Slow to Update

Sorry I am a slow up-dater. The last 6 weeks have been rough for me..us, I guess I should say. My pregnancy symptoms have all presented themselves as fierce enemies..hehehehe! It seems like every possible symptom and every possible side effect of the prenatal vitamins has found me and hung on for dear life. It has been a little difficult around here since Christmas. I in no way want to complain though. God is so faithful, and the sickness is perhaps a good thing. My baby is healthy and life is shaping up as it should.

We did have a slight scare about a week ago. I had very light spotting for a few days. I made a weekend call to the on-call nurse, who absolutely eased my mind. She said it sounded perfectly fine, and it was most likely a relatively common occurrance for over 50% of all pregnancies. To be on the safe side, I went for a second ultrasound on Monday. The little "blueberry" is just perfect at this point. Everything is at it should be, and my stats were in check also. Blueberry you might ask...yes..our little blueberry. While performing the ultrasound, the tech made the comment that the baby is the size of a blueberry right now. Bless it's little heart. The name has stuck. So, I guess until we can come up with something else, Blueberry it is.

Lauren is doing very well with this news. She has reached an age where she is excited about having a little playmate live with us. On several occasions, she has peaked into our spare bedroom and said, "This is the baby's room". She has also made comments about looking at the baby at night from her bed...the two rooms are right across the hall from one another. It is absolutely precious. I feel good that the timing has worked out as it has. Having children 3 1/2 years apart is a good distance, but it is also close enough for bonds to form.

God Bless and have a great weekend.
Brandi

Signs Signs, Everywhere Signs

...not only was this a rock anthem from the 70's, it has also become real to me as of late. All indications of a growing baby are surfacing! Am I showing yet? Not so much, but my lower abdomen is starting to bloat a good bit; hence, my regular clothes are shrinking. Am I nauseated or sick? The best way to answer that is with another question...Am I breathing? For the record, YES! I have been so sick this time around. Am I having cravings? Refer to the previous two questions and make a good educated guess. Is the potty becoming my good personal friend? That is affirmative. I visit all throughout the day and sometimes two or three times per night. That is why I probably got a total of only 4-5 good hours of sleep last night. It's hard to get back to sleep once awakened. Prior to the pregnancy, I was not one to get up once going to bed. We have been blessed in that department. Lauren was sleeping soundly through the night around 2 months old...and, I can probably count on one hand how many times she has gotten up during the night or had a crying spell, etc. that prompted us to get up since then. No joke! I'm not bragging. We are 100% thankful!! So, this is a first for me being up and down since she was a tiny little thing. Hopefully it will subside for a few months once I reach the second trimester. Until then, I'll just have to wait it out and enjoy the ride. Moving right along, Am I having those other unmentionable symptoms? If I am being perfectly honest, I would have to respond with another YES, but it's not so bad. At this point in the game, the nausea and heartburn are the two biggest nuisances. Overall, all is well, and I am counting down each day of a healthy pregnancy. Please continue to pray for a healthy baby and pregnancy. Each new day is a blessing, and we praise God daily for his provisions.

Knee Problems & PT

For the better part of a year or more I have been having problems with both knees. They crack, pop, stay sore, and make physical activity difficult. If you know me well, you know that I hate taking medication and going to the dr. I try to remedy problems on my own before taking the plunge & going. But, the condition is growing increasingly worse. I began to worry that if I didn't have it looked into soon that I would make matters worse.

I went to my family physician last week. He did an x-ray; however, that looked good. He said that cartilage related problems typically don't show up on that type of scan. In turn, he referred me to a Physical Therapist (PT) for 4 weeks of therapy..once per week. That brings me to today. I just returned from an hour of agonizing exercises. My goodness....I am OUT of SHAPE!!! It was pathetic. The 80 year old stroke patients worked circles around me (exaggeration, but I was a sight to see)!! Ultimately the long term outcome is supposed to be strengthened leg muscles to better control knee placement and location.

The diagnosis is long in name. Basically, "hippy" women (big through the hips...not those from the 60's and 70's) sometimes have mis-alignment of the knee bones b/c of the pull & curvature from the hip area. It was and is confusing to me, but they seem to know what they are talking about. Anyway, in a lying position, the knees should be facing straight. My right knee turns slightly to the right. My left knee completely faces to the left. Therefore, in essence, I have crossed-eyed knees. :) The result is grinding and popping because the bones don't smoothly glide over the natural C-curve. The therapy and many at-home exercises should provide the thigh muscles with new-found strength to pull the knees back into place. Let's hope. If not, my next stop is an orthopedic physician. I'll update and maybe get pictures posted of my exercises. It is going to be a task!!!!!!

The Long weekend and Tate's Farm

Wow...What a crazy few days we have had. For starters, Chris had a night out with friends on Friday. They attended a Christian hard rock concert in Muscle Shoals. If you know my husband well, you know that he used to be into some wild music in the day. Apparently this group "rocked the house". Chris could not talk by the time he arrived home. This in turn interfered with the rest of the weekend...I'll explain more in a bit. While he was out, I spent the entire night baking cookies and cleaning the house. Lauren entertained herself most of the evening with movies and Delilah. Delilah you ask. Yes, my child loves to listen to the nationally syndicated Delilah radio show. I am assuming it is her soothing voice that L finds so intriguing. I am not sure. But, she is definitely her mother's child!!

We got up bright and early Saturday morning for a short drive up the road to Tate's Farm. If you are unfamiliar with Tate's, they have the best pumpkin patch in this area. There are hundreds of acres of pumpkins, corn, gourds, cotton, etc. We were all very excited about the day ahead of us. When we first arrived, Lauren immediately ran to the jungle gyms to play. She climbed many stairs to the tops of the slides, slid down the twists and turns, and repeated the aforementioned steps about a million and a half times. We then made our way to the other children's obstacles, hay maze, and mini trikes. As the frigid morning wore on, we had the opportunity to pet goats and hold the cutest rabbits. Lauren was smiling from ear to ear. We do not have pets, so this was a treat for her to experience. Moving on, the next adventure that we, or shall I say Lauren stumbled into was the corn crib. Tate's has four huge 'cribs' full of corn. The kids had the best time diving, swimming, getting buried, throwing...not the best idea, and wrestling in the large vats of corn. I would have jumped in too if there were not so many small children. It looked exciting! Anyway, once we dug a pound of corn out of Lauren's pants and panties (don't ask), we were ready for the hayride. We boarded the flat bed, found our seats on the hay, and went on a short excursion around the farm. Ultimately, we made our way to the pumpkin patch in search of the best pumpkins we could find. We did just that, after having to pass on many that were rotten. I wander what causes that to happen so early into the season. The pickings were slim considering the acreage. As I digress, we selected a large 'family' pumpkin and a small one for L. While we road back to the main farm area I could feel my eyes beginning to swell. The term hayfever is definitely appropriate. I felt stuffy the rest of the day. It was so worth it!! We enjoyed great family entertainment and made wonderful memories.

We returned home for a chili lunch and some Bama football. This game nearly gave Chris a heart attack. If you recall from earlier, he had no voice. That did not matter. He screamed at the TV as if they could hear his frustration. I guess his ranting was justified, as the Tide's performance in the second half against Ole Miss left much to be desired. We were happy for the W that will be on our record, but it is bittersweet considering the way they played. What a game and what a day!!!

Chris was scheduled to sing a solo at church Sunday morning. He had NO voice by this point. Needless to say, he called the minister of music Saturday to inform him of his dilemma. That was not a problem, so he just rescheduled Chris for another Sunday. So, the weekend continued with Lauren waking us up at the crack of dawn Sunday morning barking like a dog. She had a nasty case of chest congestion and a terrible cough. She also complained about her little ears 'hurting in the holes'..as she put it. I put her in bed with me, rubbed vapor rub on her chest, and sent Chris to the couch so he could at least get some rest. We stayed in this arrangement for several hours until we decided to return to the land of the living. The remainder of the day was us just moping around, trying to recover. I am thankful that I am still feeling relatively healthy!

I know I have rambled and bore you to tears. I'll try to be more upbeat next post and add pictures from the farm. Until then, have a great beginning of the week and enjoy this beautiful fall weather.

Brandi

Slow to Update

I intended to update more often than I have thus far. It has been a hectic week at work & an even crazier weekend. We kept Lauren home today. She has a terrible cough and is now complaining with ear pain. She has never been one to get ear infections, but it sounds like that is what we are dealing with. Anyway, I'll try to fill you in on our trip to Tate's Farm soon. We had a good time and the weather was absolutely perfect. So, until then, have a great week!!
Brandi

Thanks Auntie Regina for reminding me I'm a slacker!!HEHEHE!! Just Kidding!