May 10, 2009
Yes, Yes, I know this is a late entry blog, but at least I am attempting to catch up. And boy do we have a lot of catching up to do! One of my BFFs, Gindy, found the following poem on one of her fav blog sites. She passed it along to me and I have been anxiously awaiting the moment I could blog it to you. Warning: If you cry while watching Biggest Loser, TLC, last episodes of ER, cards in the middle of Wal-Green's, or over just sweet text messages . . . you will cry over this poem. Get your tissue, it is worth it!
Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisionous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on, pooped on, chewed on, or peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctos could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
**Before I was a Mom, (just a few of my own)
I never sang nursery rhymes every time I was in the car.
I never quoted the phrase "shake, shake, shake" everytime we pottied.
(I never called it "go potty")
I never dug up rolly pollys and referred to worms as 'catapillers'
I never repainted a bedroom because it was scary
I never knew how special snuggling could be
I never . . oh I could go on and on, sniff, sniff, but back to the original**
Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know the bond between a mother and child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 min to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the heartache, the wonderment,
the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
Before I was a Mom,
I never relaized how much I took my own mother for granted.
I never understood how hard her job really was.
I never knew how much my actions or mistakes broke her heart.
Before I was a Mom,
I never really appreciated the sacrifices she made or knew how exhausted she was from dealing with my "needs".
Now that I am a Mom . . . I know how lucky that I am to be the product of this amazing woman that I call Mama. I am so blessed and pray I can make her proud by raising my own children the way she raised me.
Sniff, Sniff, Happy Mother's Day!
We spent Tuesday evening in the yard at dusk. Max had his net and bug container catching lightining bugs. He loves how they "blink". He caught 4 and put them in the container. They came inside for awhile to visit with Max. He was convinced they were going to sleep with him. (Just FYI, Jay is out of town . . which means Max is sleeping with me . .get it? The bugs were going to sleep with US, not just him.) Finally, I convinced him to let them back outside to go to bed iwth their Mamas. Whew! Close call on that one!
On Saturday night Carter and Emerson spent the night with us. Amanda and Clay were still out of the country, so we tried to help them out with a sleep over at our house. Whew! Three kidos will wear you out. They played inside, outside, in the pool, in the bonus room, in the culdesac, down 'Cherry Hill Lane', and everywhere in between. 
Sunday afternoon was spent relaxing at the Kelley's by the pool. Max and cuz Tristan jumped and swam all evening. It was nice to be lazy for a few hours before we had to hit the ground Monday with another trip week for Jay.
On Memorial Day Sunday Jay's parents had a Crawfish Boil. They topped out at aprox 150 guests enjoying 200 lbs of crawfish and 100 lbs of brisket. Yumm. It was good eating too. Jay and I got the privilege of slicing the brisket before it was served. So we got to 'taste test' lots of tasty slices. We got to visit with numerous old friends from the years. Everyone also got to enjoy the new pool. They kid-os swam and played with water guns and then the adults played water volleyball.
Max is still enjoying swimming class on Monday nights. He is really starting to be bold and leap from the steps on his own skill. He understands how to do 'big reachers' using his arms to get to his teacher. He is funny to listen to in the bathtub. All of his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are now taking swimming lessons. He instructs them all to jump, kick, and reach for the wall.
Seems really far away, but we are so thrilled. We have prayed and wished so hard for the miracle to take place, and now the day is here. We have a long road to go, but I am confident we will get there. (Remind me of that in November). Max is as excited as his little mind can be at this point. He told me that a baby and turtle were in a shell in my belly and the turtle was going to eat it's way out of the shell. Yea. Sounds great, huh? He knows that God gave us the baby that is little bitty (like a freckle as BeBe put it) in my belly. He had been told that my belly will grow big like a ball. Then we will go to the hospital and bring it home with us. Max will recite all of that, how much he comprehends, who knows. BeBe has already taken pictures for us. The little black blob doesn't even register on the size chart of her machine. We think it measured 3mm. No matter how small though, it is our little one and we are so ready to love it and find its niche in our family. 
We had lots of fun telling everyone. We told some that we got something over the weekend. When they asked what, we answered with "A positive!" We sent a mass text message with a picture of the positive test. Max and I visited my Mom at work and asked what she though about possibly sharing her January birthday. At work, I am going to place the tiny ultrasound picture on my locker with Max's pictures and see how it takes people to comment. Its been a real adventure getting people told in due time. We had fun with Jay's parents because they have a flower pot tower similar to mine on their back porch. A few years ago, Mrs. Kelley and I painted each pot differently and placed each grandkid's name and number on it. Like Max is #5 and his is the top pot on the stand of 5. So after I went to the doctor on Wednesday I went and bought a smaller pot. I painted it and placed a big white 6 on it. That evening we went to visit and handed them the pot. After a few moments of pondering and glances from Jay and I at the stand of 5 . . . it clicked and they got very excited. It was an awesome moment. Now the 6th pot has been added to the stand.
A precious memory Max had already given us happened last night. Max and I were snuggling on the couch before bedtime as we always do with him on my shoulder. He sat up real quick with a perplexed "Uh-oh! Mommy! Where's the Baby?" I stated, "In my belly, Max, like we talked about." He leaped off the couch onto the floor and said, "Oh, Mommy, I can't snuggle with you, I'll squish the Baby!" As tears flooded my eyes, I tried to explain that God placed the Baby way down in my belly safe and sound and that he couldn't hurt the Baby. He wouldn't listen. He just kept repeating, "Mommy, I don't want to hurt the Baby, I won't snuggle, I don't want to squish it!" I couldn't convince him and he spent the rest of the evening at the opposite end of the couch. It broke my heart. I guess the first of many, but he's my little guy, and we are "best snuggling friends." I know he will come around, but. . . .
