ABC Parenting

A. "apple...no banana"....."I WANTED AN APPLE!"

B. bedtime means wine time

C. cut the crust or your child will become a screaming banshee 

D. diaper changing is a skill not a job

E. eating is SO messy

F. fries are the most important on the food pyramid 

G. get ready for sleepless nights

H. helping; flinging all the folded clothes around the room

I. imagination like you've never seen before

J. just go with it

K. kid shows have so many sexual innuendos 

L. lying to your kids isn't necessarily a bad thing 

M. more kids= less housework for you

N. napping is heaven

O. over-nighters can end up being, "3am calling someone's parent"

P. poop becomes a daily discussion 

Q. quiet time must mean screaming at the top of your lungs

R. reasoning with a child is like arriving on time. not happening

S. silence is not a good, it's suspicious 

T. timeouts don't always work

U. using certain words cautiously, like candy or grandma/grandpa 

V. very fast runners! get your running shoes on

W. worth every minute

X. XO whenever you want

Y. you will never feel more love

Z. Zealous- Someone who spends a lot of time or energy in supporting and believing in something or someone

Strength, Confidence, and Impress

Happy Tuesday everyone!

My weekend was pretty busy. We cut down 4 trees in our front yard and we had to haul it all into the backyard (WE STILL AREN'T DONE). Let me just tell you, it was a nice workout. But while I was pulling giant logs and branches to the back, I started to think...

                                             I am stronger than everyone believes!

I have never had the opportunity to show my new family how helpful I can be. I'm sure they see me as a short sensitive girl. Now, that is somewhat true. I am quite short, and I am emotionally sensitive. I am not the sharpest tool in the shed. I am a mom and a housewife. But that does not mean I am incapable of anything. I do not have a limit to what I can do. When I put my mind and body into something, I'm going to do everything I can to get it done.


I am strong and I can hold my own. I'm going to prove it.

I'm going to impress them. I am going to show them that they have underestimated me. I let my depression run my life for too long and it put a certain image of me in their head. Being a mom has made me focus more on my babies. I am always the one to watch them while everyone else goes and works and helps out. That does not mean I don't want to go. That does not mean I can't. It means that I am a mother and I put my children first.

To all of the girls and women, boys and men; don't ever feel like you can't! You know what, if you feel like you can't, you will never be able. But if you have confidence in yourself, you can rule the world. And if someone tells you, you can't. That just gives you the chance to show them how wrong they are. To impress and inspire someone else. 

We need to encourage each other, not knock each other down. You are not the bigger person, the stronger person, the BETTER person if you make fun and hurt someone. You are the coward, you are the bully. The smallest hurtful thing you say, can be a huge deal for the other person.

It's almost like the saying "make fun of me now, but I'll be your boss someday". Don't take the bullying to heart. Turn all that negativity into strength. Whether it is:

• Being over weight 
• Being a nerd
• Depression
• Being the outcast
• Being the jock
• Being the popular girl
• Being poor
• Being rich

or anything else. Everyone gets bullied! There is always a way to be strong and always a way to be become stronger. The only one that can tell you, you can't... is yourself. 

I feel like I can't sometimes. I eventually find a way. 

Share this with your friends and family. Whoever you know who has the same problem. Encourage them. I started at the bottom and slowly working to "above and beyond". 

Be the one someone to help change a life. 

Love y'all!

Connor's Birth Story

Happy Tuesday!

I had a pretty good weekend. Saturday, Josh worked on his new truck while I got us lunch and went to the store. Sunday, we went to our nephew's birthday party. which wore us all out! And yesterday, Zoey and I hung outside while Connor was sleeping. Zoey never slept as much as he does. He slept almost all day.

Now let's get to why you're really reading this.

Connor Alan: Monday Nov. 28 2016/ 9:28pm/ 7lbs 11oz/ 19.5in

I went in for my 41 week appointment the morning of the 28th. I had been dilated for 4 weeks already, the last two I had been dilated to a 5. I was very irritated, being extremely pregnant and going in just to hear I had no progression. I went in for my 41 week appointment the morning of the 28th. The weekend before my appointment, I felt like I was losing amniotic fluid, but I second guessed myself and figured it was normal. I brought it up while talking to my doctor. She did a test and it came back negative, we went through the routine prenatal check up and options for the next week. She glanced at the test strip again and it was positive. She brought Josh into the room (he was in the waiting room watching Zoey) and told us that I needed to be induced and get him out. I was pretty bummed because I wanted to go into labor on my own. He is most likely my last child and wanted to experience it. I called my mom and told her it was a go. I was so nervous.

We got into the delivery room and Josh had to leave to get Zoey to her Papaw's and get our bags. The nurse told me that I was allowed to eat up until I was given pitocin. Not wanting to eat hospital food, I asked Josh to get a donut or muffin. He left and I got hooked up to monitors. The nurse asked me if I was having contractions... No, just braxton hicks (and if you've read my previous posts, you know I had A LOT of them). She proceeded to tell me that they aren't practice contractions, they are the real deal. I was going into labor! I was so happy. They put off the pitocin to see how fast I was going to progress. My mom and dad got to the room before Josh did and my mom immediately took me out to walk around. I never really had the chance when I was in labor with Zoey. I was either in severe pain or sleeping.

My contractions finally started to hurt on the way back to the room. Josh finally had gotten back and I ate. We pulled out the birthing ball and I bounced on that for a while. During that time, we were all laughing and having fun. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry. I am so lucky I have such a  supportive family. They kept me distracted through the pain.... Until I was given pitocin.

I was not progressing fast enough and they had to move it a long and get Connor out. It was urgent but it wasn't going to be a slow relaxing process. The pain really started coming. They gave me a heating pad that your rubbed to warm up ( it didn't work very long). Josh tried so hard to help with the pain. I had all back labor with a little in my stomach. I waited and waited.. it felt like hours before I got my epidural. Anyone who prefers natural labor; all power to you.. not my cup of tea. I believe I was 7cm by that time. The poor nurse kept turning me to get me into a position to encourage Connor to lower ( he was still VERY high when she checked after I got the devil stick in my spine). She did this for about 15-20 mins and I told her I was a lot of pressure. She checked me and he was right there. I had to refrain from pushing for maybe 5 mins until the doctor got in. He sat down and told me to push. I pushed for about 10- 15 minutes and he was welcomed into the world.

My appointment was at 8am and he was born 13 hours later. He fed for an hour the first time and he latched on perfectly. My parents left and we were sent to a mommy and baby suit. I fed him one more time before I finally fell asleep. Josh was already passed out next to me. I laid Connor in the bassinet and I slept for I think 6 hours. I woke up BEFORE Connor! Have you ever heard such a thing? Not even a day old and he slept for more than 6 hours... He didn't sleep like that for another 2 1/2 months. At 4 months old, he still doesn't sleep through the night.. Or in our room. We sleep in the living room. I'm still stuck on the couch y'all!

So, there is Connor's birth story. That is my fuzzy memory of it. He is my little mama's boy. He is screaming for me now for a bottle and Zoey needs to go potty (she on the big girl potty now).