Celebrating a Little Early...

This past weekend, Chris and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary a little early. The date isn't till June 9th, however, with summer school starting, employees taking summer vacations, and childcare issues, we decided to go ahead and go. We had a blast! Trent stayed with Mimi and Granddaddy(my parents) on Thursday and Friday night, and then with Granny and Papa(Chris's parents) Saturday night and Sunday. We knew he was in great hands, so we didn't worry one bit. Although, we did forget to mention to the Matas that he is afraid of the dark. Don't worry though, they figured it out real quick! :)

We left Thursday morning around 10:00 and made our way slowly down to San Antonio, stopping in Burleson to eat at the Cotton Patch Cafe and browse at Half-Price Books. We LOVE used bookstores. We can always find something there. Anyway, we ended up to our destination around 8pm. We showered and got out for dinner around 9pm. Umm, yeah, we're normally in bed by that time, so we were a bit culture-shocked by our get-up-and-go. We went to a lovely little Mexican restaurant called Pico de Gallo. While the food and drinks were just okay, the service was absolutely outstanding. They even brought over some balloons and put a sombrero on my head, all the while singing "Felicidades." It was so cute!

Friday, we went to the Riverwalk and took a loooong nap. It was pure Heaven! Then we left later that evening and went to a place called Quarry Market. It was a shopping center surrounded by quaint restaurants and a movie theatre. Chris had never been to a Whole Foods Market, since they don't have one in our neck of the woods, and we had dinner in their cafe. Yum! And he loved all of the fresh produce and unique items they sold there. Then we went to see Bridesmaids. Oh my gosh, that movie is hilarious!!!! Loved it! We were up till about 11 that night. We were kind of proud of ourselves for staying up that late.

Saturday, we headed to San Marco to check out the Outlet Malls. Can I just say, "Wow?" Not only were there a ton of stores, but we also got Trent some great things, and what will be the centerpiece at his birthday party next month! Also, we went to the Coach Outlet, and I only came away with some flip-flops. This is big for me, okay? Did I see things I wanted? Of course, but I just don't have room for anymore bags, and since we started tithing at church, it just seems silly buy something I may not use all of the time. We also saw Hangover 2. It was just okay. Worth the money, but definitely not as funny as the first one.

Sunday morning, we got all packed up and headed home. We didn't stop except to eat, potty and fill up, because we missed our little man SO much! It was wonderful to see him again! He really did have a great time with our parents.

Things we knew but forgot till we actually had time to think about them:
1. We still make each other laugh. A LOT.
2. We make a sweet navigation team.
3. We still "got it" when it comes to romance.
4. We are still very much in love, even more so than the day we married.
5. We love talking about our future.
6. We need to make a point to spend more time together as husband and wife.




Sunday morning, we

I'm Baaacckk!!

It's been forever. Eighteen months to be exact. I have no excuse, other than I've been reading everyone else's blogs, and not contributing to my own. Bad Mommy Blogger!!!

Since I left you last, I've had a new job, only to come back to my old job, celebrated my 9th wedding anniversary, my son has had his first birthday, I went back to school to become a nurse, seen many of the women I'd been pregnant with have their next babies(why, yes, I am slightly jealous, though I absolutely cannot be more happy!), grown closer to my husband's brother's wife, and joined a new church! There are many more, but honestly, these are just a few of the high points... :)

I am making it my goal to blog at least once a week. This is completely doable, and I WILL do it!

Until next time,
Love yas!

I've Come to Realize...

I saw this on another blog I follow, and since I really have nothing else do write about today, I thought I'd do this instead~

1. I’ve come to realize that my body... is pretty darn amazing. Hello, I had a baby, and while my body will never be quite the same, I am completely amazed that I grew "boy parts" inside of me...

2. I’ve come to realize that my job... may not be my dream job, but it does pay the bills, and it is also very flexible.

3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving... I am getting better at calming the baby and paying attention at the same time.

4. I’ve come to realize that I need... a vacation in the worst way!

5. I’ve come to realize that I have lost... a little bit of myself in becoming a mother. However, I am not upset about this, because I know that I have gained so much more.

6. I’ve come to realize that I hate it when... I lose my temper over stupid things. It makes me feel like I've lost control.

7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk... I know I'm going to feel really bad the next day.

8. I’ve come to realize that money… doesn't grow on trees, unfortunately.

9. I’ve come to realize that certain people... are always going to be mad about something. Nothing you do can make them happy, so you may as well kill them with kindness.

10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always... have trouble telling people exactly how I feel. Just something to do with being a people-pleaser.

11. I've come to realize that my sibling(s)... are truly wonderful human beings. We were taught well by our parents!

12. I’ve come to realize that my mom... really does know what she's talking about. Remember when we didn't think our parents knew squat? Well, it turns out they actually do...

13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone... is a lifeline. Too bad.

14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning... It was 7 am, and the baby had slept most of the night. Also, he didn't end up in our bed, and that is awesome!

15. I’ve come to realize that last night before I went to sleep... that I'd had a great at-home date night with the hubs, watching a movie.

16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking... I am so ready to get Trent from daycare so he can play with his new toys!

17. I’ve come to realize that my dad...is truly the most giving man I know. He will give up anything to help those he loves.

18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook... I have to see every status update and look at all the pictures between now and the last time I logged on.

19. I’ve come to realize that today... just how close Christmas is! Yea!

20. I’ve come to realize that tonight... I will be home with Trent while Daddy goes and plays Magic.

21. I’ve come to realize that tomorrow... I will be working from 11 to 5.

22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to... get rid of all of the stuff in the garage. I would love to be able to park my car in there someday.

23. I’ve come to realize that the person mostly likely to repost this is... Candace or Chris. I only have two followers...

24. I’ve come to realize that life... keeps getting better as the years go by.

25. I’ve come to realize that this weekend... I am going on a date with my husband! Yea!

26. I’ve realized the best music to listen to when I am upset... K-Love. No matter what my mood, the right song always seems to come on! Thank you, Lord!

27. I’ve come to realize that my friends... are wonderful! And it's too bad we don't get to see more of each other.

28. I’ve come to realize that this year. . . is one I will always look back on with the sweetest memories. Absolutely fantastic.

29. I’ve come to realize that my husband...is one hardworking human being. He's far too understanding and it a GREAT daddy!

30. I’ve come to realize that maybe I should... get back on the horse and stop eating whatever I want.

31. I’ve come to realize that I love... evenings at home with my boys.

32. I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand... math. I hate it! Hopefully Trent will get Daddy's great math skills.

33. I’ve come to realize my past... is something to cherish. I had a lovely childhood!

34. I’ve come to realize that parties... are better the earlier in the evening. Need to keep the baby on his schedule! :)

35. I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified... of sitting down a writing our will. I just can't even fathom that something could happen to one or both of us.

36. I’ve come to realize that my life... is wonderful, and is only getting better!

Sick Baby=Not a fun time for Mommy and Daddy...

Sorry, it's been so long, but my little man has been sick! And I mean double ear infection sick. Not fun! He was a little fussy on Saturday and Sunday. But then again, we missed both his naps because we were out having fun running errands on both days. (Note to self: Stop doing that on the weekends! It will make all of your lives easier!) Anyway, since he'd missed/skipped the naps, and he's been teething for about 2 months now, I just assumed he was cranky because of that.

Sunday evening, we went to my niece, Kallie's, Christmas program, which was the cutest! And then after, we headed over to the in-laws for some family time. We noticed his little nose was stuffed up. Again, I thought he was just teething because that's exactly what happened when he started teething a couple of months ago. We got home, and he went straight to sleep after his nighttime bottle. He slept all night. Not a regular occurrence in our house lately... He woke up at 5am to eat. And he had dried green snot. all. over. his. face. EWWWW!!! While I was completely grossed out, I fed him and then cleaned his face off with a warm rag, which he completely hated. I was a little concerned when he fell back asleep almost immediately, so I called the on-call nurses at our pediatrician's office. She told me that green snot did not necessarily mean there was an infection, that it was most likely stages of a cold,which is viral, and that he was at the middle to end of it. But to definitely keep an eye on him, as it could turn bacterial, and very quickly could turn into an ear infection.

I ended up staying home from work to be with him. He seemed better as the day wore on, so I ran to the grocery store to get out of the house for a little bit. He played and slept for most of the day. That night, as I was putting him down to sleep, he started screaming, and he ended up doing that for almost an hour and a half. And it was the high-pitched "I'm hurting" cry. I was certain it had turned into an ear infection. My poor baby finally wore himself out and fell asleep. He slept till about midnight and woke up screaming again. He didn't want to eat, just wanted his paci and to be held. When he woke up for the day at 7am, I noticed he had what looked like wax leaking out of his left ear. Yuck, and man, did it look like he'd ruptured an eardrum. I called the nurse, and she said it sounded exactly like an ear infection.

We went in that afternoon, and sure enough it was. A double ear infection. The left one had, in fact, ruptured, and the right was close behind. His doctor heard a wheeze when she was listening to his lungs. She wanted to do an RSV test just to make sure it was negative. I think that was the longest 15 minutes of my life. Thank the Lord above, it was negative. We were sent home with an prescription for Amoxicillan and a scheduled 2-week check-up.

I felt so bad that he was sick, but I must say that I am proud of myself for "diagnosing" Trent, and that I paid attention to what the nurse said and kept an eye out for the symptoms. I know, it's my job as a mother to do that, but still. I've had many friends tell me to go with your gut when it comes to your kids. And I've found that to be too true.

In the beginning, when Trent was having so many tummy troubles, I just knew it had to be the formula. I kept pushing the doctor to change his formula. I would give each kind the obligatory 3 weeks, and then change again, because I just *knew* that's what it was. Finally, when we started the soy, everything was better. Not to toot my own horn, but TOOT TOOT!!

Grandpa and Grandma Mann

Sorry it's been so long! I've been busy working. Yep, remember when I said I was working 33 hours per week? That's been changed to almost 40. I know, you all work that much with more kids than me, but dang, I'm still getting used to this!

Anyway, the above picture is of my sister, Abby, my brother, Brian and me. We were at my Grandma and Grandpa Mann's house here. It was in December 2000 right after my Grandpa had died. He was 86 when he passed, and he lived a lot longer than we thought he would after Grandma passed in 1995. To tell you the truth, I didn't know my grandpa all that well, or my grandma for that matter. We would see them at least twice a year, but I never really spent that much time with them. Now, of course, I wish I would have. He and my grandma were just always the older grandparents, compared with my dad's parents. I think we kids just felt like we could relate more to Grams and Gramps Smith. We just felt closer to them.

A few days before we'd pack up and leave for Arizona to visit them, my mom and dad would ship a big box of toys there so we would have something to do while we were there. There was always the obligatory, "I love you, and have missed you!" And then we were off to do whatever there was to do that day. And then at night before we went to bed, "Sleep well, I love you. See you in the morning." Of course we spend mealtimes together, but other than that, we just did our thing, and they did theirs.

I do remember talking to my grandma about her childhood and Mom's childhood. She had pictures of all of her children and grandchildren, and she would always have a story that went with each picture. My grandpa, it seemed, was pretty gruff, and I have to say that I was a little timid around him. I was a shy kid, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. I feel strange because I cried at my grandma's funeral, but not at his. I feel very mixed emotions about this.

This time of year though, I remember the good times we had. I loved to sit in the front seat of their car and "help" him drive. I remember him always picking us up from the airport and smelling his cigarettes while he smoked. I remember the cocktail hour at their house, and how Grandma would always make me a Shirley Temple or sometimes, a Roy Rogers. Yum! We kids would sit on the fireplace hearth and drink them.

I would love to say that they're in Heaven, but I'm just not sure about that. They never went to church with us while we were there. which doesn't mean they weren't Christians, but they never talked about it either. I remember my mom praying for them at dinnertime and at bedtime. Only God knows where they are, and I pray I will see them when I get to Heaven.

The Kid Popping Out(Or Not)

So, in a previous post, I had mentioned that Trent popped out. And then I took it back and said that he didn't "pop" out. That it was a very long story for a different post. This is that post! There will be nothing gross, so don't be scared. More of a trip down memory lane for me.

Let me start at the beginning of June...

So, I went in for my 9-month appointment, which started my weeklies. I saw my doctor's NP because she was out of the country. Anyway, she checked me and said I was at a 1 and that she could feel Trent's head. Weird and awesome at the same time! My mom had gone with me since Chris had to work, and I was so glad to have her there. It was a little strange that she was there when Janet was checking me, but whatever. After my appointment, we went to Panera for breakfast. Yum! We talked about my grandpa, who was not doing well at all. A few years ago, he'd had quadruple bypass surgery, with great success. The past year or so, he'd been declining, and the hospice people had been called in. Not sure if you know what that means, but to us, it meant he didn't have much longer to be in this world. :(

The next week, after much discussion with Chris, I told my OB that I did not, under any circumstances, want to be induced. I'd just heard too many horror stories that resulted in cesareans. Not that I was opposed to that, I just wanted to do things as naturally as possible. That was a Wednesday.

Enter, the next Tuesday, when my mom called me at work(she really tries never to do this, because she just never knows when we'll be busy). She told me that Grandpa was REALLY bad, but that the hospice nurse told my grandma that he should make it to the end of the next week. My mom also told me that after he died, they would wait to go to Indiana so that they could spend extra time with the family. Since my due date was still 2 weeks away, and we all know first babies take their time, it seemed like everything would be fine. Well, the more I started thinking about it, the more I really felt God tugging at my heart. I asked Chris if, after we prayed about it, and I still felt the same way, would he be opposed to inducing? He said it was completely up to me. My thoughts here were that we could induce, and then since my grandpa would make it to the next weekend, my parents could meet Trent and then head out of town. Right then and there, I prayed for some sign to let me know it was alright to induce. I have to tell you that I did not get the sign right then. But I did call my mom and tell her we would induce if it meant they could leave sooner.

The next day was my 37 week appointment. Imagine my doctor's surprise when I told her I did, in fact, was to be induced! She was confused at first, but completely understood when I told her the situation. She wanted to check me to see where I was, and then gave the OK. We set up the induction date for June 24th.

Once I told people what we were doing, we got a lot of flack for it. Why not let the baby come naturally? Why do that to yourself? Why pump yourself full of synthetic hormones? I was a little miffed, but I knew that my doctor would not have OK'd the induction if she didn't think everything would be fine. I must also say that at my 36 week appointment, she told me that I may want to take back some of the newborn things we received because this baby was going to be big!

A couple of days later, my sister and her family were at our house painting the kitchen, when my mom called. She sounded very sad, and she said that my grandpa had passed away. What? I thought he was supposed to make it till the next weekend! She also told me that he'd said that he was going to leave this world so Trent could come in. Whoa, there's my sign! I must say here that my gramps was a Christian, and the closest person I know to being like Jesus. Never once did I ever hear him say a cross word about anyone. He always looked for the best in everyone, and often, that's what he got. He was a sweet, sweet man. Chris and I talked, and we decided to keep the induction date. I told my parents to go to Indiana, that Trent would be here when they got back. That is the hardest decision I've ever had to make, telling my family to go. But I knew that I would have the support of Chris, my sister, and Chris's family.

At my 38 week appointment, we got everything set up to come to the hospital on a Tuesday night to start Cervadil(something that thins out the cervix). They would start the Pitocin on Wednesday morning, the 24th.

Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon: Chris and I were getting everything packed, and then it hit us that this would be our last time in our house, just us. Never again would we not be parents. Never again would we be making decisions for just us. It was all very overwhelming. I was so antsy and excited though! We went to eat my "Last Supper" at Lemongrass Asian Bistro, my favorite Asian restaurant. Yum!!! Then we left like 2 hours before we even had to be at the hospital. We took the long way, and got there at 4, a full hour early. We headed to Barnes and Noble, where both of us looked at our watches continually for the next 45 minutes.

Finally, we got there and checked in. I had the Cervadil in all night and it was removed early Wednesday morning. Thirty minutes after the Pitocin was started, my contractions began. Yowzer! I made it through 2 1/2 hours of pretty hard contractions before I got my Epidural. Then I felt nothing. Wonderful drugs! When my doctor broke my water, she found Meconium in my amniotic fluid, meaning that Trent had pooped inside of me. If we'd waited until I'd gone into labor, Trent would have been a very sick little boy since he would have aspirated the meconium. Another sign!!! We had many visitors throughout the day, including Chris's parents, his brother and his family, and then his sister and her family. My sister was there also.

Around 5 pm, I started pushing. And I can say that I watch too much TV, because I honestly thought I would have 3 big pushes, and Trent would be in my arms. Yeah, not so much... Once I finally got the "pushing" down, we were good. I pushed till about 7:30, and Trent Rayner Mata made his entrance into our world at 7:32pm on June 24th. That morning, they'd buried my grandpa. So he really did leave this world so my sweet baby could come in.

You'd think We'd Learn By Now...

So, last Sunday, we ran out of the RTF Isomil we give to Trent. And being the broke parents that we are, figured we'd just try him on the powder Isomil we can a crap-ton of... And he was fine for a few days. And then he was fussy and running fever. Well, heck, we thought he was just teething or had a slight infection. That was Wednesday. We alternated Motrin and Tylenol, and the kid was good as new. Then Thursday (Thanksgiving), we had similar problems, only the fever was very low-grade. More Tylenol, and he was good. Then, that night, he lost his mind while we were visiting Chris's parents, he lost it again. Teething rings and Tylenol for him then. Friday was much of the same, with fussiness, unwillingness to eat, etc. Then Saturday, OhEmGee!!! It was bad, and to make matter worse, I was by myself all day since Chris had to work. It was so crappy at one point, I was strongly considering taking back what I'd said about wanting another baby! Oh yeah, totally forgot to mention the fact that all during this, he is spitting up like he's in a spit-up competition and the prize is college tuition to UT-Austin. He does have reflux, but give me a break...

Then, a lightbulb went off in my head: It's the freaking formula!!!! So, I packed up Trent and my niece, Kallie, who I was watching while her parents were on a date, and booked it straight to Walgreens and bought 2 big containers of the RTF stuff. SO glad I did that! Within the first hour, he was back to his normal, drooly, silly self. Thank the Lord!!!! Never again will we subject Trent (and ourselves) to that ridiculous-ness. We have learned our lesson!!!

In other news, Chris's mom wants to watch Trent one day a week. This means, I can work on Mondays now! Yea, more hours for Mommy and less for Daddy to have to work(hopefully). Also, Granny will get to see Trent more than just the one day a week we can get over to see her and Papa.

I will post about Thanksgiving another time. Got to finish laundry and sweep the floor.

Blessings!