I have a confession. I am not very up-to-date on the latest text/FB lingo. For a while I would see people make a comment followed by "smh," such as, "Just went outside and it's still raining. SMH." I always intepreted that to mean, "Just went outside and it's still raining smmmmuh" cause I had no clue what smh stood for. Finally, I googled it and aha, it means "shaking my head." Makes sense. Hopefully I have enlightened someone who has also been wondering what that means!
Living with a two year old there are a lot of things that she does that cause me to "shake my head." For the past three days she has been asking to wear her "kitty shirt." Technically, her kitty shirt is a Valentine's shirt, but since it's still February (til tomorrow! Happy Leap Year) we have continued wearing it. The past three days I've had to explain that she couldn't wear the kitty shirt because it was dirty. Yesterday I did laundry, so today I said, "Evangeline! Guess what! You get to wear your kitty shirt today." She burst into tears and said, "kitty shirt DIRTY! No No DIRTY." I finally got her to calm down so that I could explain that I washed it and it was now CLEAN! SMH....
Often we have a breakdown in communication, but sometimes the things Evangeline says are perfectly clear and I'm just not listening. At lunch today she said, "Mama! Blue Bell spaghetti nose!" I turned around to see that, yep, Blue Bell did in fact have a piece of spaghetti on her nose. That's what you get for begging too close to a toddler as she eats. The other day Evangeline kept telling me she wanted a "goldfish bowl." I had no clue what she was asking for but later discovered she wanted a bowl of goldfish. One would think that would've been obvious, but she's never referred to goldfish as "goldfish" (it use to just be "shish") and never asked for a bowl of them before. SMH...
The only person in our house more stubborn that Evangeline is her Daddy. I overheard a conversation the other night as they read her Dora Birthday book. Drew: Say, "We did it!" Ev: "I did it!" Drew: "No, WE did it." Ev: I did it! Drew: YOU didn't do it! WE did it. Ev: I did it. (Repeat about 10 times). Drew finally won that battle. SMH....
He also reported to me a battle over peas and meatloaf. Evangeline wanted, "more meat" but Drew told her she had to first eat a pea. She kept pretending to eat a pea. Then, she would put the pea in her mouth, spit it out, and squish it on the table. Finally Drew made her eat a pea. Then, she ate several more peas and no longer wanted any meatloaf! SMH...
Everytime Evangeline sees a capital "E" she says, "Dr. Wilson!" The only thing I can figure out is that she remembers seeing an eye chart in his office. We are going there today for Trey's nine month check-up. Our conversation this morning went something like this" Me: Today we are going to go see Dr. Wilson for Trey! Ev: No! Scary shot! Me: No, you won't need a scary shot! Ev: Sucker? SMH... I am going to notice if they have one of those eye charts, though.
Last night I made a cake for Bible study. I noticed Drew helping himself to a big piece and "got on to him" for eating my Bible study cake. He said that he thought I made it just because. Just because what? Just because I started Weight Watchers this week and decided I'd celebrate by making a cake? Drew said he didn't know it was for Bible study and really didn't care; He was eating a piece anyway. SMH.... By the way, I saved him a piece afterwards and no one cared that a chunk was missing!
I celebrated that Trey is getting his first two teeth this week. No clue why I celebrated because I should've known that it meant several nights of him getting up screaming at 2:00. It's kind of sweet though how he cuddles up next to me. It makes me miss him waking in the middle of the night to nurse (just a little bit). SMH.....
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Scratch Cracker Barrel off the list
Every Friday night we meet my parents for dinner. It's really nice especially now that my dad is in Jackson during the week and we don't get to see him very much (though more than when we lived in Pearl River County). Two weeks ago we went to Cracker Barrel and had a great time. In and out no problems. Tonight, not so much. You know it's a pretty bad eating experience when you're at a restaurant for nearly two hours and still don't get a chance to eat!
First off, they told us it'd be a 10 minute wait. Ten minutes turned into 35 before we got inside. After we were seated and ordered our drinks (which took a good bit longer than usual) we waited and waited and waited. We finally asked for some cornbread and biscuits because Evangeline was clearly getting hungry. An hour after we first sat down we got all of our food (including the bread). Evangeline scarffed a few bites down quickly then promptly started throwing up! She has a problem where she throws up occasionally at meals and it is compounded by her eating quickly which she did tonight because it was 7:30 and we'd been there a long time!!
Drew caught the puke and therefore lost any kind of appetite he may have had. So, we loaded up into three to go boxes and headed out the door as quickly as we could. Oh, and I asked for my tea to go and was told they didn't have any at the moment. :(
Drew said that we're running out of places that we can go eat in Meridian. Pretty much La Pinata and Western Sizzlin are all that's left.
The only bright spot to the evening was that I randomly ran into one of my former co-workers from PRC, Martha Cox. I had one those, "that really really looks like [Mrs. Cox]" moments and even texted Joni to ask her why Mrs. Cox would be in Meridian. But, it definitely was her and we had a fun time catching up! She asked if I was ever going to teach again and I said that I was planing on returning. She was very encouraging and said that's where I need to be. Those who know Mrs. Cox know that's a compliment. She's one of the best teachers I know.
Evangeline is happily eating the rest of her "bak bak" and "noodles" at home. Maybe I'll eat after she goes to bed....
First off, they told us it'd be a 10 minute wait. Ten minutes turned into 35 before we got inside. After we were seated and ordered our drinks (which took a good bit longer than usual) we waited and waited and waited. We finally asked for some cornbread and biscuits because Evangeline was clearly getting hungry. An hour after we first sat down we got all of our food (including the bread). Evangeline scarffed a few bites down quickly then promptly started throwing up! She has a problem where she throws up occasionally at meals and it is compounded by her eating quickly which she did tonight because it was 7:30 and we'd been there a long time!!
Drew caught the puke and therefore lost any kind of appetite he may have had. So, we loaded up into three to go boxes and headed out the door as quickly as we could. Oh, and I asked for my tea to go and was told they didn't have any at the moment. :(
Drew said that we're running out of places that we can go eat in Meridian. Pretty much La Pinata and Western Sizzlin are all that's left.
The only bright spot to the evening was that I randomly ran into one of my former co-workers from PRC, Martha Cox. I had one those, "that really really looks like [Mrs. Cox]" moments and even texted Joni to ask her why Mrs. Cox would be in Meridian. But, it definitely was her and we had a fun time catching up! She asked if I was ever going to teach again and I said that I was planing on returning. She was very encouraging and said that's where I need to be. Those who know Mrs. Cox know that's a compliment. She's one of the best teachers I know.
Evangeline is happily eating the rest of her "bak bak" and "noodles" at home. Maybe I'll eat after she goes to bed....
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Baptist Casserole
There's a lot of things (and people) we miss about Henleyfield, but one of the things we miss the most is Ms. Betty Burks' "Award Winning" Baptist Casserole. The "award" came at Drew's Top Chef themed 30th birthday for Best Entree. He knew it was gonna be the winner before he ever put a bite in his mouth! Baptist Casserole is Ms. Betty's staple dish at every NHSBC function and everyone loves it! She was always sweet to make sure that I took Drew home the leftover casserole after Ladies Luncheon and it was a special treat for him. It's been a good six months since he's had some, and when I mentioned possibly making it, he was more than excited. He even set the meat out to thaw for me! I put on Facebook that I was cooking it and got several inquiries as to what it was (though no one from New Henleyfield had to ask!). So, I'm going to borrow from my friend Tammy's blog idea and post a recipe! This will probably be the only time you get a recipe from me!
Baptist Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup sour cream
8 oz mozzarella cheese
2 T butter
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 roll crescent rolls
Brown meat and drain. Add sauce. Place in 9x13 pyrex. Mix together sour cream and mozarella cheese. Spread over meat and sauce mixture. Top with crescent rolls. Pour melted butter and Parm cheese on top. Bake at 375 until bubbly.
Baptist Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup sour cream
8 oz mozzarella cheese
2 T butter
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 roll crescent rolls
Brown meat and drain. Add sauce. Place in 9x13 pyrex. Mix together sour cream and mozarella cheese. Spread over meat and sauce mixture. Top with crescent rolls. Pour melted butter and Parm cheese on top. Bake at 375 until bubbly.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Unattended- Poor Trey
For about six weeks now I have been able to let Evangeline and Trey play together in the living room while doing a few things in other parts of the house. Our couches are arranged in such a way that Trey can't escape a confined area and we have a baby gate at the door. For the most part, they have played together well. Evangeline frequently asks if she can, "Play Trey" as soon as she wakes up from her naps. I'll occasionally hear a teeny bit of fighting over a toy (which basically means that Evangeline has snatched something that is HERS out of Trey's mouth) but they have done pretty well for the few minutes at a time that I've left them playing. Until recently.
A couple of days ago I heard Trey crying and went in there to discover that he was chewing on Genesis Chapter 18 from my Bible. Arg. I felt like both a bad mother and a bad Christian. Another time Trey was screaming and Evangeline had him pinned down and was hitting him on the back with a Hello Kitty McDonald's toy. Not sure what that was about, but he did not like it! Well, yesterday I heard Trey let out a LOUD scream and found Evangeline pulling him into the closet by the head. She likes the closet and wanted him to play in there with her, I guess. When I said, "Evangeline!" she just dropped him! Poor baby!
Today was the worst. I was in the bathroom getting ready for church when I heard Trey start wailing loudly. I can definitely tell the difference now between a "she took my toy" yell and a "help me mommy!!!" yell. This was a "help me mommy!" yell and a loud one, at that. Evangeline had unplugged the lamp and had the cord wrapped TWICE around Trey's neck! Thankfully she hadn't pulled it too tight! I'm even more thankful that God gave Trey a good set of lungs!
Drew said he was surprised at all the trouble they get into, what with the few things I have to do other than watch them. I'm worried that our days of leaving them both unattended in the same room have passed for at least a few more months. It's funny/sad because now if I put Trey in the living room with her he'll just sit at the baby gate and cry for me. Poor Trey. One day he'll be able to defend himself. I really don't think she means to hurt him....... She just wants to play! Poor Trey.
A couple of days ago I heard Trey crying and went in there to discover that he was chewing on Genesis Chapter 18 from my Bible. Arg. I felt like both a bad mother and a bad Christian. Another time Trey was screaming and Evangeline had him pinned down and was hitting him on the back with a Hello Kitty McDonald's toy. Not sure what that was about, but he did not like it! Well, yesterday I heard Trey let out a LOUD scream and found Evangeline pulling him into the closet by the head. She likes the closet and wanted him to play in there with her, I guess. When I said, "Evangeline!" she just dropped him! Poor baby!
Today was the worst. I was in the bathroom getting ready for church when I heard Trey start wailing loudly. I can definitely tell the difference now between a "she took my toy" yell and a "help me mommy!!!" yell. This was a "help me mommy!" yell and a loud one, at that. Evangeline had unplugged the lamp and had the cord wrapped TWICE around Trey's neck! Thankfully she hadn't pulled it too tight! I'm even more thankful that God gave Trey a good set of lungs!
Drew said he was surprised at all the trouble they get into, what with the few things I have to do other than watch them. I'm worried that our days of leaving them both unattended in the same room have passed for at least a few more months. It's funny/sad because now if I put Trey in the living room with her he'll just sit at the baby gate and cry for me. Poor Trey. One day he'll be able to defend himself. I really don't think she means to hurt him....... She just wants to play! Poor Trey.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Evangeline's Birth Story
In honor of Evangeline's birthday, I'm copying and pasting her birth story (written by Drew) onto my blog:
The Longest, Happiest Day of My Life
I recently started watching 24. My Dad has all the seasons on DVD. He's a huge fan. I really like it, too, and I'm part way through season 3. But one thing I'll always remember is the way the episodes started in season one: "I'm federal agent Jack Bauer, and this is the longest day of my life." I won't ruin the ending for you, but it's definitely bittersweet... probably more bitter than sweet.
Well, the longest day of my life so far was yesterday. It, too, was bittersweet... but definitely more sweet than bitter.
We arrived at the hospital about 5:10am after a restless night in a local motel. We settled into a delivery room, and they started inducing labor around 6:45. She started having regular contractions, and they started the epidural at 7:45. They broke her water at 8:00, and we were off to the races. So far so good. No pain. She was doing great.
Things seemed to be progressing just fine. There was only one little hang-up, something that the doctor and nurses were uneasy about. Every time she had a contraction, the baby's heart rate would drop. She'd started out on her back, so they moved her to her side and put her on oxygen. Then, the heart monitor wasn't picking up correctly, so they used a different kind. Then, the baby's heart rate looked good for a while, until it started dropping again, so they turned her over on her other side. The whole time, she's doing great. No pain. Everything on my wife's end was great. Like I said, she was progressing just fine. It was just one of those things you think you've fixed, and then five minutes later, you find out it's not fixed.
Fast-forward a little bit. It's noon. Monitor keeps skipping, just not picking up right. So, the doctor comes in to switch monitors yet again. As he's doing it, she mentions that her right leg is really numb and she can't even move it. He tells her the meds from the epidural are pooling in her right side and that she needs to lay on her left side. We had been monitoring the heart rate ourselves for the last 45 minutes are so, and we really thought the issue had been resolved. Well, it wasn't. After they put her on her left side, every time she had a contraction, the baby's heart rate would drop AFTER the contraction... and stay down in the 90s... for over a minute. At that point, I took it upon myself to turn the computer screen away from my wife, who didn't need the extra stress of watching the heart rate herself.
The doctor probably wasn't gone for 10 minutes when he came back. I guess it was about 12:15. He said, in so many words, that if she were already pushing, we'd go ahead and have the baby that way, but since she was still a long way from pushing, we needed to have a C-section. It would just be too much stress on the baby to keep doing what we were doing.
That's where the "bitter" part is for us. My wife really didn't want to have a C-section. But with so much stress on the baby, it was the obvious choice.
Well, I just asked the doctor, "Doc, how long before y'all do the section?" He told me it'd be about 45 minutes. So, I said, "I'm starving, and I've got to get a bite of something to eat." He said, "Well, just hurry." And I told my wife, "Don't you let them wheel you out of here unless I'm back in the room with you. Fight 'em, if you have to." So, I hustle down to the hospital cafeteria, get one chicken breast fillet and a piece of cornbread, take one bite of the chicken, and my phone rings. It's my sister-in-law telling me I needed to get back upstairs. They had gotten there right after they told us we need to have a section. In fact, I had passed them on the way to the cafeteria. Anyway, I put the whole piece of chicken in my mouth and took off, leaving my Dad holding my plate. He understood.
I got back in what I thought was just the nick of time, only to play the waiting game for 15 more minutes. They took my wife as soon as I got back, and they ushered me into the recovery room to get robed up.
In the meantime, my wife had about 8 different people doing things to prep her for the C-section. She was definitely experiencing information overload. She was having to sign stuff left and right. It wasn't an "emergency" situation, at least that's not the impression they gave us initially, but it sure felt like an emergency, the way they were rushing everything. All the while, she's still having contractions and is still on oxygen. They told her they were going to start the incision, but if she could feel it, they would have to put her under general anesthesia. If they had to use general anesthesia, I wouldn't be able to come in. And the whole time, I'm totally in the dark; don't have a clue what's going on.
Here's the deal, when they said I had 45 minutes, they meant 45 minutes until I'd be holding my baby. I thought they meant 45 minutes until they started the procedure. You can see where I got confused, I hope. Now, the truth is, it was more like 30 minutes before I was holding my baby, but that's getting the cart before the horse.
This whole time, I'm a total wreck. I'm mad, because I think they're not going to let me be in there with my wife. I'm extra mad, because nobody's telling me anything. Until finally, a nurse walks into where I am and tells me I can come in now. I walk into a room, and it looks like a scene from a movie or something. The doctor looks up, scalpel in hand, smiles, and says, "Oh, there you are." They put me behind the curtain with my wife's head and arms (looked like she was being crucified on a table). She's got the shakes so bad it looks like she's having detox withrawals. Actually, it was the meds from the epidural. I don't really remember much except that I was VERY supportive and VERY encouraging. Just had to throw that in there.
I'm up there with my wife's head, and she says, "Ow, it feels like somebody's standing on my chest." I say, "Well, the doctor's not that big; he may be!" Also about that time, about 3/4 of the way into the procedure, the anesthesiologist says, "Would you like to have something for those shakes?" My wife just about came off the table when he said that, like, "Why didn't you ask me that 15 minutes ago?" And it's never a good thing when you look around and see your anesthesiologist messing with his iPhone while you're having surgery!
About that time, we heard someone say, "Oh, there's the head." Someone else said, "That's alot of hair." Then, a minute later, we heard something like a suction cup. I actually didn't hear it, but my wife did. Later, we found out they had to use a vacuum to get the baby out. I'm not sure if it was an Oreck or a Bissel. A minute later we heard a short cry, then silence for what seemed like an eternity. Actually, it was only about 3 seconds, but it seemed like forever. Then, the baby started really crying.
They brought the baby around the curtain for us to see, but at this point, they'd not said whether it was a boy baby or a girl baby. We were praying hard that it was a girl baby... because that's what it was supposed to be, and the whole nursery is pink! And sure enough, it was a girl baby. We both breathed a sigh of relief. And the anesthesiologist was polite enough to lay down his iPhone and take a picture of the three of us.
They let me take lots of pictures in the OR. She weighed 8lbs 2oz, and was 21 inches long. My dad's cousin said it was the first time in history that a baby was taller than it's father.
I asked my wife if she wanted me to stay with her or go with the baby to the nursery. She wanted me to go with the baby, so I did, while they stitched her up, which took a REALLY... LONG... TIME.
The details are fuzzy, but I remember getting to hold my little girl and carry her down the hall to the waiting room to meet my parents, my wife's parents, my wife's sister, and our next door neighbors, who were awfully sweet to drive up to see us.
I just kind of hung out in the nursery for the next 45 minutes or so, while they finished working on my wife. She FINALLY made it to the recovery room, but it was still about another 30 minutes before my wife got to see the baby again. My wife stayed in recovery for about 2 hours total. She was in terrible pain and was terribly thirsty. I, of course, came to her rescue by bringing her diet coke and water. With the pain, though, I wasn't so helpful.
Fast forward again. It's about 4:00pm. We got settled into a postpartum room, and that's where we've been ever since, for over 30 hours. Our baby is healthy and beautiful. She's got a head full of brown hair with blond highlights. She's perfect, and that's really all I can say. She is perfect.
God has blessed us so tremendously. My wife and I shared our first good cry a few hours ago, just looking at our baby girl and thinking about how blessed we are. We came into the hospital expecting a very long day of labor, but by 1:00pm we had our little girl. My wife and I are looking forward to watching her and helping her grow up into a smart, beautiful, godly woman.
Well, the longest day of my life so far was yesterday. It, too, was bittersweet... but definitely more sweet than bitter.
We arrived at the hospital about 5:10am after a restless night in a local motel. We settled into a delivery room, and they started inducing labor around 6:45. She started having regular contractions, and they started the epidural at 7:45. They broke her water at 8:00, and we were off to the races. So far so good. No pain. She was doing great.
Things seemed to be progressing just fine. There was only one little hang-up, something that the doctor and nurses were uneasy about. Every time she had a contraction, the baby's heart rate would drop. She'd started out on her back, so they moved her to her side and put her on oxygen. Then, the heart monitor wasn't picking up correctly, so they used a different kind. Then, the baby's heart rate looked good for a while, until it started dropping again, so they turned her over on her other side. The whole time, she's doing great. No pain. Everything on my wife's end was great. Like I said, she was progressing just fine. It was just one of those things you think you've fixed, and then five minutes later, you find out it's not fixed.
Fast-forward a little bit. It's noon. Monitor keeps skipping, just not picking up right. So, the doctor comes in to switch monitors yet again. As he's doing it, she mentions that her right leg is really numb and she can't even move it. He tells her the meds from the epidural are pooling in her right side and that she needs to lay on her left side. We had been monitoring the heart rate ourselves for the last 45 minutes are so, and we really thought the issue had been resolved. Well, it wasn't. After they put her on her left side, every time she had a contraction, the baby's heart rate would drop AFTER the contraction... and stay down in the 90s... for over a minute. At that point, I took it upon myself to turn the computer screen away from my wife, who didn't need the extra stress of watching the heart rate herself.
The doctor probably wasn't gone for 10 minutes when he came back. I guess it was about 12:15. He said, in so many words, that if she were already pushing, we'd go ahead and have the baby that way, but since she was still a long way from pushing, we needed to have a C-section. It would just be too much stress on the baby to keep doing what we were doing.
That's where the "bitter" part is for us. My wife really didn't want to have a C-section. But with so much stress on the baby, it was the obvious choice.
Well, I just asked the doctor, "Doc, how long before y'all do the section?" He told me it'd be about 45 minutes. So, I said, "I'm starving, and I've got to get a bite of something to eat." He said, "Well, just hurry." And I told my wife, "Don't you let them wheel you out of here unless I'm back in the room with you. Fight 'em, if you have to." So, I hustle down to the hospital cafeteria, get one chicken breast fillet and a piece of cornbread, take one bite of the chicken, and my phone rings. It's my sister-in-law telling me I needed to get back upstairs. They had gotten there right after they told us we need to have a section. In fact, I had passed them on the way to the cafeteria. Anyway, I put the whole piece of chicken in my mouth and took off, leaving my Dad holding my plate. He understood.
I got back in what I thought was just the nick of time, only to play the waiting game for 15 more minutes. They took my wife as soon as I got back, and they ushered me into the recovery room to get robed up.
In the meantime, my wife had about 8 different people doing things to prep her for the C-section. She was definitely experiencing information overload. She was having to sign stuff left and right. It wasn't an "emergency" situation, at least that's not the impression they gave us initially, but it sure felt like an emergency, the way they were rushing everything. All the while, she's still having contractions and is still on oxygen. They told her they were going to start the incision, but if she could feel it, they would have to put her under general anesthesia. If they had to use general anesthesia, I wouldn't be able to come in. And the whole time, I'm totally in the dark; don't have a clue what's going on.
Here's the deal, when they said I had 45 minutes, they meant 45 minutes until I'd be holding my baby. I thought they meant 45 minutes until they started the procedure. You can see where I got confused, I hope. Now, the truth is, it was more like 30 minutes before I was holding my baby, but that's getting the cart before the horse.
This whole time, I'm a total wreck. I'm mad, because I think they're not going to let me be in there with my wife. I'm extra mad, because nobody's telling me anything. Until finally, a nurse walks into where I am and tells me I can come in now. I walk into a room, and it looks like a scene from a movie or something. The doctor looks up, scalpel in hand, smiles, and says, "Oh, there you are." They put me behind the curtain with my wife's head and arms (looked like she was being crucified on a table). She's got the shakes so bad it looks like she's having detox withrawals. Actually, it was the meds from the epidural. I don't really remember much except that I was VERY supportive and VERY encouraging. Just had to throw that in there.
I'm up there with my wife's head, and she says, "Ow, it feels like somebody's standing on my chest." I say, "Well, the doctor's not that big; he may be!" Also about that time, about 3/4 of the way into the procedure, the anesthesiologist says, "Would you like to have something for those shakes?" My wife just about came off the table when he said that, like, "Why didn't you ask me that 15 minutes ago?" And it's never a good thing when you look around and see your anesthesiologist messing with his iPhone while you're having surgery!
About that time, we heard someone say, "Oh, there's the head." Someone else said, "That's alot of hair." Then, a minute later, we heard something like a suction cup. I actually didn't hear it, but my wife did. Later, we found out they had to use a vacuum to get the baby out. I'm not sure if it was an Oreck or a Bissel. A minute later we heard a short cry, then silence for what seemed like an eternity. Actually, it was only about 3 seconds, but it seemed like forever. Then, the baby started really crying.
They brought the baby around the curtain for us to see, but at this point, they'd not said whether it was a boy baby or a girl baby. We were praying hard that it was a girl baby... because that's what it was supposed to be, and the whole nursery is pink! And sure enough, it was a girl baby. We both breathed a sigh of relief. And the anesthesiologist was polite enough to lay down his iPhone and take a picture of the three of us.
They let me take lots of pictures in the OR. She weighed 8lbs 2oz, and was 21 inches long. My dad's cousin said it was the first time in history that a baby was taller than it's father.
I asked my wife if she wanted me to stay with her or go with the baby to the nursery. She wanted me to go with the baby, so I did, while they stitched her up, which took a REALLY... LONG... TIME.
The details are fuzzy, but I remember getting to hold my little girl and carry her down the hall to the waiting room to meet my parents, my wife's parents, my wife's sister, and our next door neighbors, who were awfully sweet to drive up to see us.
I just kind of hung out in the nursery for the next 45 minutes or so, while they finished working on my wife. She FINALLY made it to the recovery room, but it was still about another 30 minutes before my wife got to see the baby again. My wife stayed in recovery for about 2 hours total. She was in terrible pain and was terribly thirsty. I, of course, came to her rescue by bringing her diet coke and water. With the pain, though, I wasn't so helpful.
Fast forward again. It's about 4:00pm. We got settled into a postpartum room, and that's where we've been ever since, for over 30 hours. Our baby is healthy and beautiful. She's got a head full of brown hair with blond highlights. She's perfect, and that's really all I can say. She is perfect.
God has blessed us so tremendously. My wife and I shared our first good cry a few hours ago, just looking at our baby girl and thinking about how blessed we are. We came into the hospital expecting a very long day of labor, but by 1:00pm we had our little girl. My wife and I are looking forward to watching her and helping her grow up into a smart, beautiful, godly woman.
Happy Birthday Evangeline
January 25th- one month after Christmas, the day after my sister Katie's birthday, and the day I first became a mommy! When I think about Evangeline's birth the thing I always remember is how excited I was. And now, two years later, I see things that remind me of her birth and I still get a little excited. For example, the NFC Championship the other night reminded me of how we watched the Saints beat the Vikings in the hotel room in Hattiesburg the night before she was born. I was excited about everything- giving birth, staying in the hospital, but most of all about meeting my daughter. It was a big day! The biggest moment of my life!
I am so very grateful to have our sweet Evangeline. She truly is a sweet and friendly kid! She's good at remembering people just like her daddy and always wants to know where everyone is and what they are doing. We've recently started letting her say some of her own prayers at night. Drew will say "Thank you God for ______" and she fills in the blank. She always remembers to thank God for Mommy, Blue Bell, and Trey. Sometimes she thanks God for other animals like my sister's dog Nestle, and my parent's dog, Fred. She usually thanks God for cake, too! (Can't blame her). Evangeline's "busy-ness" has slowed down a little bit, just in time for Trey's to pick up I'm afraid. She's still into a lot of stuff and has no fear. The fearlessness worries me a little bit because I'm pretty sure she'd go anywhere with anyone! She climbed into someone else's car after Bible study yesterday and was trying to strap herself in. When I approached her she said, "Bye, Mommy!" I'm sure that it would've been fun to hang out with Cora and her Mommy, too! Ha! She still loves cows, cheerleaders, "Bak Bak" (chicken nuggets), baths, and Wonder Pets, but new interests include watching Dora the Explorer, tending to her baby dolls, and Bible Time. She loves giving both eskimo and butterfly kisses to Daddy, Mommy, Trey, and sometimes Blue Bell! She'd kiss Edy, too, if the cat would let her.
There was a time (back in the fall of '08 and winter of '09) that I seriously wondered if I would ever be able to have children. It was a horrible time in my life. I was in agony and crying to God everyday that we could get pregnant and have a baby. Last night as I struggled bathing TWO babies all I could think was, "Thank you thank you Lord!" How blessed am I!
I was trying to remember what we did last year for Evangeline's actual birthday. I know that we went to Sears to get her portraits made after school. It was the first "hard" portrait session of many because Evangeline could walk and wanted to run all over the studio (something she still hasn't gotten past). We went to eat somewhere afterwards, but I can't remember where. Maybe I'll check FB Timeline to see! This morning we met Kelly (still very pregnant!), Micah, and Elizabeth at Chick-Fil-A. What a perfect place to play. Evangeline is just the right size for the play area and will climb up and go down the slide with no problems. We had a surprise visit from another (long-distant) cousin, Ethan, too! After lunch, a visit with Poppy (who couldn't find a thing on their menu he'd actually want to eat), and a birthday balloon, we headed home. We did a mini birthday celebration with the top to her birthday cake with Daddy and Trey. Evangeline only got a little upset by the candles this time. The fire reminds her of the "scary fireworks" from New Year's. We also gave her one of her birthday presents: a tricycle I bought at a yard sale for $5.00. Are we bad parents? We figured she could test this one out and if she likes it a lot, we'd get her a new one later. We did get her a few other things too including a Dora bath doll that was on the Clearance rack at Wal-mart.
This afternoon we're meeting my mom at Sears for two year old birthday pics. Keeping my fingers crossed for at least one good birthday shot! Happy Birthday sweet Evangeline! Mommy loves you!
I am so very grateful to have our sweet Evangeline. She truly is a sweet and friendly kid! She's good at remembering people just like her daddy and always wants to know where everyone is and what they are doing. We've recently started letting her say some of her own prayers at night. Drew will say "Thank you God for ______" and she fills in the blank. She always remembers to thank God for Mommy, Blue Bell, and Trey. Sometimes she thanks God for other animals like my sister's dog Nestle, and my parent's dog, Fred. She usually thanks God for cake, too! (Can't blame her). Evangeline's "busy-ness" has slowed down a little bit, just in time for Trey's to pick up I'm afraid. She's still into a lot of stuff and has no fear. The fearlessness worries me a little bit because I'm pretty sure she'd go anywhere with anyone! She climbed into someone else's car after Bible study yesterday and was trying to strap herself in. When I approached her she said, "Bye, Mommy!" I'm sure that it would've been fun to hang out with Cora and her Mommy, too! Ha! She still loves cows, cheerleaders, "Bak Bak" (chicken nuggets), baths, and Wonder Pets, but new interests include watching Dora the Explorer, tending to her baby dolls, and Bible Time. She loves giving both eskimo and butterfly kisses to Daddy, Mommy, Trey, and sometimes Blue Bell! She'd kiss Edy, too, if the cat would let her.
There was a time (back in the fall of '08 and winter of '09) that I seriously wondered if I would ever be able to have children. It was a horrible time in my life. I was in agony and crying to God everyday that we could get pregnant and have a baby. Last night as I struggled bathing TWO babies all I could think was, "Thank you thank you Lord!" How blessed am I!
I was trying to remember what we did last year for Evangeline's actual birthday. I know that we went to Sears to get her portraits made after school. It was the first "hard" portrait session of many because Evangeline could walk and wanted to run all over the studio (something she still hasn't gotten past). We went to eat somewhere afterwards, but I can't remember where. Maybe I'll check FB Timeline to see! This morning we met Kelly (still very pregnant!), Micah, and Elizabeth at Chick-Fil-A. What a perfect place to play. Evangeline is just the right size for the play area and will climb up and go down the slide with no problems. We had a surprise visit from another (long-distant) cousin, Ethan, too! After lunch, a visit with Poppy (who couldn't find a thing on their menu he'd actually want to eat), and a birthday balloon, we headed home. We did a mini birthday celebration with the top to her birthday cake with Daddy and Trey. Evangeline only got a little upset by the candles this time. The fire reminds her of the "scary fireworks" from New Year's. We also gave her one of her birthday presents: a tricycle I bought at a yard sale for $5.00. Are we bad parents? We figured she could test this one out and if she likes it a lot, we'd get her a new one later. We did get her a few other things too including a Dora bath doll that was on the Clearance rack at Wal-mart.
This afternoon we're meeting my mom at Sears for two year old birthday pics. Keeping my fingers crossed for at least one good birthday shot! Happy Birthday sweet Evangeline! Mommy loves you!
Friday, January 20, 2012
How to remove sharpie from a baby doll
Evangeline "decorated" both herself and her baby doll (the brand new one she got for Christmas!) with a blue sharpie. I have NO clue where the sharpie came from and how she got her hands on it. She can spot a "color" a mile away though. Thank goodness her brother was taking a nap in his room at the time! Frustrated because I was in the middle of doing the dishes from her birthday cake, I googled "how to remove sharpie" and came across a website with "8 ways to remove permanent marker."
- Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
- WD-40
- Anti-bacterial hand gel
- Hairspray
- Cooking spray
- Nail polish remover
- Bleach (depending on the surface)
- Goof Off
Having previously taught Science, I decided that I would turn this into a little experiment (and blog about it along the way).
Problem: Which product: anti-bacterial hand gel, hairspray, cooking spray, or nail polish remover best removes sharpie from the surface of a baby doll's head.
Hypothesis: I believe the nail polish remover will best remove the permanent marker stains from Evangeline's baby doll.
Procedure:
Step #1: Divide baby doll's head into four equal portions.
Step#2: Place hand sanitizer on one portion of the baby doll. Scrub for 1 minute.
Step #3: Spray one section of baby doll with hairspray. Scrub for 1 minute.
Step #4: Spray one section of baby doll with cooking spray. Scrub for 1 minute.
Step #5: Use nail polish remover on one section of baby doll. Scrub for 1 minute.
Step#6: Compare the results of each section.
Results:
The hand sanitizer appears to have done the best job. Next best was the nail polish remover, then the cooking spray and lastly the hairspray. The hairspray made little difference at all. The hand sanitizer still left behind some blue, so the poor baby doll will never be the same.
Conclusion: Keep all permanent writing utensils away from near-two year olds because there isn't really a magical solution to getting out the stains. My hypothesis was wrong: The hand-sanitizer is your best bet. Also, it may be a good idea to immediately apply the materials instead of first stopping to blog about it. I will keep scrubbing the rest of the doll with hand-sanitizer and hopefully it will look decent.
Extension: If I were to repeat this experiment (which I hopefully won't have to!) I could try different brands of hairspray, cooking spray, and hand-sanitizer. I used the Bath & Body Works Caribbean Escape brand of hand sanitizer, which made the baby smell really good, but may not have been as effective as Purel. And, I'm pretty sure my nail polish remover was several years old, so this could have cut down on its effectiveness. After the experiment concluded I tried some bleach, windex, carpet cleaner, and spray n wash, and none of those made a difference.
P.S. I have NO clue how to get the picture at the top to rotate. Any blog-savy people able to help?
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