The Vallorani Family

I found my password!

2011-09-30T14:51:00.004-04:00

I am back - well, maybe? I am trying to figure all of this updated blog stuff . . . and I updated everything - now maybe I will blog again - as much as I am able with four small children :)

Why we have chosen to . . .

2010-11-13T09:24:00.002-05:00

have our baby at home. In our defense -

1). YES - I know it is going to hurt - that is why they call it labor!
2.) I would never push our opinion on others - just be educated and informed and do what you feel is best for your family.
3). For me personally, this is the best fit. We have limited family in Georgia and I like the idea of our birth being on our terms and not being made to feel guilty for wanting to leave the hospital early or refusing lots of interventions. I also love the idea of not leaving my children for days and sleeping in my own bed.
4.) If anything goes wrong we are not against going to the hospital - but would prefer not to.
5). My epidural stats - I have had 7 epidurals, one epidural blood patch, two spinal headaches and out of all of those times I have only gotten complete pain relief twice. My epidural with Haley took 5 or 6 attempts in my back resulting in a spinal headache - which is as bad as labor (in my opinion).
6). I am NOT high risk - I have had three full-term, healthy babies. Can I please not be high-risk any longer? No extra ultrasounds, no extra exams, no extra doctors. No unpleasant nurses telling me the life of your baby is in your hands and you are taking a big risk of your baby dying - (for not having another cerclage - that is an actual quote - basically she told me I was going to kill my baby).
7). I have what my counselor believes is PTSD related to a traumatic birth and a very traumatic surgery without adequate anesthesia. For me, going to a hospital/doctor is a trigger for me. I panic when I have to make an appointment or think about going to the hospital. I want a peaceful birth at home on my terms and this is what we believe is the best fit - especially for my emotional state.
8). My midwife comes to ME for our prenatals. Dragging three kids to the OB is never fun! She is also an RN and has delivered over 400 babies.

Wow! I haven't blogged in almost a year :) More to come. . .

Life

2009-10-21T07:57:00.003-04:00

I have not been blogging much lately, and I have to be honest, I have been struggling with what I believe is postpartum depression, although I have had periods of ups and downs for pretty much my entire marriage, starting with moving away from home when we had only been married for nine months. I haven't had many panic attacks since we moved away from Kentucky and the awful memories there and for some reason, I have started to have panic attacks again. I had a wonderful first six weeks after Harmony was born and I felt like Super Mom, and then I felt like I just hit rock bottom (Darn you, Hormones)! I turned 30, my Uncle passed away, I put a huge dent in the front of my brand new van by rear-ending a truck with a hitch on it while Harmony was screaming in the back seat and received a nice $178 ticket and a $500 deductible to fix, so I still have the dent! (not to mention giving me and the kids a pretty good scare and the man that I hit claiming an injury when he was assuring me at the scene that he was fine. I hope he is okay). This was all in a three week period in July. I know this is all just life, but it is taking a harder toll on me than normal. Jared's job is taking off and with that he is super busy, getting calls, working on e-mails, and I at home with three little ones and working when I can on third shift/evenings/weekends to help out, so we hardly ever talk. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE my kids, but they are a lot of work :) I am also feeling guilty about not homeschooling Haley. I was not doing well emotionally about the time we needed to start her in homeschool in August. I had already ordered my curriculum when Jared called a really great christian school to see if they had any openings for next year when they told him they had an opening in K4 with only six other children in the class and it would guarantee her spot for K5 next year. Haley LOVES school. I am also enjoying mornings with my sweet little boy who sometimes gets overlooked because of the baby. I am also INCREDIBLY homesick. I want to move home so bad, but I know that is not possible. We have not lived near family in almost 10 years and it is killing me that my kids are not near their grandparents. I miss my friends. It is hard for me to make new friends and the ones I have I feel like I am losing because we live so far away from each other. Yesterday was a bad day for me, we are all sick and I was looking at my home church's web site back in Virginia. My Grandfather is the Senior Adults Pastor and on his profile it said he " Claims the title Grandfather to the staff and office friends". It made me really sad because I am his grandchild and I never see him. In the time since we moved away from home, I have lost my Grandfather on my Mom's side, my Uncle, and my cousin who was only 5 days older than me in a car accident. I know my Grandparents are not going to be around for much longer. The three that I have left are all in their 80's. Jared and I went to Hawaii for our tenth anniversary. We had a great time, but I was constantly worrying about the kids and that we would get killed in a plane crash or wreck on the road to Hana, leaving them orphans. We also had a tsunami warning one day which freaked me out, but we had a really nice time. I am not sure who will read this, but hopefully it may help getting it all out. Hopefully I am not whining too much; part of me wants to say suck it up and deal with it, but it is harder than you think.

The Worst Birthday (and not because I turned 30)!

2009-07-22T10:06:00.004-04:00

So I am officially no longer a twenty-something. I hit the big 3-0 on Friday, July 10. On July 8, (my cousin Jamie's birthday) my Uncle Jimmie passed away. My Aunt Sandra and Uncle Jimmie live in Lynchburg, VA. (my hometown) so on July 9 we hit the road to go home with three little ones and arrived at around 3 am on my birthday. The family night was the night of my birthday and the funeral was the next morning. My Aunt and Uncle never had children of their own, so they did so much for their nieces and nephews. We were spoiled and actually still are being spoiled :) Harmony has quite a little wardrobe thanks to her Great Aunt Sandra. My Uncle was very unique and had a such a fun personality and great sense of humor (that sometimes got him into trouble). I am trying to remember all of his funny stories and would like to make an album for my Aunt. My Uncle Kevin performed his funeral and I think he did a great job. It was a service remembering his life and his unique personality. Please pray for my Aunt Sandra. I know this is going to be a hard transition for her (quite understandably).

Here is one of the funny little things that I will miss about my Uncle: Every time I would see my Uncle Jimmie he would get this mischevious grin on his face and laugh and tell me "Get out of my face"! He says this because he thinks it is funny that his sweet little Amy said that to my husband ON OUR HONEYMOON! Long story short, Jared and I were lost in downtown Cancun, couldn't speak a lick of spanish and I was well, freaking out and yelling at him in Mexico. Uncle Jimmie would always laugh at me and say I can't believe you told your husband to get out of your face on your honeymoon. I will miss him. I still can't believe he is gone. We have lived away from family for nine years and this makes me terribly homesick that I am missing precious time with my family.

Here is my birthday present: (Thank you Mom, Linda ,and thank you Target for having a KitchenAid Mixer on clearance)!!

Harmony's Birth Day!

2009-04-24T19:43:00.002-04:00

For those of you (one or two) that want to know all of the gory details I thought I would write about Harmony's birth. It all started on tax day, Wednesday. Jared had asked me to come into his office that morning to sign some tax forms so we could have them postmarked by April 15! No, we are not usually procrastinators, but had to wait for some things to come together as far as business taxes, or something that is way over my head. So I signed all of the documents, we went to lunch together as a family to Zaxby's and Jared took Haley with him back to his office so I could go to Sam's club with just Hartley. He was such a good boy and I found everything I needed, but felt like I could hardly walk due to all of the pressure I was feeling. On my way home my Mother-in-law called to see if I wanted to bring the kids to the park and meet all of the cousins. I wasn't really feeling that great, so I decided to drop Haley off at my sister-in-law's (Jan) house and go on home with Hartley. As I was walking up the steps to my Brandon and Jan's house I thought I felt a trickle, but to be honest I really had to go to the bathroom so I thought oh great, I just wet my pants! I still wasn't sure until that trickle turned into more than a trickle. My water had broken and after telling everyone and trying to figure out what to do, we called Jared and my mother-in-law drove Hartley and me back to my house so I could get my suitcase and meet Jared. By the time all of this happens, it is about 4 p.m. and all of the school and after work traffic has hit. It is an hour drive to the hospital, but fortunately for me (and Jared) I was having contractions, but they were pretty wimpy. We listened to Nathan Clark George and tried to stay calm. I thought I did pretty well, but Jared was stressed by traffic! We get to the hospital and they tell us to wait in the waiting room until they can register us. After a good 20 minutes or so of me standing in the waiting room. (I was pretty wet by this time and left my towel in the car) I asked the nurse for another towel and she looked surprised and said your water broke, let's get you in a room! Your husband can register you! So I got all settled in and at around 6 p.m. they started Pitocin and kept cranking it up until I reached the maximum dose. I was having contractions, but when they checked me at midnight I had made no progress and they could not give me anymore Pitocin. I was pretty upset at this point, afraid of a C-section and so they turned the Pitocin off for an hour and then gave me a pill to swallow called Cytotec. I was pretty skeptical that such a tiny little pill could do anything, but WOW did it get things going! I was having hard contractions one on top of the other and I then wimped out and asked for drugs. I told Jared I know why people get hooked on them, they make you feel warm and fuzzy and really relaxed. At 4 a.m. they checked me again and I was only 3 cm. Talk about discouraging! I then asked for an epidural, where they hit a nerve in the middle of a big contraction and I thought I had made a big mistake asking for one, but then I got really numb and happy and fell asleep watching The Duggars! I haven't watched that much television in a long time :) I woke up at 6:30 a.m. feeling a little sick to my stomach and feeling pain again, so they checked me around 7 a.m. I was 8 cm. The midwife went to make rounds and told me she would be back in a few minutes. Well, a few more really big contractions and I had to ask Jared to get someone so I could have this baby! A few pushes and Harmony Rose was born at 8:12 a.m.! She was crying and put on my chest and was beautiful! She was my biggest baby to date, 7 pounds, 14 ounces! She has been a really good baby and we are all adjusting to three children under the age of four! I seriously doubt I will have much time for blogging when Jared goes back to work on Monday, but maybe I can sneak a few pictures in here and there! I will be back when she is sleeping through the night!

Harmony Rose

2009-04-18T14:46:00.002-04:00

We are so excited to announce the birth of our newest daughter, Harmony Rose Vallorani. She was born on Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 8:12 a.m. She weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 19 3/4 inches long. She has lots of black hair and long eyelashes. She reminds us of Haley's newborn pictures, but with more hair! She is doing great and we are so excited to finally meet her! I will write about more details of her arrival soon!

False Alarms?

2009-04-09T09:04:00.002-04:00

I am sore. I feel like someone has punched me really hard in the stomach. My stomach feels like one big tight ball. False labor is no fun and I think Jared is tired of hearing me "cry wolf". When Harmony is ready, this will be my fourth trip to Labor and Delivery. Believe it or not, I have been in the hospital when labor has started all three previous times, (on strict bed rest with the the twins and induced with Haley and Hartley) so I have never had this experience of trying to figure out if I am really in labor. Yesterday evening I started having contractions around 5 p.m. They were irregular, but still painful. I took some Tylenol for my back and a hot bath and they stopped for about an hour and a half and then I had a few that woke me up in the middle of the night and woke up this morning feeling sore and now my stomach is just constantly hard, like a rock. I have no idea what this means, but I know it will be soon and I am trying not to be anxious. We have also had a stomach virus in our house this week, so it might be good for the germs to clear a little bit more before Harmony arrives. My poor sister-in-law who was to be on call for the big day has also been sick with gallbladder attacks and is meeting with a surgeon this morning, and my cousin Tandy is in Lynchburg because my Great Aunt Helen (her Grandma) passed away. My Dad is a pallbearer for the funeral service this afternoon. Please pray for these members of my family who are having a tougher week than me! I know God's timing is perfect and I am sure everything will work out. We have some friends we can call in the meantime if we need to until one of the Grandma's can arrive :) In the meantime, I am going to probably rest (as much as possible with an 18-month-old boy) just in case anything happens! I will keep you posted!

My Little Copy Cat!

2009-03-31T20:59:00.003-04:00

Hartley wants to be just like his big sister! He copies everything she does (good and bad). Here they are having a little ice cream together!

Who needs a spoon when you can just dip goldfish crackers in your yogurt?

Getting closer to our due date!

I look a little smaller from the front, but I am not!

We are counting down the days until Harmony's arrival. I am starting to feel "slightly miserable". Mostly because I am not sleeping due to some pretty bad joint/back pain and I am also not able to eat much because I am full of baby! I have no room for food! I am thankful for these last few weeks, but am anxious for the arrival of our new baby girl!

Less than a month!

2009-03-19T10:57:00.003-04:00

Today I am officially 36 weeks pregnant! I am thankful to have almost made it to full term for the third time! I had a bleeding scare two weeks ago and the doctors were wanting to get me to at least 36 weeks and I was fearful of a C-section because Harmony was transverse. My Mother-in-Law flew in from West Virginia to help me lift Hartley and I have made it two more weeks, no more problems and baby has turned head down and we have less than a month to go! Jared and I were talking last night about how blessed we were and how much life has changed for us in just four short years! Five years ago at just this time of year I was sitting in a doctor's office discussing fertility treatment options and wondering if I would even be able to carry a baby to full term after a devestating loss of our twin boys in 2002 and several surgeries I was afraid might have caused damage after not being able to conceive again after 18 months. God is and has been so good to us and we are thankful and super busy! I know how fortunate we are to have our children and I need to try and remember that even when they are misbehaving! Yesterday morning my brave Mother-in-Law took Haley and Hartley with her to West Virginia to visit. We have not been home to West Virginia as a family since August, so it was well overdue! We hope to all go up in late spring or summer as a family to show off Harmony to our family! I have been trying to make good use of my time this week and have been working on laundry, packing my suitcase for the hospital, clipping and organizing my messy coupon stash and working on meals for my freezer for after Harmony's arrival. I also want to work on baby books and knit Harmony a little pink hat for the hospital! My house is very clean and very quiet! I will try and make the most of my week because I am sure this is the calm before the storm! I hope everyone is doing well and I will post a picture of my little Hartley boy who just recently started smiling for the camera instead of trying to grab it out of my hands! Haley was not in a picture taking mood this week for some reason?

Belly Pictures - 30-32 weeks

2009-02-21T21:12:00.002-05:00

I am not extremely fond of taking pictures of myself during pregnancy, but I know I will regret it one day if I do not document Harmony's progress. Here are a few of us in our backyard and also while we were sick in Nashville!

HALEY'S EXCITING DAY!

2009-02-04T17:17:00.002-05:00

Haley has had a very exciting day today! We were on our way to Target for some diapers this afternoon when I decided to check the mail because it had run early. Inside was a belated birthday card from Aunt Fini and a special note from Skittles (Aunt Fini's cat). Skittles was also nice enough to put some money inside the card for Haley to shop with! Haley was so excited to have Aunt Fini's dollars :) We went to Target and looked and looked for something she would like. We ended up in the painting, coloring section of Target (Haley loves to draw and paint) and found new paint brushes for her "messy paints" she already has at home, Hello Kitty painting book with paint pens, cool new watercolors that are "mess-free", new construction paper and bubble gum. When we went to check out, Mommy handed the money to the cashier and Haley started crying and was upset her Aunt Fini dollars were gone forever. I had to explain that if we did not pay that was called stealing and Mommy and Daddy are on a buget and can't pay for everything! We had to take a trip to Daddy's office for a little talk, but Haley recovered and has been painting all afternoon! When I was cleaning up the basement I also noticed that there was a package on our front door step. I checked outside and guess who it was addressed to? Haley! It was a Valentine's Day outfit for Bitty Baby from American Girl from Nina. Haley loved it and has been dressing Bitty Baby in her new clothes, but is having a little trouble with Bitty Baby's shoes. Apparently, Bitty Baby does not have "Bitty Feet". Here are some pictures of my sweet girl (after she was over the drama in Target earlier)!

My trip to Kroger and lots of things for .17 cents!

2009-02-03T14:15:00.003-05:00

Isn't it sad that my exciting news of the week is what I got for free/cheap at Kroger? Here it goes:

4-pack cottonelle toilet paper. (.99 - .50 coupon doubled = Free)!
Dial Orchard Apple Hand soap on sale for .88 - .35 coupon doubled = .18!
Two packs of Trident gum clearanced to .59 each and a coupon for .75 off = .21 each
Multigrain cheerios on sale for $1.67 - shortcuts.com coupon downloaded to my Kroger card plus a manufacturer's coupon for .75 = .17
Two boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios on sale for $1.67 - two .55 manufacturers coupons = $1.12 each.
Two boxes of Trix cereal on sale for $1.67 - $1 coupon off 2 = $1.17 each.
Redbone Grill Seafood Sauce Lemon Peppercorn Aioli is great on Fish! $3.99 buy one get one free, but they did not ring up B1G1, so I had to take my receipt to Customer service and for my trouble they gave me my free sauce, plus discounted the one I paid for to $1.49, so I saved 75% and got each bottle for .75.
Dole Mushrooms on sale for $1
Spinach Salad reduced for .75 means we are having Spinach Salad for dinner and Tilapia (freezer) with Lemon Peppercorn sauce.
If I get really motivated I might make some homemade bread for tonight too!
If not for milk and Hartley's Lactaid I would have gotten off really cheap, but only spent $22 last night :) 30 weeks pregnant tomorrow! Harmony will be here before we know it and I can't wait to hold her in my arms and be able to breath again and sleep on my stomach, not that I will be sleeping much!

Nina was here!

2009-01-29T16:24:00.004-05:00

Jared's Mom and Dad (Nina and Pops to Haley) were here for a few days to visit and Nina managed to get in a little shopping for Harmony! We have not bought much for her due to the huge amount of baby girl clothes we have from Haley, but Harmony needed a few things for the Georgia summer heat! It is hard to believe the next time we see Nina and Pops will be when Harmony arrives in mid April. We are headed to Lynchburg in two weeks for ministry events and to visit my side of the family and we hope to have a nice visit and avoid all of the snow and ice! Here is also a picture of my baby boy. Haley was too busy playing to pose for me in her "brains" (braids).

Coupons!

2009-01-19T17:31:00.004-05:00

Things have been a little crazy around here since the holidays, and I seem to be going to the doctor nonstop, so I have not had much time for "blogging". I have recently decided to try to reduce the amount of money that we spend on groceries by shopping sales, clipping coupons, and trying to become more organized in general :) I never knew that this coupon thing would become a new "addiction". I will never pay full price for certain things again! I am still new to figuring things out, but have had some help with www.couponmom.com and also www.moneysavingmom.com. (my favorite). For example, I have recently gotten free equal sweetener, free reynolds wrap, toothpaste for .24 cents, free garnier fructis conditioner, free shampoo, free walgreens trial pack of diapers (14) with the purchase of huggies, huggies for $6, Loreal clear lip gloss for .19 cents and herbal essences shampoo for .07 cents, 3 bar pack of ivory soap for .30 cents, and those are just some of my best deals. Is that crazy or what? It takes some time and there is a little bit of a learning curve, but if you ask me it is totally worth it! I am still trying to figure out CVS, and do most of my groceries from Kroger, but Walgreens is my new favorite store! Haley is growing up so fast and is excited for her new baby sister to arrive! She is also starting to become very protective of her room and has posted a "sign" on her door for her little brother to keep out! Hartley is finally starting to say a few words, such as mama, dada, uh-oh, and he likes to call the kitties! He also enjoys harassing his big sister!

My Little Artist

2009-01-05T20:52:00.003-05:00

Haley drew her two favorite bunnies, Max and Ruby. I was pretty impressed since she just turned four! In case you were wondering, Ruby is a princess and is wearing a crown.

BABY HARMONY

2008-12-12T22:37:00.003-05:00

Here is the best picture from today's ultrasound. Our little one is doing great and weighs a whopping 1 pound! I am 22 weeks and the ultrasound tech said that is not her hand, but actually her knee pulled up to her chest. She was curled up, but we still got a nice picture of her sweet little profile.

How Did That Happen??

2008-12-04T12:13:00.003-05:00

Haley decorated Hartley for Christmas. I am still trying to figure out how she got him to hold still for that long??

Thanksgiving!

2008-12-03T13:08:00.002-05:00

It has been a busy week and I am thankful to be home! Jared was in Singapore on business and so I decided to drive myself and the children home to Virginia for Thanksgiving. The drive up was miserable and 10 hours in the rain was tough, but we made it safely and enjoyed the week with my family. Haley loves being outdoors and my parents have the perfect place for that with plenty of horses, kitties and open spaces! My Dad lost his job two weeks ago and the one good thing that came out of that was being able to spend the week with just me, my Dad, and the children. Hartley LOVED my Dad and even snubbed me if my Dad was in the room! The day after Thanksgiving my Mom and I were up before 5:00 a.m. to shop the Black Friday deals! It was pretty crazy, but I was able to find everything I needed for Christmas and Haley's Birthday, and at substantial discounts! It was fun and kind of like a game! I did manage to get sick in Target and had to go sit in the film developing section, but I don't think anyone I knew saw me! It was fun running into so many old friends and people that I know from home, even if I looked awful! Hartley managed to sleep until almost 9:00 that morning and he hardly missed us! Monday I spent the day with my grandparents and then went with my little sister to eat Japanese Express! It was hard to leave yesterday, especially with a 9 hour drive home ahead of me, but I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again, until I could not get comfortable and ended up sleeping in my usual "bed" during pregnancy ", the couch! I do not have any pictures from the holidays due to my camera going to Singapore with Jared, but I will post some new pictures of the little ones soon!

Christmas Tree

2008-11-15T19:34:00.004-05:00

Tonight we put up our Christmas tree. After a few setbacks we finally have the tree up! Hartley only broke three of our glass balls and one Tinkerbell (which can be fixed with a little superglue) ornament, and he seems to be getting bored with pulling the other ornaments off of the tree. This will be a good time for training him not to touch. Our old tree's lights were not working and so we decided to get a new tree. I am excited because for the first time in our marriage I have a tree with colored lights (my favorite) and the trees were on sale at Big Lots! We are now ready for Christmas! We put our tree up early this year because I will hopefully be in Virginia for Thanksgiving and Jared will be away. I couldn't seem to get any good pictures of the tree because every time Hartley sees the camera he wants it and starts running towards me! So his little head is in most of the pictures!

Like Father, Like Son

2008-11-14T13:23:00.002-05:00

Haley with her bruised forehead!

Hartley cleaning under his highchair!

My little boy likes to clean, just like his Daddy! Here is a picture of Hartley helping me "clean" under his highchair! I also couldn't forget my sweet girl with the big bruise on her forehead!!

Ultrasound Again!

2008-11-10T15:50:00.006-05:00

The top two pictures are of her little alien face :) and the middle two pictures are of the body and spine and the last picture is of her hands covering her face.

MORE ULTRASOUND PICS

2008-11-10T15:39:00.007-05:00

Both my kids are napping (a miracle) so I am posting our ultrasound pictures of baby Harmony. They are 3D and a little blurry, but I wanted to post them in case any of you out there are interested (especially the grandmas)!

The Black and white picture is the "GIRL SHOT" I am glad they can tell, because I don't see anything, or maybe that is the idea?

The 3D picture is her hands in front of her face (I think)! A little blurry, but she is still really little (17 weeks)!

Bitty Baby's new dress

2008-11-10T13:59:00.002-05:00

I was so excited about our ultrasound that I forgot to write about our weekend. Saturday morning we drove to North Point Mall in Alpharetta. We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and I was good and did NOT have a slice of cheesecake, but a few bites of Jared's. We took Haley to the American Girl Store at the mall and we picked out a new outfit for Bitty Baby (Thanks Nina)! I also found a Bitty Baby Birthday outfit for Haley's 4th birthday, which will be next month. We had a fun day together as a family. Here is a picture of Bitty Baby's new dress, bonnet, and shoes! I thought the American Girl Doll Store was really neat,and if you have a little girl, she will love it! I think Mommy and Haley could have stayed there all day, but Daddy and Hartley brought us back to reality!

OUR BABY GIRL!

2008-11-08T19:31:00.002-05:00

Here is a little video clip of our 3D ultrasound. The baby was waving her little arm in this video. We found out today that we are having another little girl! Haley is very excited! She wanted a sister very much. Time to start pulling out all of my baby dresses again! We are naming her Harmony, no middle name yet, but we have plenty of time. When I suspected that I was pregnant with her in August, we were visiting in West Virginia and I kept seeing the name Harmony everywhere. The road Jared grew up on is Harmony Grove road. In church that Sunday we were singing a hymn with the words Harmony in it and I just seemed to notice the name everywhere. Jared thinks I am crazy, but I think maybe God was telling me her name. Harmony means unity and a beautiful blending, so we know she will fit perfectly into our family.

A Beautiful Fall Day!

2008-11-06T14:27:00.002-05:00

I am blogging from my laptop and I am in my back yard with my children. It is a beautiful day, sunny and cool and not a cloud in the sky! My only complaint is constantly fetching my son out of the woods or off of the ladder to the tree house or off of the back deck stairs. He is only 13 months old, but thinks he is as big as his sister! I was pretty impressed that he actually made it to the fourth rung of the ladder, but of course I was standing behind him watching to make sure he did not fall. Haley and Hartley are in the sand box together and seem to be playing together very well! It is hard to believe that this time last year he was just a few weeks old and he has grown and changed so much! I would also ask my friends to pray for our cousin's little girl Lauren. She is three and a half and very close to age with my little Haley and she was life flighted to Eggleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta yesterday afternoon. She seemed to have some sort of seizure and was unresponsive and we have not heard much, just that last night, thankfully, she was awake and saying a few words. Please pray that the doctors would be able to find out what is wrong and also to comfort her parents, Jason and Kasey, who I know are worried sick. I am so thankful for my little girl swinging and playing today while her little cousin Lauren is so sick and also for a God that is in control when we feel so helpless.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse

2008-10-31T20:26:00.007-04:00

Haley and Hartley were Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse this year for Halloween. Daddy took them both trick or treating in the neighborhood and they came home with some pretty good treats!

Ultrasound Picture

2008-10-29T20:58:00.003-04:00

Here is a picture of our little one at 15 weeks, 4 days. The head is to the right and the body is curled under. The heartbeat was 156 bpm.

Good news/not so good news

2008-10-28T09:55:00.002-04:00

I had my perinatologist appointment yesterday and I survived. It was a stressful morning trying to get the little ones ready and dropped off with a sitter and then making the almost hour drive, but I made it. I was able to see the baby on ultrasound and that is always nice. The baby was curled up and so we could not find out boy or girl, but I was actually thankful because Jared was not able to come with me yesterday. We will have more chances to find out since the doctor recommended weekly or bi-weekly ultrasounds. It will be nice to see the baby growing, but kind of a pain at the same time. The doctor and ultrasound tech was really nice and I was in and out very fast, and they were very respectful of your privacy, for which I am very thankful! There was only one other person in the waiting room with me, so that was nice too! All in all things went pretty well. If you want to know more you can ask me, but I don't want to post personal things on here since I do not know who may read this! Jared arrived home last night and I am glad he is home! Haley and I are both sick , so it was nice to have some help again. I will post the ultrasound picture I have from yesterday as soon as I figure out how to work our scanner. It is a pretty good picture of the baby's profile.

Country roads take me home. . .

2008-10-24T11:37:00.003-04:00

I inherited Jared's phone and his lovely John Denver ring tone as well. I am such a dummy I can't figure out how to change it. It was especially embarrassing last week when my phone went off in my doctor's office! Jared is in West Virginia for the WVU/Auburn game and he is happy that WVU won last night. Hopefully he is hanging out with pops, Karissa and JC and enjoying the cool weather and beautiful leaves this time of year. He has the next two days to himself and then he will go to the Steelers game on Sunday. I hope he has a great time, but I wish I was with him! So far everything has really gone well. Yesterday I went with my mother-in-law and all of the grandchildren (except one) to the mall ("Nina" is here in Georgia watching four of the grandchildren while Brandon and Jan are away) and then we had Little Ceasars (which I am excited we finally have in Georgia) and we watched Enchanted before bed. Haley was not feeling well last night, so we went home early and she fell asleep on my bed, so I just left her with me. This morning she threw up in the living room and it was funny listening to her describe it to Jared over the phone. It went something like this : Dad I puked in the wiving wroom (living room). It was yewow (yellow). It was an accident. Mommy cleaned it up so you won't get mad. Awww, how sweet, she was worried about our carpet. She is acting much better today, so I am hoping that it was a quick little thing and is over! I think it may have been related to a coughing fit. I am praying it was that and not a stomach virus! Monday is the big doctor's appointment for me and baby. We might be able to find out the sex IF the baby cooperates. If not we will have to be patient! We will definitely know by April! Hartley got his first pair of stride rite shoes at the mall yesterday and he was walking all over the place with them and really well! He has been having trouble tripping and falling down in other shoes, but these seem to be working for him! Here is a picture of my little pumpkin!

Shop til you drop!

2008-10-21T15:05:00.003-04:00

This week in Georgia things finally started to cool down. Saturday we went to Burt's pumpkin patch in Dawsonville with Nina and Pops and then we went out to lunch for Daddy's 30th birthday. Don't feel bad for Jared, he gets his birthday present later on this week when he goes home to West Virginia for five days WITHOUT his wife and kids for the WVU vs. Auburn game and a Steelers game! (For me that is a really big gift)! On Sunday morning we went to church in Douglasville for our niece Charity's baptism. We then spent the rest of the day celebrating with family and friends. Sunday morning I realized Haley had outgrown most of her clothes and I guess her feet had a growth spurt as well! So we dressed her in a dress that was too small and had a fun day other than ripping her tights on the way to church and the shoes that rubbed a blister on her heel! Monday morning we went to the mall and Kohl's and then I finally "dropped" from all of our shopping. Overall, I think I did pretty good. It is hard to find clothes to fit Haley because she is so small, but we managed to find some really good deals at Kohl's and so now Haley has some clothes and new shoes too! I am spoiled, this is the first time I have really had to "majorly"shop for Haley thanks to Grandmothers, but it was fun. I also caved and bought Hartley a mickey mouse costume. Haley is going to be Minnie Mouse and Hartley is SO much fun in the costume. He LOVES it, mostly I think because Haley likes to squeak his ears and we are making a big fuss over him! He is all grins! Haley would not cooperate her first Halloween. She screamed and cried when I put her "Doodlebug" costume on her. I took her picture, but she was MAD! I guess technically this is Hartley's second Halloween; he looks adorable in his costume and I can't wait to post some pictures!

Why Can't I Just Be "Normal"

2008-10-16T11:03:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was not a pleasant day, okay that was an understatement, yesterday was a horrible day. It didn't start off that bad, but went downhill quickly. I dropped my kids off with a friend yesterday so I could go to a new doctor because our insurance would not pay for the one that is ten minutes from our house. (Frustration #1). I tried to return to my old doctor but they took almost a week to call me back and did not act very thrilled about my return, so I said forget it and I will look for a new doctor. (Frustration #2). I go to my new doctor in Marietta and it takes me four hours to get everything completed, paperwork, (old doctor's office didn't send them everything) plus if you are a transfer OB patient they have to do everything over and if you have ever had a baby you know what everything means. Needless to say, by the time I left I was pretty upset. They also scheduled me with a new perinatologist and I have to go when Jared is out of town by myself. (Frustration #3). This pushed me over the edge. They say I will just have an ultrasound, but that never seems to be the case. I DO NOT TRUST high risk doctors anymore. They are pessimists. The last time I was in a perinatologist's office (high risk baby doctor). I was excited to find out the sex of my baby (Haley) and when the nurse called me back I heard this awful screaming coming from the room next door. I recognized that scream, the woman had lost her baby. This same woman had just been sitting next to me in the waiting room and she looked almost due. I had to be escorted back to the waiting room until they could calm her down and move her somewhere else. I felt so horrible for her and it brought back painful memories of my own. I HATE going to the perinatologist. All they see are women with problems and I don't have a problem with this pregnancy. I freak out at the thought of going, especially by myself. I just want to be treated like a normal OB patient. I also was so upset driving home yesterday and someone in a big SUV swerved around us and almost hit me with my kids in the car. I pretty much cried the rest of the night. I am thinking of becoming a hippie and having a homebirth :) That might be the only way to be left alone (which is what I want)! I am also not sure at this point if I can emotionally handle another pregnancy. All of this and I didn't even tell them about my heart murmur :)

Beach, Birthdays and Babies!

2008-10-06T16:40:00.003-04:00

We have had such a busy week (actually two weeks)! The first week was busy with work and the second was busy with play! I will give details about the more fun things, like the beach and Hartley's first birthday! We left a week ago Sunday afternoon to head to Litchfield Beach, SC. Jared's family rented a beach house and we arrived a day late due to work obligations for Jared, but we enjoyed the rest of the week very much! Haley loved the beach and loved playing with her cousins, especially her big cousin Bethany. With all of the children, we had 15 people (16 next spring and hopefully more in the future)! Tuesday was Hartley's first birthday and we had dinner as a family and boy did he enjoy his little cake! I think we spent a good 15 to 20 minutes just watching, laughing, and taking pictures of him destroying his little cake! He was so much fun! When Haley had her first birthday she stuck her finger in her cake and then started crying and trying to get the icing off! Hartley did a much better job! We also celebrated a little early, Brandon, Jared, and JC's birthdays (all in the next two weeks). Although we had fun, we were glad to be home again last night and in our own beds! I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon and we heard the baby's heartbeat right away. It was in the 160's and I might think that means a girl, but Hartley's was always in the 160's as well, because he was so active, so I have no idea what this little baby will be! It was very active. The nurse "lost" the baby on the Doppler several times. We will find out for sure on November 12, if the baby cooperates! We are enjoying the cooler weather and apples! I just bought some at Target and they were really good! Haley and I also found pumpkin "peeps" and I caved and bought It's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown. I am thinking of starting our own Halloween tradition by ordering pizza and watching Charlie Brown with the kids. Here are some pictures from our trip!

Labor Day!

2008-09-02T12:11:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a pretty busy holiday! We had a cookout with friends and had a lot of good food and swimming. I then worked for a few hours last night for Kennestone and fell asleep watching Fox news since Larry King was annoying me on CNN! I watch Anderson Cooper though, maybe because he reminds me of the old Channel One days in middle school! I am slightly worried about McCain's VP pick Palin. She does have a five-month-old baby with Down Syndrome and a 17-year-old daughter that will probably need her later on this year. I agree with Senator Obama that family is off limits, especially children (that is about all we agree on). I still like the fact that she is prolife, is a lifetime member of the NRA and I think these "faults" the media have been accusing her of will only make her seem more like a real person and maybe easier to relate! Hartley is teething and is enjoying chewing on toothbrushes! Hey, whatever works! He has a Charlie Brown toothbrush that he really enjoys. I can't believe he will be one at the end of this month! I need to start planning his first birthday, which we will have while we are at the beach! I also cannot believe that this time last year I was eight months pregnant and this year I am eight weeks pregnant! I am so excited and go to the doctor on Thursday. Hopefully I will have an ultrasound and hear the baby's heartbeat. It would bring me a great deal of relief! On another note, do you ever "Google" yourself? Well, I occasionally do and I found a blog from a professor in California by the name of Kevin Kaatz. He was blasting American Vision and our family business Tolle Legge for being too greedy and selling God. I believe in freedom of speech, but why blast someone you don't even know, personally? We work very hard for our little life and I would not call us greedy by any means. I drive a four year old Kia Sedona. Jared drives a 99 taurus that is paid for and our only debt is the Kia payment and our home. I worked third shift every weekend pregnant out of our home for a local hospital trying to make extra money. I wouldn't say we are greedy by any means!! With gas prices, groceries, diapers, formula, doctor bills, we don't have a lot left over! Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for all that God has provided and I think we are very fortunate. I am slightly offended, but that is probably what he wanted! Jared says get used to it, that is what happens when you work in Christian ministry!

Kindergarten

2008-08-21T12:40:00.002-04:00

Several of my friends have sent their babies to school for the first time this week! It is bittersweet for them I am sure and I am thankful I will never have to do that! YAY for homeschool! The one thought that makes me encouraged to dive into the challenges that homeschool will bring is the thought of putting my baby on a bus and shipping her off to spend almost her entire day with someone else. I am selfish I guess, I want her at home with me! It is sad for me also this time of year because my twins would have been starting Kindergarten as well. They would have been five in January, if born on their due date and this would have been the year for them to go to Kindergarten. I can't believe how time goes by so fast. Boy would I be busy with homeschool, the twins, Haley and Hartley and a new baby on the way! I had my first food aversion yesterday, which is starting to make this pregnancy seem real. The smell of Ham and italian salad dressing almost made me lose it last night! I am only six weeks pregnant and I do not go to the doctor for two more weeks and I am nervous that I am having twins again, although I have no reason to believe so (it is always a relief when I get the first ultrasound and there is only one baby and with a strong heartbeat). I will more than likely be anxious for the next few weeks okay, probably the entire pregnancy! I will try and calm down! I will end this blog with something funny Haley said to me this morning: Mom when I grow up like a Mommy, I am going to wash dishes and have babies and watch cartoons, Oh and I get a married ring too! I guess that must be what I do, wash dishes and have babies and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Waiting . . .

2008-07-20T23:16:00.007-04:00

Waiting . . .
We are waiting for a new baby girl to join our family here in Georgia, and last night she got us all excited and then decided she wasn't going to join us just yet! Our phone rang at 10:30 last night just as I was falling asleep watching dateline. I was thinking who is calling this late, slightly annoyed. I then saw it was Jared's brother and answered the phone without a hello, but blurted something out about baby, labor? I can't help it, I am half asleep and excited, as I have been for all of my nieces and nephews, mostly nephews :) Jan had been having contractions for a few hours and this is baby number five, so they thought maybe we should come stay with the kids so they could head to the hospital. I send Jared since our kids are in bed and he had napped earlier and when I call him early this morning, no baby yet, labor had stopped and they were sent home at 4:00 a.m.; so she will make her arrival when she is ready! In other news, Hartley has started walking/falling this week, but most of the time he cheats and drops down and crawls. He has four crazy teeth at the top of his mouth (none on the bottom yet) and he has decided he does not like baby food anymore, but the REAL stuff, although he needs more teeth for the real stuff. He has also learned how to shake his head and say na na na (no-no) and wave hello and bye. I have also retrieved play doh, a play doh accessory, a hair barette and one of polly pockets purses out of his mouth in the last few days. We try to keep him out of Haley's room but he crawls over and beats on the door and screams until she lets him in and if she happens to not shut her door all the way, he gets up on his knees and smacks it until he can get through. He is having a busy week! Jared took Haley to the pool yesterday (which she loves) and Hartley and I went to the mall to spend some of my birthday money and I found a few things, but mostly ended up with things for the kids. This past week was also Vacation Bible School at our church and Haley's first year where she was old enough to attend. She had fun and some of the ladies at church think she is going to be an interpretive dancer because everytime she hears music, even in church, she starts dancing! She is pretty good and this morning I was watching yoga on TV and she started doing yoga and she was actually getting some of the moves! She has also started to dress up like Cinderella by having me tie the sleeves of her nightgown behind her back so she can have a "strapless" dress and to put her hair up in a bun and wear all of her jewels! My children never fail to surprise me! Jared is also dieting and working with a trainer and has lost 13 pounds in three weeks. I am jealous, but maybe he will motivate me, hmmmm, maybe . . . Here is a picture of Hartley in his new shark pajamas I found him at the mall yesterday!

Haley

2008-05-09T08:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know I just blogged, but I have to share a funny. Yesterday Hartley, being the little stinker that he is now that he can crawl kept getting into Haley's toys and her puzzles. Haley gets really irritated because he mixes her puzzle pieces up. I am trying to teach Hartley not to touch and to listen when I say no instead of just putting them up out of the way (lesson learned from Haley). She does NOT listen most of the time. So yesterday I heard Haley in a sweet voice saying No, No Hartley, those are not for you. I was so proud of her, UNTIL I looked over and she was dragging him by his feet across the carpet and away from her stuff! I freaked for a moment until I realized he was laughing! He thought it was fun! She also did it last night and we had to tell her to stop, even though he likes it I don't want his head cracked on any furniture.

Guess Who . . .

2008-05-08T09:28:00.000-04:00

Learned how to turn on his musical/light toy in the middle of the night! I had to take a picture. He was so proud of himself, even though it was 3:30 in the morning! Hartley has been crawling now for almost three weeks. The only challenge we have been having is Haley leaving the baby gate open over the stairs! Fortunately, I am a paranoid Mother and have caught it so far. Jared says I am too paranoid and my comment is paranoid Mothers equals uninjured/alive children and minimal trips to the Emergency Room!

Welcome to our Blog!

2008-04-17T13:50:00.000-04:00

I decided to start this blog in the hopes of keeping in contact with friends and family and mostly to update everyone who cares on our babies. We have had a busy few weeks with a trip to West Virginia for Easter and the kids and I spent two weeks in Virginia with my family while Jared was in Australia training for his new job. He officially started in the office on Monday and so far so good. Hartley is trying his best to crawl and just two days ago I went into the kitchen for a few seconds and when I came back in the living room he was sitting up on his own! He has done it several times while I am not looking and I finally saw him do it last night. He gets up on all fours like he is going to crawl and then just plops his little rear end on the carpet and looks up at us and grins like look what I can do now Mommy! He is such a sweet little boy. He makes me want to have 10 more! Haley is starting to show interest in "school", so I have lots of coloring books and books to teach tracing and cutting. So far she has only cut one thing she should not have, my Dad's decal for work, so we are doing pretty well! She is also starting to sing songs she hears after only one time. The words may not always be correct, but for a three-year-old I think she is doing pretty good! Here is a somewhat recent picture of both of the little ones taken by my cousin Tandy. Haley didn't really want to cooperate, but this is one of the few we managed to get of both of them!