Bring On Fall!

This morning while I was cleaning house, my two favorite guys came trudging up the front steps with my big box of inside Fall decorations. Colby opens the front door and says, "Mom, will you turn our house into Fall?" Of course I can!

I spent the rest of the morning working on the inside and as I type this I feel so warm and cozy! Fall is my FAVORITE time of year and I love all the smells and colors that go with it.

Something I may have not shared with you yet is my year round "holiday" tree. I keep a pencil "Christmas" tree up in the living room year round and I decorate it for every holiday. In winder it is snowmen and snow flakes, hearts for Valentine's Day, eggs for Easter, flags for the 4th of July, and for fall it is covered in autumn leave garlands and scarecrows. I would love to have included a picture, but sadly my camera is on the fritz so I could not. :( Some people think that a year round tree is silly, but our family loves the lights and finds it comforting to have something festive always up in the living room.

Colby was so excited about decorating that I pulled a three foot tree out of the storage building and covered it with candy corn lights, spider webs, and plastic spiders. I have put it in his room by his bedside table and he is THRILLED. "Mom, this is the best night light ever!" he told me earlier.............and yes he does sleep in his bed now (he likes it and demands to sleep in there every night now which breaks my heart!)

I am doing well with the pregnancy. One day this week I could tell I did way too much at work. I had been on my feet all day long and by the time I got home I was drained and sore for the "pressure" you feel in your lower abdomen from all the growing going on. But other than that, all is GREAT! My blood pressure is low, I am having quite a bit of movement from my little "Karate Kid", I am getting used to the shots, and I am only getting sick about once a day! It is less than two weeks until we get to try and find out what the baby is ........ again! Maybe it will cooperate this time!

Hope you all are doing great! Maybe the weather will cooperate this week and give me some cool "Fall like" temperatures soon! Come on Fall!

For Your Entertainment

While flipping through a pregnancy magazine at Dr. Kelly's office yesterday, Jeremy and I stumbled upon several products for new Mommies that really made us chuckle. I just had to share one of our favorites with you!

Introducing Milk Screen!


In just two minutes, Milk Screen quickly and accurately analyzes breast milk for alcohol level. According to the advertisement, this product keeps mothers from having to pump and dump because some of that hangover milk may still be good!

Now, as silly as this product seems, there are a couple of scenarios in which I can see this being helpful.

1. In a sleep deprived state, when opening the refrigerator to get a drink of juice, Mommy accidentally grabs some booze instead. Never fear...........Milk Screen!

2. Your mother in law decides that she is going to offer her services and stay with you to help you adjust to new baby............the only way to get through this is to get on a good drunk now and again. Never fear...........Milk Screen!

3. Your wild and not a good Mommy and you rip and romp and live life on the wild side. Never fear..........Milk Screen! Maybe they will pass out free samples of Milk Screen in the health department bathroom!

So, what do you think of this AMAZING new product??

Why I Don't

I am sure that every other expectant mother on the planet who has a son hears the comment, "Oh, I bet you are hoping for a girl." I have heard this statement uttered dozens of times in the past couple of months and my answer is always a resounding "NO!"

There are several reasons why I don't want a girl. A few of them are..........

- I do good to fix my own hair and if I have a girl I am afraid she will be a mess!
- Colby is convinced he will die if it is a girl and I can't have that!
- I am a girl. I know how I acted. God help me if I have a child that acts like me!
- My mother.

Now in all seriousness, the main reason is my mother. She had a terrible relationship with her mother and we do not have a very good relationship either. I would hate to tempt fate and pass on that mother/daughter feud to another generation of women. There is no real reason we don't get along that I can pin point, but she just fusses at me (yelling like she did when I was a teenager) still and I can't talk to her about anything. My sister even over heard her tell someone at church that she "wasn't acknowledging this pregnancy until it was over with since Brooke is such a terrible pregnancy case." Yes I could have died over this comment.

So now you know some of my dirty family laundry, but you also know why I am so hopeful for another boy. September the 10th will tell if baby Vincent decides to cooperate this time. So, I know it is out of our hands and the gender is already decided, but could you say a prayer for me?

Admiting Is The First Step

My name is Brooke and I have a problem. I am a terrible mother. Until last night, I have NEVER had my son lay down and go to sleep by himself. In fact, last night was the first night he has not slept with me!

Go ahead. Bring on the "shame on you's". I know I deserve them.

As a baby I found it so much easier to just slide him in bed with me than to worry about him in another room. As a toddler it was so sweet to snuggle and love on him all night long. As a preschooler I had him in bed for my comfort because Jeremy was working nights and he would play with my hair all night and it was so soothing.

Now that baby number two is forthcoming and he and I are both bigger and much wilder sleepers, the time has come to put him in his bed. It absolutely breaks my heart. I lay in bed last night and worried that he felt rejected because Mommy didn't want him in there or that he would be lonely and scared. The hormones took over and I nearly cried. If I could have picked him up I would have went and gotten him and brought him to bed!

Someone tell me I am not alone in this one please! Any other constant bed bugs out there? Any tips on making the transition easier for me and little man?

Email From a Reader

This week I got an email from a reader. I just had to share:

"Brooke,

You don't know me, but I read your blog on a regular basis. Whenever I start to feel bad about myself I go to your blog and realize my life is okay. Thanks!

From,
A Reader In Tennessee"

Hmm............I'm not quite sure exactly how that should make me feel. Is my life in such disarray that it makes others thank God they are not in my shoes? How do YOU translate this email??

Thanks for reading "Tennessee"!

The Morning Schedule

It is not a good sign when you are totally pissed off within minutes of your feet hitting the ground, however this is a feeling that overtakes me nearly every morning of my existence now that I am the Mommy of a child in school. Here is a rundown of our morning beating schedule, umm, I mean morning schedule.

5:45 - I get up, plug in my rollers, put on make up, roll hair.
6:00 - First wake up call for Colby. Lamp by bed is turned on and a sweet "Time to get up Baby Boy," is whispered.
6:05 - I shake Colby and say louder, "Time to get up."
6:07 - The over head light goes on and I announce loudly, "Colby you have to get up and go to school now."
6:09 - I shake Colby a little harder and begin barking my orders of how he needs to get his butt out of bed.
6:11 - I meanly take his cover and pillows away from him and he starts crying that he "hates" school and wants to go back to sleep.
6:12 - I pick up the phone and make a "pretend" call to his teacher to tell her once again Colby had declared he hates school and isn't coming in.
6:13 - Colby flings himself from the bed crying and screaming that I "CAN NOT" tell his teacher that. He then settles back down and tries to sleep on the floor.
6:15 - I tell Jeremy to help before I kill them both.
6:16 - Jeremy whines and cries and groans.
6:17 - Jeremy is threatened with things he wouldn't dream of going without and he gets up and yells at Colby to "listen to your Momma boy and get up."
6:20 - Colby is crying, Jeremy is still half asleep, and the wrinkle in the middle of my forehead is getting deeper as I scowl at my "wonderful" family around the breakfast table.
6:21 - Arguments about what we can and can't have for breakfast begin (while I take my medicine and my shot secretly wishing I was shooting up with something besides blood thinner to make my morning feel better!)
6:25 - Breakfast of some sort is on the table and Colby lays his head on the table and declares he isn't eating. I walk to the counter and get the wooden spoon.
6:27 - After two bites Colby says he is done and if he eats anymore he will die. I hit the table with the wooden spoon.
6:29 - Colby is finished again and I only have to act like I am going to pick the wooden spoon up.
6:35 - Colby and I head to the bathroom to brush teeth, fix our hair (mine really because he has 47 cowlicks and has to keep a buzz cut) and to wash his face.
6:45 - We go to the living room and I hand Jeremy Colby's clothes for the day. I head off to get dressed and curse my closet because nothing will fit.
6:55 - I come in to the living room fully dressed and ready to roll. Colby is still in his underwear and his Daddy is an idiot. I snatch up Colby's clothes and dress him myself.
7:05 - Everyone is now dressed and I send Colby to use the bathroom. I check to make sure we all have everything we need for the day.
7:10 - We head out the door.

Anyone else have a crazy morning schedule??

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Colby has been so full of it this weekend. We have had MANY funny conversations and I just wanted to share a few.

On Thursday when we had our ultrasound we were able to come home with a picture of the baby. It was not a good picture because the baby was stubborn and moved each time the tech thought she was at an angle to get a picture for us.

I handed Colby the picture and he looked at it for a minute and says, "Mom, I know two things."

"What's that dear?"

"Well, this baby is a boy becuase it doesn't have any hair."

"That's interesting," I say, "but it could still be a girl."

Colby considers this for two seconds and then says, "Well, whatever it is, it's the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life. You don't need to show that picture to nobody!"

Thanks dear!

On Sunday we were all getting ready to head over to Papaw Larry's for a visit. Colby came in mine and Jeremy's bedroom while we were getting dressed. He came up, rubbed my stomach, and announced, "Man mom, your stomach is getting big......well bigger."

"Yeah buddy, I know. It's because the baby is growing in there." I say.

He goes over and pats Jeremy on the stomach and with complete innocence looks up at Jeremy and says, "Dad, you're not growing a baby in your tummy are you?"

While I try to stiffle the laughter I say as calmly as my voice will allow me, "Honey, boys can't have babies, you know that."

"Well Mom," Colby says, "I guess Dad's got a problem then."

Oh out of the mouths of babes!!

Have a great week everyone!

Great Dr. Visits!

We have been a busy family this week with all of the doctor appointments that we have had!

On Wednesday I had an appointment with Dr. Lyons. Everything was great there. I always get so nervous when it is time to try and find the heartbeat, but she was able to quickly find it with a steady sounding 156 bpm. My blood pressure was WONDERFUL (118/72) and I had lost 9 pounds since my last visit - how ironic is it that I can loose weight better pregnant than any other time? (I am down 24 pounds since conception! Crazy!)

On Thursday Jeremy and I headed to Nashville for our appointment at Baptist with Dr. Graves. We had an ultrasound. The quality of the equipment and the time they spent on us was unreal. We got to see our sweet baby for 30 minutes while the tech measured a variety of points and found some exciting news out for us...........we are farther along than we had thought!! They moved our due date up a week and a half! That puts us at nearly 17 weeks!

We also found out that baby Vincent has a stubborn streak! The tech tried her best to get a view of the "gender" parts, but the legs stayed firmly crossed. Also, each time she tried to get a picture the baby would role before she could get it!! Not looking good for us as parents is it??

Dr. Graves was thrilled with my weight, measurements, and blood pressure (100/70)! She did add a calcium pill to my medicine regime - which she said all woman pregnant or 30 and above can benefit from.

Jeremy and I left Baptist with a huge sigh of relief! We truly feel like we can finally start getting excited about this baby. With all of the heartache we have had with the losses, it is so rewarding to finally have a healthy baby growing and know how to handle the problems that I have! We are so thankful to God for blessing our little family!!


We go back to Dr. Lyons on September 9th for heartbeat check and Dr. Graves on September 10th for another ultrasound. They said this viewing would take 45 minutes to an hour and they would measure everything from typical length and weight to the length of the bones in the fingers! Can't wait!

Child Abuse - I Am Turning Myself In

Well, dear readers. I feel the time has come. My name may need to be submitted to social services. If you feel that my actions are not justified after reading this post, just let me know and I will give you all of my personal information and Social Services phone number just to save you a few steps in the reporting process.

I have popped my son in the mouth approximately 167 times since school started. I know I point out a lot of his "wilder" moments on here, but all in all he is a very well behaved child. However, since the first day of school we have spent a lot of time saying "NO" to requests from Mommy and Daddy and sticking out his tongue. On Monday night I told him he would not act that way and that his punishment would be a pop in the mouth (open handed of course, I'm not punching the kid in the face!). Obviously by the numerous times I have had to inflict this punishment it is working wonderfully. Yeah right.

So, I feel confident that it is only a matter of time before he starts announcing in random places like school, the checkout line at the grocery store, and the doctor's office that his Mommy hits him in the mouth all the time.

I wanted to give you all a head's up on my behavior before he spilled the beans, and as stated before, if you feel I have crossed the line, let me know and I will give you my information for Social Services.

Moms, what do I do to get him to stop with the mouth and the tongue?? Help!

First Day of Kindergarten!!

Colby's school adventure officially began this morning. He was so excited that at 6:00 am the moment I said "Time to get up Mr. Kindergarten," that he jumped out of bed and started ripping his night clothes off! After I coaxed him out of eating breakfast in his birthday suit, we had a little snuggle time and then eggs, toast, and milk for a good start to the day.

As I helped him dress and brush his teeth the waterworks started. I cried on and off all morning, but he was one handsome devil when he was finally dressed for school.



When we got to South Edmonson Elementary I cried again walking toward the building and he gave me a hug and said "It'll be okay." Such a sweetie. We walked in and he was greeted with a big hug from his Mrs. Donna and then he led Mommy and Daddy to his classroom. I got the tears under control by the time we got to the classroom.

He put his things away and got settled in with no problem. As a former SEE kindergarten teacher, I have to say it was VERY strange being on the opposite side. I am used to focusing on the kids and this year all I had to do was focus on keeping my emotions in check!

When the children had all arrived the teachers took the group to the carpet. As Mrs. Joyce pulled out The Kissing Hand I began to tear up again. It is the sweetest, but saddest first day of school book out there in my opinion!

Mrs. Joyce held the book up for the children too look at the cover and she says, "These animals are racoons. Has anyone ever seen a racoon?" As a few small hands went in the air my dear son announces, "I've never seen a racoon, but I know what a rat looks like.........we have them in our house!"

As thirty parents looked at me and Jeremy laughing, the urge to cry went out the window. Thanks Colby for making Mommy's tears go away!

So, the first day of school was a success and we are now the "dirty" family that parents will be telling their kids to stay away from!


Getting to work.


Colby is saying, "I have a Transformer shirt too, but my mom is kinda mean and wouldn't let me where it today. She made me dress up." Gosh am I mean or what!


Hope you all had wonderful "first days of school!"

One Goal Down!

Ever since the day Jeremy and I found out that I was pregnant we have had a goal in mind.....14 weeks. Why 14? Because the latest in a pregnancy that we had lost a baby was 13 1/2 weeks and this made us feel comfortable that we were past the scary part of the early stages. Today we have hit that milestone!! Yeah!!!

I am so happy to report that everything is going great. I puke all the time, which is inconvenient, but I am looking at it as "It is a symptom, at least I know something is going on!" The shots are getting better. I still near panic attack mode each day when I do them, but the bruising is very light now and THANK GOD I have yet to cut myself and pose the risk of bleeding to death! (knock on wood)I go to Dr. Lyons on the 12th and Dr. Graves in Nashville on the 13th. We will have an ultrasound in Nashville and lots of blood work to check platelet levels and such.

Jeremy is doing great with his therapy. He is able to take about 5 steps now without his crutches and is down to using only one crutch. He goes to therapy in Brownsville and Smiths Grove to Schaffer's. He sees Jeremy and they have really hit it off, which makes his three sessions a week fly by for him. The therapist says that he thinks he will be back to a close normal and ready for work in about 8 weeks.....at least that is what the report says that he is sending to the doctor that I opened up and read said! :) Jeremy goes to the doctor on Monday.

Speaking of Monday, I am finally coming to terms with Colby starting school. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be taken care of and loved. It is just something about that sweet baby being grown up enough to even go to school that really bothers me. I know I will cry when I leave him on that first day........and probably each day for the first week, but he is SUPER excited so I don't want to rain on his parade.

(Actually, I have realized that I am not scared of him going to school. I am scared of the fact that I will be stuck alone with his Daddy at home all day on days that I don't get to work! Talk about a nightmare!! ) :)

Colby celebrated the last few days of summer vacation very well. On Tuesday we went to the water park in BG compliments of my Daddy. On Friday we took him to Barren River Lake Beach during the day and my sis, his May May, took him to see G-Force last night. He had a blast at all three!

I hope all of you have a great weekend and a wonderful start to the school year!