A Magical Reading Moment

One of my favorite parts of the day is bedtime. Not because I am so exhausted, but because it is the perfect time for me to snuggle up with my little guy and enjoy a good book. For the past couple of years we have been reading two books each night and Colby always selects the books. We go to the Smiths Grove Library once a week and he chooses 20 books for us to enjoy.

On a recent trip to the library I picked up one of the Magic Tree House books just to give it a try. Colby was fascinated by the book. He was a little upset that there were not pictures on every page, but when there were no pictures to look at, he stared at my face so intently that I got tickled! I always read with lots of emotion and voice inflection and he loves it. When we finished Mummies in the Morning he immediately said, "Can we read it again?" I was thrilled!

So later today we are off to the library to choose some new books and pick up a couple for of the Magic Tree House series. I am so happy to see my little guy have an early love of reading!

What I CAN Eat

I have been so sick the past few days that I can't hold my head up for at least half of each day. The only thing I have been able to eat and keep down are S'mores pop tarts. I have been craving the things and actually ate them twice yesterday! I am so glad something will stay down, I just need it to be something a bit more nutritious soon!

Click

Yesterday when we headed out the door to church (late as usual) Colby grabbed his backpack. I gave it a quick going over in the car to make sure that there were no offensive items inside. I forgot to check the little pocket............

So about mid sermon while I am paying attention to the preacher I see out the corner of my right eye that Colby's little hand has stuck a remote control up in the air and he is pushing a button. I quickly slap the arm down and voice the rhetorical "What do you think you are doing?" to which he stage whispered "I'm trying to fast forward him....I'm ready to get outta here."

As laughter came from those around us, I popped my son on the hand and took the remote and shoved it in my purse.

Please Lord, let baby #2 be an angel!!

Stay Away From This Product!

Recently thanks to a manufacturers coupon coupled with an in-store sale and CVS Extra Care Bucks I was able to get the Purex complete 3-in-1 laundry detergent sheets FOR FREE!!! This product consists of a sheet that has laundry detergent, fabric softener, and anti-static all rolled up into one nifty little sheet. It SUCKS!!!

Now mind you, most often when I do the laundry of my two guys it is FILTHY clothes.....mud, ketchup, and things I don't want to mention covering different parts of the clothing. The Purex sheets did NOT get their clothes clean at all! I had to wash them again just to get everything off of them! Now, for some of the clothing I wore to work and church, they worked fine in getting them clean, but there wasn't enough fabric softener in them to really be effective.

Just thought I would pass on my opinion on this product............it's a don't waste your money on it product!! Glad I got it for free!!

Important to a 5 Year Old

Today we headed to Bowling Green for Colby to get his school hair cut from his uncles at Cowles Barber Shop. He was so excited about getting his school supplies last night thanks to Nana and Pa that he HAD to take his back pack with him. I got him dressed and while I finished getting ready he packed his back pack up for the trip.

While we were at the barber shop waiting for Colby's turn for a "buzz" cut he decided to show me what was in his back pack. He told me, "Mom, it's all important stuff!"

Inside the back pack was:
-the remote control to the television in his room
-his lunch box with Doritos thrown in the bottom
-a book (this was encouraging!) :)
-my makeup bag

Lord only knows what he will end up packing to school!

Hmmm.............

Today I have been hurting a little bit. Not really cramping, but just a bit uncomfortable. I called and talked to Dr. Lyons and she said, "Brooke, quit panicking. Your uterus is growing!" Well that makes sense! I just can't seem to get past worrying over ever little thing though. We are ALMOST past the point of our most advanced MC. I think once we get past that 13 1/2 week milestone I will feel better. Sorry for whining. Just needed to vent.

Are You Crazy??

My Daddy thinks it is funny to make up silly names for the baby and aggravate Colby about them. I have learned to just ignore him, but Colby is yet to gain that skill so with each new name suggestion, a fight ensues between Colby and Pa. The latest suggestions are Antoy and Shagnasty. This sets Colby into orbit!! My Daddy is so silly.

He did however come up with a suggestion that really got my blood boiling. He said "If it's a girl why don't we name it Debbie Darlene (this would be after my mother and mother in law)?"

My response? "Do you want it to come out with devil horns and 666 tattooed on it's forehead?" Seriously! That would be just like naming a child Lucifer Satan to me! Come on Dad!

To The Faculty and Staff of South Edmonson Elementary

Dear Faculty and Staff of South Edmonson Elementary,

I have been composing this letter in my head for the past few weeks and now is the time that I must write it and get everything off of my chest. I don't like you very much. You are getting ready to take away my baby boy! Now I have no personal problem with any of you. I am just saddened beyond belief that he is actually old enough to be going to kindergarten! It seems like only yesterday I was teaching kindergarten there myself and off on maternity leave to take care of him as a new born.............where has the time gone?!?!

Now. The true intent of this letter is to warn you of some things now that you will be spending countless hours with my son. I decided to use this venue since much to my mortification I was told you ALL looked at my blog at a PD........so maybe some of you still read it! Here are the things I want to pass along and PLEASE head my advice with caution!!!

1. If you are his teacher, I am sorry. He is much like his mother and never shuts up.
2. He can't write his name yet. He informed me that I was not his teacher, she would teach him how. Sorry. I tried.
3. When he runs in the gym and says "What's up Clark?" instead of addressing Mr. Clark like he is suppose to, I am sorry. He doesn't make the transition from "that's a person" to "that's a teacher" very well. In a likewise manner Mrs. Lisa will be "Noah's Nana".
4. He absolutely will not understand why he can't go to Mrs. Donna whenever he wishes. He has LOVED her since he was little and I am warning you that if he gets his feelings hurt he will feel the need to run to her for love and cake icing......probably won't understand why she doesn't have icing at school either!
5. This is perhaps the most important thing I need to tell you! DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING HE COMES TO SCHOOL AND TELLS YOU ABOUT US AT HOME!!! Lord, I shudder at the thought of what things he might try and pass along!!!
6. He thinks he can speak Spanish. He CAN NOT speak Spanish. I hope he is in a class with no Hispanic children.............not because we are prejudice, but because I feel certain he will offend them!
7. I will be that crazy crying Mama on day one that you all are rolling your eyes at when she turns around and praying for her to leave. Just warning you up front.
8. When I forget to do his homework or forget to pack his lunch or snack don't talk about me...........let's just blame it on the pregnancy hormones for now.........in a few months we'll have to think of another excuse for my lack of brain power.

In all honesty, he is VERY excited about school. As you can tell I am not. I know he will be loved and taken care of and get a wonderful education, but this is a HUGE transition! Best of luck to all of you at SEE on a great year!!!

Wonderful Gift

My husband gave me a wonderful gift today. He found me a teenage boy who would work around the house for only $5 per hour!!! I got him to do so much for only $20!!!

You see, we have had some mouse issues and the over the top dose of poison I set out back fired on me. For the past two days my house has been smelling like the stench of death! I barely made it here last night (had to stuff Vicks Vapor Rub up my nose to mask the odor) and this morning I swore to Jeremy if he didn't do something that I was moving out until he fixed it! This apparently did the trick.

The boy got under the house and I am embarrassed to tell you how many rodents he got out, but now they are gone and we are only left with a portion of the smell we had the last couple of days.

Awesome fact: Charcoal gets the nasty odor out!!! Put some in rooms that smell as well as under the house and viola! It attracts the odor and eliminates it!! I LOVE my father in law for this tip!!

Thanks honey for the teenage worker today!!! I am a happy woman without the funky odor in the house now!!! There's only so much of a funky smell a pregnant lady can take after all!!!!

And on a totally different page...............my AWESOME pharmacist Ron at CVS looked at my bruises today and found a gel that is suppose to help with the bruising!! It is suppose to make the medicine disperse better under the skin thus eliminating the bruising!!! He has ordered it for me and will call when it is in!!!

Hope you have had a good day today too!!!

The Craving

There is no craving in the world like a pregnancy craving. It grabs hold of you out of nowhere and has a grip that won't let go. No matter how hard you try to shake it off, it is still there just waiting to be satisfied. For me it was a small chocolate shake and medium fries that I had to have from McDonald's at 10:00 on Friday night. It was my first hard core craving with this pregnancy, but Jeremy could tell by the wild look in my eyes that I meant business and off we went.

So ladies, what was your pregnancy craving????

The Attitude Adjuster

There is a wonderful object that lives at the Vincent Household. It is an object so feared by the small that by simply calling it's name or placing it in my hand, the devil horns disappear and the troops fall back in line ready to behave like angels. What is this mystery object???? A wooden spoon.



Once upon a time about three years ago my dear son decided to light a match. I had never had to truly "whip" him before, but was sure that arson called for a whipping and a half, so I grabbed the first thing I came to which was a wooden spoon, and I wore his little hiney out. Apparently this was enough to scar him for life and leave him with a complete aversion to wooden spoons............so I take advantage of that.

I am proud to say that in his 5 short years Colby has only gotten about 4 REAL whippings. Each time the wooden spoon has come to take care of business. And now literally all I have to do is hold the spoon in my hand and his knees begin to tremble and he begs for mercy.

It is a beautiful thing!!!

Anyone else have an attitude adjuster that you hold dear to your heart??????

Trying To Find An Answer

I thought I had found my answer to aid me with less pain and bruising with these shots. Yesterday I stumbled upon a website by the Thrombophilia Foundation that offered suggestions for Lovenox injections. The site said that you should ice the injection site for 10 minutes prior to injection, make sure that there is an air bubble in the syringe, and make sure no medicine is in the needle when you inject. I tried that today and was unable to stick myself in the "iced" area of my belly because it hurt too bad. I moved over to the other side and got a stick first try with little pain. I am hoping that the air bubble and empty needle when inserted will limit my bruising this time.

I was in the shower the other night and blood just started gushing. I immediately feared the worst..........that I was miscarrying again, but much to my surprise the blood was coming from one of my injection sites. It had burst open, and I guess the blood thinner is doing it's job because I bled quite a bit........and thought it would never stop.

I am sorry to whine and moan and groan about all of this, but this blog is my outlet for all things on my mind, so I am afraid you may have to suffer some misery for a little while if you read me. I KNOW to reward at the end of all of this will be worth it, but me, needles, and pain don't mix well so I am really having to make an effort with all of this.

If anyone has any suggestions or tips on how to make my injections go more smoothly, PLEASE pass them on!!! I have googled my fingers off and found a few things, but nothing that has worked. I'll keep searching for an answer though!

Black and Blue

I know that these shots I am on to thin my blood are the key to a healthy baby and Mommy, but I HATE them! They burn like crazy! I gave myself my shot yesterday and nearly passed slick out. Then today I got brave and laid on the couch with my eyes closed and let Jeremy give me the shot..........and I whined like a little kid would. I am such a wuss!

The worst part about the whole thing is that my stomach is black and blue! I'm not talking little bruises either............one is the size of my palm (from the shot the Dr. gave me) and the others are about the size of a half dollar. Good thing I have never (never ever ever) been a bikini gal because I would be ashamed to show my stomach!

Last night as Colby and I were getting ready for bed he caught sight of my lovely belly. He pointed to the bruises and said, "Is that baby giving you all those boo boo's?" I told him no to which he quickly responded, "Good, I was gonna have to bust it's hind-end when it got here!" Glad to know he's got my back!

Oh Happy Day!!!!!!

Of three things I am absolutely certain:
1. Jeremy and I do not need to be in a car together for longer than 2 hours.
2. The Lord has funny timing.
3. Jeremy and I are PREGNANT WITH A HEALTHY BABY!!!!!

We have been on pins and needles (literally) for the past couple of months keeping this "top secret" under our hats. While Jeremy was going through the worst of his injury and recovery I had chalked my exhaustion up to working my behind off to take care of him. Then the puking began and I took a test (which I was opposed to doing seeing as how I have literally PEED away several dollars in the past three years on tests that were negative!)

The test was positive much to my surprise. So I took another, and another, and another. When four tests finally agreed I made the call to Dr. Lyons office who saw me the same day. I went in for blood work (passed out after they took my blood) and they called the next day to say my numbers were good and they wanted me to come in for an ultrasound. I went in and everything looked great. At this time I was six weeks.

Since then I have seen Dr. Lyons twice and today I went to a specialist, Dr. Graves, at the Tennessee Fetal and Maternal Medicine Clinic at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. After a series of tests we found out the most AMAZING results!! There is an answer to ALL of the problems I have EVER had during pregnancy and it is TREATABLE!!!

I have some indications that I may have Lupus, but those results are what led the doctors to discover a blood clotting condition (that has about three words in it that are a mile long each). This clotting condition is responsible for:
-all the miscarriages we have had
-Colby being so small at birth
-Colby coming early
-The HELLP syndrome that made me so sick when I had Colby

I am now taking one shot of blood thinner each day in my stomach along with a baby aspirin and 4 grams of folic acid each day. Dr. Graves said that this medicine regime has a 97% success rate of helping and an 80% success rate for PERFECT pregnancies and births!!! Jeremy and I were so thrilled to finally have an answer to our problems!!!

We are now 11 weeks in and the baby is doing wonderfully. I did not want to tell until 12 weeks, but the doctors have assured me that this is going to happen this time for us because the causes are known and treatable, so we decided to finally share our good news with all of you!

I go back to Nashville and Dr. Lyons again in 4 weeks unless I need them sooner. Please keep us all in your prayers for a healthy pregnancy and baby!!!

Just Entertaining An Idea

I have been entertaining and idea lately. I know that it is wrong, but it would make my life so much easier. I think I want Jeremy to become a polygamist. He can get multiple wives. One that will cook and do it well, one that loves to do the laundry and keep it all caught up, one that will take care of the outdoor stuff, one that will wait on Jeremy hand and foot, and one that has a big fancy high paying job. That will leave me without all the extra stuff to do and I can relax and enjoy life a little bit more. So, tell me what you think!

Goodbye Stinky!!!

On Wednesday the Vincent party of three loaded up in the car to take dear ole' Daddy to yet another appointment at Western Kentucky Orthopedic with Dr. Burch. Thanks to a good friend that works there, we got in super quickly and had only 5 minutes of wait time in the back.

This week they were able to take Jeremy's stinky old cast off............for good!!! He still has a long way to go, but the cast (which was beginning to gag me on a daily basis) is no more! He is now in a boot that he can take off to shower and such. His scar is healing nicely, but is a lot bigger than we had hoped. I am thinking though that when his "ape man" hair returns that it will conceal it pretty well.

For now he is allowed to put weight on his foot/leg as he is able to. He has done it twice and nearly cried both times, but he is starting physical therapy on Tuesday three times a week at Schaffer's in Brownsville. I know this will be difficult, but it will help him tremendously.

To celebrate we went to the beach at Barren River Lake. Jeremy was quit a sight hobbling out into the water with his crutches, but Colby was thrilled that Daddy could finally swim with him! After 2 hours of swimming/relaxing at the beach we had a nice picnic at a nearby shelter. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the goodbye of STINKY!!!!

On a more serious note, we need your prayers for our family. It is nothing of crisis nature, and I am not able to discuss things at the time, but please remember our family in your prayers and ask the Lord to provide for us as he sees fit. I appreciate any and all prayers you send up on our behalf!

Identity Crisis

Today after work I made the dreaded trip to the Social Security Office in Bowling Green to get a copy of Colby's social security card (yes I am the terrible Mom who lost it!). After I went to the "old" location and got directions I arrived at the new office in Chandler Park...........fancy schmancy!

I went in to the office and much to my surprise it was standing room only! After an excruciating hour long wait my number was finally called. I sat down and spoke to the woman through the plexi glass divider and told her what I needed. I pushed my driver's license, social security card, and Colby's birth certificate through the slot and much to my surprise she informs me, "A birth certificate isn't good enough to get his card."

What?? What other kind of ID does a 5 year old have? She informs me that the only way I can get the card reissued is if I come back, wait another hour, and bring a copy of his immunization certificate with me. This makes no sense at all to me!

So moral of this post................if you are a scatter brained mother like me and have a need to replace a social security card so your little one can start school and you avoid jail time, then take the immunization form with you. Who would have thought it?

My Happy Place

Many of us have "happy places" that we go to when things start getting a little on the hairy side. Some of us go to them in our minds - we take a mental break from the hectic world around us and envision a peaceful beach or wooded mountain range. Others, like myself, have an actual "happy place" that we go to - physically get up and go to. Mine is the bathroom.

Now, before you start wondering what kind of bathroom I have that is so special, allow me to stop you short. There is nothing luxurious or even all that pretty about my bathroom. It is small and simple. It is cluttered with bath toys and the supplies necessary for Jeremy the cripple to shower. There are old magazines and newspapers in a basket and typically a collection of the days hand soap and toothpaste over sprays left on the sink. It is just a simple bathroom for a family who actually lives in their home.

So what makes it special?

It is the ONLY room in this old house that has a door on it! As most of you know, the house we live in was inherited after my grandmother passed away. It is at least 100 years old and has been built in three separate pieces. Why no one installed doors (including ourselves) I haven't a clue, but regardless the bathroom is the only room that has a door.

So each day........about twice a day.........I hide in my happy place. When it gets too noisy and I have had enough of the "Mom I need" and "Honey will you get me"'s I go to the bathroom and lock the door and sit on Jeremy's comfy little shower chair. I lay my head back on the wall, close my eyes, and breathe slow and steady breathes. The stress melts away and I have a few much needed minutes of me time. Thank goodness for my bathroom!

Anyone else got a "happy place"????

Here Fishy, Fishy!

I have had a few requests for the fish story, so here you go.

Colby decided with some of his birthday money he wanted to buy a couple of fish to put in an old fish tank we had in storage. I got the tank out and cleaned it up, but the filter didn't work, so Mommy footed the bill for a new filter. I also got him rocks and a couple of plants to go in the tank to make it pretty. I was out about $40 total. Not too bad.

So Colby is responsible for buying the fish. We go to Petco, a "friendly" pet store. We go in and Colby picks out this beautiful mid size goldfish that he just loves. He sweetly goes and gets a sales clerk and tells him "I need some help with a fish please." Colby brings him over and shows him the fish he wants and the clerk looks at him and says "You can't have that fish little boy. If you take it home with you, you will kill it. I'm not selling it to you."

Well, this Mommy saw RED!! I said, "Excuse me, what did you just say to my child." My tone caused the shaggy haired man in the corner who was talking to the fish to stop and stare along with the Emo couple looking at the snakes with googly eyes.

The little clerk said, "He doesn't need that fish. He'll just kill it." Talk about one pissed off Mommy. The hormones took over and I said, "You know what, you are right. We don't need that fish from you. You can stick the fish up your A$$ and we will go down the road and give our money to someone who has some decency!"

His mouth flew open and the spectators near us applauded as Colby and I stomped out of the store. We got in the car and Jeremy says, "Where's the fish?" Colby said, "That man was mean so Mommy told him he was mean." Lucky translation for me.

So we went down the road to Fishy Business which reeked of incense and blasted Pink Floyd from the speakers and bought two fish that may have been high, but now we have fish.

And that my friends is the fish story. Hope you enjoyed!