tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8961301181192123262024-03-05T19:41:05.689-08:00Life As I Know ItJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-77962542835505255922010-03-07T19:30:00.000-08:002010-03-07T19:36:27.482-08:00Housekeeping?Attention ladies in the Conway/Little Rock area - I have the most precious girl <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">that</span> cleans my house twice a month that is moving with her husband to Conway. She is looking for new houses to clean! S<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">he</span> does fabulous job and is very reasonable price wise! Send me a message if you are interested!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-79898390712895502322009-11-08T08:56:00.000-08:002009-11-08T15:32:24.377-08:00Julie's 1st Birthday!We celebrated Julie's first birthday this weekend! Her actual birthday is on the 11th, but we celebrated over the weekend so my parents could be a part of the festivities! I don't think Julie really knew what was going on, and big brother pretty much opened all of her present for her, but it was fun just the same. I can't believe my little baby is not so much a baby anymore. Sigh, they grow up too fast!!<br /><div></div><br /><div align="center">Little pretty is getting so big!</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401780808679787746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65FZbVafmmBnZW__REtQhzfi2AaxRUA467Rx48a3THzDznF5-UTqnfjt6zECjcTVxn3HygEgzmUlo50jXtogOAmutyX-ImU0-BaxIRJ1hQODARf4d8rdvKD-KRCc9jmjXU-pqVsQTTi_M/s320/DSC_3775.JPG" /></div><div align="center">The big cake!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401780814505683394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MI9uqmm-EBLDw8NWRtrLtVqhj8ZnIbllenVUqYA8dtfFGzJRwbKtV2sbJ6f-ZkyuA3_Ivo5h_CbMFndMloelWVcB7Ng648j4TBrcDZNwrecIjZBoOVPjeyqXItUPBlzCfPfjlm5Yo2if/s320/DSC_3799.JPG" />The cake just for Julie!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401780817407877698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrfYCmkPklUupzkiWWXLc_CLzweyibw1kAfVAYsl6IsFV8mctaUPztjLk3uQOa-znXardA9lLl1uHLsyGN32ld9DW9xakxcqROel86yqoNl7CWOOyVNR8HBxB8CsE3ZrvLqs9MtAB19fH/s320/DSC_3804.JPG" /></div><div align="center">The princess in her crown - that she wore for about 2 seconds!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401867315835647538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMPj0IhDb_VihdJG76yLehvPGQDlpTcJ2iEv7yAQ18ACqTm17Y9rIKPyNuIYrrknmN_wh4dA-eHbhTlGjKT-TX4AxCQUNhc6TLh_xR7G5JP_3VWCWFeE-n2ADpZHImsMQEURCa4QmU0d4/s320/DSC_3810.JPG" /></div><div align="center">Blow out the candles! </div><div align="center">big brother helped - and stole the crown :)<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401867320613982130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToO73F1Y1zb4XYWZbmXpooUMGLjUaew9ooQu07pclzw4RignWE8H3jN2ZpmoBW8CYO-Qi-bl4_vKKpfZTFJb3YHCHCHsuCc9RXh-nU9t9gI5iGfA5R-VYlquIhf38IzoKRVSsn9wzJwHS/s320/DSC_3821.JPG" /></div><div align="center">Dig in girl!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401867325753978402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhGUNxjAtWxszewUedBIrRWUP5v_1A-mttRA2FPg1mYzImWMiKs6Cs9o1e9F6wL3lQPdfFYJoJwpB8w14vvV483W07uaj5Yj27LbUtGs3OJ8xnZa5Jb2pGYcIRb7ZHXTgKQvSRew93mEc/s320/DSC_3834.JPG" /></div><div align="center">Cake is good momma!</div><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401869860188247154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtH3JNUMx5CpqFRaxX8c9IQm6ZtGcxccyqrKwU7dEziyEmPHVHIA4fUQpLGtHFt674lI2Hke0YNMUG-nkND8QzEWaqJ_dtuMY09pE8VRvsElYqpQtWu9ID1d6Hnv32CTMpQq9wx6pZzRu/s320/DSC_3847.JPG" /></div><div align="center">Big brother enjoying some cake - still wearing the crown :)<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401869855558576210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZLpCCXotC5n-Y_d0c-rv_HIuPJLoTZ7jMP8hdWBpHddJ2Pv3waV7FlBRlTF6G6dCZ-qTCtTJQx1638Xxzih6vdnX0am5SxrFLI0iRDlT3dS9RE4hLibIgnjozkkfmLUqBxf7qCGULLq_/s320/DSC_3839.JPG" /></div><div align="center">Present time!<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401870717285016018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36MVYOAXF80r87i43iS-Qo2R1Kfl8-KV6-wGMS7P9yY0Fxd7bjZ_PUc6CW766tPQOuuFMqjOMm3y7ocA2skf30UnvHXyAZvcp2YNICG8IKjzmVlcvTDGoG9lw2AK37d5xgCy2qP2_mZjQ/s320/DSC03394.JPG" />Julie playing with her present - cooking up a storm!</div><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401870722536467890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD2lvjD5pLuXuq_OObiNp8ZvLHuQdGDY2FQ66E12urF2iQGHaeh2zlgXX9GU1-utmclqQVFt67lOobSLrDalCEXcR7LA7i1wYlrKIO5HU9BZks17WaOH6CdUWfX4e-MrL3_PdNgV6AqAa/s320/DSC03406.JPG" /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-18050309333194165382009-11-01T20:07:00.000-08:002009-11-01T20:35:40.901-08:00Quick Halloween Pics<div align="center">Joshua as Mr. Fix it...</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_BJofZiD2UWIBp1-Z-T1Azfy8tHmnG6BgNnSqIv-UlMI6VZwAvphIDWAvP0W8jJz8RGq_8TD-taaiHW0OWmetGf538manatZXIGD2T6NtrjGR9tWv67JH_-do-K3ZA3HveqOrNg6YRq8/s1600-h/DSC03296.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399359635136306306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_BJofZiD2UWIBp1-Z-T1Azfy8tHmnG6BgNnSqIv-UlMI6VZwAvphIDWAvP0W8jJz8RGq_8TD-taaiHW0OWmetGf538manatZXIGD2T6NtrjGR9tWv67JH_-do-K3ZA3HveqOrNg6YRq8/s320/DSC03296.JPG" /></a><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399356410845137266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GbMNZezj8tQ3R-1yQ3J0_e0Z9jSDO088c1CVcXQcC9ONmGxPkyVk1Fq83UZE2JVMzpVFWWLLNc7HXC2U1ygtBg1KxREx7SVuwYr5usLpXQ29i2yixbzicnz_HqD6tM4BY559YUJolapX/s320/DSC03317.JPG" /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399356400133873394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitA7ACwz_3jG_j3Tq5tBX2KCwO1vYalsT8nuefuajxCbRFZJCUIMMMmNl75WidLIYLJDbJ6Bvnouj01BqXR3D2Oi8pF94YMMboAr9f7FwUYeH6Ejh75hsHNixZBVz6_lQE6o3w8cfeKWyT/s320/DSC03312.JPG" /><br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Julie as my precious pumpkin...<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399353923395795362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAt5gfLeD8yLyae9mzMTxedI6l8bCv_MkB_2iw_mdERUJMnAisOhpk-uxFT5ly2zUVT6ba92dUnRfxD-Ovoj3OQX3JLx5XDtm1Tt_MgY2kzzmD4XkfdPhLOqe1umXSHBCDlSMEHwlEJQQ/s320/DSC03304.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399358639670898642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHiGl0bMZBv5Ug3dRhanisp6UXxT22bED65aUA4hp-onj08WNSfeBkZKsxYOVPgs9QkOlYd_sWfKqh29O9zylmFnhe48ZJiMBocfGfKvzZ9Qd1uyahqNqKPMO5_PT4SLHZ6H1QFOCXyC2/s320/DSC03309.JPG" /> <div align="center"><div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemo6CMbjSPTSKgPUOgf2U4nzltqT3fe-Au7isyvbs8InTBVYgFaIkN4aPL062mo_ewUHOeUIp0R04MR8UkxC7knwbT6wUGMacdePUJzvB4Fm_f5sy0qgCHm9xDgowgmOsVtQccqnXjLUI/s1600-h/DSC03278.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399353921677074514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemo6CMbjSPTSKgPUOgf2U4nzltqT3fe-Au7isyvbs8InTBVYgFaIkN4aPL062mo_ewUHOeUIp0R04MR8UkxC7knwbT6wUGMacdePUJzvB4Fm_f5sy0qgCHm9xDgowgmOsVtQccqnXjLUI/s320/DSC03278.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div><br /></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-82712996082033751692009-08-29T20:10:00.000-07:002009-08-29T20:19:45.107-07:00Quick UpdateOur house is finally finished! We have been in it for about a month now - I will post pictures some day, but have been slowly trying to get organized before I do a bunch of picture taking.<br /><br />Things have been a bit crazy around our house the last month or so. About a week after we moved into our new house, I started a new job in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Texarkana</span>. So we have been transitioning from mommy being home all the time to working mommy! The kids have done pretty well with the transition. It has been a little harder for Joshua probably because he is older, but overall they have done really well. While I am working they stay with their Grandma <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">JoJo</span> one day a week and the rest of the week they stay with a wonderful lady who just keeps a couple of kids in her home. I really like the arrangement because Joshua and Julie get to interact with other kids, but not so many kids that it is a big germ fest of chaos all day :)<br /><br />I will hopefully write more later, but being full time momma, wife, maid, and CPA keeps me pretty busy - not to mention there isn't much exciting to write about, unless of course you find endless tails of tax return preparation exciting - yikes!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-29915351082821235032009-07-08T14:25:00.001-07:002009-07-08T15:43:48.174-07:00New House is almost finished!!<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZgoPRvfU6clyu-i5dwnbv7IQXUjNfjjAEZfZg83wROIb7ELxtGWdwHivhRQRGWRGxvbKHC75n27kl6CSBnXBUhMNaJEpMI639k0Ds596Jf4lMUT2pZz-0SXtNy3AqM5VSYZ7udceKc8O/s1600-h/DSC02800.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356205123296524914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZgoPRvfU6clyu-i5dwnbv7IQXUjNfjjAEZfZg83wROIb7ELxtGWdwHivhRQRGWRGxvbKHC75n27kl6CSBnXBUhMNaJEpMI639k0Ds596Jf4lMUT2pZz-0SXtNy3AqM5VSYZ7udceKc8O/s320/DSC02800.JPG" border="0" /></a> Front of the house<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356205132016544946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxK5qeAZ0qWiWDMja1Qtk5teVzg4ClsfqH282J-6Or1sLWF71dzhS56S2eoFma4ZIA3qvbmnnPHU-MtSQSfzgY3BZOrqPurGDhrP319Nji_Q1oNH7ZWggfAqO7RLlbz8Xqm3QRVFGT_KfY/s320/DSC02689.JPG" border="0" />Back of the house<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356205138164165154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq1XRUvk2lzTnMtGZ6ZCXA8FaaTr1BgxwS35REFrsZU3k3hlYgm-HMD4CCbVLjOiXG7vHqNCiq8Igr2M04YSAy_tyw2skRAuTGSpsPAvr3jHUNkU5JtOE_BOdrvyPt4sEWa6UrP5u2zmmT/s320/DSC02825.JPG" border="0" />Front Door<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356206717293778242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGXORSbK-tdGCewKDwLuWnYHbG46v0HFar4fmlEmnSQEm3ZYM4DwJFxK5wiqui-73UIVInHO6mYmzKoq2wWaAwdvvYTRaqG7mMUUbCfPzBtoD7n-F_COk1x5HavW1IqeddYXLq7SgWvBC/s320/DSC02816.JPG" border="0" /></div><div align="center">Kitchen <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cabinets</span><br /><div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-66116025286608139112009-06-29T14:44:00.000-07:002009-06-29T15:01:55.042-07:00Just another SundayWhat do most people do on a Sunday afternoon...NAP! Not me, Josh needed help raking hay yesterday so I, of course, was nominated for the task. So yes, yesterday I spent 8 hours on a tractor driving up and down the hay field a million times bouncing along. Josh can drive a tractor like crazy for hours on end in jeans and a t-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">shirt</span> without the heat bothering him. Those of you that know me well, know that I HATE to be hot!! So, I can't just sit on a tractor and sweat to death with bunches of clothes sticking to me. No way! It was super hot so I thought I would work on my tan while driving the tractor - oh yeah, I broke out the swim suit! Do you think you might be a redneck if you drive a tractor on a Sunday afternoon in a bathing suit with the cows mooing at you in the background?? Ha - just another day in the life of me... who knows what will be next!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-49551922836317031902009-06-01T20:27:00.000-07:002009-06-01T20:37:21.144-07:00New House Update Again<div align="center">Brick and Vinyl<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDs5NPKAhzCO2eUOMIAnzntJzht1MuLWpVmpPIUU9uA9id-NSv0f5MgbF9LuWrMMoV69ieXIUHwJJcDtnQMZp9xt85jVnZYxHJavucNe4CRQvgicXjnhqEC0b-ZQLi-EfBPUOhvE3_YR09/s1600-h/DSC00021%5B1%5D.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342567578340663506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDs5NPKAhzCO2eUOMIAnzntJzht1MuLWpVmpPIUU9uA9id-NSv0f5MgbF9LuWrMMoV69ieXIUHwJJcDtnQMZp9xt85jVnZYxHJavucNe4CRQvgicXjnhqEC0b-ZQLi-EfBPUOhvE3_YR09/s320/DSC00021%5B1%5D.JPG" border="0" /></a> The house and my little man<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgI7drTyczjU1sZ5qEKOP4_MuRkZap5HMQNhaq84qfCcMjUX1kE5-7LHtUMx8OQOYKgrfRbN8HfUTfUQCcfFIkOCEheMcOW9gl1bMcMzeTIbaa9JLV5kX1fIogxjyzgh2K6RVJkjRWo50/s1600-h/DSC00018%5B2%5D.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342567576785492210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgI7drTyczjU1sZ5qEKOP4_MuRkZap5HMQNhaq84qfCcMjUX1kE5-7LHtUMx8OQOYKgrfRbN8HfUTfUQCcfFIkOCEheMcOW9gl1bMcMzeTIbaa9JLV5kX1fIogxjyzgh2K6RVJkjRWo50/s320/DSC00018%5B2%5D.JPG" border="0" /></a> Joshua tripped on that cord in front of him and got himself a mouthful of dirt<br />and a busted lip, he recovered pretty quickly though!<br /><br /><br /></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-65278650562212197382009-05-14T20:15:00.001-07:002009-05-14T20:21:52.497-07:00New House Progress<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyJyAo2SlgpFMV-NT6mw2548-8Q2MxnD47Hn_hVrquE_3np0kSQl4D69YGCoiZznKcWSfY-6EEv9VcLK5qcdRhyphenhyphen32S4mElOKczwd1XpMnorbaurAZPL5xjm4H-rwB9Kb0FuZGNHYl5M7Z/s1600-h/DSC00019%5B1%5D.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335885181416334914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyJyAo2SlgpFMV-NT6mw2548-8Q2MxnD47Hn_hVrquE_3np0kSQl4D69YGCoiZznKcWSfY-6EEv9VcLK5qcdRhyphenhyphen32S4mElOKczwd1XpMnorbaurAZPL5xjm4H-rwB9Kb0FuZGNHYl5M7Z/s320/DSC00019%5B1%5D.JPG" border="0" /></a> Front - Roof, windows, and doors<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUcGWa8lE3wm09acPSIag0ll9uNsKJD3H9kKvj-iaSymJ4GhZfzVF9FcBqCMe9NIrFT5fSsnuaFY1NqFH75sEeY-4U_M5jHx7XWKBnfHnuTE-0g0XC6UjjmnRl8kdNukjbA-P73scBzk2/s1600-h/DSC00018%5B1%5D.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335885180262218354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUcGWa8lE3wm09acPSIag0ll9uNsKJD3H9kKvj-iaSymJ4GhZfzVF9FcBqCMe9NIrFT5fSsnuaFY1NqFH75sEeY-4U_M5jHx7XWKBnfHnuTE-0g0XC6UjjmnRl8kdNukjbA-P73scBzk2/s320/DSC00018%5B1%5D.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335885184797113954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IwsO6ktQXHpk62YF4NJpBptp40zsISI_rMwbmK8hJ45l2ZtNfjK88dfTOducwakRYqpWVTu4Q9aH0mSIpt_xpvx9cBYPKuQ-D9a-PUUktqpUyClKpT-hhOoF3sNo5nBoCyDfceWqNUTx/s320/DSC00020%5B1%5D.JPG" border="0" />Back of the house<br /><br />Our house is being built by <u>Walker Construction</u> - and yes, we are related in some way, I think they are like our distant cousins or something :) It is a family business and the nicest group of guys on the planet - they must be to put up with my millions of questions! They work really fast and have done a great job thus far - needless to say I am super excited!!<br /></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-87606401806312119512009-05-01T09:06:00.000-07:002009-05-01T09:32:18.290-07:00New House Pics<div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8lldAqwaZK_aIfHp9w34n9AgI4VRTSVP9Pa6aXV1Vy4Fj4iatGnhyi1AvSa1OGWAO8i8aAAmxkHZrScGkA5rcXJ9sRkHycCAJ7NPgOX30EVIA3d85avRxeYHwbJiqf7n5_uIin-obGwV/s1600-h/DSC02208.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330890289958044626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8lldAqwaZK_aIfHp9w34n9AgI4VRTSVP9Pa6aXV1Vy4Fj4iatGnhyi1AvSa1OGWAO8i8aAAmxkHZrScGkA5rcXJ9sRkHycCAJ7NPgOX30EVIA3d85avRxeYHwbJiqf7n5_uIin-obGwV/s320/DSC02208.JPG" border="0" /></a> Dirt - Before construction<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330890296199075234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlZSHUIlP56W36yrXziB3V6fDF3Ll9XwTAzbsTUGgQXqJBVMqTFOY0Bvzfp2DVA-zw9U93mFyYVY8vEzck3iwsxvI97Ip9kRlKrGBtdDk4_gDyASovtzk3nGA7vVTdLKwlfrzD7-tj09S/s320/DSC02531.JPG" border="0" />The slab<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330890294294550994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WGyHtGUzzYfWoFMy30EPlsHgXTUVFxx2Bf69vVbvKZnLtjmA6jXbo4NE1lU9ZzRUthBqVLJ7SN2azi4hpDOAIzHjDhwcKipiQYzj_6g9XaDpK7zKj-Z5bTPf0rpcpbMIk8zmpNKdhfKi/s320/DSC02535.JPG" border="0" />Walls<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330893507760983218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQNjRMJK0sSSHQQ8srch6_LfzAzshbK5KkG7xSESerhEA__1oluE2xenpjVbJhQWS43t6fQlQzkcX9czfk-6XHLLWhjzy248Xpr0YUCARidVP4CC5u4Gwt5CUxEGupwmM2O4lIbVzHy1I/s320/DSC02540.JPG" border="0" />Insulation Stuff<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330893515896991778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZnC4rJHh-oVCInT9_k3thChidNNGMyP9cO6QRAuQ3It2-Cye8bsfwp1TGhCYeUQZPg-GU3LkFqH6MYT0_6g6ye_iZSPLYzBGmrQeH7S9RuM93yi_TqFBtEAnjJ_TQW_j8Bsy9xr87wko/s320/DSC02541.JPG" border="0" />View from front porch<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330893519028484258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCiOR-Eu2fAtsFAGZiPTXBrCVDSESrVBDRPpg80rZD1VnfxCpPlDbyin9tlMEh8DxLkZK6z_H9K6y9qOffM6nYIbRoJaEOe-Yic0dZyyHmrfcOemuc6M5PiBl1ZS5nsfg4vKLAFwNOlpa/s320/DSC02550.JPG" border="0" />Trusses<br /><div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-78202607701297595372009-04-03T19:13:00.000-07:002009-04-03T19:41:45.843-07:00Where have I been?I have taken a brief hiatus from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">blogland</span> and what seems like all other methods of communication this past month as things have been a little busy around my house. We are in the process of building a house and let me tell you it has been the most frustrating experience thus far. Not only have we never purchased a home before, but definitely didn't know all that was involved in building one. The bank has been the most frustrating part because they were taking forever to get our loan approved and the appraisal was apparently the hold up so after 8 weeks of waiting, we dumped that bank and went to a new one. Thank goodness the new bank was on top of things and got our loan approved in 2 weeks. So now we are ready for the fun to begin, they started bringing in dirt and will start the foundation work next week. Oh man am I excited!<br /><br />In addition to the house building project, one of the ladies that works for my in-laws' company had knee replacement surgery at the beginning of March so I have been doing her job for the past month. Since I have connections with the owners, I take the kids with me to work :) It has been nice to use the grown up side of my brain again, but it has also been challenging getting the kids ready and out the door at a normal time and trying to concentrate with Joshua getting into everything in the office and Julie not wanting to stay in her <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">car seat</span>. For purposes of illustration, the following is a glimpse into a typical day in the Walker household.<br /><br />Wake up, take shower, get dressed before sleeping toddler emerges from bed, wake Joshua, change diaper, get Joshua eating breakfast, wake Julie, change diaper, give Julie reflux medicine, feed Julie, dress Joshua, dress Julie, get Julie in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">car seat</span>, get Joshua in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">car seat</span>, drive to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Ashdown</span>, unload Joshua, unload Julie, do some work, time to go, get Joshua in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">car seat</span>, get Julie in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">car seat</span>, drive home, fix Joshua lunch, feed Julie, change both diapers, put Joshua down for nap, do any farm bookkeeping, phone calling, laundry, cleaning, put Julie down for nap. Joshua gets up from nap wanting to go play outside, get Julie up, feed Julie, go play outside, Joshua immediately jumps in mud puddle and covers himself in mud, go inside, bathe Joshua, get dinner started, Josh comes home, feed everybody, clean dishes, bathe Julie, give Joshua thyroid medicine, give Julie reflux medicine, brush Joshua's teeth, read bedtime story, put Joshua to bed, feed Julie again, put Julie to bed - collapse in the bed myself!!<br /><br />So, you see how I haven't had much time to write up my ever so witty and interesting blog posts. I will try to do better. Other than the new house and working, there really hasn't been much happening that seemed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">blogworthy</span>. April is a busy month full of cattle breeding projects so I am sure something interesting and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">weird</span> will come about soon. Until then....Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-40105270958916804172009-03-07T16:03:00.001-08:002009-03-07T16:35:46.489-08:00Sweet girlA sweet lady that works with me gave Julie this outfit when she was born. I have been waiting for it to be warm enough for her to wear it so we could take pictures in it - is it not the cutest thing!!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310603103734845202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8KortrGnVgt9535CRPJMBhl12uT60s09u2dUQQo0kJCsehb4_lcd51gAc_iCutFEnQEnMzL52C33rSKwAmrINJewIh9DqDw32NXvOEm3NwvQdHq_Et8vie9UIp31jBxmj31g4uDpwY0U/s320/Julie+010.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQyp5jE_3qi4Q9Dqc4k6-kFrf1kK5B3kaDM8QCvXs985viPpfWWfwJHhTHNSEdv0Q0_uuzU3UQxhat5GeJ_wOGuBPD_UoKqvXo8z1ueEaaqb9k8LADXYj6O0dNvV-93gkLMbStQgcNSZL/s1600-h/Julie+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310603093037774434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQyp5jE_3qi4Q9Dqc4k6-kFrf1kK5B3kaDM8QCvXs985viPpfWWfwJHhTHNSEdv0Q0_uuzU3UQxhat5GeJ_wOGuBPD_UoKqvXo8z1ueEaaqb9k8LADXYj6O0dNvV-93gkLMbStQgcNSZL/s320/Julie+005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflciEZLyutgrmwg4hg-inMj5kHpp0xCxcgAU-y6g6YFQOOBWw4ZntuytigaNyUKqNOkro5L6w_FVByGl00HJZRz17co3rAPCE1pI_a4lfrYYRRKu15Sk2OTsxA_N1lHHaT5Bt-epNJMpI/s1600-h/Julie+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310603089860344946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflciEZLyutgrmwg4hg-inMj5kHpp0xCxcgAU-y6g6YFQOOBWw4ZntuytigaNyUKqNOkro5L6w_FVByGl00HJZRz17co3rAPCE1pI_a4lfrYYRRKu15Sk2OTsxA_N1lHHaT5Bt-epNJMpI/s320/Julie+004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-65431184042251879192009-03-06T19:42:00.000-08:002009-03-06T20:00:08.489-08:00Cowgirl UpFebruary marks the beginning of calving season on the farm when all the momma cows are having lots of baby cows. Because momma cows sometimes have trouble birthing the baby cows, Josh is constantly out in the fields checking on the cows to try and minimize any losses. Well, the other day one of the cows gave birth to an 130 pound calf which is HUGE (normal is around 70 pounds)!!! This calf was it's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">momma's</span> first baby and she had a lot of trouble having it - Josh had to "pull it" in fact (i.e. pull the baby out of the momma with his hands - yuck!). The night after she had the baby calf, Josh and I went out to check on the momma only to find that her lady parts had prolapsed (e.g. her uterus fell out). So, we had to load up the momma and the baby on the trailer and haul them up to the barn so Josh could try to keep the momma and baby alive. Sounds simple enough right - wrong!!<br /><br />Josh's dad usually helps him with tasks such as these, but he was out of town for this particular fun so I was the next in line as the designated farm hand. Josh picked up the momma cow with the tractor - lady parts hanging out and all (this made me gag) - and put her on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">trailer</span>. But the baby calf who was moving around pretty good at this point, had to ride in the back of the truck with someone sitting on top of it so it didn't go crazy and try to jump out of the truck while we are driving down the road. Do you see where I am going with this story? Who was nominated to sit on the baby calf as we drive down the road? You guessed it - ME!!<br /><br />Now, keep in mind that this calf weighs almost as much as I do. I like to think I am pretty strong, but let's face it I am a girl and am not into wrestling baby cows. But, I suck it up and try my best anyway. I plop myself down on this calf as we bump along down the road praying that this calf does not go crazy and buck me out of the truck! As it turned out, the calf stayed pretty calm and only tried to get up a couple of times. It did, however, pee all over me which was pretty gross, but at least I lived to tell the story!<br /><br />Sadly, both the momma and baby died after a few days. We pretty much expected the momma to die after she prolapsed - not much you can do for that, but we were hoping the baby might live if Josh could get it to bottle feed. He was pretty weak after a day without food and just wouldn't take the bottle so he eventually died as well. Sad, but that's life in the cattle business unfortunately.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-5020824744760510962009-02-05T20:34:00.000-08:002009-02-05T20:39:47.154-08:0025 Random Things1. I live on a cattle farm in Arkansas and have helped my husband work cows on numerous <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">occasions</span>. On one particular <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">occasion</span>, I was eating a ham sandwich in one hand and was twisting a cows tail in the other. Those who know me well, find this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">extremely</span> funny for some reason - probably because I was such a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">girly</span> girl growing up :)<br /><br />2. I have a throw up phobia - a true phobia. I haven't thrown up since I was 12 years old and can't talk about it or be in close proximity to anyone who is throwing up. If I feel remotely like throwing up, I start to have a panic attack! Funny story, there was this boy in high school that my mom wanted me to date - but he threw up in class in the fourth grade and I just couldn't get past that. My kids are helping me through this phobia :)<br /><br />3. I am extremely <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">claustrophobic</span> - I hate feeling like I am in a place where I can't get out. I hate flying because I feel trapped in the plane - I hate malls because I feel like I can't get out easily (the recent popularity of promenade malls are a great remedy for this) - I hate sitting in the center of the aisle at church because I feel like I cant get out. I think I need therapy!<br /><br />4. I lived in Colorado for 5 years and love the friends I made there and miss them terribly!<br /><br />5. I have a masters' degree in accounting and think it is the most boring profession in the world. I should have majored in something I enjoyed rather than something practical.<br /><br />6. All of us have names that start with a J - Josh, Jennifer, Joshua & Julie.<br /><br />7. I was diagnosed with unexplainable high cholesterol at 12 years old. I am always the youngest person in the cardiologist's office when I go for check ups.<br /><br />8. I am obsessed with our budget. I am always worrying about how we spend our money and the possibility of not having enough of it.<br /><br />9. We are in the process of building a new house and I am so excited!!!<br /><br />10. My husband has a PhD in reproductive physiology - he knows more about the female reproductive system than I do!<br /><br />11. I love potatoes - I could eat a baked <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">potato</span> or mashed potatoes every day for the rest of my life and be happy!!<br /><br />12. My daughter is named after my life-long best friend - Julie (Hardin) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Whalen</span>. I pray that my little girl will be as amazing as her namesake.<br /><br />13. I love me some lime cokes from Sonic!!<br /><br />14. I hate cleaning, but love things to be clean!<br /><br />15. I almost lost my life during the birth of my son, Joshua. It was incredibly scary and not fun, but I got an amazing little boy out of the deal!<br /><br />16. Both my parents and Josh's parents have been married to each other for over 30 years. All of our grandparents were married to each other for over 50 years.<br /><br />17. We live less than a mile from my in-laws and I work for my mother-in-law. Some might find this a scary situation, but I love my in laws very much and love having them close by!<br /><br />18. I almost passed out in the middle of our vows during our wedding. It was the middle of July in Arkansas and I got so hot in my dress that I almost fainted. You can tell in the wedding video that Josh is basically holding me up - ha ha!<br /><br />19. I did pass out during my sorority initiation in college! It was super hot in this little room and we were standing up for a long time and hadn't had anything to eat - recipe for fainting!! Thank goodness my wonderful roommate and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">BFF</span> Lyndsey took care of me when I got home. My parents were in Europe on vacation and we thought I might have a concussion - I hit my head on the concrete floor pretty hard. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Lynds</span> was studying to be a nurse at the time and it was obvious she was going to be good at it - I am not a good patient!<br /><br />20. I fell down the stairs from the balcony at church in college. There were a whole bunch of cute boys standing at the bottom of the stairs where I fell and I was mortified!!<br /><br />21. My husband and I met because we were both tall. My college sorority and his fraternity were paired up for a dance competition thing. Josh and I were assigned as partners because I was the tallest girl and he was the tallest boy in the group - I guess he really did sweep me off my feet!<br /><br />22. I am terrified of getting food poisoning (this ties into the throw up phobia problem). I will not eat meat that is remotely pink and am paranoid about things going bad in the refrigerator. It drives me crazy that my mom lets things expire in her fridge. Whenever I visit her, the first thing I do is clean out her refrigerator!!<br /><br />23. Before I had kids, I worked for a big public accounting firm in Colorado. I worked all the time and pretty much hated every minute of it - I met a bunch of great people though!<br /><br />24. I am the first born grandchild on both sides of my family. Joshua is the first born grandchild on both sides as well.<br /><br />25. I love to cook and would buy everything in the Williams-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Sonoma</span> catalog if I had the money!!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-61749618792890632482009-02-01T15:51:00.000-08:002009-02-01T15:57:31.164-08:00What a week!Thank goodness this week is over!! This has been the week of sickness to say the least! First Joshua got sick (see my previous post), followed by Josh getting the same bug as Joshua had. Just when I thought I was safe from the disease, I got sick too. I was really, really scared that little Julie was going to catch the plague, but she has seemed to escape it somehow - thank you breastfeeding!!<br />To top it all off, the day after I started feeling icky, I walked out the door of our house only to discover that the neighbors puppies had puked and had the big-D all over our steps. So, my morning was spent dowsing the steps and porch with water and trying to get rid of the doggy grossness while running to the bathroom ever 5 minutes not feeling so good myself.<br />So, needless to say I am one pooped (no pun intended) mommy and am so very glad that my family is feeling better now! I guess if you want to look on the bright side I lost 10 pounds as a result of my sickness so I am just one more stomach flu away from my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span>-pregnancy weight - I think I prefer to lose it the old <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">fashioned</span> way :)Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-83346992028066103872009-01-25T13:25:00.000-08:002009-01-25T13:26:25.805-08:00There's a first time for everything!Despite Joshua's rough start in the world, he has been an especially healthy child. He has had maybe 3 colds and 1 fever in his entire 21 months of life - praise Jesus! Last night we had our first stomach bug. I was about to go to bed and heard this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">whimpering</span> coming from Joshua's bedroom. I opened the door and immediately knew something was wrong. I turned on the light and was shocked by the large amount of red grossness all over Joshua and all over his crib!<br />As a side note, those of you that know me well know that I have a huge phobia when it comes to puke. I haven't thrown up myself since I was 12 years old and can't talk about it, see it, smell it, or have anything to do with it or I freak out a little bit. So, to make this discovery last night was a huge challenge for me.<br />At first, I wasn't sure what had happened - it looked like blood at first so I yelled for Josh who was sound asleep but came running in and was quick to point out that Joshua must have thrown up all the blueberries he ate for dinner. So, I start to freak out a little, but get myself under control to do what I had to do. Josh put Joshua in the bathtub to clean him up and I started changing the crib sheets. Joshua seemed to be feeling better so we put new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pjs</span> on him and put him back to bed. Before I left the room he started whining again and rubbed his belly which was soon followed by - you guessed it - more throw up. Poor baby was so scared by what was happening and was crying - it really broke my heart. I cleaned him up again, changed the sheets again, and he went back to bed for a little while. He woke up a few hours later after having gotten sick in his bed again. So, by now we are out of sheets and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pjs</span>. I put a huge beach towel in his crib, cleaned him up again, and then he goes back to bed for the rest of the night - thank the Lord!!<br />I was proud of myself for making it through the ordeal in one piece - a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">momma's</span> gotta do what a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">momma's</span> gotta do, but I still didn't know if Joshua had eaten something bad or just had a stomach bug. He woke up this morning asking for food and hasn't gotten sick again so far. So my questions are these: 1) How can you tell when a toddler is about to barf if he can't tell you his tummy hurts or that his tummy feels better? I have been feeling like I should follow him around all day with a bucket or something just in case. 2) I was terrified all last night that he was going to puke in his sleep and choke so I am wondering what the best thing to do with a sick little one is - I didn't want to put him in the bed with us because I didn't want him to puke in our bed. He got freaked out <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">every time</span> we went and sat by the toilet, so I was just completely at a loss as to what to do with him. It was such a helpless feeling - I felt completely incompetent! Any advice from you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">momma's</span> out there would be of great help!!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-36967654348084205772009-01-22T14:15:00.000-08:002009-01-22T14:25:37.867-08:00Trying Two'sAlthough Joshua wont' turn two until April, he has already started "acting the part" if you know what I mean. I think part of his drama is due to the fact that he is not the center of attention anymore with the recent addition of his baby sister. He is really sweet to her directly, but has been acting out to me and Josh a lot more. Overall, he is a really good boy, but he has been having more and more moodiness and temper tantrums and I just can't figure out the best way to deal with them. Thus far, we have been doing time out in his crib when he throws a fit or <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">blatantly</span> disobeys. He has started to get a little attitude when you tell him no and will look right at me and do whatever I just told him not to do - oh this makes mommy unhappy! He comes by it honestly because both me and Josh are stubborn people so it is only natural that Joshua would be a stubborn little boy as well. I know I need to be more consistent with whatever method of discipline I choose, but it is so hard to know what works the best for a two year old who may or may not really understand what is going on. So, I just thought I would reach out to the masses for some helpful advice on how to best deal with the behaviour that is often associated with two year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">olds</span>!!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-37401130581748062882009-01-13T14:29:00.000-08:002009-01-13T14:56:59.660-08:00War with WeightSo, as everyone knows I just had a baby and although my precious baby girl is an absolute joy and I wouldn't trade her for the world, she has left me quite a bit of weight to lose. It is always a little bit depressing for me after my babies are born because I no longer have an excuse to be fat. I was much more conscious of my weight gain during Julie's pregnancy than I was when I was pregnant with Joshua. I worked out until my 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> month and ate pretty well, but let's be honest here, pregnancy makes you hungry and I loved to eat before I got pregnant so putting the two together doesn't make for being one of those skinny pregnant <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">women</span> who walk out of the hospital in their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pre</span>-pregnancy pants - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">grrrhh</span>!<br /><br />Anyway, I managed to lose all the weight that I gained when I was pregnant with Joshua, but for some reason I am more discouraged about it after having Julie. It is probably due to the fact that I was just starting to look like my normal self again when I got pregnant with Julie and the fat cycle started all over again. The thing is I am really disciplined about exercising, but not so disciplined when it comes to eating healthy. I, of course, love all things bad for you and if I have a choice between a cheeseburger and a salad, I am most likely going to go for the cheeseburger. I also love to cook and have growing boys (my husband included) to feed which makes dieting a bit of a challenge. I recently tried the South Beach diet. I made it through one week of phase 1 on the diet and was so constipated (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">TMI</span> - sorry!) from eating all that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">protein</span> that I couldn't stand it. Josh was not to happy with the menu either - he kept asking me why the rest of the family had to suffer just cause I was on a diet - he followed this complaint with the statement that I look great and don't need to lose weight. He was being sweet, but I know he really just wanted to eat something other than broccoli and chicken :)<br />I was just wondering if any of you moms out there have any good weight loss tips that will help me shed the pregnancy pounds, but not jeopardize my milk supply (breastfeeding momma)? I just want to get back to my old self (and my old pants) as fast as possible! Any insightful tips would be much appreciated!!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-59830722488617840912008-12-21T12:46:00.000-08:002008-12-21T13:19:46.042-08:00Creatures and Creepy Crawly ThingsSo, for those of you who do not live in the boonies like me, allow me to educate you on a couple of nuances that come with the territory - today we will discuss dogs. In the country, there are dogs everywhere! <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Literally</span>, everywhere! There is no such thing as a nice little house pet in the country. Everyone has <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">multiple</span> pet dogs and they are all allowed to run loose through town. Additionally, there are a lot of stray dogs out here because the cruel people in the world tend to drop off animals they no longer want in the country instead of taking them to the pound. Now, all this to say, what to these dogs tend to do? Allow me to enlighten you:<br /><ol><li>Run after your car barking, </li><li>Get into your trash and strewn it all over your lawn, </li><li>Drag dead animal parts out of the woods and drop them in your yard, </li><li>Bark <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">incessantly</span> in the night (and proceed to wake up my sleeping babies), </li><li>Get <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">impregnated</span> frequently and have puppies under your house, </li><li>Sleep in the middle of the main road and wait until the very last minute to move out the way! </li></ol><p>Now that I have explained the background, let me just list all of the things I have encountered this week:</p><ul><li>Neighbors dogs got into our trash - luckily, they did not attack the trash bag full of dirty diapers (gross)</li><li>Half eaten <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">possum</span> head in our driveway (double gross)</li><li>A detached deer leg that the neighbors dogs were <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">gnawing</span> on (this just freaks me out - I happen to see this dog dragging this deer leg down the road)</li><li>A dead bird in my car port</li></ul><p>Now, I ask you, what kind of mother would let their kids play in a yard where they might run into a half-eaten <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">possum</span> head or deer leg? Especially when those kids are too young to realize these things are gross and should not be touched. Thank goodness it is too cold to play outside right now, but the fact that I have to worry about such annoys me. I once would classify myself in the dog lover category, but since moving here I have become quite the opposite. Now, I don't hate all dogs, but I do find myself thinking at times that I wouldn't mind if some of these dogs <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">accidentally</span> got ran over by a truck. I would never run over them myself, because I am not that cruel, but if the accident where to happen maybe it would be God's will for them to join him in puppy heaven. In fact, I must not be the only person in town that feels this way, because the other day, there was a sign at the post office that said "Any dogs that enter my yard will be shot!" I'm not kidding, someone actually wrote this sign and hung it up at the post office! I also know that I will never EVER own a dog out here because I would not want the dog in my house after encountering who knows what outside and I find full time outside dogs pretty pointless. Plus, I feel sorry for the dogs here because most of them don't get much attention nor are they properly cared for (hence why they go <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">scrounging</span> through trash because they are hungry). </p><p>So, all this to say, that once again, living in the country, there is always something interesting/gross occurring and after living here over a year, I don't know if I will ever get used to that part of it. But I will keep trying...</p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-80738393281306233292008-12-05T16:07:00.000-08:002008-12-05T16:52:08.197-08:00Julie's photosJulie had her first photo shoot last week. We used One Creation Studios again and got some pretty good shots considering that Julie cried through the majority of the picture taking because she was naked for most of it and she does not like being without clothes on. Here are a couple of my favorite shots...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276464912977467410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHidpul7jrKfW4yNlRMnYwR7s2uO641yrl8NdzaNaWkJTv_LddN9a-WgvePDznfZyRl7UN_2vu3BQt-A0NYAtg3mTvGZybAznCuln_Fsf2qx2bgl66_C5YSQDFwmKb16TN69vW-m_BSlo9/s320/IMG_2803.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276464916690728882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAltI0r5UIoSXfaaTA4tsT2nh4kOLm9RL4XjpLxVz8KkMqKRWnSR6cCjr2fNJwNZaz30O4aBVpRrKJFChOC7zMsgulU5WUZDsjVXCTqZvkbQwKxskQ2UaPM2p5oWwuAdbOmNWyUkRV2nM/s320/IMG_2818.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276467672621024130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0rEpGrgOOvro_ewKWsbUbNX7U17fAmzTQygLREliswRl33SsqAAQV4TPBwp1uU-iHc3P8VbGYhqOMzbRxz5sMbUkEk6QMjemjkY6-N-NpTLKloZPUo4FwGYeKFBpROC8VCkshOCDStOe/s320/IMG_2890.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276467663524527042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplfaSjVn2uCODWOEtNx6zlNDHbI994_NATQ86hBgBQJMPeWSRru_gLkWBhSV_P8BSS2NmE755pOYUr1ilIdOo4KqTtDp40l9zqgstvirbvXNY4XOCNE7Fw7SO13fm1ZxmJ9GuL-DlYmGV/s320/IMG_2849.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276470590301959970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhupSLNP1gC-2yosd01OdVAeAo1MN9PFq1VHdHuZJFnnSpAlM3JSq0g7QlenHnlvXCAd5XN79YmVqBM3tLRATkT_RgRi8bN1xiyBXE7QWsaFuSkEon4uB87BBtXwFgZBLvsxcCxMmiJ9J/s320/IMG_2896.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276472243293370034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wI-uuzHbZqcASzquztnSHL_Y40B0Hk_3jIt4NqKEhfhzJN0D8Nv3oCW_pOjscnwxYBhWv96lPqsd6bqOmukaq4MQ7IJJvI0LxAkbl7QLnMPGmBcQxCsItRnY6aerbcyuVA2t0NbTXiIY/s320/IMG_2813.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-15853507882420300842008-11-29T15:21:00.000-08:002008-11-29T15:45:52.097-08:00Two weeks with two kids under 2!I haven't posted anything since Julie arrived. I have had my hands full trying to recover from surgery, getting to know my new little girl and trying to pay extra special attention to Joshua. So far, we are adjusting pretty well. Joshua has been really good with Julie. Sometimes he is really interested in what she is doing, other times he completely ignores her. He likes to climb up next to me and watch me change her diaper, and he loves to hold her. He points at her when she cries and looks at me with a very concerned look, like he is saying "you better do something about this mom." I was afraid Joshua would act out to get attention once we brought Julie home, but he has been really good. The hardest part really is not being able to pick Joshua up. The doctor says I should wait until 6 weeks after delivery before I fully pick him up. He is still sleeping in a crib and still in diapers so getting him into the crib for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">naptime</span> or onto the changing table to change him has been challenging. You don't realize how much you pick up your kids until your not supposed to do it anymore.<br /><br />Julie is a really good baby. She is sleeping most of the time still, and does pretty well at night. We had our first pediatrician visit and Julie weighs over 7lbs now. She also had her pictures taken which she did not like at all - I think she was objecting to being naked and cold more than to the fact that she was getting her picture taken. She is a sweet baby girl and is a perfect little addition to our family.<br /><br />Thanksgiving was low key this year. We stayed at home and just relaxed as a family. However, I did cook a turkey with all the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">fixin's</span> for my hubby. I could have opted out of cooking this year, but last year at Thanksgiving Josh was still in Colorado finishing up school and I was in Arkansas and he was quite depressed about not getting Thanksgiving dinner and being away from us. So, this year, I wanted to make sure Josh got his Thanksgiving favorites with our new little family.<br /><br />All in all, these last two weeks have been an adjustment, but have gone really well. It is pretty exhausting getting very little sleep at night and trying to keep up with a toddler during the day, but it has also been fun. I am so humbled by how truly blessed I am to have two healthy kids and a wonderful supportive family.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-9177221551620490632008-11-13T12:52:00.001-08:002008-11-13T15:04:32.698-08:00Julie Kate Walker is here!<div align="left"> Julie Kate has finally arrived! Born on November 11, 2008 at 7:35am, weighing 6lbs. 14 oz., and 19.5 in long! </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">Her delivery story is much shorter than Joshua's (praise Jesus!). Basically, we arrived at the hospital at 6am for my scheduled c-section. I was prepped for surgery and Julie Kate was delivered at 7:35am. Everything went extremely smooth. My blood pressure was a little high right before delivery, but other than that, no sign of complications. We were released from the hospital around noon on November 13 and are so glad to be home as a family. Julie Kate is a precious baby girl - she started breastfeeding immediately and has not looked back, so that is a big relief as well. She appears to be a pretty laid back baby like Joshua was, we will see if that continues once her personality starts to come out :) Throughout this whole experience Josh and I have been reminded of how difficult the delivery process with Joshua was. We don't know how we made it through all that 19 months ago, but are so very grateful that this time around was so much better. We are truly blessed and are in awe of how amazing our new little girl is! Here are a couple of pictures from the last few days...</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268251219676360130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMY1NOhiuedgGlZraP7_tk9QIA7V2shff6uTe3TbpJ9HJVZv9KOCd28fA3LCCeeLQ1a5q-8qIRZkdoMmhQFgdw8Q0XC-B-dgc0JRRU5tp-bvx0dgRIKjYsr_SUV6xXZdfyvEcEP2sES7K/s320/Julie+Kate+023.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center">Waiting to go in for surgery.... </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268251226544892466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilSjhDTL7LpRcFox0EDnnbBvU3-rJ2ElQG1OLFMHjNcH_Yt-L61Kx495aQ1PR8V62FuBSY-MX2T-_3y31eKF_UvUcSA79fU6goNgZ7vM_proaWuuL5A_LhcGzCAeNoyMSE8yso40HYjECN/s320/Julie+Kate+026.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"> Julie Kate is here!<br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268252685329518162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYspsgYeAMrt11GrYsJhzCa8HFaZpsVMuaxqn_KsNcVjyw3axewRTje2e62pACK7QdZIwNgtGs-VoN45_IwZNhKcaMDvgMbt1Yc96aEH2Q0T9TWYepR5IqsexDA_KZMnAZpYw5DPs3rhEf/s320/Julie+Kate+027.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"> 6lbs 14 oz.<br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268252682157491074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxe2lU6gNzuJun1mkgAlnUUGuMY_MmyNnk2XghNbn6vKvHp1qK_EfrNs3xubXgwfDGSZOvUmFLZ9s-icm_egParPTO-M9TX2hEZ5mX44M-jjwGw-sjrn4WfsqrwpTQzcstV15NabNPhbP/s320/Julie+Kate+031.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"> First picture with Daddy <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268255129099172002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKdnUSzLwkZBKH_H5L7addj4PK3akMZn4n-XSQAc3w-lpYwCkRAGGCmqKtGFuXVfsAC0BIOUD_YLZxDhhohDhRgGALlrPpC7Db7MyyXHLdaj_BK5E5Hb4J6GYE-Xtbnkm3PvWNUm5h01w/s320/Julie+Kate+039.JPG" border="0" /></p><p align="center"> Are you my mommy? <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268255147649447666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcjt32fKufaQpDwSzlcSjI2flPr0O7p4_6UuI2nsalGvZ6LOtSQ3olkvjKQA2vBOSGBMjY5Zjz4pluhtJMpo_kG0KpI6acoJr3dyGkoOtg8b7piOvIJDqOgcXz1TAWotydIQbcj3hzikC/s320/Julie+Kate+073.JPG" border="0" />Precious baby girl<br /></p><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268255137327382626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjRdsR_Lm5l8BURF05wXjbNzQ0ZMoH6GG0ouY_mcjKWwqT4Ly1drJ13jhjBx60JZIMiMRxSyfcQKR8I1ALI6V81FeWPsqL79z1Sk3O281LKhIdZYj1sl5jrrAHLayx7bhKDzS4mJ2cLq9/s320/Julie+Kate+046.JPG" border="0" />Joshua meeting baby sister<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268276532415143490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELdmRI1dYZ4mLyaZMzmTGtMy_nWRjw8OqtQ5p46Ov07HFn_nLMvLRP_8o1J1_DgujrTCDOZvSKBgAmGtBbmWh6YxeaKF8MGzyz-94g6jQXF24Ojbm1ztt7yOsgoNQ4l6rFWxJTk0eWR3B/s320/Julie+Kate+088.JPG" border="0" /></div><p align="center">Julie Kate is ready to go home.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268276544873465010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIuvPEzPCbExi0gMTWI5Gt0IFE-iCKVU8puR1qCTFJLQPQhTvMol3FA5BzYRPMgfUns3bMkruRPp5xAndPVpYHvRb2ey9QDb21XXMv18Io706E9eGHKcUDhcELpgEy5dRsGbDoXG_bPJA/s320/Julie+Kate+089.JPG" border="0" /></p><p align="center">Mom is ready to go home!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268280635545113314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcRm59L6N1Vm2YbkbTjEFJYehs6zDbpHXfn-zAzE5lwvi8EU-8jvvgbMgEleU81nmrL_rMaO02Yy-kZX8Pk9_c7GCYSUkzCPBzwQUFkcqC6mdhbVcJZisdPFCGIS5bM1wDzKtSUuY4DU9/s320/Julie+Kate+092.JPG" border="0" /></p><p align="center">Everybody is ready to go home!</p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-92139768391176509982008-11-02T13:46:00.000-08:002008-11-02T18:58:32.806-08:00Halloween!<div align="center">For Halloween, Ben <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lomond</span> hosts a hayride for all the kids. Because houses are spread apart in the country, the kids can ride the hayride from house to house to go trick or treating. They have been doing this since Josh was a little boy so it was fun for Joshua to go on his first Ben <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lomond</span> Halloween Hayride. He was Yoda for Halloween and looked pretty cute! He was a little overwhelmed by all the kids in different costumes, but had a good time I think. I even let him have his first piece of Halloween candy after the night was over and man was he a sticky mess! Here are a few pictures from the event....<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264245949032356306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWnvAuGkfJz7lqZfbI8LE0zO1ki3MqKGCLIe7n0P-_tOokWRyX_q6EWX2QISLWeXBrIvQLJ8WJ0YQHtXfUGt_d33zNfUEPlabrqL3zgVhJ8y7WvJWMp8fpQc65wHOH7B_LrKDQ0gXoW0F/s320/Halloween+004.JPG" border="0" /> Daddy getting Joshua ready to head down to the hayride.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264247920774071426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuewWagl7y6h5zJUKZP0yeCeIa3tcu1uUBBR0Mnc1ApRVkbU2J5GD4ue5nZLviabt1gk16Ef1YLVmKNYbmEW7lVUCnV8DMtEZAV1Ljjyhc4tbuCMNo5UjTWU631mdhpeZ_5U6ZG76P90k/s320/Halloween+011.JPG" border="0" /> Joshua is not sure about this yet. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264249636180678994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AltNBZ-i7oICodDpaUKsosQVmPPUd7tf6o5DlhTHyNOVoVYH-2gY5Zz031dlibWiNKj_zIW_zTnKfe98bI61jiIgiKrAKT5mFkVhZh7T_f9i2JWXU-cdjX12jqzoeNiVHOjazmfCYKZl/s320/Halloween+018.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center">Ok, ready to go...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264252761366871154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmU46pdH4U-c2vH8Zq3yw7C48-Ak5xq1z5b7ee8SxEq3TGPj5zc8V7SMh6mIbL8Wcx1qqfSgjsk0ge8AnEOMWmMapnuerNbDL_BW8DS6KslrFNiVoXF6L7CGtOmZX4zg1ncy7BH6jR11KT/s320/Halloween+030.JPG" border="0" /> Are you coming mom? <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264254173831608242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCjOGei-7K6b1JrIcY4ZEf3CL4mCnacWRLxV-n5o6aKP5wySY65YWKcp3AfTA7t3mxHLe76J1Fdk6f3NjaRCtsbaKLYi2G0DJ_e65Flp3VKhAVnK7beNMVddxjhmQ2RcuZKCAQ_AzvKPT/s320/Halloween+032.JPG" border="0" />Heading down to the hayride. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264255268071859394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsLje6mHUwQ65m8_mgoBhJCMQAQMKqvhlUoJNUrQP_qhqEb5hNb9plZ0nYhrs9k7hQGGSViQm6rUXODwEZdeNuibpZqfTK_97BA3CnkWWHDUZp9D7tat4jUoS6XwzPwW8W9fP3Y8r-eMF/s320/Halloween+042.JPG" border="0" /> </p><p align="center">Taking it all in...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264244882502823634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSkKneoWyjj-BAuFgcr2t7yH7UM-AXItSCp3T4ZKsqz6ZAttMg4jPOHZoGkotcWPZ8Xc4TgiI3X6AvY6B7voSjp8q89Ghv6iAUz73wKDBHvUukQAeDsfLSszUnXB1btgiU3aj4e_pj4ww/s320/Halloween+048.JPG" border="0" /> Riding on the hayride with candy in his hands. </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264259285331164738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4PgLXIcBgUUMXqaPTTtTKUUBuN_aD7xS8DiUTUk2bt-6ks55hyaV4s5uq4u0WxP9wOznFGGuT4vnQ1xVl32BWekpH8YU89Auj79rQuqyG3YUIdmlFIILkXofWOz9jCy0_EBhU9_4T7zD/s320/Halloween+051.JPG" border="0" />Enjoying our first halloween candy. <p></p><br /></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-31370842730857314462008-10-29T15:00:00.000-07:002008-10-29T15:27:06.621-07:00Family Picture TimeFor my birthday, we had family pictures taken. Josh hates taking pictures so this was a special treat for me! I am 36 weeks pregnant in these pictures - there are more fun belly pics, but they are a little too much belly to post on the blog. I was really happy with they way they turned out - thanks to One Creation Studios in Texarkana, TX!<br /><br /><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKGl7lBcEZArW7lLa4EGYHCcpGm3SynTWyrWIl6CyBOyzUpcG6NOuXdRDSM79senSEAWoewJVk0T5VzmUJAioEDpUbpiwI8iqmi1wCdndGjur0GICh7wS5eJyVvdpvbGJ6DnTw_SVnpjV/s1600-h/IMG_3390.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262702087612544450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKGl7lBcEZArW7lLa4EGYHCcpGm3SynTWyrWIl6CyBOyzUpcG6NOuXdRDSM79senSEAWoewJVk0T5VzmUJAioEDpUbpiwI8iqmi1wCdndGjur0GICh7wS5eJyVvdpvbGJ6DnTw_SVnpjV/s320/IMG_3390.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbdErfotdiS9ujlFOqKLipQ-1ZUdLS-hVfCoFOeraBVUeESz6_gQYM3O2WUjIwk26FnZcuOeizzsPZpnYvuLD6WoAhV_7_xD6D_faqBPybSb35hps6p4XVtkHW3k50DK5qOYOErXuTXkC/s1600-h/IMG_3414+copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262702078047849202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbdErfotdiS9ujlFOqKLipQ-1ZUdLS-hVfCoFOeraBVUeESz6_gQYM3O2WUjIwk26FnZcuOeizzsPZpnYvuLD6WoAhV_7_xD6D_faqBPybSb35hps6p4XVtkHW3k50DK5qOYOErXuTXkC/s320/IMG_3414+copy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlCcBye5x8wC0XHVq4toNnT2obED88M8tysbbcnbLJQbwv08xbuRmUlB_Tm9w2Cw-nns0mnMZrkTmylNaYIE5b4puAbHh6ofTP4xpoVt8VpdAlOdZnuNUwxizU-q9TluKxUZruTR2TrjA/s1600-h/IMG_3402+copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262702073775775954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlCcBye5x8wC0XHVq4toNnT2obED88M8tysbbcnbLJQbwv08xbuRmUlB_Tm9w2Cw-nns0mnMZrkTmylNaYIE5b4puAbHh6ofTP4xpoVt8VpdAlOdZnuNUwxizU-q9TluKxUZruTR2TrjA/s320/IMG_3402+copy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd70sBwzvMRPQXG64NKk28Tt9SrNws3F9Q0nN8qmIsAfejLfE0ehAvs9OUx7lB-3jEsplufkTNAGG-hxWGr8h8W82F6roD3_ArmMI2YP-WAqCK95j2CqjkFEymB8W5Yn1HQ0fsMB5PIpm/s1600-h/IMG_3356+copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262702066359895010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd70sBwzvMRPQXG64NKk28Tt9SrNws3F9Q0nN8qmIsAfejLfE0ehAvs9OUx7lB-3jEsplufkTNAGG-hxWGr8h8W82F6roD3_ArmMI2YP-WAqCK95j2CqjkFEymB8W5Yn1HQ0fsMB5PIpm/s320/IMG_3356+copy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrnMzLl0SzIaiRZ1__uO0ooHHJwUyoFk52P2R4q4XtToF3wu9mdhR345bJg4cXoRhnmacoLz5pFio68nJgA9IAvA9IBNkEVkBjmA_MFW8Loiw9jEXa_4yQbsPnc9Ixo1mvHAwtcsNR6Gn/s1600-h/IMG_3334+copy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262702064309346914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrnMzLl0SzIaiRZ1__uO0ooHHJwUyoFk52P2R4q4XtToF3wu9mdhR345bJg4cXoRhnmacoLz5pFio68nJgA9IAvA9IBNkEVkBjmA_MFW8Loiw9jEXa_4yQbsPnc9Ixo1mvHAwtcsNR6Gn/s320/IMG_3334+copy.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262704656324410914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8__ixQWL0BmaY_hb55ESe3P-p9SyyBsAXyhIWLPSraUhddnWTxipUnaiF29fYNspvnA5qGySBUUIAxPmEh-w5xOLFxPf19yqtFDZXMQi0XiYIIC9e86ABXvmecMgaviBtld9YLBckp7p5/s320/IMG_3344.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262704647470231474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e3F_ThO2f_jafUSlIfA1mPBFtZoZlsXoCvsUWsduPAapi6hyphenhyphenrB9L5auZCVj5NL9283TMbHZGuOeb63AEsCJ845wAGi9o6F__CwGoo7qUZoQE2g8mNVGdfhqxobpLgYDSJsYEfLsqOrc7/s320/IMG_3557.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262704643251113890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RV9fSfMozxxO-fT-PQofjz4IaS27YjV6H4Ksm034NXfYtHgae389EhzwZePNJLZkPoXrig9jldqySeaTUUMQkRbYf1oTmpsFLOBcEPLSf5Tg-nMjkY0chHHYPQgztwowWK1GA7aAukPh/s320/IMG_3461.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-25757521602493278082008-10-24T13:42:00.000-07:002008-10-24T14:44:53.947-07:00A day in the life of an 18 month old boyJoshua is my little explorer. He is curious about everything and wants to know what everything is and how it works from light switches to the TV remote to the dishwasher, he wants to participate. Today he was particularly nosy and got into all kinds of mischief. Here are a couple of examples...<br /><br /><div><div><div><div>1. He found his way into the bathroom (again) where I found him head first in the toilet bowl with his hands splashing around in the water and Joshua squealing in delight. Thank goodness I found him before he fell all the way in and drowned in the toilet! </div><div></div><div>2. Josh stayed home with Joshua during nap time while I went to my doctors appointment. Apparently, Joshua was not interested in napping while Daddy was home and when Josh went in to check on him, he found Joshua had wiggled out of his pants, removed his diaper and thrown it across the room! Praise Jesus it wasn't a poopy diaper!!!<br /></div><div>3. I am preparing dinner and hear a bunch of grunting and banging behind me. I turn around to find Joshua is sitting in the middle of the kitchen table (he climbed up there on his own) and is having a grand ole time turning my salt and pepper shakers upside down!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260832749413225602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pMGxikXm4Gfm33CvpW_CmVwJpXKOvLi-9Em5FVqCtW5qLyQfAKwjrEUnqRl41lT8FD95HwOleuuuwZ2aas1h285KM1_kF2JCrWbqdDIdma54IRVIGGV0ha6OHbMS5UxP13uMHW1GkGxS/s320/Joshua+10-08+098.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260832743711252738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioZRUu6zeLgyRzg4tlj7BYxOAC8I2e7EZjJeqFceFKe0ahnALEHSldhqzBnOFg-rAEdKP2t62xI3pwOxjpjee5JGjBYKD-_QwVicIxHR9bQgHj7czK4_2AZ_MyV9ZPEsOyhiNXjWwRS5j/s320/Joshua+10-08+100.jpg" border="0" /> <div></div><div></div><div></div><div>4. Joshua is eating dinner. He must have not been particularly hungry because he started playing in his food, which I usually don't tolerate, but he got in to it so fast that I hardly had time to react. I look over, he has ravioli in his hair and black eyed peas all over his face, one dangling from his eyelash - he looked so funny that it was hard for me to discipline him without laughing. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260830509074354482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjRG_9E_GaqSBTSFJU3CKp9tbg2KaJyNwFo2tm3pzwtUBSpKJhSUunKEbjJch6TrogXYn2IS773XOQJ1ZxY9q350MW9iePqr3gjAqroeweTTaL3goDKwyCxqgoq2HXhCOUO9gFARl1V7A/s320/Joshua+10-08+094.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260830504286926306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOfARtY0qy_WwlShKbpMgGSB5iBGhYKwfaBYVB8BcYZFI5cTy6Vlojf4fLCeGKqO7lUgKBe1v5K67o61ktQaxwOFeKHLQGapNPESOYkzr0FFH6YRKXfyD729EO_706jkS43Dpe9fn0FO9/s320/Joshua+10-08+093.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>5. Josh gave Joshua a bath after dinner. Josh thinks it is increasingly hilarious to let Joshua run around naked with his towel on his head after he takes a bath. I, of course, am always concerned that Joshua will pee all over the place as he running around in his birthday suit. Well, this time, I was proven right, Joshua runs out of the bathroom with his towel as a cape and proceeds to pee all over the floor - guess who got to clean that up - DADDY!!! </div><div></div><div>I have decided that little kids must have a million little guardian angels watching over them because it seems that we have a number of close calls around our house on a daily basis. Joshua certainly keeps me on my toes and I am wondering how I am going to keep up with him once little Julie arrives - we shall see! </div></div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896130118119212326.post-10793758462264073122008-10-17T14:00:00.000-07:002008-10-21T08:01:11.953-07:0036 weeks and still going strongWell, I have made it to the 36 week mark without complication! For those of you that don't know, this is significant because little Joshua was delivered at 36 weeks by emergency c-section. I have re-posted the events of his delivery below as a reminder to myself of how grateful I am that this pregnancy has gone so much smoother than with Joshua and how truly blessed I was to have made it through that experience alive and with a healthy baby boy. So far, with this pregnancy, there have been no signs that the complications I had the first time will re-occur, but I am not out of the woods until the baby is here, so keep praying folks!!<br /><br />"The following is a blog entry I wrote after Joshua was born - since it was a pretty crazy time, I like to read this from time to time and remind myself how fortunate I am to be alive and to have such a happy healthy baby....<br /><br />Hello All! Well, the Walker family has finally made it home from the hospital. Joshua is doing well now and feeding like a champ! Mom is doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances. I know many of you are wondering what in the world happened, so I figured I would put the events of the last two weeks in an blog entry so I wouldn't have to tell the long story that it is over and over. I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but it has been quite an eventful time for us. So, here goes,<br /><br />Tuesday, April 10<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> - I woke up at 2am with incredibly intense pain in my chest and was having trouble breathing. Considering that heartburn is common in pregnancy, I took a couple tums, a Tylenol and waited to see if the pain would go away. When the pain had only intensified by 5am, I woke Josh up concerned and we decided to call the doctor. The doctor instructed us to get in the car immediately and go to the emergency room. In the emergency room, they ran a series of tests (EKG, Cat scan, blood work, etc) to make sure I didn't have a heart problem. The EKG and Cat Scan all came back normal, but my blood work indicated that I had a condition called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">preeclampsia</span> that had progressed into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">HELLP</span> syndrome. Some women (lucky me) develop this condition which stands for <strong>H</strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">emolysis</span>,the breakdown of red blood cells, <strong>E</strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">levated</span> <strong>L</strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">iver</span> enzymes, and <strong>L</strong>ow <strong>P</strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">latelets</span>, the blood cells necessary for clotting. Apparently, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">HELLP</span> syndrome put both me and baby at even higher risk for the same kinds of problems that can result from severe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">preeclampsia</span>. With the only cure for this syndrome being deliver of the baby, I was whisked up to the labor and delivery floor, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">IV's</span> put in both of my arms, catheter inserted, and immediately prepped for an emergency c-section. Joshua Michael was born at 1:17pm in the afternoon and because he was premature, was taken to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">NICU</span> and put on oxygen. Other than having trouble breathing on his own and having trouble feeding, he was perfectly healthy! I did not have it so easy unfortunately, because one of the risks with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">HELLP</span> syndrome is seizures, I was also put on magnesium sulfate through my IV - the most horrible substance in the world - this stuff makes you feel like it is 100 degrees in the room and also makes you incredibly thirsty and nauseous. I remained on this lovely treatment for 48 hours after delivery. I was also given frozen blood platelets and later two blood transfusions.<br /><br />Wednesday, April 11<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">th</span> - My elevated liver enzymes began to stabilize, but my hemoglobin and blood platelets were still well below the normal range. Thus, I was given four more blood transfusions. Little Joshua came off the oxygen and was breathing well on his own but was still having trouble feeding and thus they put a little feeding tube in his nose to make sure he was getting enough calories each day. Dad became the professional feeder and spent a lot of time with the little guy in the nursery while mom was stuck in the bed getting pumped full of blood.<br /><br />Thursday, April 12<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">th</span> - They took me off of the magnesium sulfate at this point - YEAH!!! As luck would have it though, after receiving all of this blood and fluid they put in me, my c-section incision began oozing blood and other grossness and my temperature spiked to 101 degrees. Also,because of all the fluid flowing through me and not being able to walk around, all of the fluid pooled in my butt making me look like I had the booty of an 80 year old lady:) They also put these leg contraptions on my legs that basically massaged my calves to avoid me getting blood clots in my legs. So, picture this, me hooked up to two <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">IV's</span> (one in each arm), my legs hooked to the bottom of the bed, and also hooked to a blood pressure monitor that checked my blood pressure every 15 minutes. Little Joshua was doing better, starting to eat more feedings on his own and was having fun playing with dad and coming to visit mom when he could.<br /><br />Friday, April 13<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">th</span> - My incision did not improve, my temperature did not come down, so the doctor started me on oral antibiotics and decided it would be a good idea to open up the incision to see what was going on. So,they removed 3 of the staples in my incision and did a lot of pushing of the fluid out of my belly - the most intense pain I ever felt - was there numbing involved - NO!!! Turns out, I had what they called "third spaced" all this fluid they pumped in me between my incision and the next layer of skin. This makes normal healing of the incision space impossible and thus they packed my incision full of gauze and put a dressing on me.<br /><br />Saturday, April 14<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">th</span> - My temperature broke and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">IV's</span> came out. I was also able to take a shower for the first time since arriving at the hospital (I was really starting to stink). They came by to remove the packing from my incision and re-packed it again. At this point, my incision will not heal in a normal amount of time and I have to have it packed every day until all of the fluid is removed and the under layer of skin can close normally (the wound care people that I go see every day now say I will be all healed by July 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">th</span> - ugh!)<br /><br />Sunday, April 15<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">th</span> - Is the fun over yet? Nope, temperature spiked again Saturday night leading them to think that my incision was now becoming infected. An IV was reinserted to my left arm and I was started on IV antibiotics for the next 24 hours. Also, my blood pressure elevated again and I was started on blood pressure medication. Meanwhile, the wound care folks came over to assess my incision and put me on this contraption called a wound vac that basically sucks the fluid out of your wound and supposedly helps you heal faster.<br /><br />Monday, April 16<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">th</span> - Temperature broke and blood pressure stabilized, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">IV's</span> came out and now just taking oral antibiotics. While Joshua's feeding was improving, his goal was to feed on his own consecutively for 48 hours,which he had not yet successfully done, but was feeding more and more on his own.<br /><br />Tuesday, April 17<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">th</span> - Mom is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">ok</span> to go home but little Joshua had to stay in the hospital until he could reach his feeding goal. Luckily, the hospital let us stay in our room so that we could stay close to baby Joshua.<br /><br />Wednesday, April 18<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">th</span> - Joshua takes all his feedings and pulls the feeding tube out on his own - we thought it was a sign he was ready to go home :)<br /><br />Thursday, April 19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">th</span> - Joshua takes all his feedings again and is discharged from the hospital!<br /><br />We finally go home!!"<br /><br />The rest of the story goes ... I was on a wound vac until May 25<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">th</span> and had to go into the wound care center every other day to get the dressing changed. The wound vac was basically a tube that ran from the incision in my belly to a pump contraption thing that I had to carry around with me in a backpack. Not only was this extremely attractive, but the pump thing made a noise like a farting pig, so if I was out in public it sounded as if I was passing gas with every step. It took Joshua a month to get the breastfeeding going, but after a lot of perseverance on both parts, he finally took to the challenge and I was able to breastfeed him for a year.<br /><br />Joshua is now an extremely <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">healthy</span> and active 18 month old. He is constantly in motion and keeps me busy! After all I went through to have him, he is the greatest joy and I would do it all over again!Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05509987148279743856noreply@blogger.com1