Let's see...

...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

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!

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...

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

Just a few quick pics...

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.

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...

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...

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

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

Running Late...or right on time?

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!)

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!

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

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..."

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'

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

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!

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:

1. Culling through all of the stuff in the guest room closet so we can actually fit baby stuff in there.
   
2. Selling the roll-top desk to make room for my computer desk to move out into the front room area.
3. Organizing/getting rid of the ridiculous amount of paper I have filed/piled in various locations around the house.
4. 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

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:

1. 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)
2. Are you sure it's not twins? Maybe they should check again. (I think everyone has had that one)
3. You're getting so huge! (Again, everyone gets this one)
4. 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!)
5. 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!)
6. 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)
7. 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!)
8. 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?)
9. 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...

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...

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. ; )