Monday, May 16, 2016

Backyard BBQ {Girl Edition}

Every time one of our girls from our high school group growing up gets pregnant, we have a shower. For the first baby, we go all out. For all kids after the first, we just get together at a local restaurant and shower each other with diapers and wipes. Let’s just say that I haven’t had to buy diapers yet for Drake.

Erin was the last of the girls to have her first baby, so we had our last big shower for her this past weekend. It was a backyard BBQ with a whole lot of girl thrown in. When we all pool our resources together, we end up with a pretty nice backdrop to shower the mom-to-be with lots of gift while getting to enjoy each other’s company and watch all of kids play together.

Erin designed her own invitation since she does that on the side for people. We just told her the direction we wanted to go and some of the designs we liked, and this is what she came up with. Since mason jars are a staple at all of our parties, it seemed only fitting.

Invitation

As for the details, I think the pictures speak for themselves…

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Erin's Baby Shower 2016

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The kids had a great time. It was nice to have it on Kate and Spencer’s farm where they could just run and roam without having to be too worried. A place to run, a game of baseball {kind of}, and farm animals equals loads of fun and great memories!

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And, of course, the mama and daddy-to-be got plenty of little lovelies to make sure Baby E is set for her arrival. They are keeping the name a secret, and I can’t say I blame them. We’ve done both….kept it a secret and told people. My advice is to keep it a secret. It’s much more fun, and no one can give you their opinion about the name and what they would rather you name it.

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Now, we wait until June! Erin, we all wish you the best of luck. We know you are looking forward to welcoming your baby girl, and we can’t wait to see her and hold her ourselves. It’s the best feeling in the world to be a mama, even if you are too exhausted to even remember your name sometimes. That love is like no other!

Love, All of your Hostesses

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Saturday, April 16, 2016

101 Things to do in 1,001 Days

Can it be done? Completing 101 goals in 1,001 days?

Maybe not. I’ve always had good success at completing a great majority of the goals I set for myself though. Some of them are just simple and silly goals. Some are more serious and complex…not many though. I’m not that complicated of a person.

I look forward to setting new goals. It’s funny to see how some goals become obsolete as you change in almost a three year period. Your priorities change, or you make new plans. It’s all a part of life. Being a Type A person though, I enjoy making lists, and I love crossing items off even more.

I’ve had this list made since the beginning of the year, so I’m just going to say that January 1, 2016 is the start date, which means my goal to have everything completed by is October 8, 2018. That’s why some things are already marked off.

101 Things to Do

So, here it goes….the brainstorm of goals for the next 1,001 days.

  1. Have our second {and last} child.
  2. Enroll Landry in preschool.
  3. Take a trip to the mountains.
  4. Take Landry to the beach.
  5. Go to the beach as a family of four to the beach.
  6. Remove wallpaper from guest bathroom.
  7. Replace all fans in bedrooms.
  8. Plant a tree in the backyard.
  9. Complete the Samaritan’s purse project.
  10. Paint kitchen cabinets and replace hardware.
  11. See the Biltmore Estate.
  12. Get porch swings for the front porch.
  13. Have a new breakfast table and benches made.
  14. Add tall planters to the front porch.
  15. Replace doorbell.
  16. Take Landry to fly a kite.
  17. Replace doorknobs in the house.
  18. Fill a hummingbird feeder.
  19. Hang string lights in the backyard.
  20. Make a video of a trip we go on.
  21. Make a video compilation of the new baby’s birth.
  22. Add three movies to the Christmas movie collection.
  23. Shop at the Copper Possum.
  24. Get a new mailbox and post {or paint the current one for the time being}
  25. Get a decal for the mailbox.
  26. Plant around the mailbox.
  27. Have a picnic.
  28. Make homemade chocolate chip cookies.
  29. Add finishing touches to courtyard.
  30. Purchase rug for the breakfast room.
  31. Have a piece of artwork framed and hung.
  32. Make changes to the nursery for the new baby.
  33. Get new bedding for the master bedroom.
  34. Get new light fixture for front entry.
  35. Change hall lights to recessed lighting.
  36. Change chandelier in dining room to larger chandelier.
  37. Add Christmas accent plates to china collection.
  38. Clean out laundry room.
  39. Clean out garage for either Colby’s workshop or to park my car in.
  40. Blog at least 48 times in a year {four times a month}.
  41. Pay $25,000 worth of debt from house mortgage.
  42. Continue to stay debt free aside from the house.
  43. Get rid of toys as the kids outgrow them.
  44. Consign, donate, or sell baby items as they are outgrown.
  45. Make a holiday gift for neighboring families.
  46. Make a Christmas ornament with Landry and/or new baby.
  47. Get a basket to hold Chatbooks.
  48. Repaint coffee table and put it back in living room.
  49. Add succulents to some room in the house.
  50. Plant herbs.
  51. Replace spotlight by garage with a lantern.
  52. Get throw pillows for the couch.
  53. Get two new chairs for living room.
  54. Stay at the cabin.
  55. Get new sheets for cabin beds.
  56. Get new towels for cabin bathroom.
  57. Have a family photo made as a family of four.
  58. Have newborn photos made.
  59. Change classroom theme.
  60. Have business cards made for rental business.
  61. Have a date night {locally} with Colby.
  62. Have a date with Colby {out of town}.
  63. Play Phase 10 or Uno with the family or friends
  64. Get curtains for dining room.
  65. Pick out a baby name.
  66. Order a big brother and newborn gown.
  67. Help host a baby shower.
  68. Have a first birthday party for the new baby.
  69. Have the new baby christened.
  70. Make or buy a door hanger for the hospital room door.
  71. Repaint rocking chairs on the front porch.
  72. Get prescription sunglasses.
  73. Get new glasses.
  74. Send birth announcements.
  75. Make a dessert for Colby’s birthday.
  76. Go to the shooting range with Colby
  77. Get a massage
  78. Get rid of all maternity clothes.
  79. Clean out closet after new baby.
  80. Get new summer wardrobe.
  81. Get a pedicure.
  82. Read a book for enjoyment.
  83. Take another class offered by The Nester
  84. Order the book “Simply Tuesday”
  85. Paint radio speakers in bedrooms white
  86. Find some accessories for the house at Dirt Cheap
  87. Go to Old Time Pottery in Pensacola
  88. Have backyard landscaped
  89. Have front yard landscaped
  90. Read a book about hospitality and try practicing some of the suggestions
  91. Have friends over for no particular reason
  92. Take a personal day to do whatever I want!
  93. Cook a new recipe
  94. Send a note to someone {just because}
  95. Try a new {to me} restaurant with Colby
  96. Go berry picking with the kids
  97. Have playhouse built for the kids in the backyard
  98. Throw a backyard party
  99. Surprise a friend in some way
  100. Have the family over for dinner/lunch
  101. Attend a festival/event that I’ve never been to before

Friday, April 15, 2016

Rocked My World

It’s amazing how a person can go from complete joy to a near state of depression in a matter of minutes. You see, everything went great with Drake’s delivery. Everything was quick and pretty easy. I was totally fine…way better than I was right after Landry, which wasn’t actually that bad. I was simply elated that I could finally hold that sweet, precious boy in my arms and see his little face.

After the family had seen him though and left to go get some lunch {finally}, it was just Colby and I with Drake in the room. Then, the nurse came in and said she was going to take him to the nursery. She wasn’t panicked in any way that set off my mommy alarm, so I didn’t really think anything about it.

Later, our pastor and youth minister came by to see everyone and check on everybody and pray with us. I, still thinking nothing was wrong or abnormal, told them that they had just missed the baby, as he was in the nursery, but Colby could take them down there to see him. After prayer, they all left to go to the nursery, and I had to stay behind because of the lack of feeling in my legs due to the epidural.

They were gone….for a while.

So, I texted to make sure everything was ok. No reply.

Worry immediately sets in.

And then they return. Just Colby and the pastor…with solemn looks on their faces. Heat swept over my body.

I would be lying if I said that I didn’t immediately think the worst. I thought my baby was gone. To all of you mamas who have lost children in some way, I experienced that pain for a split second, and I hope I never have to experience that ever again. I cannot even imagine the hole in your heart that losing a child leaves.

Luckily though, Drake was a fighter but was having difficulty breathing. He had nurses and doctors standing around him. His O2 levels were not where they should have been, and his breathing was very rapid as he struggled. Within an hour of his life, he looked more like an astronaut with his oxygen hood on and wires hooked up to him in every way needed to monitor all of his levels. Thank you, Jesus, for amazing technology!

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I was still back in the delivery room trying my best to move my legs in hopes that it would make the epidural wear off quicker, so I could walk good enough to get to the bathroom {that’s the deal with getting to move to the recovery room} and into a wheelchair, so I could at least see him through the window.

In what seemed like forever, I cried the hardest cry and prayed the longest prayer one could in that moment. Pleas for my baby boy to be okay and to not be affected by this in any negative way. And as I prayed…so did countless others, and I cannot be more grateful to all of you who did. God heard our prayers.

Eventually, I was able to go see him on my way to the recovery room. I had the best nurse who knew I was dying to see him. All I had been relying on up until that point was pictures and what my family was telling me. And of course, I was thinking that they were all only telling me half of the truth to try to keep me from being more upset.

While in the nursery, I was terrified as I sat there. I continuously watched the monitors and his little chest going up and down. Every time he would hesitate in breathing for a split second, I would panic inside….afraid that the monitors were going to go off and something else be wrong. I watched my grandmother take some of her last breaths, and it was just like that. That’s an image you can never erase from your brain, and I did not want to have to watch that with my son.

After staying for a few minutes, I had all I could bear and went back to the room. Colby would go back and forth to see what progress was being made with him. That night, I went back to check on him after we had spoken with the pediatrician who said that they had consulted Sacred Heart and would be shipping him there if he did not make progress within the next few hours. As we waited for him to come back late that night, we both fell asleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night and contemplated making my own way to the nursery to see if they had actually had to send him {the nurses assured me the next day that they would have gotten me up for that}, but decided it would be best for me to rest and not venture out alone since I was still getting feeling back in my legs {even then} and had only really gotten around by wheelchair.

The next morning though…

Surprise, surprise!

Colby went to check on him and came back with him in his bassinet. Praise the Lord! Just like that, the Lord had healed him within a few hours, and he was safe to be back with us in the room full time. So once again, family and friends filed in to see our boy.

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We are so thankful that Drake has been totally fine minus a trip to the ER at Sacred Heart when he was making wheezing type noises when he fed. Luckily, they cleaned out his sinuses with what looked like a Roto-Rooter, and he has been good to go since aside from just doing a saline spray and suctioning him out every day.It’s a small hiccup, but we are just thankful that he is totally healthy according to all of his doctors and will not be affected by this in any way. Praise the Lord!

And today….Drake is One Month Old!

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And because Landry wanted to get in on the action…

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Happy Weekend, Everyone! Enjoy the sunshine!

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Welcome to the World!

Somehow, I had planned on blogging about the arrival of Drake into the world shortly after his birth. Yet, here I am…just one day away from him being one month old. It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you’ve got two kiddos that are constantly keeping you busy literally all hours of the day. I seriously have no idea how this is going to work when it’s time for me to go back to work, but for now I have two-ish weeks of maternity leave left, and I’m going to soak up every minute.

It’s SO NICE being at home during my favorite season of the year. We’ve been planting and watering flowers, playing outside, and soaking up the sunshine. It’s so much nicer to be off during this time of the year versus summer because you can actually go outside and enjoy it without sweating to death or coating yourself {really the kiddos} in sunscreen.

That’s not the point though. The point of this whole blog post is to recap the birth of Drake. Let’s just say those first few days were NOT AT ALL like I imagined or planned them to be, but we have made up for it.

So, here it goes…

I chose to be induced, and I went in at midnight. We had to be there around 10:30 to get the paperwork and all started. There I was {amongst some rather scary individuals} in the ER, and in comes a girl who is quite pregnant and in A LOT of pain. Exactly why I chose to be induced! There I sat though…big, fat, pregnant, and just waiting for my name to be called.

Once we got paperwork taken care of, I was taken to my labor and delivery room…not the comfiest of beds since it breaks apart for the delivery part. I had a sweet nurse that got me all situated and hooked up to a million cords and started the process. Colby got situated on his make-shift bed and was out like a light in a matter of minutes it seemed. If only! I was up the entire night, which made for a good time to catch up on soap operas and Candy Crush.

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The doctor came in around 6 a.m. to break my water, and those contractions were off to the races. While I can’t remember exactly, I think it was around 8:30 or 9 that they came in and told me I was ready for an epidural if I wanted it. Boy, did I want it!!! Bravo to you ladies who birth those babies without any pain meds! This chick is not one of them.

They gave me a shot of something in my IV to help the pain until the epidural was ready, and that really threw me for a loop. The nurses were ready for me to drink something out of a cup used for the epidural, and let’s just say I wasn’t sure which way the cup was. Everything was running together, but I sure felt better! Once the epidural was in, I couldn’t feel a thing! It was smooth sailing from that point on.

Right around lunch time, I was trying to convince all the family to go eat some lunch and to not be in a hurry. Just as they were about to head out the door though, the nurses came in to check me, and surprise, surprise…it was go time!

Before I knew it, Dr. Lee {the best doctor ever} was in the delivery room ready to catch a baby. Things went quickly, and Drake was here at 12:25 p.m. Nearly the exact same birth story as Landry but an hour quicker!

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Tears filled my eyes as I got to see my baby boy for the first time! All the pains of carrying him for 9 months and labor were suddenly erased as I saw that sweet little face and heard that tiny cry…the most precious sound a mother could hear! I was in love immediately.

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Shortly after, the family came in to meet our new little boy. Landry wasn’t too sure about what this baby brother thing was, but he hesitantly crawled up beside me to see him. Everyone got to meet him, and then left to {finally} go eat and give me some time to rest and recover….

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…right before the scariest moment I think I’ve ever experienced in my life.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Prepping Big Brother

Going from being an only child to the big brother has to be a big deal for such a little boy! Landry has been my heart and soul for the past two years, and I was having a pretty difficult time coming to terms with our days ending with him being the only one. A few days before I was supposed to go into the hospital, we were going through our daily bedtime routine of prayers and such.

I fell apart.

Like sobbing falling apart.

Apparently, I just needed to get it out of my system because I was fine from that point on. However, I thought it would be fun to have him a little gift waiting for him since he was becoming the big brother and all.

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I bought everything {except the shirt} from the Dollar Tree, and it is all stuff I thought he might would have fun with and could keep busy with while visiting the hospital or do while staying away at his Mimi and Paw’s. The labels are from here. There are tons of options on Pinterest though.

Big Brother Gift

In the bags, you will find…

Fruit snacks

Cookies

M&Ms

Big Brother shirt

Coloring book and crayons

Play dough and Play dough cut-outs

Toy car

Sticker scene creations

Looking back, I probably put WAY too much in there, but we put it all to good use in the days we were back home from the hospital and trying to adjust into a life as a family of four. Overall though, I think having something there for him made him feel special and a little less uneasy to seeing his mommy in a hospital bed hooked up to a million wires.

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Sunday, March 27, 2016

Welcoming Drake Dossy

This past month has been a whirlwind, and now it is coming to an end. During this month, I have been big, fat, and pregnant. I’ve had two baby showers. We’ve welcomed Drake into the world, and we’ve thrown in a little excitement and some Easter celebrations. Hopefully, over the next week, I can recap March and all of the happenings.

For starters, I had two amazing showers hosted by some of my favorite people!

The first shower took place at school, and it was absolutely beautiful, and we were blessed with so many gifts to welcome Drake into the world. For a second child, this little guy had plenty of personalized gifts and some necessessities {in my opinion} that needed to be replaced after lots of use from Landry.

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Drake Dossy School Baby Shower

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I am so thankful to work with such wonderful people, especially my second grade gals! Thank you all for everything you did to make this happen. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends as you all!

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And what puts a great end to the week rather than another baby shower hosted by my sister and aunt?!?! They were so kind to host a “sprinkle” for baby Drake. My poor sister hand cut every one of those rain drops because her Silhouette machine wasn’t working right. That is dedication!

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Family and Friends Baby Shower for Drake

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So thankful for my family that came to sprinkle us with some more needs that were met!

Thanks to all of my hostesses for caring so much about Drake and I and for going through all the trouble to make both of these events happen! We are truly grateful for all you did!

Saturday, February 6, 2016

And he shall be called…

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While I haven’t done a very good job at blogging lately, I felt this deserved its own special post.

This pregnancy has taken a toll on this body, especially trying to keep up with a very strong-willed, two year old. Naming this sweet little one that I’ve been carrying around has not been easy either. We have gone from one extreme to the other. We have made lists until we had finally narrowed it down to two.

After polling Landry time and time again, we both felt like that was for sure the one. I mean, after all, he did say it was a baby brother long before we knew for sure.

Just like Landry’s name, the first name is simply one we love…no special meaning or anything. The second name, however, is a family name- of sorts.

My great-grandfather’s name was Dorsey, but he went by Doss. It’s even on his headstone as Dorsey “Doss” Ball. In an effort to keep the flow with Drake, we put the two together for Dossy.

Landry thinks his name is Drake Bossy though. My, my, my!

We are very excited to finally name this little one. I even ordered a newborn gown with his name on it this morning to make it more official-and to keep me from changing my mind.

He’s due to be here March 28th, but my doctor is working with me to get me in the hospital a little before, so I can be home for Easter. This mama doesn’t want to miss the Easter bunny.

Until next time….

Plenty to blog about but no energy to do so. Hang in there! I’ll be back to share eventually!