Shut In!

Today we are taking it easy. I love days like this, although I do wish it were snow instead of rain and wind. We have a Nor'easter coming through Hampton Roads and everything is closed down. These days, although rare, are wonderful because:

1. You can stay in your jammies all day and no one notices

2. It's a great day to drink lots of warm coffee and have some yummy soup for lunch

3. Parking yourself in front of the TV to catch up on shows and watch movies is recommended

4. It's a good time to be creative. We are planning on making Grace a sock puppet today. I also hope to scrapbook sometime today.

5. You can watch the storm outside from the warmth inside your home- on your TV set!

5. School is closed! I'm hoping I won't have to go in tomorrow too. Yes, teachers are just like the kids in hoping school is closed!

I am so excited to have a day when I can stay home all day and get some things done!

Grace is 9 Months Old!

Grace had her 9 month appointment yesterday, two weeks late because I couldn't keep the first appointment I made her. Nevertheless, we braved the wind and rain to head to the doctor. My little doodlebug weighs 19 pounds, 1 ounce, her height is 27 3/4" and her head measures 17 1/4". In other words, she is perfectly average for her age! Now the only thing I have to worry about is whether or not I should give her the H1N1 shot. I went into the office yesterday convinced I didn't want her to have the shot, but then Dr. Goodwin and I discussed it and I'm not sure. Definitely have to put it to prayer.

In the meantime, here are a few firsts:

Crawling

Holding Her Own Bottle

First Sippy Cup

First Halloween

Prayer Request

I'm putting this out there for all of you who know my dad. I won't go into a ton of detail because there is too much to even write here. My dad needs the Lord to intervene in his life, and bring healing, restoration and wholeness to many areas. Bottom line is he is very sick but refuses any type of medical care because in his eyes that would be a lack of faith. I just pray that God will make himself incredibly real to my dad, reveal the truth, expose lies and bring physical and mental healing where needed. Our family is in great need of your prayers because at this point, only God, though his grace and mercy can intervene.

For now, I am resting in this verse: Philippians 4:6-7
"BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN TO GOD; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"

It's Pumpkin Season

My absolute favorite thing about fall: PUMPKINS! I am crazy about anything pumpkin. Here are some of my favorites:

Dunkin Donuts' Pumpkin Latte
I have taste tested both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts and I'm shocked to report that I prefer Dunkin Donuts. Plus, this week all of their small lattes are only 99 cents. Can't beat that!

Pumpkin Raisin Cookies These are my all-time favorite cookies beside chocolate chip and I look forward to making them every fall. They are WELL worth the effort!

Iced Pumpkin Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
12 Tbs. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins

For the glaze:
2 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ tsp. milk, plus more as needed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
To make the cookies, over a sheet of wax paper, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium-low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the brown and granulated sugars, increase the speed to medium and beat until slightly fluffy, about 1 minute, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin mixture in two additions, beating well after each addition and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the walnuts and raisins.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared pan, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.

To make the glaze, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth, adding more milk as needed. The glaze should be thick but pourable.

Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Makes 36 cookies.

Pumpkin Decorating These shimmery pumpkins from Martha Stewart are heavenly!!

I'm baaaack!!

So I suppose I should blog. (Not that anyone will even read this!) I really have been wanting to, I just have been having a hard time prioritizing and making time. Sad, but true. A LOT has happened since my last Easter post. We have moved to Virginia, I have a new teaching job, and Grace is 9 months old! Sadly, our house in South Carolina is still for sale. We are starting to think about renting. But I have serious reservations! Here are my thoughts about renting.
1. No one takes care of your stuff like you do. Enough said. We have taken very good care of our house and I would want it "returned" to me in the same condition it is in now.
2. If we hand it over to a Property Managment company, they will control most decisions, including WHO rents. This makes me so nervous! I would want to choose who rents our house. I would be SO picky!
3. What happens when it's not rented? Will we be able to deal with two mortgages or our mortgage plus rent here in VA if we decide to rent?
4. Will it be hard to buy? It will most likely be harder to buy.

So, as you see, I have more questions than answers. Sometimes I just think we should keep it on the market. It's just hard for me to think about not having our own space until spring. That feels like a loooong way away!

Oh, and I still haven't figured out how to post my pictures WITHIN my post. Ugh.

Easter Weekend

Mike and I went home to Virginia last week to show off our sweet little girl. It was a very busy few days and we went non-stop. But, we had a wonderful time with family and friends. My only regret is that we didn't get any pictures of Grace meeting her 93 year old grandmother Dix...Here are a few pictures from our visit.

I'm officially on Etsy!

So I've been thinking and praying about what I am going to do to make a little extra money once I stop working. I feel like there are tons of things I want to do- but I feel kind of ADD about it. Where do I start? So I decided to start by making an Etsy shop. I LOVE that website and have already spent way too much money there. I made a ribbon lamp shade for Grace's room and a lot of people who have seen her nursery have commented on the shade. So, I decided to make a couple and post them on my Etsy account and just see what happens. I've looked and I haven't found any other ribbon shades similar to the ones I have made, so I am hoping that will help me out. I also plan on painting too- probably mostly things for nurseries. The three watercolor birds I did for Grace's room are hanging over her changing table and she is fascinated by them. She studies them and stares at them, and then she coos and makes all her cute little baby noises. I love it that she has taken such an interest in them! Mike doesn't like the trim I used on the pink and black and blue and white ones. The custom shade is the one I did for Grace's room but I couldn't find that same trim at Hobby Lobby. So, that said, check out my lamp shades (there's only 3) and let me know what you think.

Here's the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7071299

Crisis Averted?

So yesterday Grace and I went to school so she could meet everyone on staff- it was a staff development day, so there were no kids. The daycare where I registered is on the way (My school is about 50 minutes away, and the daycare is 30 minutes from my house, so I hadn't taken Grace there yet.) So, I wanted her to meet the two ladies who work in the infant room and make sure I had everything lined up for next Monday. This place was recommended by a friend as an okay place to take Grace- temporarily. So I walk in, to see all the babies in their cribs. There are cribs lining the walls, and in just about each of them was a crying baby. One of the workers was eating lunch, and the other was doing something else. They were both standing by the counter, together. Meanwhile, the room is full of screaming babies. The one lady I met before now no longer works there and there is a new girl. The other lady started talking to me. Meanwhile, the babies are all still crying at once. Neither of them went to soothe any of them, pick them up, etc. I was there for about 10-15 minutes. Another girl who works in the Toddler room came in and picked up the one little girl who wasn't crying! I keep thinking about this one little girl standing in her crib with tears running down her face. The crying was so loud, I could hardly hear what the woman was telling me. Then, she has the nerve to say, "oh, all the babies just woke up from their naps." Please, children do not all nap at the same time. Plus, last time I was there, there were only about 5 babies. There were about 10 yesterday. 10 babies and 2 adults. The math just doesn't work out. So I left in a mess and was completely upset. I do not want to leave Grace somewhere where she will be left to scream her head off. I understand she will not get the one-on-one attention I would give her all the time, but I certainly expect more interaction than I saw yesterday. My mommy-instinct was completely kicking in, and I do not have a good feeling about that place. I mean, this is my child! She deserves the BEST- and this time is so important as far as her development goes. She needs interaction, play, reading, etc!

So, here we are, a week away from me going back to school, and there is no one to keep Grace. One of my friends knows another teacher who has an older lady come to her house to watch her 6 month old(she lives on the street next to my school.) So, she is calling this woman to see if she will be willing to take Grace just until the end of school. It's either that, or my father-in-law (who is retiring) will have to come live with us for 8 weeks to keep her. Ugh. Talk about stress! I'm just hoping this is an answer to prayer...Hopefully we'll hear something today. BUT I am glad to have this out BEFORE I dropped her off and left her there all day!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I know it's a little early for Christmas, but since I missed last year by only a month, I figure I need to get a head start on this year's list. Plus, I plan on celebrating Christmas in July and the first item on my list coincides perfectly with that! The other day, mommy and I were in a really cute children's boutique looking for my Easter dress. We found the cutest polka-dot dress! It is off-white with blue, pink and green polka-dots. I love it! It will be perfect for church. I will definitely need it in a size 3-6 months. They didn't have my size in the store, but mommy found it online at this website:
http://www.shopthatstore.com/le-za-me-dot-bishop.html.
Please, please, please bring me this dress BEFORE July! You know where to find me.

Love,
Grace

Breastfeeding 911!

So if you feel like this is TMI, please continue no further. I am in desperate need of some help, and I'm hoping someone has some suggestions for me. Since Grace was 2 weeks old, I have had a terrible case of yeast in my breast. I can't feed her on the one side- it feels like a stabbing knife pain in my nipple while she's feeding,and it just gets worse the more I feed her. Then, once she's done, it burns like all get out off and on until the next feeding. I have no outward symptoms, and her pediatrician didn't see signs of thrush. She has been treated with Nystatin, which did nothing. I have been on Diflucan for over a month (200 mg- the highest dose my Ob would give me). I've tried applying heat, and an all-purpose cream my OB prescribed. I even resorted to applying Gentian Violet for a week- which was terribly messy and made her mouth purple. Nothing has given me any relief! At this point, I don't want to give up. I have been pumping the one side and it feels better, but I worry she's not getting enough. My OB said there's nothing more she can do. Anybody have any suggestions?

Bummer!

So last night, Mike had to make a run to the office and he invited Grace and I along for a stop off at one of my favorite places, Starbucks. I love me some White Chocolate Mocha! Well, being that I am breastfeeding and that it was 8:00 at night, I ordered a Grande DECAF WCM and Mike ordered his standard passionfruit iced tea lemonade, since he doesn't like coffee. Driving home, I said to him, "Imagine if I hadn't gotten decaf- that's a whole lotta caffeine!" I looked at the side of my drink where "decaf" should have been checked, but it wasn't. Mike looked at his and his was. I was so disappointed! I ended up drinking his tea, which was good, but just not what I wanted. Boo for Starbucks!

A MUST Have!

Swaddling is one of the best thing for babies, especially at night. It provides them with the feeling of comfort and security they had while in the womb. It is also one of the "5 S's" that Harvey Karp discusses in his book, The Happiest Baby on the Block and according to Karp, is one of the steps parents can take to soothe their baby. I have many receiving blankets that I began to use for swaddling when we brought Grace home from the hospital. I quickly discovered she could wriggle one or both arms out of the swaddle at some point in the middle of the night. She cannot stand to have both arms constricted. I was given the Swaddle Me by Kiddapotamus, which is practically foolproof: she can't get her arms out at all! It is basically shaped like a "T". First, her legs go in a pouch (at the bottom of the T), then the left side of the T comes across her body and tucks underneath her. Finally, the right part of the T folds across and VELCROS- holding it securely in place. No more arms flailing out or swaddle coming undone! Once we used the Swaddle Me, we never went back to receiving blankets.

Oh, and Grace is sleeping in the cradle my Uncle Bud made especially for her- it is beautiful, and she loves it!

Two Months Old!

Here are a few pictures from the last week...it's so hard to believe she will be 6 weeks on Wednesday. The last picture makes me laugh because she sleeps like this often- with one or both of her arms in the air.

Hello, Mommy Brain!

So on her blog, Thinking Out Loud, Leah recently posted about the dreaded "Pregnancy Brain." Well, unfortunately it just gets worse. I have officially moved from having "Pregnancy Brain" to ...wait for it..."Mommy Brain!" Ugh. On our first outing to the mall, Grace and I had one mission: to get dad some new dress shirts for work. Well, Belk was having a fabulous sale, so I found him some great Nautica dress shirts on sale and spotted Ralph Lauren dress pants also on sale. Well, of course I couldn't pass them up- in a color he doesn't already have (size 34). I get them home and they were a little tight- they must run a little snug, so of course I said I would take them back- another excuse to get out of the house! So I get to Belk the next day and the helpful salesman asks what size I want to exchange them for. I get a size 38 and take them home. The next morning, Mike goes to wear them. I was still asleep so he whispers in my ear, "You know you got a size 38, not 36 in these pants." I mumbled something- after all I was still half asleep.

So what does he do? WEARS them! Now I can't take them back- and they are CLEARLY too big. So I feel like we've wasted money, but is he worried about it? No. He is wearing them anyway (and by the way, they look silly!). I really have no idea what I was thinking when I asked for a 38 instead of 36. Welcome, "Mommy Brain!"

Your Vote Counts!

Vote for Felicia! Who is she? She married into the Barton family, who are longtime family friends. She and her husband, Loren are an integral part of the worship team at Freedom Fellowship in Virginia Beach. They produced an awesome CD, "You are Near" and Felicia has been singing for all of her life. She made it through to Hollywood, but was sent home before advancing to the top 36. The day after that show aired, American Idol announced that contestant Joanna Pacitti was disqualified and Felicia Barton was to take her place! This is a great opportunity for her to share God's love and her awesome talent! She sings tomorrow night- so please VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Before Grace was born, I bought her a cute Valentine's Day outfit from Target. Several weeks later, she was given the same outfit by some family friends. Then, Auntie Leesa sent her the same outfit along with matching bibs (which I didn't have) so we ended up with three of them! Here she is proudly wearing one of them. I guess great minds think alike! And I love the last picture- in true Grace fashion- she has her fist up by her cheek. She is a trip!

Grace's First Bath

Grace most definitely hates getting a bath. Although she loves having her head rinsed off under the faucet- go figure! One thing I can't figure out- how is she supposed to get clean when she pees in the tub? Gross!

Finally...Grace's Birth Story

On- Tuesday, January 27th, my mother-in-law arrived from Virginia. I had been walking the mall, drinking tea, eating spicy food- you name it-all in hopes that I would go into labor on my own. When she arrived, she told me she had to have a "talk" with Grace- and she told my belly that she had arrived, and that Grace could come now anytime. About an hour later, I was making dinner and I began to have menstrual like cramps, and continued to have them. At about 8:00 I could tell they were definitely contractions,and we began timing them. They were pretty close together but I could breathe and talk through them. Between 11:00 and 12:00, they got more severe and I started to feel extreme pressure. At 12:30 my contractions felt (to me) really strong and were 4-5 minutes apart, lasting between 50-60 seconds. At that point, I actually thought I was almost fully dilated and wondered if I'd make it to the hospital in time. Mike grabbed our bag and we headed to the hospital.
Well, I was only 1.5 cm dilated! I was shocked. They decided to admit me and monitor my contractions through the night. They gave me something to help ease the pain and help me sleep. I really don't remember much- everything seems like a blur from here. On Wednesday, I was making some slow progress- the contractions were terrible! I was trying really hard to not have an epidural- but I was not prepared for the pain! The contractions would get ahead of me- and I was struggling to breathe through them. Those relaxation techniques I had practiced went right out the window! By early afternoon, I had only dilated to 6 cm...and wasn't making much progress. My doctor wanted to give me pitocin to speed up the contractions and I knew this would make them much stronger. I decided to take the epidural she offered. With the pitocin, I labored for a little longer and only made it to 6.5 cm. At this point, nurses kept coming in and monitoring the screens and giving me oxygen but no one would tell me what was going on. My doctor finally came in and told me the baby was in distress and my cervix was swollen and not dilating. She said she wanted to do a c section- by that point, I was so tired I didn't even think I had the energy to push- I quickly agreed to the c-section. Things went really fast from there, I was prepped, Mike was gowned and I was wheeled to the freezing OR. I'll never forget hearing her cry for the first time- like music to my ears!
Grace Elizabeth Cox was born on January 28, 2009 at 3:42 in the afternoon weighing 6 pounds 15 ounces.

Putting it all together

Here are a couple of pictures of Mike and Reuben putting together the swing and stroller and car seat.

Christmas

With everything going on with preparing for Grace's arrival, Christmas completely snuck up on me. As of my last day of school, I had not touched a single Christmas decoration or purchased the first gift. So, needless to say, in between Babies R Us runs for nursery stuff, I was running around like a crazy person trying to get gifts for everyone. Mike's mom and dad came and stayed for two weeks, helping around the house and helping check things off my never-ending "TO DO" list. Reuben came and stayed for about a week. I enjoyed hosting Christmas dinner, although I was worn out when it was all said and done.

Thanksgiving (a little late)

These first few pictures are from when we went home for Thanksgiving. It was strange to think that that would be the last time we would travel to Virginia- just the two of us. The next time we go, we will be a family of three!