Stay at home mom

When I got pregnant with Brayden, we knew that I wouldn't be able to stay at home with him full time and that I must, at some point, return to work. We did discuss though, because at the time Brayden wasn't supposed to have a sibling for quite some time, that when I got pregnant with the second child that I would become a stay at home mom. By then hopefully we would have our finances straightened out and we could be comfortable on just one income with me possibly working a little from home doing things online.

Granted that was just a plan.

Now, here I am, 28 weeks pregnant with Aslynn and I am a stay at home mom. Not by choice.

I worked for Brad's family who own their own appliance repair company. Its somewhat prominent here in the county and well, business has slowed down quite a bit. I worked there for almost two years and I never once saw it this slow. All of the repair companies around here are slow.

It's the economy. We all know that.

So, it seemed that my "in-laws" had no choice but to lay me off in hopes that it would be temporary. I don't think it will be. It's been this slow for almost two months now.

So now my days are spent nurturing my next little flower, tending to Brayden(my growing weed now), and being a "housewife".


With this also comes a sacrifice from Brad just make sure that we can get a little extra here and there. He's having to leave his maintenance position at work back to floor and possibly onto a different shift all so that he can get overtime on Saturdays since they weren't letting him on his current shift.


Everything happens for a reason and I am a firm believer in that and I know that it will be okay and that it will get a little easier once we adjust to this new lifestyle, but its going to be a bumpy road, but as long as my Tater and Aslynn are ok I'll be just fine.

better late than never :)

So I figure that now is the best time to update a little while I listen to Brad and his surgery induced snoring.


Yes, here at lovely Huntsville Hospital it is almost 3:30 AM and Brad has just gotten out of surgery. What for you might just ask....well I whacked him in the head with a cast iron skillet....haha I wish sometimes. No Brad has joined the league of those now missing his appendix. Granted, our lovely ER stay started at ohhhhhh 1:30 this afternoon, but we wont go there. All is well in his little world now, although I would love to get home and sleep some, which I might go do here in a little bit.


Brayden.....

Well he is now a happy, healthy ACTIVE 9 months old.

OH I love him so much. He has two teefers, both on the bottom, can crawl like a madman on crack and does his own stunts which have resulted in bruised foreheads and bloody gums. He goes on the 18th for his 9 month check up and roughly weighs a whopping 22 pounds of love.

HE LOVES FOOD. His new-found favorite is biscuts. Poor little guy is still having some reflux/lactose issues but they aren't as bad.

He finally also moved out of his pack and play and into a big boy bed(crib). He honestly doesn't know what to do with all of this room..


My "non-gender specific fruit".....

Doesn't wish to tell what it is....
Has some seriously long leg bones, like Brayden. One child will be short if my life depends on it..


My Previa has corrected itself so I got the go ahead for hopefully another wonderfully smooth labor. To know that the previa is better is just such a wonderful thing. I can lift my little man, I can play with him and I don't have to worry about that this child could come any moment. I still have to worry about that but not nearly as much.

Biased...

That is exactly what I am when it comes to my son.




I'm sorry, but he is possibly the cutest kid in all of Northern Alabama :)

We spent most of Saturday at Big Spring Park and I found it the most opportune time to get camera happy.

It's hard to believe that he is 5 months old now. Time has just flown by, seasons have changed and my little boy is growing up.

We successfully moved out of Brad's parent's house and into an abode of our own, and let me be completely honest.....IT FABULOUS! Minus the lack of cell phone reception or absolutely no cable what-so-ever, I love it.

Yesterday we went and saw Dad and everyone. I will admit, that Daddy doesn't see him as much as he should and I do feel bad for that after watching those two last night. Grandma J isn't the same, but I guess you can't really expect that once you start to age and get closer to 100.

Brayden was a little on the Hungry side. Dad and Brayden were just hilarious. Brayden would pull at his mustache and Dad would blow raspberries. I wish we could have that happy Daddy back minus some other things. I know it won't happen but a girl can hope and pray, right?

And Brayden is also a big boy! He can hold his own bottle! WOOHOO!!!!

I also saw this picture of Humpa, my paternal Grandfather, and after questioning who Brayden looks like, both Bradley and I agree that it is Humpa. I'll have to get this picture so Monica can get it scanned and I can show ya'll. It is too unreal.

My flower is growing like a weed ;)

So Brayden went to see Dr. Carter today for his 4 month check up and he is indeed growing like a weed.

He weighs a whopping 16.4 pounds and is 26 inches long with his head circum. being 17 something inches.

BIG HEAD. Even Dr. Carter said something along the lines of "yeah, its big...95th percentile." Thats my boy!

Monica just heard him laugh his little, well big, head off and she just loved it.

He did end up getting 4 shots and an oral vaccine. Yes, 4. I believe that you SHOULD vaccinate your child. But I won't get on that soapbox because I've already irritated enough people. Sorry, I just value having a living being rather than a marble slab with his name on it.





AND GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're moving out of Brad's parents soon!!! We've gotten this beautiful little duplex that is just gorgeous! The kitchen!! !OH!! If it was just a little bigger I would be so completely in love :) No one has ever lived in it and the bedrooms are large. The living room has hardwood floors!!! Sorry, I'm just a little excited!


I'll post pictures of the inside next time I go over there to move some stuff, I can't wait!

speechless

Just moments ago I was doing my daily ritual of reading posts on Baby Center and I again came across the very thread that just still makes me cry. It's a memorial to all these families who have lost children due to anything under the sun. It just makes me cry and ache for these families who had someone so innocent taken from them.

Just the other day I read a post about a little boy name Sawyer who, like Brayden, was born in June. He was just like any other baby with the exception that he suffered from Spinal Muscular Strophy. Here's a brief description of SMA and how it effects the body:


Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron disease. The motor neurons affect the voluntary muscles that are used for activities such as crawling, walking, head and neck control, and swallowing. It is a relatively common "rare disorder": approximately 1 in 6000 babies born are affected, and about 1 in 40 people are genetic carriers.

SMA affects muscles throughout the body, although the proximal muscles (those closest to the trunk of one’s body - i.e. shoulders, hips, and back) are often most severely affected. Weakness in the legs is generally greater than in the arms. Sometimes feeding and swallowing can be affected. Involvement of respiratory muscles (muscles involved in breathing and coughing) can lead to an increased tendency for pneumonia and other lung problems. Sensation and the ability to feel are not affected. Intellectual activity is normal and it is often observed that patients with SMA are unusually bright and sociable. Patients are generally grouped into one of four categories, based on certain key motor function milestones.



When he was diagnosed, he was given 10 months...that was only a few months, if not two months, ago.

I honestly don't know what I would do if I was to lose Brayden. I can't imagine what his family, or any of these families are going through. That's why I never, ever take advantage of the fact that although I'm only 21 I have a beautiful baby boy who is healthy.

I might not want to get up out of the warm covers to feed him when he wakes up, but to be able to run my hands over his smooth, innocent skin and just stare at him makes it all worth wild. Just one gaze into those big, blue eyes makes the day that much better.

Please pray for Sawyer's family and for everyone who has lost a child or is in the sometimes long process of trying to have that one child.


Sawyer Eberhardt
Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Bandwagon jumping....

I'm not usually one that does what other people do, if I do, its usually on my own accord and at my own pace. Well I jumped on Monica's bandwagon a few weeks ago to see if I too could make some extra cash. Yes, I am now half-heartily attempting to try GPT sites. I seem to favor Fairy Tale Treasures more so now than I did before, which when I started I favored Treasure Troopers, but NEVER got anything to approve so eh.

I just wish I had more time to sit down and do it. But living with Brad's parents and having to share the one computer that is fast enough for the internet is tough, esp with Toni being such a computer hog. I'm seriously thinking about hooking up my desktop or something. We've got wireless set up, but for some reason it only gets 11Mb so it is INSANELY slow. I'll have to play later!

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!

As I previously posted, Brayden usually wakes up anywhere from 4-5 in the morning, which is fine because now I've fallen accustomed to it so it doesn't bother me. So this morning when I woke up around that time and waited to hear him stir, I didn't. So I checked on him, yup, still breathing. So I let him sleep.

6 o'clock came and I told Brad to be quiet while getting ready for work because Tater had yet to wake up. Well he slept through Brad leaving and continued to sleep.

And when did my lovely child decide to arise??? 8 o'clock! YES!! HE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!

It would have been lovely of him though to give me a warning so I might have been able to sleep and not worry whether my child was breathing, but thats Brayden for you...he likes to pull stunts and surprises.

Maybe we will get two nights in a row....who knows but wish me luck!!