Raising a Toddler and a Tween

February Challenge 10-Self Portrait

2012-02-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

This "portrait" was taken on February 1. The day I turned the BIG 4-0! We were eating at Outback, and Lance was taking pictures of me. We were laughing so hard because they were all terrible. So, I tried one. It's terrible too! But it reminds me of how dorky we are...especially now that we are old:)

February Challenge 09-Front Door

2012-02-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

Similar to how I don't take very many pictures of the sun, I don't take many of my front door. I guess this will have to do. Look how dirty the front porch is. My husband would be mortified!

February Challenge 08-Sun

2012-02-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

Since I don't make it a habit to take pictures of the sun, I was at a lost for what to do for this picture. I was going through my iPhone pictures, and I found this one of Reid. We were leaving Hollywood Studios at WDW. Lance and Wyatt had left us to go to EPCOT. Reid was eating a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar, and making a total mess (and loving it)! The sun was beaming down on us!

February Challenge 07-Button

2012-02-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

I was about to skip over day 7. I was looking at my iPhone pictures, and I saw this picture! PERFECT!

February Challenge 06-Dinner

2012-02-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

Monday night we ate dinner at Izzo's with my parents. Monday nights are Kids Eat For 99 cents night. Bubbles the Clown was there doing face painting. We have done this only one other time, and Reid loved Bubbles!

Reid asked for a monkey face, and he got a monkey balloon as well.

Wyatt got a dragon on the side of his face. (The boy with the dragon tattoo)

February Challenge 04-Stranger(s)

2012-02-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to eat with friends for what was SUPPOSED to be a SURPRISE 40th birthday party for me. Except for the fact that my friend is a terrible liar, and I totally busted her! So, here is a picture of a table full of strangers behind us. When Lance and I walked into the room, all of these people clapped for me! And they kept clapping all night. It was really funny!

What WAS a surprise was the cake with the most HORRIBLE picture of me EVER from 3rd grade! It was really, really the highlight of the night!

February Challenge 03-Hands

2012-02-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hands is a very interesting subject. It reminds me of the movie Beaches when Barbara Hershey's character finds the old picture of her mother or grandmother and says, "We have the same hands". My husband and I will be married for 13 years on February 12. Here is a view of our 40 and 41 year old hands.

February Challenge 02-Words

2012-02-02T17:13:00.001-08:00

My birthday present for being so good for the last 40 years!

Spending a lot of time lately reading the book of James.

February Challenge 01-Your View Today

2012-02-02T13:59:00.001-08:00

I saw this February challenge last night, and I thought I would try it. But of course, I am already behind. So, I will try to do two today.

01-Your View Today

February 1, 2012 was my 40th birthday! This ice cream was all that was left of the dessert that they brought me for my special day. Reid and I devoured it. Lance and Wyatt split another dessert. We ate at Outback which has become a tradition for all of our birthdays!

Disney World 2012

2012-01-27T15:15:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

2011-12-31T13:59:00.000-08:00

I LOVE the Candlelight Christmas Eve service at church. It's my favorite thing about Christmas. It is a peaceful time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. When all of the candles are lit, the sanctuary is so beautiful!

Reid was ready to go into "big" church with us. We told him that he was going to get a candle. He was so excited about that! It was so funny! He had a death grip on that candle after we gave it to him!

The service was packed so much that they had to bring in chairs for people to sit. After the service was over, we went to my parents' house for Christmas Eve celebrating with my side of the family!

Montezuma 2011

2011-12-31T13:38:00.000-08:00

I often joke and say that Wyatt throws up if the wind blows in the wrong direction. That child has been sick with a stomach virus more times than I can count! Reid was sick ONCE before when he had just turned 1. Wyatt got it first, then Lance and then Reid.

Fast forward to Wednesday, December 14th, 4 a.m. Reid woke up screaming in his bed. I ran in there and discovered that I "thought" he had thrown up. I'll spare the details, I just wasn't 100% sure! He threw up 2 more times after that, and then the D-word started! I was so sad that he was so pitiful and sick, but I was equally as sad that he was missing his Christmas program at M.D.O. and his Christmas party. He was such a ham at his end of the year program in May. I was SO looking forward to his Christmas program.

Thursday, at 4 p.m., I started with the sickness, and then Friday at 4 p.m. Wyatt started. Wyatt missed playing the piano at a local nursing home on Saturday. Our Christmas festivities were not going according to plan; however, by the grace of the Lord, Lance was spared.

After we all were better, Reid started with a nasty cough and runny nose. I took him to the doctor on Monday, December 19 because I thought he had strep. He had no appetite, and he has had strep 2 other times, so it seemed similar. He did not have strep, and she thought he might have pneumonia. So we went for a chest x-ray, and found out later that afternoon that he did NOT have pneumonia. Therefore, he had a "viral" infection which means NO ANTIBIOTICS!!! I was beside myself. I even tried calling back the next day to get an antibiotic over the phone. Christmas was coming, and we didn't have time to be sick.

Fast forward to Thursday, December 22. Reid woke up, and drank his coffee milk and ate breakfast as usual. He still was acting sick, so I was beyond frustrated! Then about 15 minutes later, he started SCREAMING, "my ear hurts!" He screamed and cried for about 30 minutes. Then the Advil kicked in, and he was better! Got an 8:45 doctor's appointment, and it was confirmed that he had an ear infection in his right ear. I have never been SO GLAD to hear the words "ear infection" in my life! That meant I could get an antibiotic for my sick miserable baby who is NEVER sick. The last time he had an ear infection was December 2009!

He perked up after the first dose of antibiotic, and we were able to move forward with our Christmas celebrations:)

Stationery card

2011-12-11T16:56:00.001-08:00

Christ Wishes Religious Christmas Card

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O Christmas Tree

2011-12-04T19:43:00.001-08:00

My sweet friend came and helped me decorate my tree! I am so thankful! I DREAD it every year, and it has been so nice to have it done EARLY and BEAUTIFULLY this year!

Now, it's time to wrap some gifts! But what if Reid unwraps them? I should probably wait!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

I am so behind on this blog. We did our normal Thanksgiving here. We went to Lance's mom's on Thanksgiving for lunch. My parents went to New Orleans to my cousin's house, so we did not see them on Thursday. Getting a decent picture of the 2 year old is nearly impossible lately. And the ones I do get are usually mid "cheese".

The 10 year old doesn't mind having his picture taken. Here he is with his favorite dog Heidi. She is my mother-in-law's dog, but everyone in my family (except ME) wants her to live with us. Even my mother-in-law wants her to live with us. Lance and Wyatt left on Friday to go to the camp in MS. So, it was just Reid and me for the rest of the weekend.

Reid wore this outfit to church the Sunday after Thanksgiving! The weekend before he had nasty nose, so he didn't get to go. I didn't fail to notice that SEVERAL kids had their first of many Christmas outfits on while Reid was sporting the turkeys! LOL!

Like I said, getting a decent picture of him is NEARLY impossible!!!

2.5

2011-09-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today my baby boy is 2 1/2 years old! I really wish that someone would slow the time down. 30 months have passed since he was born, and it literally feels like yesterday! In the same time period that has passed, he will be 5! Oh my gosh!!!

We went to the doctor last Friday for flu shots, and Reid got his MMR because I have done the delayed/staggered vaccination schedule with him. He weighed 32 pounds. I am not sure about his height. I need to measure him soon. He also wears a size 9 1/2 shoe!!! He is wearing mostly 3T clothing.

Wyatt was with us because he was out of school last Friday. He weighed at the doctor's office for fun and weighed 68 pounds! He also got a flu shot and didn't even flinch! Reid on the other hand....lots of crying followed!

He started back to MDO in the 2's class on September 7th! He goes two days a week. He fusses every day saying "I don't want to go to school." But his teacher says he LOVES it and smiles all day long!!!

He has been fully potty-trained (except for a diaper at night) for about a month now. He pretty much did it on his own, and I couldn't be more proud!!!

Things he loves at 2 1/2:
* bulldozers, excavators, and all heavy equipment
* Curious George
* cars, trains and airplanes (anything with wheels)
* candy (he is a candy HOG!)
* his MOMMA!!!
* going places to look at toys (especially Target)
* Chick fil A (he loves to play on the playground)
* being outside....his favorite thing in the world!!!
* the blanket and lovie!!! I think we will have those FOREVER :)

He's Got Lips

2011-09-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

Somewhere along the way, I realized that Reid had these lips! They are not his momma's lips (i.e. I have none to speak of). I never really paid attention to my husband's lips, but then we found a baby pic of him, and I realized where the lips came from! He has his Daddy's lips!

I always make fun of my husband when he does something that requires concentration because he "pooches" out his lips. He can be helping me in the kitchen or typing on the computer. The lips come out! LOL! So, the other day Reid was playing with the hose. He started spraying the windows, and out of nowhere, he started doing the "lip pooch". I ran inside to get the camera. Hilarious!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T19:24:00.001-07:00

Brotherly Aggravation

2011-09-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Wyatt has come to realize that he knows just how to aggravate Reid. It aggravates this momma the MOST! He has gotten in trouble A LOT lately for said aggravating. My husband took Wyatt and Reid to the airport this morning. Wyatt videoed this encounter of said aggravation while they were there.

Why yes Wyatt, being around airplanes can be dangerous. See Exhibit A.

Wyatt went to the ER for the first time when he was 5 after being at the airport with my hubby. Wyatt ran into an airplane propeller while running around with some other kids. It could have been much worse. A plastic surgeon stitched him up, and you seriously can't even see the scar. Thank goodness for fellow pilots who are also plastic surgeons!

Daddy and Donuts

2011-09-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

This morning on the way to bring Wyatt to school, Reid starting screaming about wanting a doughnut! We NEVER go through the drive thru to get doughnuts, so I'm not sure what triggered that thought. Anyway, I did my best diversion technique, and it worked:)

My husband left early this morning before we all go up. He came home at about 9:00 a.m. to do some work on the computer. Sometimes, when he leaves early, he goes to a doughnut place nearby that puts their doughnuts in these little white bags. When Reid sees a little white bag, he knows his Daddy has brought him a doughnut. Well, when Lance came in at 9:00, he had a white bag! Reid was so excited!

Thanks Daddy for saving the morning:)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T15:25:00.001-07:00

4th Grade

2011-08-23T13:54:00.001-07:00

Wyatt started 4th grade on August 10th! So unbelievable! When I downloaded these pics, I couldn't BELIEVE how old he looks! WOW!

Wyatt Turned Double Digits

2011-08-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

Wyatt turned 10 on July 11th. Yes, I am just now getting around to this post. His birthday was on a Monday, but we started celebrating on the Thursday before and continued on throughout the weekend. When Monday rolled around, I was ready for the partying to be over:)

Two years ago Wyatt had his birthday party at Dixie Landin'. Last year he had a slumber party. He wanted another slumber party this year, and I said, "NO WAY!" Our house set up is not conducive to slumber parties!!! So, I talked him into Dixie Landin' again. We meet at the Sonic right across the street from Dixie Landin' for dinner and cupcakes.

Friday night we went to Lance's mom's for spaghetti (Wyatt's favorite) and birthday cake!
Saturday I don't think we did anything, and on Sunday we went to my parents' house for lunch and cookie cake! Finally on Monday, Wyatt had 2 friends spend the night. So, he had a FULL and very FUN 10th birthday! Hey, you only turn double digits ONCE!!! My #1 boy is growing up too fast!

Chocolate Chip Cake

2011-08-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

We went to some friends' house Sunday evening. She made this cake for dessert. It is in my oven right now because I am slightly obsessed with it now. Do yourself a favor, and make it for you and your loved ones!

Chocolate Chip Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups water
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix the first 5 ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

I will post a picture when it is completed! Now, what am I going to have for dinner??

Grand Isle 2011

2011-07-07T08:51:00.001-07:00

We went to Grand Isle with our friends Charlie and Onnie for Father's Day weekend. Onnie and I went up early on Thursday without the husbands. Our car was PACKED out with luggage and all 5 kids! It was an interesting ride:)

Lance and Charlie came on Friday after work, and they couldn't get there FAST enough! Reid was fascinated with this outdoor shower! I think he would have stayed in there ALL day if I had let him.

Surfing in the baby pool

Digging a hole to China

Lounging around the camp

The weekend was fun! It's good to get away even only for a few days!

A Day At The Airport--Part 1

2011-06-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

We went to the airport the other day, and it was raining. It actually made it bearable to be outdoors! I documented these on Lance's iphone using Hipstamatic:)

Orange Beach 2011

2011-06-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

For the third time in 1 1/2 years, we stayed at Phoenix West with my parents and some of my family. We love Phoenix West because it is on the beach, has a lazy river, a water slide and a pool all within easy walking distance of one another. Reid was definitely a beach bum. He loved the beach. We stayed on the 24th floor, and he loved being out on the balcony! It freaked this momma out, but he loved the sights from way up high!

My niece Madison went, and Wyatt brought his friend as well. It was a really fun time. We stayed from Tuesday through Sunday. That's the longest we have ever stayed at the beach, but I loved every second of it! Reid is a handful, but usually either my mom or Lance would stay up in the room with him while he napped. That gave me 2 hours of "me" time.

We tried to go to Lulu's one evening to eat. The wait was over 1 hour. The kids had fun (as usual) playing in the sand. But once we were seated, I had reached "maximum capacity", and Lance and I both agreed it was time to take Reid back to the condo. We called in a to go order at the Shrimp Basket, and we picked it up and went back to the room. Reid feel asleep right after he ate. Wyatt and his friend stayed behind, and my parents brought them back after they ate. Lulu's added a crazy bungee cord climbing apparatus outside. Wyatt immediately wanted to do it. So, my child who used to be completely fearful of heights climbed and climbed. It was fun for him.

Reid absolutely loved the sand! It did my heart good because anyone who knows Wyatt knows that HATE is a mild word for how he felt about the sand when he was young up until about the last year or two. Wyatt also decided that he loved being in the water this year. He spent lots of time hanging out in the surf!

I didn't have it in me to get a family pic on the beach. We just recently took family pics, so I didn't feel TOO guilty! But we got one pic of us. There are three different takes, and we aren't all looking at the camera in any of them. Wyatt looks mad in this one, but he wasn't. In the next take he is smiling! Here's to trying to document all of life's moments! LOL!

Things Reid is Doing or Saying

2011-06-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

I am writing these down so that I don't forget:

1) I kept wondering why Reid says, "Where's the lovie?" when he can't find his lovie. Then today when we were leaving I said, "Where's the lovie?" So, I realized he is just repeating what I say. Hilarious!
2) He loves to watch Curious George. The first thing out of his mouth in the morning is, "Go in den and watch George".
3) Just this past weekend he started making this funny face while he was singing and dancing. It's a really serious face, but he is being funny and laughing at the same time. He scrunches up his nose and sticks his lips out. I need to get it on video.
4) When he doesn't know someone or is unsure of a person, he makes a kind of mean face at them. It's funny to me, but probably not to them!

Interview with a Brother

2011-06-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

We went to the airport yesterday afternoon when Reid woke up from his nap. It had been raining so it wasn't too hot outside. And it rained while we were there too. Reid found this teddy bear, and Wyatt played with Lance's phone and made the following video.

A Big Ole Messy Mess!

2011-04-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Reid received some of the new Crayola colored bubbles for his birthday! I hid them in the closet, but he found them and he insisted on opening them! WOW!!! I will let the pictures speak for themselves!!!!

Easter 2011

2011-04-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend! We dyed eggs on Saturday, and then we went to church on Sunday. I did NOT however get a family picture. It's a good thing we just had family pictures made, or else I would have been upset. Reid fell asleep on the way home from church. Then everyone came to our house for lunch, and the picture just never happened! Reid really got into finding his Easter basket this year. He was so cute.

Name Change

2011-04-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

I decided to change the name of this blog to "Raising a Toddler and a Tween". I originally started this blog in the hopes of journaling all things infertility. And then I got pregnant with my little miracle baby. I still have unwavering belief, but I think the new title says a lot about my days lately! And I will certainly have to apply the unwavering belief daily in order to raise the toddler and the tween:)

Collage

2011-04-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

I always see peoples' blogs that have those cool collages. So, I finally tried one out! It's so cute (or at least I think so). And it was really easy. I did it on picnik.com. Now I will attempt to do one for Wyatt's years through 10! Wow that should be challenging!!!

You are 2!

2011-04-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I had a 1 1/2 week old newborn, and a 7 year old. I am sure thoughts were running through my mind like, "How am I ever going to manage this?" But happiness unlike any other filled my soul because I was holding this baby that some had said I would never have "naturally". Well, he was born naturally all right. It proves that God's ways are higher than ours.

Two years ago, I didn't know that you would be so wild and crazy!

Two years ago, I didn't know that you would have some super curly hair and I would wonder where in the world it came from. I didn't know that, just like your brother, your eyes would stay blue until you were 1, and then change to a color that no one can describe. They are not brown, they are not blue, they are not green!

Two years ago, I didn't know that you would be speaking in near complete sentences at the age of 2.

Two years ago, I didn't know how much you would love to GO! You hate being in the house with me. You love to be outside or on the go. However, I think I know where you got it from.....

Two years ago, I didn't know that you would love ME so much! Wyatt has always been a Daddy's boy, but you tend to be a Momma's boy so far.

Two years ago, I didn't know that you would be the exact opposite of your brother. I didn't know that you would LOVE to eat everything put in front of you, I didn't know that you would HATE to watch TV, I didn't know that you would love getting your hair cut, I didn't know that you would love the sand, and I didn't know that you would be seemingly fearless in lots of ways!

Two years ago, my heart was so full of love for the little 9 day old baby I was holding! My heart will burst if it gets any fuller with love for my 2 year old little boy and my 9 year old big boy!

Reid's 2 Year Stats:
Height 35 3/4" (can I just round that up to 36"?) LOL!
Weight 29 1/2 LBS! (I can't get over how much he has thinned out!)

Just a Swingin'

2011-03-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

When Wyatt turned 3 we bought a swingset for him. Last year, we literally had to bury that swingset. It was rotting, and it had become a hazard to our kids and our friends' kids!

I wanted to get the boys a new swingset for Christmas, but I was worried that Reid might be too little for the climbing aspect of the playset. So, we waited a few more months.

We found one that we liked, and I finally ordered it in early March. I knew that Lance was going to HATE putting it together, but that was the only option. They charge $600 to assemble it! (I don't think so!!!!)

Luckily, Lance had some rainy days that he couldn't work. Right after that he has been BUSIER than he has been for a very long time! So, it all worked out perfectly. Wyatt was out of school Monday and Tuesday of the week that Lance was working on the set. So, Lance, Wyatt and Reid literally spent HOURS outside those three days.

Reid "helped" Lance with his play screwdriver, drill and hammer! He had a great time, and it was so sweet for me to watch the father and sons bonding outside!

The swingset has been completed and was a HIT at Reid's party. I am thankful for my parents and Lance's mom who helped us to purchase such a nice set. I know that it will be played on for many years to come.

Reid's Birthday Party

2011-03-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on posts. I have about three that I want to do. So, here's a short one for now. (My friend is frustrated with my lack of posting, so this one is for her!) I was trying to get a picture of Reid's shirt in the picture above. Reid looks mad because he wanted to get in the trampoline, and I was telling him to say cheese! The theme of his party was "heavy equipment", so when I saw this shirt on sheshemade.com, I knew that it had to be HIS:)

Reid's birthday was last Wednesday. I still can't believe that boy is 2!!!! We had his party on Saturday, and it was a gorgeous day! The weather was warm, but it was windy and not a cloud in the sky.

We had a lot of friends from church and from our "hometown" group of friends. There were kids everywhere...even a set of quadruplets;)

Everyone seemed to have a great time...especially the birthday boy! He received so many sweet presents! He loves to say "mine" now, so that was his favorite thing to say about all of his presents.

My friend Michelle made his cake. I bought the cupcakes, but she put everything together, and the whole idea was hers! How precious did it come out?

Wyatt had several older boys from church in attendance. They were all mesmerized by the cake! They helped Reid blow out the candles!

I didn't get a family picture even though I asked two people to remind me! I did get one of Reid and me though. The party was so much fun! I think Reid enjoyed being the center of attention!

Reid is Turning 2!

2011-03-03T06:38:00.001-08:00

I just ordered Reid's birthday invitations! I cannot believe this baby is turning 2! Watching my baby turn into a little boy is both happy and sad all at the same time!!! Mostly it is just unbelievable!!!

Dump Truck Birthday Invitation

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Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-15T09:22:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2010

2011-01-09T17:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone. It's hard to believe it! But I must say I was very happy to get all of the Christmas decorations put back up in the attic. And I was SUPER excited when school started last Wednesday:)

We had a fun Christmas with Wyatt and Reid. It's so fun to see Christmas through the eyes of a child. The first few days that the tree was up, Reid would NOT leave it alone. But thankfully, once the newness wore off he was fine.

Reid came with me to Wyatt's class Christmas party. I was a little apprehensive about taking him, but he had a blast. And Wyatt's classmates loved him.

We did LOTS of laying around with not much planned. It was nice, but I get cabin fever pretty quickly.

Santa came and brought lots of good stuff. One of the hits of Christmas was the Sing a Ma Jigs. Reid especially likes his.

Talking Up a Storm

2011-01-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

Reid has suddenly started talking A LOT! He says just about every word we say. It's crazy! He says, "PEASE" for something he wants. And he usually remembers to say "TANKS" after he gets it. On the way to church each Sunday, we pass by a car dealership that has an inflatable LSU Tiger. Every Sunday, when we get off of the Interstate to go to church, he says "tiger". Today, I said, "What does the tiger say?" He growled. Then I said, "What do we say for our LSU Tigers?" He screamed, "Geaux Tigers!" I just about fell out of my seat! He does stuff like that for me all of the time, but he has NEVER done it in front of Lance. We cracked up! Last night our friends came over to watch the Saints Playoff Game. They just had a baby on December 1. He was asleep in his carrier, and all wrapped up in a blanket. Reid was fascinated by him. He went over to him and patted him and said "Baby Jesus". We laughed so hard! He has been so cute this past week! He has been really fun and easy to deal with. November through half of December he was not so pleasant. Poor baby was sick, so he was not a happy camper. But now he is back to his happy self. And all of this talking makes him sooooo fun!

He is also fascinated by heavy equipment right now. I think I am going to have a birthday party for him with that theme. He says, "Dozer" and "Excavator". The way he says both of them is so funny. He also says "Tractor" and "Dumptruck".

He recently started saying "Wyatt". It's so cute. Before that he said "Bubbie". Now he says "Wyatt" very plainly.

He continues to love to eat. He kind of lost his appetite after he was sick with strep at Thanksgiving, but it has come back in full force. He says "Bite" anytime we have food. He also says "Food" and "Snack". His favorite drinks are "Apple Juice" and "Frappe" (coffee). He is very demanding in the morning if the coffee isn't ready when he wakes up. (Yes, he drinks coffee milk every morning thanks to my dad!!!)

He is SUPER attached to his "Lovies". It's really a bad thing, but I am no where ready to break that habit yet. Sometimes he says, "I LOVIE HIM" when he talks about his lovie. He cracks me up!

He will be 22 months on the 23rd of this month. Where has the time flown by? He is so fun right now. I pray the terrible two's aren't TOO terrible!!!!

Family Pics

2010-12-18T19:12:00.000-08:00

Our friend took some pictures of us for our Christmas card. We went to a subdivision nearby that has a very old church that was kept when the subdivision was developed. The pictures came out great. I used one for my card, but there were some others that were great as well. And some funny ones too!!!

The one of Reid running away cracks me up! I came close to using that one as my Christmas card:)
Reid was throwing rocks at the photographer! He was tired of having his picture made. Who knew he had strep throat? He was running around like a wild child, and then that evening.....sick!

Lance and me

Probably one of my favorite pictures of Wyatt and Reid of all time!

Sanka Claus

2010-12-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

Reid is so loving all of the Christmas decorations. We ride around and look at lights and look for "Sanka" Claus. At first he said Santa (the correct way), and then he started saying them together, but for some reason it came out "Sanka Claus". So, I have been saying it too! It cracks me up.

Thursday night we went to Bass Pro Shop to have our picture made with good ole Saint Nick. I was tired of the mall scene, so we headed to Denham Springs. Lance walked around with the boys while I stood in line. We showed "Sanka" to Reid as soon as we got there. He seemed excited about all of the decorations and seeing good ole Sanka. So, when it was our turn to go up to Santa, Reid RAN down this "red carpet" type thing full speed ahead. When he got about 5 feet from Sanka, he put on some serious brakes. Even Santa said, "He just slammed on the brakes!" It was pretty funny! He turned around to Lance and me and said, "Hold you!". So, we have the Griswold family photo. We have the same "family" pic with Santa when Wyatt was 17 months! Too funny!

Here is our picture from last year, and then our Griswold picture from this year. What a difference a year makes! Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (Refrigerator Invader)

2010-10-06T13:14:00.001-07:00

18 Month Check Up and First Zoo Trip

2010-09-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went for Reid's 18 month check up. He weighed 28 pounds, and he was 33 1/2 inches long. He remains around the 90th percentile for both height and weight. He got three shots yesterday. We are doing a delayed shot schedule with him, so he received Chickenpox, DTaP and Flu. We have to go back in 4 weeks for a second flu shot. I hate that for him, but it's because they included H1N1 in the flu vaccine this year, and he hasn't had one before. So he has to get two. Wyatt will get one in 4 weeks as well. Reid's appointment went great. We don't have to go back to see his pediatrician until he is TWO! That is amazing!!!

My niece had her second baby last Thursday. So, my sister-in-law went to get her 3 year old to stay in Baton Rouge for a few days. She was going to take him to the zoo and asked if I wanted to join them. We met them after Reid's doctor visit. It was Reid's first trip to the zoo, and my first trip to the Baton Rouge Zoo in many years. The weather was perfect, and both boys had a GREAT time! (I am trying to keep it a secret from Wyatt, but I will take him when he gets a day off of school in October.) I am so enjoying all of these "firsts" with Reid. For so long I resigned myself to the fact that I would never have those "firsts" again. To be given all of these opportunities again with Reid makes my heart want to burst with HAPPINESS!!!

18 Months

2010-09-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

Reid is 18 months old today! Where, oh where, has the time gone? He is so sweet, and he is starting to say more and more words every day. His latest words are milk, juice, light, NO, Heidi (my MIL's dog), bike, JoJo (Wyatt's hamster), and others that I can't think of right now. (How do you like his LSU outfit??? Geaux Tigers!)

He is a total wild man. He can now open the refrigerator door, and if I am sitting in the living room, he will walk to the doorway holding the 1/2 gallon of milk or apple juice. He is a CRAZY kid!

He also wants to be a nudist. He has learned to take his shorts and diaper off and would prefer to be nude than have clothes on. Yesterday he was so fussy in the afternoon, and he finally ripped off his shorts and diaper and then was happy as can be.

Most importantly, he started Mother's Day Out this past Monday. I didn't think he would get a spot, but someone dropped and they called me last Tuesday. He has done great both days this week. I am so happy. Although, Monday I boo hooed like a baby when I dropped him off.

He loves Wyatt to pieces. That makes me so happy. AND Wyatt loves him too! Wyatt was so worried about him going to school on Monday. He thought he was going to REAL school like he goes to. I explained that he was only going from 9-1. He kept asking me about when we were going to drop him off and pick him up. I explained that I would drop Reid off AFTER I dropped him off, and then pick him up before he got off of the bus in the afternoon. He was so cute asking these questions about his little baby brother's first day of school.

We will go on Tuesday for Reid's 18 month well baby check up. Can't wait to see his height and weight.

To top this day off, my niece had her second baby. She already had one boy, and this was her second baby boy born just about 30 minutes ago. The gender of the baby was a surprise and so is the name. I don't know the name or any details yet. I am so happy for her. She had infertility issues with both pregnancies, but God was faithful and this time she conceived naturally. She and her husband and son are precious! I love them, and I am so happy that they have a new sweet addition to love.

Packing It All In!!!

2010-07-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

First off, let me say that I am NOT a homebody! I hate to be at home. I would much rather be out and about with the world. However, since Reid was born 16 months ago, I have spent much more time at home. Having a baby at 37 will make you feel old in a hurry:) But this summer, I can't stand to stay home with Wyatt and Reid. They are both as restless as I am!!!

School starts in 12 days (but who's counting), so we are trying to PACK it all in before August 11th.

Wednesday we went to the OLD (newly renovated) Chuck E. Cheese in Baton Rouge. We usually go to the new Chuck E. Cheese in Baton Rouge. This CEC has been there forever, but it was recently renovated. It was really nice inside. We stayed about 1 1/2 hours because that was my limit of chasing Reid around. He wears me OUT!!!

Thursday my wonderful mother kept Reid for me to take Wyatt to Blue Bayou and Dixie Landin'. We stayed from about 10-3. We had a really good time with some friends from church. She has a son the same age as Wyatt, and she has an older daughter. They rode lots of things, and the moms actually got to visit! It was NICE!!!

Today we went to the Mall of Louisiana. We went to the indoor playground and rode the carousel! It was nice to be inside out of the 100+ degree heat!

This summer is costing me a fortune:) School better start soon!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

First PB and J

2010-07-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

Reid had his first PB&J today. I had made him one other peanut butter sandwich a couple of weeks ago. Today I added grape jelly. Not sure that he liked it as much as just the peanut butter. Wyatt likes peanut butter ONLY sandwiches too!

Reid's facial expressions were so funny when he took the first couple of bites. Of course, I missed the first expressions, but I have attached a few others. He loves some food, I can tell you that!!!! So opposite of his brother. Wyatt was making mac and cheese at the same time, so Reid had to have some of that too:)

You are 9!

2010-07-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

My first born son is 9. (His birthday was July 11, but I am just now getting around to doing this post!) In case anyone is doing the math, that is half way to 18. Oh my! How can it be? It has gone by in the blink of an eye!

We started celebrating the birthday on July 4th. My family all came over and we had a cake for Wyatt. The following Sunday was his actual birthday. Lance and I took him to see Despicable Me and my parents kept Reid. Then this past weekend, he had his first sleepover party. He had 5 boys spend the night. It was "interesting" to say the least. They were really good, but I think that will be our first and last sleepover party.

Wyatt got an iTouch for his birthday. He never had a Nintendo DS or any other handheld devices, so I decided this was more bang for your buck! And the games are a lot cheaper too. He actually got it in May before we went to the beach.

He also got these two books. If you have little boys in your life who love animals, these books are THE BEST! Wyatt has 4 of them now. I actually found these 2 on clearance at Borders. He LOVES these books about animals. The first 2 he received for Christmas have started falling apart!

15 Months

2010-06-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

Reid turned 15 months old last Wednesday. We celebrated by going to the doctor's office. This visit was his first visit since his 1 year check up which is remarkable! On Tuesday he started running fever. On Wednesday morning I made an appointment, and we saw the NP because our doctor was out of town. This is our second time to see the NP, and I really like her. She is very thorough. His ears were fine, and she said his throat was just "slightly red", but she still did a strep test. It came back positive! I was shocked. Strep was the last thing I was thinking he may have. He was so pitiful once Wednesday night rolled around, and Thursday was the WORST day. But thankfully by Friday morning he had turned a corner, and he was back to being his old self again:) Thank goodness for antibiotics!!! He weighed 27 1/2 pounds at the doctor's office. He actually looks (and feels) like he is thinning down some to me.

Reid has started to have quite the personality. He likes to dance and sing. He has started saying a few things. He says Mama, Dadda, Bubba, Bye Bye, ball and a few other things very plainly. But he babbles like a maniac! I would love to know what is going on in his little brain with all of that babbling. He is also quite the climber. He climbs on EVERYTHING! It is kind of scary. I have found him on top of the dining room table, and he also climbs on the desk on a daily basis!!! We call him a billy goat!

He still loves to sleep. He still sleeps from 9ish-11ish in the morning and then takes another 2 hour nap in the afternoon. He is so grouchy when he doesn't get that morning nap. My MIL kept him yesterday for me to take Wyatt to Blue Bayou, and he was not a happy camper over there. But he won't sleep unless he has a baby bed of some sort to sleep in. That is why I usually leave him with my mom instead of my MIL! Oh well, they both lived through it:)

He still doesn't like to watch TV. He may have increased his time from 5-10 minutes, but it is NOTHING compared to Wyatt at this age. Sometimes I really wish that he would sit still for 30 minutes and watch something. But he never has, and I wonder if he ever will?

He also loves to jump. He started jumping on the trampoline a couple of weeks ago. He is so cute how he jumps up! If we ask him to jump in the house, he will try to do it, but it's not as easy inside! He also loves to jump on Wyatt's bed! Only Wyatt's though, not mine! He is funny....he knows what he wants!!!

He is so sweet, but he definitely has a strong will! We love him to death! Sometimes I still can't believe he's mine! I am forever grateful!!!

Show Us Your Life--Lenox Solitaire

2010-06-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Kelley's Korner is hosting Show Us Your Life on your china patterns. Mine is Lenox Solitaire.

First off, let me say that if I could rewind 12 years, I would NEVER have registered for china. It has been in the top of a closet at my parents' house for all of these years! I have never used one piece of it, and I doubt I ever will. It is VERY pretty, but it is TOTALLY impractical! Maybe I will go break open some of the boxes for my next party for friends! That would be hilarious! We usually eat on paper plates. Not really, we often eat on our everyday dishes which are Italian Countryside by Mikasa. I still love these dishes after all of these years!

The green dishes that Kelly showed are much more my style today. Maybe I should sell all of my china on ebay. That's an idea!!!

Wyatt and Reid

2010-05-10T08:46:00.001-07:00

Kelly's Korner did a post about baby names and how you came up with them. When I was pregnant with boy #1, I remember sitting at home by myself and thinking of the name Wyatt. I have NO idea where it came from. When my husband came home from work, he walked in the door. I distinctly remembering sitting on the couch and saying, "What about Wyatt?" as he walked through the door. I FULLY expected him to say, "Are you crazy?". He said, "I like it." Now keep in mind, this was 2001. There were NOT many Wyatt's running around. NONE that I knew of. Now (almost 9 years later) I hear it and see it much more often. So, that was the name if we were having a boy. When we found out in March 2001 that he was indeed a boy, that was his name, and we NEVER wavered on that decision. His middle name is Bradley which is also my husband's middle name. I tried out some other names with Wyatt, but I always came back to Bradley. So, boy #1 is Wyatt Bradley.

It took us 6 years to finally get pregnant again (with 2 miscarriages during this time), so I had A LOT of time to think about baby names. My daddy had given me his baby book, and I was looking at it one day. I never realized that my daddy's grandfather's name was Lawson. I fell in love with that name. I knew that if we ever had another boy, I wanted his name to be Lawson. When we realized that our baby #2 was going to stick around, we discussed names with friends and family at every gathering. Everyone loved Lawson, except for one very important person---my husband. When Wyatt was 4 years old, he had a boy in his class named Tyler. Tyler had a little brother named Reid. I remember at his end of the year party thinking that was a cute name, but I never gave it much thought after that. At this point we knew that we were having boy #2. On the same couch where I thought of Wyatt, I was sitting with a friend one night. We were on the subject of baby names AGAIN. I remembered the thought of Reid, and I opened my mouth and said it OUT LOUD. Before it left my mouth, I knew in my heart of hearts that my husband was going to like it. He had liked NOTHING else that I had mentioned (or anyone else for that matter). Sure enough, he liked it and he NEVER let it go. So, after much fighting up until the day boy #2 was born, I lost out on Lawson and boy #2 was named Reid Patrick. Patrick is in honor of my husband's dad who passed away in 2006. It took me a long time to get over his name not being Lawson. I even have friends who still call him Lawson. But I have grown used to Reid being his name. Naming boy #2 was a MUCH more difficult and emotional decision than naming boy #1. I hope they both like their names when they get older......

Loss of Two Great Men

2010-04-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on blogging. Lance's two cousins, Jacob and Trey, were killed in a traffic accident on Friday, April 9th. Life has been in a tailspin ever since.

Jacob and Trey were wonderful men. They were both 38 years old. Jacob was the father of Matt (8) and Addison (4). He was the husband to Melissa. They had been married for 11 years just like Lance and me. They were married about 6 weeks before us. Matt was born 5 weeks before Wyatt. Trey was the father-to-be of Blaize who is due in August. Trey and Mistie had just found out that they were having a boy. Trey was ecstatic to finally be a father, and he was very happy to be adding another boy to the Kiger family. Blaize will be the 17th Kiger great grandchild and the 15th boy!!!

These two have a left a hole in so many hearts. They have left behind mothers and fathers, wives, children, sisters and brothers and cousins who all loved them beyond words. The journey of grief is a long and winding road. I pray for this entire family, my extended family, daily.

Where Did My Baby Go???

2010-04-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday we went to Dr. West for Reid's one year check-up. Reid has been exceptionally healthy during his first year. For that I am SOOO thankful! He actually had a bad croupy cough on the Sunday before the doctor's appointment, but by Tuesday it was better. He looks great. He started walking about one week before his birthday, so he is right on target for his milestones. He has been eating table food for a long time now, and he loves EVERYTHING. He is a huge lover of food like his MOMMA! (and DADDY too)

Reid weighed 8 lbs and 2 oz. when he was born. He weighed 25 lbs and 6 oz. last Tuesday. He is is the 75-90th percentile for weight. He was 20 inches when he was born. Last Tuesday he was 31 inches. This is also in the 75-90th percentile. So, he is consistent in both weight and height.

What a difference a year makes!!!!

Wyatt was with us for the appointment. I had already warned him that Reid would be getting a shot. He is soft-hearted when it comes to his brother. Reid cried, but it was short-lived. Wyatt loved going to Dr. West with us and telling her all about Reid's life. He is a sweet brother.

Reid is pretty much opposite of Wyatt in many aspects. As I already said, Reid loves to eat. Wyatt merely eats because I force him to. Reid WILL NOT watch TV. It is the most bizarre thing to me. At about 3 months old Wyatt started absolutely loving Veggie Tales and Baby Einstein. Baby Einstein would MESMERIZE Wyatt. Reid will not watch anything. He may watch for 2 or 3 minutes, and then that's it. Reid does love music. If he hears music playing he will start dancing. It's too cute.

He is not very verbal yet. He babbles a lot, but not many words yet. He says ma ma and da da sporadically. He says "bubba" sometimes for Wyatt. Recently he started saying "nigh nigh" for his lovies. He associates them with going night night. He waves bye bye sometimes and says bye bye. He just doesn't say anything a lot. Maybe he will be my quiet child:)

Cleaning Tips!

2010-03-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

Kelly's Korner is hosting a Show Us Your Life about Cleaning Tips! Well, I HATE to clean worse than anything in the world. So, my best advice for cleaning is to have an event at your house. Have a birthday party, a dinner party, a football watching party or a shower of some kind. My house never sparkles like it does when a bunch of people of coming over.

I have been trying out Fly Lady. I think she has some good points. But my favorite quote is "My house was clean yesterday, sorry you missed it!" It's so true......I think that's why I HATE cleaning so much. It's right back to dusty, dirty floors, laundry piling up the SECOND after it was sparkly clean. UGGH!!!! Maybe one day I'll become a domestic diva. But until then, I'll keep throwing parties once in a while. Then, I know my house will sparkle for a least a couple of hours!

The Real Birthday

2010-03-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

It has become a tradition that we take the "birthday" person out to eat for their birthday. Since Reid can't tell us where he wants to go, we took him to Wyatt's favorite which is Outback. Reid LOVES to eat. So, if you keep the food coming, he is a happy boy. He did start to wear out at the end, but overall he did well. Next year, I wonder where he will pick???

"It's my birthday, and I'll cry if I want to."

His brother made him laugh!

Happy Birthday Reid

2010-03-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

We waited soooo long for Reid. Now that he is here, I want time to creep by....to enjoy every moment. But time marches on, and he has turned ONE. How in the world did I let that happen? His birthday was Tuesday, March 23rd. We had his party on Sunday, the 21st. I picked the WORST day in the last 3 weeks of March to have his party. A cold front came through on Saturday. The high on Sunday was 54. It was miserably cold and windy. I remember when I found out Reid was due in March, I was so excited over a Spring baby. I could have awesome birthday parties outside in our huge yard. Ha-Ha! Not this year. We were prisoners inside.....Oh well, Reid didn't know any better.
This little "smash" cake was supposed to JUST have and "R" on it. The lady misunderstood me. So, it said Happy Birthday R. We got a good laugh out of that! Brotherly Love
Reid had no problem digging into the cake!

Reid received many nice gifts. He got a lot of spring clothes, a few toys and this pillow from Kemper. It matches his bed skirt! I love it!!!

He will definitely be wearing this outfit for Easter. This outfit was a gift from the Perdue's!

Future LSU Tiger???

2010-03-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

Check out the tumble that Reid takes at the end.....

Brothers and Dirt

2010-03-19T07:13:00.000-07:00

I am so glad that after the vast age difference between Reid and Wyatt that Reid was a boy! God definitely knew what he was doing. They love each other so much. It makes my heart so happy. Here are two new pics of them together.

Reid's first birthday party is Sunday. My dad came over to help me plant flowers in the flowerbed that hasn't really been a flowerbed for many years now. Reid was napping when he first got here, but then he woke up, and I wondered what would I do with him??? First I put him in the stroller. He was watching us and eating a snack. That kept him happy for about 45 minutes.

Then the squirming started! We were so close to being finished, so I decided to put him down in the grass and see what he did. He crawled over to where we were working, and he went to town! He had so much fun playing. He played for about 1 hour, and we never heard a peep out of him. He is so good. I bet he would love the beach and digging in the sand. He is soooooo OPPOSITE of his brother.

One Week

2010-03-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

In one week, my baby will turn ONE! How in the world has this year flown by so quickly? It is happy and sad all at the same time. I am not a NEWBORN stage lover, but I don't want him to grow up so fast either. I look back at those bleary-eyed first months, and I am SO glad they are over. But I also can't believe that he is walking already. It's amazing how in one year they go from helpless infants who can't do anything to big boys who are walking and trying to communicate with us. It's a miracle to watch every day. I am so thankful! So, goodbye babyland, hello toddlerville. Can't wait to see what this second year has in store.....

Thanks Dollar Tree

2010-03-06T06:49:00.000-08:00

A while back Kelly's Korner had a "Show Us Your Life" on collections. I have NO collections. Then, I was cleaning out my medicine cabinet in my bathroom, and I realized that I DID have a collection. But thankfully the collection is now complete.

I was an avid collection of negative pregnancy tests. In the world of "infertiles" I think this is probably a quite common thing to collect. Sad, but true. Even though years go by with no positive outcomes, "infertiles" HAVE a great urge to take a test every month.

But, I am so cheap (frugal) that I could not justify spending that much money to get a negative result month after month. Then I discovered, much to my joy, that Dollar Tree sold pregnancy tests AND ovulation tests. Oh the joy that filled my soul when I realized this. And they actually worked! I read on different pregnancy bulletin boards that people were taking them, and getting REAL, TRUE positive results...followed up by the same results at the doctor's office.

So began my monthly run to the Dollar Tree to collect pregnancy tests and ovulation tests. A certain store on a certain Lane in a certain city had them out on the aisles. All other Dollar Trees around this certain city had them behind the counter, so you had to actually ASK someone for them. Oh, the horror! So....embarrassing. So, I would try to make it to that one certain store where they were out on the aisle, but sometimes I had to endure the humiliation of asking for them. And then the next month, I would wonder, "Do they remember me from the month before, and the month before, and the month before?" My name is Amy, and I am addicted to buying and taking pregnancy tests.

But I am very thankful to the Dollar Tree for letting me indulge in my addiction to peeing on a stick every month without breaking the bank. I mean, I can flush a dollar down the toilet without feeling too guilty:)

But I am most thankful for the test with the two lines, that really was accurate, and that brought me this 9 months later:) Thanks Dollar Tree....I couldn't have made it through my last few years of being an "infertile" without you.

11 Months

2010-02-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today Reid is 11 months old! Where oh where did the time go? I have failed miserably at taking monthly pictures like I promised myself I was going to. I started out on a roll, and of course I fizzled. But that's okay, there are plenty of pictures to go around.

Reid is the light of our lives. He is so sweet, and people tell us all of the time how happy he always is. This statment is fact unless he is two things: HUNGRY or SLEEPY. Don't get in between the baby and his food or bed.

He loves to eat. He will eat anything that isn't nailed down. And he loves to sleep. He takes a morning nap and an afternoon nap. Both naps usually last 2 hours each. He usually goes to bed around 7:00 p.m., but it has been a little later lately. He has recently been waking up around 7:30 a.m.

He has been standing unassisted a lot, but he is still not taking many steps. I REALLY thought he would be walking by now. But I am NOT upset that he is not.

Reid is in a size 4 diaper which he has been for a LONG time. He is wearing size 12-18 month clothes.

His eyes are still blue although they are DARK blue. His hair is still very curly. He actually needs another haircut. He still only has 7 teeth. This stretch is the longest it has been since he has gotten a tooth. I am beginning to wonder if number 8 is ever going to come in!

He is learning to dance and LOVES to listen to the Who Dat Black and Gold Superbowl song. He wants to see the computer screen if it's on You Tube. He will cry if you put him on the floor. He wants to be front and center. He dances and puts his hands up in the air. I want to get it on video, but every time I try, he chases after the camera.

I am so looking forward to his birthday party. We are so blessed to have him, and we can't wait to CELEBRATE this first year!

Super Bowl Win, Snow, Anniversary, Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras--WHAT A WEEK!!!

2010-02-20T09:52:00.001-08:00

The Saints won the Super Bowl in case anyone hasn't heard! I have never followed the Saints, but I knew they were getting better over the last 4 years since Hurricane Katrina when Drew Brees joined the team. But of course, when they are going to the Super Bowl, we all got interested. We had a few friends over to watch the game. When the Saints made the interception at the end of the game that sealed the win for them, we all jumped up and screamed extremely loudly. This is what we heard and saw when we quieted down a bit. Luke and Reid are the youngest of the bunch, and we scared them to death!!! These pictures don't do it justice....poor fellas!

Our anniversary is February 12. To welcome the day, we had snow! In South Louisiana, it has snowed three times in 1 year and 2 months! Talk about crazy. Pardon my hair and lack of makeup in these pictures.

This year was our 11th year of marriage! Time truly does fly by. It's amazing what we have gone through in these years. I am thankful for my husband more than words can say.

Valentine's Day was about as low key as you can get. We went to church and then to my parents' house for lunch. My mom gave the boys balloons which Reid is obsessed with right now.

And last but not least, Wyatt and I went to the Metairie parade with some friends from church. This parade was only my second time to actually go to a New Orleans parade. The Metairie parade is "family friendly" and was on Tuesday morning. Lance stayed home with Reid. It was very cold that morning, but we warmed up with the excitement of the parade.

It was a very fun and exciting week for us! Sorry about the smallness of some of these pictures. I copied them from Facebook, so that must be why. I didn't have my camera with me:(

Battle with Secondary Infertility

2010-02-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

Nine years ago at this time I was pregnant with my son who is 8 years old now. I remember getting on pregnancy bulletin boards on the internet and reading about people going through infertility or secondary infertility and wondering how in the world people could be so "unlucky". I remember thinking, "How do you go through that?" Little did I know that my own future would lead me down the road of secondary infertility that would last almost six long years.

My oldest son was born on July 11, 2001. At the time, I was working full-time. I was lucky enough to have a boss that allowed me to work part-time until he was almost a year old. Unfortunately, I had to apply for a full-time job at that time, and right before his first birthday I went back to work full-time. It was a very sad time because I wanted nothing more than to be a stay-at-home mom. But I had to wait. I think God was preparing my heart for the wait that was to come. At this time, I stopped taking birth control pills again anticipating getting pregnant very soon, and that my kids would be two years apart. Looking back at that now, I laugh at how silly that seems. To be so CONVINCED that something is going to automatically work out that way. For many it does, but for me it DID NOT.

It took a little while for it to sink it that something was going on. It took four months for us to conceive our first son, so I thought, "give it a few more months...it will happen". My husband was always working out of town except for on the weekends, so my doctor dismissed it as that. But I had a feeling that it was more than that.

I had blood work done, my husband had a semen analysis done, and I had an HSG done to test my fallopian tubes. Everything was perfect. So, now what? I finally was able to quit my job. I went to my doctor one more time to talk about the infertility before I stopped working. She once again dismissed it and said she did not want to put me on Clomid. So, that was my last visit with her. I quit my job in May 2004. I thought maybe the stress of working was affecting my fertility. I prayed that I would get pregnant once I stopped working. I finally saw an infertility doctor in early 2005. He put me on Clomid, and we had an IUI performed. I did not conceive. I was devastated, but I also did not want to pursue any further infertility treatments. The infertility doctor at our local hospital is at the same building where all of the OB/GYNs practice. So, when you go to the infertility doctor, you pass by MANY, MANY pregnant women. It was more than I could bear emotionally. Amazingly, in August of 2005 I found out that I was pregnant. We were beyond ecstatic, but we also were bracing for Hurricane Katrina. There was another hurricane brewing as well. At my first doctor's appointment, my doctor saw the baby's heartbeat immediately. A couple of weeks later, he had trouble finding it but eventually did. A few weeks later I started bleeding. The unthinkable had happened. I was miscarrying. Devastation is NOT the word. It was the most emotionally draining thing that I had ever gone through. I had a D&C on November 2, 2005. My doctor and I agreed that we would just try on our own for a while since I had conceived naturally.

Months passed with no luck, and I decided that maybe I should try to take Clomid again with my new OB/GYN. She is beyond an angel on this earth. She encouraged me along the way to never give up. I took Clomid for a few months, and then I stopped again. It was TOO much. I was sick of looking at the calendar and thinking about it constantly. I needed a break emotionally and physically. May 2007 rolled around, and I took a pregnancy test like a did most months. However, this test was positive unlike all of the other ones. I couldn't believe it! We had conceived naturally again. It had only been 1 1/2 years since my miscarriage. For me that was FAST! It's amazing how your mind changes when you are going through infertility. All of my initial bloodwork looked great. I scheduled my first OB appointment for 9 weeks into my pregnancy. The appointment was going to be on my son's 6th birthday, July 11, 2007. I wondered when I made the appointment if that was a good idea or not. My doctor came into the room, and she was as ecstatic as we were. She had the doppler to try and listen for the heartbeat. She told me that it was probably too early, but we would do an ultrasound if she couldn't find it with the doppler. She couldn't find it, so I walked into the next room for an ultrasound. My husband was with me this time. He wasn't with me when I found out about the first miscarriage, so I was very thankful he was by my side. My nerves were out of control. The ultrasound started, and I was looking at the screen. I knew immediately that the baby was gone. The baby was formed perfectly for us to see on the screen, but there was no heartbeat. I said it first and broke the silence. My doctor could barely talk. I didn't even cry. I was FURIOUS!!! I couldn't believe that God had allowed this to happen again! WHY??? That is all that I could think of. AND it was my son's birthday. We were supposed to go to Chuck E. Cheese with his friends after this appointment. My doctor took us back into the other room. I immediately said, "I can't ever do this again." She said, "I don't think that I am ready for you to say that." I was 35 years old, and I had always prayed that I would have a baby by 35. I was so fearful of Down's and other chromosomal abnormalities that arise more frequently after 35. I had my second D&C a few days later.....my second in 20 months. My life seemed like a bad nightmare at this point. How would I walk forward???

The next few months were filled with my son starting Kindergarten which was a good distraction. I was also working part-time, so that filled up my days. In December of 2007, my husband and I talked to a different infertility doctor. He recommended that I take Femara which is more effective in some patients than Clomid. He conferred with my doctor, and she followed his protocol. Like I said, she is an angel here on earth. I took Femara for two months, and on the second month of taking it I said NO MORE! It made me CRAZY!!!! It's not supposed to have those side-effects, but for me it did. I finally resolved in my mind that if God wanted us to have another baby, then He was BIG ENOUGH to do it. Despite the fact that I had been told I had a less than 1% chance of getting pregnant. Despite the fact that I had 2 miscarriages. AND despite the fact that I had JUST turned 36 in February. My doctor asked me if I was sure, and I said, "Yes, I'm done with this!" I really was DONE with any type of infertility treatment. I felt like God was testing me to see if I really would just GIVE IT UP! I was determined that I had to be content even if I never had another baby.

My son's 7th birthday rolled around on July 11, 2008. I am fairly certain that my second son was conceived almost one year to the date of the miscarriage the year before. On July 23, 2008 I found out that I was pregnant AGAIN!!! Naturally again!!! From the moment I saw two lines on the test, I had a feeling in my bones that this was it. This baby was the "promised" baby. I felt all along in my years of secondary infertility that God was going to give us another child. I somehow "felt" that this was it! Nerves and anxiety set in like you would not believe. I prayed for an uneventful pregnancy and for everything to be perfect throughout. I prayed for NO SPOTTING which I had had with all three previous pregnancies. Do you know that I never ONE DAY had any spotting. I felt that was my sign from God that everything was going to be okay. All of my bloodwork was great! At 7 weeks I went for my first ultrasound. The baby's heart was beating away. First hurdle was jumped:) Two weeks later I went for my first OB appointment. We heard the baby's heartbeat right away. Second hurdle jumped:) At each hurdle we crossed, the anxiety lifted little by little. I still had great ultrasound fears. In October 2008, I went to Maternal Fetal Medicine for an ultrasound because I was 36 and because of my history of infertility and miscarriages. We found out that we were having a PERFECT baby BOY! I cried tears of JOY! I couldn't believe that FINALLY the nightmare was OVER!!! The rest of my pregnancy was uneventful, and I delivered my miracle boy on March 23, 2009. He weighed a hefty 8 lbs, and 2 oz. And he took his sweet time making his entrance. As if we hadn't waited long enough, he did not want to come out!!!

I am linking this to Kelly's Korner blog. She too went through infertility. If you read this, and you are going through it right now, my words to you are NEVER GIVE UP! You never know when your miracle is coming. This is a very condensed version of my six long years of trying. The years were filled with much, much sadness. Many tears were shed, and many questions were asked of God. It was, by far, the hardest, darkest time of my life. But I walked through it with many prayers and many people lifting me up. Keep praying and hoping. Never, NEVER give up. And follow your heart. If your heart tells you to stop pursuing infertility treatments, STOP. If your heart tells you to push forward, keep going. If you feel led to adopt, do it if you can! God will make a way where there seems to be no way....

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS." Lamentations 3:22-23

The Coat

2010-02-15T14:25:00.000-08:00

A very long time ago, I was at Marshall's or TJ Maxx, and I saw this little baby boy's coat that I LOVED! It was on clearance, so I decided to buy it and try to sell it on ebay. It was very inexpensive, so I figured I could make a few dollars selling it. I also bought two Christmas outfits from a Kelly's Kids sale that I was going to sell on ebay. I posted my goods on ebay, and only one of the Christmas outfits sold. I tried again, and still the other two things didn't sell. I decided that I would just stick them in the back of the closet and give them away to a friend at some point. Well, all of our friends had girls that year, so I was still stuck with the outfits. Later on, four of my friends were pregnant gain. All of them had boys, but they were ALL born in August or September, so the coat and the Christmas outfit didn't fit any of them at the right time. They were still stashed in my closet.

Fast forward to July 2008 when I found out that I was pregnant. One day I was digging in my closet and I found the outfit and coat. I realized that if I were having a boy, they would fit him perfectly in the winter months. Well, as you know, the rest is history. Here's pictures from our very impromptu photo shoot in "the coat".

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

10 Months and Full of Fun

2010-02-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

Reid is 10 months now, and he is full of fun and energy! He has done a lot of new things lately. He says Ma Ma, Da Da, and Ba Ba. Not ALL of the time, but we know he knows now who we are. He also started waving bye bye. It's so cute! Just yesterday he started standing unassisted A LOT! And he took one little step two different times. Yikes! I am sure that he will be walking soon!

He is into everything. His favorite thing to do right now is open cabinets and dump out all of the contents. He is BUSY!

He still loves to eat. Seems he never gets enough. He wants WHATEVER it is we are having. I have never given him anything that he refuses or spits out. He eats all vegetables and all meats. He loves biscuits and pancakes and OREOS. I gave him an Oreo the other day when Wyatt was eating them! I would have NEVER let Wyatt have an Oreo at 10 months old! Second babies are lucky:)

Reid's First Haircut

2010-01-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

I finally took Reid for his first haircut last week! I didn't want to get it cut because of the curls, but I knew that it was time. It was getting really shaggy. I took him to Cuttin' Up where I used to take Wyatt. Mrs. Denise is so sweet, and I wanted her to meet Reid. She did a great job, but he looks like a big boy now which is a little sad. He did not fuss at all. I hope he stays that way and doesn't turn into a haircut phobic like Wyatt was! So, Reid had a big week last week with the haircut and the dentist:)

Reid's First Dentist Appointment

2010-01-18T10:47:00.000-08:00

I don't have any pictures of this, but Reid saw Dr. Hunt on Friday. Wyatt had an appointment for a check up on Friday morning because he was out of school. When Dr. Hunt came to talk to me, I asked her to look at these little spots on Reid's bottom two teeth. She said that she could scrape them off right then. So, we went back, he sat in my lap and then laid back in her lap, and she scraped them off without a problem. He did cry a little, but overall he was a big boy. She said they were little calcium deposits. The hygienist then cleaned all of his teeth with the cleaner that they use on us! It was funny! He didn't cry on that part because the cleaner tasted like strawberry, and you KNOW he loves to eat! So, Reid had his first dentist visit at 9 months old:) Wish I would've have known so that I could have had a picture!

9 Month Check Up

2010-01-07T09:51:00.001-08:00

We went for Reid's 9 month check up today! He looks great! His ears have cleared up, and he is still a chunky monkey! He weighed 24 lbs and 2 oz. (90-95th percentile) He was 29 inches long. (75th-90th percentile) He seems long to me, but I guess not THAT long! He is a sweet baby! Dr. West said how happy he is! He is a happy boy unless he is hungry or sleepy! The rest of the time we get lots of smiles! I am so thankful. We are blessed!

The picture above shows a hat that we bought for him at Woman's Hospital the day we found out that he was a boy. It's a size 12 month, but I think Reid's head is BIG! According to today's head measurements, his head is greater than the 97th percentile! Ha Ha! The hat barely fits him, but at least I have one pic with him wearing it! The day that we bought the hat, we were filled with such joy over a healthy baby. Two cute older ladies checked us out at the gift shop. They saw our ultrasound pics and asked what we were having. We told them a boy, and we had another boy at home. They said, "Oh you can try again for a girl!" I told them how badly Lance wanted it to be a girl. We said, "Oh no, this is it, if we have a girl, she would come from China." They thought we were funny, but we were so serious! No more babies will come forth from me:)

Reid's First Christmas

2010-01-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas was SOOO much fun! Christmas Eve we went to church at Istrouma, and the service was beautiful! Then we went to my parents' house. We had a nice, laid-back Christmas Eve. Christmas morning Reid was the first one up as usual. He really acted like he knew what he was doing on Christmas morning! We gave him some little Weeble Wobbles and his eyes just lit up. Wyatt woke up not long after Reid, and they both headed straight for the tree. Reid loved his puppy dog named Scout and his Little People Nativity. Wyatt loved his Band Hero and his 2 new games for Wii. We went to Lance's mom's on Christmas Day. It was fun, and the kids enjoyed seeing their cousins and their great grandmother Libby.

9 Months Old

2009-12-23T08:50:00.000-08:00

Today Reid is 9 months old. Boy, the time has flown by! Hard to believe it's the same amount of time that I was pregnant with him. Somehow the second 9 months went by faster than the 9 months of pregnancy!

I took Reid to the doctor almost 2 weeks ago for a bad cold. He weighed 24 pounds even. We go at the beginning of January for his 9 month check up. He is a little monster! He started crawling around 7 months, and then he started pulling up within a few weeks after that. He even crawls up the three steps from our den to the rest of the house. We have to watch him like a hawk constantly.

He babbles a lot, but he doesn't say anything yet. He loves Wyatt to death! Wyatt can make him laugh like no one else!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I can't wait to see how he reacts to all of the Christmas festivities. He is such a fun age right now. I am loving this age!

Ghosts of Christmas Past

2009-12-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

For many years I dreaded Christmas. It was fun because of Wyatt, but it was sad because it marked another year without a baby. Several years ago I bought a Santa chair at Target after Christmas. I hoped that one day a baby would fill it! It's a little hard to see in this picture, but Reid is sitting in it. Sooooo cute!

My first miscarriage was in November 2005. That Christmas I wanted to buy an angel ornament to signify our angel baby in Heaven. Here's a picture of that beautiful ornament.

My second miscarriage was July 2007. That Christmas season I searched for another angel ornament. I never could find one that I liked. At the time I was working at Jefferson Baptist Mother's Day Out, and our boss gave us all these ornaments that Christmas. Every year I unwrap these ornaments, and think about all that God has done. I think about the blessings and the hard times. But He has worked all things together for His good....in His time.

When I was pregnant with Wyatt in December 2000, I bought this ornament.

When I was pregnant with Reid in December 2008, I went to the Hallmark store after Christmas hoping to find something similar, and I bought this! Can you see it?

I can't wait to give them to them one day for their own trees. I told Wyatt about them the other day. He was less than impressed. He will be one day! I'm so glad for all of the ornaments and what they represent. I can remember when I got most of them. Many were at Sunday School Christmas parties where we did ornament exchanges! Those are always so much fun. One final ornament makes this entry complete. Last year, I made my annual trip to Hollydays! It was right before I knew whether I was having a boy or a girl. So, I didn't really buy anything. I saw this ornament, and then left without buying it. A friend of mine was working there, so I called her and asked her to go back and get it for me. Here it is. It represents a complete tree! It represents my four babies. Two here on earth with me, and two in Heaven waiting to meet again. I know they are there. I know that are dancing with Jesus! It makes me happy to know that I will meet them one day. But I am so happy on earth today that my tree is complete. This year I have two babies sleeping in their beds at night. This year there will be more laughter and presents on Christmas morning! I can't wait. I can't wait for all of the Christmases to come!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

Oh, we have so much to be thankful for this year! The roller coaster of infertility and miscarriages is over, and now new life is set before us. Reid is already 8 months old, so now I have an 8 year old and an 8 month old. We went to my MIL's on Wednesday night, and then Lance and Wyatt left for Mississippi on Thursday morning. So, I was by myself with Reid for Thanksgiving. We ate at my parents with my sister and one of her daughters.

I am so thankful for all of our blessings....for my husband and my 2 sweet sons...for all of the blessings that God has given us. I am so grateful for His provisions. He is so Good to us!

Reid's First Halloween

2009-11-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at the annual Rogers' Halloween party. This year it was in the man cave, and it was lots of fun! The kids played and the adults hung out in the cave and ate in peace:) Reid was Darth Vader, and Wyatt was a skeleton. I love Halloween! It's so much fun. I wonder how many more years Wyatt will want to Trick or Treat?

Miscarriages and Mysteries

2009-10-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine has a cousin who just gave birth to a baby with Trisomy 18. One year ago she lost a baby in utero. At the time (a year ago) I was pregnant with Reid. Finally things were going well after 2 miscarriages in a row. When I heard the news from my friend, I was so worried. What if that happens to me??? How would I survive?

And now one year later, she has the new baby with a poor prognosis. How is she surviving? There is a song by Natalie Grant called Our Hope Endures. It talks about people that go through what seems to be more than their share of heartache. And of course the question is Why?

When I was going through my 6 LONG years of infertility and the two miscarriages, I wondered how I would survive. But others' grief is so much more than what I have endured. I am eternally grateful for all of the blessings God has given me. None as much as my two sons. I am blessed beyond measure.

I am thinking of those, like my friend's cousin, who seem to have endured enough. I am praying for her and her family. I am praying that baby Christian will defy the odds. He is alive today which is a miracle. I pray for many more days for him here on the earth with his family.

One Tooth Out, One Tooth In

2009-09-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Wyatt turned 8 in July. He FINALLY lost his first tooth on Sunday. He is the only one of all of his friends who hadn't lost a tooth. He couldn't have cared less that he hadn't lost one yet, but he was SO EXCITED when it fell out on Sunday. It was so cute!

This morning, when I got Reid out of the bed, I noticed a white spot on his gums. He is getting the same tooth that Wyatt lost. It poked through today!

You know your 2 kids are far apart in age when one is losing teeth and the other is getting teeth:)

Unexplained Infertility Resolved

2009-09-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

I started out this blog in April 2008 to document my struggle with infertility. I had been journaling about it for a long time, but I wanted to turn my journal into a blog. I never entered the first post about infertility. On July 23, 2008 I found out that I was pregnant for the 3rd time in 2 1/2 years after nearly 6 years of trying. I will tie in some of the struggle with this new blog of joy in the birth of my baby boy. I now know how sweet the end result is because of the intense struggle to get here. And I know that God sent this baby to us straight from His right hand. I truly believe that the prayers of many believers are why we hold him today:)

4 Months Old Already

2009-08-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Reid turned 4 months on July 23rd. We went to the doctor today for his 4 month check-up, and Wyatt went for a check-up as well. They both had to get a shot:( Reid weighed 19 lbs and 10 oz. which puts him in the 97th percentile for weight. He was 26 1/2 inches long which puts him in the 90th percentile for height. He is a big fella! Wyatt is a bean pole. He was 53 pounds and he measured 4 feet, 3 inches tall. I took these pictures on July 23. Wyatt always has to make silly faces!

28 Weeks and Counting

2009-01-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

I went back to Dr. St. Amant at Maternal Fetal Medicine on Monday, January 5th for another ultrasound. The baby looks great. He is big...he already weighs 2 Lbs, and 14 oz. Dr. St. Amant said he was "generous". I also had my glucose tolerance test that morning which I passed. Thank goodness!

Quad Party

2008-11-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

Tonight Wyatt and I went to a party at Mrs. Kathy's house for Kami and Nick. It was a "sex" party as Nick said to reveal the sexes of the babies. They are having 3 boys and 1 girl. It is so exciting, and I am so grateful for what God is doing in their lives! Kami and Mrs. Kathy are moving to Phoenix the weekend after Thanksgiving. They will be there for the duration of the pregnancy and until all 4 babies come home!

Unwavering Belief

2008-04-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

"Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." Romans 4: 20-21

For a while now, I have wanted to start a blog. But I didn't really know how to do it or what I would say. So, today I just decided to do it and see what happens next. This is my first attempt to post. I won't write much today until I figure out how all of this works.