Annie's Due Date

The big day has finally arrived...the date I was anxiously counting down to: Annie's due date. So glad I'm not spending today at the hospital, but instead, I'm already at home snuggling with our precious little girl. Words cannot describe the love I feel when I look at her, or the joy she has brought to our lives!

She is growing so fast. The first picture shows her in the NICU at Erlanger. The outfit was so big on her. We had to roll up her sleeves, and even so, there was lots of wiggle room! Now, she fills it out very well, so well, I'm not sure she'll get too many more wears out of it. We are so thankful she is happy and healthy. God is so good!

Annie's Newborn Pictures!

How precious are these pictures! We were so blessed to have my precious Sarah here this past weekend to take pictures of Annie! She is so talented!

NICU

As many of you know, or have read, there were concerns about Annie's heart during my pregnancy. In addition to that, I had Group B strep (which is very common and natural, and not harmful to me in any way), which can be harmful to a baby. Thankfully, I received two rounds of antibiotics while I was in labor to prevent risk to the baby. Plus, she was 4 weeks premature. The combination of these factors caused the drs to have her transported to Erlanger, where she stayed in the NICU for four days. Most of this was precautionary, but they felt it was important because her heart rate and breathing were not ideal. They wanted to perform further tests on her heart now that she was out and also wanted to make sure she hadn't contracted anything due to the group B strep. They described her as "floppy" and not as responsive as they wanted her to be. Some of this could have been attributed to her being a preemie, but they wanted to make sure.

During her stay at the NICU, they did several tests on her heart, all of which turned out beautifully. It appears she does have a small murmur, but that's all! What a blessing. She was jaundiced and her temperature was a little low (which apparently is a sign she could be getting sick), so much of her time there was for observation. They were able to remove her oxygen and warming lights on day 2 there, so the remainder of the time was mostly observation. While it was stressful being there and seeing her hooked up to so many machines, it was a blessing that she was so well cared for. Also, seeing some of the other babies in her pod made us realize just how blessed we were. For example, the baby next to her weighed one pound, ten ounces. When Annie had her hospital pictures taken before she was discharged, the lady asked me when she was born. My response was "the fifth" and the lady asked me of which month. Some of the babies are there for months. So, though we would have loved to take her home right after she was born, we are thankful that she was only there for a few days!

Our little miracle has arrived

http://animoto.com/play/m331b9D201dj6bjS50echA

Our little miracle is here. She was born July 5, 2011 at 4:12 p.m. She weighed 6 lbs. 13.5 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long (not exactly the small baby I was told she was, especially considering she was 4 weeks early).

The night before (Independence Day), we had dinner at my mother-in-laws. It was sooooooo good, and I ate until I was miserable. I had been having contractions all day and was in full nesting mode. The contractions were about 10 minutes apart and not too painful. But, even so, I had spent the day cleaning light fixtures, ironing, cleaning the blinds, etc. You know, all those things Annie was going to notice as soon as she arrived home. Hahah! I also decided that I should pack my hospital bag! Glad I did that!

When we got back home from eating at Karen's, I was trying to finish up homework for my EDS class, which was scheduled for Saturday, the 9th. But, I couldn't hold my eyes open. I was so tired. I ended up going to bed quite early that evening and told Jamie I couldn't wait for Annie to arrive. The next morning, I got up about 8 o'clock. I was halfway to the bathroom when my water broke. It was at that moment it hit me that I wasn't quite ready. :) I had a dr. appointment with Erlanger scheduled for 10:30. I called Nona (my dr. from Erlanger) to find out if I should come see her or go see my OB, and she told me to go see Dr. Davis. So, I arrived at his office at 10:30. He checked me and said it was definitely amniotic fluid and told me I was dilated to a 4, and that we would definitely be having a baby that day. I was admitted to the hospital around 11 and Annie arrived at 4:12. It all happened quite fast!

In the delivery room, I was very blessed to have a dear friend, Heather Dickey Bresch, in the delivery room with me as my nurse. Of course, Jamie was there. My college roomie, Sarah, was also with me. Sarah is a professional photographer, and she is interested in getting into birth photography, so it was a great opportunity for her to practice and decide if that is really something she wants to do ;). (After the fact, I assured her husband I would talk her back into having children one of these days). Above is the video she made of the day! It's not gross, I promise. As a matter of fact, when we first discussed "birth photography" I was very skeptical until she assured me it was only capturing the sweetness of the day. And, she did exactly that. She is insanely talented and I'm blessed to have had her be part of the birth of our miracle.

As for the delivery itself, I did have an epidural, only it didn't work. BUMMER! So, I got to experience it the good ol fashioned way! :) I only had to push for about 20 minutes, but during that time, Annie's heart rate started to drop and so there was a few moments of panic. The heart rate drop was because the cord was tightly wrapped around her neck twice, but once she was far enough out, Dr. Davis was able to cut it, which helped matters alot! Annie had to go immediately to the nursery for oxygen because her breathing was distressed, so I didn't get to hold her, only kiss her before they took her away. Thankfully, Jamie was able to go with her. One bright spot to the epidural not working was that I was able to get up fairly quickly and go to the nursery myself. Once I got the nursery, I was overwhelmed with love for our little angel. And, holding her for the first time was one of the most memorable and emotional experiences of my life. We were already head over heels in love!

Because she was four weeks early, and her heart rate and breathing were not ideal, they decided to take Annie to Erlanger that evening. I'll share more about that in my next post. But, God is so good, and we are so blessed to have her here!

Baby Update!

As promised, I am going to do better with updating the blog. :) I went to the dr. yesterday for a check up. The dr. and I had decided to do my glucose tolerance test a little early so I had it done yesterday. For those of you (boys) who may not know what that is, you have to fast and then drink this sugary drink and then have your blood drawn to see how your body responds to the sugar. This is to rule out gestational diabetes. I had heard horror stories about how awful the stuff tastes, but it really didn't taste nearly as bad as I thought it would. But, I now fully understand why the dr. usually does the test later on after the morning sickness has passed. I'm just thankful it stayed down. I was really afraid it wasn't going to...that much sugar on an empty and weak stomach was not so good. I'm thankful to report that I just recieved a call from the dr.'s office saying the test came back normal. This was such an answered prayer!!

I must say I have been lucky with the sickness. While my stomach is a little weak in the morning, I usually don't have any problems. I do, sometimes, have trouble at night. Poor Jamie isn't getting very many home cooked meals. I have trouble smelling the food cooking, or I will cook it and then decide I can't eat it. And, then sometimes, nothing at all sounds appetizing to even think about eating. So, dinner meals have been slim around here. I guess that would explain why I had lost 4 pounds when I went to the dr. I was so shocked by that because I ate good over the holidays!

As for the baby, he/she is doing great. This was our second ultrasound and I was so thankful Jamie got to be there for it. Heartbeat was strong at 168 bpm. This time it actually looked a lot more like a baby. The baby was very active (my guess is all that sugar I had just drank) so we got to see the baby from a lot of angles. On the profile, we were able to see the eyes, nose, and mouth, and the hands and feet have developed. The baby even waved at us in one picture. :)Dr. says all is good and for that we are incredibly thankful. We appreciate all the prayers that have been prayed on behalf of Baby G. We conitnue to pray that he/she will continue to develop and grow into a healthy and happy little baby. Next appt is Feb. 8th, which is when they will "begin" to determine whether our little bundle is a boy or girl so we are looking forward to that. Look for a post soon!

Our Christmas Surprise!

Just before Thanksgiving, Jamie and I found out were are pregnant! As you can imagine, we have been and still are, floating on cloud 9!! But, we decided to wait until Christmas to tell anyone. That would allow me time to go to the dr. and we also thought it would make our news more special (I'll post a blog about how we told them too). The week before Christmas, we got our first glimpse at Baby Godfrey. The Dr. said everything looked great and blood work was great. We even got to hear the heartbeat, which I wasn't expecting at all. Baby G's heartbeat was 176 bpm. Looking forward to our January appointment!

We truly are so very blessed!

Brayden turns two!

Look at my sweet boy! He turned two on Veteran's Day. My how the time flies.

Bella and the Skunk

So, the other night, just before bed, we let Scooter and Bella out to do their business. Usually, at night, they quickly go out and back in so we don't leash them. All of a sudden, we hear crazy barking. We immediately ran outside and found that Bella had cornered a skunk that was in the yard. She was giving him the buisness, so he decided to give her the buisness and sprayed her right between the eyes. However, we didn't know it, so we got her back in the house and then realized what had happened. Oh my goodness...worse smell ever!!! It didn't smell like the skunk smell you smell outside, but it smelled like burning rubber. It was awful. To make matters worse, the spraying happened right near our air intake so it got into the central air. Thankfully, Jamie's mom had some tomato juice and brought it to us so we could bathe Bella. It helped quite a bit, but the smell was still unbearable in our house. Neither of us could sleep--I coughed me head off because the smell made my throat scratchy. It was awful, and unfortunately, the smell has stuck around. Hopefully, it will wear off soon.

Back to School, Back to School

Today was my first day back in school. I started an EDS program through Lincoln Memorial University. I'm seeking the degree in administration and supervision. For those of you who may not be familiar, an EDS is a education specialist degree, which consists of thirty hours of study beyond the maters level. You can stop after the thirty hours and receive an EDS degree, or you can continue in to the doctorate program, where the thirty hours of the EDS program will serve as the first year of the doctorate program, leaving 42 hours to complete the entire doctorate program. While I'm completely undecided about whether I will continue or not after this year, I am excited about being back and school. :) However, this does mean, blogging will like be limited (again). :(

The Black Widows...

So, I was out working in our garden the other day and I noticed one of the pepper plants had fallen down. So, naturally, I decided to pick it up. I had planned to just build up the dirt around the base for extra support. But, when I reached in, I felt something crawly. I immediately jerked my hand out and grabbed my shovel to see what it was. Low and behold, there was a momma black widow and her baby (and maybe babies, but I didn't stick around to find out). I will be wearing gloves from now own in the garden! GROSS!

Sarah Got Married!

Many of you know my college roommate, Sarah. I recently had the wonderful privilege of being a bridesmaid in her wedding. She was a stunningly beautiful bride. During our time living together, we both experienced the pain of being broken hearted. To see Sarah find such happiness and to marry a man who is so good to her and for her brought more joy to my soul than you can imagine. It was an honor to share such a special day with her, even if it was at a 98 degree outdoor wedding :)

Sarah and I used to joke that when we got married we should write a book for each other's husband after all we learned about each other while living together. So, the night before the wedding, Sarah, her sister, and all the bridesmaids, made a book for Ryan. I hope he takes us up on our advice to him!

National Board Tests

In addition to the dreaded portfolio, the National Board process also requires that you take a six-part test. Each part (for me) was on a different subject area and included literacy, math, arts, social studies, science, and health. Each essay must be completed in 30 minutes--it's a booger to say the least. But, I was thankful to have my friend, Sara with me. What an adventure the day turned out to be. When we arrived at the testing center, they would not let Sara in to take the test because her driver's license was expired. She had several forms of id, but they wouldn't accept any of them. I thought this was ridiculous because even if it had expired, it was still able to verify who she was. Nonetheless, the lady there agreed to let us push back our test time so we could go to the DMV and get Sara a new license. We had to wait there at the DMV for about an hour and a half, and by that time, we were just giddy, and laughing about everything. By that time, it was time for lunch, but we didnt' have time to eat. We had to start the test by one or we wouldn't get it finished by the time they closed. As frustrating as that all sounds, I actually think it was God's way of taking my mind off things. By the time the test actually started, I wasn't nervous anymore and was just finding the humor in the day. As a matter of fact, when I read my science question (which was beyond ridiculous!!), I was able to laugh instead of cry! :) The best part of the story is what happened after the test. Apparently, the test, along with the events of the day, took quite a toll on me. We decided to do a little retail therapy after the test and I went to Michaels to buy t-shirts for my kids so we could make EOG spirit shirts. So there I stand in Michaels with an arm full of shirts and this lady says, "Awww...you must be a grandmother!" I know I must have looked dumbfounded--I must have looked rougher than I thought, but grandmother, really??.....Glad that NB crap is over, at least for the time being.

A Sad Day on Pine Cone Lane

Every spring, Jamie and I get anxious awaiting the return of our neighbors, Floyd and Maureen. They spent half of the year here, and the other half in Florida. They were actually trying to sell their home in Florida so they could move here full time. They typically come to NC during April or early May. So, yesterday, our phone rang and we noticed it was them. We were excited because we knew this would be the call saying they would be coming up in the next day or two. Maureen always called to let us know they were on their way! Instead, we heard a broken-hearted Maureen tell us that her husband of 55 years had passed away. Jamie and I were heart broken as well. Floyd was a precious man, and was the best neighbor anyone could ask for. Below are some of my favorite Floyd and Maureen stories. I feel the best way to honor him is to share with others what a fun loving man he was...I hope you enjoy reading about a man we were honored to call our friend.

Our earliest memory of Floyd was when Jamie and I had just bought the house. This was a year or so before we got married. Since neither of us were living there, and we spent most of our evenings working on the remodeling, the yard work had taken a back seat. I'll admit the grass was a little high, but nothing major. Floyd came over and said, "Are you going to mow the grass, or do you want me to find someone to do it for you?" We were appalled at his bluntness. Jamie assured him we would get it mowed. To be honest, we worried about what we were in for...was he going to be the type of neighbor that hounded us about everything....To beat it all, after Jamie did mow, we came over to work the next evening and found that our yard had been raked. We still laugh about this to this day because what we took as being rude, we now know was just a glimpse of who Floyd was....the kind of guy who would do anything to help you, and loved doing things without being asked or without being noticed.

One memory that really stands out was the afternoon that Jamie was moving our grass. He was almost finished when the mower stopped working. A belt had snapped. Our yard looked funny because their was a small patch of grass in our front yard that still needed mowing, and the rest of the yard was beautifully cut. Of course, the next day, while we were at work, Floyd brought his mower over and finished up. When we got home and saw that rest had been mowed, we immediately knew who had done it. The funny part actually came later....there were many summer days I would sit over on the porch with Floyd and Maureen and just shoot the breeze. On this particular day, we were talking about the deer and rabbits eating the crops in our gardens. I went on to tell Floyd about the rabbit that I believed was eating my day lillies. After telling him how and why I thought it was a rabbit, he burst out laughing. Turns out that because my day lillies were not blooming, he thought they were grassy patches (which is what they look like when not in bloom), and mowed them over. Had I known he had done that, I would have never said a word. Oh well, we got a good laugh about it, and every time I look at those lillies, I giggle.

Other fond "Floyd moment" happened last summer. I had been out working my flower beds all day. I saw Floyd and Maureen sitting out in the yard and decided to go over and say hello. Bella and Scooter loved Floyd and Maureen and ran over there ever chance they got. So I took them over to say hi. Floyd insisted on getting me a chair so I could sit and talk a while, but I refused and told him I could just sit on the ground. I was already dirty. But, I sat down on a yellow jacket's nest! I got stung several times on my back side....and man did it hurt! A few minutes later, Maureen came over to ask if I needed any help. They were afraid I might not be able to "reach" my injury to apply meds. This shows the precious spirit both of them possessed. But, after that little occurrence, Floyd always made sure I had a seat when I came over. :)

There are many more stories I could tell you about him...about fixing him fried okra--a delicacy he had never tried, or about how he secretly ordered two copies of his gun magazines so Jamie could have one--only to pretend they just sent him an extra, but I hope this gives you a glimpse of the wonderful friend and neighbor he was. He will be missed more than words can say.

Hug those you love...you never know what the future holds.

We're back!!!

After a several month drought on our blog, I'm happy to report that my Boards portfolio is finally turned it and I'm back to blogging!!! It was actually due on March 31st, but it's taken me a few weeks to catch up on all the things I neglected during the process: sleep, house work, yard work, and family time. The board process was actually far more difficult than I had once imagined it would be, and although many people warned me about that, it's one of those things you can't fully appreciate until you've been through it. Looking back, I'm not sure this was the best year to tackle such a project. Between finishing my masters program and being at a new school, it was a little more than I should have attempted (to mantain any level of sanity). Although I will not know the results until December, it was a success just to finish the booger! I'm happy to have my life back, and look forward to updating you on the other things going on the past few months!

New Beginngs...Part 2

As many of you know, Jamie took a job working as an environmental consultant, which he loved! Unfortunately, most of the loans for the developments he was working in were frozen, and we was laid off in June of '09. From June to December, he applied for every job coming and going...and we are blessed to say he was hired as a Trade and Industry TEACHER...which is a fancy term for a shop teacher. Honestly, when he applied for this, I sincerely hoped this job would work out because I can't imagine anything more perfect for him than a room full of power tools! Jamie has a real knack for making things and I knew he would be a wonderful asset to students how were interested in learning the trades. So far, he loves the job. And, I'm loving it too because he has found out that teaching is not just a stress free 8-3 job.. :) Plus, we get to enjoy the same breaks now.... :) While this job is unlike any one that Jamie has ever had, he seems to be taking it all in stride. Teaching has challenges that no other profession has, and those take some getting used to. Since Jamie is a first year teacher, we are not sure yet how the layoffs will affect him, but we are hopeful that he will be able to stay in this position.

In addition to teaching, Jamie is also coaching baseball...something he dearly loves! I must admit, he looks awfully cute in that uniform! :)

Long time, no post....

As you can see I haven't posted in quite some time. I'm hoping the pictures above will explain my absence! Over the past few months, I have been completing the final classes and components of my graduate program. What a hectic few months that was! I would have never made it without the love and support of my cohort buddies, especially Jessica and Hannah. I love those girls to pieces and am proud of what we accomplished together! They were my rock and so much fun to work with. Graduation was December 12, and my did it feel good! :) I officially have a masters degree in Elementary Education. Though this was a major milestone in my life, it is only a stepping stone. I plan to return to school in the fall to continue my education at Lincoln Memorial University. There, I will be pursuing an ED.S. degree in educational administration and supervision. Though I am not sure what my career path will hold, I do know that I want to get all my educational goals accomplished while I am still young and do not have children. There are many other things that have happened over the past few months...please read on! :)

Halloween Fun

For Halloween, we decided to host a little pumpkin carving party. As you can see, we had a great time. Nikol and Fallon made a ghost/goblin and Jamie and I created a wiener dog one. The pictures of ours isn't too great because it got dark before we got finished, but it really did turn out super cute. We roasted the seeds and invited our neighbors, Floyd and Maureen, over to enjoy them. They had never tried roasted pumpkin seeds! I think they enjoyed them as much as we did! :)

NCCAT...and Boards

Because I'm semi-crazy...I decided to sign up for National Boards. For my non-education buddies, National Boards is a certification process teachers can go through to receive a special designation. In NC, this designation means a 12 percent raise! But, the process itself helps you become a more effective practitioner, regardless of whether or not your achieve the certification. The process can take up to three years to complete. It costs $2500 to apply, which the state of NC has always covered for its teachers (a benefit few states have)! However, because of budget issues, NC declared this would be the last year they would do that, so I took the plunge!

The certification process requires the completion of a portfolio with an on-demand assessment as well. The portfolio is due March 31st! I'll probably test in May or June. It is a very involved and difficult process, so I would appreciate and cherish your prayers as I work on the endeavor.

I was blessed to have the privilege to attend a Boards seminar at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. This was such a blessing! Not only did I make some incredible friends who were and continue to be an amazing support group, I was able to work on my boards as well. This seminar helped me understand the requirements, develop a timeline, and begin the process. I'm attaching a picture of my NCCAT group...as you can see, we needed a little comic relief so we went to dinner dressed like that one night. It was incredibly fun and I will cherish always the memories and friendships from NCCAT!

Granny's 82nd!!!

Today, we celebrated my granny's 82nd birthday. We were talking earlier that she doesn't seem a day older than she did when I was a kid. She is in great health and is still very active and we are very thankful that she is living such a happy, healthy life. We all took her to Herb's for dinner, complete with flowers, cake, and presents. Jamie and I got her a book about Ted Kennedy because she has always adored him. We also got her a pink Snuggie to enjoy this winter! It was great fun! The pictures show the Beaver clan along with Daddy's sister, Shirley, her husband Steve, their son Justin and his wife, Brandy...and their soon to be baby! :)

Braves Baseball!

Last weekend, I went with a few friends to the Braves game in Atlanta. Despite the 100% chance of heavy rain, we trekked there with our raincoats, ponchos, umbrellas...the works. :) It was a great night of food, fun, and friends! It did rain, but lucky for us, we are on the field level, but the upper deck actually covered us, so we were completely dry. It was the breast cancer awareness game too, so it was a great way to support all the amazing women who have and are fighting this terrible disease. And by the way, the Braves won, making our night even sweeter! Please enojoy the pictures of my dear friends, but try to ignore our "rain hair." :)