Off to W-A-R!!

By the time you are reading this, I'll will be in battle.

I LAUGH at the competition. WAHAHA!

Arm deep,

Elbows thrown,

Teeth bared,

and ready to take some other woman OUT!

Why??

So my two little princesses can have whatever they need or want.

That's right, Mommies...




It's CONSIGNMENT SALE Day!!

Another big life moment!

Someone had their first bite of food on Sunday.

Homemade rice cereal.  Yes, homemade and it killed my arm.  I whisked for ten minutes...I am that out of shape. ;)

Elizabeth helped me with the trial run- no heat for her.

 She liked it, until big sister tried to help her...but we recovered and tried more yesterday & today.  However, she hasn't really taken to it.  I don't thing she likes any of it.

First bite.

So not a huge success.  What she has eaten was much either.  Only a bite or two.  See video below (edited in the hopes of being funny, if not just let me think I am, I happy being delusional).

I think I may need to change my recipe.  It was a little grainy to me.  I'm going to cook my rice first and then mix it, instead of making a powder of uncooked rice and trying to cook it.

It might save my arm too. 

After rice we'll be trying banana or acorn squash.  We did acorn squash first with Elizabeth, so I'm a little bias towards it.

Still not sure about it.

I'm excited and not excited about this big change.  I love making baby food and seeing their faces when they try it.  However, it also means she is getting bigger.

She'll gradually need me less and less, and I'll start to miss those sweet baby nurses as she cuts back.

Well, I might be getting a little ahead of myself, I am a crunchy mom after all and don't plan to wean anytime soon.  Plus she isn't really taking to it yet. But still, she is growing up too fast.


It's not fair!! 

Good News

I found a DOCTOR!!

So here's the great stuff about him:

1. He listens to me.

2. He took me seriously from the moment I walked into his office.

3. We already have a plan of action for all my health stuff.

This is SO MUCH BETTER!!  I'm super happy.

The really great news, our plan does not involve me having a hysterectomy or having to get pregnant any time soon.  (Yes, I love kids, just not this close together)

It also doesn't involve me having to take Lupron anymore either (which means no menopausal symptoms)- Double YAY!

I'll be going in for some preliminary blood work and ultrasounds during different parts of my cycle to make sure I don't have any serious complications going on.  If all looks good, then I'll start a new medication regimen and if that goes well I may start a more "permanent" version of it. 

If none of that works, I have two other drug regiments I can try before moving onto the "hardcore" stuff.

We also talked about a brand new drug that is entering phase III in clinical trials.  It's the first time in a decade that a new drug is coming out for endometriosis.  It's a GnRH antagonist that can be taken orally.  No more monthly shots!!  If things move that direction I think I'd be willing to try it.  Though to be perfectly honest, I'm really hoping the first option works.  It'd be so much better for all of us (including Little Evie who is breastfeeding).

But all that aside, it just feels great to have a doctor who took me seriously!!

Slowing down

So with the start of school in a few weeks, my schedule has gotten a bit busier. 

-I'm already preparing my lesson plans and will be doing orientation next week.

-I'm still working on the etsy store.  Yesterday I ordered some business cards that I can put in my packages.  I've completed another pattern, and except for a few more, feel pretty good about what I can offer.

-My postdoc work is continuing this fall, which is very exciting for me.

-Kindermusik will be beginning again for the fall in a few weeks too.

All this together means I will probably have less time to blog, as my family time always comes first. So I'm going to try and keep up with 2-3 days a week.  I think this will be better for our schedule, especially once the teaching starts.

Wishing you all the best in bloggy land!!

Mommy Group Search...

So since moving back to TN and becoming a full time stay at home mom/part time work from home mom, I've been looking for ways to meet other moms and kids (Elizabeth's age). 

Originally I thought if I just signed up for the classes Elizabeth enjoyed, that I would meet people naturally.  In a year's time we have done Kindermusik, story time, gymnastics, and swim.  Which you think would have been enough to meet a lot of people...

The truth?  I've gotten to know two mommies just a little bit more than any others.  The sad part is, we only talk in the class time.  No play dates or anything. BOO.

So in an effort to change that, I decided to find a mommy group.  My first stop was today at MOPS (mothers of preschoolers).  I was excited and nervous to try it out.

It didn't turn out as great as I hoped.

First I parked and went up to the first tent, with both girls in tow.  It was the car safety people, who were just invited to the event.  They pointed me in the right direction, but not before one of the men told me that I shouldn't have the handle up on my infant carrier.  It wasn't in a great tone of voice either.  I was a little shocked, as I had never read that in my instructions or when I had the firemen install our carseat.  Not knowing what to say, I headed up to the MOPS part.

**Note, when I got home I immediately looked this up.  Our model of car seat is reinforced and the handle can be in any position safely.  It is older, cheaper models that cannot have the handle up.  That is why no one or myself had seen that.**

From there it was a little obvious that although this was a meet and greet event...it was for people that had invited other people.  Now no one was rude or unfriendly, but most of the women just said hello and know one really talked.  The organization was a little odd too.  I wasn't sure where to go and turn in my forms.

We went around for awhile, including going to the playground.  Myself and one other mother were the only ones who went with their kids to the playground. It was a little odd.  (or maybe I'm over protective??)

Finally, I decided to get Elizabeth a cupcake and go.  It was getting hot, and I didn't really talk to anyone.

So it was a bust. 

If you are wondering, I am going back.  I mean it seems like a good organization and I'm hoping in small groups I'll meet someone.  Plus it meets only once a month, so even if it is a little uncomfortable I can manage.

But it did reaffirm why being an introvert isn't always the best thing.  You see, I'm not what I call shy, but large groups throw me off.  I have a hard time connecting to people in those settings.  There is too much going on and it is hard to focus.

Plus I stink at chit-chat.

However, get me alone or in a small group and I can usually do pretty well.  If we find a commonality, then I'm great.  Heck, I'll talk your ear off.  But until I get to that stage, I just don't know what to do. 

I guess that's why big church events have been hard for me, and why I haven't always been very involved.  It's not that I want to be standoffish, but it's just hard to relate.

So my search for a mommy group continues.  Though I am going to give this one a second shot.  I don't want to judge to harshly.

Here's hoping for some better luck.

Getting Ready

I can't believe it...Evie is almost 6 months old. 

This was the age that we got Elizabeth baptized. So it's time to start planning Evie's baptism as well.

The good news, I already have the most beautiful dress, all courtesy of my mom. 

Elizabeth in the dress

I also have gotten the date nailed down.

Mom and I believe we have a menu for the luncheon afterwards, so that just leaves
-getting paper invites out
-having the pre-baptism talk with our Reverend
-fixing up some things in and around the house before guests arrive
-and picking out some clothes for myself (this will be the easiest, as I just bought some new dresses I love).

I'm looking forward to the day.  There is nothing more special than watching someone join God's family. 

"I have held thee in the palm of my hand."    Isiah 51:16

Busy, Busy

So it's been a busy couple of days.

Mark has been out of town, so it's just been me and the girls.  They have been great though. 

Yesterday we went to gymnastics and even little Evie got on the trampoline, with me of course.  Elizabeth is loving gymnastics more each day.  It's amazing!

Best thing, she takes a three hour nap on those days.

YAY!

Wedding Survey

So I'm totally copying a friend who did this earlier in the year (see her blog here), in honor of our seven years together.  Here goes!

1. When did you get married? ~August 7th, 2004

2. What day of the week was it? ~Saturday

3. Was this your first marriage? ~Yes

4. How many guests were invited to your wedding? ~About 150 (not that many people came, we just have lots of family)

5. How long were you and your significant other together before getting married? ~3 years

6. How did you meet your significant other? ~We met at a college party.  It was at his house and his roommate was throwing the party.  I was friends with his roommate because we were both psychology majors.

7. How did your engagement happen? ~So I totally ruined his grand plan.  He had hoped to take me out to a nice dinner at my favorite Italian Restaurant.  But that particular day was my final for Genetics.  It was an oral final and very stressful.  So after the final I headed home and waited for him to call me, only I forgot my cell phone was on silent.  Thinking we weren't going out, I put on my relaxing clothes and laid down.  Later on I checked my phone, I had a LOT of missed phone calls.  Anyway, he ended up convincing me to go back out, but I would only go to our local brew pub, The Sophisticated Otter.  After burgers we left and on the way to the car he called my name.  I whirled around and he snapped my picture.  Then got down on one knee.  The reason for the photo, hopefully, he said it would be my last photo as a single woman.

8. How long was the engagement? ~8 months

9. Did he ask the parents? ~Yes, my dad famously said, "I don't have a dog in this fight".  My mom, on the other hand, had quite a few questions for him.

10. Was the ring a surprise? ~Yes, I never had seen it.  He picked it out based on things I had said about friend's rings.  It is gorgeous.  A simple solitaire, round, with a strong setting.  Exactly what I wanted.

11. Where was your wedding ceremony and/or reception? ~Kingsley United Methodist Church (Reverend Ray Amos married us) with a reception at the Allandale Mansion.

12. What were your wedding colors? ~I guess you would call it a Periwinkle blue, but it had more lavender in it than traditional periwinkles. We had white flowers to complement and touches of pink around.

13. Did your father walk you down the aisle? ~Yes, to Canon in D.

14. What was the weather like on your big day? ~Fantastic, especially considering it was August.  It was in the mid-70's and the sun was out.

15. Where did you go for pictures? ~Outside and inside the church.  More in and outside of the mansion.

16. Did either of you get drunk? ~No, we didn't have alcohol.

17. What type of wedding gown/tux did you two wear? ~ I wore a white princess cut gown, and Mark wore a Tuxedo with a tie.

18. What was your wedding song? ~ No song.  We didn't dance.

19. What was your wedding favor/gift? ~ Personalized Hershey chocolate bars.  My bridesmaid, Kari and I painstakingly wrapped each one.

20. Did you smash the cake in the face? ~ No, I would have hurt him if we did. ;)

 
21. Wedding night? ~We had a bed and breakfast booked in Abingdon, VA.  We went to a local festival, watched a play at the Barter Theatre, and just enjoyed the town.  After the weekend was over, we got my stuff at my parents and moved to Kentucky.

22. Favorite part of your wedding day? ~ The reception and then after.  I loved seeing everyone after the service was over and then getting to finally relax.  We had been pretty stressed up to that point.  It made our honeymoon much better.

23. Least favorite part? ~ Right before the service, I was a nervous wreck. There were things I couldn't find, I couldn't get a hold of my mom, and I was worried about my hair.  My mom almost drugged me.  I wouldn't have blamed her.  Afterwards though, I relaxed and we had a lot of fun.

24. Would you do it all again? ~Yes.

25. Where did you go on your honeymoon? ~ Abingdon, VA

26. How long have you been married? ~ 7 years

Seven Years

Seven years ago today, I married a wonderful man.

August 7th, 2004

Through all these years, he has supported me during the tough times,

My graduation day- a joyous day, but 5 years of TOUGH work.

laughed with me during the ridiculous,

comforted me during the sorrow,

Mark's grandmother, who we lost last year. A wonderful woman, who truly invited me into her family. We miss her dearly.

and smiled with me during the joy,

The birth of our first baby girl- 2008.

 He has given me two beautiful miracle daughters,

Our two girls- 2011.

and provides happily for our family.

Our Family- March 2011

I have come to realize that marriage is more than a love filled with passion, to borrow the words of Paul Sweeney, "A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year".

Our order has varied too, but I couldn't be happier going through the chaos of life with any other person.

On our way to our honeymoon- August 7th, 2004

Happy Anniversary, Mark!!  I love you.