IT'S A ...

AMAZING what doctors can do with technology today! This morning we had our ultra sound and were able to see two arms, two legs, two kidneys, a stomach, a baby swallowing and a steadily beating heart. You have no idea the peace of mind that gives me!!!!

Then the ultra sound guy asked if we wanted to know what we were having. I said yes and Rob laughed.

The ultra sound guy zoomed in, measured, and pointed out various body parts.

Then I realized we were looking at two legs connected to a bunky.

I started staring as hard as I could between those two legs.
Having had countless friends with ultra sounds I knew that something resembling a turtle tail is a boy while as something that looks like a hot dog bun is a girl...

Rob and I both strained..

The ultra sound guy kept zooming in ...

And there it was...












A hot dog bun











"IT'S A
"
I shouted with glee, stealing the ultra sound guy's line. And it is! She is! I made the ultra sound guy look from every angle possible. And it was a hot dog bun to be sure! We're having a girl!!!! I even asked the ultra sound guy if he were me would he feel confident in going home and painting a room pink...And he said "I sure would!" So it's a girl!!!!!! YYYEEEEEHHHHAAAWWWW!

We came home to tell Kolby (she is here with the flu and a temp of 102) "I am finally going to have a sister!" She is so happy and all smiles despite feeling like crud! Kolby loves babies and has been dreaming of having a baby girl to dress up and play with. She will be a wonderful big sister!

Rhett will find out as soon as he gets home from Mother's Day Out. Last night he said he thought it would be a girl. He then asked if it is a girl could he have bunk beds? ;0 He told his friend Haley this morning that he was OK with it being another sister so he wouldn't have to share his cars! He will be a great big brother!

I LOVE KNOWING THAT WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!!!!
I can not wait to get started pulling this house together and making room for Baby Girl!

Thank you God for this seemingly healthy little girl growing inside me! Thank you for her life! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

It's a great day in our little house! Just wanted to share the exciting news!

baby pictures

You can not tell anything from these pictures, but since they are her first, I feel obligated to share them!

You don't have to love sports

to LOVE this story. My cousin sent it to us and I had to share. It's been going around the networks and the internet for about a week. I couldn't help but smile! Check out this CBS story...

CBS ran an incredibly powerful story that brings you to your feet and just keeps on giving each and every minute into it. Jason McElwain, an autistic high school basketball team member in Rochester NY, served as the team manager and spirit coach for several years. On the final game of the season the coach let him finally put on a uniform with the rest of the team. Watch what happens then... See this wonderful story here.

The Anti-Steph

I saw my exact opposite on Good Morning America today. Her name is Linda Hirshman. I will proably be spoutng off about this someday soon, but if you want to check out "The Mommy Wars" she is trying to heat up, check out what she said on GMA this morning here or here. Or go read her LONG article that started the whole ruckus here. Basically, she says I and at least 75% of those who read this blog, are hurting our selves, our children, our gender, and our country by choosing to stay home. I'm not so sure about the gender and the country, but as for me and my kids...we like things just the way they are!

PS I decided to "spout off" in comments rather than devote another post to this woman. I'm the 6th comment. SG

Stuff

Some days I read other blogs and know that nothing I have to say could be better.

Abilene's Highland Church of Christ is mourning the loss of a sweet sister this morning. I am especially moved by what Grant Boone had to say about this loss. You might want to read it. Mike Cope and Val are also paying tribute to this wonderful Christian woman.

Switching lanes completely, Darren Duvall gets to the root of "The Port Thing" over on his blog today. Totally agree with him on that.

My home preacher Jim Martin has been reading McLaren lately. He has some great questions on his blog.

Then there is just me. Not anything too profound or earth shattering to report. Hoping the sick season is almost over for us and looking to next Tuesday when we have our sonogram. Rob and I lay awake talking about names last night. I have 6 or 7 girls names I really like. Maybe one boy name. We talked about how easy it was to name our other two. Once we thought of their names, which was pretty early on, that was it. No questions or hesitations. Hoping that will happen again this time.

Two nights ago Rhett crawled in my lap and said " Mommy I don't want you to get old and yucky like Nana and die." I didn't quite know what to say to him. I can't promise I won't die. I can't promise I won't get "old and yucky." It made me a little sad to think that he is to the age where he thinks about that sort of thing. I told him that I didn't want to get old and yucky and die either, and that I would never leave him if I had a choice. Not sure that was too comforting, but he seemed OK with it. I love that little boy! Is it because I am pregnant and he is not going to be "the baby" anymore that I am feeling especially close to him? Or he is just so stinking sweet and cute that I can't help it? :)

I didn't think Rhett was very affected by Nana dieing last month. Not that we tried to hide or conceal anything from him. He was in the room with her hours before she died and at the funeral home afterwards. He just seemed more interested in playing with his cousins at the time. But since then, he has asked a lot of questions and made a lot of statements about people and animals getting "old and yucky and dieing." You can see the wheels turning in his little mind. I hope we are handling it all in a way where he is able to accept death as a natural part of life. As Christians I don't think we are meant to fear death.

Well that was bleak! Didn't mean to be!

I think we just may see the sun today for the first time in a week! I'm ready for sunshine, but not quite ready for the heat! Hope you have a great Thursday! :)

Wednesday full of woe?

After the stress and illnesses of the last week, TAKS yesterday, and general mid-winter ho-hummedness, I thought we could all use a bit of humor to push us over the hump and towards the weekend. My husband read this forward to me last night and I laughed until I got asthma. Now I have a strange sense of humor, but one of these is bound to bring a smile! Have a great Wednesday!!!

1. How Do You Catch a Unique Rabbit?

Unique Up On It.

2. How Do You Catch a Tame Rabbit?

Tame Way, Unique Up On It.

3. How Do Crazy People Go Through The Forest ?

They Take The Psycho Path

4. How Do You Get Holy Water?

You Boil The Hell Out Of It.

5. What Do Fish Say When They Hit a Concrete Wall?

Dam!

6. What Do Eskimos Get From Sitting On The Ice too Long?

Polaroid's

7. What Do You Call a Boomerang That Doesn't work?

A Stick

8. What Do You Call Cheese That Isn't Yours?

Nacho Cheese.

9. What Do You Call Santa's Helpers?

Subordinate Clauses.

10. What Do You Call Four Bullfighters In Quicksand?

Quattro Sinko..

11. What Do You Get From a Pampered Cow?

Spoiled Milk.

12. What Do You Get When You Cross a Snowman With a Vampire?

Frostbite.

13. What Lies At The Bottom Of The Ocean And Twitches?

A Nervous Wreck.

14. Where Do You Find a Dog With No Legs?

Right Where You Left Him.

15. Why Do Gorillas Have Big Nostrils?

Because They Have Big Fingers.

16. Why Don't Blind People Like To Sky Dive?

Because It Scares The Dog.

17. What Kind Of Coffee Was Served On The Titanic?

Sanka.

18. Why Did Pilgrims' Pants Always Fall Down?

Because They Wore Their Belt Buckle On Their Hat.

19. What's The Difference Between a Bad Golfer And a Bad Skydiver?

A Bad Golfer Goes, Whack, Dang! A Bad Skydiver Goes Dang! Whack.

20. How Are a Texas Tornado And a Tennessee Divorce The Same?

Somebody's Gonna Lose A Trailer

I'm good for...

I did this quiz after reading DJG's blog this afternoon and got this result. But I thought I lost it when I tried to post it.

Your Career Type: Enterprising

You are engertic, ambitious, and sociable.Your talents lie in politics, leading people, and selling things or ideas. You would make an excellent: Auctioneer - Bank President - Camp Director City Manager - Judge - Lawyer Recreation Leader - Real Estate Agent - Sales Person School Principal - Travel Agent - TV Newscaster The worst career options for your are investigative careers, like mathematician or architect.

So I took the test again thinking I answered all the questions the same and it said this...

Your Career Type: Social

You are helpful, friendly, and trustworthy. Your talents lie in teaching, nursing, giving information, and solving social problems. You would make an excellent: Counselor - Dental Hygienist - Librarian Nurse - Parole Officer - Personal Trainer Physical Therapist - Social Worker - Teacher The worst career options for your are realistic careers, like truck driver or farmer.

What's Your Ideal Career?

So I guess I'm well fitted to be a stay home mom because you have to be a little of both of these things! :)

THE TEST!!!!!

Today in third and fourth grade classrooms across Texas, children of all incomes, backgrounds, nationalities and abilities are taking the much talked about and equally dreaded TAKS test.

I am all for education and I realize there has to be a standard set somehow to judge success, but the TAKS test just seems so extreme. Teachers are nervous, kids are anxious, principals are stressed and school boards and administrators pray their kids do well so they will have a budget the next year. IMO there is way too much emphasis put on this test, and way too much pressure put on our 8, 9 & 10 year olds! I read in the Dallas Morning News that before all this testing started, the average third grade teacher in Texas taught third grade for 10 or more years. Now the average is below four years. That speaks to the pressure put on our teachers and perhaps the diminishing quality of third grade and higher education.

Since Kolby is only in 2nd grade we don't have to personally worry about this test for another year and have never talked about the TAKS test. But this morning as she got ready for school, Kolby told me all the TAKS rules for today. No recess, no eating in the lunch room, and no library today. She said the whole school needed to be quiet "for the poor third and fourth graders" taking the TAKS. She made sure I knew that I could not visit the school today. She's a rules girl! She even said that she was praying for all her third grade friends to make A's on the test so they could go to 4th grade. That isn't exactly how it goes, but it is sad that she thinks that. I am going to join Kolby and say a few prayers for all the teachers, students, parents and administrators dealing with TAKS today.

There is much more to education than test scores and much more to success than passing a standardized test. For the sake of our kids, our schools, and our future, I hope the Texas legislature will stop being so political and stop wasting time and money (as it has for the last 6 years) and start taking the steps needed to properly fund, regulate and advance public education in our state. Until then, God bless all the kids who are taking the TAKS!

Is it March yet?

I am officially ready for February to be over! Thank goodness there are only 8 days left! This has been the most non-healthy month in our family in a very long, long, long time.

Today as I readied to leave my house for the first time in a week, I realized my left eye looked funny. Even though I haven't put make-up on in over a week, I knew I couldn't be that out of practice... Then it hit me, red "cracky" swollen eyes with a bit of crud.... PINK EYE! I almost laughed as I called the nurse at my OB GYN's office to ask if it is OK for me to take the same drops prescribed for Rhett last week. The nurse said "My word! I have never pulled a chart so many times in one week!" It's to the point of being embarrassing! Luckily, Vigamox is safe for pregnant people and I should have clear eyes in a day or so.

The other reason I am fired up about February ending is that we get to have our sonogram on the 28th! I am so excited! Next week I will be 20 weeks and half way to my D-day! We will also know if the little bundle that is starting to make it's presence known is a girl or a boy! I will confess that I am sorta hoping for a girl. OK, I am really hoping for a girl! I will be happy either way of course, but if God let me pick, I would pick girl. I can't even really explain why. It probably has to do with my having a sister, my Mom having a sister and coming from a family of mostly girls. I'm very ready to find out though!

Since we are finding out next week and telling what the gender of the baby is, Rob and I decided not to tell the name. Rob wanted something to be a surprise. ( Rob is being a very good sport about finding out this time after all! In fact I think secretly he is glad that we are...though he would never admit it!)

I am glad we are not telling the name because we are having a hard time deciding, and it might be an after we see her/him decision. My sister-in-law had sort of a bad experience with telling the name before her son was born. They made it clear they liked the name Drake and that is what they were going to name the baby. For some reason my mother-in-law and her family decided they didn't like that name and really tried to talk them out of it. My nephew is named DRAKE. We feel perhaps people are less likely to offer their opinion of a name already given to a baby, so we are going to go the less stress/ more surprise route. Of course that doesn't mean I won't be welcoming suggestions as soon as we know next Tuesday!

Must go pick up Kolby from Baylor. Even with pink eye, I'm glad it's Monday and the start of a new week! Have a good one blog family!

BRRRR Chilly!

Today the high is 34! Wednesday it was 85! No wonder everyone I know is either sick, getting sick, or just getting over being sick. Humans weren't meant to live in such diverse temperatures in the same week!

Rhett is feeling much better. It's like he has been storing all his energy up from the last six days and now we can't get him to stop! I'm feeling better too. I actually got out of bed last night for the first time in two days to take a shower. Today I even put clothes on(ok sweats) before noon. But poor little Kolby, who has been such a trooper this week by dealing with us sick, being dropped off and picked up by a different person everyday, and having to take that awful tasting Tami-flu liquid twice a day, woke up this morning with a fever. Then she got sick. She has another stomach virus!!! Will we ever all four be well again?

I wish we were all well and going to Abilene for Sing Song this weekend. I really wanted to go this year. I always love Sing Song and would love to visit Highland and worship with Zoe Sunday morning!!! But alas we are here sick for the second year. Maybe next year? Do I dare even hope we will be well by then?

On a brighter note I visited the ACU website and looked through their centennial scrapbook. I found a picture of my Grandaddy on the 1927 tennis team! I was so excited that I called my Mom and she confirmed that yes that was Grandaddy! We had never seen this picture before so I felt as if I had found a little treasure. Of course at the time the picture was taken grandaddy was anything but! He was only nineteen or twenty years old and was so tan that he looked Latin! My grandaddy always had a movie star quality about him. Isn't he a looker!? Grandaddy went on to play what would now be considered professional tennis for a few years. Anyway, it was neat to find this picture. Grandaddy was a huge part of my life, and still influences who I am today. Even though he died ten years ago this March, I think about him all the time. I am very blessed to be Thomas Caskey Livingston's grand-daughter.

So I guess that's it from here. Hope you all have a great weekend. Try to STAY HEALTHY & WARM!!!

Not so tickled to be pink

As if the flu weren't enough, today Rhett woke up with what looks to be PINK EYE. This picture was taken after eye drops and thirty minutes of compresses to remove the "gunk". I don't think we will be leaving the house this week. When ever my kids are sick, or I am sick, for more than a few days I tend to start feeling really sorry for us. This morning at the height of my pity party for Rhett (and me), I caught a glimpse of an old picture of me with my sweet "gate kids" in Nairobi, Kenya.

I started thinking about these little kids I played with and worked with in Kenya over a decade ago. Most of them didn't get to go to the doctor when they got sick. They didn't have motrin,tylenol dissolving tabs or codeine cough syrup. They didn't have soft cushy beds and a limitless supply of soup, milkshakes, and icey cold Sprite at their beckon call. They didn't have Dads who could take off work to go get more medicine from the pharmacy. They live in poverty. Poverty is not the opposite of wealth, it is the opposite of adequate. That's why the mortality rate for those little sweet kids is so high.

So yes, Rhett and I have been miserable this week and it doesn't look like it is going to get much better for a few days, but what a blessing to know we will get better! Can you imagine being a parent in a world where every time your child gets sick it might mean death? It makes me shudder. And somehow I do not feel so sorry for myself anymore.

Thank you God for the blessings of my life. Please give a extra measure of health and comfort to the kids of the world who don't enjoy the luxury of medicine, ice cream, and adequate care!

Shoo Flu! Don't bother me...

Rhett has the flu. They swabbed his nose to prove it. He has probably had it since Friday so no Tami-flu for him. (You have to start Tami-flu in the first 48 hoursafter symtoms appear) He had the flu shot so we're hoping for a lighter case. Apparently Rhett gave me some of his flu. I didn't have the shot since I was in my first tri-mester and it wasn't suggested. I can not take Tami-flu either because prego women can't do that. Here we go. Five to seven days they said....
I HATE THE FLU!!!

Blogger will not let me create a new post today so I'm just adding to yesterdays.



Today we are home sick and a little bored. So I made this world cloud from a link on Jettybetty's site. Hope you all take time to be grateful for those you love and those who love you today. Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Birthday Kolby!

Yesterday my baby girl turned 8. It's hard to believe she could be so old! We had a fun day. Actually the festivities started Friday when we took cupcakes for her class at school. Friday afternoon her Grandma came. Saturday we took cupcakes for her basketball team to the game. Then Saturday at 5:00 we had the big surprise bowling party! It was a great day! Here are some pictures.
The Lady Lions!
Kolby and cousin Sam.
After the game with Grandma!
The Bowling Ball Cake I made Saturday morning.
Surprise!!!
Bowlarama!
The little cousins bowling together...These four were quite fun to watch!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

P.S. Rhett started running fever last night and has some flu-like symptoms..... We'll be heading to the doctor in the AM! Is it bad that I am praying for something easily diagnosed and treated like strep????

A Cartoon

We interrupt this usually light-hearted Mommy blog for a rather serious political discussion.....

I am flabbergasted by the uproar caused by a Danish political cartoon depicting Mohammad with a grenade in his turban. A CARTOON! At least a dozen people have lost their lives. Embassies are being blown-up. The Danish Dairy association may go bankrupt from boycotts....

I do not get it. Americans are depicted in horrible ways, our flags are burned, our political and religious leaders are cursed and mangled in political cartoons all over the world and people don't die over it. Christians are persecuted in almost every country in some way... Some "Christians" may even deserve a little of what they get, I don't know. But if I were to kill someone for depicting Jesus negatively in a political cartoon I am absolutly certian my actions would be denounced by every Christian leader in the world. After all, it was Jesus who said to turn the other cheek.

I'm not very familiar with Islam but I don't think Mohammad himself would have wanted people to die over a cartoon, would he? Am I alone in this thinking? Am I missing something here? Islamic extremist can attack innocent people and we are supposed to understand, accept, forgive and find a way to work with them. A cartoon insults Mohammad and they have a right to kill people? Seriously what is going on? The more I try to understand, the less I understand. The more I try to see things from their point of view, the more scared of them I become. If anyone has any deep insight or thoughts on this matter I would like to hear them. I don't want to think badly about any one group. I just don't understand what they are so upset about?

Weekend

For the first time in forever we stayed home most tof the weekend. Of course this was in part because of Kolby's stomach virus, but it was also Rob's first weekend since November not to have a basketball game.There were no birthday parties. Since she was sick, there were no basketball games for Kolby. It was so nice not to have anywhere we had to be. It was also great to see Rob all weekend long! Of course next weekend is jammed packed as usual for all of us! Just three more weeks until basketball is over for us all...Then we start Softball and T-ball!

A few weekend Highlights...

DIET BLACK CHERRY VANILLA COKE ~ Though I am trying to limit my caffeine, this drink is making it hard. I love it and somehow a bottle jumps in my cart each time I am at the store. I love Diet Coke. I never liked the lemon, lime, cherry or vanilla types of the past, but I love this one! Of course by the time I can really enjoy it 6 or so months from now, they probably won't be making it anymore. I'll have to stock up!

SUPER BOWL 40 ~ Who cares? I mean I guess the good people of Pittsburgh and Seattle care, but they are so far away from here that it just didn't seem like anyone I know was into this one. I didn't even get that big a kick out of the ads this year. We had a great time going over to a friends house and eating pizza and doing the super bowl thing but I didn't get one bit excited until ...

GREYS ANATOMY ~ CODE BLACK!!!!! I almost cried when I realized that it was going to be continued until next week! How can they do that to us??? I'm just glad we only have to wait a week and not until next season. My fondness for GA is fast replacing my devotion to the women of Wisteria Lane. Why does Sunday night have to be my favorite TV night...Actually it's my only TV night. Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Desperate Housewives and now Gray's Anatomy have me considering a DVR. I never watch TV so that is just nuts! But still, though I love these shows, I don't want to miss out on Sunday nights at church. We are having a Love & Logic series for parents and classes for kids. DVR?

THE PARTY ~ It's all planned, booked, and invitations were in the mail Saturday. I even got to sneak to Target to do some birthday shopping Saturday. Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope the secret doesn't get out. I can not tell you how relieved I am to have a plan. Thanks for all the cool ideas. I will come back to these in the future I am sure. (For SJ ~ See comments 13 & 14 from last Thursday for the plan)

I have been feeling really pukey today but I'm praying it is just one of the last waves to prego nausea and not the dreaded stomach virus that Kolby had. Her room still isn't all the way back together! Did I mention we actually had to take her bed apart to get it all cleaned up? Luckily I have mastered the art of puking on target, so even if I get this, it can't be that bad! OK, that was way too much sharing!

Guess that about wraps it up!
Happy Monday!

Secret #4

(This is no secret to any of you who read this blog or my comments.) When you can not spell, and you never formally learned how to type, you come across as an uneducated ding-bat in cyber space.... When in reality you are an educated semi-dingy pregnant woman who just can not type or spell. The joys of blog world!

Rita?

I tend to talk to strangers and can strike up a conversation with just about anyone. Not long ago I was talking to a mom at Burger King whose husband owns a business that uniquely serves the community and allows him a very handsome living. However it is one of those jobs most of us wouldn't do for all the gold in Fort Knox. He owns a highly specialized cleaning company that cleans up after murders, suicides, and other freaky accidents. Only the coroner and police have his number. He doesn't advertise. Last night I was wishing that I had bothered to catch that woman's name and get her number....

Kolby has a stomach virus. We didn't know that when she went to bed last night. Kolby is also known for sleep walking around her room. Last night she evidentially starting puking and walking at the same time. By the time I found her at 11:30 pm there was not a clean surface left in her room or bathroom and she was still not fully awake. I would have gladly mortgaged the house again to pay someone else to clean it up! But since I was afraid the smell would kill us all by morning and since I don't have that guy's number, I donned my rubber gloves and lysole, stuffed Kleenex up my nose (so I wouldn't contribute more to the mess) and just did it. At least started it anyway. YUCK! What was I saying about loving motherhood last week?

Kolby apologized a million times, poor little thing. I've never seen a human throw-up as much as she did from 11:30 to 1:45 am. The phenergan finally kicked in around then and we both got to sleep for a few hours. Rob, who slept through the whole thing, actually tried to wake me up to go wake Kolby up for school today. Turns out he never heard a thing and didn't notice the pile of stuff in the garage left to launder today. Maybe fatherhood has more perks than I realized.

Things are looking better today, well everything but the house. Kolby feels better and is religiously following Dr.Kemper's Sprite and peach syrup stomach settling routine. Rhett has decided he wants to go hang out with his Aunt Sari across the street. I am about to go finish the rescue and recover phase of the clean-up and begin demolition. (I'm afraid a few stuffed animals are not going to make it!)We're calling this stomach virus "Rita" after a similar, albeit much more devistating storm, and praying the clean up doesn't take too long. HAPPY FRIDAY!

26 days and the 8th Birthday party!

Just a quick update...
I went to the doctor Tuesday and all went great. In fact I was in and out so fast that I had to call Rob to turn around and go back to work. He missed it again! But in a short 26 days we will have our sonogram and get to see the baby!!! I am so excited to find out what this baby will be. And yes, Rob finally caved to the pressure of three against one (I let the kids vote this time, as I often do when they are on my side:) and we are finding out! So far the heart rate has been 160 and 150. Some say that means girl, some say that means nothing. My gut still says girl but just barely. If I really think about it...Well I have no idea. :) Only 26 day until we find out! :)

And in other news, I am at a total loss as what to do for Kolby's birthday which is a week from tomorrow! I have never waited this long to pull a party together. The last 7 parties have been really good. I'm at a total loss! Kolby has whittled her list from 30 to 20. 20 kids! And honestly between church, school, neighbors, basketball friends, and the friends her mother makes her invite, 20 really is her bare bones list.

One thing I have decided is that birthday parties are way too expensive. Seriously! Everything I have called about is $10 to $15 PER CHILD!!!! And by everything I mean bowling, skating, beading, cooking, painting, pottery making, indoor playgrounds, museums= EVERYTHING!!! And that isn't even all inclusive. I wondered why so many parents have braved slumber parties this year, and I think I just figured it out! I don't want to do a slumber party, but I am running out of options. ANY IDEAS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

Have a great weekend blog family!