This Saturday marks the 6th anniversary of the day Keith proposed. I'm not really sure how many people typically keep up with that kind of thing, but for me that day was a big deal. Keith and I had been dating for almost 4 years before he proposed, so I was more than ready for him to pop the question. We had been discussing marriage for probably a year prior to the big proposal, but didn't really have a timeline for when we would get engaged. I was in college and knew I wouldn't graduate until May of 2002, so we knew we couldn't get married before then. A couple of months before the question was popped we actually had started looking at engagement rings. One Sunday we thought we had found the one, but it just wasn't meant to be. Then we talked about designing a ring and having one specially made, but honestly that was going to cost more than either of us wanted to spend.
The big day finally came. It was a Saturday and we were out ring shopping, which obviously wasn't a new thing. We ended up at a little jeweler in Tyler. He had the perfect ring with the perfect price. So Keith bought it and we went back to his parents'. Once we got there he refused to let me have it until he personally cleaned it within an inch of its life. He's very meticulous like that. After drying it with a hair dryer (yes, you read that right), he called me into the kitchen and said, "So, do you want to marry me?". Of course I said yes, obviously. Then I immediately called my parents and sister. (A few months before this, Keith had asked my dad for my hand, old fashioned, but very sweet and appreciated by my parents, who were more than ready for him to propose.) We then told Keith's family (they weren't home at the time) and everyone was very excited for us. After a few weeks of discussing we agreed on getting married on June 1, 2002, which was 2 weeks after I graduated from college. So we weren't engaged for very long, but we dated long enough to make up for it.
Planning the wedding was a lot of fun. One of my younger sisters had already been married (and she was actually expecting her first baby when Keith and I got married), so we already had a few ideas for where to shop and things like that. Since I was still in college, most of the wedding plans were made on the weekends or on the internet. Wedding dress shopping was a lot of fun. I only tried on a couple of gowns before I found the one I wanted. Keith and I had decided we didn't want a reception so that eliminated a lot of the planning. (We didn't want a reception because of the hassles, the fact that my dad's church really didn't have a facility large enough to hold one at that time, and we just wanted to leave for our honeymoon!) We didn't really have any crazy things happen when we were planning this. Everything went pretty smoothly. I do remember that the day of our wedding we had 2 Jehovah's Witnesses show up at my parents' door and of course I was the lucky person who answered. But other than that, everything went off without a hitch. It was a great day!
I'm always a little surprised when I hear about people who knew each other less than a year before getting engaged or married, but I know everyone's story is different. While I would have loved to marry Keith sooner than we did, I know that my timing is not God's timing and it happened the way it did for a reason. Because Keith had been working for almost 3 years before we got married, we were able to buy our first house within 6 months of getting married, which was so nice. I'm not really an "apartment" person. I can barely manage to contain my frustrations with our neighbors here in our housing addition, I'm not sure what would have happened had we lived in an apartment for very long. But I probably would have been on national news for killing someone over the volume of their stereo or something like that.
In January, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of our first date, so I'll try to remember to post around that time to share about our first date and some of our dating experiences. Just FYI, I use the term "celebrate" very loosely. I am married to a great husband, but he isn't so romantic as to really acknowledge these "anniversaries" beyond saying something along the lines of "really? I can't believe it's been that long" whenever I mention it. So, don't start thinking we're going on a cruise for the anniversary of the first time we held hands or something. But we do celebrate the important wedding anniversaries so that's the main thing.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Sunday, September 9, 2007
What This World Needs
I am copying this blog from my sister's blog. Obviously if you've read this on her blog, then you don't need to read it here. This is for my friends who don't read her blog. I found it to be very inspiring. My favorite part is "Jesus is the only way to God, but we are not the only way to Jesus." It's so true! I could preach an entire sermon on this song and the truths that it presents. But I'll refrain.
This is the very first song on Casting Crowns' new cd "The Altar and the Door." I recommend everyone go and buy this cd (or download from iTunes). It's so great. This one is one of my favorites. These words are great but the music makes them all the more powerful. I encourage you to get ahold of this cd. I've highlighted the parts below that struck me, personally, the most. Hope y'all enjoy!What This World Needs
Galatians is the main basis for this song. False teachers were slipping in and adding to the Gospel. Jesus + being good = the believer's life. Paul builds in a foundation for the Galatian people that it is by faith in Jesus that we are saved. Even today, we, the church, are in danger of adding to the Gospel. Jesus plus my denomination. Jesus plus our style of worship. Jesus plus good behavior. We must be careful not to strap ourselves to the Gospel.~2 Corinthians 6:3-13 / Colossians 1:13-23 / John 17 / Romans 12:9-21 / Matthew 7:1-3 / John 7:24 / Romans 16:17-19 / Philippians 3:18-20Written by Mark Hall and Hector CervantesSpecial guests – Gunnar Miller, Madison Miller, Logan Miller, Tripp Weir© 2007 My Refuge Music/Club Zoo Music/SWECS Music (BMI) (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing)
What this world needs is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind
Another two bit politician peddling lies
Another three ring circus society
What this world needs is not another sign waving super saint that's better than you
Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth
Another prophet in an Armani suit
What this world needs is a Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love them in their time of need
A Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love
That's what this world needs
What this world needs is for us to care more about the inside than the outside
Have we become so blind that we can't see
God's gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt
What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance
Blending in so well that people can't see the difference
And it's the difference that sets the world free
[spoken]People aren't confused by the Gospel, they're confused by us
Jesus is the only Way to God, but we are not the only way to Jesus
This world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie, my denomination, or my translation of the Bible
They just need Jesus.
We can be passionate about what we believe, but we can't strap ourselves to the Gospel
'Cause we're slowing it down.
Jesus is going to save the world, but maybe the best thing we can do...
Is just get out of the way.
Jesus is our Savior, that's what this world needs
Father's arms around you, that's what this world needs
That's what this world needs
This is the very first song on Casting Crowns' new cd "The Altar and the Door." I recommend everyone go and buy this cd (or download from iTunes). It's so great. This one is one of my favorites. These words are great but the music makes them all the more powerful. I encourage you to get ahold of this cd. I've highlighted the parts below that struck me, personally, the most. Hope y'all enjoy!What This World Needs
Galatians is the main basis for this song. False teachers were slipping in and adding to the Gospel. Jesus + being good = the believer's life. Paul builds in a foundation for the Galatian people that it is by faith in Jesus that we are saved. Even today, we, the church, are in danger of adding to the Gospel. Jesus plus my denomination. Jesus plus our style of worship. Jesus plus good behavior. We must be careful not to strap ourselves to the Gospel.~2 Corinthians 6:3-13 / Colossians 1:13-23 / John 17 / Romans 12:9-21 / Matthew 7:1-3 / John 7:24 / Romans 16:17-19 / Philippians 3:18-20Written by Mark Hall and Hector CervantesSpecial guests – Gunnar Miller, Madison Miller, Logan Miller, Tripp Weir© 2007 My Refuge Music/Club Zoo Music/SWECS Music (BMI) (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing)
What this world needs is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind
Another two bit politician peddling lies
Another three ring circus society
What this world needs is not another sign waving super saint that's better than you
Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth
Another prophet in an Armani suit
What this world needs is a Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love them in their time of need
A Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love
That's what this world needs
What this world needs is for us to care more about the inside than the outside
Have we become so blind that we can't see
God's gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt
What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance
Blending in so well that people can't see the difference
And it's the difference that sets the world free
[spoken]People aren't confused by the Gospel, they're confused by us
Jesus is the only Way to God, but we are not the only way to Jesus
This world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie, my denomination, or my translation of the Bible
They just need Jesus.
We can be passionate about what we believe, but we can't strap ourselves to the Gospel
'Cause we're slowing it down.
Jesus is going to save the world, but maybe the best thing we can do...
Is just get out of the way.
Jesus is our Savior, that's what this world needs
Father's arms around you, that's what this world needs
That's what this world needs
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Update
This morning was Garrett's 2 year check up. First off, I just want to ask, why does stepping onto a scale result in a huge ordeal for a 2 year old? I mean, nothing bad is happening, they haven't given him a shot (yet), all of his clothing is still intact, nobody is even touching him (except for me trying to force him onto the scale). I do not understand his fear of stepping up onto this small little platform. I mean, if it's the one inch height that is scaring him, then why does he regularly climb on top of the kitchen table? That's something to be afraid of. I don't think I'll ever understand what's going on inside my child's head.
We finally managed to get him on to the scale long enough to see that he weighs 26 pounds (he's always been on the thin side) and by this point I'm sweating as if I've run a marathon. And this is just the beginning. He screams when they insert the thermometer into his ear for 1 second (hey kid, the ear is much better than the alternative...), he screams when they wrap the paper measuring tape around his head to see how big his brain is, he screams when we lay him down on tissue paper and they measure him (36"=3 feet tall!!). There was a lot of screaming going on and we hadn't even made it to the examining room. Of course we waited for about 25 minutes or so before the doctor came in, and let me tell you, that 25 minutes is really 2.5 hours with a 2 year old in a small room with nothing but the toys in his diaper bag (which he's played with approximately 1 billion times) and a few books that are way too long for his attention span. So, this results in Momma making a poor choice and digging out one of those super-bouncy balls. This is very good entertainment, but not really practical in a small doctor's exam room. I could just see us becoming the reason for a sign in all rooms that reads "no balls allowed". There's already a list a mile long of things that aren't allowed in those rooms and I'm sure there's a story behind all of them. So I finally managed to get the ball back and put it away before the window was broken or the doctor walked in right in the midst of a super bounce resulting in breaking his glasses or worse. Of course this resulted in the BIG ONE (tantrum wise) and I'm sure everyone within a mile radius thought he was getting his shots, but alas, he was just throwing a fit.
Thankfully our doctor's office has seen fit to lock all of the drawers and cabinets in these rooms because Garrett checked them all multiple times just to be sure they hadn't miraculously unlocked to reveal a hidden stash of awesome toys. At one point Garrett was screaming bloody murder (because I wouldn't let him color on the walls) and I'm trying to shut him up, but my husband (oh wise man that he is) says, "No, just let him cry, maybe that will get them in here faster so they can get us out of here." Wonderful thinking. Of course that didn't work, but eventually the doctor came in. Now, let me just say, I do like my son's pediatrician. He seems very knowledgeable about a lot of kid stuff and he's always talked to Garrett and been nice, but every once in a while he says stuff that makes me feel like a total moron. After he came in he started talking to Garrett, he was asking him if he had a birthday party and what all he got, so I, being a mom, started prompting Garrett to respond. Of course the doctor gets on to me, telling me to stop it and let Garrett answer for himself. I was a little mortified, but of course Garrett didn't answer one question, except when he asked how old he was, he tried to hold up 2 fingers. But I didn't want the doctor to think that we didn't have a birthday party for him so I was trying to help and encourage Garrett to answer. This is just one of many times that he's done this. Don't ask me why we still go there, it's just too much of a pain to try to find another pediatrician, and like I said, he does know what he's talking about, he just doesn't have a very good bedside manner.
So, after this pleasant exchange we move on to discussing various issues (Garrett has excema and also holds his breath sometimes when he cries and then passes out). Then the lovely physical exam comes. The doctor looks in Garrett's mouth, throat, ears, diaper, etc, and the entire time Garrett is screaming as if he's being tortured for information (Where did you hide the remote! If you don't give up this information we will look in your ears until you crack!) Finally the moment comes (dum, dum, dum) shots time! But, thankfully, we lucked out. Garrett was supposed to get the Hepatitis A shot and a blood draw to check his lead levels. Well, there's apparently a national shortage of Hepatitis A vaccines so he didn't get one, but he still got the blood draw. That went pretty well. Though I feel sorry for the ladies who have to do it. I'm sure it isn't fun drawing blood from someone who is screaming in your ear. You definitely need a steady hand for that job.
So, we are now done with check-ups for an entire year! For those of you who have had kids somewhat recently, you know that the first 2 years consist of quite a few check ups so you get to know your pediatrician on a first name basis. But now we can go back to being nameless people in the crowded waiting room. Barring multiple illnesses over the next year, we won't be seeing him much. Though we will have to go back whenever his office gets a hold of some Hepatitis A vaccines, so that should be a fun day. With his breath holding problem, any time he gets a shot, he always holds his breath, which kind of makes the nurse panic a little and she repeats over and over "breathe, baby, breathe". I'm used to it now, so it isn't a big deal. I think he will be an Olympic swimmer some day because he can hold his breath for an eternity before he does eventually pass out. He'll have to figure that out exactly, we wouldn't want him to pass out while underwater.
So, just a lesson for those of you out there who may be exposed to my child over the course of the next few months (he's supposedly going to outgrow this by the time he hits 3, so less than 12 months to go!). Yes, he holds his breath and passes out (occasionally), but this is not uncommon and, according to our doctor, happens in approximately 20% of all children. So please don't look at me as if my child is a freak whenever you hear about his breath holding spells, or if you're one of the lucky ones who gets to actually witness one of these blessed events. He's perfectly normal, just needs a little closer watching whenever he gets worked up. Just put out an arm to catch him whenever he passes out, and then everything is back to normal (until the next episode). ;)
We finally managed to get him on to the scale long enough to see that he weighs 26 pounds (he's always been on the thin side) and by this point I'm sweating as if I've run a marathon. And this is just the beginning. He screams when they insert the thermometer into his ear for 1 second (hey kid, the ear is much better than the alternative...), he screams when they wrap the paper measuring tape around his head to see how big his brain is, he screams when we lay him down on tissue paper and they measure him (36"=3 feet tall!!). There was a lot of screaming going on and we hadn't even made it to the examining room. Of course we waited for about 25 minutes or so before the doctor came in, and let me tell you, that 25 minutes is really 2.5 hours with a 2 year old in a small room with nothing but the toys in his diaper bag (which he's played with approximately 1 billion times) and a few books that are way too long for his attention span. So, this results in Momma making a poor choice and digging out one of those super-bouncy balls. This is very good entertainment, but not really practical in a small doctor's exam room. I could just see us becoming the reason for a sign in all rooms that reads "no balls allowed". There's already a list a mile long of things that aren't allowed in those rooms and I'm sure there's a story behind all of them. So I finally managed to get the ball back and put it away before the window was broken or the doctor walked in right in the midst of a super bounce resulting in breaking his glasses or worse. Of course this resulted in the BIG ONE (tantrum wise) and I'm sure everyone within a mile radius thought he was getting his shots, but alas, he was just throwing a fit.
Thankfully our doctor's office has seen fit to lock all of the drawers and cabinets in these rooms because Garrett checked them all multiple times just to be sure they hadn't miraculously unlocked to reveal a hidden stash of awesome toys. At one point Garrett was screaming bloody murder (because I wouldn't let him color on the walls) and I'm trying to shut him up, but my husband (oh wise man that he is) says, "No, just let him cry, maybe that will get them in here faster so they can get us out of here." Wonderful thinking. Of course that didn't work, but eventually the doctor came in. Now, let me just say, I do like my son's pediatrician. He seems very knowledgeable about a lot of kid stuff and he's always talked to Garrett and been nice, but every once in a while he says stuff that makes me feel like a total moron. After he came in he started talking to Garrett, he was asking him if he had a birthday party and what all he got, so I, being a mom, started prompting Garrett to respond. Of course the doctor gets on to me, telling me to stop it and let Garrett answer for himself. I was a little mortified, but of course Garrett didn't answer one question, except when he asked how old he was, he tried to hold up 2 fingers. But I didn't want the doctor to think that we didn't have a birthday party for him so I was trying to help and encourage Garrett to answer. This is just one of many times that he's done this. Don't ask me why we still go there, it's just too much of a pain to try to find another pediatrician, and like I said, he does know what he's talking about, he just doesn't have a very good bedside manner.
So, after this pleasant exchange we move on to discussing various issues (Garrett has excema and also holds his breath sometimes when he cries and then passes out). Then the lovely physical exam comes. The doctor looks in Garrett's mouth, throat, ears, diaper, etc, and the entire time Garrett is screaming as if he's being tortured for information (Where did you hide the remote! If you don't give up this information we will look in your ears until you crack!) Finally the moment comes (dum, dum, dum) shots time! But, thankfully, we lucked out. Garrett was supposed to get the Hepatitis A shot and a blood draw to check his lead levels. Well, there's apparently a national shortage of Hepatitis A vaccines so he didn't get one, but he still got the blood draw. That went pretty well. Though I feel sorry for the ladies who have to do it. I'm sure it isn't fun drawing blood from someone who is screaming in your ear. You definitely need a steady hand for that job.
So, we are now done with check-ups for an entire year! For those of you who have had kids somewhat recently, you know that the first 2 years consist of quite a few check ups so you get to know your pediatrician on a first name basis. But now we can go back to being nameless people in the crowded waiting room. Barring multiple illnesses over the next year, we won't be seeing him much. Though we will have to go back whenever his office gets a hold of some Hepatitis A vaccines, so that should be a fun day. With his breath holding problem, any time he gets a shot, he always holds his breath, which kind of makes the nurse panic a little and she repeats over and over "breathe, baby, breathe". I'm used to it now, so it isn't a big deal. I think he will be an Olympic swimmer some day because he can hold his breath for an eternity before he does eventually pass out. He'll have to figure that out exactly, we wouldn't want him to pass out while underwater.
So, just a lesson for those of you out there who may be exposed to my child over the course of the next few months (he's supposedly going to outgrow this by the time he hits 3, so less than 12 months to go!). Yes, he holds his breath and passes out (occasionally), but this is not uncommon and, according to our doctor, happens in approximately 20% of all children. So please don't look at me as if my child is a freak whenever you hear about his breath holding spells, or if you're one of the lucky ones who gets to actually witness one of these blessed events. He's perfectly normal, just needs a little closer watching whenever he gets worked up. Just put out an arm to catch him whenever he passes out, and then everything is back to normal (until the next episode). ;)
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
2 Years...
So, today is my son's 2nd birthday. If you're a parent you understand that feeling of "I can't believe how fast the past ___ years have gone by". Before becoming a parent, I always thought that was silly, but now I understand what it means. So much happens at the beginning of life. You learn so much so quickly and the growth rate is incredible. It's hard to believe my 7 lb 12 ounce, 21 inches long baby is now pushing 30 lbs and who knows how tall (we haven't been to the doctor in a while, but we go next week, so I'll update you:) in only 2 short years! He went from screaming about everything and never sleeping, to... well, still screaming alot and not always sleeping great, but atleast now his head doesn't flop around and he can feed himself! I know, not too encouraging for those soon-to-someday-be parents, but such is life.
I'm sure only mothers do this, but I have caught myself all day today looking at the clock and thinking back to what was going on at this particular time 2 years ago. I'm sure I'll still be doing this when he turns 30. It's like every minute of that day is ingrained in your mind. Well, the bad stuff is kind of a blur, which is a good thing because otherwise families would only consist of one child. :) But I'm sure I'll always remember that my doctor broke my water at 8am (I was induced), they started pitocin at 10am (my own contractions weren't doing much), I got my epidural at noon (praise the Lord!), I started pushing at 5:30pm and he was born at 6:30. By the way for those of you not real familiar with labor and delivery "stuff", pushing for an hour may seem like an eternity, but trust me, you take breaks in there so it really wasn't that bad and didn't seem like an hour.
Now, I have to be honest here (hey, if you can't be honest with your bloggy friends, who can you be honest with?) :). I was not one of those moms who instantly fell in love with her child and felt this overwhelming bond. I did cry (mostly because I was glad it was over with and also because I couldn't believe this little alien was actually my child), but the bonding part takes awhile, atleast it did for me. Of course I loved him, I mean he is my first baby, but it wasn't as if some light shone down from heaven on him and God spoke to me. (Although some moms want you to think that happens.) It was just a very overwhelming experience. To go from being a wife and having a good time, to being a mom and having responsibilities is a pretty big deal, so it took awhile for it to set in.
I can honestly say that overall my labor and delivery experience was relatively easy. I'm sure my husband has a different perspective, but this was his first time in a hospital room with a pregnant woman in labor, so he would have been horrified regardless. He occasionally reminds me about the time I threw up, almost passed out, Garrett's heart rate dropping, me needing an oxygen mask, etc, etc, in order to prevent me from wanting another baby. Which, I'm not ready for another one yet, but he can't talk me out of wanting 2 kids. That's something we've already agreed on, so it's a done deal. I just need some more time for Garrett to grow up a little before visiting "newborn land" again. Garrett hit "terrible 2's" a few months early, but I can honestly say that it's better than the first 3 months of his life. Newborn babies are sooo tough. Atleast mine was. They cry a lot and you have no idea what they're crying about because they can't express themselves AT ALL. Just think, what if you had a headache or gas pains, or hunger, or whatever and you weren't able to take care of yourself or express these needs to someone else. It's tough trying to figure this stuff out as a parent. Mix in raging hormones, no sleep, and minimal help from other people and you've got yourself some exciting days in our household when a newborn is around. Now, I do want to say that our church was awesome about bringing meals that first week we were home, my mom, dad, and sister did a great job getting our house ready for us (my mom even organized my kitchen cabinets!) and groceries bought, and my inlaws were here for a week as well. But eventually all of that stops and you're still here at home with a new baby still pretty much clueless as to what's going on. Now, I may be painting a somewhat bleak picture here, but I do want to share the fact that I was also dealing with post partum depression. Unfortunately, I didn't get help because I wasn't really sure what was wrong with me. I just knew I didn't really want to mess with Garrett much, I cried all the time for no reason, and I desperately needed to get out of the house every chance I could so I could see that the world was still "out there". Sometimes you just feel so isolated when you're in this kind of situation. I remember a conversation I had with a girl from my SS class (Kristi!). I think Garrett was maybe 10 days old and I remember her helping me to put it in perspective and knowing that she had felt a lot of the same things I was feeling, it really helped.
Honestly, looking back, I think I had a relatively good baby (he's a very active 2 year old now...) but he started sleeping through the night around 8 weeks old and he didn't fuss a whole lot (though from 6-8 in the evenings he would just cry non stop and there wasn't anything we could do about it).
Now Garrett is 2. He runs and jumps all over the house. He just recently learned how to do a somersault (I have no idea where, he didn't learn from me!), he climbs on EVERYTHING and gets into everything as well. But he's a lot of fun and very funny. He already shows to have a great imagination and is going to be pretty mechanical, like Daddy. He loves to sing and dance too. He really wants to sing along with songs, but only picks up a word here and there. He loves to try to spell his name (a, e, t, i... Garrett!!-that's basically what he says) and points out a few letters that he does know. He also loves animal sounds and would rather tell you what the animals says than what the animal is called. I'm very thankful that he doesn't seem to be the bully type (I'll find out for sure in the next few weeks because he is starting Mother's Day Out at church next Tuesday), so far he's never bitten or hit another child with the intention of being mean. He seems to be more the type that will allow himself to get beat up on even though he's plenty big enough to stand up for himself. Something else that's also like Keith, you have to push him a lot before he'll react. He loves cars (and the movie Cars), blocks, balls, the sandbox, outside, Curious George, Veggie Tales, giving kisses, and a whole lot of other things.
He's my baby but now he's 2. I'm so thankful that I have him and I'm able to stay at home with him. We are just so blessed.
I'm sure only mothers do this, but I have caught myself all day today looking at the clock and thinking back to what was going on at this particular time 2 years ago. I'm sure I'll still be doing this when he turns 30. It's like every minute of that day is ingrained in your mind. Well, the bad stuff is kind of a blur, which is a good thing because otherwise families would only consist of one child. :) But I'm sure I'll always remember that my doctor broke my water at 8am (I was induced), they started pitocin at 10am (my own contractions weren't doing much), I got my epidural at noon (praise the Lord!), I started pushing at 5:30pm and he was born at 6:30. By the way for those of you not real familiar with labor and delivery "stuff", pushing for an hour may seem like an eternity, but trust me, you take breaks in there so it really wasn't that bad and didn't seem like an hour.
Now, I have to be honest here (hey, if you can't be honest with your bloggy friends, who can you be honest with?) :). I was not one of those moms who instantly fell in love with her child and felt this overwhelming bond. I did cry (mostly because I was glad it was over with and also because I couldn't believe this little alien was actually my child), but the bonding part takes awhile, atleast it did for me. Of course I loved him, I mean he is my first baby, but it wasn't as if some light shone down from heaven on him and God spoke to me. (Although some moms want you to think that happens.) It was just a very overwhelming experience. To go from being a wife and having a good time, to being a mom and having responsibilities is a pretty big deal, so it took awhile for it to set in.
I can honestly say that overall my labor and delivery experience was relatively easy. I'm sure my husband has a different perspective, but this was his first time in a hospital room with a pregnant woman in labor, so he would have been horrified regardless. He occasionally reminds me about the time I threw up, almost passed out, Garrett's heart rate dropping, me needing an oxygen mask, etc, etc, in order to prevent me from wanting another baby. Which, I'm not ready for another one yet, but he can't talk me out of wanting 2 kids. That's something we've already agreed on, so it's a done deal. I just need some more time for Garrett to grow up a little before visiting "newborn land" again. Garrett hit "terrible 2's" a few months early, but I can honestly say that it's better than the first 3 months of his life. Newborn babies are sooo tough. Atleast mine was. They cry a lot and you have no idea what they're crying about because they can't express themselves AT ALL. Just think, what if you had a headache or gas pains, or hunger, or whatever and you weren't able to take care of yourself or express these needs to someone else. It's tough trying to figure this stuff out as a parent. Mix in raging hormones, no sleep, and minimal help from other people and you've got yourself some exciting days in our household when a newborn is around. Now, I do want to say that our church was awesome about bringing meals that first week we were home, my mom, dad, and sister did a great job getting our house ready for us (my mom even organized my kitchen cabinets!) and groceries bought, and my inlaws were here for a week as well. But eventually all of that stops and you're still here at home with a new baby still pretty much clueless as to what's going on. Now, I may be painting a somewhat bleak picture here, but I do want to share the fact that I was also dealing with post partum depression. Unfortunately, I didn't get help because I wasn't really sure what was wrong with me. I just knew I didn't really want to mess with Garrett much, I cried all the time for no reason, and I desperately needed to get out of the house every chance I could so I could see that the world was still "out there". Sometimes you just feel so isolated when you're in this kind of situation. I remember a conversation I had with a girl from my SS class (Kristi!). I think Garrett was maybe 10 days old and I remember her helping me to put it in perspective and knowing that she had felt a lot of the same things I was feeling, it really helped.
Honestly, looking back, I think I had a relatively good baby (he's a very active 2 year old now...) but he started sleeping through the night around 8 weeks old and he didn't fuss a whole lot (though from 6-8 in the evenings he would just cry non stop and there wasn't anything we could do about it).
Now Garrett is 2. He runs and jumps all over the house. He just recently learned how to do a somersault (I have no idea where, he didn't learn from me!), he climbs on EVERYTHING and gets into everything as well. But he's a lot of fun and very funny. He already shows to have a great imagination and is going to be pretty mechanical, like Daddy. He loves to sing and dance too. He really wants to sing along with songs, but only picks up a word here and there. He loves to try to spell his name (a, e, t, i... Garrett!!-that's basically what he says) and points out a few letters that he does know. He also loves animal sounds and would rather tell you what the animals says than what the animal is called. I'm very thankful that he doesn't seem to be the bully type (I'll find out for sure in the next few weeks because he is starting Mother's Day Out at church next Tuesday), so far he's never bitten or hit another child with the intention of being mean. He seems to be more the type that will allow himself to get beat up on even though he's plenty big enough to stand up for himself. Something else that's also like Keith, you have to push him a lot before he'll react. He loves cars (and the movie Cars), blocks, balls, the sandbox, outside, Curious George, Veggie Tales, giving kisses, and a whole lot of other things.
He's my baby but now he's 2. I'm so thankful that I have him and I'm able to stay at home with him. We are just so blessed.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Harry Potter
Yesterday I finished reading the 7th and final Harry Potter book, the Deathly Hallows. Let me start by saying, it was a very good book. I know that's pretty simplistic, but it was. Sometimes when you see or read the final "chapter" of a show or book or whatever, they can be a real disappointment. The season finale of Seinfeld? Not good. They could have done many different things to have make that show end on a better note. Whereas Friends had a good, satisfying ending, in my opinion. This is how I feel about the final Harry Potter book. Is it stupendous, the best book every written, a must-read? Probably not, but it's definitely on par with all the other Harry Potter books, which makes it a very satisfactory ending to a good series.
As a teacher, I want to tip my hat to J.K. Rowling. In a video game world, where kids are losing interest in reading anything longer than a comic book, it's so nice to have options out there that will pull kids in and make them want to read. Especially boys. I think Harry Potter is a great series for younger boys to get involved in. Harry is a good role model for boys today in a world full of female dominated role models in books and TV shows. I'm so excited for my son to get a little older (and be willing to sit still for longer than 60 seconds) where we can begin to read the Harry Potter series together. I want to instill in him the love of reading and Harry Potter may just be the catalyst to start this process.
Now on to the Harry Potter controversy. As I'm sure most of you have heard or read (or maybe even believe), since the Harry Potter series first came out, there have been multiple groups of people speaking out against this series. They want these books banned from school libraries, teachers banned from being allowed to read them to their classes or requiring students to read them for their classes. My understanding of their argument is that it boils down to the fact that Harry is a wizard and there are many witches and wizards in this book and magic is involved. My question to the vast majority of these people who are all up in arms over these books is this, have you read them? I don't mean watching the movies, I mean actually sitting down with one of these books (I would suggest the first for continuity purposes) and reading it from start to finish. I think you would find that while the premise is that the main characters are considered to be witches and wizards, they aren't, in fact, bad people. They are actually good people, fighting the bad. The stories are very exciting and uplifting and you end up wishing you had one of those wands to change a few things. How is it that the people who are outspoken against these books, are generally for reading "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"? Hello, the title of the book blatantly tells you that there's a witch involved and yet, it's ok to read it? I personally also love The Chronicles of Narnia, but I just feel that there are some inconsistencies with these people's beliefs. These are probably also people who encourage their children to watch Disney movies. Have any of you actually sat down and watched "The Little Mermaid"? That witch mermaid is pretty scary and very evil, yet it's ok for your small children to watch these movies? I hope I'm making a point here. Basically, "don't knock it, till you've tried it". If you haven't read one chapter of the Harry Potter books and you are one of the people out there demanding that it be banned from your child's school library, maybe you need to open your eyes to other things in your life that may be "just as bad" if not worse than Harry Potter. If you've read the books and you still feel strongly that they are too evil for your young adult/children to read, then atleast you gave them a fair shake. I don't honestly see how anyone who has read the books with an open mind would feel this way, but I would still be understanding since you did read them.
For those of you out there who are Harry Potter fans but haven't read this last book for fear that it's not going to end the way you think it should, I'll just say this. I thought the ending was almost exactly how it should be. So I would encourage you to take off a week or so (depending on your speed of reading) and read this book. You'll be glad you did. If you haven't ever read any of the series, you definitely need to start at the beginning, reading book 7 would probably be very confusing to you without having read the first 6. If you have read this book, let me know what you think. Just be sure not to give any of the big details away in a comment. I don't want to spoil the book for any future readers out there.
As a teacher, I want to tip my hat to J.K. Rowling. In a video game world, where kids are losing interest in reading anything longer than a comic book, it's so nice to have options out there that will pull kids in and make them want to read. Especially boys. I think Harry Potter is a great series for younger boys to get involved in. Harry is a good role model for boys today in a world full of female dominated role models in books and TV shows. I'm so excited for my son to get a little older (and be willing to sit still for longer than 60 seconds) where we can begin to read the Harry Potter series together. I want to instill in him the love of reading and Harry Potter may just be the catalyst to start this process.
Now on to the Harry Potter controversy. As I'm sure most of you have heard or read (or maybe even believe), since the Harry Potter series first came out, there have been multiple groups of people speaking out against this series. They want these books banned from school libraries, teachers banned from being allowed to read them to their classes or requiring students to read them for their classes. My understanding of their argument is that it boils down to the fact that Harry is a wizard and there are many witches and wizards in this book and magic is involved. My question to the vast majority of these people who are all up in arms over these books is this, have you read them? I don't mean watching the movies, I mean actually sitting down with one of these books (I would suggest the first for continuity purposes) and reading it from start to finish. I think you would find that while the premise is that the main characters are considered to be witches and wizards, they aren't, in fact, bad people. They are actually good people, fighting the bad. The stories are very exciting and uplifting and you end up wishing you had one of those wands to change a few things. How is it that the people who are outspoken against these books, are generally for reading "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"? Hello, the title of the book blatantly tells you that there's a witch involved and yet, it's ok to read it? I personally also love The Chronicles of Narnia, but I just feel that there are some inconsistencies with these people's beliefs. These are probably also people who encourage their children to watch Disney movies. Have any of you actually sat down and watched "The Little Mermaid"? That witch mermaid is pretty scary and very evil, yet it's ok for your small children to watch these movies? I hope I'm making a point here. Basically, "don't knock it, till you've tried it". If you haven't read one chapter of the Harry Potter books and you are one of the people out there demanding that it be banned from your child's school library, maybe you need to open your eyes to other things in your life that may be "just as bad" if not worse than Harry Potter. If you've read the books and you still feel strongly that they are too evil for your young adult/children to read, then atleast you gave them a fair shake. I don't honestly see how anyone who has read the books with an open mind would feel this way, but I would still be understanding since you did read them.
For those of you out there who are Harry Potter fans but haven't read this last book for fear that it's not going to end the way you think it should, I'll just say this. I thought the ending was almost exactly how it should be. So I would encourage you to take off a week or so (depending on your speed of reading) and read this book. You'll be glad you did. If you haven't ever read any of the series, you definitely need to start at the beginning, reading book 7 would probably be very confusing to you without having read the first 6. If you have read this book, let me know what you think. Just be sure not to give any of the big details away in a comment. I don't want to spoil the book for any future readers out there.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Summer TV
I just want to complain for a second about the TV show options during the summer. They stink, plain and simple! Why are we forced to endure a minimum of 3 months worth of reruns and stupid reality TV shows that someone made up (some of them were probably made up by a child)? If we have to watch reruns, why are we watching ones from the season that just ended? Why not catch everyone up on prior seasons of the show? Or, better yet, why not reruns from old shows no longer on? I would enjoy a good Brady Bunch marathon once in a while. Or how about the shows Charles in Charge or Who's the Boss? That was decent TV back in the day. I realize there are cable channels that show some of these, but first off, I don't have cable or satellite so not an option for me, and secondly even some of the cable channels show the exact same episode of Full House every day for a week. So they're not cutting it for showing good quality reruns.
Now I realize that people typically go on vacation during the summer, maybe there's more sporting events going on in the evenings that I don't know about. But, come on, in Texas even at 8:00 in the evening, no one wants to be outside, it's still too hot! So we have a bunch of people stuck inside watching useless TV. And what about those of us whose summer is exactly the same as the rest of their year? I would like some good show options on at night after I've put my son to bed and have nothing else to do. (Most of the time my husband works late.)
Whatever happened to the movie of the week? They hardly even show those on the weekends, but it would be nice if they would show a decent movie during the week as well. And I don't mean a Disney movie. I love those, but how many kids are really up until 9:00 or 10:00 at night watching a movie on TV that they probably already own? Let's bring on the Adam Sandler or Jim Carrey movies! What about old movies from like the 50's? Some of those are better options than the reruns they try to push off on us. I think they should show some old musicals. Kids today need culture. Let's watch Singing in the Rain or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Talk about the good stuff!
Now, I will say that there is one show currently on this summer that I am enjoying. It's called "Traveler" and it's very fast paced and intriguing. I typically watch it off of ABC's website on Thursdays because it comes on Wednesday nights when we have church groups. Of course now that I've said it, the show will be cancelled tomorrow, which is typical. But this is a show that I would recommend, if you're sick of all the reruns. Other than that, there's absolutely nothing else out there. I would love for ABC to rerun Lost episodes from the beginning to get us all caught up since the new Lost won't start until February of 08. But I'm sure I'm in the minority there.
All I'm saying is that we shouldn't tolerate "crappy" summer TV any longer. What are we going to do about it? Absolutely nothing because what good would it do? I guess I'll be renting movies between now and the new fall season. If you have any good ones to recommend, let me know.
Now I realize that people typically go on vacation during the summer, maybe there's more sporting events going on in the evenings that I don't know about. But, come on, in Texas even at 8:00 in the evening, no one wants to be outside, it's still too hot! So we have a bunch of people stuck inside watching useless TV. And what about those of us whose summer is exactly the same as the rest of their year? I would like some good show options on at night after I've put my son to bed and have nothing else to do. (Most of the time my husband works late.)
Whatever happened to the movie of the week? They hardly even show those on the weekends, but it would be nice if they would show a decent movie during the week as well. And I don't mean a Disney movie. I love those, but how many kids are really up until 9:00 or 10:00 at night watching a movie on TV that they probably already own? Let's bring on the Adam Sandler or Jim Carrey movies! What about old movies from like the 50's? Some of those are better options than the reruns they try to push off on us. I think they should show some old musicals. Kids today need culture. Let's watch Singing in the Rain or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Talk about the good stuff!
Now, I will say that there is one show currently on this summer that I am enjoying. It's called "Traveler" and it's very fast paced and intriguing. I typically watch it off of ABC's website on Thursdays because it comes on Wednesday nights when we have church groups. Of course now that I've said it, the show will be cancelled tomorrow, which is typical. But this is a show that I would recommend, if you're sick of all the reruns. Other than that, there's absolutely nothing else out there. I would love for ABC to rerun Lost episodes from the beginning to get us all caught up since the new Lost won't start until February of 08. But I'm sure I'm in the minority there.
All I'm saying is that we shouldn't tolerate "crappy" summer TV any longer. What are we going to do about it? Absolutely nothing because what good would it do? I guess I'll be renting movies between now and the new fall season. If you have any good ones to recommend, let me know.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Tag
The rules are: Once you have been tagged, you write a blog about 10 random facts, things, or habits about yourself. At the end, you choose 5 people to be tagged to do the same... Don't forget to leave them a comment saying "You're TAGGED!!" and to read your blog... Oh and reply to this with your list so I can see your answers!! Here we go:
1. I was a teacher for 4 years before becoming a stay at home mom.
2. I hate to throw up and only did it one time when I was pregnant.
3. I have a problem with my thyroid and have to get it checked a couple of times per year plus I take medicine for it and will probably have to for the rest of my life.
4. I need to lose weight, but I just can't get motivated enough to start a weight loss program.
5. I love to watch "Lost"!
6. I will turn 30 next year, which I can't believe, but I'm ok with it. (I'm only 28 now, but my b'day is in Dec, so that means 30 next year for those who are confused)
7. I am not ready to have another baby. I want to have 2 kids, but I discovered after having my first that I am not a "baby" person. If I could have a 2 or 3 year old, that would be nice. :-) But we will have one more, just not anytime soon.
8. My favorite food is pizza. My favorite food that my mom makes is rice with meat sauce, yummy!! My favorite food that I make is grilled steaks.
9. I don't love to shop, but when I do shop, I love buying clothes for my son. He has more than he really needs, but it's so much fun buying little clothes.
10. When I was in college I had a horrible car that broke down on me all the time. I still sometimes worry that it will happen to me again even though I drive a newer SUV.
I am tagging: Kari, Laura, Melissa, Kristi, and Alicia
1. I was a teacher for 4 years before becoming a stay at home mom.
2. I hate to throw up and only did it one time when I was pregnant.
3. I have a problem with my thyroid and have to get it checked a couple of times per year plus I take medicine for it and will probably have to for the rest of my life.
4. I need to lose weight, but I just can't get motivated enough to start a weight loss program.
5. I love to watch "Lost"!
6. I will turn 30 next year, which I can't believe, but I'm ok with it. (I'm only 28 now, but my b'day is in Dec, so that means 30 next year for those who are confused)
7. I am not ready to have another baby. I want to have 2 kids, but I discovered after having my first that I am not a "baby" person. If I could have a 2 or 3 year old, that would be nice. :-) But we will have one more, just not anytime soon.
8. My favorite food is pizza. My favorite food that my mom makes is rice with meat sauce, yummy!! My favorite food that I make is grilled steaks.
9. I don't love to shop, but when I do shop, I love buying clothes for my son. He has more than he really needs, but it's so much fun buying little clothes.
10. When I was in college I had a horrible car that broke down on me all the time. I still sometimes worry that it will happen to me again even though I drive a newer SUV.
I am tagging: Kari, Laura, Melissa, Kristi, and Alicia
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