From Halloween to Christmas, and in between

So I am a little late with Halloween pictures and a little early for the Christmas pictures but we also have some Thanksgiving pictures too. I am gonna post them all today.

Today Caroline stayed home with Mama and we got a chance to play together. This is our routine on the weekends I have to work. Thursdays are our Mama and Caroline days.

Thanksgiving: Good Food, Family, and a Pesky Illness

Wednesday before Thanksgiving Caroline began running a fever. Mama and Daddy treated her with Motrin and Tylenol and even a 3 a.m. lukewarm bath (which she is definitely not a fan of, her water must be warm) to which she screamed the entire 5 minutes she was in the tub. Over Thanksgiving Day we watched her fever go up and down and on Friday took her to the doctor. They of course ran a Strep test and Flu test. We were totally stunned to learn Caroline had Strep for the second time in only 4 months. CRAZY. Sorry Baby Girl - guess you get that from Mama. Needless to say I quickly became the bad guy when I immediately requested the shot. Then Bryan told me that I would have to hold her down because he couldn't do it! Really brave husband I have here:) No, guys he does not do well with shots of any kind. (He got a Decadron shot a few months ago for Poison Ivy and the nurse chased, I am not lying, him around the table). After she screamed for about 10 minutes she eventually decided that I could be trusted again and allowed my to hold her. By the end of the day my little sick angel was feeling so much better she decided to share her dinner with dogs. She was back to her old self. All the guilty feelings were gone and I felt like a good Mama again.

So besides the whole Strep experience, Thanksgiving Holidays were just about perfect. We spent the day with family having so really good food. I managed to catch up on some much needed rest. Mama and Daddy got to spend so great time with Caroline!!! Wouldn't have traded one minute for the world. We truly are Thankful for all the BLESSINGS God has bestowed on us!!!We wish that everyone have a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!!!

Back from our first trip without baby...

Well, I did survive the mini-vacation without Caroline. It was hard but the first morning there I slept until 10:30 am. This may not seem BIG, but people I have not done this since before she was born!!! However the day we came home I all but jumped on Bryan when he kept stopping the packing up process for various reasons (all legit). Once we pulled on the road to our house I was ready to jump out and go get her from daycare. Long story short when we got her she was so excited to see us and I did not cry (which I felt like I was on the verge of). In the end the vacation was a good thing. But I did keep her home yesterday to play. I ended up taking so pictures. Enjoy!!!

These are the days

This weekend I took Caroline, along with her cousins, to the zoo in Hattiesburg and to Chuck E. Cheese. Just to be able to relax, not to worry about a schedule, and to enjoy Caroline's reactions to these new experiences made my day. Well, to be perfectly honest - it actually made my week. I think too often I get wrapped up in getting things done and I don't stop to realize what is actually going on. She was so excited to see the peacocks - her face lit up, she started slapping her hands on the stroller, and jabbering. The only thing I could do was take her picture while I laughed. I'll always remember this, the look on her face can never be duplicated!!! I will cherish it forever.

"It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to..."

Ok so I have learned a few things from Caroline's first birthday. The first is that is probably not a good idea to set the time of the party in the middle of your child's naptime. No matter how much fun they (but really you) are having this could be you!!! So take my advice and pick another time. Second is that if you do not take my advice on the first Cake makes everything better!!! If they will hold out for cake then you can make it!!! All in all Caroline's Big Day was so special. We had so many friends and family present I was overwhelmed. It was great getting to see everyone. This will be a day to remember.

A blogger, I am not...

Ok I admit this blogging thing did not go well when I first created it but now I am gonna try this thing again. I think I am more committed now. Again I really was wanting this more for Caroline than anything else.

Time does fly when you are having fun. Life as a mom is the greatest...most scarey, exciting, life changing experience of my life. How do you describe the most beautifully innocent being in your life? For me it is simple, one word daughter. I am is constant awe of Caroline. I find myself just watching her. What is she thinking? I am so proud of her. She is not scared of anything. She makes me laugh. She calls me "mo mo ma" now and I just love the sound of it. The bond is there and I have no plans for it to be broken!!! ( So these are just the few random thoughts that race through my brain on a daily basis as I think about her.)

How I got to where I am today.

I was living in Madison when Bryan and I started dating. That was in April of 2006. When we got engaged (this was August 27, 2006) we decided that we would live in Mendenhall, where Bryan had grown up. He had built a house on his family's land; it is such a slower pace down there. Bryan and I got married on April 21, 2007. We knew we both wanted children some day (we were thinking in about 2 years after we got married). However, life constantly changes. On August 27, 2007 my Grandfather died suddenly. Over the next week Bryan and I came to understand that know one knows how long we are going to be here and we wanted to live each day to the fullest. We decided to start trying for a baby. I was pregnant by the end of September. Everything seemed to be going well. About 3 to 4 weeks I started to have a little bleeding and cramps. After about 2 to 3 days it stopped. I went to the first Dr.'s appointment and everything seemed to be fine. He thought it might have been implantation bleeding. Then at 7 weeks (October 22, 2007), I started bleeding more heavily. The cramps were severe. I went to the Dr. and found out that we had an etopic pregnancy. I was sent directly to the hospital and had surgery within the next 2 hours. We lost our baby. I was so upset. I felt it was my fault. Bryan was great. He helped me realize it was nothing we did. This just happened. After talking with my doctor and Bryan , I was more determined than ever to try again. So at the end of November we tried again. I found out on Christmas Day. That I was pregnant again. This pregnancy was a success. We did not experience any complications until the end and even that wasn't too bad. My blood pressure started to increase and I had a good bit of swelling in my feet and hands. I went to the doctor for a scheduled appointment on August 26, 2008 (I was due a week later September 3rd) my blood pressure was still up a little and I was getting some headaches. The doctors decided that I would be induced the next morning. Our daughter, Caroline Makenzie East, was born on August 27, 2008 at 3:06pm. Now if you were paying attention you would have realized that August 27 is the date Bryan and I got engaged and also the date my Grandfather died. This day holds so much emotion for us. I feel like Grandpapa is looking down saying everything will be alright. The perfect end product of our love was born and I am now a mama. Life for me, is just beginning.