Monday, November 14, 2005

Hi Everyone!

Sorry that it has been so long since I've updated this thing. I want to avoid only writing about the crummy stuff, but that seems to be what occupies most of my thoughts so I just don't write.

Things are going okay here. I feel like everything is falling into place. Our last Dr's appointment sucked so we had a hard week last week, but we are doing better now. They tell us that they think we are having a little girl. We decided to name her Faith Elizabeth. Faith is just such an important thing to us right now and is what is holding us together so it seems an apropriate name. She is kicking alot and getting stronger. I love getting to feel her move (most of the time). I found a memory box that I want to get her and I need to get a handprint/footprint kit and an outfit. I want to be prepared for her when she decides to get here.

Ty is doing well. He mimics words like a crazy person and his new favorite phrase is "Cool, Cool." Halloween was fun even though he didn't love the fact that he had to wear his costume. He quickly forgot his discomfort when we gave him candy. He still loves his "show" and he dances now. It is really cute and quite funny.

I will again promise to update more often, but I think that you should realize that this may be an empty promise. I'll also leave you with a picture of Ty from Halloween becaue he is cute and it should make your day.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Not Good

We had our follow-up appointment yesterday. We were anxious and filled with hope. Unfortunately, we didn't leave with hope. My fluid levels are down to 0 and there are still no visible kidneys or bladder. We go back in 8 weeks for an ultrasound, but I don't really understand what for.

We want to be hopeful and we know that God can still perform a miracle, but we feel crushed after this news. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Guess what!

Today Josh felt the baby kick! Looking back on all of our dates with Ty, it is almost exactly one week later than with him. Also, the baby moved and kicked like a crazy person all through Bible Study. I couldn't help but smile. For those that don't know (most of you, I'm guessing), when there is no fluid around the baby it is very hard for them to move. I am taking the fact that Jr was moving like crazy as a really good sign.

I want to be honest, I am still really scared for our baby but I feel like God has already begun the healing process on him/her. The Bible says in SEVERAL places to ask God for things and do not doubt and they will be given to you. I do not doubt that God can and will heal our baby. Please keep praying for us.

Friday, September 30, 2005

Need Your Prayers

I know that I haven't been very good about updating my blog and I fully anticipated writing yesterday, but things just don't always work out the way that we plan. When Josh and I woke up yesterday morning our only discusssion was what to name this baby. Is it a boy or a girl? Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined the news that we would get.

After 2 ultrasounds, we were told that in all likelihood our baby does not have kidneys. If the baby had one kidney, we could cope, but no kidneys is apparently (and obviously) "incompatible with life". The baby looks great. It has a strong heart and is growing right on track. The only sign of a problem is that there is almost no amniotic fluid around the baby. We saw the baby sucking its thumb and looking at us. It looks great, just a little cramped.

We are a little numb right now and trying to figure out what to feel. I am writing only to let everyone that I possibly can know to pray for our baby. We have another ultrasound in 2 weeks. At that time they will make a more final diagnosis. They said there is really nothing that we can do, but I am going to try a light bedrest when Josh is home and will be drinking water like a mad woman to give the baby every chance that we can. Even with all of that, we know that God is the only one that fix our baby right now. Please pray for us and pray for a miracle.

Please.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Just a quick vent

Last night was nothing like the night before. Life is sucking for Josh and I this morning.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Just a quick brag

So last night, Ty slept ALL night in his big boy bed. He went to sleep at 10, woke up at 11:30 and quickly went back to sleep, woke up at 3 and did not so quickly go back to sleep, and woke for the morning at 7:30.

Perhaps even more amazing - no nursing. It has been 24 hours! My baby is a big boy. :(

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Let's Talk About Irritating Things.

The first thing that we can talk about is washing machine repair people. Our wonderful Maytag Front Loader has had some issues for quite sometime now. The bleach and fabric softener dispenser doesn't dispense. Also, the clothes that are washed in said washer may or may not smell like butt depending on the washers mood. The smart thing to do is call the repair man right (We have a service contract)? So we did that - in June. It is now the end of August and our washer still sucks. The repair man has been out 4 times so far and each time he tells us that the problem is fixed. Not so much is it fixed.

If that were all, that would be mildly irritating. However, I would like to address the 4-hour blocks of life the repair people steal from you for each service call. For instance, if I get an 8-12 time block, I assume that service people will be here at some point in that time range. This means that Ty and I do not do our fun morning activities because we are stuck at the house. When the repairman shows up at 12:45, that really irks me. So, the next time we schedule for 1-5. At 6:15, the repairman shows. Grrr. Today, we went the 8-12 route so we wouldn't have to invite the repairman for dinner. I got a call at 11:53 informing me that the repairman was sick and would not be out today. He will now grace our presence on Friday somewhere between 8 and 12. Right.

Friday, August 05, 2005

And today

I quit my job. Very sad, I say. I went in this morning and I did my exit checklist, cleared my desk, went to lunch, and got debriefed. Then, I sat in Josh's car and bawled. I know that I am stupid and should be thrilled to be staying at home, but I can't help but feel like my education is being thrown out the window. Not to mention that I am still paying on said over-priced education.

On a brighter note, I am no longer on bedrest. There is still a bleed in the baby's house, but as long as there are no outward signs, I just have to limit my activity. Yea! We also got ANOTHER ultrasound because they couldn't find the baby's heartbeat. He/she is fine and is even measuring a little big at this stage of the game.

Ty is doing well. He now walks around the house quacking like a duck when he has his duck towel. It is cuter than you can believe. He just makes me happy.

That is all for now. I'll see ya' later.

Saturday, July 30, 2005

I need validation!

I have decided that I want to know who reads this thing. Leave a comment so I know that you are all out there.

Oh, and I did bedrest a la movie theatre today. We saw The Island and I thought it was pretty good. Kind of weird really, but good. I don't really remember any language or nudity, but I know there was alot of blowing up.

Ty said, "Dada, no, no, Mama" today. I interpret that as I don't want to sit in your lap, dad, I want my mom. Too cute, if you ask me. David Hardin taught him how to say star and JC and Court played in the sprinklers with him today. The kid is going to be so sad when I am "un-bedrested". He will be completely bored!

In other news, I apologize to Amanda for having to see my house in its very sad state. Thank you so much for cleaning up for me - I can't so much do anything. Just know that I am mortified that you saw my room. I really appreciate you. My whole class at church has just been amazing through this crummy time. Thanks for the notes, the flowers, the meals, and the babysitting. I will never be able to express how much we appreciate you.

Edited to Add: A special thanks to my secret sister. I am about halfway finished with my first crotched (That looks REALLY wrong) blanket! Also, Courtney - I did not mention my attempt at knitting on this blog. That means you are a liar. :)

Monday, July 25, 2005

I am back (again)!

Hello! Just thought I would drop in and catch up on things. Ty had has 1st birthday a couple of weeks ago. We just had his party yesterday, though. It was great. He got an Elmo beanbag chair that he LOVES to lounge in and he got alot of cars and a leapfrog book. He was in Heaven and a few of those toys may soon "run out" of batteries. I will post a picture as soon as I download them from the camera.

The pregnancy is going well. I am 9 weeks. I am on bedrest due to a few problems, but they seem to be really clearing up. That means I should get the all-clear from the Dr. at my next appt (Aug 4) to get off the couch and begin life again. The nausea is NOTHING compared to last time. It is really nice not to get sick every single day.

Ty is doing so much lately. He says bird now and he pointed at me and said "Good". It made my day. Life is great with him around. I am really looking forward to getting to play with him again.

Hannah - thanks for the email. I will write you back soon. My laptop is broken and I can only sit at the computer for short periods of time. Also, what is Caleb's blog? I would love to read it, but can't find it.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

And so it begins.

Well, I thought that I could get away from it, but I was wrong. Morning sickness is rearing its ugly head. I have been queasy for a few days, but last night was the first throwing up experience. My goal is to not get admitted to the hospital this time. I hope it is better than last time. We shall see, I guess.

We went to the church building last night to watch fireworks with our friends. It was alot of fun! Ty seemed to really enjoy himself. He points alot and at one point, he started clapping for the fireworks. Cute. We also went to the 4th of July parade yesterday. It was fun - Ty did well. A man gave him a flag and he loved that. I will post some pictures later.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Guess I should update...

Well, the big news in our life right now is that we are having a baby! New Foster will join our family sometime in February (hopefully) -February 26th is the due date. Things are going wonderfully here. Other than the whole baby thing there is not a whole lot going on. Ty is doing wonderfully and we are enjoying every day with him. We can't believe that he is almost 1. That means that July is coming and all of the babies that are due in our class will be here soon. Congrats to the Cains on their new son, Ian - He is beautiful. Next is Sara's turn. Can't wait to meet Chase and then comes Alex Hardin. What a great month.

Oh and we aren't the only ones to recently find out that we are expecting! The Owens' and the Powers' also are having "bundles of joy" early next year. That is right, all of the July 04 mommas are expecting again! Yea!

Monday, June 13, 2005

Real Quick Update

Well, here is a really brief rundown of everything that has happened in the last few weeks...

Ty had his first plane ride (to Chicago), we went to Jodi's wedding (It was BEAUTIFUL), we had our 4th wedding anniversary, I quit my job, I UNQUIT my job and took a leave of absence. I think that wraps it up. Oh! And I hosted two baby showers - one for Sara Watterson and one for Shannon Iverson. Both went wonderfully well.

I will flesh this pOst out later, but right now, I am taking Ty to the park!

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Oh okay!

After the last post, I know you all just want to see one more picture of my baby. Here you go....

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

I'm back

I plan to be a more faithful blogger in the future - sorry about the lack of updates. Unfortunately, I think my life is going to have to get more interesting if I am planning to write more. Hmmmm....

Well, not a whole lot happening here. Ty took steps which is amazingly amazing (in my opinion). He is such a blessing. We have had a lot of fun playing with him and watching him grow up.

We leave for Nebraska in the morning. I am looking forward to seeing the fam, but definately not looking forward to the drive. Blech! Next week we travel again - this time to Chicago to see my good friend, Jodi, get hitched. It is a little unreal.

It is weird to think about people that you used to be so close to, but never see anymore. Jodi was my best friend. Now, we send an occasional email and that is all. Probably my fault, though. I am LOUSY about keeping up with people. I am afraid it is self-absorption (but I hope not). I know that the tendency is to get so involved in your own life that you lose sight of everyone else. I hate that but I am guilty of it. Oh well. I will try to renew my friendships as best I can. How's that for resolve?

Before I leave, here is a picture of Ty and me from Mothers Day. He's cute, huh? I love him so much and God has just blessed our lives so completely by giving us the chance to raise him. Now, for those reading that are expecting their own soon (Sara Watterson), good luck and enjoy it. It is wonderful.

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Grrrr....

I locked my keys in my car. Now, this is partially my fault, but I am not prepared to take responsibility for it just yet. I am not very responsible. So, to deal with the fact that I can NEVER find my keys, I have been leaving them in my car in the garage. Yesterday, I got out of my car, unlocked the doors, put my keys in the center console, and went around to pick up Ty. I did NOT lock my car because it is impossible to lock my car from the backseat and I didn't open the front doors. Fast forward to this morning... I am trying to load the kids bags into the car and I can't because MY DOORS ARE LOCKED. I fully blame Josh for this. I know that I didn't do it and now he has to drive all the way back here from work to get me my keys. To top it all off, I have to make up time for leaving early yesterday so I could pick up Ty since Josh had softball practice that he didn't tell me about. I REALLY can't afford to be getting there late. I am fuming. I know I'm being irrational but I don't so much care right now. This sucks! *end whine*

Monday, April 25, 2005

Guess What!

I am sick. Now for those that know me, this will come as no surprise. I attribute it to Ty. I have gotten sick about every other week since he was born and I really think that he catches stuff and I get it. I thought that this was allergies, but Claritin is doing no good. Any recommendations?

Also, I have decided to become a weather person. In what other profession can you be so wrong all the time and still keep your job?

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Where are you?

I am right here silly. It has been a while since I posted. I figure I need to stock up on things to say. Jobs are really good right now, I guess. It doesn't look like our group will be affected by the budget cuts so I am not going to be a Stay-At-Home Mom just yet. I guess that that is a good thing. Whatever.

Ty is great. He is cutting a tooth and he said his first word - tree. We are so proud of him. I know that tree is an odd first word, and we were is denial at first. I mean, really, what kid says tree before Mama or Dada. Oh well. He loves trees. What can you say? He is also standing by himself for short periods of time. He does so well! We are so excited.

This has been a fun weekend. On Friday Uncle Tim came over and we ate a nice dinner and had Birthdaycake to celebrate his turning 23. Ty loves Uncle Tim and had a great time. Then on Saturday, we went to a friend's garage sale and hung out for a while outside. At 2 we met up with a bunch of friends and were off to the Arts Festival. It was fun and very interesting. I must not be that into art because I would NEVER spend that kind of money on "art". Then all of those friends plus some came over for pizza and cards. We had a great time as always. Unfortunately, Josh and I both woke up sick this morning :( We don't know what's wrong, but we are sure we got it from Ty. Josh has to teach Bible Class this morning, so we will grin and bear it til we can come home and sleep it off. Good times.

Friday, April 08, 2005

Big News on the Job Front

Well, the indestructible may destruct! After being told that we had staffing requirements sufficient to be hiring new employees, this morning we have been informed that times have changed! Apparently the government has cut our funding and sent management into a panic.

I am not so much upset over this since I have been trying to decide whether I should become a stay-at-home mom and this may solve the dilemma. I guess that the moral is to be careful what you pray for. I asked God to show me what I should do and am now wondering if this is my answer.

Now, if Josh gets layed off, that would be a whole 'nother problem completely. If that happens, we may be moving to Texas a bit sooner than planned. I don't think that he will get layed off, but it is something that is hanging out in the back of our minds.

My folks are coming to visit this weekend! Yea! It hasn't been that long since we've seen them (a month maybe), but I miss them terribly. The more fun thing is that I am going to Texas for all of next week! That means I will miss that rumors that are swirling about layoffs at work and I can just relax. That is right, 9 days with no work! Bliss!

Thursday, March 31, 2005

It's Josh's Birthday!

Today is Josh's 27th birthday! He may be having a slight panic attack because he thinks he is now "late 20s". I vote that we end that trend. 27 is still mid-20's, in my opinion. Just think, 23 is considered mid-20's and that is 2 years from 25. Therefore, for the sake of symmetry, 27 must also be mid-20's. Granted, it is the trailing edge of mid-20's, but mid-20's nonetheless. I am glad that we've cleared that up now so that I don't have to worry about it when I am 27.

We got a babysitter for tonight and get to go out on a DATE! I almost can't believe it! I don't really know what we will do. Maybe go to dinner or a movie. If I had thought ahead, I would've planned a poker night with friends. No baby and poker would be fun. Now, I must go shopping!

Thursday, March 24, 2005

The Easter Egg Fiend

Okay, first thing first ... screw anonymity. I am Jen, The Engineer is Josh and The Boy is Ty. I am tired of re-writing stinking posts because I forget to be all secretive. Besides, I am linked to two pages that give alot of clues about our life anyway.

Now that I can write unencumbered - Ty loves Easter! It is so cute to watch him "hunt" Easter eggs! I love it! He crawls to the eggs and then just picks them up, shakes them, and lays them down again to find more. If I get time, I'll post pictures so that you can see. He is super cute!

Also, if I can figure out how to post video, I will put up a video of him laughing that is guarenteed to make you laugh. If I can't, just email me if you want to see it.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Nothing New

You may be wondering why I haven't really written much lately. It is obviously because there is NOTHING new to write about. Isn't that sad when two weeks of your life can pass without anything interesting happening?

The Engineer's birthday is coming up. I want to get him a LoveSac (www.lovesac.com), but they are SO expensive. I am holding my breath that his folks will help me go in to get it. I think he'd be solidly ecstatic.

Need to jet- have to get ready for work.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

Not-so Contented Life

Ever have one of those days that sucked the sickest suck that ever sucked? That was my today. Well, it was actually my 10 pm - right now. What is worse is that this thing that has me so upset that I can't sleep, so upset that I actually cleaned my kitchen at 11 pm, is really not that big of a deal. You know when you feel really insecure about something and someone does something that feeds that insecurity? That is what happened and it has really hurt me. I knew I was doing a lot - the mom thing, the wife thing, the employee, the friend (all though not a very good one, generally), the daughter, etc. But I didn't feel like I was doing it very well. Well, apparently I wasn't. Oh well.

On a lighter note - no more cry it out. I couldn't handle it. More importantly, The Boy couldn't handle it. We are back to our fun-lovin', co-sleeping selves. My family is in town this weekend. It is so nice to see them. The Engineer's family will be here in a couple of weeks. It will be great to see them again too. It has been a while and the boy has really changed since they saw him last. It will be a lot of fun to watch them interact.

Well, gotta go. There's a whole house waiting to be cleaned.

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

He claps!

Guess who claps now! That's right - The Boy. We have been trying to teach him for about a week and it finally clicked. He was so happy when his uncles came over that he showed them his new talent. He also used his abilities to show his love to Beyonce Knowles after her performance in the Oscars. We still need to teach him taste in music, I guess.

The Boy's whole world is about to change and I don't know who is less ready for it. We have decided that he NEEDS to learn how to sleep in his own bed because Momma NEEDS to sleep. Unfortunatly we have tried to do this the easy way. It didn't work. Cry it out is our next option. I am worried about how it will go, I will let ya'll know tomorrow.

Peace Out (We won't have any peace here, I'm afraid).

He claps!

Guess who claps now! That's right - The Boy. We have been trying to teach him for about a week and it finally clicked. He was so happy when his uncles came over that he showed them his new talent. He also used his abilities to show his love to Beyonce Knowles after her performance in the Oscars. We still need to teach him taste in music, I guess.

The Boy's whole world is about to change and I don't know who is less ready for it. We have decided that he NEEDS to learn how to sleep in his own bed because Momma NEEDS to sleep. Unfortunatly we have tried to do this the easy way. It didn't work. Cry it out is our next option. I am worried about how it will go, I will let ya'll know tomorrow.

Peace Out (We won't have any peace here, I'm afraid).

Saturday, February 26, 2005

General Ramblings

Well, I haven't written in a while and have been duly chastized. I promise to write more often, I swear - really. This has been quite a week! Not a whole lot has happened because The Boy has been sick as a dog. He has run a fever (102 -ish) for the last 3 days and has generally been a crank. Let me tell you what I hate about sick babies - pediatricians. I took The Boy in on Friday because he was lethargic and had a temp. The ped was a pain in the behind! He was not happy because we had been in last week (Checkup from double ear infection) and just generally was dismissive. HE didn't tell me anything helpful and made me feel like an overprotective neurotic mom. I mean, I am an overprotective, neurotic mom but he doesn't have to be all pissy about it.

The Engineer watched The Boy for me so that I could go out with the girls for dinner and cards. Have I mentioned that he is spectacular? It was a ton of fun. We brainstormed names for my friend Sara's son and then went to C.C's NEW house to play a little Hand and Foot. It was nice to have a little girl talk without The Boy needing my constant attention. Oh - and we found the most deranged DOT ever. There was definately a little penis in our box of movie candy. So Funny.

Anyway, I am done rambling. I put a picture of The Boy up to show him off. It is a month old, but like any bad mother, I am too lazy to download the new pictures off of the camera. C'est la Vie!


The Boy at Play Posted by Hello

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Texas, Rehab, and More

Well, it was a busy weekend. My brother "graduated" from rehab on Friday. He has hopefully moved from heroin addict to functioning member of society. Time will tell, I suppose. Isn't odd that we've been trying to stop him from using for years with no success, but we sent him off to a camp-like place for 6 months and now he's supposed to be totally better. He does seem like he's doing well, though, and it is very nice to see the old Tim.

We left the rehab graduation and went to Texas for the weekend. A friend from school had a personal shower and my cousin's fiance had a shower. Both were nice. The personal shower was interesting because 1/2 of the attendees were pregnant. That puts a whole new spin on marriage and sex. The bride-to-be didn't hear a lot of positive things from those ladies.

The Boy did well. I swear he said Momma, but only once. I can't count it as a first word since I was in another room and it could have easily just been babble.

Still love the hubby - he's patient as always. We went out with my folks and brother. It was a lot of fun. See HITCH!

Monday, February 14, 2005

My First Blog Entry!

Well, I am joining the land of the bloggers. I don't intend to bore with details of my political stances (not often anyway), but do intend to wax philosophical about family, religion, the people next door, etc.

An introduction seems appropriate at this stage. I am a first-time mom, age 25. I work part-time for Northrop Grumman testing weapon, radar, and vehicle management systems on the B2. I have been married almost 4 years to my husband, termed The Engineer and my son, The Boy, is 7 months old. I am living the contented life, loving most of it. I can't wait to be a Stay-at-Home Mom. Isn't funny how quickly ambitions change? Last year, I wanted to be THE up-and-comer and work. Suddenly all I want is to play peek-a-boo and go to the park.

Well, that is all for now. I will keep you updated as life happens. Oh, and Happy Valentines Day!