
Hanging up the window shades that I had to go out and buy last night for the baby's room and our room.

We made a lot of progress tonight on the paper and closet issues, but there is still so far to go. I have gotten rid of nearly all of my materials from my last two and a half years of college, and only kept about 5 papers that I still feel proud of.

So, about the last part of the post title. We have selected a name for our son. Most of our friends here in Tallahassee know it, and love it! Most of our family members think we've really lost it this time. It's not a 'normal' name, we know that. We also know the strength of my mother's reaction, and that we're not telling any family members the name of Baby #2 when he or she is coming.
Anyway, without further ado, unless we come up with something we like better (highly unlikely)...
We're naming our son

Fox Carson Rutherford.

The end.

Growing...and what NOT to say to a pregnant woman

2006-07-23T21:19:00.000-05:00

I took a 3 hour nap this afternoon. Sandra thinks the baby is having a growth spurt. I hope so, 'cause my appetite is back!
As I've observed my numerous pregnant friends over the past oh, 6 or so years, I always heard about the horrible/stupid things that people say to pregnant women. As I am now obviously 'with child', it has become my turn to be on the receiving end of some of these bone-headed comments. Here are a few of my favorites, in no particular order. I will try to include the person that these were made to, if I can recall:

She must be jealous that your belly is bigger than hers! (To me, this morning AT CHURCH, standing next to a woman due two months before me)
Are you sure it's not twins? Maybe they should check again. (I think everyone has had that one)
You're getting so huge! (Again, everyone gets this one)
Well, you look pregnant! (To me, from a woman I haven't seen in a while. Good thing I'm not just putting on weight for no reason!)
October? As big as you are, I thought you'd be doe a lot sooner! (To me - I swear I am not making these up!)
Oh, you shouldn't eat that candy bar-it's bad for the baby! ( To Joanna, in her first of four pregnancies, from a random woman in the grocery store)
Girl, you ain't had that baby yet? (To Carey, from one of her nursing home patients. People, please don't ever say this. Obviously, if the woman is still at work and got 'the belly', the baby IS NOT HERE YET!)
I don't know if you can get much bigger...(I think this was to Darcy...from someone who worked at the hospital with her?)
Wow, you guys didn't plan this very well...you're going to be huge all summer! (To Vance and I, when people find out the baby is coming in October. We planned just fine, we just didn't know we'd be so good at getting pregnant right away!)

I'm sure there are plenty I've left out, so ladies, please post them in the comments.

To th rest of you, please turn on your brain when speaking to a pregnant woman. She is carrying a life in her, and more hormones than you EVER want to mess with.

Sorting Change and such...

2006-07-17T21:48:00.000-05:00

The other night after our garage sale, I had emptied our piggy bank and was very focused on making my piles of quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies, and 'other stuff'. Vance asked me if I wanted to use his handy-dandy coin sorter that would automatically sort all the coins and then deposit them into the wrappers. I just kind of looked at him, and realized he didn't get it. He didn't know that every summer growing up Shannon and I would spend the first night of our annual trip to Granny and Pa-pa's sprawled across the living room floor, sorting the huge jars of coins that Granny and Pa-pa had accumulated throughout the year. That money was split between the two of us, and we got to spend it when we got to Granny and Pa-pa's place at Myrtle Beach the next day. We played skee-ball, air hockey, and more arcade games than we knew what to do with. More importantly, the sorting that first night soothed our frazzled traveling nerves, and gave us time to catch up with Granny and Pa-pa.
For a little while after Pa-pa died, Granny talked about selling the beach house. I was so torn. I understood the practicality of her idea, that it was really hard to keep up with the property with Pa-pa gone, and the annual fees rising to stay in the area, but so much of my childhood was tied to that little trailer with its porch and golf cart, that I couldn't talk about it without getting upset.
I talked to my cousin the other night for awhile. He and his wife and kids spent the week at the beach with Granny, my aunt and uncle, and another cousin and family. He said he had a new appreciation for what our folks went through to get us all there when we were kids. I hope that Granny hangs on to the beach house so we can take our kids up there every year. The next generation needs those memories too.
Back to the coins...I shared my story with Shannon, and she laughed. Apparently earlier that same week she was sorting and rolling coins when Momma and Daddy came over to see the Dylan monkey. Daddy questioned her about 'wasting time sorting' when she could just take the jar down to one of those Coinstar machines. His comment surprised her on one hand, and not so much on the other. She was surprised our frugal Daddy would waste ~ 8.9 cents on the dollar for convenience's sake, and not surprised that, like Vance, he didn't get it.
So my sister and I will continue sorting our coins, wasting our time, and relishing in the familiarity of our routine that we hope to pass along to our children, should they be so blessed to get to spend a week at the beach at Granny's.

Lest I forget...

2006-07-12T08:46:00.000-05:00

I also meant to add that it was very entertaining on the way home last night to watch the car full of pre-teen girls waving and taking pictures of my sweet husband. I'm sure it was becuase he's so cute, and not at all related to his cool car. ; )

36 for 32...

2006-07-11T20:48:00.000-05:00

Vance's 32nd birthday was yesterday. We hosted the Monday Night crew at our house. All 36 of them. We counted. There were 22 adults and 14 children ranging from the infants to an 8 year old. Quite a night. Anna and Rob brought over a Coldstone cake to help celebrate, since Anna's birthday was Sunday. It was so yummy! Darcy brought a wonderful sirloin roast, and I'm so thankful she did, because my big pan of Irish Macaroni wouldn't have been enough for the crowd!
Vance and I began registering at Target tonight. My mom has been bugging me about it, since our first shower is in 6 weeks. Apparently there are people who buy shower gifts more than 3 days before the actual event. I don't know any of those people, and I'm not one of them! Oh well. Of course, Target is planning on completely re-vamping their entire baby section between July 23rd-August 1st, so we just put the basics on there, the stuff that they always carry. We'll go back after the 1st and add the stuff like sheets and towels and onesies and all that.
We went couch shopping too. Allyson called and said they were going to pick up the guest bed tomorrow night. So now we really have to bite the bullet and get a sleeper sofa to accomodate the grandparents. Vance was not pleased with the prices of the ones we looked at, but we'll see what we can find. The salesman we talked to actually is a regular attender of our church, so we feel pretty comfortable dealing with him.
When we got home I cooked dinner and Vance installed the keyless entry on the Element. I'm looking forward to using it tomorrow, especially since it's supposed to rain in the afternoon.
My bestest friend called while we were watching Dr. Who, so we took a break. Minor wedding planning issues. Nothing big, just the church her sweetheart grew up in double-booking their wedding date and then sending her an email informing her of the conflict, and could she please make other arrangements? Yeah, I know. I think they should be able to work it out, since the church is the one that screwed up and she booked the date back in APRIL. I'm hoping that the church realizes the error was on their part and they do the honorable thing. Otherwise I might have to call, and we don't want that. Not with these hormones. (I'm expecting an Amen in the comments from Vance at some point)
Time for bed.
Peace out.

By request...

2006-07-08T20:41:00.000-05:00

Apparently people read my blog that don't see me all the time. That's pretty cool! Vance's mom took a few pictures of me and the belly while she was here last week. So, here they are. I'll try to get Vance to take more each month.

Random Thought...

2006-07-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

Why is it that my hair decides to look good when I'm about to go to bed? It makes no sense.
Good Night.

4 day weekend!

2006-07-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

I decided to take off today, and give myself a 4 day weekend. It's been a good thing! Vance's mom came in on Friday night and we enjoyed some chicken off of Vance's grill . He's coming along, we just have to be patient since charcoal takes longer than gas. Everyone kept asking me if we had big plans this weekend. We didn't, and have just been playing by ear. Kinda fun, to not be overly-scheduled! Saturday Pat and I ran around town doing not much of anything. She bought Tabitha (her other daughter-in-law) and I some cute pants at Old Navy. We had dinner with the Bennages at Chilis. It was quite fun, as Adah remembered Pat from when she was 'little'. Kind of funny to hear that out of a nearly-4 year old.

Shannon sent me a great bunch of pictures of Dylan. For Momma's birthday, she took a bunch of pictures of him with silly hats on at the Party Store. She framed them, and they are all over their house. Here's my favorite:

I know, I'm not biased at all, but this kid is too cute! I told Momma she was going to need more space to display pictures when our little guy comes along.

Well, my Blueberry Cobbler just came out of the oven so we're heading over to Monday Night.
Hope you enjoyed my foray into adding links to a post.

We have kicking!

2006-06-22T07:04:00.000-05:00

So, last night Vance felt the little monkey kicking! It was rather exciting for both of us. I'd been noticing a increase in the frequency and strength of his kicks this week, but last night while I was watching "So You Think You Can Dance" he was going overtime, and really strong! When Vance got home from running rehearsal at church, I told him that this may be the night.
Anyway, enjoy the pictures from last night's post. Heading to the reunion tomorrow afternoon!

Silly Us

2006-06-21T20:50:00.000-05:00

I found some goofy pictures of us...when we were young and silly...oh wait, we still are! I think one of us was going on a trip without the other, so we tried to fit in a suitcase to come along. Then the other one of us wondered if we too would fit in the suitcase. I know, we're dorks.

I can't believe the girls are almost 4. This is from Spencer and Carey's old house, wayyyyy back in the day!

I used to be a DJ at a local country station. Here's a pic taken by some guy I can't remember...before Vance, so it doesn't matter. ; )

Baby's got the blues...

2006-06-07T19:51:00.000-05:00

Big surprise...Vance's son is apparently a blues fan.
Last night we were flipping channels shortly before bedtime, and Vance's keen skills of observation stumbled upon Georgia Public Broadcasting's airing of Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival. Mind you, it is nearly bedtime for preggo me, but Vance is adamant that I at least watch for a few minutes.
We settle in on the couch and this kid gets to groovin'. Not kidding, he was serious having a workout in my belly. And when the music stopped and the talky people came on to beg for $$, he quit his dance routine. Music starts, baby starts. For over an hour.
He was particularly fond of Joe Walsh's "Funk #49". I told Vance about all the action, and he beamed as he said 'That's my boy!'.
How young can they start playing? We're thinking a drummer would make a good addition to the family band.

Pictures and stuff

2006-06-06T19:31:00.000-05:00

This is the photo I submitted to my class reunion website. It's from Michael and Rebecca's wedding 2 years ago.

Oh, and I need to post some of the ultrasound pics of our baby boy!
Let's try that here...

Anyway, had my first serious case of heartburn Saturday night/Sunday morning.
I really thought I was dying, y'all!
Apparently it wasn't the only episode I would have, since I lost my dinner last night too.
Good thing we have an appointment with the midwife Friday morning. Got some stuff to talk about!

Better News...

2006-05-29T09:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your prayers and concerns from my last post. Robbin is hanging in there, not sure when she'll be back at work.
We had our big ultrasound appointment Friday morning. I couldn't post anything here for fear that my family would see it before we got to Orlando. ;)
So, the wait is over, and the news is as we expected...It's a boy!
I can't get the pictures to resize, so I'll get Vance to fix them and then I'll post a few.
I've also been feeling him move a lot this weekend. It's weird, and neat, and reassuring. I hear later it gets bothersome, but right now I'm not complaining!

What a way to start the day...

2006-05-23T07:19:00.000-05:00

This is not going to be a fun post.
As I was walking in to work this morning from the parking lot, one of my co-workers filled me in on what happened yesterday to one of our other co-workers. I see Robbin nearly every morning now that we've gotten into Orientation. She was (it's hard to type was) just about two weeks behind me in her pregnancy. We briefly chatted yesterday morning, about nothing of real significance. Anyway, apparently after our session first thing, she went back to the office and wasn't feeling very well. She started cramping and all that, and her boyfriend came up to take her to the hospital. Unfortunately, she lost the baby. Everyone at work was trying to figure out who was going to tell me, and no one actually did. I guess it's better that I just found out, since I can't majorly freak out here at work. I'm kinda numb at this point. Everyone is asking me if I'm okay. I guess I am, but you can't help but be a little scared. When you hit the 2nd trimester, you're supposed to be 'safe'. Robbin and I had gotten to that point, the point where you can relax a little more, not have all the first trimester worries.
My heart hurts for Robbin and her family, and I'm trying to be rational about my own situation. Our ultrasound is scheduled for Friday morning, and I've been thinking about how great it will be to get a good look at this amazing thing happening in my body. We're hoping the little Rutherford will cooperate and let us in on his or her gender, and now all I can think about is just seeing the heartbeat again.
My heart hurts. We love you, Robbin. And your sweet baby that will greet you in heaven.

Happy Easter, and welcome Nena?

2006-04-16T06:22:00.000-05:00

So I get a call at 6:00 this morning...it's Darcy, and she says it's time to head to the hospital to have Nena. Oh, and Madeleine has all the symptoms of an ear infection, so instead of a lovely Easter with Madeleine visiting Canopy Roads (and me being in the Easter Drama), I'll be heading to Urgent Care at 9 with a sick 2 1/2 year old. I love how God is giving me a crash course in parenting! Madeleine is holding her ear, but there hasn't been too much crying yet. She's preoccupied with Elmo on the computer and the Cat in the Hat on the DVD. This whole market for kids stuff on the internet is really fascinating. I'm impressed with Madeline's ability to follow the directions on the Sesame Street workshop site. It's set up well, and is age-appropriate. Yes, I know, that's the teacher in me.
Anyway, this is the first morning I've gotten out of bed without food before and not gotten sick. Let's hear it for the second trimester!
Well, I'm going to grab some breakfast. I hope we can get in at Urgent Care quickly. Poor Madeleine...

11 weeks...

2006-04-02T21:42:00.000-05:00

I'm in my 11th week of pregnancy now. I've journeyed over to the wonderful world of maternity pants, and I'm not looking back. The darn things are just so much more comfortable! Now if I can just get Vance to stop giggling at the tummy panels, we'll be in good shape.
We've been purging junk from the house. It's really cathartic, but some stuff is tough to get rid of. I'll put a few silly knick knacks on a table near the third trashbag we filled, and say to Vance, "I'm going to be over here dusting the mantel...if those (insert name of junk here) just so happen to fall in the trash while I'm not looking...oh well." It works for me. I know I need to get rid of this junk. It's just a lot easier when someone else does it for you.
My mom and sister came up Friday and Saturday and brought the little Dylan monkey with them. I'd post some pictures of the adorable kid, but I can't find the USB port on this machine, and Vance is at the Men's Bible Study. He should be home soon, but then we have to run to Wal-Mart. I had some meat pulled out for hosting Monday Night tomorrow, but on second glance, I didn't like the looks of it. Into the trash.
Back to the cute kiddo, I'll try to post them from work. He really is adorable. Even if he is my nephew. I don't think I'm that biased.
Momma bought me some new pants and shirts...three pairs of pants that actually fit! (or will shortly)
I think I hear Maggie pulling into the driveway...
See you soon, friends!

Baby Bennage is here! Baby Rutherford is coming!?!

2006-02-17T21:18:00.001-05:00

Sandra's pregnancy has ended, mine has just begun. We were blessed to be taking care of Adah last night when her baby brother arrived. It was quite a traumatic birth, you can read all about it at www.bennage.com. Christopher posted a bit and a picture. Ranen Zane Bennage looks a heck of a lot like his big sister. I pray that he will be a calmer child, for Sandra's sake. ; )
So addressing the second half of my first sentence. Yep, it's true. We've jumped on the bandwagon. It looks like there will be another Rutherford joining the world in mid-October. It's kind of sinking in, like now when I have to pee (again) and I think I have my first case of heartburn. Vance is so excited. He is so great with everyone else's kids, I can't wait to see what an awesome Dad he'll be.
It will probably feel even more real after Tuesday morning, when I have an ultrasound to check out the sesame seed.
So in the meantime, we appreciate prayers and well-wishes, and will post as things progress!

I built a website...

2006-02-07T06:51:00.000-05:00

Using Macromedia's Dreamweaver 8. Kinda crazy, but I have an interview at 1:00 today for an awesome opportunity and part of it includes web design.
So click here to check it out.

Trying not to think...

2006-02-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have something on your mind, and you know that there's nothing you can do about it, but you can't stop thinking about it? I am so there right now.

I should be learning about building a webpage to wow the folks at my interview Tuesday. I've learned a good bit, but I need my Vance here to keep me on task.

I have the cutest nephew.

I think it's time for a nap.

My Bonnie lies over the ocean...

2006-01-24T22:37:00.000-05:00

...except for when she flies in for 2 weeks and surprises me! OK, sure, I flew to Dallas and surprised her once, but she flew from CENTRAL ASIA. Yeah.

Apparently they've been planning this since October. Vance figured it out last week when Bon's Dad told him I absolutely HAD to make it to the barbeque at their house Saturday. Yeah, I freaked out all over the place, it was crazy. I haven't seen her in 2 years. Of course, she was here for other reasons, but after the week I'd had, that was the best thing that could have happened. Susie and Mel also came over for the afternoon. It was one of the best days I can remember.

I've started getting emails from friends from High School. Kinda crazy, thinking back that far. There are some people that I'm looking forward to seeing, and a few that I hope don't make it or email. $5 to the first person to guess who that might be!

I get to sing a way fun song at church this week. "Clothes", from Barlow Girl. We're talking about purity. I love the lyrics. Here they are:
Clothes aren't what they used to be
They don't seem to fit you and me anymore
Modesty is the door
Flaunting what we've got and more is in
Yeah it's in
They're saying
Don't ask why just wear what we say
You'll look like a model if you'll only obey
To get the attention, just do what we say
Pay so much for clothes so small
Was that shirt made for me or my doll?
Is this all I get?
I looked so hot but caught a cold
I was doing just what I was told
To fit in
We're saying let's ask why
Don't wear what they say
Don't want to be a model
They can't eat anyway
That kind of attention will fade with the day
Clothes that fit are fine
Won't show whats mine
Don't change my mind
I'll be fine

I'll edit my previous post to add some fun pictures of everyone's bellies.

10 year reunion coming up

2006-01-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

Wow. I am approaching my 10 year High School reunion. Kinda freaky. I'm really looking forward to it. Vance didn't want to go to his, but unlike him, I liked most of the people I went to school with. And the guys planning it will do a great job. ; )

We're gearing up for the world's biggest baby shower. Well, maybe not the world's biggest, but the biggest one I've been involved with. 4 new babies to celebrate. I hope Baby Bennage holds out until we can shower Sandra and Christopher (and the Alleys, Mitchells and Walworths!)
Just to recap the due dates on the bellies seen here:
Carey : May 4th
Sandra : Feb. 17th
Darcy : April 13th
Julie : April 10th
Danielle : May 6th

Uncle Bubba passed away last week. I drove 12 1/2 hours to NC to be with the family for the funeral. My nephew is getting bigger and cuter all the time. It was a neat experience, to have him sleeping on me so Shannon could sleep longer. She's doing a great job with this whole Mom thing. I hope it comes as naturally to me.
Here I am at Granny's house.

Some of the girls went to see 'Pride and Prejudice' at the dollar theater tonight. What a love story! Sandra warns me that I may be a bit more mouthy after I read the book. At least I'll be more educated in my mouthy ways, right? I really enjoyed the show. When I finish the book, Sandra says we can watch the 5-hour A&E version. I can't wait!

I got rear-ended again. That means that I have been in some form of a car accident in every vehicle I have owned since the beautiful Blue Cougar I totalled. Kinda sucks!
It seems that I have some significant ligament damage in my neck this time. I'm going to try acupuncture to relieve the pain. I'll keep you posted on how I do with the needles!
At least I get a massage once a week for 3 months!

Oh, and I didn't get Sandra the magazine subscription. I wonder who did?