Monday, September 27, 2010

Even BIGGER news!!!!

Our new house was big news in my book until we found out...................



















I am PREGNANT!
and even bigger news than that...................................................................................................



















TWINS!!!!!

Can you believe that!? No joke! We are in shock, but very excited! You are probably doing the math, basically this means 3 kids under the age of 2! Ahhh, I know that is crazy! Everyone's first question has been, "were you planning this?" Yes and No. Yes, we wanted another baby close in age to Gates so they would be close. No, we were not planning on twins. We would have waited a little bit longer if we had known it would be twins but, it doesn't work like that I guess. Our life is about to get really crazy but we are looking forward to it. Everyone's second question has been, "do twins run in the family?" Yes, on my dad's side, my grandfather's sisters are twins and then I have a cousin that had twins. They are far enough out that we were very surprised when the nurse said "there are 2". Which of course could have meant 2 arms, 2 legs, but no she meant 2 babies.

"God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength but with your testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Gates' 1st Birthday!

We celebrated Gates' 1st Birthday today! Nothing big, just something a little special with family. He wasn't suppose to get too many gifts since he is still young but it looks like every one got a little carried away.

It has gotten almost impossible to take a picture of Gates sitting still. This is the best I could do.

Here are some of the details from the party. My mom and I made Gates a special bib for the occasion.

Uncle Ted made the trip down for the special occasion.


Gates checking out all his presents.


Opening presents with dad.


Gates' Birthday cake. Unfortunately, Gates wanted nothing to do with the cake, he wouldn't even try it.




Chris grilled chicken in the rain for everyone. We also had okra and macaroni and cheese.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

War Eagle!

Chris and I went down to Auburn this past weekend to tailgate with all my college pals. I love Auburn, and I love all the my wonderful Auburn gals. I am so blessed to have made such great friendships that have lasted through out the years. I just wish I got to see them more often.
We also got to see Gates' best bud, his nanny from this past summer. It was a great day trip!




I wish I took more pictures!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Birth Story

One year ago today Gates came into our lives. A wonderful, sweet, healthy baby boy. I am going to try and recall that day the best I can. I should have wrote this down a long time ago but better now then never. I apologize if this is too much information for some people out there.

Monday, September 20, 2009, I was walking up the stairs to go to bed when half-way up the stairs I had a very powerful sneeze that caused me to "pee my pants". If you have ever been pregnant you know that towards the end your bladder control gets a little weak, so I went to bed embarrassed and didn't think anything else of it. Tuesday, September 21, my due date, I woke up as usual and did some things around the house, felt fine, cooked some dinner. Around dinner time I started to get concerned that it seemed like I was leaking but I felt fine and just thought that is odd. Around 8pm Chris encouraged me to just call the doctor and see what he thought. I called the after hours line and left a message with the operator. The doctor took around 30 minutes to call me back and in that time frame I started to get an upset stomach, cramps, I thought maybe I ate something bad. When the doctor called and I told them what was going on he surprised me by saying I should come into the hospital. I didn't think I was in labor, I thought I would have this distinct feeling of
"the baby is coming" or something. So I started crying in fear that it was possibly time, started trying to get my stuff together to go to the hospital. I wasn't rushing because I always heard stories that with your first baby you should delay going to the hospital because you will just be sitting in the bed or walking around waiting for labor to progress. I also couldn't hurry because my stomach was really hurting to the point where I couldn't concentrate long enough to think "get a pillow, get your cell phone".
Chris and I finally where in the car around 9:45pm and on our way in the rain to Emory Midtown Hospital. I mention rain because a lot of people will remember September 21, 2009 because it was the day of record flooding in the metro Atlanta area, so it was a good thing we where close to the hospital. We got to the hospital around 10pm. Chris offered to drop me off at the ER but I was thinking about how walking helps progress labor and that this was just the beginning of many hours of labor so I wanted to stay with Chris and park the car and walk. It took me probably 15 minutes to walk a distance of 5 minutes because I had to stop and sit I was in so much pain. I remember multiple people passing us asking if we needed help, a doctor, or a wheelchair. "Oh, no I am fine!" through gritted teeth. When we got to the check-in they sat me in a wheel chair as they went through the check in process. The nurse gave me a clip board and asked me to sign, I couldn't sign it if my life depended on it, I couldn't even bring myself to scribble a line. I think this is when the nurse decided to skip the paper work and waiting for a labor and deliver nurse to come get me and take me back herself.
They put me in a triage room, which is where you go before the labor and delivery room so they can check to see if you are far enough a long to take up a labor and delivery room. By this point I am in serious pain. I couldn't undress myself or sit still I was in so much pain, I started immediately asking for pain killers. The nurses tried sticking me with needles to check my blood and get an iv to start the process of pain killers but again I was in soooooooo much pain that I was rolling around moaning in pain which made it impossible to get any lines into me. They poked me with a needle all over my arm with no luck while I screamed for an epidermal. The nurses didn't give up till my body started convulsing from me pushing uncontrollably. I remember this uncontrollable pushing, feeling like when you can't control your body from throwing up. This pushing put the nurses in a frenzy when I told them that I wasn't purposely doing it, probably because the doctor was still not there and the bed I was in was not set up for delivery. The most important thing I learned from going to the labor and delivery classes was that if your body starts pushing uncontrollably and the doctor says that it isn't time, you need to blow because it is impossible to blow and push at the same time. I tried this but unfortunately, the pushing urge was a lot stronger then my ability to blow. The doctor, not my doctor, or any doctor that I had ever met in the past, showed up just in time for me to deliver Gates at 11:15 PM. No pain killers at all! No delivery room.
So, looking back, that was not a weak bladder, that was my water breaking, but my stupidity lead to a very short labor. If we had gone in when my water broke they might have sent us home any way or eventually induced labor, which I would not have wanted. The worst part of the whole process was in the middle of Gates coming out, I felt a pop, and felt this terrible pain in my lower back that was worse then any of the other pain. It turns out that I did something to my tailbone. The doctors have no way of telling what happened but they think I tore the muscles or something from my tail bone in the process of giving birth. It feels like I broke my tail bone. I still have bad pain from this a year later.


This is me shortly before the big day.


Bringing Gates home from the hospital.

Look at all that hair. It never fell out.

Pictures of the flood that day.

I love this little man so much and couldn't imagine life with out him.
Happy Birthday Gates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, September 17, 2010

The Fort

Because Gates loves climbing so much we bought him an early birthday gift! We got him a fort. It says for ages 2-8 but it seems to be perfect for him, he loves playing in it. We got a used one from someone we found on craigslist and it seems as good as new to us. His favorite things to do are to climb up, turn the stering wheel, and play with the hands on the clock that is on the wall inside the fort part.
























Thursday, September 16, 2010

Gates and Max

Gates loves Max, Chris' parents dog. Max also really likes Gates, he lets him do whatever he wants. Lately, that has been sitting on Max, as you can see, Max doesn't seem to mind. Gates also really likes to do this with my moms dog who has similar laid back personality. Unfortunately for Brinkley, my moms dog, he is a weiner dog so he gets squashed when Gates tries to sit on him.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Gymboree

Chris and I took Gates to Gymboree this past weekend and Gates loved it! This was not much of a suprise because all he ever wants to do is climb up on stuff. He particularly loves climbing up and down stairs, so of course climbing up the stairs at Gymboree was his favorite. He was not good about the group activities which mostly involved him having to sit, he is way to much of a busy body to for that. We will definitly go back again when we get a chance.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Last of the beach

This is it of the beach pictures. I took many more but I don't want to bore you. I thought these where some cute ones that I just had to share.

I love these cut out picture things whatever you call them. I am usually a sucker for them. Maybe some day I will find all the pictures I have taken with them and do a blog on it. I think that would be hilarious or maybe just embarrassing.


You didn't miss the chiwawa did you!?



Monday, September 6, 2010

Basil and Tomato Layered Cheese Torta

While at the beach I made a really yummy appetizer I want to share. This would be great for a party. It's really quick and easy but you have to remember to make it ahead of time because it has to chill overnight.
Basil and Tomato Layered Cheese Torta

Ingredients:
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup basil pesto, drain excess liquid
1 cup Bella Cucina sun-dried tomato pesto, drain excess liquid
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (Pine nuts where to expensive for my budget so I just used sun flower seeds)
1 sprig of fresh basil

Preparation:
In a mixer or with wooden spoon, blend softened cheeses until smooth. Line a 7-inch loaf pan with dampened cheese cloth with enough to hang over each side of the pan. ( I just lined a bowl with aluminum foil and it worked fine.) With moist spatula, spread 1/3 cheese mixture in pan until evenly covered. Top with basil pesto, careful not to blend with cheese. Top with 1/3 cheese mixture by dropping small spoonfuls over previous layer and carefully spreading. Then spread the sun-dried tomato pesto and top with the remaining 1/3 of cheese mixture until evenly covered. Fold cheese cloth over top of cheese. Wrap in foil and refrigerate overnight. To serve, remove foil and cheese cloth carefully and invert onto serving platter. Top with pine nuts and fresh basil sprig. Serve at room temperature with plain crackers and French rounds.




Thursday, September 2, 2010

Big NEWS!!!!!!!


We put a contract on a lot to build a house!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! If things go as scheduled we should no longer be homeless by the end of December. I am trying to not get my hopes up on that deadline because everyone has warned me that they always take longer then they say. This is the picture of the house plan we picked except ours will have a three car garage with a side entry. I am so excited to get to pick out all the details but a little stressed also because we have to have every thing picked out in the next couple of weeks. When I showed my friend Ellen the house she refered to the house as a "parents house," which I responded by reminding her that we ARE parents. We have moved to the suburbs, where we will soon live on a colde-sac, have room to grow as a family, and what kind of parents would we be if we didn't make sure we were in a good school district.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

More Beach Pictures

I apologize for not being a very good blogger. I just can't keep up with life lately and unfortunately, I don't see myself being able to take control of this craziness anytime soon. But, that is no excuse for me to deprive everyone of the Gates cuteness. Here are some of the pictures from the beach. I took a lot of pictures while at the beach so don't be surprised if I do another post of beach pictures.

Gates with his uncle Scott.














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