Growing Like a Weed!

It doesn't seem possible that Keira is seven months old already. She's has already developed such a personality. She is constantly on the move...she's most recently started actually crawling instead of doing the "inchworm" crawl-thing. And lately she's been pulling up. The other night, Shawn called me into the livingroom from the kitchen, where I was making dinner, to see Keira's newest trick. She had crawled over to Max to pull on his whiskers, and saw the steps for the first time. The next thing we knew, she had pulled herself up to standing and had her hands on the second step. She was smiling and just looked so proud of herself. I thought I'd at least have a year before I had to buy and install a baby gate!

Cutie pie!

Aunt Nancy was nice enough to let us have some of the adorable pictures she took of Tyler and Keira. This is one of my favorites. We really enjoyed spending the day with them today. Tyler is such a cutie pie! He's so sweet, and hardly ever cried the entire day. What a doll!

I think Uncle Shawn is beginning to get baby fever. He's so sweet with Tyler, he just gazes at him. It's funny how the roles are somewhat reversed. Usually the woman wants another baby when she's around a newborn...but in this case it's Shawn. Although, the more I think about it, the more the idea appeals to me. I guess we'll wait and see...and enjoy Keira and Tyler in the meantime.

Tyler is here!

Holly went in to have Tyler on Wednesday (10-5-05). The surgery was scheduled for 11:45 am. I took off work, and Keira and I went to the hospital to wait. I wasn't about to miss it! At a little after 1:00 pm, Jeff came into the waiting room to tell us that he was here. He and Holly were both doing well...they were in recovery. We (Nana, Papa, and I) got to go back to see them. Holly looked great and Tyler was just gorgeous! He was a bit smaller than we all had anticipated, but still a big boy! He weighed 9lbs. 14.8oz. and was 22 1/2 inches long.

Shawn, Keira and I went back to the hospital on Saturday to spend some time with Mommy and baby while Jeff was working. It was a great visit. Holly is a natural. She's already such a great mom. Watching her with him was amazing. What a miracle a baby is...

You can check out his picture at http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/hospitals/6923/babypage.asp?URLID=0T8T1A4U5H&CurBabyPic=4

Family Weekend

We spent the past weekend visiting our families. On Saturday, my parents had a family reunion at their house. It was sort of nice to see everyone again and to be able to show off Keira. Then on Sunday we went to Chester to see George and Roxana. They hadn't seen Keira since she started crawling. We had a good visit. It was a nice weekend. The big news is that Holly will be having Tyler on WEDNESDAY! I took a personal day, so Keira and I will be there when he's born. Shawn has to work, but he plans to be at the hospital that evening. I can hardly wait!

Keira's latest milestone

Shawn took Keira to the doctor for her 6 month well-baby check up and immunizations last week. Her height and weight are finally on the charts! She's 14lbs 5oz and 24 1/2" long.
She's really quite active lately. Yesterday I was in the kitchen fixing dinner, and had put her on her blanket in the middle of the living room floor. I heard a bump, and then heard her crying. I looked up to see her under the kitchen table! She had crawled into the kitchen, and I guess her hands slipped, causing her to bump her head. She was frustrated, but ok.
She's also been trying to hold her own bottle and says "bababa..." all the time. My baby is growing so quickly!

Thoughts of loss

I heard from a friend (a fellow teacher from the days of SLPS) the other day. She was one of two lifelines for me at Adams Elementary during the last (horrible) year. I knew that she and her husband had been trying for awhile to get pregnant. She said that they had been trying (unsuccessfully) for about six months. They had almost given up on concieving naturally, and were starting to consider fertility treatments. She decided to take a pregnancy test last weekend, just in case...and it was POSITIVE! She spent the entire week imagining life with a baby. They planned to tell their families this week. Then, on Thursday night, she miscarried. She e-mailed me with the news and said that she had been thinking of me, and what I had gone through. She asked me for advice...and I wondered, what advice can I possibly give?

I cried when I read her e-mail...the emotion was so real, so raw. Everything I felt that day a year and a half ago came flooding back to me...overwhelming me. So much has changed in my life since then.....most notably my beautiful daughter, for whom I thank God every day. And yet, I found myself reliving that terrible experience. I know now that if I had not experienced that loss, I would not have my Keira, which is a thought that is unimaginable to me. Still, I remembered....I remembered the sadness that I felt that I would never get to hold that baby...the anger that he (she?) had been taken away from me...the guilt that I had possibly done something to cause it...robbing my husband of a child and our parents of a grandchild. I remembered feeling resentful of and anger toward everyone I knew who was pregnant or had recently had a baby...and of those "unfit" parents who had been blessed with something I didn't have...and wondered if I could ever have. I remembered the people who were only trying to help ease my pain, but whose comments seemed so insensitive at the time. "It wasn't meant to be..." "You'll have a baby when the time is right..." and then when they learned it was a blighted ovum "Well, it should make you feel better that it wasn't really a baby anyway..." I began to feel all of those same things....and my heart ached...for myself, for our angel baby, but mostly for my friend. I have my daughter now...I know now what God's plan for my life was. At the time, I didn't and it was so hard to trust Him that he'd bring me through it. I think that must be what she's feeling now. On one hand, I'm an inspiration to her...I lost a baby, but I have my baby now. On the other hand, she isn't sure that she'll be able to have a baby. Those are the same thoughts that raced (angrily) through my head as I listened to woman after woman tell me of their stories of life after loss. I remember thinking "Good for you, but what if this is my only chance?" I just hope and pray that God's plan is for her to become a mom...just at a different time. She's a wonderful person and will be a fantastic mom. I can't get thoughts of her, and of that day (3/19/04) out of my head. Hopefully writing about it will help.

What an amazing thing that we as women are able to bring life into this world...and what a miracle it is. I think sometimes people take for granted how fragile life is.

Catching Up

Well, it's been awhile since I updated my site. Things here are still busy, just as I had anticipated. I'm actually writing this at school right now. My students are at recess (competing in a dodgeball or kickball tournament, I'm not sure which). I have all of my grading finished so far, and my lesson plans are current. HOORAY! I normally do this at home, but not until Keira goes to bed, because I miss her during the day and want to spend as much time as possible with her when I can.

Speaking of Keira....yesterday she turned SIX MONTHS OLD! I can hardly believe it. She also started crawling yesterday. Ok, so it was actually more like creeping, but it's something! She's mobile now and I have mixed emotions about that. I'm very proud of her and excited! At the same time, it makes me a bit sad that my little baby is growing SO quickly!

We had Holly and Jeff's baby shower for baby Tyler on Saturday. I think it was nice. I hope they liked it. They got some nice gifts. They both seemed ready for Tyler to make his arrival. Holly seemed especially ready. Not much longer, I think.

Anyway, that's really all that's new around here. I hope all is well with you!
....Until next time!

I want a new car!

Or, at least a "newer" car. I love my Camry, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It has served me well for the past 4 years. I really should be happy that I'm paying it off soon and look forward to NO CAR PAYMENTS, and I really can't justify getting rid of it. But, Shawn has been doing some research lately and has found several cars (Camry Solaras, I love 'em) in our price range...so our payments would be about the same as they are now. Of course that means a few more years of car payments. The only other drawback is that the Solara only comes in the coupe...2 doors with a baby might be difficult. Then, there are always the newer Camry sedans...which are nice too. I'm torn. I've mentioned trading in my car, but usually only in passing. I figured Shawn would be opposed to the idea, but he's actually spending more time and effort on the cause than me....what's a girl to do?!

Hurricane Katrina

After watching nonstop CNN coverage of Hurricane Katrina yesterday, I was really starting to worry about Kenji. I know he lives near Birmingham, and he says he's about 4 hours away from the coast. So, I figured that he probably wouldn't experience the full force of the storm where he is. I called him this afternoon, just to make sure he's okay. He said that the storm is headed toward them, but so far so good. Back in Japan he had to deal with typhoons and earthquakes, and now hurricanes here in the States. Poor guy.
I just feel terrible for all of those people affected every summer by hurricanes. I can't imagine losing everything over and over again. I think I'd probably be moving inland. Sometimes I think how boring life here in the Midwest is....how nice it would be to live near the beach. And then comes hurricane season and I change my mind pretty quickly. I guess boring is okay...it's safe at least.

Mouse House

Ok, so, we're finally experiencing the "joys" of living in the "country" (as Kelly says)...we have a mouse in our house! He's a little one, but he's bold! Shawn and I have put out traps for him, but so far, no luck. Shawn is in the living room playing PS2, and this crazy mouse just ran right across the room in front of him! Shawn was going to try to catch it in a glue trap, or with the broom and dustpan, but it ran out from behind the TV in the opposite direction. I guess we'll just have to wait it out. I'm really not a big fan of rodents. Hopefully we'll get rid of it soon.

Busy!

Well, the life of a working mom is busier than I thought it would be. Keira is wonderful, and I'm enjoying every moment I get to spend with her. She's napping right now, so I have a bit of time to update my blog. She's so social lately, even more than before. She coos, giggles, smiles and jabbers all the time. I love it. She's been trying really hard to sit up and to crawl. She can sit on her own, propped up by her hands, if I put her on her bottom to start with. She hasn't quite figured out how to get up on her own. She rolls all over the place, too! From belly to back and back to belly. She rarely stays in one spot for very long. When she's on her belly, she gets up on her hands and feet/knees and rocks back and forth. One of these days she's going to coordinate her hand movement with her knees, and there'll be no stopping her! I'm not sure if I'm ready for that or not. She's growing SOOOOO quickly! It's hard to believe she'll be SIX MONTHS OLD in 2 weeks.
Work is going well. I've got a really great, smart group of kids this year. It's nice being out in the trailers, too, because I get more work done...make much better use of my time. When I was in the building, I'd find myself in the lounge or just chatting during my breaks. Now, there aren't as many distractions, so I actually PLAN during my plan time...what a novel idea! Anyway, it's good to be back to work. Leaving Keira has been really hard, but I imagine it'll get easier, or at least less painful.
In addition to work and my baby girl, I've been busy with other things, too. Dwayne and Becky's wedding was last week. It was really beautiful, and the reception was a lot of fun. On Saturday, Holly and Jeff were sweet enough to watch Keira so Shawn and I could go see a movie and have dinner with Kelly and Dave. The work week went by really quickly and before I knew it, it was Friday. I went out to the new WalMart Supercenter in Fredericktown with Mom. Then, yesterday I went to lunch/baby shower for my friend Erin, who is having a baby boy (Eli Wayne) soon. She's due 9/15/05. Last night, we watched Sara while Rob and Lisa went to a reception for work. She was hilarious...what an imagination she has! Next weekend, we're having a few friends over on Saturday, going to a birthday party on Sunday, and enjoying Labor Day on Monday. The following weekend will be Holly and Jeff's shower for Baby Tyler. On September 17, Kelly, Amber and I are having a girls' night out. Things might start to slow down around October! My life is BUSY, but I thank God for the life that I have....I wouldn't trade with anyone.

I Survived My First Day Back....

I went back to work today. I got up at 5:30 this morning to start getting ready for school. Keira was sleeping, and she stayed asleep until I was finished showering, eating and getting dressed. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore...I had to wake her up so I could get some bonding time before it was time to leave. So, I woke her up, washed her face, and changed her clothes. We cuddled and talked for a (short) time, and then it was time to go. I dropped her off at my aunt's house, and she (Keira) was just fine. I was obviously taking the separation much harder than she was! The morning flew by...it was NOON before I had the chance to call and check on her. Before I knew it, it was 3:00 and time to pick up my baby. She was playing in the floor when I got there, and heard my voice when I came in the door. I was SOOOOO happy to see her!! I took her back to school with me, and she played while I got some work done. Then, we came home, ate, and played some more. Right now, she's sleeping. Tomorrow, I have to work from 9:00 am-3:00 pm. Then, I have OPEN HOUSE from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm. I'll sure be glad when tomorrow is over! It'll be nice to spend more time at home with my kiddo. I missed her today!

Five Months Old!

My baby girl is 5 months old...yesterday! It's so hard for me to believe. She is constantly growing, changing and doing so many new things. It's almost impossible to keep her on her back when she's awake and lying on the floor now. I put her down on a quilt to play (on her back) and she's flipped to her tummy before I know it. I remember when she was tiny, she hated to be on her tummy! She loves to squeal and babble now, and makes the funniest little motorboat sound with her lips. She also constantly moves her hands, fingers, arms, legs, feet and toes. She's rarely ever still for very long. Her newest fascination is my mouth/chin/cheeks. When I'm holding her close to me, she likes to reach out and grab ahold of my face. I really don't mind so much, as long as her nails have been trimmed.
I have loved each "phase" that she's gone through so far. I read somewhere once that the key to enjoying your children is to really appreciate each new phase. I think I do that, and I'm looking forward to all of the new things she'll be doing soon.

Dreams and Ambitions

Rob, Lisa, and Sara went down to Sikeston for their annual visit to the Bootheel Rodeo. I've always know what a huge rodeo fan Rob is, and Lisa is becoming a pretty big fan herself. My (2 1/2 year old) niece is becoming quite the fan as well, apparently! She recently told her mommy that she knows what she wants to be when she grows up....a clown. Not just any old garden variety, birthday party, circus clown either....a RODEO CLOWN! That's my girl!

I'm just saying...

I don't really have a whole lot to talk about today...I just wanted to *chat*. Shawn was off work, so we slept in, er, took turns sleeping in, that is. I got up with Keira at 6:00, changed her, fed her and eventually put her back to sleep. After that, I fell asleep for a while. When she woke up again, Shawn got up with her, repeated the routine and stayed up. I finally got out of bed somewhere around 9:15 or so...ah, it felt good to sleep! On the days when Shawn has to work, I'm always up taking care of Keira early so he can get ready for work.

Anyway, we spent the morning washing, vacuuming and cleaning both cars...and SWEATING. Geez, it's hot out there! You'd think it was August or something! After showers and lunch, we went to put air in Shawn's tires, and get a movie from Blockbuster (a free rental...can't beat that!) I got "Coach Carter", and I hope it's worth the price :). Once we got home, I started dinner. Our neighbors, Amy, Josh and Isaiah are coming over at 5:30 for dinner. I made (am making) sweet and sour chicken, rice and eggrolls. We have brownies for dessert. Sounds yummy, and I hope it tastes as good.

This evening we'll probably watch a movie, or just veg in front of the TV. My new "Glamour" (800th issue) came in the mail today, and I have an issue of "American Baby" I haven't read yet. What an exciting night! I hope yours is relaxing, too.

My baby girl! 

This is Keira wearing Aunt Becky's bachelorette party veil. 

This is my FAVORITE PIC! Holly can still *get down*! 

Dancing Queen (on the bar at Margarita Mama's) 

Bongo Becky!!