Children's Church

Yesterday was our church's "promotion" day. That is, children promote up to the next grade/age level of class. Sweet Pea moved from the nursery to Children's Church! It was a big step for her, but an even bigger one for Mommy. With Little Dude in arms, I chocked back tears as I took her to her class. She was SO proud! I thought she'd be timid but her friend Florida was in there so she ran in after her giggling. A true girl. LOL I sent DH a text message to let him know where she was and he got all misty over it. When class was over, she cam out with a painting she'd done in one hand, and a fist full of candy in the other.

So, all in all, it was a good day. Once again, I missed the sermon because Little Dude was hysterical in the nursery, and wouldn't sit still in the service. I know this will pass. Heather was this way and around her 2nd birthday she started getting easier.

Okay, off to brush my "big girl's" hair. :o)

Buh-Bye

Little Dude loves to go "buh-bye." He does this little variation on the Miss America wave, and runs to the door as fast as his chubby little 16 month old legs will carry him when he is asked if he wants to go "buh-bye." He loves to go "buh-bye" and love to shop even more.

I asked him a couple of days back if he wanted to go "buh-bye" and he added something to the routine. I'd just emptied my purse to put everything into the diaper bag (no need to haul around 2 bags) so he grabbed my purse for me.

Hair

Yup. I have nasty hair. Sure, it's BEAUTIFUL when it's long, and flowing. My dad and husband both love it. But I have to brush it every 5 min. to keep it LOOKING that way. It's thin. VERY thin. It's fine. VERY fine. And as I've learned:

thin + fine = easily tangled hair.

THIS is what I am talking about.


The sad part is, I was on the phone when DH took this picture. It took a couple of attempts because he as laughing so hard. Less than an hour later it was chopped off. LOL

So, for your viewing pleasure, the photojournal of my hair cut.

* * *

Here is my hair before it was cut. Please take note that it was still wet when these pictures were taken.

Hack hack...

The ponytail that was cut off. This was the longest piece, but about 15" total was taken off.

The final product.

At the end of the day, I am VERY happy with the hair cut. I've wanted to do this for 2 years, and I while it's still about 1/2" longer than I'd like, I love it!

Baby No More

Well, we found out on Wed. morning that we lost our little bean. I had a miscarriage. Thank you to everyone who has supported us.

The Results Are In

And I am, indeed, pregnant. OY!

Here's to hoping for an uneventful, healthy pregnancy and a healthy full-term baby. We're scared, but now that we've told our family feeling MUCH better. :o)

So, this is part of our mass announcement: WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!

:o)

The Woes of Fertility...

Yes, I said the woes of fertility, not fertility woes.

The difference you ask?

Fertility woes would be what those people unfortunate enough to experience fertility problems/issues would share.

I will share the woes of fertility. That is, the woes of a woman who is VERY fertile and married to a man who is equally fertile. I swear, my husband has Super Sperm! This man must share some genes with Clark Kent because his little swimmers can survive anything, and everything, and find an egg to fertilize against any odds placed before him. Heck, his Super Sperm managed to fertilize an egg with the IUD IN! Even dislodged (the IUD that is) that feat was incredible.

He got me pregnant while on the pill.

He got me pregnant 6 days before ovulation (enter Little Dude).

I get pregnant if he so much as LOOKS at me and I am anywhere within a whisper of a thought of ovulating.

And, he may have done it again. It's still too early to tell for sure, and I am PRAYING that I am not, but the early early sighs are all there. *sigh*

We are practicing the rules of Natural Family Planning. Since I've gotten pregnant on BCPs (birth control pills) once before any form of hormonal birth control is not an option. I am also allergic to (get ready, this is a long list):

Latex condoms - I break out in hives 2" across in my nether regions. YOUCH!
Spermicides - again, 2" hives in my nether regions. *shudders*
sponges - they hurt me so much we can't even have, well, you know.
polyurethane condoms - again, hives, nether regions, OUCH!
sheep skin condoms - they're only something like 70% effective...and DH has Super Sperm. Yea...THAT'S an "oops" waiting to happen!

So, knowing my body (yay for that), temping, charting, sticking my fingers up my nether regions to check cervical placement, texture, and opening (or lack there of) is the only thing that works for us. And we follow them religiously. (please note: NFP or FAM is not that bad at all...in fact I LOVE it because I know my body unlike ever before)

Some of the rules state:
no BDing (aka: Baby Dancing...do I REALLY need to explain that one???) after cycle day 8. Sperm can live up to 5 days before fertilizing an egg. And DH has Super Sperm...remember?

You are safe once you are 3 DPO (days post ovulation).

During that fertile period, either use spermicides (which can alter the cervical mucous), condoms, or abstain. DH has Super sperm; we abstain.


Enter my 2nd cycle postpartum. I've had one visit from the witch herself so far.

We enjoyed knowing what was going on, and had some 'fun' on cycle day 7. We are following the "rules" right? I started showing fertile signs that night. *sob*

5 days later, 4 days earlier than ever before, my body decides to release it's eggie. God, you really DO have a sense of humor, right? 5 days. REGULAR sperm can live up to 5 days. DH has Super Sperm. *ensue sobbing*

My temps look "normal". Enter 8 DPO. I have a temp dip, MAJOR cramping, and nausea and headaches. All signs of implantation.

Enter 9 DPO. My temp not only goes back up, it goes up to it's highest temp yet. Yea, a GREAT sign...if you're TRYING to get pregnant.

God....you DO have a sense of humor...right?

And this is where I am at: 9 DPO, face breaking out like a teenager, still nauseous, and scared out of my ever lovin' mind. I know that this dip "can" occur in cycles that do not result in conception. I dart off to Google: "Charting Temperature Dip 8 days ovulation". The results....not good. Implantation dip is the result. *ensue sobbing* I Google: "Implantation Dip" and find that it's not a common thing in cycles resulting in pregnancies, but when there IS a temp. dip like the one I had the chances of it NOT being implantation and resulting in a pregnancy are startling. 11%! There's only an 11% chance that I am NOT baking baby no. 3!!!!! God: sense of Humor...c'mon! Cut me some slack!!!!

Oy Vey! (to quote a dear internet friend of mine)

So yes...the woes of fertility.

*back to crying, panicking, and obsessively trying to figure out when to start taking HPTs...and desperately praying that "the witch" comes*

Maybe I'll watch "Schlinder's List" as a distraction...

How to Be a Liberal

I am a staunch conservative, and tend to tick people off w/ how conservative I am. So, some may not like this, but I wanted to post this anyway. :o)

How to be a Liberal

1. You have to be against capital punishment but support killing babies in the womb.

2. You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments create prosperity.

3. You have to believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens are more of a threat than U.S. nuclear weapons technology in the hands
of Chinese and North Korean communists.

4. You have to believe that there was no art before federal funding.

5. You have to believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical changes in the earth's climate and more affected by soccer moms driving SUV's.

6. You have to believe that gender roles are artificial, but being homosexual is natural.

7. You have to believe that the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of federal funding.

8. You have to believe that the same teacher who can't teach 4th-graders how to read is somehow qualified to teach those same kids about sex.

9. You have to believe that hunters don't care about nature, but PETA activists do.

10. You have to believe that self-esteem is more important than actually doing something to earn it.

11. You have to believe that Mel Gibson spent $25 million of his own money to make "The Passion of the Christ" for financial gain only.

12. You have to believe the NRA is bad because it supports certain parts of the Constitution, while the ACLU is good because it supports certain parts of the Constitution.

13. You have to believe that taxes are too low but ATM fees are too high.

14. You have to believe that Margaret Sanger (Founder of Planned Parenthood) and Gloria Steinem (originator of Natl Organization of Women) are more important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Thomas Edison.

15. You have to believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas and set-asides are not.

16. You have to believe that the only reason socialism hasn't worked anywhere it's been tried is because the right people haven't been in charge.

17. You have to believe that homosexual parades displaying drag queens and transvestites should be constitutionally protected, and manger scenes at Christmas should be illegal.

18. You have to believe that this message is a part of a vast, right-wing conspiracy.

GOD BLESS AMERICA (ooops, can't do that either!)

Bedrooms and Playrooms

Up until now, Little Dude and Sweet Pea have had separate rooms. This seemed silly since I ALWAYS find them in the same room playing together. Little Dude adores his "Sissy" and "Sissy" adores "Lillum" (as she calls him). They are inseparable, and Little Dude is constantly found in his sister's shadow.

Since DH and I are both in school full time, and both kids bedrooms are perpetual disaster areas that resemble an Iraqi battle zone, we decided to move both kids into one room. It seemed simple: take down the crib that LD has yet to sleep in and move SP's bed and LD's bed (he sleeps on a mattress on the floor by her bed) into his room along with SP's dresser and put all toys into SPs old (bigger) room.

It would be simple...

...or so I thought.

I spent a good 5 hours this afternoon working on this move. It's done. And my back hurts. And both kids are now asleep in their new room, and DH's laptop is now set up in the office portion of the new office/playroom. It's GREAT! When my best friend comes down for a few days (tomorrow) I have a place to put her and her kids, DH and I now have a room that we can work in undisturbed, and the kids have a place to go and play w/o trashing their bedroom!!!! YAY!!!!

I'll let you know how it goes in the days/weeks to come.

What we did....July 1, 2007

So, our actual anniversary was Sunday, July 1. We were married on July 1, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was FUN! It was AMAZING! And, we don't have a single picture to show for it! ROFL

Anyway, DH and I had this cool day planned to celebrate in ways that would be special for us and hold special meaning without breaking the bank. But, God had other plans. LOL

Originally we were going to have a wedding to renew our vows since we never had a wedding (we got married in Las Vegas) but after DH's pay cut in April we were unable to afford it.

So, we were going to go to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island sans children to actually get to ride rides and do the things we did while dating/courting (we had more of a courtship than dating because of how long distance we were the entire relationship).

After we dropped Sweet Pea and Little Dude off at my parents' house, we got to Busch Gardens and the OVERFLOW parking was overflowing! We realized we'd have time to ride one ride before having to get to dinner and go get the kids. So, we decided to go see a movie.

We walked into the theater, got snacks, sat down and my mom called. Little Dude was inconsolable and had been this way for over an hour...I needed to get back!!! ARG!!!!!!!

So, DH (VEEEEEEERY frustrated) and I drove back to get LD. We ended up taking him with us to the movie (this time at a theater in town...we'd got to the movie theater we went to on our first date originally). We saw "Live Free or Die Hard" and LD actually did really well. He ended up eating a TON of candy just to keep him quiet, but he did really well over all. 3/4 of the way through the movie he fell asleep nursing and that was it for him for the evening.

After the movie (9:15pm by this point) we drove across the street to Olive Garden and had dinner courtesy of my grandparents (they gave us a gift card for our birthdays the end of May). He slept in the stroller the whole time and DH and I had the best dinner we've had in a VERY long time. We got to talk, we got to hold an actual conversation, we got to be honest with each other. We talked about the biggest of the hardships we've endured over the past 5 years and how we were honestly feeling at the time...and how still, through it all, we would do it all over again. We had a WONDERFUL time, and ended up bringing half our dinner home.

Oh...and DH and I discussed my cooking. That first year it was horrid...and now, well, he
told me last night that he loves my cooking. In fact, he didn't like the Chicken Parmesan because he says mine is better!!!! ROFL

That was our "big" 5th year anniversary. And, you know what, it was 100% US! It was all things that WE love to do! I will say again, I LOVE THIS MAN!!!

5 YEARS as Mrs. F

5 years ago I married the love of my life. I use the term "DH" to refer to my husband. DH means Darling Husband or Dear Husband. My husband is Dear to me. And over the past 5 years he's only become even more Dear to me. I love this man. I love him more than I can ever explain or begin to put into words. Hmmm...maybe I should read some Shakespearean sonnets...maybe he could describe the depth of my love for this man???

They say that the first 5 years are the hardest. They say that if you can survive the first 5 years then you are in the "safe zone" (as safe as that zone is in today's 50%+ divorce rate). The past 5 years have been...well...our marriage. That is, we've gone through the military and all it's highs and lows (although I'd be happy if he went back in). We've been through military discharge, difficult pregnancy, an injury on DH's part, the premature birth of our child, financial ruin...over and over and over and over....and still going....again. We've been through a 2nd pregnancy and all that entailed (during the 1st trimester I threw him out of the house as well as chucked a pillow and TV remote at his head...POOR DH!!!!), the birth of our 2nd child, and the amazing 1st year of this second child (Little Dude). We've gone through multiple jobs, unemployment, a secure job, moving on average every 6 months, and now school.

God is good. God is wise. God is AWESOME! God created this many JUST FOR ME!!!! MAN did God know what he was doing!

So, at the end of the day, I am thankful for this amazing man that God gave me. I pray that He (God) continues to remind me of the amazing things that my husband has done and has survived with me through all the times to come where I can't stand this man yet love him so deeply. And, in 45 years....come back. I'm sure I'll have an even more amazing tale to tell.

Finals Update

Well, after a LOT of fighting on my part, I won and he was considered "in the wrong." He had to (and did) accept my final and I still got an A on it. :o) Thanks for all those that spoke w/ me regarding it!

Finals...

I am in school. I'm working on an A.A. in Criminal Justice through the University of Phoenix. My finals were due on Sunday. Finals through UOP are, for the most part, papers and/or power point presentations. My classes were Environmental Science and World Religions. So, things were going okay through the term. In the Science Course, the final was a 2000 word paper and a power point presentation. That was simple enough, got it done.

The World Religions final was a 2000 word paper. I got it done, and went to turn it in. The classroom setting is a message board, with 4 forums, one of wich is private just for each student and the professor (each student has their own private forum). The Final was to be posted in this private forum. When I went to submit it at 1:40am there was a message sitting there from my instructor. The message:

"It is now after midnight and you have not posted your final paper. According to Axia College policy I am unable to accept late work beyond the last day of class. If you have any questions please refer to the course syllabus which outlines the policy on late work."

THIS is complete crap! Pardon my crass language, but it is! I checked my syllabus, and sure enough! I had until midnight ARIZONA time...not EASTERN time! So, I sumbited it anyway, telling him that I DID check the syllabus and that the syllabus said I had until 3am.

Well...here I am...2 days later and I STILL haven't gotten a reply from him! I have called my academic adviser, she consulted other people "in charge" and they all agree: I am in the right, my paper WAS submitted on time, and he has to accept it per school policies. How can I get through to him, though, if he won't respond to me!? I have tried emailing him both through his school email AND the personal email he gave the class, no response.

I am understandably stressed out. Our final grades have to be turned in by the professor soon and he won't acknowledge me or my paper!

Anyway, I'll keep y'all updated on this saga. Thanks for reading and for praying for a good outcome.

My Homemade Mei Tai!

So I finally tried my hand at a Mei Tai. I used wrap straps instead of padded straps. What do you think?

Hitting the Nail on the Head

So I found this personality quiz on the myspace page of a buddy of mine. I was intrigued and decided to take it (I don't take very many of these). The results shocked me...and at the same time I was impressed. The hammer hit the nail on the head with this one!

You Are a Warrior Soul

You're a strong person and sometimes seen as intimidating. You don't give up. You're committed and brave. Truly adventuresome, you are not afraid of going to battle. Extremely protective of loved ones, you root for the underdog. You are picky about details and rigorous in your methods. You also value honesty and fairness a great deal. You can be outspoken, intimidating, headstrong, and demanding. You're a hardliner who demands the best from themselves and others. Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Coloring on the Walls

Well, I found some beautiful artwork done by my precious little Sweet Pea this afternoon. It was beautiful. Bold colors: orange, blue, yellow...just beautiful. Covering the walls from my baseboards to as high as her little arms could reach.

I rewarded her for her job well done by handing her a sponge and showed her how to scrub. She scrubbed. And she scrubbed. And scrubbed....and scrubbed...and scrubbed.

She scrubbed the walls for a good 30 min. She scrubbed while I made dinner. I told her to scrub until the crayon was gone. It all had to come off.

She whined. She cried. She asked me to just spank her. She asked me to put her into time out. She scrubbed.

I scrubbed too. I also cooked dinner. When dinner was done, I sat her down. We discussed why she is not allowed to color on the walls. I informed her that if she did it again, she would have to clean it off again. She apologized and we ate dinner.

Later, I asked her if she wanted to color on the walls again. Her response: "NO! NO! NO COLORING, Mommy! NO COLORING!!!!"

Lesson learned? I think so.

June 1, Halfway Through '07!

Today is June 1. That means we're half way through 2007. I can't beleive we're already half way through 2007! WOW! Where has this year gone? It seems as though it was only yesterday that we were celebrating the new year, and now another school year has come to a close, DH and I have celebrated another birthday, our children are another year older, and we're looking at the future wondering what lies ahead. Does anyone know where the year went?

Some Pictures to Get me Through...

So, while I grieve the loss of an unborn child, I thought I'd celebrate the wonderful two children I have...and love dearly. Thank you, Lord, for these precious children. Thank you for entrusting me with their care. Thank you for a husband who loves me as much as he does, but loves our children and you as much. Thank you for our life. Thank you for your love. Thank you for our children.

Now a Mommy to An Angel Baby....

I went in to see my Chiro yesterday for an adjustment, and she and I had been talking all week about the possibility of my being pregnant. She specializes in pregnant women and children, and is an actual doctor, so she did some digging and called some friends as well. Here is the general consensus based upon everything that happened (please remember I'm only sharing a small amt. of information here).

Apparently, a couple of things happened. First, during my exam 2 weeks ago, when my Gyn checked the IUD placement, she must have dislodged it a bit. DH and I had been intimate that morning before my exam (yea, I know...LOL) and this must have allowed a spermie to get by. Conception must have occurred, and I tested b/c I started feeling some of my usual early pregnancy symptoms. We're guessing that I got a pos. either just as HCG hormones were beginning to produce, or just after the pregnancy ended, but either way, our best guess is that I must have gotten pregnant and my body resorbed the baby, most likely because of the Mirena. The tests I took yesterday morning and this morning both produced shadow like lines at around 5 min., but were so faint that I'm not sure if it was wishful thinking on my part, or what because DH wasn't ever able to see them. I don't know. We now know for certain that the Mirena was dislodged, because part of what I've been feeling was it working its way out. This afternoon, it came out completely. I am now without my Mirena and feeling crampy.

It was one of those freak things, I guess. But, after hearing that I was most likely pregnant and lost it because of the Mirena, well, I don't want another one. For now we're going to go back to NFP (Natural Family Planning) and just see what happens. DH just got a potential job offer last night that would double his income and move us from FL to Pax River, MD...so we really need to see what's going to come of that. Obviously, if a final offer is made, we'd take it.

Anyway, this whole week has been one of those crazy kind of weeks and this whole story is one that I'd expect to read on a message board as one of those "a friend of my cousin's sister-in-law's, best friend's 3rd cousin had..." if you know what I mean. I'm just looking forward to moving forward with our life, and I don't know that I'll ever get over the fact that I have an angel baby up in heaven waiting for me. I don't think it'd hurt this much to loose a baby if I weren't already a mother, but throw in that I desperately want another baby soon (not just yet, but soon) it only makes it harder. I don't know how DH is doing, he won't talk about it...it's kinda the elephant in the room. But if you could please spare a few prayers as we heal and move forward it would be greatly appreciated.

Signed,

A Mommy to an Angel Baby

Soon to be Free...

...of the IUD! I have had this thing in to make sure that I didn't have another surprise baby after Little Dude was born. My pregnancies are SO hard, and I just could not have handled no insurance, a high needs baby, and being pregnant. So...June 8th I am going in to get it out (hopefully). No...not planning another baby any time soon, but honestly...I wouldn't be opposed. :o) I want to be done having our children before I am done with school...when I have to figure out how to pay back all the student loans.

Anyway, soon to be free!

Poopies!

So, there's this baby poop story contest going on here
.
So, Here's my story!

When Little Dude was a couple of months old he officially made me a mother. I had been a mother for more than 2 years, but he made it official. He'd been battling a diaper rash. None of the creams on the market were helping much, and it wasn't yeast. So, knowing about all the healing properties that breastmilk holds, I decided to put this on his bottom. It went very well...it helped his bottom a lot, he healed very quickly. One diaper change I leaned over him to squirt the milk on his bum, straight from the tap.

Then it happened.

It...

the poop.

Any mother will tell you that a newborn has this amazing ability to projectile poop. And that's what he did.

All...



Over....



My...



BOOB!!! That's right...runny, seedy, mustard colored baby breastfed poop all over my breast!!!! Yea...that diaper changed ended very quickly, culminating in my jumping into the shower.

I managed to get a shower that day at least....