I'm Thankful For...

With the Holidays being just around the corner, I find that it's easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle and forget what the Holidays are truly about.  In this blog I just wanted to take the time to think about all the things in life I am truly thankful for. 

1.  First and foremost, I am thankful for my husband, Scott.  I've never met such a wonderful individual.  He's the sweetest, most hardworking, driven person I have ever known.  I couldn't have picked a better husband, best friend, supporter and father of my children, and I'm pretty lucky he chose me to be his wife!!  Basically in my eyes, he's perfec through and through.

2.  My precious baby girl.  God gave us the most wonderful gift this year when he gave us Caroline.  He blessed us tremedously with a happy, (most of the time :)) healthy little girl.  She has brought so much joy to our lives in the last 7 weeks and I absolutely cannot wait to see her growup to be a wonderful, loving, Godly woman.

3.  My family.  My mom, dad, sister, stepmom, stepdad, neices, nephew, grandmother.  These people mean the world to me and give true meaning to the phrase "Family is everything".  All of them are such wonderful people and I'm truly lucky to be a part of this family.  We are all so blessed to be so happy and healthy.

4.  Our home.  Even though we have some distance between us and the rest of the family, there truly is no place like home and I thankful we have such a beautiful one to come home to.

5.  I am thankful Scott allows me to be able to stay home and take care of our Caroline.  I've learned that this is not a right but a privilege, and I am so thankful to spend my day taking care of this sweet little girl and our home.  I thank God every day for this.

6.  Tanner and Mia.  We love our furbabies and they will always hold a very special place in our hearts.  They were after all our "first babies"!

7.  Those who serve our country.  I am thankful for those who risk their lives and give up time with their family in order for us to be free.

8.  This one I'm dedicating just my mom.  My mom is my biggest fan and one of my best friends.  She is one of my strongest supporters.  The wisdom she have given me over the past years has help shape me into the peson I am today.

9.  The great outdoors!!  There's nothing like getting outside this time of year when the weather is gorgeous!  I love bundling up in sweaters and sitting by the fire pit with friends and family.  Doesn't get much better than that!

10.  And last but not least... I am thankful for today.  I am thankful I woke up to face another wonderful day in this world.  Today also gives you the opportunity to get things right and make positive changes.

Caroline's Labor and Delivery!! (Better late than never!!)

Now that Caroline is six weeks old, I have finally found the time to sit down and blog about the wonderful day she was born.  On September 23rd, Scott and I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to get ready to head to the hospital for our induction.  We arrived at labor and delivery at 5:30 a.m. where our nurse took us back to our room and got the show on the road.  Dr. Schmidt arrived at 7:30, broke my water and started pitocin. I went into the hospital dilated at a 2 and 80% effaced.  At around 10:30 a.m. I received my epidural which knocked out all contraction pains, the only thing I could feel was my stomach tighten up whenever a contraction would come on.  That was a blessing because according to my monitor the contractions were extremely strong and about a minute apart.  Having such strong contractions we thought for sure I would dilate pretty quickly... we were wrong.  I was slow at progressing.  The nurse had me on my right side, left side, hands and knees (which was not fun), and every which way you can imagine to get the baby to move down.  I finally made it to 8 centimeters at about 2:30 p.m. and stalled out.  Each hour passed until 4:45 and I was still at an 8 and 90% effaced.  At this point I was exhausted, even though you don't feel your contractions with an epidural, your body is still working extremely hard.  Poor little Caroline's heart would sky rocket at each contraction which was stressing me out as well.  Finally, Dr. Schmidt arrived, checked me and informed us that she was head down, but face up and her little shoulder was lodged, which was keeping me from dilating any further.  She told me that we could try to wait it out a little longer and see if her position would change any, but chances were slim to none and the chances of infection go up when you stall out for so long. I started crying because after 10 hours in labor and having to head to the O.R. didn't make me happy, but I was utterly exhausted, ready to see my baby and under no circumstances wanted to pose any risk to Caroline or myself.  So there I went!!  I forgot to mention how incredibly awesome my Dr. was and allowed my mom in the operating room as well.  So I had double the support, which was awesome.  At this point, I don't remember too much but struggling to keep my eyes open and feeling lots of tugging.  about 15 minutes in, Dr. Schmidt told me I was going to feel some pressure, and then at 5:30 p.m. I heard  her say "Hello Beautiful" and raise her up so I could see her.  Tears started streaming, I heard her beautiful cry, and then I was passed out again!! Scott went with her down to the nursery where the rest of the family were anxiously waiting to see her! It was the most wonderful day of my life, besides marrying Scott.  Sorry if it seems I've rambled on and on, but a lot of this is for my memory as well!  Here are a few pictures of our day! 

Leaving for the hospital! (I have no idea what is all down my shirt)

All ready to head in to meet our baby girl!

Mom got to go too!!

Could not keep my eyes open

Brand spankin' new!!

Love at first sight!!

Sherman/Denison Baby Shower!!

This past weekend my wonderful sister LeAnn, and sweet friends Brooke and Laura threw me a fantastic baby shower at the Inn of Many Faces in Denison, Texas.  I have been driving past this beautiful bed and breakfast for years and always wondered what it was like on the inside.  It turned out beautiful and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to throw a shower or small reception.  We had a wonderful turnout and Caroline received many excellent gifts!  Here are a few pictures from this past weekend... Enjoy!!

The adorable diaper cake Brooke made!!

The most precious step stool made by our sweet and talented friend, Lisa Mitchell!

My sweet hostesses!!

Shopping like crazy!!!

A few weekends ago we planned a trip to Canton, Texas where I set out to find baby bedding.  Boy did we ever hit the jack pot that weekend!  Not only did I get to personalize and pretty much design Caroline's baby bedding, she made a haul in the outfit department too, especially with MiMi and NaNa tagging along as well!  If we bought everything we loved we would have gone broke, but luckily having a talented MiMi and NaNa, a lot of things I loved can easily be made.  Here are some pictures of a few things we bought for her!! Unfortunately I do not have a picture of what her bedding will look like.  She didn't have a lot of the fabric I was wanting so we basically had to start from scratch and order fabric.  Hopefully it will be here sooner than later!

I fell in love with the first onesie and couldn't pass it up!! A little later in the day Scott disappears and bought the second one.

Just a few more things...

Baby Furniture & Such!!

Scott and I have been hard at work researching, looking at consumer reports, and just trying to figure out the best baby furniture to buy.  Do we want a traditional crib or a convertible?  Do we want an armoire or a dresser/changing station?  So many decisions!!  Then comes the question, "Where do we buy?" If you know my husband, I can count on him to find the best bargain out there. Easier said than done when it comes to baby furniture.  We looked at Babies R Us, Baby's 1st and I even tried contacting one of the manufacturer's in North Carolina to see if they sold outright and if I could get it tax free, which I had no luck.  After much thought and consideration we decided to go with a collection at Baby's 1st.  We decided to do a convertible round top crib along with a combo dresser and hutch.  It's beautiful furniture that will hopefully last him or her a very long time.  Luckily all of the furniture minus the dresser is in stock and we can pick it up at any time, but have decided to wait until we get the painting finished, which hopefully will be done in the next couple of weeks!  Below are some pictures of the furniture in an oak finish but we ordered in espresso.

We're Finally Blogging!!!

After much frustration with this whole blogging thing, I'm finally starting to get the hang of it!! Thanks to my talented friend Mrs. Ashley Glover who was kind enough to take the time to photoshop my header for me.  That was the part I was having the most difficulty with.  I can't tell you how many times I have sat down and started to work on this thing and then given up!  Finally, I have it up and going with just a little tweaking here and there to do, and all in perfect timing. Scott and I will be welcoming our 1st baby in late September/Early October!!  We are so excited and can't wait for our little bundle to get here!!  So please, keep checking back and I will try my best to keep everyone updated on whats going on in our lives and our progress!!  Below is our kiddo at 13 weeks!!  My Mom calls it "Chippy" short for chipmunk because the spinal cord looks like chipmunk stripes going down it's back! Haha poor kid!! :)