My sweet baby girl is 2!

I can't believe it's been 2 years! Just 2 short years ago, we were traveling back and forth to the NICU daily hoping that that day would be the one she would come home! Three weeks later, she came home.......the BEST Christmas present I could have ever received! Now, two years later it's amazing how far she has come. Developmentally, she is right on track.....just a little petite! She is ALL girl. She LOVES to play with her puzzles, color, take care of her baby dolls and put clothes on! Oh, and she talks all day...I mean ALL day! I guess we go to Target a little too much since she asks to go "shopping" and will proceed to tell me where she wants to shop. I never knew how much of a blessing one tiny little girl would be! Thank you Lord for allowing her to be my sweet baby!

A little to real......

This is a little bit of a longer story....just a warning! Yesterday I had to go visit with a specialist regarding some abnormal blood work. The abnormal blood work isn't anything new or too alarming right now. After Reese was born I was wanting to get on birth control but I was having headaches with loss of vision. Therefore, my doctor wouldn't put me on anything until I saw a neurologist due to the risk of stroke. So, I went to see the neurologist and he was the one who found the abnormal blood work. I then went to see a hematologist who told me I had a borderline blood clotting disorder but she didn't think I needed medication at this time. But she did inform me that I would need to be tested if I got pregnant again just to make sure there weren't any conflicts between development and the baby. So, that's how I ended up at the OB specialist!
I was a little nervous just given the circumstances and thinking that I didn't want to have another preemie that would have to stay in the NICU!
The doctor came in and ask about my first pregnancy and some of the details. I guess I didn't really think through the questions that would be asked at the time of the consultation but in hindsight I should have seen it coming.....it's only normal in the medical world. I did social work for a number of years and during our "assessments" we would ask the same types of questions SO I should have known this was coming!
He then asked about family history. I think this might have been the first time I've been asked this question since dad passed and boy did it seem so surreal! He proceeded to ask about my parents, "Are your parents living?" Wow, for the last 10 years the answer has been, "My dad is"! I was getting to the point were it wasn't as hard to say that.....to acknowledge that he was our only parent. The question asked out loud just seemed too real.....almost like it made it permanent. I know it IS permanent but I think our defensive mechanisms kick in and guard us from the finality of it all. I'm glad of this "mechanism" because I think it allows me to continue on living and dealing with grief day by day rather than flooding me all at one time.
I know this is reality and I know he is so much better off. I know he isn't suffering any longer......as someone put it death is so much harder for the living. The ones who have passed on are where we all want to be!
So I PRAY the Lord blesses someone else through this event or through me....in some way, somehow!
I guess I should also pray for health given my genes....I guess the doctor put it best when he stated the obvious....."Ummm, well, you don't have very good genes!" But God is good and so is His will!

BIG SISTER!!!!

Yes, that's right.....Reese is going to be a big sister come May!

I am 15 weeks so far and things are progressing as they should! Reese has a

little cousin Wade (my youngest sister's boy) and she LOVES to see him!

She also wants to "hold him" all the time. This is a little difficult given that he

weighs only 4 pounds less than she does! But I do get excited about her

being a big sister because of how excited she gets when she sees other babies!

I just keep praying that she will have the same excitement for her own brother or sister!

We are very excited and can't wait to find out what we are having!

So far Greg thinks it will be a girl while on the other hand I think it will be a boy.

Last time we both thought the same thing, well Greg was right!

Greg thinks he is going to have a house full of little girls!

I guess we will see here in a few weeks!

May a little too much

To say I like Chick fil a, well that might be an understatement.

I guess this little story might help fill you in.

Greg and I went to Hawaii in September. Reese stayed

with Aunt Kristin and Nana flew in to keep her too!

One day they all went to the mall around the corner

from our house. The one that was close to my work

when I was working. When they pulled up and went in

Reese was yelling, "Come, Come Come Come" . To her that

meant "GO GO GO GO"! At this mall they have a playground

which she loves to play on. Once Nana

figured this out she got to play on it.

Well, they went to Chick fil A to order and the Chick fil A

employees said, "We haven't seen you

in a while little girl!" Nana was a little confused and they told

her they use to see me when I'd come in for lunch

when I was pregnant and then after I had her! Kristin and Nana

thought it was hilarious that the employees at Chick Fil A knew

who Reese was! It's probably because they have great

employees who never leave......it couldn't be me going

to Chick Fil A too much!!!!

Maybe I should look into

finding another favorite restaurant and branch out a little!

EAT MORE CHICKEN!!!!!!! :)

(by the way...that's where a great friend of mine took me for

my 30th birthday !!!!!)

Things that make Reese, Reese

1. Our back gate doesn't shut all the way and EVERYDAY when we pull away she demands that I "SHUT IT, SHUT IT, SHUT IT"! It seems to distress her that the door doesn't shut all the way!



2. Come/Go- She's a little confused with these two words. When she wants to go, she says "COME COME COME COME"!



3. Reese and I are very similar in that we both get frustrated pretty quickly. I've been trying to work with Reese and show her she can ask for help when she is a little upset. I ask her if she wants me to help her. I say,"Reese, do you want me to help you?" She has picked up on it and now she will ask me to "HELP YOU".

Apparently, we have you /me backwards too!

Just a few little things that make Reese, Reese!

Dad's luck.....

Since my last entry, Reese has continued to enjoy the potty. I think she enjoys getting

"cookies" (aka teddy grahams) after going. We are still wearing diapers because I can't bring

myself to put her in "big girl panties" just yet. She tries to get us to give her a cookie even

if she goes in her diaper. We've been explaining that's not how it works.

Our routine is the potty, lay down for the diaper

and then get a cookie. Well, one morning before church Reese had already gone to the

potty with the help of her dad. So he figured she could go around the house without a

diaper on for a little while. She would run into our room then

run down the hall into her room. We were almost ready when neither one of us heard her.

Which is NEVER a good sign with a 23 month old. So I went looking for her....I found her

playing in her room. When I walked in the room I noticed a very strong smell.

At first, I thought "Wow, the smell can't still be lingering from

earlier in the morning" and then that's when Reese spoke up!

Reese: "Ott, oh"

Me: "What is it Reese?"

Reese: pointing to the scene....

Me: pure laughter....."Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh"

Greg: running down the hall...."what what what"

in the corner of her room was a little pile of poop....

those of you who have dogs...

kind of like when a dog tries to hide it in your house....same concept!

I guess this is life and how it will continue to be! You live and you learn.

You trust and pray you don't make the same mistake!

And you just move forward. So, I must say after cleaning it up

(well, Greg cleaning it up) LESSON LEARNED!

Never leave a child un-diapered UNLESS you are willing to take the risk!

Potty, potty, potty, potty

We reached a milestone today! Reese and I had some friends come visit for the day.

Crystal (a friend from college) and her children Gracie (caroline, macy or anything else you'd like to call her) and Cooper came to visit. We met them for lunch and then they came over to play.

Reese and Gracie are about 3 weeks apart with Gracie being older. So Gracie brought her

"big girl potty" with her since she is trying to use the potty. Well, Reese was very excited

about this potty and wanted to sit on it as soon as she saw it. She kept saying, "potty, potty, potty"

over and over and over again! Finally, when we got home I took her pants off and let her sit on it

just to see if anything would happen. She was just sitting there "talking" to me about the potty.

I asked her if she was tinkling and she nodded her head. Then she said, "all done"! I never heard anything

so I assumed nothing had happend. We got off the potty and what do you know....

she pooped and pee peed in the potty!

I was SO amazed! I took pictures but won't post them. I'll just show you the potty and

her sitting on it later in the day screaming! I guess it's off to buy a potty tomorrow and

we will see where this leads us!