A Baby Changes Everything

My sister-in-law Jill has a beautiful, solid and very clear singing voice. She sings in the praise team at our church. I absolutely love hearing her sing whether it is at church or at my very own wedding! The Sunday before Christmas the service began with Jill singing the Faith Hill song called "A Baby Changes Everything." We all know I am very emotional, but I barely got through the first verse and chorus of Jill singing this song before the tears started streaming down. Between the struggles she went through to finally become pregnant with the triplets, and the symbolism of the words to the birth of baby Jesus, it was just so beautiful. Jill got a standing ovation and I don't know how she made it through the song with out crying.

Those four simple words "a baby changes everything" are so amazingly true, in SO many ways.

By the time she got to the "Halelujah" part, it was over for me. I was absolutely bawling. I warned Jill after church to never do that to me again with out a little prior warning;)

If you have never heard this song, you can listen to it on You Tube on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtZd8QMEkZk

Sweet Cheeks

This very moment last year I was doing the same thing I am this year. Mopping my floor! Shopping, buying, preparing, cleaning, thanking the good Lord for Target! This very moment last year was the night before our sweet Brooks was born. I was nesting like a bird, I tell you, and my house had to be perfectly spotless before I went to bed. Nothing less than perfect for our baby.

Well, here we are again, one year later. Mopping. Getting ready for his big day and trying to make it perfect for my baby! So many emotions come over me when I look back at the day Brooks was born. In celebration of the big 0-1, I thought I would share my favorite memory of Brooks being born.

The day Brooks was born was a rainy one. I woke up before the alarm clock sounded and got in the shower. I got ready in a tizzy, afraid I would be running behind. "I can't be late for my own labor!"

On the way to the hospital I remember fussing at John because he dared to even mention stopping to get breakfast. "What, breakfast? NO!" I had been planning and preparing for this day for weeks (40 weeks to be exact) and I was not to about run behind because of breakfast.

Seeing as though I was scheduled for an induction, my very reasonable husband looked at me and said, "It will be okay if we stop at a drive through. They are not going to start with out you." To this day, I can't even remember whether we ended up stopping for breakfast. I don't remember what items I bought at Target the week before, what the house looked like when I left (although I know it was insanely clean) or what I was wearing. What I do remember is the feeling I had when I woke up in the middle of the night, after Brooks had been born.

Everyone had told me to "put that baby in the nursery and get some rest!" After all, I should take advantage of those night nurses while I had them. So being desperate and willing for any advice anyone had, I sent him to the nursery. I slept very well and very hard!

About 2:00 in the morning I woke up and remembered where I was. All of a sudden it hit me. He's here! Not in my belly, here! I had to see him. I remembered my sweet baby and couldn't get to my camera fast enough. I pressed the power button to look at the millions of pictures we had taken earlier that day. He was the most precious thing I had ever laid eyes on. Pictures were just not cutting it. Without hesitation, I jumped out of bed, put my robe on and marched myself down to the nurses station to get my baby! I remember walking down the hall so excited about seeing him again. I told them I wanted to take him back to my room. They said they would bring him to me when he was ready to nurse, but I took him anyway. I wanted him so bad, just to stare at him and hold him. He had been the little one inside me for all those months. Kicking and hiccupping and rolling around. His little face was just precious. His chubby little cheeks were so kissable. He looked just like John, but smaller! I'll never forget that feeling I had when I woke up and remembered Brooks was here! It was so exciting. It was like a kid on Christmas morning but WAY better!

Sweet little yawn, sweet little cheeks! This is where he gets his nickname from his mommy, Sweet Cheeks!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY PRECIOUS LITTLE BROOKS!

Josh Darnell

Please keep my friend Josh and his family in your prayers. Josh was a high school friend. I first met him at Watkinsville First United Methodist Church (my old church from my childhood.) My senior year, we got to be good friends. Below is the email I received from Kelli (Miller) Magee today and she received this from another close friend of ours and of Josh's, Erin.

Hey ladies, I hope this finds you having a nice day. I have news to deliver from Melissa. Josh was involved in an explosion yesterday in Afghanistan. He has shrapnel in his pelvis and abdomen, but not near any vital organs. He has some burns on his face, and his arm was shattered. Most of these injuries are on his right side. He has had surgery on his arm and is expected to regain full range of motion in it. He has also had more surgery to clean out his wounds, and he could possibly have more surgeries in the future. He is currently in Kadahar , but they are hoping to move him to Bagram soon. He will then be moved to Germany and stateside after that to either Washington or Texas. Melissa has talked to him, and he said it could have been much worse. Two of his men were killed and many others were injured. I've attached a link from CNN about the attack. Start praying hard and pass on the word to friends and family to pray for him and his men to recover and to travel safely back to the states. I'll keep you posted on anything else I hear today and in the coming days. Love you, Erin http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/01/2009195391166694.html

Thank you, Lord, for watching over Josh. Although he was injured, we are so thankful it was not worse.

Thank you for keeping him and his wife and family in your prayers.

Sincerely,

So Much To Say, No Time To Do It

Well, if you are here then you received my email introducing my new and private blog! YAY! I hope you like the new blog design. My mom made me PROMISE I would make my blog private. So this is for you, Mama!

I would love to write more but I have been slammed all day. I have bride emails to return and first birthday parties to prepare! Brooks' first birthday celebration (and I say that as "cel-a-bray- chion) is less than 48 hours away. I can't believe it has been a year! I hope to post a blog tomorrow reminisicing about this very week last year. I remember it so very fondly!

Loves!

New Blog, Coming Soon!

Let's just go ahead and give a big shout out to Jennisa over at Once Upon A Blog. Because not only is she the BEST blog designer ever, but she has totally put up with me and my crazy chain of emails today.

I love my new design that should be up soon and if ANYONE out there wants to give your blog a face lift , you should get on her list. Totally worth the wait. Right, Suzanne!? She did my cousin Suzanne's over at Steeces Pieces, so of course I picked her because I know Suzanne knows the best about the blogging world. She has been so great through out the whole process. Especially dealing with me and my indecisiveness. Even through the madness of the holiday season, Jennisa is on the ball!

I am certain and have very high hopes that this is the key to my hope of blogging more often. Stay tuned! (All five readers... ha!)

My Goodness!

well. this post is going to be in all lowercase. not because i can't type normal, but my precious little son got ahold of my laptop and now the left shift key is a goner. so until i can make a trip to best buy for a little repair work, it's either typing like this... or LIKE THIS!

funny story: today my mom and i took brooks shopping. i enjoy taking him shopping because he is so easy right now. he is very well behaved and other than needing a few diaper changes and to be held and talked to every now and then, he is super easy. so, anyway today mom and i went all day with him and we split up for a few minutes and brooks and i waited for mom in a sporting goods store. we plopped ourselves down in front of the store in a comfy georgia chair that was on display. so as people walked in and out of the store we watched. i love to people watch and brooks does as well. he stares at everyone. people talk to him all the time and he either smiles kindly at them or looks at them like a deer in a headlight! so anyway, we sat there for a while and just as i was kind of getting annoyed with every person stopping and talking to brooks (totally like when you are pregnant and everyone rubs your belly) a lady walked in and said to her friend, "oh my goodness, look at that beautiful little GIRL."

Really, girl? please tell my how my son who is wearing a brown and green outfit with a reindeer on the front of it (and has definite boy shoes on) even remotely looks like a girl. i didn't correct her, i just said "thank you."


what's weird is that happens a lot. okay, so he doesn't have much hair and it's hard to tell, but he does not look like a girl! one time we were in target and he had on a navy polo and camo shorts and a worker walked up and said, "look at that little PRINCESS." PRINCESS? No, actually he is a boy, but thank you. it actually happens a lot and it doesn't really bother me but i just wonder what is going through these people's minds when they see him and think he is a girl. because last time i checked, if he was a girl, i highly doubt i would be dressing her in camo shorts and a boys navy polo. nor would i put my little girl in the outfit he was wearing today. it's a boy outfit!

so, whatever, it's really funny and i just can't believe how often it happens! i just don't think he looks like a girl, but that's just me!

Lately...

It's like the George Strait Song, which many of you probably do not know. It goes, "I've come to expect that from you." Well, I've come to expect "it" from myself. The whole "absence in blogging thing." It's a problem I have, but I am working on a cure! Stay tuned to the end of this blog for my problem-solving technique that I am oh so excited about!

I can not believe how this year has flown by! And I am NOT exaggerating. I think about my life this time last year, as I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of our precious little boy! Life is so different now, because of him. I love being a mom and waking up to my "day." I love staying home with him but also working at the wedding house. I love living every day because I really am striving to be better at this "mom/wife" thing EVERY SINGLE DAY! And I can't believe it has almost been a year since he blessed our life so very much!

So, what's next on our agenda....

Well, next week we will travel to the great state of Arkansas to visit John's family for Thanksgiving. Upon our return home, we will proceed to pack up our home and move back to Oconee County! We are purchasing another home, and it is an old home that we are looking to restore. J is a super-doer when it comes to anything handy around the house. I don't think there is anything he can not fix or upgrade or install... he's good! The home is just a couple of turns away from the house I grew up in and where my parents still live. So, if you know me, you know I'm excited! The down side is we are still looking for a renter for the house we are currently living in. But I have high hopes!

Even with the home we are moving in being old, musty and in great need of repairs, when I walk outside I hear crickets. I can't see my neighbor's house. The grass is green. My church is less than a mile away. It feels like home because it is home and I am so thankful! Not to mention one of my neighbors (who is an extended relative) has a monogramming machine! WOOHOO!!!

We have also been blessed with the addition of TRIPLETS in to the Michael Family. Yes, triplets! My brother and his wife are expecting two precious boys *yay for Brooks* and one precious little princess girl! WE ARE SO THRILLED... and I will be a hop, skip and a jump away from any help they need at ANY TIME. And that most definitely includes 2 am phone calls. CAN'T WAIT! Many of you know, I have a friend in Texas who has quads. So the idea of multiples is not new to us (totally thanks to her,) but it is certainly very surprising and exciting. I never expected my brother to be the father to triplets!

Now for the upcoming addition for John's side of the family: his little sis is getting married this coming May! YAY!

In other news... once Brooks' FIRST Thanksgiving and FIRST Christmas are behind us, we will be celebrating his FIRST birthday! So here it is... an update on Brooks at 10 months. Where do I even begin!?

- He gets in to EVERYTHING. Toilet paper roll, a speck on the floor, the dishwasher, the refrigerator, kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, entertainment center cabinets, newspaper, dog food, pantry. Anything that opens, closes, or looks like it could possibly open and close!

- He is pulling up to stand up and is walking holding on to furniture but he is not yet able to stand on his own or take steps on his own.

- I don't think he was crawling last time I blogged but he's been crawling since he was 8 months old and is now a professional crawler!

- He waves hello, goodbye. He tries to clap his hands. He shakes his head "no." Gives high fives. New word is "Bubba" and "Da" (for dog.) Yesterday Cash barked and he said, "Da?!"

- He LOVES DADDY'S HAT. That is the first thing he goes for when J gets home from work. Loves to take it off of daddy, put it on B. Off of B, onto Daddy. Loves to play peek-a-boo with the hat as well.

- At his last well visit he had not gained any weight but was 2 inches taller. Very tall for his age and he is starting to thin out. Still, at 10 months he weighed 20 lbs!!! Whew!

- He is definitely more attached to me than he has been in the past. If I leave him at home with Daddy to take a quick trip to the grocery store, he crawls to the door like a mad man to get to his mommy the minute I arrive at home and he hears that door open!

- He has 6 teeth as of today! All in different stages...

- He is still the cuddliest little bug ever.

- He knows what we mean when we say "no no." Usually because he is about to open or get in to something, or close to something that could hurt him. He is very good about stopping and doing what we say. He usually flashes a big smile and either proceeds to go where he is not supposed to (testing the waters oh so much) or finds something better to do! Overall, I am already proud of how well he listens to what we tell him. I know he can't understand discipline yet but I feel like he knows what is going on.

- And last but not least: He gets the MAJOR giggles at night. Uncontrollable giggles. Usually right before he bed time. And it's just enough to spend 10 minutes or so playing with him and just being silly before it's time for bed. It's so fun!

So... back to that "CURE" I was speaking of in the beginning of this blog. I been added to the fabulous waiting list to have a "blog make over!" I am using someone who was referred to me by my friend/cousin in Texas I was speaking of earlier. I'm super excited about that. Kind of like my "new blog" for the "New Year!" I'm way down on the waiting list but I can't wait to give my blah blog a face lift and hopefully it will jump start me on writing as often as I would like to!!! I must discipline myself to post more often, because so many milestones and memories are flying by!