Life is Good!

Here is a close up of my little star. He has been such a cutie pie lately. A mess and a cutie pie. He now cannot stand for daddy to go to the bathroom. He stands outside the door and wails. One of his favorite activities is the run around the livingroom with his arms outstretched and pretends to be a plane or "paum" as he calls it. He is all about balls at the moment, throwing them in particular. When people come to our home he goes and gets his ball to throw with them. His favorite shows now are Elmo, Dora, and Deal/No Deal continues to be a hit. If you don't want him to whine about watching the shows you cannot say Elmo or Dora because he will expect to watch it. For the last few weeks he has really learned that shaking your head means no and does this with eating his vegetables or getting his teeth brushed. It was cute at first, now I am not so sure I am glad he learned this gesture. We say more words than I can keep up with on a regular basis. One word he is getting the hang of more lately is now we have advanced from saying "burn" for Auburn to saying "aumurn." After you say Auburn Tigers, he will roar for you. We have him trained right. As I indicated he is now running. It is so cute to watch his little, short legs move as fast as they can. Thank goodness our house is not too big, so it isn't hard to chase him down, there isn't much space to go. He has recently become more and more upset when we bathe him, he actually likes his bath, but hates being bathed, especially the washing the hair part. I don't know how to make it any better for him. We are also advancing in our table food eating. He will now eat most things except for pasta (not a mac'ncheese fan), veggies, and meat. So, we still eat veggies in the baby food form as that is what he will eat. I am sure there are more things he is doing and I am just not thinking about them all right now.

Pregnancy is progressing, only 7 weeks, 7 days to go! Can't wait! My legs/hips are really starting to bother me. They are achy and hurt, especially after getting up in the morning or from a nap. I can't nap on the sofa anymore because of this. My clothes are getting more and more limited as I grow. Although I am still a good bit smaller than I was last time. I am having a "Baby Prayer Lunch" on February 10th. I wanted to do something this time around to celebrate the baby and no one had offered to do a shower, so I had an idea to have a lunch with my friends and ask them to bring a decorative notecard with their favorite verse and a short prayer for baby Titus. I just love the idea of this. I want Titus to know in the future that his coming was much anticipated and that he was loved and covered in prayer before he was brought to us. My friend Jean offered to have it at her new, lovely home and my mom is the hostess. I am so excited!

Until next time, be blessed!

Just Thoughts

I am glad to be back in the swing of things with normal routines and normal outings. With Justice going on a week plus of no runny nose/cough, I have been venturing out more with him. We haven't been doing anything major, but I have gone back to the grocery store and playgroup now. It is though getting harder to get out at this stage of my pregnancy with him. I feel very weighed down while holding him needless to say. But, it has been nice not feeling so isolated and cooped up as I had been during the holiday season. Today, going back to playgroup was amazing to see that in only a month babies can change so much! My friends' little ones are growing up and looking more toddlerlike and less babylike. They are also all so much taller than Justice, and I will add that they are all 3-4 mos. younger. It is cute though. He is my little munchkin.

I was so excited to order some baby stuff today, well, sort of baby stuff. I ordered the cutest nursing cover up that is called a "hooter hider." It is like an apron for nursing moms, bigger and made with softer fabric. I think it will be great for me to not have worry about exposing myself trying to be discreet in public or go into another room when male relatives are present. I will get to be much more comfortable breastfeeding around people. Also, on that same note I got a good nursing bra. The ones I had with Justice were all pretty bad and not too comfortable. I am hoping this one will be better. It is popular with the stars, Britney Spears and Jennifer Garner, both were customers of this product. Not that I want to emulate Britney, but it goes to say that it must be good. It wasn't that expensive either, $30.00 on sale, which for a good bra isn't that much. Okay, enough about bras and nursing.

Nine Weeks to go! I am so ready! Still have much to do, but ready in my heart for this little guy.

Christmas, New Years, and More

1/3/2007
Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope your Christmas and New Years was blessed! Ours was for sure. It was good to be around our family. It was hectic, but good. We had 11 children 11 and under at our Christmas gathering. Nine of those children were boys as well. Next year there will be 10 with our addition of Titus. We are just becoming the boy family. Justice this year loved his toys, but didn't get into the unwrapping. Next year I am sure we will have him more trained in the traditions of Christmas. After Christmas we hosted our two eldest nephews for a day and night for which most of it was taken up playing Playstation. They don't get to play very often so we figured the aunt and uncle could treat them to an all you can play night.
Justice returned to being sick the day after Christmas unfortunately for which we ended up taking him back to the doctor. It turned out that the medications he had been on had not fully taken care of the infection and his white blood cell count was elevated once again. So, we took another round of antibiotics. Thankfully yesterday and today he has not had a runny nose or much of a cough. It is the first time in months his nose hasn't run. It is a huge deal to me.
Our New Year was pretty uneventful. We watched a movie and as I got into bed I wispered to Ron Happy New Year. The day after we celebrated Auburn's win over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl. I love the holidays, but I am happy to be getting back to a normal routine and starting this new year. I am planning on getting the preparations going for Titus, getting the bassinet, stroller, and clothes ready for him in the next couple of weeks so I won't have to do those things with a big belly, although it already feels big to me. I am excited and ready for what this year has in store for our family. Blessings to yours!

WHAT A WEEK!!

Well, we did have quite a week this past week. It all started on Wednesday, when I woke Justice up at 9:15 a.m. and found him to be really, really sick. He was very lethargic, not wanting to get up or move. I let him lay on my chest for awhile then decided to take his tempurature and it was 101 degrees. His congestion had been really bad the day before and was continuing. And, he was spitting/throwing up liquids I was giving him. So, all in all I had a very sick boy on my hands. I called the Pediatrician's office and in desparation asked if there were any appointments. The nurse fought on my behalf to create an appointment for me as she could here the distress in my voice. Upon arriving he just slept, not a good sign since he doesn't usually sleep other than in the dark in bed. The doctor discovered that he had a bad infection of some sort with a high white blood cell count and decided to hospitalize him. I almost started crying when she said this as I had my precious son in my hands and we were taking him to the hospital, seemingly very serious. The next three days were a blur of IVs, vital sign checking, hospital food, lack of sleep, and having a restless baby cooped up. It was so tough. The toughest part was having my son injected with an IV in his wrist and having his blood taken. He just looked at me, his daddy, and mamaw as they did all this. He went back and forth with tears streaming down his face yelling for "momma" and "dadda," and not understanding why were not doing anything to get rid of and take away his pain. It was torture! And to top it off, the IV came out that night and they had to reinsurt it at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. Thankfully, Wednesday night his fever broke and he began looking better and by Thursday afternoon his color was restoring and his eyes began brightening up. The fluids and antibiotics they were giving him were working. Friday morning the doctor came by and said that they would see how he did during the day and make a judgment over whether he should stay another night. Ron and I were completely drained and at our sanity's end on Friday having had two terrible nights of sleep with Justice having a lot of trouble getting comfortable and dealing with congestion. The Lord was the only thing keeping us from losing it. We made it to Friday night and the good doctor let us take our baby home. I knew things would be better having him home to get some good rest since you cannot rest in the hospital. It is impossible with vital signs being take every few hours, people coming in take the trash, bring the meals, bring ice and the newspaper, etc. Friday night was a victorious night! Saturday, we saw the doctor at the office and he was so, so pleased with his progress. He said that if he did not know he had been in the hospital he would not have suspected it and would have thought he was healthy other than a cough and runny nose. So, our battle was over after a long week. We are keeping him home until Christmas to get him fully better. We are still deciding what to do about making our home more sanitized and what to do about taking him to nursery. We understand that we can't isolate him forever and it is impossible to keep him from getting sick all the time, but we never want to have him in the hospital again and if that takes keeping him home more, than so be it. We shall see and we are praying for God's wisdom in how to best care for our little boy.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have been so busy lately that posting has been on the backburner for awhile now, but I have missed it and have been meaning to get back. So, first off we are all pretty good. Justice continues to struggle with congestion and a runny nose, which has been going on for a month and a half now. We have been to the doctor twice and nothing is really helping. So that is no fun, but we are and have been completely walking for a few weeks. This is a picture of him walking outside at my mom's farm on Thanksgiving. Shortly after 15 mos. he began taking steps and about a week before Thanksgiving he became committed to walking full time, which has been exciting and challenging. I am glad he finally got it down even with the challenges it brings. He wants to walk all the time now, even in stores, which makes trips longer and more stressful. With the walking comes more things to get into and keep him from so my days are more tiring, but it is worth it to see my son reach that goal. He is a cutie walking, I love it. He is so short and petite that it is just amazing to see such a little guy upright and walking.

Thanksgiving was fun. It was a huge gathering with a good bit of my family including my Uncle from Panama City, his wife and two little ones, my great Uncle from Birmingham, and my stepdads brother, wife and two little boys. We had 5 children under the age of 4 on Thanksgiving. There was lots of joyous chaos. Justice wanted to be right in the middle of it all. He is quite the social bug. And he had a little event including a busted lip and a bruise on his face after an incident with one of the other kids, not anyone's fault, but it was an event. Boys I think just will have spills, bumps, and bruises along the way and I am handling it in stride. I can't protect him from everything. All in all it was a wonderful day. I spent a good deal of time in the kitchen more than ever. I even had a great deal of involvement in the Turkey, which turned out beautifully. We tried a new recipe I had gotten off the 700 Club show and it was divine. I also did creamy potato bake and a dessert as well as assist my mother in the meal preparations. I felt like such an adult and not a kid anymore. It was fun!

Since then I have been managing my jewellery website with the Christmas shopping season boosting sales. God has truly blessed us and I give Him all the glory for the provision He has given us. It has been exciting to watch Him work. I am truly thankful.

Titus is doing well in my tummy. He moves a lot, which is very reassuring. I go back next week for a checkup and an ultrasound to monitor his development. I am 26 weeks along, so only 14 weeks to go, which I know will fly by as it did with Justice. I am just giving it to the Lord to help us manage it all, a newborn and a toddler in a two bedroom home, trusting God to provide for a family of four and keep us all sane, I am resting in His peace.

Hopefully it won't be this long between posts again, but I wish for a blessed Christmas season until I return.

I Am So Behind!

I cannot seem to post more than once a week here lately. I just seem to stay busy with one thing or another. Being pregnant I tend to nap when Justice takes his afternoon nap, which used to be the time for blogging. So, here I am again finally. Since last week I have gone to Carrolton, GA to visit my mom's side of the family. It was a nice visit. Justice got to meet his great, great aunt, the sister of my grandfather who died in WWII before my mom was born even. I learned quite a bit about my family's background. It is so important to get that information while you can. I would encourage you to talk to your families about memories, traditions, habits, physical appearances, and family relationships from the old times. I enjoyed looking at pictures and seeing where some of my features came from passed down from my mother.

Titus moves more and more inside of me. It is one of the greatest things about being pregnant is feeling your baby move. It is like they are communicating with you. I feel like when Titus moves he is saying, "Hey Momma!" I love it. I can just feel his personality I think. Justice didn't move a whole lot and I could just sense a calm nature in him. He turned out to be very laid back and calm for the most part. I think I am in for it with Titus. I bet you he will be a fiesty little thing who is a bundle of energy and loves to be active. He will be a fun kid I am sure. I cannot wait to see Justice and Titus together growing up as close brothers. What a blessing! As for the pregnacy, it is getting hard. For the past couple of weeks I have had such bad indigestions/heartburn every night. I have tried eating more bland foods and taking tums, but still get it. So, doc suggested Pepsid AC, so I will try that and see how it goes. I am hoping well! Titus' heartbeat was good at a steady 144. I go back on Dec. 12th and do the fun sugar test.

Justice is doing so great with walking. I am so impressed with him. He still has an affinity for crawling, but is walking with more and more ease. I am very pleased! He had a doc. appmnt. today for which we found out he has an ear infection in both ears and had no idea. He picks at his ears, but he has always done that. Poor buddy! He also had two shots, that was no fun, but he is a trooper. I also figured out what to do about his patchy skin in places. I tried hydrocortisone cream, switched detergents and baby wash, but to no avail, it just got worse. So the pedi said that we out to bath him every other day, used Dove or Cetaphil Sensitive Skin, and use a healing sensitive skin lotion on his arms often. So, I did the cream twice today and such a difference did it make!

Well, that is all I have for now. Blessings!

Halloween Pics, A Week Later

We had such a fun time dressing Justice up for the first time this Halloween. Since he was only 3 mos. old last year we did not bother doing this. So, we dressed him up as Tigger as you can see. He was sooooo adorable! We stayed home and passed out candy to the cute trick or treaters. Since it was a very mild night we let him crawl around on our porch and greet the visitors. He enjoyed seeing all the little children come up with their costumes on. We actually had him say, "roar," as he crawled around and I even got it on video. It was just the best time.

Outdoors, Walking, & Cleaning

This little boy just loves to be outside! It is still just so amazing to me. When he is inside he busily moves from one thing to another, but when he is outside a calmness falls over him. He will just sit in the grass and look around, mezmorized by the sounds, smells, feelings, and sights he gets. I enjoy watching him in those moments discover God's creation. He is all about it and want to go outside at every opportunity. We can't hardly open our front door without a fit to go outside. It has been hard with the weather turning colder to go out much, but we try at every good chance we get.

As I wrote in my last post, I am getting more and more pleased at his walking. He is doing it more and more. We went to visit with some friends today who are the same age and walking and he took more steps than he has before. I think they truly give him motivation to get up and going. It is fun to watch him try to immitate their walking. He is doing a good job.

Mommy is also doing a good job with her cleaning. I have been really trying to look at my house as my job. When I was working I was a worker bee. I always gave 110% and sought the approval of my boss. Since being home I guess I haven't really seen my cleaning through that same motivation. So, I am trying to get into gear and seek to please the Lord with the position He has given me. My earthly leader in my husband has also been pleased with my accomplishments. So, while Justice is napping and I am writing I will end this post to go and see what else I can scrub, pick up, or fold. Have a blessed day!

We Have Some Walking!

Finally, we have some walking going on! Hurray! The past couple of weeks we have steadily been walking at times. He has taken as many as 10 steps in a row and will consistently take 2-3 steps when prompted. He is still lacking in motivation. He is quite content with crawling and getting him around. But, we are trying to get him on two legs as much as possible. On Sunday I put him in the Toddler class at church to hopefully get him around walkers to motivate him to do the same. I think that babies and children learn a lot from being around their peers who are doign things. I know he will get there. I just hope it is soon so I can cross walking off my list and by the time Titus comes he will be a good walker.

Justice also just got over a major cold last week. I had thought he had had a bad cold earlier this fall, but oh no, this one was much worse. He had so much congestion this time that he would cough so much and throw up. He also had a fever for a day and a half. But, after about a week, we were recooperating. His nose still runs and some coughing remains, but we are on the mend.


His schedule still is up in the air from day to day. I don't know whether he will take one or two naps any given day. Today he went down for his morning nap at 10, which was perfect and hopefully he will go down for an afternoon snooze too. We shall see. It seems to work better for his lunchtime if he can get a morning nap, but then it is hard to get him down in the afternoon and I know he needs one to be pleasant at night, so I have to pick which battle I want to fight. I guess I lean towards getting a morning nap if at all possible.

Well, I have to go get my shower before little guy wakes up and I am going to go visit my mom. I hope to write more later this week. Blessings!

The Big News!

Well, we had our ultrasound yesterday and we are pleased and excited to announce that we will be having another baby boy! Yup, Justice will soon have a baby brother to look out for. It was a little bit of a shock, but I was quickly happy. Ron took a little while to warm up to the idea of not having a girl. But, he is getting better. I am really glad and feel that this truly is a great addition to our family. His name will be Titus Osar Lee (two middle names, Ron's idea, he wants him to stand out). Titus is a really strong name for this strong son we will bring into the world in March. Please be praying that he will be in perfect health the rest of the way.


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Sweet Days

Yesterday Justice stood from a sitting position for the first time. He also did it several times in a row. I was such a proud momma. We are really rooting for him to walk since it is about time, he is 14 1/2 mos. old. I would like to cross it off my list of milestones for him regardless of people telling me that I should be glad because once he walks I will be chasing him more. I was very happy when he learned to crawl and know I will be elated with his walking, but I am being patient and keep telling myself that anywhere between 9 and 18 mos. is normal for walking. Otherwise, his vocabulary grows and I loose track of all the words he is saying. His latest favorites are sun and moon and he points to them in a book we have. His little voice is just too precious for words and he is so proud when he gets a word right. He is able to repeat us very well. Babies are just little sponges soaking up knowledge with their new discoveries. It is so exciting to be apart of that journey they are on. It makes me think about the journey I will be on with him teaching him about Jesus, the Bible, and how to live a life of integrity in this world. In my Bible study we are focusing this week on raising godly children and the awesome task it is. I look forward to delving into the material and learning how to be a good mommy for my children. I was putting Justice down this afternoon and had a little moment with God. I have been playing a Christian lullaby CD for him as I put him down. This was the same CD I played when I brought him home from the hospital and pulled it out again. I had just laid him in the bed and began to cry thinking about bringing him home from the hospital and listening to this same song. I sat and prayed over my little boy and the little baby in me, blessing them and covering them with the Lord's love. I asked for God's help to make me the mommy He wants me to be and what my children need me to be. It can be quite overwhelming at times, but I know He will be with me every step of the way. What a comfort that is!
Tomorrow I go for my ultrasound to find out if I am having a boy or girl, Titus or Mikayla. I am so excited and cannot wait to really call this child by name and prepare our hearts and home for this precious life. God bless and here again tomorrow.

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Since My Last Post...

Time just gets busier and busier it seems right now. A lot has been going on, people visiting, my birthday, playgroups, doc. appmnts., etc. God remains faithful and good to us. Over the weekend last Ron's dad and stepmom came down from Wyoming to see Justice for the first time. The visit went well and we were able to stay the weekend at my mother's place on the farm. My stepdad actually took Justice for a little ride on the fourwheeler as you can see in the picture. I was a little nervous, but Justice loved it! The farm was a great time! They have horses, cows, tractors, and hay. Justice was facinated with it all. Ron's folks were glad to have stayed there since it is more like their home out in the countryside of Wyoming.
The tummy is growing and it well should be, I am 18 weeks so far. It is still not obvious to the world, but those who know me well can see a difference. I have pulled out my maternity wear finally. Monday I went Maternity clothes shopping with my mother. It is really difficult finding small sizes in maternity clothes. But, I did find several good things that I think will transition as I grow. I continue to feel lots of movement by this baby, more than with Justice. I think he/she is more active than he was. October 19th is only now 5 days away for the big ultrasound. It will be a big day
Tuesday was my 25th birthday. It was a very special day. My loved ones did a wonderful job of making me feel loved and appreciated. Ron sent me flowers during the day. My mom made me a beautiful cake and kept Justice for Ron and I to see a movie. The movie we saw was actually Facing the Giants, an independent film about God and high school football made by a church in Albany, GA. If it is playing near you I highly recommend it. I was touched an challenged in my Christian walk after seeing this film. It is low budget and the real beauty of the film is the message about giving your trials to God and honoring Him through it all. I was very blessed by it.
Wednesday I continue to go to Bible Study for mothers. It has been so wonderful! God has taught me a lot and the fellowship with the other moms has been so needed! I am growing as a person as well.
This weekend I hope to be relaxing and peaceful. We would like some time just to be a family. Be blessed!


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Life and Pregnancy Update

I was thinking that I had not done an update on my pregnancy lately. So, I thought I would fill you in on my progress. I will be 17 weeks tomorrow. Things are moving quickly! Time has definitely been flying by with this pregnancy, mostly because I have Justice now and do not have time really to sit and think about things. For a couple of weeks now I have been feeling the baby move. The last few days he/she has been moving more and more. I think this baby is already more active than Justice was. I have two weeks from Thursday to go until my big ultrasound where we can find out the sex of this little one. I can't wait for that day! Although the pregnancy has gone by fast, it seems to take forever to get to that appointment. I have been feeling good for the most part, still some nausea at random times. So, everything is postive!
Justice is doing well. He has taken his first steps in the last week and a half, just a few though. We will get there one day for sure. His speech is just amazing to me! One word of note he has said this week is watch, not a particularly easy word. He is also all about going outside. If I even mention outside or let Joy out, he just has to go. He is so funy, he will just sit out there and look around. He crawls in the grass and picks up sticks. I love it! We really do have so much fun together. Well, that is pretty much it for now. Hope to update you more in the near future. Life is just so busy lately!

Thankful For Joy

I'm not talking just about my dog Joy, although she is truly a joy. Today I am reflecting on little joys that God has blessed me with lately and some things were from unexpected situations. I took this picture the other day while I had Justice out in our front yard. I just love watching him discover things. He just crawled around in the grass, picked up sticks, and pulled weeds (good for us especially). As the weather has cooled down I expect to do a lot more of this.
Yesterday, I was feeling the most rotten I have felt in a long time. After I put Justice down to bed all I could do was lay on the couch. My dear husband brought me a blanket, water, and at one point picked me up and took me to the bathroom to get ready for bed. He was so sweet doing these things for me! So, in a very yucky situation I received a blessing.
Today has been wonderful as well. Finally after over a month my friends and I had a playgroup together. It was so great to see their children, they are really growing up and becoming so active. I could not believe it. We also had some great adult conversations I miss having all day. It is such a blessing to have these friends who help me out and we all help each other out with our different parenting and relationship issues we have in our lives. It is a lot of fun just hanging out and fellowshipping together.
I am stressed out a lot over our finances as I have shared in past posts. I get so frustrated at rising bills and grocery budgets. I am anxious and worried how we get from month to month from time to time. The other night as I was sitting praying and reading my Bible I was journaling my prayer over our finances and I really felt the Lord in my prayer and the words came to me to know what to pray. Often times in situations where we are down or frustrated it can be hard to put into words what we need to pray for. This night the words came to me and I knew what I needed to pray. It was so comforting lifting up the Lord what I was really feeling and knowing the right words that would express the desire of my heart for our family's finances. It was truly a great God moment touching my life.

My Great Find of the Day

This is the double stroller of my dreams! I am so jazzed about finding it. My mother placed an order for it today off Amazon.com. Although the birth is still quite a few months away, I hadn't seen anything that fit what I wanted in a double stroller. I almost bought one at our consignment sale last night, but lost out when I stepped away for a moment, but after finding this one I realize that it was a sign that the perfect one was still out there. This is the Jeep Wagoneer Tandem stroller by Kolcraft, stadium seating, cup holders for mommy and babies, rear seat accomodates my car seat, a huge bottom compartment for baby bag, purse, etc., and a steering wheel with horn for the front seat. If you can't tell, I am very excited. God is just bringing to me all the things I have felt would be great for baby #2. He is truly blessing me. Last night I got an amazing deal on a top of the line swing--Fisher Price Nature's Touch swing, regularly $190.00 at Babies R' Us for $75.00! Yay! It is the best swing playing music, multiple speeds, cushy chair that reclines so you can use it from birth, I am in Heaven. A couple of weeks ago when I went to Birmingham I bought a Sling Carrier by Infantino that is so comfortable and I even tried it out with my two month old nephew. It is great! So, I am only 15 weeks pg, but am pretty much done with shopping for baby #2, other than clothes if I am having a girl.

This Just In--Good News to Follow

Justice just had his doc. appmnt. and his rash was the result of the same virus that had given him diarrhea on our trip. What a relief! Doc. said that it would clear up in a few days and that he was no longer contagious, but that this was the tail end of the virus. Also, I don't think I have a cold. I think allergies were the culprit of my sneezy, throat itchiness yesterday. I am much better today. Things are looking up! I am excited in an hour and a half a big consignment sale is happening in our town. Since I contributed I get to go to the preview sale tonight. I have big plans to shop tonight. Hopefully I can find what I am looking for. I am all about the bargains! With health back in our home and shopping to look forward to I am smiling today! God is good. On another note, I am really enjoying watching Rachel Ray's talk show. She has the best ideas! I learn a lot about homemaking and cooking ideas. Good stuff! My house is also staying clean this week. I have a new system in place. I have set up a routine for myself where I block out time to do one room at a time to focus on. So far so good. I just have to stick to my routine now. I really do function so much better when I know what I need to do at certain times of the day. We have four more weeks until the big ultrasound! I can't wait! Well, I guess that is all for now. Blessings and health to all!

Somebody Give Me a Break!!!!

Okay, I am going to go a little venty on this post. I have been greatly challenged the past few weeks. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the issues Justice has been having with a cold and the chicken pox. Well, the saga continues. Ron and I took a trip to Myrtle Beach area with Justice last week to see Ron's sister and brother. I knew it was going to be a challenge as it was on paper a 7 hour plus car ride. We left on Wednesday of last week and it took us 9 1/2 hours of traveling to get there with stops. The day before Justice's stools had been runny and a little diaper rash had developed. Well, it kicked into gear on our trip. He had full on diarrhea by Thursday and a nasty diaper rash. By Friday afternoon it was clear Justice was struggling with these issues. I was having to change him every hour to two hours and his bottom just got worse and worse. Praise the Lord though, Sunday his diarrhea ended, the diaper rash still there, but now it would have time to heal. Praise the Lord also I had prescription cream for the diaper rash since it had turned into a yeast infection. So, we made the car ride back with little incident and some of it was actually pleasant. Tuesday rolled around and Justice's nose started to run and had congestion. He woke up okay today, but by the afternoon it was clear he had a cold and so did I. Also, on Tuesday night a mysterious rash appeared on his stomach and chest, similar, but different from the chicken pox one. It had not spread this morning, but by afternoon it had pretty much covered his stomach, spread to his neck and back and was a little on his face. I will be taking him to the doctor tomorrow. Boy, I am exhausted! I asked my Bible Study group to pray that Justice wouldn't have anymore sickness. We are due for a break from the issues we have been having. It makes me wonder about taking him the nursery as I fear this is where he has gotten some of his things. But, I cannot keep him sheltered the rest of his life and we cannot stop living our lives. It is a frustrating situation, but there just can't be much done for it.

Never Forget 2,996; A 9/11 Tribute

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11. I am joining in with thousands of bloggers paying tribute to each one of the victims of this tragic day in our nation's history. This day will live in infamy as Roosevelt said of Pearl Harbor. My post today will not dwell on the tragedy or pass political statements. In this post I will honor and celebrate the life of a strong and passionate woman who died this fateful day.
My honoree is Judith Camilla “Judy” Frankel Larocque. Judy was from Framingham, Mass. She was the founder and chief executive officer of Market Perspectives Inc., a Framington-based market research company catering to the technology industry. This day five years ago, she was traveling to California for business when American Airlines flight 11 was hijacked and crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. She, along with 92 others on board, were killed instantly.
Framingham was home to Judy. Although born in Boston, she grew up in Framingham where she graduated from Framingham High School. She received her sociology degree from Boston University in 1973 and went on to attend graduate school at Clark University in Worchester, Mass.
Judy was a pioneer in business. She worked for many technology firms building up experience. She was the principal of Emergent Marketing, an executive marketing consulting firm before going on to start her own venture in business. She founded and maintained the CEO position of Market Perspectives, a research firm that offers online and on-site surveys.
Judy loved to walk her beloved dog, often referred to as her third child, Naboo. She lived near Lake Cochituate and was often taking time to canoe and swim. She was also keeping healthy and young by doing yoga and gardening in her front yard. In May prior to her death she walked 60 miles for breast cancer awareness.
She is survived by two daughters, Danielle Lemack of Chicago and Carie Lemack, 26, of Cambridge, Mass.; and a sister, Diane Marshall. Her daughter Carie has kept her mother’s voice alive by becoming the co-founder and vice president of the Families of September 11th Organization. She has appeared on various news outlets and has spoken before the 9/11 commission. She was also a part of the victims’ families who spoke out during the Zacarias Moussaoui trial.
Friends and family members have given these words to describe this special lady: warm, confident, caring, intelligent and vibrant.
Rest in peace dear soul. Let us never forget the day that claimed your life and so many others. Let us carry your memory as citizens of the great country and cherish the freedoms we hold. God Bless America.

My Crazy Week

Last week was crazy! Actually I think with a baby these types of weeks come with the territory. Last Saturday Justice ended up getting really sick with a cold that ended up being the worst cold he has ever had as I had posted last week. On Monday, I came down with the cold. Thankfully by Wednesday I was feeling much better. Then, I was taking with my friend Ashley on Wednesday and she was telling me about a friend of hers has a son with chicken pox and had had the vaccine and everything. On Wednesday night I was undressing Justice for his bath and discovered a rash on his chest I would later find out was chicken pox. Most likely he actually got it from the vaccine. I was very grateful that he never itched, had a fever, or felt bad from the chicken pox. It was just a pain because I had to cancel outings with friends because I just didn't want to chance there children getting it although the nurse said he wasn't contagious. The tail end of our week last week Ron got the cold as well. My stepdad also came down with the cold. It just got passed around our family unfortunately. But, on a postive note our weekend was a blast. My mom kept Justice so that Ron and I could go to the Auburn vs. WA State game Sat. night. We had such a good time seeing Auburn romp the competition. There were fireworks on and off the field, literally--at the halftime show and at the end of the game there were actual fireworks. The rest of the weekend we again spent at the lake swimming and having fun. Tomorrow I am traveling to Birmingham to finally get to see my nephew who was born on June 30th. I will report on that trip when I return, until then, blessings!

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Happy Thursday!

Thirteen Reasons I am Looking Forward to Fall:

1. Cooler Weather--I am normally a big fan of summer, but I am ready for a break from the heat. Enough is enough.
2. Finding out whether I will have another son or bring a daughter to this world. I am hoping for a girl, but a healthy baby either way more than anything.
3. AUBURN FOOTBALL!!!!! The first game is this Saturday and I will be there! I am pumped if you couldn't tell. I love football season.
4. My TV shows return! So tired of summer TV and reruns. I can't wait for Gilmore Girls, 7th Heaven, Deal/No Deal, etc. Although I am glad to have SuperNanny on Mondays.
5. My 25th birthday--Oct. 10th-- I always love birthdays. It at least guarantees me one date night.
6. Fall Festivals--Hayrides and Hodowns
7. Holiday Season starting with Thanksgiving--my favorite time of the year, getting together with family, good food, relaxing with loved ones
8. Parades
9. Fall Clothing--I love the colors and warmth
10. Fall Foliage--I would love to go to the mountains and see the deep reds, oranges, and yellows that appear
11. Get Togethers--We seem to have more opportunities to get together with friends over football, holidays, etc.
12. The air is crisp
13. I am starting a Bible Study with Mothers, I am really looking forward to getting to participate in this one especially, growing closer to God, sharing with other mothers, and learning together

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