Just as sweet the second time around

Snuggled up with Daddy
Already holding up his head

Love those chubby cheeks

His first bath

He sleeps with at least one hand in his hair

Watching Big Sister on the computer

A year ago, if you told me that I would love a newborn baby as much as I love Olivia, I would have slapped your face and called you a liar. Well, maybe I wouldn't slap you, but I would disagree. I could not fathom loving another child as much as I love her. The entire I was pregnant, I was convinced I would love this child a little less. After all, Olivia and I have eight years of history. She looks like me, she talks like me, she is so much like me, we just gel.





Anyway, I was wrong. I love this little boy SO MUCH! Every morning, I look at his sweet little face and I fall in love all over again. He doesn't look like me (he looks like Daddy), he doesn't act like me (he's very calm and laid back), but he is so, so wonderful. I have found myself, every morning as we snuggle in my bed, looking heavenward and thanking God again for my miracle baby.





Olivia is doing so good with Phillip. She loves him so much. The first thing she asks in the morning is "Can I hold him?" The first thing she asks when she gets home from school is "Can I hold him?" She is so good with him and he is mesmerized with her. Life is good.





Mike went back to work yesterday after two + weeks off. I missed him. He has waited on me hand and foot since we came home from the hospital. I don't know what I did to get such a good husband, but I'm keeping him. Here are some pictures for my two readers :) Hope you enjoy!

He's Here!!

Miracle baby, Phillip Michael, made his way into the world at 4:48 a.m. on September 5. He was about 2 1/2 weeks early. He weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20 inches long. A bad bout of jaundice made him lose a pound, but he is thriving now.

Words cannot express how excited we are, how happy we are, how blessed we are. Olivia LOVES her new baby brother, there has not been one moment of of drama. He is a great baby. He does not cry, unless you change his diaper or clothes. He just whimpers a little when he is hungry. I am so in love with this little boy. He looks like his daddy. Oh my, he is just wonderful. I am on maternity leave with a happy, healthy baby. Hopefully, I will update more...we'll see...

Yeah, I'm still alive...

Well, the dead laptop is finally revived, so I can blog again. I have had to limit all of my computering to work (where they frown on the blogging) and home with Mike's ancient laptop, which is not even worth the trouble. But I'm back, and hopefully more faithful...

Phillip (the baby, not the uncle) is growing nicely. I had an ultrasound last Tuesday and he is TALL. He is about a week and a half longer than he should be :) Considering Olivia was almost 22 inches when she was born, I'm not surprised. Mike and I aren't really tall people, I'm 5' 8 and he's 6', but our dads and their families are tall. My dad is 6'3 and Mike's dad was 6'2, so no surprise that our kids are tall. Olivia is currently 4'6. She's 7. Yeah, I think 6' is a good projection for her. So, it looks like Phillip will be tall too. His weight was right on track (best they could tell), so he's tall and skinny, so far.

He moves ALL THE TIME! I'm not complaining, believe me. Whenever he doesn't move, I freak out, so I'm happy for the constant kicking, but he's got really big feet, so I feel it.

I can't believe he will be here in 71 days. I haven't done the nursery yet. We bought the bedding, but we still have to paint and reassemble the furniture that's been in the attic for 5 1/2 years. We did get the stroller/car seat and a swing, so we're moving in the right direction. I'm so lucky, I have all of these friends that just had babies, so I'm getting tons of hand-me-downs. Usually, I'm really picky about stuff like that, but I've realized that some things I will only use for a few weeks, so what is it going to hurt to not own it myself.

This week we are heading to the mountains for a week or so. Nothing like thin mountain air and steep inclines to pamper you in your last trimester. Our townhouse is nice, right beside a pool, and has a hot tub, so I'm happy. Drop me a line and say hello, I like to know who's reading :)

It's a BOY

Well, we found out today that little "Taco" is a boy. We got to see his heart (all four chambers), his kidneys, his spine, arms, legs, face, and of course, his "boy part" (hello, scary googlers).

I was ecstatic! Mike was excited, he would have been either way. Olivia was devastated. She cried and cried. She did finally warm up to the idea, but it took a little while.

Little Phillip Michael will be here in exactly 22 weeks! YAY!!

Thursday Night TV, how I've missed you

Well, after months of misery, I finally got to watch a BRAND NEW episode of The Office last night. It did not disappoint. I don't know if it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen or if I was just so glad it was bad, but I laughed aloud the whole time.

A few of my favorite parts include: The fake Friday night overtime, Jan's office & workspace, Michael's bench he sleeps on, the tripod in the bedroom, Jim trying to leave the party, with or without Pam, and Dwight's babysitter.

Oh, I am laughing now, I am so tickled. Thank you writers, thank you for giving so much :)

Dental Woes

My poor husband had to have oral surgery today. I'm still not sure exactly what the problem was (you know how forthcoming with information men can be), but it had something to do with a cracked tooth that had become infected.

So, he rode to work with me this morning. His surgery was at 1 p.m. and I had some things I needed to do at the office. He hung around and entertained me this morning. Then I took him to the surgeon's and settled in for a long wait. To my surprise, he was ready to go in 41 minutes.

Mike is one of those people that is hilarious when under the influence of anethesia or pain meds. He becomes very child-like and endearing. All the way to the car, he was complementing the dr. and then he dug in his wallet and gave him a free pass to his restaurant. You know, because surgeons are short on money these days.

We then had to travel to "the Walgreens" and drop off his prescriptions. The first one we went to had a three hour wait. No thank you. The second one had a 35 minute wait. That's more like it. We left the 'scrips and went to pick Livi up from school. By then, Mike was coming around a little better and was HUNGRY. So, we swung by McD's and got a milkshake.

Finally, we headed home. Once we arrived at home, Mike was wandering around and seemed pretty lucid. He took some pain meds and settled down to rest. He then thought of something he wanted out of his truck and headed outside. A couple of minutes later, I heard the lawnmower. I ran outside and guess what? The man who had surgery two hours earlier was mowing. Well, I put a stop to that and sent him inside. It's been pretty calm since then.

I've got to call that dr tomorrow and see if I can get a steady supply of whatever drug he's on. He never wants to mow the yard normally :)

Oh, well, I'm glad he's okay and I'm settling in for an adventurous evening.

Fashion Fun

I am a faithful blog reader, though a few are my very favorites. Big Mama is one of them. I adore her Fashion Friday posts. She is having a fun fashion "bare all" this week and I am excited!!

American Idol, it changed my life

Tonight as I was watching the results version of AI, I was in good spirits. I was pretty sure that one of my personal bottom two was going home. And she did. I loved hearing the Clark Brothers, they are actually friends of my family, though I don't personally know them. They did sing at my brother's church on Sunday morning though. Same song they did on Idol. And I love me some Dolly! Love her, love her, love her. However, silicon and botox, not gravity, is what's holding her up.

Anyway, onto the life changing. The Idol Gives Back clip just killed me. I wept. Not sniffled, wept. Here I am, parked on my well fed keister, watching AI in my suburban paradise. I have plenty to eat (too much, really), a beautiful home, a healthy, beautiful child and another on the way. These children don't have blankets, much less homes. The little girl that was looking for her sister was about the same age as my daughter. I seriously freak out if I think about my child getting lost at the mall. I cannot fathom her living on the streets.

How, oh how, can this happen? How can we, as a country, spend billions and billions of dollars on the war that will not end and not help these babies. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not anti-war or pro-war, I am tired of war. I am tired of the fact that we have been at war my child's entire life. I am tired of children, babies really, living in street because no one can or will help them. Why can't we make a difference?

I can make a small difference, I can donate something to AI Gives Back (and I will), I can sponser a Compassion Child (which am I just about to do), and I can give to charities through my church (which I do). But, my one little thing is not going to save those children.

It's so overwhelming, so hopeless feeling. I want to do something, anything to make a difference. Everything feels so small. Mike and I have toyed with the idea of international adoption. But, then we feel guilty, because there are so many kids "in the system" here that need good homes. Then we feel guilty, because maybe it would affect our child if we brought a child with "baggage" or emotional problems into our home.

Oh, how to make a difference? I'm still pondering. One funny thing though. I called my little brother after AI and was talking about the episode. I told him how moved I was by the orphans and he said he was too. I said "It makes me just want to adopt one (meaning the one of the thousands of orphans)". He said "Jeez, Andrea, after all they've been through, shouldn't you adopt both of them (he meant the two sisters who had been reunited)". He is so literal, he always has been. I started laughing and said "No, you dummy, I mean I want to adopt one of the orphans, not one of the sisters". He said "Oh, that's good, it seemed cruel to separate them now". Maybe it's not so funny written out, but it was a nice comic relief from the sadness that has settled on me.

LAZY Saturday

Olivia had a sleepover at church last night. Imagine 40 or so kids between ages 7-11, staying up all night, playing games, watching videos, and playing Dance, Dance Revolution.

Umm, yeah, sounds horrible to me too! But, several (more) dedicated (than me) good souls hosted it and a good time was had by all.

It stormed really bad last night and I kept waking up all night worrying about Olivia. She is terrified of storms and I kept expecting the "Will go pick me up?" phone call. It never came, but neither did a good night of sleep.

When I picked her up, she informed me she was going home and going to bed. Sounds good to me. Pregnant women do not need an excuse to go back to bed :) So, we went to bed, I got up a few times for a drink or to "dispose of" the drink. When we finally got up it was 4 p.m. That's right, 4 p.m.! Yikes! I have never, ever, ever slept that late.

Needless to say, it was not a productive Saturday, but a very restful one :)

Happy (belated) Easter

Easter Sunday was a wonderful day for us. Though, I was a little bummed about not having an "Easter dress" to wear, I got over it. Maternity dresses are crazy short this year. Hoochie mama short.



Olivia looked beautiful, she loved her Easter basket and was even good at church. Her best friend Morgan has been coming to church with us, and that's really good for both of them.



Our church service was beautiful and I hosted an easter egg hunt for the kids after church.



Olivia went over to Morgan's house after church and Mike and I enjoyed a nice dinner at Cracker Barrel with Mom & Dad.



All day, I kept thinking, "Next year, we'll have two kids at Easter. Next year, there will be two Easter outfits, two Easter baskets, etc". I am SO excited!!

Well, it's been a while

Well, color me embarrassed. All it takes is one little pregnancy and all of a sudden I don't do anything for a month. Seriously, though, I have been so tired. As the first trimester nears an end, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. My energy is slowly returning.

One new thing for this pregnancy is VERY VIVID dreams. My entire adult life I have had a recurring character in my dreams, my high school boyfriend. The dreams are never "adult" or romantic, he's just there. For instance, I'll be on a trip and turn a corner and see him on the sidewalk. I'll say hello and move on. Weird. He makes an appearance in my dreams at least twice a month. I harbor no longing or desire for this person. I haven't even seen or spoken to him in over 10 years. He could be a belly dancer in Berlin for all I know. But, still, he appears.

Maybe it's because things ended so badly with him. Maybe I wish for an opportunity to "run into" him and make things right. I don't know. All I know is I see him, circa 1997 or so, twice a month. He was my first love and I guess he'll always have a home in my subconcious. Maybe one day I really will be on a trip (to Berlin, maybe), turn a corner and see him. If I do, I'll be sure to say I'm sorry so that I can move on to different dreams.

My college boyfriend makes frequent appearances in my dreams also. This makes more sense, since he is sleeping next to me. Lately, I watch him sleep a lot, since I wake up in the middle of the night, wide awake, for an hour or so. Hormones, they are a crazy thing.

So, tell me, do you have recurring dreams or characters in dreams. Are they my high school boyfriend :)

Umm, table for four, please

Wow, did I get some exciting news this week. After four years of trying and then giving up, I am pregnant! Another medical marvel is residing in my womb. Fertility drugs didn't work, different diets, techniques, etc. didn't work. God worked! God did it. He waited until I was done trying to control everything myself and then he gave me my miracle.

My miracle is due Sept. 16, 2008. We go for an ultrasound on Thursday, Jan 31 to make sure everything is okay, but it is, I know it is!

Well, that about sums it up!!

Oh, my back!

Here in our silly little town, we have a super annoying radio commercial in which this guy screams "Ohhhh, my back". Well, that's how I feel. I have been completely bed or couch ridden for two days. My lowerback is completely seized up. Oh, the misery. It's really making me GRUMPY


In other news, the Hannah Montana concert was SUPER! We had the best time. Although, I'm a little worried about sweet little Miley Cyrus. She is getting a little flashy, a little mature. Gone are her sweet little tween outfits, replaced with low cut, strapless dresses, and barely butt covering dresses. Please Billy Ray and ex-Hooter's waitress mama whose name I don't know, don't let her grow up so fast. I know she's paying the bills and all, but keep her young a little longer. Please, the mama of this 7 year old is tired of explaining teen pregnancy. So tired.


That being said, we had a wonderful time. I found myself cheering and dancing as much as the little girls. Here are a few pictures, check out the purple hair.


For only $3.99 and a quick trip the Sally Beauty Supply, you too can have purple rock star hair.

Sunday, glorious Sunday

Today was a great day, my friends. It started out with me oversleeping about, oh, an hour and a half. I woke up at 9:30, I had to be at church to do the bulletin and calendar by 10:30. Needless to say, Livi and I didn't look our best.

After I did the bulletin and calendar, I snuck into the sanctuary just in time. Our church only has one service, at 12:30. I won't say it's the #1 reason I chose this church, but it's in the top ten. Anyway, we had a beautiful service, commenorating the beginning of a new year. We had communion and a candlelight service. I had the drippiest candle ever, but otherwise it was great.

After church, I went to lunch with my pastor, his wife, and a friend of ours. We discussed a huge conference we have at our church in April. I'm the coordinator of said conference and it takes alot of planning. It is so worth it though. We have over 1500 people come through our little hamlet in three days, 800 in one night.

Olivia went to mom & dad's while I was at my meeting/lunch. She was in foul mood when I picked her up. We played Wii for a little while when we got home and she pitched a fit when I won at baseball (I'm not a believer in letting kids win, they never learn how to play well if you do). Well, I was sitting her on the couch talking to her about being a sore loser and she was crying and carrying on, and then she bit me! Needless to say, it went downhill from there.

Tomorrow, she goes back to school. Order will help. She doesn't do well with organized chaos, which is what the last couple of weeks have been.

Well, now that I've bored my 2 readers to tears, I'll sign off. Maybe tomorrow will bring more interesting stories.

Ugg..

My laptop is sick. It may be dead. I'm on my husband's laptop right now. Ihope mine is okay, since I haven't backed up the Christmas pictures yet...Say a prayer.

On a brighter note, I gotmost of my Christmas decorations down today. I have to go back to work tomorrow after 12 days off, so I wanted the house to be neat when I drag my butt in tomorrow.

Oh, well, I hate Mike's laptop, so I'll sign off. Keep your fingers crossed that the computer guy can fix my computer.