The Reynolds Family Blog

Catching up!

2011-11-15T15:19:00.001-08:00

No, we haven't fallen off the planet... Momma is just SuPeR busy! I am working a full time job and then a small part time job on the side. I am also trying to keep up with my painting business, although it gets pushed to the back burner all too often. Also, we have been so busy with church that I am there almost as much as home. That being said - I am SOOOOO happy and blessed right now, and can only imagine it getting better when Dave graduates and starts his career in a field that he loves.

Speaking of - Dave just finished his second clinical rotation and is back in the classroom/lab for the next 3-4wks until Christmas break. He is still doing exceptionally well grade-wise, maintaining his 4.0 GPA. And he seems happier than he has been in a long time :).

Cadence is my little artist! She loves singing (always has) and with me singing more and more at church and other places she is right there with me practicing all our songs in the car, shower, and at home. She also LOVES drawing and will find a pen and paper anywhere we go to draw me something or write the letters that she knows. BTW: she is writing about 5 letters so far! I love her to pieces!

Tatum is a normal 2yr old... following Big Sister around everywhere, trying to Pee-Pee in the potty, wanting to do everything herself, and asking "Why" about EvErYtHiNg!!!! She is not really getting any taller, but she seems to be slimming up some. Her vocabulary is unbelievable - and she is able to remember prayers, songs, sayings... just all kinds of stuff. Tatum still likes school, and asks about her friends when we are at home.

As for me, I am doing pretty well.... I have lost 30lbs since September and am feeling a lot better. I still have 30 more pounds to lose, but I feel like I have a really good grasp on it right now. I am now the Treasurer of our Sunday school class, and I am singing solos and specials with a few of our VERY close church members (actually my bestie's family). We are having a "Concert/Special Singing" at a local Rescue Mission at the first of December. I really do have things to do at/for/or with our church all of the time and I must say - I LOVE IT! I could not think of anything better to do with my time or energy than to spend it with my church family.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and anyone who knows me knows that that means - BlAcK fRiDaY sHoPpInG is almost here! I can't wait for both of these things this year (as every year). I'm also excited about the girls helping me with the Christmas tree this year.

That's all I have for now. Love you all. ♥

Me

2011-07-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

Well... not so hot on my end... I have, for the first time in my life, swimmers ear. Having never had an earache before I can now say that, yes, IT HURTS LIKE CRAZY!!!!! I think I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but this mess is kicking my puny butt! I am on antibiotics and ear drops, and the swelling in my ear has gone down some but not a lot. Evidently you aren't supposed to use Q-Tips EVER... which seems disgusting to me. Dr says "Earwax is a good thing, it's supposed to be there, leave it alone".... All I hear is - "Be gross and leave shampoo and junk in your ear"... Good thing I didn't go to medical school - I would have laughed at some of the things that the doctors have told me :). Hopefully I'll be better soon, but please say a little prayer for me if you have time...

Other than that, I am doing pretty well. I have finally wrapped my mind around losing some weight, so I am trying to be diligent... we'll see how it goes. Hope anyone reading this is having a blessed day. I'll try to post again soon....

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The Girls

2011-07-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

Cadence:

Wow! This kid is seriously smart! She has a question for everything, and when she's not digging for details, she's giving me her own thoughts... Not only does she have to know the "Why" of things, she has to know the "When" of EVERYTHING! She wants you to sit down and tell her what we will be doing every single minute of the day, every day of the week! "Where'r we going next?" is her favorite question. Don't know the exact stats on her height and weight right now, but I know at her last Drs Appt she weighed 31lbs. She is my little Princess Diva :)

Tatum:

This girl is one little spitfire too! She has taken to saying "No" all the time. When you tell her to pick up her toys - No. When you ask her to hand you something - No. When you ask her if she just bit her sister - NO! The terrible-twos have come early with this child. I think Tatum's language skills are what amaze me the most with her... she speaks in sentences and phrases! I know that she will do things sooner because she is watching her big sister, but it is still so neat to see how she figures out words and phrases. She pee-peed on the potty for the first time last week! I have to put her on the commode all the time because she wants to be like big sister, but usually she doesn't actually do anything while she is there... But last Thursday - Yay, Pee-Pee!!! This baby also weighs 30lbs, but she is still much shorter that Cadence (she really does look kinda like a dwarf to me).

Both of the girls will be starting Pre-School in just 2 short weeks. I am excited and a little sad at the same time... I know that Pre-School is just getting them ready for Kindergarden and I'm SOOO not ready for that!

Dave

2011-07-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow will be my hubby's last Final exam for this semester! Wooo Whoooo! He has made all As this semester (as if that should shock me) and is learning a TON! He will start his first clinical rotation in Cookeville next week to finish out the semester. Then he has a one-week break and the Fall Semester will be in full swing! We don't know what his schedule will be yet, but since he isn't working - it doesn't really matter!!! I'm so proud of him ♥

Get Ready

2011-07-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

I'm going to go ahead and give you a month's worth of info in a few blogs... Neglecting this blog is creating more work than if I were just keeping up with it :) Stay tuned...

2011-06-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Sorry it's been so long but you know how it goes :).
Everyone is doing great... Dave quit TRW and is in school full time now. We all love having him home at night and on the weekends and the Honey-Do list is getting shorter every week. He has a lot of work with school... last week it was 3 exams and 2 research papers, but he is adjusting well.
Cadence is FINALLY completely potty-trained (thought that would never happen). Health-wise she couldn't be better. She is all princess/diva/drama queen, I can't wait to see what she does at the Fair Pageant this year. Her and Tatum do fight a lot, but they also love each other a lot.
Tatum is our little tomboy... she can fall flat on her face or get really hurt and never whimper! She'll just keep doing what she's doing. Her biggest issue right now is biting - the kid is a serious biter!

Since we are on 1 income we are spending a lot of time at home and we really don't mind at all :). I have been doing really well with my couponing and am able to save at least 50% on our groceries consistently - sometimes up to 75%. I love doing it even though it takes a lot of time. We also joined a new church a few months ago and have been SO blessed by that. We are there whenever the doors are open and the girls are just as excited about it as me and Dave. I never thought that I would find a Sunday School class that I would not be able to wait for Sunday morning for. Don't get me wrong - I have grown up in church my whole life... but I feel an extreme sense of satisfaction where we are now and have learned more than I have in the last couple of years at other churches. We love the members and are also blessed by the fellowship we have with them, and of course, they all think that our girls hung the moon :). Dave and I both helped teach Vacation Bible School this year (something he's never done) and were also blessed by that. Overall I feel an extreme since of satisfaction and peace with my life right now. The list of things that I want to do is still as long as my arm, but I feel completely contented with where we are at this moment. I wish that everyone had this sense of peace about their lives. :)

Head on over to the other blog now - I'm finally going to update it too! :)
www.lovelaughpaint.com

Love you all!!!

Praises

2011-05-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Haven't been able to blog because our lives have been up in the air the past few weeks... Just want to tell any of you that may not know... Dave was accepted into his program at school! I'll try to post a longer, more detailed account of this later, but I wanted to say thank you to all of you that have prayed for this with us. We wouldn't be where we are without the love, support, and prayers of our family, friends, and co-workers! Hope to tell you all about it soon, we have many exciting days ahead!

Quick Update

2011-04-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

I really don't have time to be posting, but I can't help myself! Easter was great, the girls got more than they needed and hunted eggs like foxes :). Spray tan was a success. Church was great. Spring cleaning has nearly broken me down, but I'm determined to get my house under control before Dave starts his program (fingers crossed).

Now for the really exciting news. I went grocery shopping for the first time last night after my couponing class. We really needed groceries so I was going to go regardless. I only used Sommer's leftover coupons, and only on things we already buy, but even so - I SAVED $97!!!! Can you believe it? For my first time I was blown away! And I got $10 in catalina coupons printed with my receipt! Can you imagine what my savings will be when I'm actually getting the coupons first and really spending time doing this before shopping?!?!?! I am excited just thinking about how much more I can save. I saved big bucks on big ticket items too - like diapers and coffee (which are necessities at my house). Here are two pics that I took with my phone... keep in mind it's 10:30 at night :). I can't wait to go shopping again! (Not that I really need too since I got a month's worth last night).

Also, we are now 8 days from Dave's interview. Please continue to keep him in your prayers, he is REALLY stressed!

What a week :)

2011-04-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

Blogging from home today, going to see how this works :). Today is the first day I've clipped coupons and I'm really excited. My bestie, mom, Mumsie, and a couple of other friends took a couponing class last week and learned some great info! Now I just have to put the things I learned into practice. I am really excited to see how much money I can save and how many items I can get for free. I'll keep you updated on my progress (especially if I make a really good deal) over the next few months. Also, I have been gearing up for a big clean at my house this weekend. Our wonderful cleaning lady is coming tomorrow for her usual magic, and after that I am going to go on a purge streak like no other! I have been looking at all our extra clothes, toys, and junk for too long now and I'm ready for a good old fashioned spring cleaning. Stay tuned on Monday to see how far I've made it. Goodwill is going to be making a killing in us this month! Also this weekend (since it is a long one) I am going for a Girls Day Out on Friday. We are going to see 'Water for Elephants',go out to eat, and to get a spray tan! I am really excited about all 3 of those things ;). Then of course Sunday is Easter and that's always cause for celebration. I hope everyone feels as truly blessed as I do this week. I can't believe Jesus died such a horrible death for someone like me. I am completely undeserving and thankful God sacrificed his son for us all. I couldn't begin to comprehend sacrificing one of my girls for ANYone else, much less EVERYONE else. Thank you Lord for your generous gift to me and my family.

Countdown!

2011-04-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

It's time to get excited! In exactly 2wks, which is 14 days (since I'm on a daily countdown myself) David will be in his interview for the program! I am so excited and confident for him. The devil still tries to sneak his litte voice into my head - planging seeds of doubt, but I know that MY God is in control and his plan is bigger than ours. Please keep Dave in your prayers, ask for calmness and confidence. We are very blessed to have such great family and friends. Everyone has been so supportive over the last two years while Dave has been in school and working. I don't know how I would have stayed sane without so much help and support.

2011-04-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pics of my sweet girls... I have never put Tatum's hair up, but I thought it looked cute like this :) My babies were both in a good mood and wanting to "Cheese" it up

Sorry Folks :)

2011-04-11T15:21:00.001-07:00

Haven't updated like I should. The girls are doing well... I just signed Cadence up for gymnastics! She starts on April 27th. Tatum is more opinionated every day and won't stay inside, she wants to be outside ALL day EVERY day. Dave is still doing great in school (read earlier post). As for me... I am excited about all the orders I have coming in with my small side business... I was up until 1am this morning trying to get canvases painted. Please be sure to keep checking out my other blog - www.lovelaughpaint.com - for updates with that. Also, I am going to a couponing class this Thursday and I'm SUPER excited about that. When Dave quits working we are going to need all the extra pennies we can save. I'll tell you all about it later, and I'll do my best to get some stinkin' pics up :) . Hope you all have a blessed week!

Interview Date

2011-04-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

Praise the good Lord - we have an interview date for Dave!!! It is exactly 22 days from today - May 3rd. This is the day after his birthday and isn't that a great present?!?! I have a countdown going on my white board at work :) Please keep him in your prayers as he prepares for this in the next 3wks.

New Design

2011-04-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've noticed the new pics and layout. The pics are just some of the buttercup session that we had with Lisa and Jenna of LovingTouch Portraits. As usual, one of the girls (Tatum) didn't want to have her picture taken, but Lisa was still able to get a few great ones. You can see all of them at lovingtouchportrait.com. Also, my new layout is thanks to my sister-in-law Jenna. She runs her own business doing web design and making personalized paper products. As a family member, I am pleased to showcase some of her designs when she gets new material. I love this color scheme and the pics of my beauties up top. You can find her business on Facebook and at jennardesigns.com. She can design a blog/website template for you or make any kind of announcement, invitation, stationary your heart desires! Thank you so much Jenna!!!

Tatum - 18month checkup

2011-03-18T10:34:00.001-07:00

Tater Bug went for her checkup on Wednesday and got a great report! Her stats were : Height - 31 inches (25% percentile), weight 27lbs (60th%), and I never remember the stinkin head circumference, but it was (90th%). She has gone down on her weight chart, but the doc says that's normal for 18mo-2yrs because they stop growing so fast. (and she has had a decreased appetite) She is doing perfectly developmentally and is talking more and more every day. She can now even say "I Love You" :). Makes my heart melt. I promise that I will get some pics soon! And if all else fails - we are going to Atlanta for a mini-vacation next week, so we'll be taking lots of pics at the zoo and with Nana! Hope you all are feeling as blessed and loved as I do. ♥ P.S. We still don't know an interview date for Dave, but I am still bursting at the seams for him :)

2011-03-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

The doctor's office called me at 7am to tell me that Cadence's test results came back negative for RSV, but that her culture did grow bacteria... I guess this is fine, they didn't really elaborate on what that meant, just said to make sure she takes ALL of her antibiotic. Next piece of new for the day - Dave made a 100 on his physics midterm!!! I am so proud of that stinker I could scream it from the rooftops! I just can't wait for him to get his call/letter/email about his interview date! This weekend we went to TSC to see some adorable baby goats, then we went to Aunt Sommer's house and played in her yard for a couple of hours. (Her yard is better than ours because it is full of acorns :)) Then yesterday I took the girls to church by myself... usually when Dave has to work the night before I will just stay home on Sunday and get things done at the house, and on those days I send the girls with my inlaws to their church. We have been "visiting" Dry Creek church for a while now, and we are truly considering moving our membership in the near future. I LOVED the Sunday School class yesterday, and Dave is excited about going this Sunday. Plus this church is closer to home, it is only about 20mins from our house. The people are always so welcoming and friendly, and they treat us like we have always gone there. I am really going to do my best to go on Wednesday night too, I would like for us to get back to going several times a week. We haven't had pics made in a while, but I'll see what I can come up with and get those posted soon. Hope you all have a great week!

Things I wish she didn't get from her Daddy

2011-03-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

You know, I'm sure that Dave would rather not have both our girls be the little divas that they are... you know, high maintenanced, highly opinionated little princesses, but they had to get something from me! :) hehe! Well, they both have inherited something from him that I don't appreciate either... ALLERGIES! Up to this point Tatum has been the one that has had chronic sinus trouble, but after changing doctors and getting put on antibiotics for 5 straight weeks, she has done much better. Now Cadence is in bad shape! She has an upper respiratory infection (we are waiting on a culture to tell if it is RSV) that is causing her big trouble. Bless her heart, she is snoring loud enough to wake the dead! She is now on antibiotics again (2nd time this year) because the doctor says she is just going to be like her Daddy - chronic allergies. There is also a big possibility that she will have to have her adenoids removed... So thank you, David Reynolds, for giving my girls that gene! NOT!!!!! (On the plus side - my big girl has finally reached the 30lb mark!!!!! Hallelujah!)

Big Deal!

2011-03-10T08:28:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that Dave turned in his application to the Physical Therapy Assistant Program today! This is a huge milestone at our house and I will be picking him up something special on my way home. The director of the program has already estimated that there will be over 300 applicants this year, and they only accept 32, so we are praying hard and having faith that God's will is for him to be chosen. He still has a 4.0 GPA so that will help some too. We should receive a letter giving Dave a time for his interview within the next couple of weeks. He will have to do this interview in front of 5 people, which makes him REALLY nervous, but we have been practicing, and by the time he goes for it in April - he will be a pro!!! He has worked so so so hard for this for the last 2yrs and it is exciting and scary to now be at the deciding point. Please keep us in your prayers and I'll be sure to post the date of his interview whenever we find that out... Thanks all.

Cadence - 3.5yrs

2011-03-01T10:42:00.000-08:00

My Cadence Morgan has turned into a Drama Queen! Lord help you when she doesn't like what you have to say because she will grit her teeth and say "No, Your Not Tell Me That!" Needless to say, we are getting spankings left and right for attitudinal adjustments :). She has opinions about everything and doesn't hesitate to share them with you. She is still in Pull-Ups right now, but most days we go without any accidents and I always let her wear panties when we are at home. Cadence still loves school (even on mornings it is hard to get her out of bed) and she has a different boyfriend every week. Her favorite thing to play right now is dress up princess. My mom got her a trunk with several different princess outfits for Christmas and she loves to get decked out in the dresses, shoes, crowns and jewelry. She is still skinny as a rail and doesn't weigh 30lbs yet... I hope she keeps her metabalism when she gets older (unlike her chunky monkey Momma!) At night she still sleeps with me, hopefully she will get moved back into her bed over the summer, but if not, we aren't stressing about it. Truthfully, she won't be little for long and I don't mind her being in the bed with me a bit! Last night she called me into the room and said "Momma, your need to turn my midifyer on please" (while holding one hand over her chest). She says the cutest things when she isn't being a hellion. Cadence gets tired of Tatum following her around all the time, and is flat-out mean to her a lot, but I'm sure it's the same with any siblings that young and close in age... Cadence Morgan is my big girl and I still love her to pieces!

Tatum - 18 months

2011-03-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

This little girl is BeAuTiFuL!!!!!! Oh man, to see those pretty blue eyes and those sweet little teeth when she smiles.... wow. Of course, I'm her Momma, so I can say those things :). Right now, she can say : Momma, Daddy, Sissy, Foo-Foo, Kitty Cat, Pop-Pop, Pa, Grandma, Nana, Mumsie, Go, No, Down, Ball, and babble (which she does ALL the time). She will say "Momma! Gobble gibble, foo biss coww" - which means absolutely nothing, but she says it seriously like she's telling you that she would like to wear a green shirt today! Her favorite word is No (of course) and she uses it often. Tatum is a little love-bug... she will give her Momma kisses all day long and Momma loves getting them :). She also adores Cadence and follows her around every day saying "Sissy, Sissy!" She wants to do whatever big sis is doing, eat whatever big sis is eating, and wear whatever big sis is wearing. Oh and you should see this child priss around! I put a bow in her hair and say "Oh, how pretty" and there she goes - bobbing her head and prancing around! I can't wait for the pageants this year! I'm wondering if she isn't a dwarf because of her extremely short stature, but I guess we'll find out next time we're at the doctor :). I'll post her stats in a couple of weeks after her 18mo checkup :) Love me some Tater Baby!!!

Hello, Are You Still There?

2011-03-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

Has anyone missed me? Seems like I dropped off the planet huh? So sorry about the lag in postings, but I'm going to get right on it! I have been busy busy with the business (check it out LoveLaughPaint.com ). My mom is helping me with a booth this Saturday, so I'll have plenty to tell about with that, but right now, I want to catch up with the family... stay tuned...

Black Friday Bounty!

2010-11-30T07:35:00.000-08:00

Wanted to tell everybody what I got last Friday when we went on our shopping extravaganza! We started at 11:00 Thursday night to be exact, and got to the Wal-Mart in Murfreesboro at 11:45. We were totally disgusted about the state of things there and decided to leave! (We have never given up on Wal-Mart before, but it was a total bust) So my mom and I went to Target and waited in line, outside in the sleet, until they opened at 4:00 and we ran through the store getting what we needed. It was GREAT! Then we went to a couple more stores - but I'll just give you the run-down on what all I got:

New Digital Camera (Nikon L110)

Dave a NICE new coffeemaker

TONS of movies for the girls' Christmas

A dual-screen DVD player for the car

A new Coach purse (this was Dave's Birthday/Christmas present for me)

New undergarments (which is totally exciting for me)

Some clothes and house-shoes for the girls

A new snow globe for the girls (that is what they collect - both girls LOVE them)

A new LED flashlight (believe it or not I was really excited about this... I can never find one when I need it and this one was on sale from $20 to $6.99!)

And a few other items - gifts for other family members and for the girls

It was a huge success! Can't wait to post some pics taken with my new digital camera

2010-11-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

Well..... here I go again! It's been a month since my last post and someone in my family has been sick ever since! Tatum has had round after round of illness bless her little heart. She had a cold that turned into a sinus infection that turned into Roseola! Then Cadence brought home a stomach bug (Thank you so much CadiMor) that she gave to EVERYONE! The order of the infected is as follows: Cadence, Dave, Me, Tatum, Mumsie, Uncle Dan, Barbara... hopefully Barbara will be the last. Thankfully, everyone is currently well and I'm praying that we all stay that way. There are just two more weeks until Thanksgiving and I cannot wait! Our Thanksgiving tradition for the last 3yrs has been to have all of the families over to my house for the big meal on Thursday evening. It is always a big hustle/bustle to get everything fixed in time and make sure my house is clean enough, but I LOVE it!!!! I wake up on Thanksgiving morning and immediately get excited about everything going on. I turn on my Christmas music and start cooking and getting out the extra tables and chairs, warms my heart just thinking about it. Then after the family is stuffed, the kitchen is clean and the kids are playing, my mom and I map out our route for the shopping extravaganza to be started in just a few hours. Black Friday is as big a holiday as any other for my mom and me, and we always start out that morning at about 3:00am! We run and shop until we get everything we need, then we eat brunch out somewhere, then we go home to nap and show off our bounty. :) Then on Friday evening - I put up the Christmas Tree!!!!!!! I truly cannot wait to see how the girls react to the tree this year. I have all new ornaments and the colors are great, it's going to be beautiful. So... just had to have that wave of nostalgia... now for updates:

Dave is doing great in school. Making straight As as usual. He just has a few weeks left of this semester and has already registered for his class for next semester. He is on the home stretch of one aspect of school and on the cusp of another. In the Spring he will be applying to the Physical Therapy Assisting Program. I'll tell you all the details of that process when it gets closer to that time, but I am already praying about it.

Cadence is doing well in school. All of the little boys in her class love her, which makes me proud :). (Doesn't do a lot for Dave though I'll tell ya!) She is doing great with the potty training, only having accidents on some days, and telling me most of the time when she needs to go. I don't know what people are talking about the "Terrible Twos" though, because she was great at two.... Now at three... that is a different story! She is SOOOOO strong willed and opinionated! She is totally unrelenting when she makes up her mind, and it usually ends in a spanking or a toy being taken away. Cadence wants to be mean to her sister and aggravate every chance she gets, which makes me angry. I find myself yelling at her a lot and it really makes me feel bad. I don't think that she's gone one full day without getting in trouble in the last 2wks (except for maybe the days that she was sick). I'm hoping that she will realize that I am the boss of her and not the other way around soon so that we can go back to the "Terrific Threes". I still love her to pieces and pieces in case you were wondering ♥.

Tatum is doing well. She is walking when she wants to, but she still thinks that she can crawl faster, so that is her preferred method of travel. She is starting to say more words, like Ball, Balloon, Good Girl, and she makes a little brrrmm noise when playing with any kind of automobile. She is the most ticklish little thing you could imagine and I love to tickle her until she is red in the face from laughing. This daughter of mine is also a Diva though, and likes to get her way. She screetches when she wants to get her point across and that is enough to make you want to scream :). She is having to learn the meaning of the word "No" and doesn't take kindly to the lessons. I love it when she looks at me and pops her little lips in a kissing motion... she wins my smile over with this one a lot now. I love squeezing my little TaTa as much as possible.

As for me, I am good... I find myself thinking about my age a lot lately, probably since my birthday is just around the corner... I will be entering my "Late Twenties" next year and wonder how I'll feel when the big 30 is upon me. Even though I'm not really excited about the numbers of my years flashing by, I am proud of what I have accomplished thus far. I have a job that I love, which earns enough to support my family. I have a wonderful husband who goes out of his way to better himself and do whatever he can for me and the girls. I have two AMAZING daughters who make the sun rise and set for me. I have two families that would and have done anything for me at the drop of a hat. And I have friendships that have been built and thrive on love and trust. There are so many more things I want to do in the coming years, and I can't wait until Dave and I can see our goals come together. But for where I am right now, at 25 years old, I am pretty stinkin' proud of my life. I know that none of it would be possible if I didn't have Jesus as my Savior, and I thank God every day for the gift of His son. I always have so much more than I deserve.

As always, I'll try to do better about posting so that there isn't just a book to post each month :)

Firsts

2010-10-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

As usual I can't keep up!
Have a "First" for each girl to report.

Last Thursday a little boy named Jack gave Cadence a flower on the playground... It was the tiniest little dandelion and it hasn't even really bloomed, so all the petals are still inside - but it is still the SWEETEST little flower I've ever seen. When I picked her up her teacher handed me the flower and told Cadence to tell me about it. (I thought that she was going to say that she picked it for me) So Cadence said, "This is MY flower... Jack gave it to me". I cried the whole way from pre-school to the sitter's just because it struck my heart. My little baby got a flower from a boy! Bittersweet. Let's just say that Daddy wasn't as weepy about it as I was... he said "Oh NO! It's way too early for that!"

Then... on Friday night, Tatum took her first steps (unassisted)... toward Dave!!!! Me, her Mumsie, and Pop-Pop have all been working with her for several weeks and Dave had not been in the living room for 2minutes when she just let go and walked to him! I am happy about it, I just wish she would have taken those first steps to me :).

My girles are just growing up way too fast!

Can't Keep Up!

2010-09-21T09:24:00.001-07:00

Needless to say since I haven't posted a picture or blog in forever! I will try to get online tonight with pics from both of the girls' birthday parties. Meantime - here is what is going on with them

Cadence:
Attitude Attitude Attitude!!! My goodness this child is full of "piss and vinegar" lately. I thought that the few fits that she had at age 2 were bad, but they are nothing compared to her current demeanor. Luckily, she doesn't show this side to many - she is the perfect angel when we are out or she is at school... in fact I think her teacher thinks she is a little saint :). Also, she hasn't had any fits out in public KNOCK ON WOOD! It is just when we are at home that when I tell her to do something she says "No, my not want to!" Oh lordy, it drives me batty. I have to use my "mom voice" all the time with her. Bless her little heart, I think that SHE thinks that she is the center of the universe and her way is the only way... guess it comes from being my only little girl for 2yrs... I am hoping that she moves on from this stage quickly. I didn't even realize it, but the other day we were riding in the car and I was listening to her sing and I realized that she had just sung the entire alphabet song by herself!!!! I had no idea that she knew it all - kinda makes me sad that she is getting so "big" so quick.

Tatum:
Can we say temper temper??? This fiesty little buggar will throw herself face-down in the floor when you tell her NO about something! And she's so dramatic about it - she just colapses into screaming like you've murdered her dog or something! Every time I tell her No about something she has a little meltdown, and I can't help it - but I laugh at her sometimes! She's just like her big sissy - thinks it's all about her :). She is still just cruising... if she would get brave and let go she could walk just fine on her own, she's just scared. She is is saying several words now... Hi, Bye, DaDa, Look, GoodGirl (to any animal she sees). And she can blow kisses - it just melts me. She follows Cadence around everywhere and loves being in the water.

It is so amazing to see how similar my girls are... I thought that they would be polar opposites, I think most sisters are... but they think just alike! And they "agg" each other on all the time. I think that Dave and I will definitely have our hands full when they are a little older - they will be little co-conspiritors... That's all I have for now - Hopefully pics will follow.

OH - and about my business - I have several things made up and am ready to launch a new website and FaceBook page with pics and info - but I CAN'T come up with a name!.!.!.!.! I have been trying for about a week and still can't seem to come up with anything solid... I'm toying with a few, but nothing has just screamed - "this is your business' name". If any of you have any thoughts please let me know! Thanks :)

Misc.

2010-09-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so I still haven't posted the pics of Cadence's B-Day Party, but I haven't had 5 free minutes in the last few weeks... and this weekend is Tatum's party, so I don't think it'll be this week either! Bless it, sooner or later I will get some pics posted.

We went to Atlanta this past weekend to visit my mom... had an eventful weekend to say the least! Cadence and I both fell and hurt ourselves and Tatum fell off the bed, so we all came home looking like we've been beat! I did win $25 (had to split the $100 prize with others) at Bingo :). I do LOVE to play Bingo when I go to Atlanta.

On a little different note - I love to craft... always have. I used to paint nursery letters for my friends when they were having babies, but I can also paint other things. I have wanted to make things to sell for a couple of years now, so I think I am finally going to take the plunge and try out making and selling custom items. I'm going to make a hairbow holder for Tatum this week/weekend and see about starting up a seperate blog and getting some pics together. Right now I want to start with Hairbow Holders, Nursery Letters and plaques, Kid Measurers, Kids Stools and Mailboxes (yes I know that sounds strange, but I love a custom Mailbox). This is going to help Dave and I supplement our income a little while he is in school and hopefully get a small business endeavor going for me so that one day I can have my own store (a secret dream of mine that I'm now throwing out there for the whole world to know :)). Please be praying for me, and if you have any ideas on a name for my tiny business let me know! Thanks All - have a great week!

Cadence Morgan Reynolds

2010-08-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

Although her birthday isn't technically until Monday I wanted to write a few words about my big girl turning 3. I'm flipping through her scrapbook and thinking about how quickly the last few years has gone by... seems like only yesterday...

We went to the hospital at 12:00 a.m. on August 23rd 2007 to be induced. I was already a week overdue, and showed no signs of going into labor myself. I want to also preface this story by noting that I was holding my breath the whole time I was pregnant. I took 6 at home pregnancy tests before calling the doctors office to schedule an appointment and I was SCARED to death! My mom called to wish me Happy Birthday on December 12th and I busted out crying and told her that I had just found out that morning that I was pregnant and Dave and I weren't ready. After having a couple of surgeries for various female problems I wasn't sure that I'd ever have a baby. Then just 3 short months after Dave and I got home from Jamaica we were shocked to find out that we were expecting. I had some spotting at the end of my first trimester and immediately thought that I was miscarrying. I remember Dave driving me to Summit after church that Sunday and holding his hand as tears just rolled down my cheeks. Turned out that I had a few other embryos that were dissolving and I wasn't losing the pregnancy, but they did several tests and finally an ultrasound to make sure. That was the first time that I saw Cadence move. She was like this tiny little jumping bean with arms and hands (makes me cry right now). I was so proud of those ultrasound pictures ♥. I had a dream when I was about 8wks that I was having a little girl, but we had to wait until I was 21wks to find out, and sure enough - we were expecting a little princess :). I didn't gain much weight and had an aversion to meat of any kind the whole time I was pregnant with her... and I was still holding my breath. I was excited on the outside, but SO scared to get my hopes up on the inside. When it finally came time to be induced I was so anxious I wanted to scream. SO... when I went in to be induced they immediately gave me a tablet of cervadil to encourage my cervix to dilate. By 6 a.m. I still had not dilated AT ALL, but Dr. J went ahead and broke my water to see if that would jump start dilation. After about 9 hours of contractions I finally decided on an epidural but was still only dilated to about 6cm. At one point the nurse rushed into the room and flipped me onto my side and put an oxygen mask over my face because Cadence's heart rate had dropped so much due to the long labor. As I lay there hour after hour I kept thinking "This is it... she's going to die, I've made it all the way to the end and my baby isn't going to survive this." I wish, looking back, that I would have had more faith in God about it, but I was so emotionally exhausted that I couldn't make myself believe that it was going to be OK. Finally, at about 11:00 the doctor came in to check me before going home and discovered that I was fully dilated. Due to having surgery on my cervix before, it was extremely scarred and resistant to opening. When the doctor checked me before I could push she said "Your baby is face up", which makes it impossible to get the baby out. Luckily, she was able to turn Cadence in just a few short minutes and I began to push. I remember that everyone was saying encouraging words while I was pushing (which wasn't long) but I didn't hear any of it (I saw it later on the video)... It seemed almost quiet in my mind as I was waiting for what I knew would be one of the most important moments in my life. I heard Dr. J say "The cord is around her neck.. (pause).. and her body". "Oh but I've got that off, and it looks like she's coming out with her arm first". Then it happened. A tiny tiny little conehead was laid up on my belly and she was howling like a baby calf. When she heard me talking to her she quietened down and was as awake and alert as she could be. She formed an immediate connection with Dave and seemed to be winking at him from the start. When the nurse took her from me to get her cleaned up I just started sobbing. I don't think that anyone can truly understand or describe that moment when you realize the gift that you've been given in your brand new baby. It's like God just chose to grant you this one miracle and it's so overwhelming. I knew then that she was meant to live and I was meant to be her mother.

That was 3 years ago and I still remember it so well. I've cried the whole time I've been writing this entry just because I still can't get over how blessed I have been to be Cadence's Mommy. She has brought so much joy to my family and Dave's family and has made my whole existence worthwhile. When she started pre-school last week I thought that I would have a breakdown, but she has surpassed all my expectations and has taken to it like a fish in water. She has always been a troublesome little thing, a diva, and a rambunctious child her whole life, but I couldn't imagine her any other way. I feel strongly convicted that the whole reason for my being put on this Earth is to be my baby girls' Momma. They have brought so much meaning and joy to my life.

Cadence's First Day of Pre-School

2010-08-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I've ever posted about this, but since Tatum came home from the hospital Cadence has been sleeping in the bed with me. Dave works 3rd shift, so the girls and I are home alone at night (don't worry, we have PLENTY of protection) so I haven't really tried to push her out of the bed with me. So last night, as we were laying in bed, she was rubbing on my nightgown and giggling at me (a usual thing for her) and I couldn't help but shed a tear. I knew that this morning I would wake her up and get her ready for her first day at pre-school and it was going to be bittersweet. Cadence woke up in a great mood today... excited about school from the start. She walked into her class, sat down, and said "Bye Momma!" So I left her there... went to the car... and had a little cry :). My big girl is so... ... BIG! She did great all day at school and was really excited to go to the new sitter, Mrs. Ashley, 's house. Her and Tatum did really well there this afternoon and Cadence threw a fit when Dave went to get them because she didn't want to leave! I could not have asked for a better day for my baby girls. God has truly answered my prayers.

Fair Pics

2010-08-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

Busy

2010-08-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

I know that I'm seriously slacking on posting Fair pics... but I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off lately! I am SO busy this month - here's what's going on:
Aug. 10 - Cadence's first day of pre-school. OMG - I don't think I could be any more emotional about this. Where has time gone? I remember holding my breath for the 9 1/2 months I carried her and now I'm holding my breath for her to start Day School.
Aug. 15 - Father-in-law's Birthday, we usually do dinner for this
Aug. 21 - Cadence's Birthday Party - finally got the silly hats and centerpieces for this made last night... This is also mine and Dave's 4yr wedding anniversary. I don't think we'll be able to go out on this night or maybe even weekend, but maybe soon after
Aug. 23 - Cadence's 3rd birthday. I have to work this day, but I still want to make it special for her so I'm thinking I'll take her a present home.
Then September will be here and we'll have Tatum's birthday bash to choreograph!
I'm hoping that I'll be able to take a couple of pics tomorrow of Cadence going to her first day of pre-school, so maybe I'll be able to post these along with the Fair pics. Everyone please say a little prayer for all the little ones starting Day School tomorrow :/

♥ Winner's Circle ♥

2010-07-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

I don't have time right this minute to post the pics, but I promise I will soon. Just wanted to tell the world that BOTH of my baby girls got 1st Runner Up in their DeKalb County Fair Pageants!!! I felt like I was on cloud 9! I wasn't really that surprised that Tatum placed because she just cheeses all over the place all the time and she grinned so big to the judges. But Miss Priss didn't really show off her beautiful smile in her pageant... the judges got to see Miss "I'm hot and really tired of this mess" face :). She still placed though! Also, Cadence got to ride several rides and play several games this year. I can't wait to post the pics, hopefully I can get it done tonight or tomorrow.

Droid and iPad

2010-07-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am actually posting this from my brand new iPad!! As excited as I was to get my new phone today - which turned out to be a Droid- I was totally floored by getting this iPad as a surprise gift. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am about this... And it'll probably take me 2 yes to figure everything out, but I don't care. From now on if any of you have any question as to what to get me for a gift - iTunes gift card it is!!!!!!

Bye Bye

2010-07-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Last night my little Tater waved and SAID "Bye Bye" to her Pa... I was getting so mushy about it, in fact, I'm tearing up just typing about it! She's been working on saying it for a week or two now, but hasn't put the waving and saying it together like that. Her chubby little hand was just opening and closing and I couldn't believe that she had done it! It is so amazing to me that just in the last 3 wks she has started pulling up to standing, saying so much, and fussing when I say No. She can say: DaDa, Hi, Uh-Oh, and Bye Bye. She is just like her big sister when she cries out after being scolded too. My babies are just growing up WAY too fast!

Cadence got in trouble Saturday night for acting like she was smoking her blue crayon at The Old Spagetti Factory... we don't know where she got that because nobody in either family smokes, but she did it none the less! Then she also colored all over my car window because she snuck that same crayon into the car! But she's still my sweet angel - she still tells me that I'm her best friend.

My daughters are the best thing that has ever happened to me ♥

Cadence at Olive Garden with her olive on her finger (her usual thing)

Tatum pulling all the books off the bookshelf (her usual thing)

Tatum - 9 months

2010-06-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

Tater Bug's 9 month check-up was yesterday and all went really well. Here are her stats:
22lbs, 3oz - 90%
27 inches - 30%
Can't remember head circumference, but I'll edit it in here later :)

I told the doctor that I was concerned about her weight, but she told me, AGAIN, that there was absolutely nothing wrong with Tatum's weight and that she was perfectly healthy. She said that Tatum just looks so rolly because she is so short and that between 9 and 12 months, and especially when she starts walking, that she will slim out some. She said to give her carrots, celery, and steamed veggies to snack on as well as any soft fruit. Developmentally she is doing "excellent" and is reaching every milestone she should be at this age. She didn't have to have shots, but did have to have her finger pricked to check for anemia. All in all a great visit.

On a side note, Cadence was talking to Dr. C about her baby sister and Dr. C looked at me with this big grin and said "My my, she sure does have a drawl doesn't she!" I said Oh Yeah! :D

Meanwhile, we have been shopping like crazy for the girls' pageant outfits... I know exactly what I want, just trying to find the cheapest way to get it :) I'll let you know how that goes - I hope Cadence does well again this year, but more importantly I hope that she has FUN prissing around stage in her outfit.

A few little milestones

2010-06-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

This week Tatum started sitting up on her own... now when I say "sitting up" I mean that she has figured out how to make it from her belly to her bottom :). We haven't actually seen her do it, but when we have been going into her room to get her out of her crib she is sitting up grinning like the cheshire cat ♥. I know that we are going to blink and she will be pulling up, standing, walking, and then running - it goes by way too fast!

Cadence's new favorite thing to do is sing - she sings (screams) at the top of her lungs all the time and about everything. She will even pretend that she has a microphone to sing into!

I took both of the girls to the pool yesterday, we went with my friend Lynn and her little boy Jordan who is exactly one year younger than Cadence. All of the babies had a good time, but I think Tatum liked the water best of all - she did SO good for it to be her first time. I hope that we are able to go to the pool several more times this Summer.

I didn't want to post them yet, but I just cannot help myself - here are just a couple of the newest pics of Cadence and Tatum (and Dallas :)) from Tatum's 9month photo session. As always - Lisa Nixon of Loving Touch Photography did them, and they only get better at each session since we are finally getting the girls to both cooperate for pics :).

A few VACA pics (as promised)

2010-06-06T15:04:00.001-07:00

Dave & Cadence at the top of Fort Pulaski

Cadence looking at a nest inside the cannon

This was underground in a storage bunker! It was pretty neat

Here they are standing on top of an undergroud tunnel

Me and my big girl before we got started

Swinging in a hammock at the cottage with Tatum ♥

Isn't she just a little doll?

Cadence and her Pop-Pop

In Other News

2010-06-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

Dave started class on Tuesday when we got home from vacation... He has Anatomy & Phisiology II this semester (Summer Semester) and he will be going every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 - 8:30. I really hate that we will not be able to see him for those two days every week, but he is working toward a goal, and sacrifices have to be made :). I'm still so proud of him for what he is doing for himself and our family. Please keep him in your prayers as he works and goes to school long hours this semester.

Cadence is doing great... she comes up with new stuff every day that makes me laugh. I can't make the kid take a nap anymore, so around 5-6 o'clock every day she starts getting giggly and half-crazed to try to stay awake. She will crack you up with what she does then... it's like her own little Twilight Zone time. We are still not making much progress in the potty training area... she just refuses to do it and I haven't been pushing her. I guess I keep telling myself that she'll do it when she gets ready......... Mentally, she is at the top of her game. She counted to 12 the other day before going straight to 15 :) and she can now tell you what city and state we live in. And I can't fool her with anything - My mom was getting on to her in the car this weekend and told her she could either straighten up or we could turn around and go home, so she said "Yes, my want to go home, take me home Nana!" We were both laughing at that one for a while.

Tatum is doing really well besides the teeth thing. She is still doing her "Army Crawl" on her arms and belly. She is babbling and is still just as loving and smiley as ever. She is a huge flirt with men too ♥. She has also started giving me "Baby Kisses"... you know the ones - big, open-mouthed, slobbery - basically the best kisses ever :). I can't get enough of them! And she is still a Momma's girl which makes me happy too.

Me... I'm peachy keen as always. Still living the slogan "I love my life as a Mommy and wife". I'm amazed every single day at the blessings God has given me. I am SO undeserving, and find it so hard to forgive myself of things even though I know that He has forgiven me. God is good ALL the time, and I'm so glad that he loves and blesses me.

Vacation

2010-06-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

(We went to Tybee Island for the long holiday weekend)

Well as vacations go... it was alright. :) Wasn't the best vacation we've ever had, but it was still nice to get away for a while. Our main setback was that poor little Tatum was cutting teeth the whole time and was MISERABLE! We did get to go to the beach a little bit, and both girls liked the sand but not the water. Dave and I did also take Cadence to Fort Pulaski on Sunday, and she enjoyed that a lot. I have a few pics at home, I'll post them soon.

Dave

2010-05-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

So... another semester has passed and Dave made 2 As again! This means that he is still maintaining his 4.0 and I couldn't be more proud! He will have about 3 wks off and then start his summer classes. I think that he will be taking Anatomy & Phisiology II during this summer session, but I'm not positive. Since his last test was last week he has been so much more relaxed at home this week. He has been able to really focus on me and the girls at night, instead of schoolwork. So I am going to enjoy every minute of his stress-free attitude for the next 3wks and especially on our vacation! I try not to say anything to him about his yucky attitude during the semester unless he absolutely drives me bonkers because I know that he is under a lot of stress. Hopefully this time next year he will be getting ready to start full time in the Physical Therapy Assistant program where he will be going to school and doing clinicals all day, and not working... I can't wait for that time, when he is actually studing the field and doing more hands on work, AND OUT OF TRW!!! I know that he is looking forward to that too. All in all, I still have the best husband in the world... he is the best Daddy our girls' could wish for and he still plays with my hair when he gets the chance :). I love him more and more every day and I'm so proud of him for staying in school and doing so well at it! ♥

Reschedule

2010-05-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well if anyone has watched the news in the last week they know that Middle Tennessee has been in "deep" trouble! Due to the extreme rain we have been severly flooded... which halted our birthday plans for Dave. At our house, at one point, there were about 8 inches of fast-flowing water whipping all around our house. The water was so high and strong that it was drowning the little moles that lived in the yard and their little bodies were floating away! Thankfully, after the rain let up some, the water went down. Unfortunatly, one neighbor down our road actually had quite a bit of water in their garage/basement. They have a few acres of field by their house that usually holds a little water when it rains... well it was holding a LAKE by Sunday! Here is a pic that I took of it on Tuesday... keep in mind that this was 3 days after most of the rain quit.

Anywho... we did go out to eat at TGIFs, but it was just Me, Dave, Sommer, and Eric. I think we are going to try to get together with family this Sunday for a joint celebration of his B-Day and Mother's Day.

BTW: I'm going in with my bestie and her family to do a Yard Sale this Saturday, May 8th. It will be in Smithville, in the O'Reilly parking lot. I, personally, am selling a glider, baby bath, bouncy seat, car seat, stroller, Nascar model cars, and TONS of baby girl clothes. Come by if you can ♥

TGIF!!!

2010-04-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

This has been a hectic week! Dave has been working 12hr shifts and doing TONS of assignments (end of the semester), I have been getting off work late, Tatum is cutting more teeth, Cadence is still in her sass mode, and our house is a M E S S !!! I wish that there were a few more hours in a day and a few more arms/hands on my body... but such is life.

In happier news, Dave's 30th Birthday is Sunday! I can't believe that I'm married to such an old man. :) We are going to eat at TGIFridays on Saturday night with our friends - Sommer and Eric, Tommy and Sarah... no kiddos! Then on Sunday we are going to lunch with Dave's family - Jeff and Barbara, Tim, Jenna, and Dallas (and maybe a few more if they can come). And Sunday night we are going to eat at Mumsie and Dan's house... busy birthday weekend.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend.... I'll post pics of this weekend next week ♥

Blogs & Braces :)

2010-04-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here is my new blog design, made by my sister-in-law Jenna Reynolds... let me know what you think :). (Thanks Jenna)

I don't really do this often any more, but this blog will be about me instead of about the girls or Dave... I GOT BRACES! Last Wednesday I went for my 2nd consultation with an Orthodontist about getting braces. Most people who know me don't really realize that there is anything wrong with my teeth, but it is really something that I've been self concious about for a long time. So after my consultation the planning lady came to me and said "Would you like to have them put on now? We have an opening."... ... ... ... ... ... ... I was sooooo nervous, but I said OK and 2hrs later I had the braces on and there was no going back! I will have them for 24months, and then have a permanent retainer on the bottom teeth and one to wear at night for my top teeth. I have lost 5 pounds since Wednesday so far, and I'm sure over then next few years I'll lose more just from the soreness and akwardness of eating with them. All of my friends and co-workers have been very supportive and are making me feel really good about my decision. Cadence thinks they kind of look funny, but she doesn't really pay any attention to them, and Tatum could care less - she loves me more than anything but her food and bottle :). I don't know when I'll be comfortable having my picture taken with them, but maybe soon I'll be confident enough to do it and post one up here.

Also, Me, Dave, Cadence, Tatum, Nana (my mom), Mumsie (my grandmother), and Pop-Pop (my grandfather) are all going on vacation together to Savannah at the end of May... We have the cutest cottage reserved for our stay and it is right at the beach there at Tybee Island! It is 3bedroom, 1.5 baths, full kitchen, fenced in yard.... EVERYTHING! I am counting down the days, and we're all SO excited! I guess that's about all for now... I'll keep on blogging if you'll keep on reading :)

Cadence's Reaction :(

2010-04-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

Week before last Cadence was sitting in the livingroom floor playing while I gave Tatum her bottle. I noticed that she was rubbing her eyes, and then she started scratching her face... Well, she got up and came to sit with me and was still rubbing and scratching and I noticed a few little bumps on her face. I looked down her shirt and it looked like she was getting a little heat on her chest and stomach, so I went ahead and called the doctor's office thinking she may be having a little bit of an allergic reaction. While I was leaving the message Cadence started scratching more and saying "Momma it itches, Momma it hurts" so I immediatly put her in the bathtub with some Aveeno Oatmeal Soap and slightly warm water and started rubbing her down with it. By the time that the nurse called me back, which was only 5 mins later, Cadence had full blown hives all over her face, neck, torso, diaper area, and legs. Then her face and ears started swelling! The nurse told me to get her some Benedryl as quickly as I could and if she started having difficulty breathing to take her straight to the ER. Well let me tell you, I was on the phone hysterical trying to get someone to bring me some Benedryl... The first people I could think of were Sommer and Eric (Dave was on the Lebanon side of Watertown and his parents were in Lebanon). As soon as Eric answered the phone I said "I NEED HELP!" He said, "OK, what do you need and we're getting in the car right now" . Sommer ended up getting a speeding ticket on the way to my house, and when they got there I was already so frazzled I thought I was going to have a breakdown! We got the Benedryl down Cadence and Sommer and Eric stayed with me for about an hour to make sure that it would work. After about 20mins the swelling started going down and I finally relaxed just a little. I have NEVER EVER EVER been so scared in all my life! I have had a lot of scary things happen to me (including running out of a burning house in the middle of the night) but I was to the point of having a panic attack over this. Her reaction was so immediate - it was like one minute she was rubbing her eyes and the next she looked like Will Smith in that movie Hitch when he has the allergic reaction to shellfish! I didn't really know what caused the reaction because she hadn't had much that day that she had not already had before, but she did have some orange-tangerine juice... I am very allergic to oranges, so I thought that may be it (and it still may be). But she had also been playing outside that day, and had been chasing bees, so I think that is probably more likely.... The first little place on her face that I had noticed was still there several days later, so I think that was probably a sting site. I called a few days later to see about getting her a child-sized epi-pin and the doctor called me back and referred me to an allergist there in Murfreesboro. She wants us to pinpoint what the reaction was to so that we will know how best to treat it. In the meantime, we have to keep Benedryl with us at all times in case she has another reaction. I literally got on my knees the night of the reaction and cried again and thanked God for letting her be OK... and I thanked him for friends like Sommer and Eric, who dropped everything to rush to help me. I'm blessed to be their friend, and my girls are blessed to have them as God Parents. I think the scariest thing about being a parent is when something goes wrong, or you have an emergency, with your kids... it stops your heart.

Thankfully Cadence is doing well now, we had several inches of her hair cut last week and it is cute as it can be. She is very verbal now about everything... she told me and Dave last night not to look at her because she was picking her nose! Then when I told her to quit that because it was nasty she said "I have a booger!" Like duh, why else would she be picking her nose?!?! She is so full of life all the time, she truly lights up every single day.

There are new pics of both of my girls on the Loving Touch website - www.lovingtouchportrait.com . Go to the proofing section, under Buttercup Session and they are on pgs 5 and 6... Also, there are some of their pics in the Baby and Children sections from Tatum's 6mo session. Hope you all have a blessed day!

Stay tuned for my new blog layout being made by my Sister-In-Law, Jenna !

Tatum - 6 months

2010-04-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

So my sweet little baby is almost 7 months now... makes me sad to think about how quickly her first year is flying by. Her 6mo checkup was a few weeks ago and it was our first visit to the new pediatrician - Dr. Marcie Castleberry. She was GREAT! Very interested in what was going on with my baby girl and was very gentle. She didn't seem to be in any hurry and Tatum didn't fuss one time with her! I liked the office staff as well, and didn't have to wait even 20mins!!! Tatum got 3 shots and barely fussed at all (what a big girl) and was asleep before we got out of the parking lot. Here is what little Tatum is up to these days:

*18lbs, 7oz
*Loves to eat baby food! - She is taking 2-3 jars (or those square containers) per day in addition to her bottles
*Loves to bounce in her bouncy horse, and will try to bounce on your lap all she can
*Coos and babbles - especially at her Momma
*Holds up her arms when she wants me to take her
*Can sit up by herself :)
*Is starting to crawl this week :( - she can't go very far, but she is definitely moving
*Loves her sister and tries to play with her, touch her, rub her face on her all she can
*Can reach out for and pick up an object unprompted and will transfer it from hand to hand (or stick it directly in her mouth)
*Is still really ticklish ♥

So... she is still a big, healthy, sweet baby and I thank God for her every day. I'll keep you posted on what she's doing.

Trying to Catch Up!

2010-04-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it has been over a month since I last posted... what a busy busy busy month it has been! Stay tuned for updates from March...

*Tatum had her 6mo doc's visit and all went very well, I'll update on her own seperate post later.

*Dave went to 3rd shift... turns out we see him more on that shift than 1st!

*Cadence had a SEVERE allergic reaction to some type of sting a couple weeks ago... again, I'll do a seperate post for that one too

*Easter was absolutely AWESOME! Couldn't have asked for a better weekend for our family.

*Braves' opening game was last night and we kicked butt! 16-5! Hope we can keep it up all season.

K... so I'll get started on the detailed posts - sorry all that it's been so long!

Disney Live Pics

2010-03-02T15:03:00.001-08:00

I have a few more pics to upload... but they won't do it right now... so here are the rest - I'll try again tomorrow!

Catching Up

2010-02-26T05:18:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't posted in a while because the sickness most certainly did NOT go away. It escalated and escalated until one of us finally had to go to the emergency room! I ended up going to the doctor twice, getting a shot of steroids, and starting a second round of antibiotics... I am finally better. My children on the other hand are another story... Cadence already had one round of illness and had gotten better by the time that I was getting round two. Then Tatum started getting congested. I immediately took her to the doctor, and she has the same virus that the rest of us have had. But she didn't get any better either and finally got so conjested that she was having trouble breathing. She would just stop, mid-breath, then start again. I was getting really concerned about it so I finally gave in Sunday night and told Dave to get it in gear we were carrying her to the ER. We usually go to Summit, and haven't had any problems there, but the new pediatrician's office prefers Vanderbilt Children's Hospital - so we decided to carry her there. It was only 15 more miles than Summit, and from our house it only took 45mins to get there, so we will probably just go there again if the need ever arises. So, the reason that Tatum was having so much difficulty breathing is because there is a flap that covers your airway (such as when you eat to keep food debris from entering the windpipe) that was getting shut because of the mucus buildup. To help her get her airways cleared out they just stuck a tube down both of her nostrils, down into her windpipe, and suctioned out all the mucus. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but she could breathe much better afterwards.

Both of the girls are still sickly. Both of them have coughs and runny noses, and just generally don't feel good - but we are trying to make a recovery... Hopefully Cadence will at least be feeling good enough to go to Disney Live this Sunday. We will be seeing Tigger and Pooh, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, and most importantly, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

In other news, Tatum got her first tooth on Monday... it makes me happy and sad at the same time. Where have the past 5 months gone that my sweet Tater already has a tooth (and another one beside it will quickly be through too)? She now has a sweet little laugh too, and she is really ticklish. :) Both my baby girls still melt my heart every day.

Haven't posted any pics in a while, so here are a few random ones...

If this sickness doesn't GO AWAY.!.!.!.!.

2010-02-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

So... my last post mentioned that I had been very ill and that I hoped that nobody else in my home would get it... well that didn't happen! Cadence started getting sick on Tuesday morning around 2am. She started with a fever and acting really sad and lethargic, and she would not eat or drink anything. So I called the doctor and of course they wanted to see her and told me that if she was dehydrated when I brought her in that they would have to admit her to the hospital. Let me add that I was already having the WORST day because I had gotten stuck in the snow twice! (well the ice really, but you know what I'm getting at)... So, I take her to the doctor and they swab her for strep throat and the flu, both of which come back negative. The doc comes back in and says, "It's not going to be pleasant, but I really think we need to catheterize her to see if we can get some answers." At this point I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get her better so I ask every conceivable question about the procedure and results and brace myself for the worst. You know, as a mom, you can't wait for the day that your kids can talk... when Cadence was a baby and she would get sick (which was and is rare) I would say "I wish she could tell me what is wrong or what is hurting." Well, now I almost want to take it back... To hold her down while she cries "Momma, get me. Momma, pick me up. Put my diaper back on. Momma, hold me" BROKE MY HEART! I really can't imagine having a chronically sick child and having to cope with that... Anyway, turns out she had some sort of virus that isn't treatable by medication, just waiting it out and forcing fluids. She is doing better now, she still has some rattling in her chest and some congestion, but I think that is fairly normal for this time of year. She did gain a little weight at least at this appointment. She is up to 26lbs! Tatum is still well so far. I'm praying very hard that she stays that way. I'll keep updating as this stupid sickness keeps making it's rounds. I hope that nobody reading this has to deal with any illness for the rest of the "Sick Season"!

Sickness!

2010-02-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

Just another little tidbit... I was sick all weekend with what I thought was a severe sinus infection... couldn't breathe, swollen face, terrible headache... I actually had to start taking antibiotics to get it cleared up - and even that took several days to work. Turns out, it must be something going around because everyone else has it now. Tatum is getting congested, my boss has it, and my bestie has it. I'm a total germ-a-phobe so I wash my hands and use germ-x all the time, but I still got this nasty bug - so everybody look out for it!

Tatum - 4 months

2010-02-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

Well, Tatum's appointment was like 2weeks ago and I still haven't had time to blog about it! She weighed in at 16lbs, 14oz (90th percentile) and measured 24inches (25th percentile). Doc said to cut out her bottle at night to see if we can get her to sleep better through the night, and to try to cut back her ounces during the day. She said that Tatum wasn't overweight, but she's taking too much formula. Evidently breast fed babies have a stronger urge to suck... so when Tatum has already had a bottle and she fusses like she wants more it is really that she is just wanting to suck. We have been doing this for about 2wks now, and Tatum has already lost some weight! I don't know her exact measurements, but she has slimmed down enough that her clothes are fitting looser. The little stinker tricked me and slept all night long 3 nights in a row last week... I thought we were finally going to have a good pattern down... WRONG! She is now back to her usuall routine - asleep for 3-4hrs and up again. The doctor also told us to start her on cereal and baby food, so maybe she will like that a little better. She is rolling and scooting, and Dr said she had EXELLENT head control (more than a baby her age usually has). She did have a bad reaction to her shots, the next morning she had a fever of 104.1 and it took me all day to get it down. Also, she is teething, so she is slobbering everywhere and whiney sometimes. I have decided to change pediatricians again... I waited for the doctor for 2 1/2 hrs AGAIN, and I decided that would be the last time that I sit there that long for a well-baby visit... so... we will be seeing a new pediatrician for Tatum's 6mo checkup and I'll let you all know how that goes! Guess that's all for my little Tater for now!

Catching Up!

2010-01-09T13:58:00.000-08:00

Where to even start?!?!? I can tell from the other blogs that I follow that everyone else is having a hard time keeping up these days too :). Now that the holidays are over I plan on keeping a better blog... So... let's see... Christmas was wonderful - we got more presents than we deserved and had a great 2wks spending lots of time with family. After Christmas Dave and I took the girls to Atlanta to visit with my Mom (Nana) and spend some of that lovely Christmas Moola. Dave got a new pair of tennis shoes and I got a pair of the new Sketchers - the Shape Ups. They are SO COOL. I started feeling the burn the first day I wore them, and I swear - in just a week I really don't feel my fat hiney jiggling as much. I set several New Year's Resolutions including: going to church more (we have been seriously slacking since I had Tatum), keeping the house cleaner (after a deep cleaning before we left for Atlanta I realized that I was going to have to do more "small" cleaning all week and month before things got out of hand again), loving on Dave more (with two little ones it is hard to focus on each other), and my hardest one - LOSING WEIGHT! I want to lose 50lbs this year, and I am really determined to do it. I want to be healthier and thinner :). Dave went back to work after a week off for Christmas to 1st shift ... thank you Jesus for answering my prayers on that one. He is working anywhere from 8-12hrs per day, anywhere from 5-7 days per week, and taking 6hrs of classes this semester. I have every confidence in him and am doing everything in my power to make life easier for him. When he is not working you can usually find him in Cadence's princess tent or holding Tatum. Seems like I love him more than ever when I see him with our girls - there's just something about a Daddy and his little girls that melts my heart. ♥ I am looking into taking a Dental Assisting Registration class this year... in TN you don't have to go for a full class if you are trained by a dentist, so hopefully it won't take me long and I'll be able to at least help with X-Rays (which is the only thing that I don't do now). Tatum will be going to the doc for her 4mo checkup soon and I'll post about that... if we don't have better luck with the pediatrician this time we will probably be looking for another one yet again. I don't even want to go into what I am mad about now, but it blows my mind that we can finally find not just one, but two, doctors that we really like only to realize that their office is SO poorly run that we want to look for another one! Drives me crazy! Anyway - here are a few pics... enjoy. ♥

>

Cadence & Tatum in their matching outfits

Cadence playing with her new kitchen

Dave and Tatum fell asleep waiting for Santa

Tatum and Uncle Bob ♥

Going to play in the snow

Mommy and Cadence's footprints

Are You Ready?!?!

2009-12-23T05:24:00.000-08:00

You know what I'm talking about - CHRISTMAS!!! It's here! I can't wait to spend some time off of work with family and friends - oh, and my girlies!!! ♥ I hope that you all have a great Christmas planned, and I hope those plans turn out. Today is my last day of work for the rest of the year - I won't have to come back until January 4th! I plan on scrapbooking like crazy until I can get caught up and then Dave and I are going to try to head to Atlanta toward the end of next week. Speaking of Dave - my wonderful, smart, silly hubby got his grades yesterday from his first semester of college and made all A's! He's on the Dean's List with a 4.0!! There are no words to describe how proud of him I am! He is truly the light of my life and I am so glad that I married him 3yrs ago. I know that he is going to continue to do well in the coming semesters, so I'll keep you posted on that. I love you all and hope you have the best Christmas ever, I know I will!♥!♥!

A Milestone...

2009-12-10T07:09:00.001-08:00

Last night Tatum rolled over for the first time... she rolled from her stomach to her back and it scared the crap out of her! I cood and ood over her and made a big fuss, but I'm really kinda sad about it. Tatum will be 3mo old on Sunday and she is already doing things quicker than Cadence. Cadence has always been advanced as far as milestones go, she was walking at 10 months! Now, my little Tatum is trying to do things faster! I was happy that she reached this milestone, but I know that this is the beginning of all the "firsts" and I hate that it's going by so fast! It's bittersweet to me, but of course, I'd rather she be meeting her milestones early than not meeting them at all. I'll keep posting as my baby grows up too fast!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

Had a great one! Not much to tell, Dave had to work, we ate dinner, had a good time visiting with everyone! :) Here are a couple of pics of the girls...

Small Sacrifices

2009-11-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

It's happened... Dave was called back to work. :(
Last night was his first night back - he had to take a 3rd shift position, leaving me home alone all night with the girls. It was AWFUL to say the least. Tatum was up all night, I think we finally managed to get 4hrs sleep all together (45 mins here, 1hr there), and Cadence woke up at 2:30 this morning screaming "Daddy, Daddy"! It broke my heart... To beat it all - he goes in and they tell him right off the bat that he is going to have to work 12 hrs! Dave has about 4 more weeks of this semester, so I am hoping he can keep up work and 16hrs of classes for that long. He is still making all As and Bs, even in Anatomy & Phisiology, and I am SOOOO proud of him for that. He is going to take a couple of classes each semester while working until he can apply for the Physical Therapy Assistant Program in March of 2010. I just have to keep telling myself that we are making small sacrifices so that he can finish his schooling and make a career that will better support our family... but it's hard... really hard... I love him and want him home with us ♥

Tatum - 2 Months

2009-11-19T09:40:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we went for Tatum's 2mo checkup and it went great! I can't believe it but the little monkey weighs 12lbs 9oz!!! She is in the 90th percentile for her weight and head circumference, but she is still only in the 10-25th percentile for her height... The doc made the comment (again) that she is "extremely short". It cracks me up every time she says that because neither of my girls had any hope of being anything other than "extremely short"! :) Anyway, I asked the doc was it normal/OK for Tatum to be so fat and she said, "She's not fat!! She's thriving and healthy". Then I kinda felt bad for asking, but I'm just used to Cadence and she has always been in the 15th percentile or below. Tatum is just healthy ;). She is obviously not having any ill effects from being put on formula a few weeks ago. She got 3 shots and hardly cried at all, and other than being at the stinkin office for 2hrs, the visit was a breeze. (I HATE waiting and being at the doc that long, and I was in a really pissy mood about it yesterday... but I'm over it today)

Here is what Tatum is up to these days:

Smiling and Cooing - I LOVE this! When I go pick her up in the evening all I have to do is speak in her direction and she is grinning and batting her eyes. Then when I get right up to her she starts "talking" to me - it is precious!

She likes to lay on her back in the floor or in her bouncy seat to play

She takes 4-6oz every 4 hours

She sleeps about 4-6hrs at a time :)

Overall she is a wonderful little baby!♥!

Here she is in her Bumbo

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

We had a GREAT Halloween this year! Here are a few pics of Cadence... she went as Minnie Mouse. Tatum just wore a Halloween outfit and I didn't get any pics of her front, but Lisa Nixon of Loving Touch Portraits got 2 awesome pics of her. Cadence entered Lisa's costume contest and won 1st place! Go to http://www.lovingtouchportrait.com/ to see both girls and my sweet nephew Dallas, who went as a horse. I just have to say I love being a Mom! While I was putting on Cadence's makup I wanted to cry I was so proud and excited! I can't wait to dress both the girls up next year. And I hope that all Moms feel as blessed as I do!

Sick Baby

2009-10-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

My poor little Tatum has had a hard week. She started getting this rash on her face and torso about a week ago that I thought was just heat. (Both of my girls are very hot natured) Then she started crying... and crying... and crying. I just knew in my gut that it was colic because she was pulling her little knees up like her stomach was hurting and crying nonstop for 2 days. She wasn't sleeping and was nursing just a little bit at a time every couple of hours and she was getting really worn out. I called the doc and he told me to give her Mylanta in between feedings and see how that worked. After 2 doses, and no relief, I called him back... he told me to bring her in first thing in the morning (Monday) and they would see what was going on. Let me also mention that Monday was my first day back to work so I was already a little anxious about leaving her for the first time... Anyway, Dave took her to the doctor and sure enough - they diagnosed her problem as Colic and gave her some Colic Drops. When I first saw the medicine box I felt a little uneasy because there were like 4 stickers of side effects - "May cause drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting", "Do not operate machinery while taking", "Do not mix with other meds"... on and on. But at that point I would have done ANYTHING to help her get some relief and rest. At the same time, my Mumsie was telling me that she thought that Tatum was allergic to my breast milk, something I didn't think was possible, and that I should put her on the soy formula that we had Cadence on as a baby. With the rash and the colic I thought that she may be right too. SO - we started Tatum on the medicine and started giving her formula. She slept all night and most of the next day and I just didn't like the way she was acting... she seemed really out of it, almost like she was drunk. Then, sure enough, she ended up throwing up 3 times in a 24hr period. So I decided to take her off of the colic drops and see if just switching her to formula helped. Within 2 feedings of formula her skin completely cleared up, and now that the drops have worked their way out of her system she is acting like normal... I think that we have finally gotten her straightened out, but it has been a LONG week for my poor little baby girl. I am hopeful that she will be fully recovered from this mess soon. I fully believe that Mumsie was right and she was suffering from a Lactose Intolerance (just like Cadence). I'm very thankful for a good support system and family to help me with my babies... don't know what I would have done without them! Keeping my fingers crossed and prayerful...

Tatum - 1 month

2009-10-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

Tatum's baby shower was last Sunday and her 1month doc's appt was this past Wednesday and I am just now getting the time to blog!

The shower was great! Had lots of family and several friends attend and the cake and punch were awesome (thanks Natasha)! Tatum got lots of good gifts, including $350 in cash, gift cards, and money deposited into her baby savings, clothes, bath stuff, and most important of all - Diapers!!! Thanks to all who came...

Now, on to the shocker of my week - Tatum's appt went really well, better than I expected. My sweet little "Tater" now weighs 10lbs!!! That's right, she has gained nearly 3 1/2 lbs in one month! I think it took Cadence 3months to get up to 10lbs... which goes to show the HUGE difference between breast milk and formula. Tatum also measured 20 3/4 inches. She is in the 75th percentile for weight and head circumference - something I've never experienced as a parent :), but still in the lowest 10th percent for height. The doc said "She is very short, but that's OK"... I don't know how she could be tall with me and Dave as her parents ♥. Anyway - it went great!

For some reason my pics aren't uploading, so I will post them later or on Facebook... I'll post again soon!

All About Cadence

2009-10-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

I'll get right to it - I am SO proud of my "big" girl.... she pooped in the potty for the first time last night!!! We have just been letting her sit on the potty when she wants to for the most part, but last night Cadence's Nana made her sit on the potty when she thought Cadence might be trying to go and it worked! Everybody clapped and made a big fuss over her and she was excited about it for about a minute and then could care less :). This makes another bittersweet moment because it is a big milestone, my baby is growing up way too fast! Since I haven't done it in a while I'll go ahead and tell you some more things that are going on with her right now -

She weighs about 25lbs

Her hair is finally long enough for a ponytail - it's adorable! ♥
Knows all of her colors
Knows several shapes (rectangle, circle, heart, triangle, star)
Can count to 10 (she counts to four all the time and stops for some reason, but when you prompt her to keep going she can make it to 10)
Dances all the time
Her new favorite thing to do is sing about everything - if she is riding in the car she will sing "Riiiiiiidiiiinnnnggg in the caaaaarrrr with Moooommmmmaaaa and Naaaaannnnnaaa" - just nonsensical words to narrate what she is doing
Talks better than any other 2yr old I have ever seen - she can tell you what she wants and how she wants it
Says "Cadence do it" for everything - she is 2 going on 15 and is too big for help
Says "Know" while shaking her head for "I don't know"
Throws a mean fit when she doesn't get her way, and for whatever reason Dave is usually the one that makes her the maddest
Says "Oh, I know it baby" to Tatum when she is crying (I guess she's heard me saying that :) )
Loves all things Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - knows every character
Knows where all her family members live - when we start down a road she will scream "Mumsie's House" or "Grandma's House" or "Home" - she knows directions better than me!
After we read her a book a few times she remembers enough about what is on each page that she can "read" it back to us (in her own words of course)
And her latest thing is breastfeeding her babies! She will raise up her shirt and put one of her stuffed animals against her chest and tell you that she is "feeding baby"!!! As if that wasn't enough - she'll then burp the baby and switch to "other side now"

I am amazed every day at how smart she is - I had no idea that a 2yr old could be so perceptive and literally soak up everything. Dave and I know that we are very blessed to have this little person in our lives. And even though she is in the "Terrible Twos" right now, and throws some hair-raising fits, she is a sweet, smart, sassy little blessing.

This was at the park in the ark last week - can you say "Cheese"?

2 Weeks Old

2009-09-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Tatum is 2wks old now... my how the time is zooming by. She is doing really well... her cord fell off on Saturday so we gave her her 1st full bath today. She absolutely HATED every minute of it - cried the whole time! It also took her a long time to calm down afterward, I finally had to nurse her a little so that she could take a nap, bless her little heart. Speaking of - breastfeeding is still going great and I've calculated that we've already saved $50 from not having to buy formula - what a blessing! I'm aiming to breastfeed for 6 more months, but we'll just have to see how it goes when I go back to work next month. She is up to 3 - 3 1/2 hrs between feedings and is sleeping well at night, she wakes up to nurse and goes right back to sleep. We had Tatum's first photo session on Saturday and the pics turned out great... she's pretty photogenic to be 2wks old :). I'll post some of these when I buy them - or you can see them at http://www.lovingtouchportrait.com/ under Little Ones or on my Facebook pg. I've really enjoyed being at home with Dave, Cadence and Tatum these past 2wks... I think I'm really going to miss them when I go back to work :( - I plan on enjoying the next 4wks as much as possible because I know that they are going to fly by. I'll keep updating - you keep reading!

By the way - Cadence is still doing well and loving her sister like crazy ♥♥♥

Peachy Keen

2009-09-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update... Tatum's 1wk docs appt was Monday and it went really well. She is up to 7lbs 3oz already! Dr. J was really surprised that she had already gained 8oz in just a week, especially with me being in the hospital an extra day. And she is up to 20inches - I had no idea that a baby could grow that fast! I am really going to contribute it to the breastfeeding - it is going SO well this time... Tatum won't even take a bottle! Cadence never wanted to latch on well and after I got really engorged I gave up on breastfeeding with her - I think it took about a month for her to start gaining any amount of weight... Anyway, I try to keep Tatum awake for a few hours during the day so that she sleeps better at night and it seems to be working. She is sleeping for 3hrs at a time between feedings, which doesn't sound great, but it is. I'm hoping that we can get a few pics with the girls and me and Dave this weekend, and we'll probably have a photographer take a family pic before too long, I just want to get a little more time going in between feedings before going out a lot - you can't really get anywhere and do anything when you are breastfeeding a baby every 2 1/2hrs!

Cadence is doing well also - she loves her baby sister so much... I am SO glad that she is going this way with Tatum instead of not wanting anything to do with her. We are having trouble keeping her out of Tatum's face, and she wants to hold her every minute of the day, but I'd rather her be too interested than not interested at all. I'm still supposed to be not picking up anything heavier than Tatum, but I have been holding Cadence every chance I get when nobody else is around - but don't worry, I've only carried her twice :). Cadence is such a little boss these days... she'll say "Momma do it" or "Daddy do it" when she wants us to get her something or do something she is supposed to be doing... and she says "Cadence do it" when she wants to be grown and do something she is too little to be doing!

Dave is doing GREAT in school... he has a lot of assignments to keep up with since he has 5 classes, but so far he has been doing really well with juggling them all. He is making all As and Bs and I just couldn't be more proud of him.

I guess that's all for now - I'll post updates and pics as I get them! Hope everyone is doing well.

Week 1

2009-09-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

This blog will be short as I am writing it from my hospital bed... Needless to say, it's been a crazy 1st week! Tatum is doing well - eating a lot, sleeping a lot, being just as sweet as ever. Cadence is going well - FULL of sass and energy, loving her little sister, and giving her parents lots of 2yr old attitude. Me... well I'm not doing so well. Started having a headache Thursday morning when I woke up. I was sleeping in the recliner at the time and had a crick in my neck so I just blew it off as tension.... Well the headache never went away and by Friday afternoon it was completely unbarable and I finally consented to let Dave take me to the ER. Turns out that my blood pressure was so high that I was very close to seizing... I was admitted to the hospital and that is where I am now. I've been on Magnesium Sulfate for 24hrs and hopefully, if my blood pressure stays down for the rest of the afternoon, I'll be able to go home tonight. Doc thinks I may have post-partum pre-eclampsia, which is kinda rare but not unheard of. Whatever the case - I am SO READY to go home! As if the 1st week home with a baby isn't stressful enough! Here are just a couple of pics that I had on my phone of Tatum - hopefully I can get out of here, get to feeling better, and get some good pics of her and Cadence soon. Everyone keep your fingers crossed!

Introducing Tatum Harper Reynolds

2009-09-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! She is here... my sweet baby is a beautiful little girl! On Saturday morning (around 1am) I had a few really nasty contractions. They went away after just a little while, but when I got out of bed later that morning I started passing my mucus plug... disgusting you say? I AGREE! I won't even say anything else about it because it totally grossed me out. Anyway, had lower back pain and pressure for the rest of the day. I was supossed to go have dinner with my mom and Mumsie, but I ended up calling them around 6 and telling them I didn't want to come because my back was really hurting and I just wasn't feeling up to it. They both hassled me to death to call my doctor because they were convinced that I was having back labor and needed to go to the hospital. I told them no about 5 times, but I finally gave in and called the doc on call. First thing out of her mouth was "I think you need to go ahead and head to the hospital to let us check you out"... you should have seen Dave jump into action - you'd have thought that my water broke right there in the living room! Anyway, we gathered a few things just in case we would be staying and headed out. Got to the hospital at 8 o'clock and got checked in but didn't bring any bags in because I told Dave that they were going to send me back home. The nurse checked me and said that I was still 3cm and 80% effaced - the same as I was on Wednesday when Dr. J checked me. She also hooked me up to the baby monitors to measure my contractions and check the baby's heartrate. I was having contractions every 2-4mins, but wasn't really feeling a lot of pain, except in my back - guess the old ladies were right. :) Since we live a little ways from the hospital the nurse asked me if I would get up and walk the halls for a while to see if I could change my cervix... I said sure, why not. I walked the halls for an hour and then went back to the room to be monitored for 20mins. When the nurse checked me again my cervix had changed just a little bit, but not enough to be signifigant, so we tried it again... I ended up doing this for the rest of the night - walking for an hour at a time and being monitored for 20-30. I gradually changed each time until the nurse checked me again at 6am and my water broke! By this time I was really feeling the steady contractions, but still didn't want an epidural, so I had some stadol and kept on laboring. I had a fantastic nurse that let me take an hour long shower during my labor which really really helped. Diane was very positive about me trying to deliver naturally and kept encouraging me throughout the morning. She told me that there would be a point when I said "I can't do this" but that the end would be soon there and I could push through... Well - that point came at about 10:30 Sunday morning. I was dilated to 7 1/2 cms and I thought that I was going to die!!! I finally sat up in bed during one of my (constant) contractions and screamed "I WANT AN EPIDURAL!" I want to mention that my husband was absolutely wonderful during those long hours of labor - he told me with every hard contraction that I could do it and just to focus on my breathing. He labored right along with me, until I was totally spazzing because of the pain - then he was ready for the epidural too! I don't know how other women have babies without making a peep and no medication - but I wasn't strong enough to do it... kudos to them! Anywho - got the epidural and after a few short pushes Tatum Harper Reynolds arrived at 12:23pm. She came out face up just like Cadence did - which was another reason for the 16hrs of labor... silly girls! Tatum weighed 6lbs 11oz and measured 19 1/2 inches long. (Cadence was 6lb 9oz, 19in long - so very similar.) She has dark, wavy hair and bright blue eyes - like Dave, and her fingers and toes are LONG like mine, but other than that - you wouldn't know whose child she is! She is the polar opposite of Cadence, but still beautiful :). Cadence met her baby sister last night and fell in love just as quickly as Dave and I did. Once she held Tatum (with lots of assistance I might add) she wouldn't let anyone else hold her! She threw a fit when my mom tried to take Tatum to hold before going back to Atlanta. I felt really overwhelmed watching one daughter hold the other - I don't know what I did to deserve 2 beautiful little blessings like them! Here are just a few pics we have taken so far... there will be many more to come.

A Little Bit of Progress

2009-09-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

My doctors appt didn't go exactly as I planned today... but it was OK. I am now 3cms dilated and 80% effaced. Dr. J says that this is really good progress for a week but I'm kinda skeptical :). I was really wanting to be like 5cms dilated, but maybe that was unrealistic. I'll have one more appointment next Wednesday and then will go to the hospital to be induced on the 21st if the baby hasn't come by then. I'm deadset on getting this baby out on my own because I DO NOT want to be induced again, so I am still walking on the treadmill and bouncing around on my pilates ball :D. Dr. J also did some more cervix stretching at this appt, so maybe that will prove effective also. As far as numbers go~ I gained 2lbs, still measured 38cms, and the baby's heartrate was 147 beats per minute... So there's a little update for ya - hopefully I won't be posting about an appt next Wednesday, I'll be posting about the baby!

Long Hunter State Park

2009-09-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I was anxious to get out of the house and do some walking... the plan was to instigate labor but of course it didn't work. We had a great time anyway, I've never been to this park but it was absolutely beautiful. Me, Dave, Cadence, and my mother-in-law Barbara walked the 2mile trail around the lake. We saw 12 deer and 5 wild turkeys - they were all right up on the trail and didn't get spooked at all! One of the things I really liked about the trail was that it was completely shaded by all the trees... oh, and it was paved- a major plus for me. All in all it was a great day! Also, if you have never seen pics of Barbara you wouldn't know this, but she has lost about 70lbs in the last 6 months - so she is looking great! Gotta give her kudos - I know that I am going to try my best to be as dedicated as her when I start dieting after the baby comes. Enjoy.

Cadence was ready to ride!

Me & Barbara

My Fat self & Dave

This is the first baby deer that we saw on the trail - he acted like he didn't even care that we were there making a bunch of racket and taking his picture!

Our 1st rest (we only took 2) - Cadence walked after this... you know she wasn't going back in that stroller after she tasted a little freedom and realized I would let her play in the dirt!

In case you are worried - I have a death grip on my bunkin - wild monkeys couldn't have torn her away from me :)

Sweet little family photo... soon the 3 will become 4!

Just a few pics

2009-09-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

Of Course - this is the beginning of the pics - I hate that when you post pics to this blog they are always backwards! But here is Cadence enjoying some chili... can't you tell she's a "Big Girl"? I just love my baby girl to death! Meant to mention that she also had 3 shots at the doc today and didn't cry for even 2 minutes... and she didn't cry at all to have her finger pricked for her iron test - she is a brave little sweetheart!

Cadence's 24mo Checkup

2009-09-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

This morning we took Little Miss to her 2yr checkup to a new pediatrician (new to us anyway) in Lebanon. We were EXTREMELY pleased with this doc and this appt - more so than we have been with either of the other 2 pediatricians that we have seen. Dr. J was very thorough and asked as many questions about Cadence as we asked him! We are making a few adjustments to her diet, and she will be starting a fluoride vitamin every day, but other than that she is a healthy little bunkin. We asked about her right foot turning in when she walks, which is not really bad by any means, but you know how Momma's are - we worry about everything. Dr. J thinks that it is Cadence's right hip that is actually turning in and that the problem will correct itself within the next few years without any need of appliances of any kind... whew! We are going to try to start breaking her from her "FooFoo" (pacifier) because it is starting to shift her teeth, but I know that it will be a battle with the baby having one and her not... please wish us luck with this. I am optimistic that we can do it - hopefully with me being home for 6wks I will be able to help her through this traumatizing experience :)... I'm thinking that I won't throw them away alltogether, I'll just hide them to begin with. Anyway, Cadence has finally put on some weight! She now weighs 24lbs, up from 21lbs at her 18mo checkup. This puts her between the 10th and 25th percentile for her sex and this is the highest she has ever been on her growth chart!!! She measures 32 inches - which is still only between the 5th and 10th percentiles, but she is just bound to be short like me and Dave. Her head circumference is still in the 95th percentile - which makes sense because it houses her HUGE brain! ;). All in all I couldn't be more please that we finally found a pediatrician that we like and addresses all our concerns and then some, and is close to home.

Now - about this other kid - I mowed the yard last night, and I have been cleaning my house and trying to stay on my feet, but I haven't had any labor pains... tonight I am going to play outside with Cadence and get good and rested up because tomorrow we are going to a park, any park, to walk until this baby falls out! This Momma is tired of being huge and pregnant!

I have some cute pics of Cadence eating some chili at home, I'll try to get on this evening and post them, I feel like I haven't put any good pics of her up in forever... and I still haven't asked for Aunt Sommer's memory card to post Cadence's B-Day pics, but I will do that soon too.

Hope everyone has a GREAT Friday, and a GREAT Labor Day Weekend. ♥

An Update on Dave :)

2009-09-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to mention anything about Dave's school progress when I posted earlier today... Dave is now going full blast at VolState! His 3 online classes opened this past weekend, so he is already buzzing through his online assignments and quizzes. His online classes are Medical Terminology, Computer Information Systems 100, and English. Then he has 2 classes and one lab that are on campus - they are Anatomy & Physiology I and his Math class (the lab is for A&P). He has had to tell all of his professors that I am expecting a baby any minute and they have all been great about letting him have his phone in class and working with his assignments when the time actually comes. I'm hoping that he doesn't have to miss ANY classes or assignments, but he doesn't want to miss anything about the birth or our stay in the hospital (stubborn man). I am SO proud of Dave for going back to school and I know that he will do really well, he's always enjoyed learning. (I used to make fun of him for reading encyclopedias for fun, but now I'm glad he's such a nerd) He has been spending every spare minute doing assignments and studying this week, but I don't mind because I am just glad that he is dedicated. As you all know, I love my sweet husband very much and I couldn't be more proud of him. I just wanted to post his latest accomplishment...

WOOO WHOOO!

2009-09-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

I am super stoked to announce that my doc's appt went VERY well today. I'm so excited I've been dancing all the way home! The first lovely part of the appt is always getting weighed - and this week I didn't gain an ounce :). I was then ushered into the exam room for the usual measurements - heartbeat 138 and uterus measured 38cms. Dr. J arrived next to check my cervix... I told her that what I wanted from her today was for her to tell me that my cervix was dilating and she laughed and said that she would see what she could do about that. One thing I truly love about my doc is her enthusiasm - while she was checking me she started saying "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and I knew that it was going to be good news. I am 2cms dilated and my cervix is soft and stretchy! Doc says the baby could come any time now! She also went ahead and tried to stretch me a little bit to instigate more change - what a great lady! 2cms may not be a big deal to anyone else, after all some women are 2cms for wks before labor, but for me it might as well be 10! I was in labor for 24hrs with Cadence before my cervix finally decided to open all the way up (due to previous surgeries and scar tissue). So for my cervix to be opening on it's own means that my body is ready to spit this kid out and my labor and delivery should be much easier (or so Dr. J says :)). My boss is nervous as a cat about me going into labor while at work, and I really want to make it to Cadence's docs appt on Friday, so I am aiming for having the baby on Sat, Sun, or Mon... might as well be optimistic! I am currently eating my turkey sandwich, fueling up, and I am going to clean this house and do some laundry before heading to my last mani/pedi appt before the baby... I'm a bundle of energy with this good news - I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO MEET THIS BABY! I'll keep you all posted on my progress - hope your day is as fantastic as mine has been so far.

A fond memory on a hard day

2009-08-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about my Uncle Mitchell today... 1 yr ago today my mom called me to tell me that he was gone. I don't remember a lot about that day because I had a huge breakdown, but I remember how bad it hurt. I've tried not to think about it a lot today - I'm trying to stay as stress free as possible at the end of this pregnancy (I KNOW the stress of a newborn, so I'm enjoying my zen now). So I haven't had any breakdowns today, but I have had several memories and I wanted to share one... I don't know exactly which birthday it was, but I remember one birthday in Atlanta when my Uncle Mitch picked me up from school. He was in his white truck... the same truck that I kicked out of gear one time while parked and started rolling down a hill - but that's another memory. Anyway - Uncle Mitch carried me to McDonalds for a milkshake and I chose Strawberry. I also remember that I was wearing one of my birthday gifts - a pink sweatshirt. At the time, we lived down a bumpy road, so of course, when he got to my road I spilled milkshake all over my new sweatshirt. I was getting pretty worked up thinking I was going to get in trouble (by my mom) when my Uncle Mitch looked over at me and grinned and said "Don't worry about it Princess, they're both pink, nobody will ever know!" Course I giggled and it became our secret from my mother.... I have thought about that day many times since and it's one of my favorite memories of my uncle. That's just the way it was with him - he could keep all your secrets... and was one of the most fun people in the world. I'm going to quit writing now because I am gettnig upset - but I wanted to share that story of him. Thanks for reading.

No Change!

2009-08-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Forgot to post yesterday about my appt - no change! Still just a fingertip dilated... and I gained 2lbs! Needless to say I was not happy about this appointment. But the doc gave me a few tips for getting my cervix to open, so I will be trying those this week and hoping for a change next Wednesday. Cadence didn't get to go to her appt - her doc called out sick... I think we are going to change to a pediatrician in Lebanon anyway to be closer to home for the baby's docs appts. On a fun note - there is an office pool (and a couple of friends of the office) going on about when I am going to deliver and what the sex of the baby will be... here are the guesses so far...

Dr. D - Sept 17 - Boy
S - Sept 5 - Boy
G - Sept 14 - Boy
C - Sept 19 - Boy
GB - Sept 10 - Girl
Me - Sept 7 - Girl (I based my guess on what Dave thinks it is - I still have no inklings)
SD - Sept 11 - Boy
L - Sept 12 - Boy

As you can see, everyone thinks it will be a boy except for me and GB... we'll see!

Birthday Bliss

2009-08-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Cadence's birthday was, in one word, AWESOME! I could not have asked for better weather on Sunday - it was so mild out for the end of August. We had 2 tents set up for shade, and there was a nice breeze, so everyone stayed for a long time. Cadence had 36 guests not including me and Dave! I couldn't believe that so many people were able to come. And you would not believe the presents this kid got - I don't think I ever got near that many when I was a child, and I was the only child in my whole family! But anyway - the important thing is that she had a great time and got to visit with everyone... and I had a great time doing that myself. We had hamburgers and hotdogs thanks to Sams - we never would have had enough if we hadn't bought economy packs of both, and cake and ice cream.... OH THE CAKE! Let me just tell you - I was tickled to death with Cadence's birthday cake - it was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and it had her name written in stars across the top - it was PERFECT! And it tasted great, and Cadence loved it! Thank you Natasha for all your hard work - I gave out lots of your cards and everyone was really impressed with your work :). I'll post pics later on this week - Cadence and I both have doc's appts on Wednesday, so maybe after that. As for now, we are all too worn out to do much of anything!

Still So Blessed,

One Lucky Woman

2009-08-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

3 yrs ago today I walked down the beach and stopped a few feet from the ocean... there I joined hands with a handsome man and said the vows that we wrote... and I became his wife. It was by far one of the happiest days of my life! This morning when he called to tell me happy anniversary I thought to myself - "I love him more now than I even did then"! As I've said many times before, Dave is a wonderful man and does more for me than anyone else ever has... He waits on me hand and foot (pregnant or not) and still gives me backrubs at least 2x/week! He is a great Daddy and a great husband. I am a very very lucky lady. ♥

November 2008

Not Much Progress!

2009-08-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Doc's appt went OK... I gained 1lb this time, bringing my total to 13lbs. Baby's heartbeat was 142, and my uterus measured 36cms. The totally blah news is that I am still only a fingertip dilated! Doc says this is good news because she wants me to go another 2wks before having the baby, but I was just hoping that I would have had some change from the last appt. I explained to her that I am worried that this labor is going to be as long and hard as the last because of my cervix, but she is confident that this go-round will be easier. I trust her completely, so I'm not going to worry about it! I got Cadence's presents wrapped last night... still have a few things to do before the party, but I'm getting really excited about it too. Making nachos for dinner tonight - one of my very favorite meals. Life is good. ♥

Where are my feet?

2009-08-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

Another busy week down. I almost made it without a trip to the doc, but not quite. Thursday I had to go to Summit for another Non-Stress test because this ornery baby decided to not move all day long... this time I got to lay there for 35mins with these big round sensors strapped on me like the jaws of life. And of course, not long after being hooked up the little stinker started putting on a show with lots of big kicks. :) But I couldn't be mad because I was just glad that the baby was moving again. I told the doc that I was sorry for coming when nothing was wrong, but she assured me that she wants her patients to come anytime they think something isn't right. She said she would much rather see a pt and nothing be wrong then have someone stay home because they were embarrassed to come in and something be wrong with the baby. So - all is well in babyland for now, and my next appt is this Wednesday. I have decided that I am really excited about this baby, and I can't wait until he/she is here. That may sound strange, I mean, I've always been excited about this baby, but lately there has been so much else going on that I haven't gotten to enjoy the end of my pregnancy and the excitement of being so close to delivery. I am putting everything else that is not important right now to the side and focusing on Cadence's birthday and the birth of our new baby! I'm really really really anxious to see if the baby is a boy or girl... I just knew with Cadence that she was going to be a girl, but with this baby I have absolutely no idea about the sex. (The nurse did say on Thurs. that this baby was bound to be a boy for all the trouble it has caused :) ) You can definitely tell that I am getting near the end now... I am waddling -much to the amusement of my coworkers, and I have finally traded my heels and wedges in for flat, comfortable shoes. It is hard for me to breathe and get comfortable in any position, but I'm not complaining because that just means that the baby is growing and the end is near. (well I'm trying not to complain anyway) I am still having contractions, but no more spotting, and I am hoping that when the doc checks me this week my cervix has changed again. The baby's room is ready, and we put the carseat in my car this weekend so all we have left to do is pack our bag for the hospital and PICK A NAME for the baby... HOPEFULLY we will be doing both of these before the baby decides to come.

We have almost everything ready for Cadence's birthday party next Sunday... I am SO excited to see her face when she sees all the Mickey decorations, and balloons, and her cake! She gets so stinkin' excited when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse comes on the TV it's crazy... she even stands up and does the "Hot Dog Dance" at the end of every episode - it is so cute. So far we have gotten her new bedding and decorations for her room (ladybug themed), clothes, shoes, new Minnie Mouse cups, and Minnie Mouse pjs. It is hard not to just buy every cute thing I see for her, but I have finally cut myself off. So far we are expecting a crowd of about 30 so I am praying that it doesn't rain. (we'll have 2 big tents set up just in case) I still can't come to terms with the fact that my little angel is going to be 2 years old - where has the time gone? Yesterday she counted from 1 to 10 by herself and I nearly fell over in the floor! She says 1,2,3 all the time, but for whatever reason yesterday she just kept going... all the way to 10! So I had her say it again for Dave just to make sure that I wasn't imagining it and she did it again! I'm pretty sure that I've got the smartest little almost 2yr old around ;).

As an aside - heard another great message at church today about David and Goliath. It's such a simple story, but it demonstrates a good message about being willing to do what God wants you to do and submitting to his will. Thanks to Brother Bill for teaching me something important again this week. Also Cadence goes to the nursery every week and she cracks us up talking about the "kids" she plays with. Today, when I went to pick her up, Mrs. Cripps said, "She is the perfect child!" And I said, "You think so?" She said, "Yes I do, she has played and colored and talked to us... she is so good and sweet." So as a proud momma I thought I'd share that. Every parent thinks that their child/children are so good or so sweet, but it's just nice to hear it from others every now and then too.

Now I'm going to take a nap with my angel before I have to go mow the yard... hope that everyone has a GREAT week and I'll post again after my appt on Wednesday.

Whirlwind!

2009-08-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me where the last 3 weeks have gone - I don't know! Seems like pregnancy was going so slowly until about 2wks ago and all of a sudden I feel like my life is a tornado that is raging in all different directions. I finally got Cadence's birthday invitations mailed and some of her party decorations, but I have still yet to buy any food for this party that is taking place in less than 2wks (besides the cake, thanks Natasha), nor do I have my house or yard ready! Compounded with the fact that after Cadence's birthday I will be "ripe" enough to have this baby any time this is all driving me bonkers! Thankfully I don't have a doc's appt tomorrow so I can work on my house, but starting next Wednesday I will be going to the doctor every week. And I have started training the lady that will be my replacement on Maternity Leave, so it is really sinking in that in just a few short weeks I am going to be a TEMPORARY stay at home mom with a newborn and a 2yr old! I say temporary like that because I am planning on taking 6wks leave MAXIMUM and coming back to work as soon as humanly possible.

Dave is still battling his last Algebra test for school - he is even using my old college notes, but I certainly can't help him because I stink at Algebra... I'm really proud of him though, he has taught himself Elementary Algebra from one of those Dummy Books! I mean - he is doing slopes and quadratic equations... stuff that makes my skin crawl! We are anticipating a speed bump in the school process - they are going to start a 2nd shift back up at his old job so he will probably be called back to work soon. This means that he will have to knock school back to part time, but he is definitely still going to go. Either way, there are pros and cons to each and we can't get worried or stressed about it until something happens. We have been very fortunate to be able to manage our finances with Dave being unemployed for the last 4 months - I know that a lot of families are not able to survive when one person loses a job. Dave and I are very fortunate that we are able to take advantage of the newest options being presented by the gov't for laid off workers. We were recently approved for the new Health Care Tax Credit, which pays 80% of our Cobra Insurance! You will not hear either one of us bashing our president because right now we are saving $600 a month because of a plan he put into action. We are very, very blessed.

Anyway, all is well, just busy, at the Reynolds' Household. I probably won't post before my next doc's appt (next Wednesday), if anyone needs me - I'll be cleaning and running around like a chicken with my head cut off!!!

As Promised...

2009-07-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pics from the fair pageant... she was hot and didn't want to cooperate, but we still managed to get a few!

Updates

2009-07-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

I had my 32wk doc's visit yesterday, and it went so much better than I was expecting! I lost 2lbs this time, but still gained 1cm in my uterus, so the baby is growing fine. Baby's heartbeat was 150 this time, a little faster than it has been and the nurses are still predicting a boy... we'll see! I was expecting to be dilated at this appt due to all the spotting and pressure I've been having - and it was scaring me to death thinking that the baby might try to come early. Luckily - I'm not dilated (well not fully anyway)! I am 50% effaced, and Dr. J said not quite a fingertip dilated, so this little baby is staying put for the time being - yay! I won't have to go back for 3 more wks because my doc is having foot surgery, but after that appt I will be going every week until delivery time.

We also got Dave registered for classes yesterday, we are both REALLY excited about it - probably me more than Dave (he is a little nervous) but we both know that he is just going to do great in all his classes. He will be taking 17hrs this semester so it is good that he isn't working because that is a full load for a soon to be dad of 2. He will start his classes the last week in August so we're going this weekend to get him a new laptop and some school supplies. I'll probably post on the day that he starts school because I will just be too proud not to. :)

I am also getting everything ready for Cadence's 2nd birthday party. We have the invitations ready to be sent out, just waiting on my Zazzle stamps. (I ordered stamps with Cadence's pic on them to send on her invites!) I finally ordered her cake today... I was determined to make her cake myself, but I'm thinking that the baby will be ready to come out any time by Cadence's b-day and I don't want to be stressing over the cake. Natasha Vaughn is going to be making her a "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" cake with a Minnie Mouse topper and I CAN'T WAIT to see Cadence's face when she sees it! I can't believe that in 3 short weeks my sweet little girl will be 2yrs old... time just flies by entirely too fast when you have kids.

Yet again, I'm overwhelmed at how blessed I am... my husband takes better care of me than I deserve, and takes the best care of our daughter. He is also taking such a big step in our lives right now by going back to school. My sweet baby girl is smart and healthy, she amazes me every day at what a wonderful little person she is. We have wonderful, supportive family and friends that I look forward to spending time with at every possible opening. And I have another healthy baby on the way. WOW - I have so much more than I deserve! Oh, and me, my mom, and my Mumsie are all going to get pampered this weekend for my Mumsie's birthday - facials and massages! It may be that I'm just hormonal and all lovey dovey this month, but I just want to say how happy and blessed I am with my life - I can't get enough of it!

Thought for the day - Remember Your Chains - Steven Curtis Chapman wrote (in a song):

"Remember your chains. Remember the prison that once held you before the love of God broke through. Remember the place you were without grace when you see where you are now. Remember your chains, and remember your chains are gone! And in the light of all that we have been forgiven of, we will find our hearts fuller and free to give and receive God's Love."

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner :)

2009-07-27T07:42:00.000-07:00

This past Friday night Cadence competed in the DeKalb County Fair Toddler Pageant. There were 11 little girls total, and Cadence was the smallest of them BY FAR. She went out on stage and waved and blew kisses like a pro - she waved and said "Hi" to the judges and then walked over to our spot and blew kisses at her fans. These fans included: Nana, Grandma, Pa, Mumsie, Pop-Pop, Granny, Aunt Sommer, Uncle Eric, Uncle Bob, Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Dave, Aunt Monica, Dr. Duke, and Sarah Clark (and Momma and Daddy of course). I had made up my mind that I wouldn't be disappointed if she didn't place this time because there were so many little ones in her category and the judges can only pick top 2, but I must say, while they were tabulating scores I kept thinking "my baby girl did SO good, surely she'll place" and....... she did! She won 1st place!!!! I was so excited I thought I was going to start crying right there on stage! Here are just a couple of pics - I'll have more when I pick up my CD from the photographer and get Aunt Sommer's memory card :). Some of them are blurry, and in one of them Cadence and I are squinting pretty hard, but you can still tell that we were both excited about the win. (on a side note: I did have more spotting on Saturday night, but I'm waiting for my appt on Wednesday to go in to the doc - I'll post on that subject after the appt) And by the way, the name of this post is Winner Winner Chicken Dinner because Cadence's Aunt Sommer kept telling her that after she won - I don't really know what it means, but it's cute!

Long Week, Long Thoughts

2009-07-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

This week has been one of the longest and hardest weeks I can remember. I'll start by saying that this past year has had it's fair number of trials anyway. We have lost friends, family members and jobs. David and I quit going to church for a couple of months because we didn't feel welcome, then we started going to other churches and didn't feel like we were at our true church home. We were SO happy to find out that we were having our second child early this year, but this pregnancy has not been as straight forward as the first either. For the past several months things have seemed to pick up - we have been going back to our home church and feel comfortable and welcome there, we have been spending more time with family and close friends, and have had several calm months on the pregnancy end. But as most of you know, when things seem to be going too well, the devil likes to snake his ugly way into your life. Some very stressful family stuff started over the weekend and has worn us all down. Nothing life-threatening, but hurtful nonetheless. After seeing my husband more upset than I have ever seen him I started getting stressed too. Dave is the most calm, easy-going man I have ever known, and I have probably seen him upset or worked up less than 5 times in the last 4 1/2 yrs. He believes that life is too short to hold grudges and be unhappy. On Sunday night I started spotting. I wasn't worried the first time it happened because I didn't really think it was coming from my female parts, but after a 2nd occurrence I realized that it actually was. After speaking to the doctor we decided I should stay home and monitor the bleeding and contractions for dramatic changes that may indicate a bigger problem. Thankfully, none came, and I went about my business considering it a fluke. Monday afternoon I started spotting again. I called the doc again, and we went over possible scenarios and I decided to try to go home to wait it out again. Luckily, this proved affective and I haven't had any spotting in 3 days! I will be checked at my next visit to confirm whether or not my cervix has started opening early, but we think it could just be attributed to stress. Also, Monday, Dave went to take his placement test for VolState, so he was anxious about that and had a hard time focusing. (Hopefully he will be calm and relaxed for his testing today :)) I felt that Tuesday was relatively calm, everyone seemed to be doing OK considering the situation, but Wednesday was another hard day. After learning of a family member being diagnosed with cancer I had a little breakdown of my own. It really made me think about my husband's thoughts on "life being too short for all of this"... I know that he is absolutely right. It is bad enough that anyone has cancer, but it made me realize that it could be my mom, or Dave's parents just as easily. Cancer is so quick to sneak in and take a life, not to mention that anyone could be in a car accident, become ill, lose a spouse, ANYTHING. We don't yet know the stage or extent of the cancer, but I'm a firm believer that prayer works, as it has worked in my family several times.

Today I woke up with a song in my head that I had not heard since I was a little girl in Sunday School. It's about the fruit of the spirit and it says :
"The fruit of the spirit shows Gods love in you, a seed of love is planted and grows,
and the spirit shines through. But you gotta have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness - for this is the fruit of Gods spirit. You gotta have goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control - for this is the fruit of Gods spirit."
Now I don't know why I woke up singing that, but I really feel that God wanted me to hear that message today. With everything going on it is hard to feel and show all of these fruits, but shouldn't it be a daily goal to show them? I believe that I know several people that strive to live by these adjectives, one of which is my husband. I KNOW that I don't exhibit them all, but I am going to start trying today. It's hard to think about being loving or kind to people that have not been so toward me or Dave, but I am going to try my hardest because I know that I'm not perfect either. It's hard to let go of "wrongs" you think people have done you, but I think the only way God will give you peace is to accept his will and forgive and move on. If I died tomorrow, or if any member of my family died tomorrow I would want them to know that I love them and it doesn't matter what they do wrong because God is the only judge and I want to have the fruits of the spirit in my heart.

Dave and I are blessed much more than we deserve. We have the most beautiful little girl in the world that tells us every day how much she loves us, and nothing compares to how good that feels. We have a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs. I have a job that I love with people that are wonderful, and Dave is going back to school after 11 yrs to do something he loves. We have AWESOME families on both sides that would, and have, dropped everything to help us through our rough times - be it illness or otherwise. And, God willing, we are going to have another healthy beautiful baby in just a few more weeks that will only increase the love we all have for each other. I hope that anyone reading this has taken something out of it and has a wonderful, blessed day.

30 wk appt

2009-07-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

After an entire month of having contractions every day I quit having them all together this past Sunday. I was definitely not complaining, but I noticed that I was also not feeling much movement from the baby. So from Sunday to Wednesday all was quiet in babyland, and needless to say - I was becoming very concerned. I'm not the type that likes to go to the doctor, and I already had the appt set for Wednesday, so I waited it out. My appt started out normal - getting my weigh (gained another lb), leaving a urine specimen :), checking the heartbeat (which was normal, then the doc came in. I told her about the loss of contractions and movement and she decided to mash around on my stomach to see if she could get the baby moving. Let me just say - I was relieved that the nurse got such a strong heartbeat, but I was also thinking "a heartbeat doesn't mean there isn't something wrong", so I was still pretty nervous. The doc started her mashing and discovered that the baby is now in the head-down position, which is great because the baby has been breech until now, but she was still unable to get the baby to move. So she decided to hook me up to a non-stress test to moniter the baby's heartbeat and activity. After about a minute of being hooked up to this thing I started sweating and feeling like I was going to pass out, so I said "I'm not feeling very well" (the nurse and doc were still both in the room). So the doc says "OK, let's get you on your side, the baby is pressing on your veins and it is causing your blood pressure to drop". So at this point I am ready to just about cry because I am just working myself up. I rolled over and got situated and the nurse brought in a fan for me. The test took 30 mins and thankfully during that time I was able to relax and get Dave relaxed by telling the both of us that the baby was fine and this was easy peasy. Dr. J came in and checked the baby's printout and said that there were a couple of little movements in the 30mins and that the baby's heartrate was perfect, so she let us go with a clean bill of health. I was relieved to say the least! I just want to say that I think I have the best doc in the world and I am so glad that she always listens to my concerns and takes every precaution with me and the baby. So after the doc appt the nurse told us that we need to go ahead and pre-register at the hospital. Off we went to Summit to get everything squared away. That also took a little while so afterward we were starving. We decided on IHOP and let me just tell you, I LOVE IHOP! I mean come on, where else can you get stuffed french toast at 12:00pm??? Anyway, then we went to register for a few baby essentials at Babies-R-Us and Target. We still have to register at Wal-Mart, but other than packing our bags in a few weeks I think we are set.

On a lighter note, I've been on vacation all week and have had a wonderful time at home with Dave and Cadence, we have been everywhere and done everything! Dave took his first test to go back to school on Monday and ACED it, I was so proud of him - I can't imagine having been out of school for 11 yrs and having to jump back in. Not much else to tell, I'm a blessed woman! I'll post again soon.

28wk Appt

2009-07-02T06:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's appt went pretty well. I had been having some pretty nasty cramps on Tuesday and was expecting to have a UTI, but it turns out I'm just having contractions... which I already knew, but these felt different than the others. The doctor checked my cervix to make sure that they weren't changing anything down there and thankfully, they aren't! I am to monitor these painful contractions closely to make sure that I don't have 6 in 1 hour. Early contractions are very common in 2nd pregnancies, so nothing to worry about, and I am hoping that they are preparing my body for an easy labor and delivery. Took my glucose test - YUCK - and should have the results of it today or Monday. I did gain 2lbs this time, again, and my uterus measured 28cms (right on target).

After my long nap yesterday Dave and I did rearrange Cadence's room and get more baby stuff out of the barn. I am so glad that I used neutral colors for Cadence so that we can use the same things for this baby! We won't need a carseat, stroller, bath, highchair, crib mattress... the list goes on and on! And if we have another girl we will be set on clothes forever! I finally pulled all of Cadence's 12mo clothes out of her dresser and closet (even though she can still wear several of those) to make room for her 18mo clothes. We had 3 XL ziploc storage bags full of 12mo clothes!!! I guess just because she stayed in that size for so long. She wore a new 18mo outfit yesterday and it fell off of her all day, so I don't know when she will be ready for 24mo clothes... Anyway, her room looks great, but instead of looking like our baby's room it looks like a big girl room... makes me so sad! I can't believe my sweet baby girl is sleeping in a full size bed! I can't wait to get her new bedding and decorations for her room for her birthday next month. Cadence is getting really excited about the baby. She knows that when we go to the doctor she will be hearing the baby's heartbeat and she is still kissing and rubbing my belly every day. Now that the nursery is coming together she will go sit in the glider and say "Baby's room". I just love it that she knows what is going on and is happy about the baby (for now :)).

I'll try to take a new picture of my huge self to post before too long. Can't wait for the Jamboree tomorrow!

26 Week Checkup

2009-06-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

So I went for my 26 wk checkup yesterday and everything is still moving right along... I gained 2lbs this month - go me - and measured about 27cms (you should be a cm for every wk you are pregnant). I told my doctor about the pains I've been having, which I thought were just stretching or Braxton Hicks Contractions, and it turns out they are the real deal - regular ol' contractions! Not to worry, it is very common in 2nd pregnancies to experience contractions earlier and more frequently than in the first pregnancy. These contractions will not be seen as early labor unless I have more than 6 in one hour and are harmless to the baby. So that was good to know - now when I am having these silly pains I can tell Dave (and anyone else bothering me) to hush because I am having a contraction! :) I will be going to the doctor every 2wks from now until the last month of my pregnancy when I will go every week (fun fun). We have all of the baby's furniture up and ready in the nursery and it looks beautiful. We will probably be registering for some basics in the next month or so... just bottles, diapers, bath stuff... general necessities since we don't know the sex.

Dave, Cadence and I are going to Atlanta this weekend to see my Uncle Andy, who will be in the states for just one day... so I will have lots of pics to post of this next week... and as always, I'll try to keep this page as current as possible! :)

Good Food, Good Times, & Famous People!

2009-06-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend was one of the best we have had so far all year! Friday night I mowed the yard, which may not seem like a big deal to everyone, but I love to mow and it was perfect weather for it. (It's the simple things in life that please me :)) Then Saturday night we went to a hibachi style Japanese restaurant in Mt. Juliet and it was AWESOME! I want to eat there every night now. Cadence really enjoyed herself and really enjoyed the little pond of fish in the entryway. Then Sunday morning we got up and got everything ready to get the boat out on the lake for the first time this year. If any of you know us you know that we usually have had the boat out 3-4 times by the first of June, so we have been itching to get in the water for a while. This was Cadence's first time out on the boat and she LOVED it! As soon as we got her ready in her bathing suit and life jacket she was ready to hit the water. She played on floats that Sommer and I had from last year splashing everyone until I accidentally flipped both of the floats over and she ended up swimming in the water too! She didn't cry or fuss one single time and she waved "Hi" to all the other boats and seadoos passing by. When we decided to get something to eat we drove across the lake to a marina at Hurricane Ridge called Blue Gill Cafe, Blue Water Cafe - I don't know - something with Blue and Cafe. There we spotted Richie McDonald (used to be the lead singer of Lonestar) sitting at at table with his family. Then a tall, thin guy came in and started talking to him and when he turned around to go to his table I whispered over to Eric that he was the lead singer of Lady Antebellum! Sure enough it was Charles Kelley and his fiance, and the other male vocalist of the group Dave Haywood! They sat right behind us and played and talked to Cadence the whole time. Then when they were leaving Charles patted her back and said "We've had fun talking to you" and told me how sweet she was!!! I was like - how cool is that?!?!? THEN, as if that wasn't enough, who pops out on his houseboat right outside our window...... you wanna know don't you..... Al Gore! I told Dave, Sommer, and Eric that I was bringing an autograph book if we ever ate lunch there again! It was so cool. Then Cadence fell asleep on the way back to the boat ramp and it was just a sweet ending to a perfect day. I hope we have many many many more days on the lake that were as fun as yesterday!

6 Months

2009-05-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I am hitting the 6 month mark today... seems like I was just posting that I was 8wks and feeling like crap. This pregnancy has been SO different from my first : more sickness, awful headaches, weight gain (I've already gained 10 whereas I only gained 14 for the entire pregnancy with Cadence), the way I'm carrying - I thought Cadence stayed in my ribs, but I feel like this baby just lives in my chest cavity - I stay out of breath, and of course this pregnancy time is slipping up on us more quickly as evident by the fact that besides a pack of white onsies, we have bought nothing for this baby. As of now, we have no names picked out, no clothes, no diapers, and no furniture! But luckily we still have a few more months. I do think that this baby will come closer to the due date than Cadence did (a week late) because my uterus is measuring right on target with my due date, and people say your 2nd baby comes quicker... I'll keep my fingers crossed! My next doc's appt is June 17, so I will post again about how the baby is doing then.

In other news - my sweet dog Davah had a tumor cut off of her ear on Tuesday and I am happy to report that the vet called me this morning and told me that it wasn't cancer! It was just a benign mass that some young dogs get - something about blood vessels... Of course I'm happy as a lark because Dave and I have had her for almost 4 years and she truly is like our first child.

Hopefully we will be getting out on the boat this weekend, so I will post pics of Cadence in all of her summerwear as soon as possible. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

22 wks

2009-05-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful doctor's visit yesterday... The baby's heartbeat was 151 and I'll just tell you, it was hard to get. As soon as the nurse put the doppler on my stomach the baby kicked it - I mean - kicked the doppler so hard that the nurse lifted it back off of my stomach and said "Wow, the baby doesn't like that does it?!" Then, she had to chase the little stinker down several times and got kicked again for her effort! We were both laughing about the baby's stubbornness and she finally asked me what I had eaten for breakfast to make this child so wild. I did gain 4lbs this month - which I was not happy about, but the doctor said that was perfect weight gain and I should continue to gain 1/2 - 1lb per week for the remainder of the pregnancy. I'm thinking I'm going to go home and bust a hump (literally) on the treadmill for the next 3months! My uterus measured 23wks, which is right on target for my Sept. 18 due date. I did also mention to the doctor that I pulled a muscle in my stomach last week and she stressed the importance of not lifting heavy objects over my head... which I knew - I just had a stubborn moment and wanted to do something myself. So, all in all, it was just a fun appointment. I go back in 4wks for my 26wk checkup and then I start on week 28 with 2wk checkups... seems like this pregnancy has gone by so much faster than my first.

No Cancer!

2009-05-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

Happy to report that Mumsie's tumor was completely benign... now I continue my plan to wear her down with my babies!

Just A Bunch of Good Stuff

2009-05-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

The Relay for Life was wonderful! Mumsie walked a whole lap while Cadence laid back in the stroller. She goes today to find out the results of the biopsy of her tumor and to have her staples removed... hopefully I'll have a good report for the next post.

My Mother's Day was wonderful, Dave and Cadence got me lots of flowers to plant on the front porch from my favorite greenhouse and I got a carnation along with all the other mothers at church. I love Mother's Day!

Another fun thing to post - Dave got to feel the baby kick for the first time last night! He'll probably spend the next 4 months rubbing my stomach to try to feel it again (he did with Cadence). I think it just gives him a little connection to the baby, and I certainly don't mind the extra loving. :) Cadence also definitely knows that there is a baby growing in my stomach - her new favorite thing to say is "Baby" while pointing at my stomach... she's even taken to kissing it when she wants to be sweet!

Just some silly, sweet stuff on a fun day

2009-05-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

Baby #2

2009-05-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

We had our 20wk ultrasound yesterday and it went GREAT! The baby was squirming around everywhere, but we got an awesome DVD and several good snapshots. The baby's heartbeat was 161 beats per minute and so far everything looks great. (the radiologist will read the ultrasound sometime before my next OB appt to confirm that everything is fine) As hard as it was not to find out, we held strong and did not discover the sex of the baby... so now it is just a waiting game until September! So far, everyone who has seen the ultrasound pictures thinks that the baby is a girl, and I must say, I have the same feeling... but who knows?!?!?

I'm really excited about the Relay for Life tomorrow night - I'm going to take a bunch of pictures, so I will post them soon. I'm also looking forward to my 2nd Mother's Day as a Mother on Sunday... I can't believe I'm so blessed!

Bad Dream

2009-05-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Cadence I started having dreams early on... these dreams would range from Baby Dreams to Nightmares - but for whatever reason, my entire pregnancy was plagued by frequent dreams. This pregnancy has been no different. The dreams are just as numerous, and just as broad. But I can't seem to forget last night's dream as I have been able to do with most of the others. Last night I dreamed that my Uncle Mitchell wasn't dead. I dreamed that he had only been away for this past 8 months, and he had to keep it a secret, so he faked his death. I can't tell you how happy and excited my family was, it seems like my Mumsie, mom, and me just held each other and sobbed like big babies because we were so overcome with joy. And of course my Uncle Mitch was making fun of us (and crying too) for being such drama queens. Then I came to the point in the dream when I knew that it wasn't real. I felt like the whole world was crashing down on me again and I struggled to stay in that dream for as long as I could just to be with him again.

I thought that the hurt would ease. Some days I barely think about him, or his awful death, and I'm thankful that I have a wild little girl to run after to occupy my thoughts and time... but there are still days when his death consumes my every thought and I hide in the bathroom wherever I am and cry. I wonder if the pain and dissappointment will lessen in the years to come? Can you ever overcome the grief of the death of a loved one? Will I think of him tonight as I close my eyes to sleep?

As sweet as it was to be in that "fantasy" for a few minutes, it was another bitter blow when I realized that it wasn't real. I pray for a dreamless sleep tonight.

Cadence's First Haircut

2009-04-30T08:31:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Cadence Morgan had her very first haircut! She sat up in the chair like a big girl and didn't squirm or fuss one time! Although I was sad to see her precious curls go - her little bob haircut is just as sweet. I love my angel so much!

19wks and Mumsie

2009-04-24T05:18:00.000-07:00

Busy week this week. I had my OB visit on Wednesday, which went very well... the baby's heartbeat was 160 and it is now less than two weeks until we go for the ultrasound. I didn't gain any weight this month - which thrilled me! Dave and Cadence went with me, and as usual, everyone loves Cadence... she even conned one of the nurses out of a bag of animal cookies. :)

Mumsie had her surgery yesterday, and even though we had to wait a LONG time for her to come out of surgery and recovery, she did wonderfully. The tumor that they removed didn't look cancerous (in their opinion) and came out easily. They will have the pathology on it in a couple of weeks, but our family is very hopeful that it was benign. Mumsie is recovering well and will start her physical therapy today and may even be able to come home tomorrow or Sunday.

Not much else to tell ~ life is wonderful! And today is going to be a beautiful day!

Life Life Life

2009-04-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

So... lots going on. It has been 2 weeks since Dave had his ankle surgery and he is finally hobbling around without his crutches! Yay Dave! He is still miserable because he is stuck at home and unable to drive, but hopefully he will get the "OK" to drive after his doctor's appointment on Friday.

Easter was wonderful! We recorded Cadence Sunday morning when she got to find all of her eggs and her basket full of goodies. And of course, she received toys, books, candy, and clothes from me and Dave, her Mumsie and Poppy, her Nana, her Grandma and Pa, her Aunt Jenna and Uncle Tim, her Cousins Dave and Monica, and her God-Parents Sommer and Eric! Needless to say - we have enough candy to last until Halloween!

Cadence is such a little parrot - she will say ANYTHING you say! She repeats any name or phrase you ask her to... and it is sooooo cute! She has also finally hit the 22lb mark... we are thrilled! I think that she is just bound and determined to be a tiny little thing - which is fine with her Momma (as long as she is healthy). :)

My pregnancy is also going well, I haven't had any headaches in almost 2 wks! It was about that time that I also started feeling the baby move. It's just as fun and exciting as I remember it - like little butterflies fluttering around in your stomach. I go back to the doctor next Wednesday, so I will post another entry then if nothing happens before. And - the big ULTRASOUND is scheduled for the morning of May 6th! So far Dave and I have not been tempted at all to find out the sex of the baby, so hopefully when we are actually looking at the little sweetie we won't give in.

My Mumsie will be having surgery next Thursday, April 23rd, to remove a tumor from her leg. The doctors are unsure whether the mass in benign or malignant, but to avoid taking any chances they are going to get it out. Please keep our family and Mumsie in your prayers during her surgery and recovery as she will not be able to walk for a while...
That's all for now.

♥Danielle♥

Dave's Ankle

2009-04-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

David had surgery on Monday to remove a steel plate, 9 screws, and some wires from his ankle. All of this hardware was put there 9 years ago after a 4-wheeler accident. He is still having some pain and LOTS of swelling... and he will not be able to put weight on it or drive until further notice. He is going crazy with boredom at home, so feel free to call him or go by for a visit (if you live in this state :) ) I wouldn't know what to do without my mother-in-law during this past week - she has cooked, cleaned, babysat, done laundry, and taken care of Dave during the day while I've been at work. So far this week we have had lasagna, pork chops, and chili, and Dave has had soups, subs and salads every day for lunch. Barbara even came over last night to put away Cadence's laundry and watch her for me while I helped Dave take a shower (quite an ordeal with one good leg). My Mumsie also kept Cadence for me Sunday night, Monday, Monday night, and Tuesday so that I could go with Dave to the hospital and get him situated at home after the surgery - she's a good one too!

Cadence and I are doing well - she doesn't like to see Daddy's ankle unwrapped, but other than that she is great. My mom, "Nana", and Mumsie have taken her to the Southern Women's Show today and from what I hear - she is having a blast. I am 16 wks pregnant today, and have been feeling the baby "flutter" for a few days now... it feels so strange, and so exciting at the same time. My headaches are doing much better thanks to my OB allowing me to take 800mg of Ibuprofen - THANK YOU!

Not much else to tell - I'm so glad that it's the weekend! I'm going to do some cleaning tomorrow and see if Dave wants to get out of the house for a little while. Hope everyone is doing well!

♥Danielle♥

2009-03-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

We went back to the doctor yesterday for my checkup and I am happy to report that everything is great with Baby #2! The heartbeat was 154 beats per minute and the doctor gave me two new options for the terrible headaches I've been having. I love to go to the doctor and get in and out with a great report! :) Our big ultrasound is scheduled for May 6th, and Dave and I are still dead-set that we are not finding out the sex of the baby, but we are REALLY looking forward to just seeing the baby for the first time. I can't believe that 15wks has already flown by and it won't be long until we are at the half-way mark!

Cadence is doing wonderful! We had her 18month pictures made last Saturday, and even though she didn't want to pose for pics, we ended up getting several great ones. Here are just a few of them... the rest are on the Loving Touch Website for about another week @ http://www.lovingtouchportrait.com/.

Some Random Pics

2009-03-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

Me & Dave at Christmas

Cadence in her wagon

Mumsie and Poppy

Andy, Bekki, and Cadence

My "Big" Little Girl

2009-03-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, March 11, at approximately 8:30pm Cadence Morgan sat down on her potty and pee-peed for the first time!!! She has never wanted to sit on her potty before, but for whatever reason- when I asked her if she needed to pee-pee on that night she said yes and sat right down... and then PEE-PEED! As you know, she is only 18 months old, so this is a huge deal! (Of course, it would be a huge deal to me if she did it when she was 3!) Anyway, since then, she likes to sit on her potty and try to go (she has pee-peed one more time since then) and we put her on it any time she wants... I have heard from a few people that she is too young to be potty-training, but I have confidence in her, so we are going to continue to try. I hope that everyone else is as thrilled as we are about this! :D

Until next post,

♥PROUD MOMMY♥

Cadence's 18mo check-up

2009-03-05T08:55:00.000-08:00

We went to a new pediatrician yesterday - Dr. Mallette at TN Pediatrics in Murfreesboro. We really liked her and felt like she paid attention to our concerns and questions. Cadence weighed in at 21lbs, 4oz - up one oz from her last visit in January... This moves her down to the lowest 10th percentile on her growth chart in weight. She was also in this percentage for height. Her head circumference was still in the 50th percentile, indicating that it is just her body that is staying tiny. (And she has a huge brain!) Dr. Mallette is going to pay close attention to Cadence's weight from now on and if, at her 24mo checkup, her weight hasn't improved her percentage she wants to test Cadence for thyroid problems. She said Cadence looks perfect, and developmentally couldn't be doing any better (she knows over 25 words already!), we'll just keep a watch on her growth issue.
(She also got 2 shots and did great with those)
I'll keep posting as new news comes up!
:)