tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12998689586300070282024-03-13T02:47:01.615-05:00Mothering MunchkinsAveryswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-38290118532694559852011-09-28T21:27:00.004-05:002011-09-28T21:39:26.144-05:00Propping up my eyelids with toothpicks...I’m pooped. I should be in bed but tonight is our weekly watering night (thank you, city of San Antonio and your restrictions) and only from 8 to 10pm. So I have to stay up and move the sprinkler around. Avery is at an off-duty job until 10 anyway, so I’m going to try to stay awake until he gets home.<br /><br />We’re getting our windows replaced in two weeks!!! You have no idea how thrilled I am about this. We have old, single-pane casement windows on our home. Half of them are painted shut, two are cracked, and several don’t have screens. But in two weeks we will have double-pane windows with screens that we can open…and just in time for the nice fall weather!<br /><br />Today was my grocery shopping day plus coffee at my in-laws. I really enjoy getting out of the house but boy am I exhausted by the end of the day! Or, by 5-o-clock, I should say. The kids watched two VeggieTales videos this evening just so I could pick up the house in peace and get them straight to bed afterwards. Yes, I know I’m a bad mother.<br /><br />Grocery shopping was successful though. I’ve been gradually trying to incorporate healthier food into our diets while still staying under budget. Things like cutting out high fructose corn syrup, buying more organic produce, and cutting out processed foods. This week I went to three stores and came home with this:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPWi7SWrR4GCJgRiUiFyudPAOkgaBk-pUkXr2Na4s7W8KnXwAkJ5QbWBVyn_ArEbQICmgGNdqES-egjJuVq2Eix9u-bLzfFd5p-3FE4uxjEgGwoaH_-cQfJsNVV5PZWrokJlkzf4F8uQ/s1600/09282011+groceries.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657603011948697378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPWi7SWrR4GCJgRiUiFyudPAOkgaBk-pUkXr2Na4s7W8KnXwAkJ5QbWBVyn_ArEbQICmgGNdqES-egjJuVq2Eix9u-bLzfFd5p-3FE4uxjEgGwoaH_-cQfJsNVV5PZWrokJlkzf4F8uQ/s400/09282011+groceries.jpg" /></a><br />Target: $18 for lunch meat, Coke, Annie's mac n cheese, and ice for the cooler.<br />Sprouts: $20 for eggs, produce (minus bananas and lettuce), and trail mix.<br />H.E.B.: $47 for the rest of the produce and everything else pictured.<br /><br />I haven’t even been couponing much recently because I don’t really have time for it. Plus the coupons for produce and organics are few and far between. Still, I used four coupons for this trip (guac, napkins, mayo, and Oxiclean) plus a $5 off total purchase at Sprouts. I mostly focused on shopping the sales. Aside from the wipes, trail mix, cheese, Triscuits, bread, tortillas, and C-Boost, everything I bought was on sale or I had a coupon for. The mac n cheese, oranges, apples, green onions, milk, and eggs are organic.<br /><br />Tomorrow we’re having homemade fish sticks for dinner with the cubed potato/sweet potatoes that Jess recommended on Facebook and leftover broccoli. I have to remember to start dinner by 4 though because AWANA starts at 6-o-clock and we’ve been having a hard time getting out the door on time.<br /><br />Well, that’s all the time we have for today, kids. Remember, God made you special and He loves you very much. Goodbye!<br /><br />(See? I told you we watch too much VeggieTales!)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-51689613107801769922011-09-26T13:36:00.008-05:002011-09-26T14:07:57.586-05:00Long overdue<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQuQvK5XnIG6iFoNL8gNB9ighs1-tPXz77SL5AM52gGa_e0VKXkSp1o_pbGycYgDVwtY5sPHibgwdQ_WgLneAmIsnw-aGjp8DbvxLgmGWBJDCHp7qtVKh3EvDQsmyWMzS1fVmpclAD68/s1600/09222011+%25281%2529.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656739466732948178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQuQvK5XnIG6iFoNL8gNB9ighs1-tPXz77SL5AM52gGa_e0VKXkSp1o_pbGycYgDVwtY5sPHibgwdQ_WgLneAmIsnw-aGjp8DbvxLgmGWBJDCHp7qtVKh3EvDQsmyWMzS1fVmpclAD68/s320/09222011+%25281%2529.JPG" /></a>My kids are growing up too fast. I never thought I'd say that because, honestly, seeing them reach new milestones is fun and exciting. But now that they are developing personalities and characters of their own, it's more apparent than ever just how important my influence is in raising them to be strong, confident, and God-honoring individuals. And frankly, that is a terrifying realization.<br /><br />Shiphrah started Cubbies this year. Memorizing verses is a breeze for her but adjusting to a room full of three and four-year-olds has been a challenge. I think she might actually adjust better if I wasn't in there with her, but I didn't realize that until I had already committed to being a leader.<br /><br />Kirk is our "problem child" right now. He's becoming increasingly stubborn and obsessive over getting his way. He's actually taken to saying "I don't want to behave!" or "I don't want to be good!" repeatedly when he's upset. We're struggling to come up with a good discipline structure for him. Last night something was bothering him and he cried/yelled/whined/screamed until 2:30 in the morning. Avery practically had to spank him to sleep because he kept yelling his demands "want juice, not water!" "leave door open!" "don't want to behave!" "don't want to go to sleep!" It was a frustrating night, to say the least. Avery finally gave him a vitamin and having that in his mouth calmed him down enough to fall asleep. This morning he was cheerful up until Avery got home from his off-duty job. Then he threw a fit about having to eat lunch and wouldn't stop screaming until we put him to bed for his nap.<br /><br />Ronnie is your typical toddler...for a boy, anyway. He gets into everything and wants to do everything his big brother and sister do. He wears me out! He's still not sleeping through the night but usually only wakes once and goes back to sleep easily once I nurse him. He's still nursing three to four times a day, mostly after naps and at night. He's probably going to give up his afternoon nap soon but right now I can still get him to nap for about an hour around 3 or 4-o-clock.<br /><br />I'm surviving, but not really able to focus on anything other than the kids these days. I try to do some extra cooking or cleaning at night after they go to bed but then I'm terribly exhausted the next morning. Still haven't figured out a really good schedule that works for all of us yet.<br /><br />Trying to get back into blogging a bit though. Mostly for my own benefit...I've missed it. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-15083111563784427362011-05-27T15:08:00.000-05:002011-05-27T15:09:03.705-05:00Homemade sandwich rolls<p>Being short on bread products forces one to get creative. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/laughing.gif" width="15" /> I had made a loaf of whole wheat bread last night but wanted to try my hand at making sandwich rolls/hamburger buns for lunch today. I recently bought <u>The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook</u> but was disappointed to find that nearly all the recipes called for extra gluten or other ingredients I don't keep on hand. So I went scouring the internet and found a recipe I could adapt to my liking.</p><br /><p><strong>Ingredients:<br /></strong>- 1 cup warm water<br />- 2 eggs<br />- 1/3 cup and 2 Tbsp oil (I used a combination of canola and olive because that's what I had)<br />- 1/4 cup sugar<br />- 1 tsp salt<br />- 3 cups white bread flour<br />- 1 cup whole wheat bread flour<br />- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast<br />- 1 egg<br />- 1 Tbsp water</p><br /><p><strong>Directions:<br /></strong>- Add all but the last two (egg and water) ingredients to the bread pan in the order listed (don't forget to put your kneading paddle in first!).<br />- Select "dough" setting on machine and start.<br />- When cycle is complete, remove dough from machine and place on a lightly floured surface.<br />- Divide dough into thirds, and then each piece half, and then each of those pieces in half again (giving you 12 pieces of dough).<br />- Press ball flat between hands and place on greased or parchment covered cookie sheet, pressing to about a 3 inch circle. (Use two cookie sheets.)<br />- Let rise in a warm place 30 minutes or so until double in volume.<br />- Combine beaten egg with water and brush over rolls.<br />- Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown.</p><br /><p><strong>Results:<br /></strong><a href="http://x44.xanga.com/5c2f6a5620030277026016/b220711959.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="05272011" src="http://x44.xanga.com/5c2f6a5620030277026016/z220711959.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Delicious homemade sandwich rolls!<br /><a href="http://x1f.xanga.com/d3ef612213230277026017/b220711960.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="05272011 (1)" src="http://x1f.xanga.com/d3ef612213230277026017/z220711960.jpg" width="400" /></a> </p><br /><p><strong>Additional tips:<br /></strong>- The recipe originally called for all white flour but I substituted a cup of whole wheat to make it slightly healthier. I'm sure if you used all white they would come out even fluffier.<br />- I always have bad luck getting my dough to rise just left on the kitchen counter. So I usually preheat my oven to the lowest setting, let it cool down until it's just slightly warm (probably between 100-110 degrees), and then let the rolls rise in there. Otherwise my rise time is always several hours long.<br />- Freeze whatever rolls you don't use in the first two days...homemade bread goes bad so much faster than store-bought!</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-13586524041160685942011-05-23T15:39:00.001-05:002011-05-23T15:40:57.461-05:00Kids and such...<p>It seems like every time I try to catch an afternoon nap, Ronnie decides to cut his short. Yesterday I didn't even try for a nap; Ronnie slept two hours. Today he slept 30 minutes. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/silly.gif" width="15" /> And now I have a monster headache and a grumpy baby. Ugh.</p><br /><p>I did figure out a possible reason behind his grumpiness, extra nursing sessions, and nighttime fits: my cycle started today after being absent for nearly three years. That was a bit of a surprise. They say that affects your milk supply, right? Maybe Ronnie's not getting the quantity or quality that he wants.</p><br /><p>Despite the Sunday blues, I did have a pretty productive day yesterday. Got a few loads of laundry done, swept and mopped the floors, and did some yard work. Unfortunately the floors don't really look any better because I had to rush when the kids popped awake from their naps. And when we were outside they decided to start dumping buckets of sand onto the grass when I wasn't looking, so we had to cut our outside time short.</p><br /><p>Speaking of the kids, I've decided to tackle the fighting problem by immediately taking away whatever they are fighting over. It'll create more tears to deal with but I'm hoping it'll discourage the fighting better than my spanking/scolding has been.</p><br /><p>My neighbor just offered to watch the kids while I rest. Hmm...while that's tempting, I think I might just do some de-cluttering and cleaning instead. Being kid-free while doing chores will probably help the headache just as much as resting, I think. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/winky.gif" width="15" /> On the agenda: finishing the laundry, sweeping and mopping the kitchen, cleaning off the computer desk, and dusting. I'll try to vacuum the bedrooms too since the kids will be gone but I just did that last week so they're not too dirty.</p><br /><p>My husband surprised me by mentioning that he has tomorrow off. He had told me that last week and I completely forgot. But then he offered to work an extra shift Thursday to cover for an officer's funeral. So it'll be a normal two-day weekend after all. Still, I'm excited that it starts tomorrow instead of Wednesday. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width="15" /></p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-44868159107490570212011-05-22T14:38:00.005-05:002011-05-22T14:42:00.557-05:00SundaysSundays are rather depressing for me. The church we're attending has been without a pastor for over six months now and has been steadily declining in health for over two years. We had all but decided to leave at the end of my husband's deacon term when the pastor left suddenly a month later. Since he was the largest part of our decision to leave, we decided to stick it out a bit longer and see if the church could recover. Half a year later and still no closer to finding a new leader for our church. I think we've decided to give the church a full year and then start looking elsewhere. I'm dreading that step though because my husband is rather picky about churches and a few of the things on his list make it very difficult to find a new church. All that to say, I miss being convicted, encouraged, uplifted, and inspired on Sundays. I miss learning something new every week and having that close fellowship of other believers.<br /><br />Aside from church itself, the pre and post-church experiences are stressful in and of themselves: rushing around to get ready and then rushing home so that Avery can leave for work. And then while most others I know are enjoying relaxing afternoons with their families, I'm fighting the kids to go down for their naps and then collapsing on the couch in exhaustion while the piles of unfolded laundry stare at me. Yuck.<br /><br />Anyway, sorry for the pity party, I know I just need to look for fulfillment in my personal relationship with God instead of relying on a Sunday morning "high." I've just had a hard time going without that after growing up with it for nearly twenty years.<br /><br />I'm tired. Ronnie is still giving me a hard time at night and I can't figure out why. He screams at the top of his lungs every time it's time for bed but yet won't let me nurse or rock him to sleep unless I let him scream first. I know he's tired but he just gets so hysterical. And last night after he woke up to nurse around midnight, he threw a major fit after I unlatched him before he wanted to let go (I let him nurse for 20 minutes when he's normally done after 5) and wouldn't calm down until I nursed him again. You'd think he was 3 months old instead of nearly one. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/silly.gif" width="15" /> <br /><p></p><br /><br /><p></p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-60540208480783955052011-05-18T10:29:00.003-05:002011-05-18T10:32:27.867-05:00Morning grouchiesIt's 10-o-clock and the bad part of our morning is finally coming to a close. Before I was a mom, I loved mornings. The start of a new day, the peaceful morning air...........yeah, that calm doesn't exist anymore. In fact, it's anything but calm. Avery and I wake up groggy thanks to Ronnie's nighttime antics, Kirk (the 2-year-old) wakes up crying for his daddy, and Shiphrah wakes up whining about wanting a movie/vitamin/breakfast/whatever. I usually end up yelling at the kids in frustration and at my husband for not helping deal with the situation. Ugh, mornings are downright miserable.<br /><br />I wish there was a way to change that, but I can't think of anything other than getting up before the kids. Kind of hard to do when one of them sleeps with you.<br /><br />Despite the morning grouchies, I can usually redeem the day by the time the evening rolls around. Yesterday the kids and I hung out in the backyard: playing in their new sandbox and splashing in the baby pool. I also got the rest of the laundry put away and some other chores done after they went to bed.<br /><br />But then 10-o-clock rolled around and Ronnie decided he didn't want to sleep anymore. I already let him nurse non-stop from about 2am on, so I was determined to get him to go back asleep another way. Yeah......that didn't work out so great. I'm hoping he's just teething and not creating a really bad habit.......<br /><br />Today is the start of hubby's weekend. He let me sleep in for an extra hour this morning so hopefully I can keep my energy level up the rest of the day.<br /><br /><p></p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-26275109626713396362011-05-15T15:00:00.001-05:002011-05-15T15:02:58.375-05:00God is graciousIt's been so long since I've really blogged, I wonder if anyone is still reading over here. Give me a hollar if you are, so I know whether to just start posting notes on Facebook.<br /><br />God is gracious and merciful. Every day he shows me more grace than I could ever deserve. That said, life is good and difficult and challenging and frustrating. And that's just in a 30-minute period.<br /><br />Ronnie, who is 10 months old now, is still waking at least twice every night. Or I should say, on a good night he only wakes twice. Most nights it's at least three or four times. I'm exhausted and when morning comes I nearly always turn on a movie for the munchkins and go back to sleep for another hour or so. This is a bad habit I desperately want to break. Let's face it, it's just not good parenting to let a 10-month-old, 2-year-old, and 3-year-old have free reign of the house for that long. Just this morning my husband realized he had left his boot knife in easy reach for the kids to find. They didn't, thankfully, but it still scared me to think about what could have happened.<br /><br />We started a vegetable garden for the first time this year. While I'm really excited about it, I'm realizing that tending to the garden and watering our newly established backyard is taking an extra hour every day that I didn't really have to give. Not sure what to do about that, except stay up an hour later at night, which directly affects the exhaustion issue. Speaking of gardens, how worried should I be about birds (cardinals, bluebirds, etc.) hanging out in there? I know they'll eat the caterpillars, but will they also eat my young plants and eventually my tomatoes? Right now they just seem to be playing in the water when I have the drip hose running, but that could change.<br /><br />We seem to be in a cycle of sickness right now. Two weeks ago Ronnie got some kind of virus where he ran a high fever for six days. Friday the older two started running fevers. Thankfully they never seems as miserable as the baby but it's still hard to know they're feeling poorly.<br /><br />I'm feeling discouraged and overwhelmed by everything I need to do but haven't gotten to. If I kept a running list it would be pages long. I get things done here and there but it seems like once I get a handle on one area (like the laundry), other things pile up. And when I get to those things, suddenly the laundry has gotten unruly again.<br /><br />And Ronnie is already awake. The kid will not take decent naps anymore and he's nursing every hour and a half. Growth spurt, maybe? Whatever it is, it's only adding to the regular exhaustion.<br /><br />But God is merciful. My children are nourished, clothed, and happy. My husband is the best partner I could have ever asked for. The house isn't falling apart and the dishes aren't piled higher than the top of the sink. We enjoyed a good rain last week, the first for us in 2011. God is holding my family in His arms and I am so undeserving.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-56143022404353162562011-04-15T15:27:00.000-05:002011-04-15T15:28:42.059-05:00Picture Post<P>Just a few pictures of my growing munchkins...</P><br /><P><A href="http://x86.xanga.com/89cf915a73433276144793/b220030942.jpg" target=_blank><IMG style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="04092011 011" src="http://x86.xanga.com/89cf915a73433276144793/z220030942.jpg" width=400></A> <BR>My beautiful 3 1/2 year old. Still not much hair but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll need her first real haircut by her fourth birthday.</P><br /><P><A href="http://xe0.xanga.com/5fdf832073432276144795/b220030944.jpg" target=_blank><IMG style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="04092011 007" src="http://xe0.xanga.com/5fdf832073432276144795/z220030944.jpg" width=400></A> <BR>Kirk just turned TWO. He's talking in phrases now and trying to do everything (and more) that his big sister does.</P><br /><P><A href="http://xd1.xanga.com/754f952273433276144794/b220030943.jpg" target=_blank><IMG style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="04092011 004" src="http://xd1.xanga.com/754f952273433276144794/z220030943.jpg" width=400></A> <BR>My baby is 9 months old now. He's finally developed a taste for something other than mama's milk, although he spits out anything with much texture (other than cheerios) so I feed him a small bowl of pureed foods once or twice a day.</P><br /><P><A href="http://x60.xanga.com/e65f8757d9c32276144796/b220030945.jpg" target=_blank><IMG style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="03232011 001" src="http://x60.xanga.com/e65f8757d9c32276144796/z220030945.jpg" height=400></A> <BR>My handsome husband with his kiddos.</P><br /><P><A href="http://x8d.xanga.com/11bf8b5659c32276144797/b220030946.jpg" target=_blank><IMG style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="03252011 001" src="http://x8d.xanga.com/11bf8b5659c32276144797/z220030946.jpg" width=400></A> <BR>Our beautiful yard that we've been working so hard on for over a month now. Just a few final touches left!</P><br /><P><IFRAME title="YouTube video player" height=390 src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ApNtwTi4AFc" frameBorder=0 width=480 allowfullscreen></IFRAME><BR>I'm so proud of her!</P><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-34269011756115759312011-03-26T12:02:00.000-05:002011-03-26T12:03:45.937-05:00Tidbits<p>It's embarrassing that I haven't blogged since November. Here's a little bit of what has been going on around here:</p><p>♥ My little girl turned THREE and is well on her way to being the brightest, most talkative, amd most contrary 3-year-old on the planet. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width="15" /></p><p>♥ My middle son turned TWO (I honestly cannot believe he's already that old!) this month and is starting to be interesting in potty training and over the course of a month has gone from speaking only a dozen words to speaking in phrases.</p><p>♥ My baby is almost 9 months old, although you wouldn't know it by how much he still nurses (all.night.long). I'm tired but he is the happiest baby on earth and loves following his older siblings around.</p><p>♥ We're using our tax refund to re-landscape the backyard. We added a paver patio and put bermuda sod down (yay for grass!). We also paid my FIL to build a shed for us. OH, and I got a new washer/dryer set!!</p><p>♥ Because of said landscaping, I am horribly behind in the housekeeping. It's impossible to start a project without letting something else pile up.</p><p>♥ I'm (surprisingly) still not pregnant. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/laughing.gif" width="15" /> This is the longest I've gone between pregnancies and it's kind of nice. Probably has something to do with the fact that Ronnie still nurses 10 times a day and doesn't care for solids yet.</p><p>♥ Hmm...now I can't think of anything else. Mostly the same old, same old around here. Sorry for being so scarce!<br /></p>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-50622075374255572782010-11-22T14:15:00.000-06:002010-11-22T14:16:07.536-06:00Lists and Schedules<p>I've started journaling on a regular basis so I have a hard time wanting to repeat myself in a blog. In my journal I can be as open and honest as I want because no one is reading it (at least until I'm dead and my kids/grandkids are curious) but here I always have to censor myself to a point.</p><p>Anyway, things are really wonderful around here. I've settled into my three-kids groove and have most everything under control. (Which, I hate to admit, I love...I'm such a control freak. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/silly.gif" width="15" />) The house stays basically clean (aside from a few piles here and there), the kids are happy and well-fed, and my husband is content. <-- THAT is what I call being a successful homemaker. For a while I was struggling to find a good way to keep track of everything that needed to get done...I was writing notes on the fridge to myself, but I was having to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, every day and that was getting annoying. Then Life As Mom (Google her blog, I'm too lazy to link it) released her home organization e-book and I spent the $9 to download it. It's not a perfect fit for me, but it's pretty darn close. She has all sorts of different charts and calendars and lists you can pick between and figure out what works best for you. I'm kind of playing with a few of them right now but I love that I didn't have to format a document myself and I can just print out as many as I need. Totally worth the $9. I'm not one of those people that does well on a schedule (9am, breakfast; 10am, dishes; etc.) but I do really well with lists...just an overall plan for my day. And so far it's been going really well. I still forget things ocassionally, but that's usually when I think of something and then tell myself I'll write it down later (when we all know that thoughts like that fly out of our minds almost immediately).</p><p>My oldest is turning three on Friday. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/shocked.gif" width="15" /> It's really crazy how fast time flies. I've been working with her on some basic preschool concepts recently...just colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. She does all right, but I still need to work on my patience. The other day I was trying to get her to differentiate between a triangle, circle, and a square. She could get two out of the three every time but she could never remember the third. Even repeating myself fifteen times in a row could not get that third shape into her head. She's smart; I think she just has a hard time focusing.</p><p>Speaking of Shiphrah, she's having her "rest time" on the couch next to me right now and she looks sleepy enough to actually doze off so I'd better stop typing and see if she will.</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-38287414573609735502010-11-08T14:47:00.000-06:002010-11-08T14:48:06.945-06:00Nothing much...<p>Still pretty congested and snotty over here. And Kirk has broken out in a pimply rash so either it's the dreaded chicken pox (which I think is unlikely because no one they've been around has it, but hubby is paranoid) or just the end of whatever virus is working it's way through them. Hoping it's just the latter because they're still a little young to develop the chicken pox immunity.</p><p>Kirk and Ronnie are napping and Shiphrah is reading quietly on the couch. She's been fighting naps again lately so this time we may be done for good. I'm still going to attempt a "quiet time" for her but she rarely falls asleep anywhere but her own bed and I'm not willing to put her in the bedroom because she has a tendency to climb into Kirk's crib and wake him up.</p><p>I have a load of laundry going but I'm worry the washing machine is about to bite the dust. The knob is really messed up and I think it's going backwards now. I *think* it's filling for the rinse cycle right now but I need to go and check on it in a few minutes to make sure. If it is broken, I may talk Avery into investing in a new washer/dryer set. We've been buying sets off of Craiglist every time they break but it's getting ridiculous...each set seems to be averaging only about 6 months to a year of good use. Unfortunately we don't have any money saved up for a new set, so I don't know.</p><p>I am so sleepy right now. I need to sit down and read my Bible but I'm afraid I'll fall asleep. Maybe I'll eat something first...that usually seems to help.</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-24540925179914879872010-11-05T16:29:00.001-05:002010-11-05T16:29:43.590-05:00Getting into a groove<p>So sorry for the lack of blog posts recently. But taking care of a husband, three kids under three, two pets, and a 987 sq. ft. house can be a teensy bit time-consuming. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/winky.gif" width="15" /> However, <strong>praise God and knock on wood</strong>, I have finally found a groove! It's not perfect by any means and things still get left by the wayside, but I seem to have figured out how to take care of almost everything without leaving kids hungry, laundry unwashed, or an unhappy husband. So may I say again, <strong>praise God</strong>!</p><p>Unfortunately this week we're all sick. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/sad.gif" width="15" /> Shiphrah started with a runny nose on Monday and despite hoping it was just allergies it turned into a full-blown cold a day later. Then my throat started hurting Tuesday evening and Kirk's nose started running on Wednesday. Now the three of us are a mess of snotty noses, congested sinuses, and yucky coughs. Thankfully little Ronnie seems okay so far and Daddy has mostly avoided the cold as well. I'm hoping we'll be feeling much better by Sunday because we have a friend's birthday party that I'd hate to miss.</p><p>Let's see...a few weeks ago I stepped waaay out of my comfort zone and gave a presentation for a local MOPS group. I talked for about half an hour about honoring God and family through frugal living and it went really well. The ladies were all really sweet and some seemed very interested in what I was saying. It was also a great MOPS group and if it weren't across town during rush hour traffic, I'd love to join. I still might because I really need to get plugged in somewhere, but we'll see.</p><p>I also turned 27 (gasp!) a week ago. Avery surprised me by taking a half day from work and making reservations at a nice restaurant down on the Riverwalk. His family watched the munchkins and we had a really nice evening to ourselves. He also rode his bike to Wal-Mart that morning to pick me up a dozen roses, which is what he had done for another special occasion about five years ago...the first time he said "I love you." <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/heart2.gif" width="15" /> My birthday gift was a very nice set of kitchen knives (since I constantly complain about how fast mine go dull) and my in-laws bought me a set of Corelle dishes. It was a <strong>wonderful</strong> birthday!</p><p>And now it's on to other celebrations. Shiphrah turns <strong>THREE</strong> (I can't believe it!) on the day after Thanksgiving and we're having a pancake breakfast with some friends and family to celebrate. And of course we have Thanksgiving and then a ski trip with my family for Christmas (so excited about that!).</p><p>Well, all three kids are miraculously down for a nap so I'm going to fold some laundry and then read my Bible. Have a great Friday, everyone! ♥</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-3248313928549065852010-10-31T18:32:00.000-05:002010-10-31T18:33:05.904-05:00A month in pictures<p>(I promise I'm going to start blogging again soon, but in the interim, here is some of what we've been up to!)</p><br /><p><a href="http://xff.xanga.com/453f95f2d4532272901387/b217630695.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="09252010 (12)" src="http://xff.xanga.com/453f95f2d4532272901387/z217630695.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Going to see VeggieTales LIVE!</p><br /><p><a href="http://x66.xanga.com/806f83f154532272901388/b217630696.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="09302010" src="http://x66.xanga.com/806f83f154532272901388/z217630696.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Going bicycling as a family</p><br /><p><a href="http://x89.xanga.com/320f87f174535272901389/b217630697.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="Sept 21 001" src="http://x89.xanga.com/320f87f174535272901389/z217630697.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Hanging out at the zoo</p><br /><p><a href="http://xf4.xanga.com/6c9f63fa57730272901390/b217630698.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="10022010 (13)" src="http://xf4.xanga.com/6c9f63fa57730272901390/z217630698.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Spending time with Ronnie</p><br /><p><a href="http://xa4.xanga.com/c3ff67f234533272901391/b217630699.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="10142010 050" src="http://xa4.xanga.com/c3ff67f234533272901391/z217630699.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Going camping and fishing with Daddy</p><br /><p><a href="http://xe2.xanga.com/1bbf73f057731272901392/b217630700.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="10182010 (2)" src="http://xe2.xanga.com/1bbf73f057731272901392/z217630700.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />(We love Daddy!)</p><br /><p><a href="http://x21.xanga.com/23ff77f657730272901393/b217630701.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="10232010 045" src="http://x21.xanga.com/23ff77f657730272901393/z217630701.jpg" height="400" /></a><br />Just having a grand old time!</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-71993602229641625102010-09-10T23:00:00.004-05:002010-09-10T23:13:47.520-05:00My kids ♥ Veggie Tales!Jill over at the <a href="http://thediaperdiaries.net/things-i-love-thursday-veggie-tales-plus-a-giveaway/">Diaper Diaries</a> is having a Veggie Tales giveaway and part of it involved getting the munchkins to sing some Veggie Tales songs. Shiphrah knows a bunch of the songs by heart, but of course she gets shy once she gets in front of the camera. :) Still, if you turn up your volume and listen carefully you can hear my little girl singing parts of the Veggie Tales theme song and several songs from "Rack, Shack, and Benny." (I embedded the video as small as I could, but my layout still makes some of it disappear. So click the video to watch it directly on YouTube if you want to get the whole thing.)<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7pDe_9SyRuc?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7pDe_9SyRuc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-31145668660723561762010-08-27T17:25:00.001-05:002010-08-27T17:27:30.406-05:00Nuggets<p>I have a million and one things to be doing right now (especially since the littlest is finally taking a good nap) but I thought I'd share a few things we've been up to lately:</p><p>♥ I've finally gotten into the habit of packing dinners for my husband to take to work every day. This hasn't completely eliminated all the eating out he does, but now he's down to just buying drinks and snacks when he's on his break instead of entire meals. In order to expediate this process and give my husband a variety of dinners (instead of just sandwiches) I've been doing a bit of OAMC/freezer cooking (as it's known in the blog world) lately. Just a little bit after the kids go to bed, but I've successfully made my first stromboli (with ham and cheddar), whipped up a huge batch of potato salad, and made a large batch of pinto beans in the crock pot. Next up are homemade taquitos (I have the meat cooked and shredded, just need to fry the tortillas and roll them with the meat).</p><p>♥ Shiphrah is officially daytime potty-trained. Well...at least as far as pee goes. She held her #2 for three days before finally filling her pull-up this morning. Not sure how to convince her to go #2 in the potty. Nighttimes and naptimes will be hard too because she's always peed in her sleep. She does hold her morning pee until we take her to the potty though, so her diaper is only half full in the mornings. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width="15" /> We still have to remind her to go pee a lot, but she's finally taking some initiative and telling us some of the time as well. (Unfortunately oftentimes that's every 5 minutes...)</p><p>♥ Now that she's using the potty, Shiphrah is also washing her hands constantly which has been causing some really bad excema flare-ups on her wrists. We've stopped the soap use for now...does anyone have any recommendations for some really good sensitive-skin soap?</p><p>♥ Kirk is still teething (going on four months now?) but I think we're finally nearing the end of it. He's gradually getting over the clingyness and becoming slightly more independent. He's also added a few extra words to his vocabulary: "ball," "dad-dad," (grandad) "nana," "baba," (baby) and "mama." Add those to "CAT" and "dada" and he can now say a whole SEVEN words. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/laughing.gif" width="15" /> He'll be 18 months old next month.</p><p>♥ Ronnie is the typical newborn, but is becoming increasingly vocal and is starting to smile and laugh regularly. It's adorable! He'll be 7 weeks old on Sunday. (And as an aside...TMI warning...why am I the only woman in the world that has PP bleeding for the full 6 weeks?? My poor husband is a saint. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/silly.gif" width="15" />)</p><p>♥ And a few pictures to wrap this up:</p><p><a href="http://xff.xanga.com/2adf702337d30271323247/b216403917.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="08262010 025" src="http://xff.xanga.com/2adf702337d30271323247/z216403917.jpg" height="400" /></a> <a href="http://xd7.xanga.com/431f462377d31271323245/b216403915.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="08072010 (38)" src="http://xd7.xanga.com/431f462377d31271323245/z216403915.jpg" height="400" /></a> </p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-89532070834679630892010-08-16T13:58:00.001-05:002010-08-16T13:58:46.061-05:00Yes, I'm finally blogging...<p>I really shouldn't try to blog while the munchkins are still awake. They always manage to get into something while my back is turned. In fact, right now Shiphrah is "riding" on the rocking chair and Kirk is pulling all the VHS tapes out of their boxes. But since that's a relatively easy thing to clean up, I'm letting him go to town. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width="15" /></p><p>Ronnie is napping right now, which is always SUCH an accomplishment for me. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/winky.gif" width="15" /> He has to be convinced to fall asleep and if he doesn't, he's a real grouch all day long. (I can't believe he's already 5 weeks old!) But he is my first baby that lets me rock him to sleep, which I absolutely LOVE. Newborns are so sweet and cuddly!! <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/heart2.gif" width="15" /></p><p>(Random aside: I buy Bolthouse Farms juice for the munchkins because it's real fruit and I feel good about giving it to them. They were on sale last week so I picked up a bunch, including one new flavor that has blueberry juice in it. Well, I quickly learned that blueberry juice going in smells the same as blueberries do coming out. So now I have to smell that on the kids' breath all the time. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/shocked.gif" width="15" /> YUCK.)</p><p>I'm slowly getting into a routine around here. I almost hesitate to say that though because I don't want to jinx it. Nighttimes are the biggest struggle now. Ronnie is usually overtired and grumpy so he sits in his swing and screams while I get the other two kids ready for bed. It's frustrating because I like having a bedtime routine for the kids that includes brushing their teeth, cleaning their room, getting PJs on, reading the Bible, praying together, and saying goodnight. That whole process takes about 20 minutes or so (longer when we add a bath) and when Ronnie is upset, I'm tempted to just throw PJs on the kids and put them to bed. It just makes me feel like the worst mother ever when I let my newborn scream.</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-8815178723084529292010-07-25T23:20:00.003-05:002010-07-25T23:25:37.792-05:00Ronnie's Birth - my first natural childbirthRewind a few days: I was nearly a week past my due date and, to put it mildly, rather uncomfortable. I weighed upwards of 125 pounds, a good ten pounds heavier than I had been with either of my two previous pregnancies (keep in mind my pre-pregnancy weight is around 90 pounds…I’m a tiny person) and the baby was expected to be at least 9 pounds. I had refused to be induced, but because I was “post-term” I had to see my doctor twice a week for non-stress tests. I had been having irregular contractions for at least two weeks and many times I was nearly sure it was the real thing. And yet, nothing. So on Thursday I decided to head to a local health foods store and pick up some blue and black cohosh, herbs known for inducing labor. I took small doses for the recommended time frame (basically every hour for a whole day) and noticed my contractions grow a bit stronger and more regular, but they stopped when I went to bed that night.<br /><br />Sunday, July 11th: nine days past my due date I woke up at 4 in the morning with some strong contractions. Nothing like the pre-labor I had been experiencing…these were definitely the real thing. (You’d think I’d remember what they were like, since I’ve had two babies already, but memory tends to fail when it comes to childbirth.) They were about 10-12 minutes apart and painful, but bearable. I walked around the house for a bit, got on Facebook, and took a shower before waking my husband up. (I didn’t really need him at that point, I was just bored and couldn’t sleep so I felt like he shouldn’t either.) I also sent Kim, my doula, a text telling her that today was finally the day. Now, with my previous baby, I labored at home for over 12 hours before going to the hospital so I really didn’t expect this labor to move any faster. Kim came over around 10-o-clock and my contractions were still about 10 minutes apart (but getting more intense). My husband loaded the munchkins into the double stroller and we all took a walk around the block…as far as I could go without passing out (Texas summers are no piece of cake, y’all!). We came back home and my husband wrangled the kids while I labored on the couch and chatted with Kim in between contractions. They weren’t getting any closer together but the intensity was definitely increasing.I started practicing some relaxation techniques to see what worked best. I had downloaded a bunch of relaxing music onto my iPod, but surprisingly that didn’t help at all. What did help was reciting Psalm 23 to myself through each contraction. If I quoted it slowly and methodically, it turned out to be the exact length needed to make it through a contraction.<br /><br />Around 1-o-clock I laid down to see if I could take a short nap since I had been up since 4. I wasn’t really able to sleep, but I did doze off a few times which helped a lot. By 3-o-clock the contractions were about 8-10 minutes apart but the intensity was taking my breath away. My husband read some Scripture to me through the contractions and I started breathing harder and faster. (Here’s where the timing kind of became a blur to me.) Sometime between 4 and 5-o-clock I started getting a few contractions back-to-back and the rest of them were anywhere from 6 to 10 minutes apart. We called some friends of ours to ask them to head over to the house (they would be watching the kids for us until I had the baby…then the grandparents would be taking over). I ate a few crackers because I had only eaten a corn dog for lunch and then called my sister (who was also headed over). In between all of that, my contractions suddenly intensified incredibly. They went from 6 minutes apart to 2-3 minutes apart in a matter of two or three contractions and I began to moan with each one. I started shaking a bit but I thought it was just because I was so hungry. I asked my husband to get the hospital bag ready and make sure the kids’ stuff was ready to go for later that night and then stood up (I had been reclining on the couch for most of the afternoon…it was the most comfortable position for me) to help him with something. A contraction hit me while I was standing and as I leaned on the table I felt a crazy amount of pressure and my body started shaking a lot more. My sister and friends showed up sometime around then and I told my husband he’d better hurry. (I was pretty sure I was starting to transition at that point.) Since the kids were staying at home, we left the minivan and drove to the hospital in my husband’s truck, which in retrospect was not a good idea…the jerkiness of a manual transmission does not help with contractions much. During the drive my contractions stayed at 2-3 minutes apart but I could feel a definite change in them. Instead of being 45-60 seconds long they were only about 20-30 seconds long but they were twice as painful. Those 2-3 minute breaks in between though were pure bliss. It’s like my whole body was breathing a sigh of relief and relaxing completely after each contraction.<br /><br />We got to the hospital at 5:55 and headed to the labor and delivery admissions desk. The lady behind the counter started asking all these seemingly random questions (what the heck is pre-admissions for if they still ask you all that stuff when you get there??) and obviously I feel like I’m dying at this point. She asks when my due date is and I practically yell “last week!” at her. She gets this surprised look on her face as I’m moaning through a contraction and says something about needing my social security number. At that point I feel my body start to push (which is the weirdest feeling in the world…it’s like you have no control over what your body is doing) and say something to that effect. The woman’s eyes got HUGE and she says, “I can’t have her pushing right here!” and yells something to people in the triage room. Next thing you know they’re yanking me into triage (my husband and Kim have to stay behind to answer more stupid questions) and having me strip so they can check me. The nurse says I’m at 8 cm and my water bag is bulging and they start frantically trying to figure out what room I’m going to and if they have enough nurses and where the heck the doctor is. (My husband called the after-hours line at my doctor’s office, but apparently there was some miscommunication so the on-call doctor didn’t even get called until we got to the hospital and then it turns out she was at home so she had to drive all the way to the hospital.) As they’re wheeling me out of triage, they grab Kim and my husband and then say something about me being the third pregnancy woman in the last hour to get to the hospital complete or almost complete. It was at that point I truly realized how close I was to delivering. Once they got me to the room they were still messing with paperwork and admissions stuff for the first 10 minutes or so while I laid there trying not to freak out from the pain. My body was pushing with every other contraction but they kept telling me not to push because the doctor wasn’t there yet. Several of the nurses also kept asking me if I “meant to do it without drugs” and then would immediately follow up with “well, you’re doing it!” (No, duh, really?) The breaks between contractions still felt amazing and that was probably the only thing that kept me from going insane. During one of the lulls I told the nurse that “now would be a good time to put in that IV if you’re going to!” (She had previously been fretting about whether she was going to be able to get it in before the birth or not.) In spite of that, she took her sweet time and I think I actually told her to hurry up when I felt a contraction coming. I was shaking uncontrollably and was getting pissed that the nurses wouldn’t let Kim or my husband stand on my left side (they both had to stay on the right for some reason) to give me something to hold on to. One of my nurses was resting her hand on my right knee and I’m pretty sure I rather rudely asked her to stop touching me. (She was the nice one too, so I felt bad about that, but I’m pretty sure she laughed about it.) For some reason, I appreciated the pressure of Kim and my husband squeezing my hand and holding my shoulder but I didn’t want to be touched anywhere from the waist down. Kim kept talking calmly to me and telling me what a great job I was doing (I didn’t think so but I appreciated the encouragement) and my husband prayed out loud over me. During several of the strong, pushing contractions my water broke in two big gushes. At that point the nurses said they could see the baby’s head and commented that I would be nice and stretched out when I started really pushing. (Which I guess was the positive side to the doctor being delayed.)<br /><br />Finally the doctor arrived and they told me I could really start pushing, which was a huge relief, especially because I finally had someone holding onto my left side (which controlled the shaking) and I could finally start working with my body instead of just letting it do whatever. Pushing was seriously the most painful thing I have ever done in my life. It’s a strange feeling too, because even though you feel everything, you don’t feel like you’re making progress until the baby actually comes out (it feels like you're pushing against a wall). There’s no gradual anything about it. It went really quickly, I think I only had to push four times to get Ronnie’s head out and then another two times to deliver the rest of him, but now I know what women mean when they say “it feels like pooping out a watermelon!” It was odd too because I really didn’t have to push as hard as I thought I would…with my previous births (epidural births) I felt like I was pushing with all my might and this time it was like my body was doing 80% of the pushing and I was just giving an extra “umph” to the process. I yelled more than I ever thought I would (I was actually hoarse afterwards)…I thought it was more like screaming but my husband said I only screamed once, when Ronnie’s head came out.But when it was all said and done, at 6:26 PM, only half an hour after I arrived at the hospital, I had delivered an 8 pound, 14 ounce baby boy without any drugs. (And I only had one tiny tear that didn’t even need stitches!)<br /><br />The funny thing about a natural childbirth is that you replay the scene in your mind over and over and over again for days afterwards. It gave me lots of time to think of the pros and cons of the whole thing.<br /><br /><strong>Pros:</strong> It’s truly an amazing, empowering feeling being able to give birth and feel the whole thing. Although I didn’t necessarily feel like Superwoman after it was all over, my husband was in awe of me and kept telling me how amazing I was. Also, you don’t have to worry about an epidural slowing labor down or not being able to push or the drugs going to your baby…it’s childbirth the way God and nature intended it. Because my body was aware and I was working with it, labor went smoothly and I had minimal tearing at delivery (which was amazing considering the size of the baby and that I had torn much worse with my previous two smaller babies).<br /><br /><strong>Cons:</strong> I honestly didn’t intend to wait quite that long before getting to the hospital, but now I know that once the contractions start to speed up a little bit, it’s going to go fast! (It was kind of fun to see the nursing staff running around like chickens with their heads cut off though.) The afterbirth pains were AWFUL. I was so exhausted and in so much pain after I delivered that I could hardly look at my new son. They gave me Nubain in the IV as soon as Ronnie was born but that did nothing for the pain and it wasn’t until they gave me Demerol that I was even able to hold Ronnie. Once the drugs kicked in, I felt 100 times better, but those first 10 minutes after birth were downright miserable.<br /><br />Sorry this was so long, I just wanted to be sure I remembered every detail!<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-72563548641059359322010-07-20T15:28:00.000-05:002010-07-20T15:29:27.193-05:00A new normal.<p>We're still adjusting to becoming a family of five, but slowly settling into our new normal. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width="15" /> I'm going to start working on Ronnie's birth story soon, but until then, here are a few pictures to tide you over...</p><p><a href="http://x5b.xanga.com/1f4f660324133269982241/b215350077.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="07112010 ronnies birth 017" src="http://x5b.xanga.com/1f4f660324133269982241/z215350077.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Nubain did nothing to help with the afterbirth pains, so I was completely out of it until they gave me some Demeral.</p><p><a href="http://x1a.xanga.com/019f973011632269982244/b215350079.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="07112010 ronnies birth 028" src="http://x1a.xanga.com/019f973011632269982244/z215350079.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Finally feeling better...Demeral is niiiiiiiice. </p><p><a href="http://x43.xanga.com/d52f933071632269982243/b215350078.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="07112010 ronnies birth 025" src="http://x43.xanga.com/d52f933071632269982243/z215350078.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />BIG boy!</p><br /><p><a href="http://x5a.xanga.com/486f923424032269982245/b215350080.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="07122010 015" src="http://x5a.xanga.com/486f923424032269982245/z215350080.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Kirk meeting his little brother (he completely ignored him at the hospital).</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-6061187521626521122010-07-12T09:51:00.000-05:002010-07-12T09:52:37.055-05:00Baby Ronnie is here!<p>Baby Ronald Johnson (named for his paternal grandfather) was born yesterday at 6:26 pm weighing 8 pounds, 14 ounces and 19.75 inches long.</p><p>We're doing great! (Just trying to decide on a middle name. <img src="http://s.xanga.com/images/winky.gif" width="15" border="0" />)</p><p>P.S. Oh, and no drugs at all.......not sure I will EVER do that again! Ha! <img src="http://s.xanga.com/images/laughing.gif" width="15" border="0" /></p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-32997238497137886552010-07-11T04:53:00.001-05:002010-07-11T04:53:45.053-05:00It's Go-Time<p>Wow, the internet is really boring at 4:30 in the morning. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/winky.gif" width="15" /> I started getting hit with some pretty intense contractions about half an hour ago that I definitely couldn't sleep through, so here I am. In fact, I'm 95% sure this is the real deal...FINALLY! <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/laughing.gif" width="15" /> The contractions are about 7-10 minutes apart and definitely stronger than anything I've had up to this point. They're starting to bring back some vivid memories of labor with Kirk, but I'm trying to repress those since they're mostly negative. I think focusing on reciting Psalm 23 is really going to help me...it's a good length and a calming passage.</p><p>Anyway, I'm going to go take a shower before I call Kim (yay for doulas!) and wake my husband. Pray for me y'all...I'm doing this med-free this time and I'm realizing I'll need all the prayers I can get!!</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-32324100940878804402010-07-07T20:46:00.001-05:002010-07-09T20:51:12.162-05:00Discouraged *ETA<p><em>*EDIT*<br />The doctor's appointment went surprisingly well this morning. My doctor is one of those syrupy-sweet ladies that is very non-confrontational, so I went in expecting a passive-aggressive push to induction. I was completely wrong...and in a good way! She went over the results of the sonogram with me again (after I had to spend 25 minutes on the NST machine) and basically concluded the same thing the sonographer had...the fluid levels were great and everything else looked excellent, so there was really no reason to worry about being past my due date. And then she mentioned that I have an "excellent pelvis" so she really wasn't too concerned about my birthing a semi-large baby! You could have seriously knocked me over with a feather...I was not at all expecting her positivity! Praise God!! I do have to go back on Tuesday (she's not comfortable with me going a whole week without seeing her and having another NST done) but at this point she's okay with me wanting labor to start naturally. Again, praise God and thanks for the prayers, y'all! (P.S. I did head to Sun Harvest this afternoon and pick up some black and blue cohosh and some red raspberry leaf capsules to see if I could get these contractions to pick up...I've been having them on and off all day long again. So far the herbs don't seem to be doing anything, but I am taking a fairly low dose just to be on the safe side. Either way the baby will come when he's ready.)</em></p><p>I had a sonogram and an appointment with the nurse practitioner this afternoon (my doctor is out of town until tomorrow). I knew what to expect going into it (I am now 5 days "overdue") but that didn't help soften the blow any. The sonogram went <strong>great</strong>. My sonographer is a wonderful, friendly lady who is excellent at her job and very honest. She checked everything and said three common worries weren't an issue at all with me...the umbilical cord flow was excellent, I have more than enough amniotic fluid (13 was the number she gave), and the baby's heartrate was excellent. However, he does measure rather large. She admitted that the measurements weren't precise (I appreciated her honestly at that point) but that he could be as big as 9 pounds 4 ounces right now ("worst case scenario" were her exact words). So I went over to my appointment feeling relieved and cheerful. After all, if the size was the only thing slightly worrisome, they couldn't give me that much trouble, could they?</p><p>Ha. Of <u>course</u> they could. Immediately after coming in to see me, the nurse practitioner started talking about inducing me (I told her right off the bat that I had said no to an induction and she actually had the nerve to respond with "oh well I don't think your doctor will let you go much longer." Seriously? She won't <em>let</em> me?? Last time I checked this was still my body!) and how huge the baby was (she mentioned the 9 lbs 4 oz and I said "possibly" to which she responded with "girl, there's no possibly about it!" Grrr...). Anyway, after all that she checked me and did a membrane sweep (or at least she said she was doing one...it definitely didn't hurt like I remembered the last one hurting though and I didn't bleed afterwards like I did last time either) and said I was still about 2 cm, but I had effaced to 90% and the baby was at -2 station. So I've progressed slightly, but not a whole lot. Then she insisted that I needed to do a NST to check the baby (even though I told her the baby's heartrate had always been excellent and he moved way more than 4 times every hour). So I was at that doctor's office for over two hours...<strong>not fun</strong>.</p><p>So I have to see my doctor on Friday morning and I know she will pressure me to induce. I need to weigh the risks of induction versus the risks of a big baby but I really, REALLY want to avoid an induction if at all possible. Prayers for peace and trust in God would be greatly appreciated.</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-23085911056994920592010-07-06T00:03:00.001-05:002010-07-06T00:03:44.157-05:00Beginning stages of labor?<p>After a sleepless night last night, all day long I have been completely miserable. Contraction after contraction but nothing <u>regular</u>. In fact, halfway through the day I could have sworn the baby was just going to pop out or burst out of my stomach based on all the pressure I was feeling. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/silly.gif" width="15" /> I keep Googling "painful fetal movement" hoping to find some reason why Baby Boy won't calm down, but apparently there's no reason to worry unless he stops moving...moving like a crazy 8-legged octopus is nothing abnormal. Ha...tell that to my stomach that feels like it's being ripped to pieces from the inside out...maybe he's trying to slice his way out? <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/winky.gif" width="15" /> Methinks he doesn't like being cramped in that small space anymore. So all that to say, it's really hard to tell when I'm having a contraction and when the baby is just trying to force his way out.</p><p>It's funny, I thought having done this before it would be easy to know when it was time. But this is completely different than anything I felt with Kirk (hence the reason I'm a little concerned this kid might be a monster) so I keep thinking every other day might be "the day."</p><p>So maybe tonight is the night? Ah, who knows. But I'll try and keep y'all updated! <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/laughing.gif" width="15" /></p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-21206868179137175092010-07-03T18:01:00.000-05:002010-07-03T18:02:14.505-05:00Patiently waiting.<p>Or not so patiently. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/winky.gif" width="15" /> Yesterday was my doctor-assigned "due date" and I was honestly surprised to still be pregnant. With all the contractions I've been having for the past three weeks or so, I really thought this baby boy would make his appearance early. Plus I delivered Kirk early in the morning on my due date, so this is now the longest pregnancy I've ever had. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width="15" /></p><p>There wasn't really any progress to speak of at my last doctor's appointment (still at 2 cm) so I have a sonogram and another appointment scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon, if I make it that far. I'm kind of dreading it, just because when you're "past due" (even though they shouldn't call it that until after 42 weeks) they start being paranoid about fluid levels and the baby's size and all. I'm especially worried that they'll say something about the baby's size because I am a lot larger this time (from 85 at the beginning up to 125 pounds on Wednesday!) and it's pretty much all belly. See?</p><p><a href="http://x74.xanga.com/34df7b5041033269341442/b214837907.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="07022010 40 weeks" src="http://x74.xanga.com/34df7b5041033269341442/z214837907.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p>Haha, BEACH BALL! <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/laughing.gif" width="15" /> But anyway, I don't really mind still being pregnant...or at least I wouldn't if these darn contractions weren't so annoying. Sleep has been really elusive lately too because my back and hips are starting to give out. But other than that I've really been feeling pretty good, just really large. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width="15" /></p><p>My husband has literally been my <strong>hero</strong> these past few weeks. He did the dishes for me <strong>twice in a row (!!!)</strong> because my belly makes it really awkward to reach the sink. Plus he took off an extra day from work this week to help get the baby's room ready and do some other household chores. He's also been very gracious when I've been too exhausted to cook meals. He really is the perfect husband. ♥</p><p>Anyway, I think I'm going to start timing these contractions to see if they're anything regular. The kids are watching Toy Story 2 and I'm sitting in a SPOTLESS house because some amazing ladies from my church came and cleaned it for me this morning. God is good!!!</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-36975982453020546782010-06-23T12:59:00.001-05:002010-06-23T12:59:51.227-05:00OB appointment update<p>2 cm dilated and 80% effaced! The doctor seemed to think I wouldn't make it to next week and she thinks labor will be fast (that would be a first!). Here's hoping!! <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/happy.gif" width="15" /> (I'll be 39 weeks on Friday, in case you were wondering.)</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1299868958630007028.post-37325143070726883022010-06-18T23:25:00.001-05:002010-06-18T23:25:49.696-05:00Superdad!<p>I don't really have much of an update (38 weeks today!) but everyone on Facebook got such a kick out of this picture, I figured I'd post it here in honor of Father's Day.</p><p>Introducing........<strong>SUPERDAD!</strong></p><p><a href="http://xa1.xanga.com/dbef656ad2532268787731/b214400291.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px" alt="06172010" src="http://xa1.xanga.com/dbef656ad2532268787731/z214400291.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p>(And lest you think I'm the laziest pregnant mom in the history of the world, he <em>insisted</em> on carrying both of them this way while he mowed. <img border="0" src="http://s.xanga.com/images/blush.gif" width="15" /> Kirk was crying because he wanted to be with his daddy and then Shiphrah got jealous because she wasn't being carried around like Kirk.)</p><p>Needless to say, they were all very stinky and sweaty by the time they came in, but it was so cute while it lasted! ♥</p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/311/12D6BBF56D0FA7AE963870968C9A7B3B.png" /></a>Averyswifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16394956664269487847noreply@blogger.com1