January 31, 2010

I almost wanted to title this post "The 3 AM Preacher" and thinking about it now I probably should have.  But today at Lester Memorial United Methodist Church the Rev. Ed Self and the Rev. Bert Goodwin were honored.  I didn't get many pictures and wish now that I had gotten at a different spot in the sanctuary in order to get better pictures so that Pappaw could have some.  But what I got will have to do.  And even so, there is no way I can do today justice. 

First, the mayor and city council men made a proclamation that today, January 31, 2010, will forever be Ed Self and Bert Goodwin day.  Thats Bert and the Mayor of Oneonta on the left and Pappaw and the city council man on the right.

The choir sang several songs in honor of Bert and Pappaw that were some of their favorites - There's Something About That Name and Sweet Beulah Land.

Next, Pappaw and Bert were given flags that were flown over the capital in Washington D.C.  Here, in the picture above, Mr. Ellis is holding one that that they were given. 

Here is a picture of one of them receiving the flag, but I couldn't see which one.  An example of why I should have been in a different spot.

Don Rayfield wrote and read a poem about the two men in which I wish to obtain a copy of.  It was humerous and serious all at the same time! 

There was also a State of Alabama Resolution made.  Sid and I can't remember exactly what it said, there was soooo much, and at one point I had wished I was taking notes.  But whatever the resolution said, here is a picture of the two of them receiving it.

They were presented by the current pastors at Lester Memorial.

Bishop J. Lloyd Knox spoke and gave a tribute to Pappaw and Bert.  Parts of his speech made me cry.  But what followed next was quite possibly the most touching part of the entire service.  Celia Ellis stood and gave a tribute to the wives of these great men.  And of course this means she talked about my Mammaw.  I did not know this, but my grandmother did not have her college education when she married my pappaw and not only did she get her bachelor's and master's, but had hours towards her doctorate.  This makes me want mine even more!  There is no way I can recap everything that Mrs. Ellis had to say, but it brought tears to my eyes to hear everything about these two wonderful women.  I sure wish my Mammaw could have been there to see Pappaw be honored in this way.  He was nervous and excited all at one time and she would have taken great delight in seeing all the kind things being said about my Pappaw.  She probably would have had her own things to say, too! 

And finally, Pappaw and Bert took the stage!!

Bert first and then Pappaw.

The service was continued in the Fellowship Hall with a potluck lunch and even more honors received.  I didn't get any pictures of these things because we were packed in there like crazy and Bailey was eating off of my plate and it was just wild.  But a lady presented them both with Methodist Cross and Flame symbol that she made from stain glass.  It was a beautiful piece of art and I intend to get a picture of it.  As if a proclamation naming January 31, 2010 Bert and Ed day, and as if flags flown over a nation's capital wasn't enough, and if some sort of Alabama Resolution wasn't enough, and as if the Bishop speaking about their works and Mrs. Ellis honoring the two women wasn't enough, Bert and Pappaw were honored by learning that their names had been recorded at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.  If you've never been to that site, I encouarage you to visit it.  I just visited it for the first time and to be associated with such a place of God would have to feel like a dream. 

Which brings me to the closing of such a wonderful day.  I did not know when we set out on this weekend towards Oneonta that today was going to be so so very special.  But as it turns out, there are many many people in this world who think just as much of my Pappaw as I do.  And Bert too!  Oh, and why the 3 AM preacher?  If you know my Pappaw you know that he goes to bed early and rises before the sun.  Now, that doesn't mean she doesn't nap some during the day in his favorite spot, his recliner - but as long as I have known him, he's alwasy been up early like that.  Well, today while the Bishop was speaking about him he told the story about how when Pappaw was district superintendent he'd call the preachers at 3 AM that didn't have their reports turned in on time.  I don't know about you, but that would make me get mine in extra early.  Even so, Pappaw you know we love you!  I can only hope to be half the person that you are or that my Mammaw was.  And I can only hope to raise Bailey to be half the person that you have raised my daddy to be.  You are a man unlike any other that I know and if ever there was one man I could always count on to love me and to pray for me like I need to be prayed for - it is you!  We love you so much and I take such great delight in knowing you are able to watch me be a mother to Bailey.  Here's to many many people that love you and adore you and to many many more years of you continuing to love and pray over us!!!!!!!

I couldn't leave this out.  We got there extra early so we could all sit together. Well, Andrew and Bailey did NOT like sharing Mimi!

There were grabbing each other's faces and then Mimi had to get onto them!

We were trying to get a picture of Erin, Andrew and Bailey with Mimi but it just wasn't happening.  Look how much bigger Andrew is than Bailey.  And he's a whole 9 weeks younger.  His feet are huge.  Chris says his shoes were a size 4 but I don't believe it!

Finally, everyone cooperated!

I hope to have circus pictures up tomorrow night.  I knew the 3 AM preacher would be up and ready for something along these lines bright and early on Monday morning!  He is most faithful (est??) follower after all!  Oh, and I didn't go to school to learn how to teach English.  That would be my Mammaw!!!!

WE LOVE YOU PAPPAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS:  The choir sang this verse from an old favortie of mine to the two men:  Thank you for giving to the Lord.  I am a life that was changed.  Thank you for giving to the Lord.  I am so glad you gave.  WE are so glad you gave!!!  Glad indeed men!!!

SHHH!

It's quiet around here.....and quite busy!  You probably won't hear much out of me for a few days. 

1.  Work

2.  SLEEP!!!!!

3.  We are going to Birmingham Saturday to the The Greatest Show On Earth and am ever so excited.  I remember going as a Kindergarten many, many....many years ago.  And I've always enjoyed going as an adult.  During my late 20's I didn't go to go much.  I was single and never was with anyone who appreciated it.  But Sid and I went last year in September before Bailey was born and he commented he thought we were the only people there without kids.  I said next time, Sid, next time, we will be!  And the time has come.  It's a milestone people, a place I've always dreamed of being able to go with a child of mine.  So off we go on Saturday morning!  If you've never been and they come close to you, you don't know what you are missing out on.  We are meeting Aunt Maggie and Uncle Bo there.

4.  From the circus we will go Oneonta to spend the night with Mom and Dad.  We will be visiting my home church because they are honoring my sweet Pappaw.  It's a day I wouldn't miss for anything.

So we will be quiet busy for the next few days.  But hopefully next week I'll have time to post some pics of our little princess from the circus!  Have a great weekend!!!

Oh Sweet Goodness

Calm down Mom, it's a post about food!!

Bailey and I made cookies tonight.

These are hands down the best ever cookies that come out of  bag and only call for two ingrediants.  They make a thick sweet buttery gooey batter that I could just eat straight out of the bowl.  I may or may not have snuck a few bites.  And I may or may not have let Bailey lick the spoon.

Ok, so I did.

I forgot to take a picture before I put them in the oven so I had to open the door real quick and get one.  Doesn't do the buttery goodness justice.

Ten minutes later, TADA, the finished product.   They are sweet!!!!

We also found this little something sweet in the fridge at one point.  haha!!  Not really, she climbed in and was standing like that while her daddy had the door open.  She never was shut up in the fridge, you know, just in case DHS is reading!

OH, and a funny story!  Bailey loves to play behind our recliners because she has just enough room to get between them and the wall and have a little private hiding place.  As I was loading the dishwasher tonight, she grabbed a butter knife out of there, which was put in yesterday and had peanut butter on it from my sandwich I made.  She KNEW she shouldn't have it so instead of waiting around to see what I would so she took off running to her hiding place.  Since the camera was already out, because I'd never let my child play with a knife while I took the time to get out the camera, you know, just in case DHS is reading, I snapped this little gem:

She was smacking away on the day old peanut butter.  She probably even said "mmmmmmm"!  And she probably got mad when I took it away!

And finally, tonight I got smart.  I mixed some of this

with this

and got this

And although I don't have a picture, the bottle is empty, thankyouverymuch!!!!!!

I figured it was sort of like a smoothie but Sid said it made him want to throw up a little in his mouth!

In the morning, I'll get even more smarter (more smart??) and mix the V8 fruit juice with a little whole milk instead of pedisure.  I sure don't want us to be stuck on that liquid gold for too long!!!

Have Fridge, Will Travel

So last week when Bailey got her tubes put in we spent the night in Jackson the night before because we had to be there so early and she couldn't eat.  It actually worked out pretty good because she slept right up until we walked out the door and we could come back later for our stuff because check out wasn't until noon.

Anyway, Mom camed prepared for a hurricane or snow storm or anything that might keep us locked up on the 4th floor of the Cabot Lodge for day on end.

See that pink retro looking box sitting behind Mom underneath the lamp on the side table.  That's actually a portable fridge that will work in your car or in a regular outlet.  Mom gave us one for one of showers and while Bailey was in teh NICU it was a life saver.  I could pump in our room and put it in our fridge and then take it home at night to put in the freezer.  It plugs in the car outlet too, so it stayed cold for the drive.  We also could take a few drinks with us.  It also has a heat setting, but we've personally only used that feature once.  But in case you wanted to keep something warm instead of cold, it does that too!  Well, Mom whips up in her room and starts unloading like she was staying for a week or something.  Sort of scared me.  But after she and Bailey had finished whatever was in that Wendy's cup, I was afraid to ask, they broke into the fridge.  I had no idea so much stuff would fit in there.  She had a tupperware thing of sliced fresh fruit, cheese and yogurt.  No telling what else she had stored up!  Mom and Dad are world traverls, so I'm sure she has other tricks. 

Here she is giving Bailey a piece of some sort of cheese.  I got confused because I think she called it Pepper Jack and Sid made a comment about the peppers but then Mom said it was one of the mildest kinds of cheese.  So I really don't know what kind it was.

I LOVE this picture!  She looks like "so what else we got in here Mimi"!

Oh, she did unpack this antique at some point.  She that colored part of the picture in the lower left hand side?  Yep, that's a glow worm.  Not just any glow worm.  My glow worm from when I was little.  Bailey loves that thing.  I finally had to turn the music off once we left the hotel because she kept making it sing over and over and over and over and over again.  But Bailey loves that thing.  Even one of the nurses commented on how old it must be.  I didn't take offense to that, but maybe I should have. haha!

Here's mom talking to the maintence guy.  We were in the room right next to her and when I got up about 5:30 on Friday morning, I could here her water running in her bathroom through the wall.  Hotel living, it's grand ain't it!!  (Of course, it could just be me because some say I have sonic hearing, others say I could hear a nat do not so nice things.)  Anyway, before we got ready to walk out the door, the sound caught my hearing again.  I told Sid to call her room and she if she was ready and secretly feared for her and her fridge.  She wasn't ready, but she wasn't still in the shower either.  She couldn't get the hot water to come on in her shower and she couldn't get the cold water to turn off.  She had to go downstairs at 5 in the morning to the desk and get a key to another room for a shower.  She could have come to our room, but didn't want to wake Bay.  When we got back from the hospital I went up to our room to use the restroom while Sid and Mom kept Bay downstairs and had breakfast.  And I could still hear the water running.  They had left it running that entire time.  So that's how we got to meet the fix-it guy!

I took this picture out of our hotel room window of Children's Hospital.  I didn't get pictures of it last time we were there.  Actually, I didn't care about pictures of it last time we were there.  And since I don't ever really get the opportunity to use the big lens much, I used it to see what the difference was.

Same exact picture, just taken with a lens that focuses more close up.  I believe you could have seen Dr. Carron looking out the window waving at us.  If, you know, he was at the hospital standing at the window, actually waving at us.  Pretty neat I thought.

And here's our princess about an hour after the procedures ready to eat some dry cheerios!  And eat them she did, she ate them all day long!

On a side note, if anyone is interested in one of those fridges let me know and I'll get you the information.  She bought them at a local botique in my hometown, but I'm sure with the right info one could google it and find it.  We also use it when we are traveling and will especially use it even more now that most of what Bailey drinks is cold stuff!

***Don't forget to scroll down to the next step.  I'm doing multiple posts tonight and titled them all different.***

Milk! It's For The Birds!

Or so says Bailey!

At first glance, you might assume three things.

1.  Bailey's having a snack.

2.  Said snack sort of looks it could be red kool-aid.

3.  She sure does have on a dirty shirt.  (But it's not!)

Oh, and yes, she does still get a bottle sometimes, mainly her morning bottle and night time bottle.  But if  it weren't for this red drink, she'd give them up altogether.  Our princess loves her some juice.  It doesn't matter what kind, nor does it matter just how much you water it down.  The red drink above is not watered down, so it's exceptionaly good!  So a few weeks ago, when we were buying drinks and looking at the differene between baby juice vs. Gerber Juice Splashers (or they might be called Fruit Splashers) vs. Juicy Juice vs. regular juice, etc., we came accross this and compared apples to apples and decided to try it out:

And Bailey is addicted!  I'm sure the sweet taste has something to do with it, but juice is sweet and she has been getting it for well over half her life now.  That's never kept her from wanting her beloved bottle.  So I don't think that is it!  But ever since last week sometime she has not had a full bottle of any kind of milk, formula or whole milk. 

So today I went to Wal-Mart and got some Vanilla Pedisure.  The thought was I could mix it either with her formula or the whole milk and she would once again be on the road to getting the nutrition she needed from the formula/whole milk.  WRONG!!  She would have none of it. 

I tried it straight.

I tired it mixed with milk.

I tried it mixed with formula.

I tried it cold.

I tried to room temperature.

I tried it warm.

NO SUCH LUCK!!!

She didn't just try it once and refuse to drink any more.  She wouldn't even swallow it.  She spit it out every time.  That's why her shirt appears so dirty in the pictures. 

Most toddlers have their milk before bed.  Not my Bailey.  She has a nice big bottle of cold V-8 Fusion. 

And loved every bit of it!!!!

It Took Us 13 Months To Get To This Day

Yesterday Bailey turned 13 months old.  Today, we made our first trip to the Urgent Care ER thingy we have here for a true emergency.  I say it that way because she has been to that clinic before, but only because her regular doctor was booked up or it was a Saturday - simply because she was sick.  But not today.

My main vice is a cold can of Dr. Pepper.  I'm embarassed to admit that back in the single day, one could walk in my house and find not just one can of Dr. Pepper sitting around, but sometimes a few.  And before Bailey, or when Bailey isn't around, I can usually be found with a can of Dr. Pepper sitting somewhere nearby.  But about a month ago I was in her room and I heard her playing with something that was making a funny noise but didn't think too much about it.  She had just started walking and all the sudden, here she came toddling into her room holding my DP can.  She had been playing with it for a while and I was thankful she didn't spill any on her little stroll and even more thankful she didn't cut herself on the can.  That day I made a mental note to self that I must keep my Dr. Pepper can put away.  I even suffered a slight headache one day last week when we were so busy and drank less than half the normal amount just because I had to keep my beloved beverage in the fridge all day and could only sip every now and then.

Today, I wasn't so lucky.  Bailey and I shared some ice cream after lunch today and I distinclty remember telling myself I could take my Dr. Pepper to the coffee table while we ate it because she wouldn't be interested in it while we were eating our Cookies and Cream.  And that was true.  But I forgot to get the can when I got up to go put the empty bowl in the sink and we moved on about our business.  A few minutes later I looked up and saw her going for the grab, the grab for a FULL Dr. Pepper can.  She has gotten in the habit of knowing when she is doing something she shouldn't and hurrying up to get it done before you get to her.  So when she realized I was coming, she went even faster and got to it right at the same time I did.  I jerked it up and so did she.  And it spilled everywhere.  I moved her away from the spilled can and went to get something to clean it up with.  I should say here that Sid was working and we were home alone.  Anyway, she cried, but I thought because I got onto her and moved her away from the DP.  About a minute went by and she stopped crying and was up and on the move back to the coffee table.  I saw her fingernail as her hand grabbed the table and thought hmmm it sure is red.  I picked her hand up to look at it and blood spewed out everywhere.  I flipped out.  I grabbed her up and took her to the sink to wash her hand off and see where she was cut and it didn't take but a second to see that her middle finger had been sliced wide open.  I flipped out again and all I could think to do was apply pressure with the paper towel I had in my hand.  I sat down in the rocking chair and she laid her head on me and I was able to apply pressure for a few mintues with her arm raised above her head.  Then I took a peek....still a spew of blood.  I flipped out.  I called Nene because she could get to us faster than Sid and I knew as long as I could keep pressure applied to it it was fine but I would have to put her in the carseat with blood spewing everywhere and no pressue to get her to the ER.  Plus we put our pj's back on after showering this morning so I was going to have to put her down to get dressed to go and I didn't know if that was good.  Nene was on her way and every few minutes I'd take a peek....still tons of blood.   And I broke down.  I just cried and cried, thinking of her having to go through getting tubes and a scope yesterday and just how sweet and precious she is and how much she LOVES DP herself and I was upset that I was too busy cleaning up the mess to notice she was bleeding.  Nene finally arrived and took one look and said it needed to be looked at.  I put clothes on and we drove the Urgent Care ER place, which is less than 4 minutes away.   They took us right back and less than 10 minutes later we were back out the door on the way home. 

Here's what we learned.  When you have a cut like that and you use paper of any kind to apply the pressure, every time you take the paper off, you are tearing off the clot.  Who knew???  I sure didn't!  So, really, I guess every time she stopped bleeing I'd make it start all over again.  The doctor also said it wasn't as deep as it looked but there was....how should I put this..... a place where a piece of meat was torn off and missing.  I love this doctor, we've seen him before, and once he realized I was just ripping the clot off time and time again, it took him literally about 3 mintues to fix her up.  He got a non stick pad and applied pressure for about a minute and TADA - no more spewing of blood.  He then took this little tube of stuff that comes in a glass dispencer with a cotton tip and dabbed a little skin glue on it, applied a small band-aid and we were out the door.  That little trip probably cost us $500 bucks.  All because I did not know you could continue to tear the clot off of a cut.  I think the band-aid made it about 5 mintues after we got home and it was off. 

She and Sid went to Wal-Mart to get a few things and pick up supper while I picked up the house a little and they got us some of that skin glue to have on hand and the doctor said you could use something like saran wrap in the future as something non-sticky to use to apply pressure.  I was so thankful she did not have to get stitches.  I was crying and crying before Nene got here thinking about how sorry I was going to be if that was to happen.  I've never had stitches and I sure didn't want to see my 13 month old get them.

Speaking of 13 months, it made me realize it took us 13 months to get to our first emergency like that and now that she is mobile and demonstrates her will at all times I'm sure it won't be our last.  But it sure did freak me out a little.

Tomorrow I'm going to brave church alone because Sid has to work.  If she shows out, which she NEVER does, really she doesn't, because it's always her nap time, I have vowed to myself to start putting her in the nursery.  I doubt she does though, really, because usually she just sleeps!

And I want to say here-just so my mother knows-had it been a different place or more blood or something that needed immediate attention and not something I felt could wait the 15 mintues for Nene get here, I would have strapped her in the carseat blood or not and pj's or not, to get her somewhere fast enough.  I didn't even have pants on though, haha!

Going Through The Change

Yes, this would make my 3rd post of the day. 

1.  I updated about Bailey when we got home.

2.  I linked to a blog about a doctor in Arkansas who is leaving for Haiti to set up a medical clinic so I could keep up with his journey.

3.  And three - it's time for me to talk about something that's been one of those heart pulls.

You will notice some changes over on the right side of the blog.  The first thing you see when you look over there is the new advertisement through BlogHer Ads that I got approved for.  I'm not real sure on the who, what, when, where and how's of it, but somehow, by you coming here and reading, I make money for advertising on my blog.  I just don't know if I make it because you simply visit my page and the ad is there or if you actually have to click on it.  Either way, it's a great way for me to stay connected to bloggers like me!  And the next thing you see when you look over there on the right is a button that will take you to a place you can donate online to the Haitian rescue efforts through an organization called Compassion. 

You can go to this page to read about what Compassion is all about.  But in a nut-shell they have children that can be sponsered and by sponsering a child with so many dollars a month you are doing so many things to help that child.  This page tells you all about that.  They have Compassion camps in lots of different countries.  Of course, one of those would be Haiti.  So now they have a campaign going to raise monies for their efforts in Haiti.  If you click on that button on my right side over there, you can donate to this effort.  If you visit this page (which is the same page as those links above, so if you haven't clicked, go ahead and do it now) you can read about how to sign up to sponser a child.  I haven't sponsered a child or given to the relief efforts for personal reasons I'd rather not post, but they are legit and what I do want to say is that I have prayed about Compassion and their efforts for some time now.  It's time for me to make that commitment to say that as soon as I feel I can, I will be sponsering a child.  I've done alot of reading and Compassion is just not like those TV commericals we see on TV that lasts for 10 mintues in the middle of a good LifeTime movie.  I really feel in my heart, through prayer, that Compassion is a great way for me to start the charity giving I talked about alot in November and December.  So, you'll be hearing more about Compassion from me in the future. 

I like the changes to my blog.  And if I point at least one person to that LifeTime movie tomorrow night or at leat one person to Compassion, then the change has been good!

Because The Call Will Come

I just wanted to share this blog about a doctor from Arkansas who has organized a team to go to Haiti and set up a medical clinic.  His wife has blogged about how he called her while she was in Old Navy telling her he wanted to go to Haiti.  Can you imagine???  They live in Arkansas and I just thought I'd link to their blog in case anyone would like to follow along with his story as he and his team prepare and go......because the call came and this man answered.  If the call came, would I answer?  Would you answer?  Just something to think about.

I didn't watch the special that was on tonight about Haiti.  I tried and all the music was so depressing.  I'm sure there will be lots of recaps on CNN but I did see Anderson Cooper via Skype on the Ellen show and he says that people are dying and they don't need to be.  Now, Mr. Cooper is no doctor, but he says that people have things like broken limbs with a wound and because the wound cannot be treated, they are getting infections and dying.  So teams like this doctor's will no doubt be of assistance.

If you read of other's like this, just normal humans like you and me, would you please leave me a link so I can read.

Home Again Home Again

We made it back home about 1:00 or so.  If we can just get insurance to approve the ear drops we need not once, not twice, BUT FIVE TIMES A DAY, we will be in good business. 

Tubes are great!  No problem there!

Her airway was a little inflammed which indicated that she did have something viral going on earlier in the week and not just an asthma flare up.  Her airway still has a 1/3 restriction, but that is not bad.  The passage has gotten just a little smaller than it was initially but it is done getting smaller and she will either always have the 1/3 restriction or that opening will grow with her and only get bigger, never smaller.  So never again, does he anticipate having to perferm surgery to open her airway again!  Praise the good Lord above!

However, there is something in her airway that looks like a  little lump to me on the picture, but he said it could be a number of things, nothing serious though.  It only becomes serious if it continues to grow and blocks her airway.  Dr. Carron wants to re-look at it in 3-6 months if she continues to have a cough and such.  Otherwise, we go back for a follow-up from all this in about 3 weeks and we anticpate nothing but goodness.

She was sooooo funny after she woke up though.   She was in true Bailey form, mad at the IV, throwing that head back and arching her back, but loose as a noodle.  She slept most of the way home and is sleeping now in her bed, well....our bed! 

We're Out The Door

In just a few more minutes, we will be leaving to meet Mom at the hotel in Jackson.  Bailey had a good night with her Mammaw, came in, ate a good breakfast, took a bath, and fell asleep til almost noon.  She is a little ill now so I'm hoping the ride there won't be too bad. 

I was getting the camera packed up and snapped a few shots and couldn't help but to post these few.  Wish us good luck!!!

PS:  Wouldn't it be nice if I had a red flower instead of a yellow one to match this outfit.  Oh well, at least she's left that one in!  Bless her heart.  She knows not what is coming!!!

Saving Haiti-Revisited

Obviously I missed this in the news yesterday with everything going on.  But I had been following this blog about the BRESMA orphanage.  Yesterday, this happened  and so did this!  All I can say is WOW!  And I'm happy to hear that most of the children were coming to US soil to meet waiting familes.  The rest of them I'm sure will be scooped up as soon as possible!  Praise God!!!!!! 

But keep praying about the rest of the needs in Haiti.  I'm sure this was just 1 out of a million and tens needs! 

We Are Cleared For Takeoff

We met with the pulmunologist this morning.  I swear the girl holds her breath when they listen to her breathe.  But Dr. Phillips said she sounded ok, he could hear some tight spots in places, but she wasn't totally flared up.  And he couldn't even tell which ear had been infected, so I guess the shot on Monday and the oral steroids we started on Tuesday really helped both things.  We will leave for Jackson tomorrow when Mom gets here and spend the night in the same hotel we stayed in when she had her big surgery and was in the PICU.  It's nice, but I'd rather not spend every night away from home that we get to stay in a hotel in THAT hotel.  haha!  I don't know what time we have to be at Children's on Friday morning but I'm assuming really really early and hopefully we will back home sometime after lunch, if not before, on Friday afternoon.  

I got to go meet the people at my new job and now that it's offical I can put it all out on the world wide web.  I was approved at the school board meeting last night.  I could have started tomorrow, officially, but my first official day now will be Monday and I'm VERY excited.  You can't keep a good dog down for long and that's all I have to say about that.  I am very excited and they are very excited to have me.  I will actually have the opportunity to use my Master's degree with this job.  Everyone seems really nice.  Next on the agenda.....helping Maggie get a full-time teaching job. 

NeNe followed me to the doctor this morning and brought Bailey back home so I could go to the school.  And I decided to go ahead and let Bay go spend the night with her because it was a rough night last night and Sid and I figured we needed a good night's rest before we head out tomorrow and deal with what ever comes our way.  Really, tubes are not that big of a deal, I just don't want anything to come from looking at her airway.  We don't expect it to.  But it just makes me nervous.  So, Nene did my laundry while they were here today, Sid is cooking burgers for supper and I'm going to stretch out and hopefully finish my book. 

Please keep us all in your prayers:  Bailey with her tubes and scope, Me and Sid as we endure it with her, Mom on her drive over tomorrow and back home Friday, Nene on her drive to Jackson and back Friday, me as I start my new job on Monday, and Sid just because he probably needs because he is the glue that holds all of the above together!!!

On a note about Haiti, I had to turn the TV the other night watching all the orphans that were coming to the US.  I don't know if all those kids had waiting families or if some of them were just being brought here, but I so wish, and I had to pary hard at the time of watching, but I so wish Sid and I were in a place to adopt a child.  Just now, the TV was on and the news here always does what they called Wednesday's Child where they show a child who is in the foster system in MS waiting to be adopted.  This kid was a 9th grade boy and it just breaks my heart.  He said he had never been hunting but wanted to go and just wanted a family he could be a part of and love and he even said "yes mam" to the interviewer.  It just breaks my heart!!!  I think that young man even touched Sid.  It's something I really am being called to look into, my heart is tugging, but Sid and I just aren't in a posistion to even consider it as reality right now.  It feels like we have so much to take care of with me and my new job and Bailey and all her health needs, but then we have to stop and look at how blessed we really are and how really not that bad off we are.  We actually have it very good compared to how things could be, and we know that, but life just feels so turned upside down for us right now, it'd have to be like brick falling on our head to take something like that on right now.  But I'm going to keep praying about it and I know in time answers and the clear path to these heart tuggings and soft whispers will be answered. 

Yesterday, I got the call that I had been board approved and I could start work today and then this is what the bible verse was in my devotional:  "Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"  John 11:40  The past few months have been months of ups and downs, but it has also been a time of growing so much closer to God and to his glory.  Bailey got the Praise Baby cd's in her stocking and we were listening to them this morning on the way to the doctor and one of the songs had the verse "you have brought me to this place."  And He has, Jesus has brought me to exactly where I am personally and career wise for a reason.  Part of it may not be easy, but He brought me here and His glory has been so tender and sweet.  His mercies have been new every morning and there have been days of questioning and asking why, but never a day where I didn't praise Him for the blessings.  I know that is only by the grace of God and His promise that I have found the perfect job for me in the middle of a school year in a year where budgets have been cut left and right already in school systems across the state.  It has also been confirmation for me that I made the right decesion to move to MS because God just keeps on providing here.  Alabama will always be home in my heart, but Mississippi is where I've started my family and we are growing together in this walk. 

Ok, WOW!  I did not plan to get off on the preaching, but I've waited a few months to be able to journal about it.

It's A Girl Thing

UPDATE:  We will be seeing the pulmonologist, not our regular one, but one in the same office, in order to have the breathing thing checked out and get cleared for tubes on Friday.  I took the time to listen to her really good with the stethoscope while she was resting earlier and if she sounds anything like she does now when we go tomorrow, I'm wagering they put the tube thing off.  Which is not good for alot of reasons so let's pray that she gets better between now and 10:00 in the morning so we can get the tubes and get that over with.



Bailey got her first American Girl doll from Mom and Dad (Mimi and Poppy T, not me and Sid) for Christmas this year.  We named her Marlo and I don't really know why I picked that name.  It's not really sticking so we will probably change it when Bailey can talk and call her something she wants to call her.  But it's been really sweet to see Bailey take an interest in her baby dolls.  Mom got her one for one of our showers that is a Madame Alexander doll.   I always got those dolls when I was little, but they were the big ones.  Not the little ones and I played my heart with those dolls.   So it was special for Mom to get one for Bailey for one  of our showers, but it had a christening like dress on and Mom monogramed with Bay's initials and so I had it sitting on a shelf in her room.  One time when Mom was here she insisted we undress the doll and let Bailey play with it but she never showed much interest.  Sometime right before Christmas she did start showing an interest and it was sweet, but now that we have Marlo, who is supposed to resemble Bailey somewhat, she loves her dolls.  Both Marlo and the undressed Madame Alexander doll.  Mom also got her a birthday Madame Alexander doll for her first birthday.  But she is difinatly NOT playing with that doll.  It's a small one and dressed really nicely so we aren't messing her up.

But anyway, if you have boys then you will never understand American Girl and all she is about.  I really don't know that much about American Girl but I do know that Bailey has taken to Marlo and it has melted my heart.  This past weekend at Mom's, she pushed Marlo around in a toy baby stroller that Mom has.  We will be investing in one of those as soon as we have time to swap a few Christmas presents.  But anyway....American Girl not only makes dolls that somewhat looks like their owner's, but they also make Mother/Daughter clothes.  Mom got Bailey and Marlo matching outfits, but Bailey's is a couple sizes too big (for a good reason).   Today, I dressed Bay in her pj's and we changed Marlo into her matching pj's and here is the final results.  The funny thing is that the pants, even though they are like a size 3T fit in the butt and waist, they are just long.  The shirt fits more like a dress so she's played in just the shirt today, but I'm sure as she grows and gets some understanding of true meaning of American Girl, we will be in trouble.  And just so you know, the pj's have the American Girl dogs on them.  Yep, AG even has pets.  Now that I'm writing all this I'm remembering I know all this because I've looked at many an AG magazine with Erin and I do believe that's where I learned my knowledge.  Take a look at this matching duo, it's a promise to steal your heart!

She doesn't quite know that you don't carry Marlo by the shirt!

Looking like Marlo might be getting a spanking, but she didn't!

Hug the baby!

Marlo's heavy and it sure is hard to get up out of the floor with a baby isn't it?

That sweet hand was just patting away!  Could it get any sweeter?

Rock the baby!

You can stil tell how not so great she feels by looking at her pudgy face.  Yesterday at the doctor, even her eye was a bit swollen.  That's supposedly how bad her ear is right now!

I think I adjusted the light way too much in this one.  She isn't THAT pale!!

Still rocking the baby!

We can ask her where her baby is and she will look and look until she finds Marlo.  She knows the other doll is a baby, too, but Marlo is "the baby".  Yesterday, she even checked Marlo's temp and cleaned out her nose with the bulb.  It was too cute! 

As far as I know, the word I have gotten is that we will proceed with the tube placement and airway scope on Friday provided that her fever doesn't return and the breathing problems we are having doesn't turn into something more that "a flare up."  But I've been thinking about the breathing thing, and as much as I hate to, I think I'm going to call the pulmunologist because I don't know at what point the flare up should get better.  Tonight, we will have been giving the treatments round the clock for 72 hours and I don't how long it's supposed to take for the flare up to go away.  In the past, it seems a flare up has always lead to something worse like RSV or pnumonia, so I'd just rather be safe than sorry even if that means another unexpected trip to Jackson. 

Hey, at least Marlo has some new pj's since we will likely just be hanging out at home to keep from getting any sicker before the surgery and certainly just hanging out at home over the weekend to recover from the tube placement and to get ready to head back to daycare/work on Monday.  There will be no plans for me and Bay this weekend, I can assure you of that, unless you count pj's and staying in from Friday to Monday morning as plans.  I'm sure Saturday we will be recovering from Friday and getting back on our feet.  Sunday, we will most likely make it to church, provided the breathing isn't any worse, but other than that we will certainly just be staying at home and resting and getting some love from each other and last minute stuff done before we head back to daycare and work.  I also have a book I'm almost done reading and want to get finished before Monday.  It's hard to get anything done with a sick, irritable 1 year old at your feet all day.  I think it might be Sid's weekend to work, but if he doesn't have to work, I hope he plans on hunting because Bailey and I are staying put.  Just in case you thought you might call us and make plans, make no mistake, we are out of order this weekend. 

Unless there is any change, I probably won't post anymore until after the tubes/airway scope.  Not much happening when you are just staying at home and resting and playing!

Got to get rested up and well before the next one because we are headed to the Big Top with Uncle Bo and Aunt Maggie! 

Bailey's Ears

They just won't get better.  I guess that's the point of tubes.  But Dr. Carron, the ENT, was closed today.  So we had to see the regular peditrician, which was fine, but we hadn't planned on having anything other than a normal week until we go Friday to have her tubes put in.  Well, about midnight Sunday night/Monday morning, Bay rolled over and her hand started patting my face.  That was the hottest little hand I have EVER felt and so of course this started the whole take her temp and give her some Motrin without trying to wake her up.  And since her temp was again hovering at around 104, her breathing was labored, which in turn, prompted me to think she needed a breathing treatment.   Seeing the doctor today confirmed that she does also indeed have some wheezing going on.  Does it ever end?  Auny Kylie's office will call Dr. Carron's office tomorrow and we will go from there.  Because of all this, I had to cancel and reschedule her first dentist appoint, which was supposed to be tomorrow.  Instead, now we will go over Spring Break, as long as we aren't scheduled for any kind of surgery at that time! 

Emotions are running high here at the Whitehead household.  Bailey screamed for close to over an hour before she went to sleep tonight, which was very odd, but that's how tired and worn out we are here.

I'm still stuck to CNN and the even more intuned now to the orphanages and the children who are cleared to leave Haiti and come to the US.  Makes me want to email somebody, call somebody, and say hey, bring me a child.  But emotions are high enough here at the Whitehead household without adding to the mix.  Like I said in my last post, I just wish I was in a much different place, a place to be able to open up my home and care for a child who has lost everything but the hope of someone opening their home.  But I just pray!  And we have so much going on that when Sid reads this, it will be the first hint of those kinds of feelings that I've been having.  We'll talk about it though someday, he's as tender hearted as I am, rather he wants to admit it or not. 

Speaking of Sid, bless his heart, the cows got out at his Dad's this afternoon and his Dad was out of town so Sid spent about 3 or 4 hours out there by himself trying to get the darn things up.  I felt sorry for him.   I mean I know he didn't mind helping.  I don't think people, including me, realize just how full his plate really is.  Now, hear me, Sid would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it, he does not mind.  He has not complained.   He was worn slap out when he finally got home and then we had to deal with Bailey screaming her head off.  I just felt bad for him when he finally laid his head down.  I just felt sorry for him doing it all by himself and it taking so long and having to do it and putting his plans that he already had on hold and then coming in and having to deal with a fussy baby on top of that.  Who knows!   Like I said, emotions are high here at the Whitehead household. 

We just want to get these tubes in and get back to work and regularly scheduled life!!

Saving Haiti

I haven't blogged about the earthquake and what is going on in Haiti because really I didn't know what to say.  I can't promise a donation to some organization for every comment left, not that it would be sizable based on the comments on my blog, but you know....I've always been sort of leary of just giving money to far off places like that because, right or wrong, I am the type that likes to know it's being used for what I gave it for.  I don't want my donation going towards the administrative costs of some luxary office building of some organization that promises to help kids. 

I have a childhood friend, that I remember taking baths with and everything when I was little, that kind of childhood friend, who went to Haiti after graduating from LSU with the PeaceCorps.  When he returned to small-town Alabama, he had a fiance with him, a sweet girl named Ketcha, and she has fallen into small-town Alabama life.  She is due in one week with their first child.  Her entire family is still in Haiti.  It took several days fir ger to get word that they think everyone in her family is ok.  But for those days....can you imagine?  My heart broke for her, for them, and still does.

I've thought alot about the efforts in Haiti since the earthquake and I've wished a million times over that I was in some sort of situation to give more than prayers and even more so, that I was in some sort of situation to be able to go.  I keep telling myself:  There is surely someone dying that you could hold their hand when they have no other family left.  There is surely a baby or a child or a teen that I could hold and rock and sing to, becasue I know that someone would be at home in Mississippi rocking and singing my Bay to sleep in her warm house with her night time bottle.  Unfortunatly, my heart just gets so heaving thinking of the situations in Haiti and the releif efforts there taking place and the devastation.  I wish there was more I could do, but praying, in God's eyes, is enough I know.  Still, sometimes I feel it isn't enough and I feel guilty.

We went to Alabama for the night on Friday.  I was going to blog about our 30 something hours there because we had lots of fun and lots of love.  But when we got home, late last night, I turned on the TV and it was on CNN and the title of what I was watching was Saving Haiti.  It was just unreal what I was watching and hearing.  People were just literally lying on make shift beds out in park like looking places with IV's attached to trees hanging above.  I heard of the story about the doctor's pulling out on Friday night for safety reasons.  I think they returned on Saturday from what I understood, but to hear of the stories of those people just left.  To see all the piles of dead bodies.  To hear the story of the baby born in the middle of all the chaos. 

In the meantime, Bailey was restless and Sid called for me to come get her and rock her.  I always sing to her at bedtime, but since bedtime was a little off due to traveling I didn't sing much to her.  I figured she needed some singing to.  We have a list of songs we go through so to speak, and one of those is "It Only Takes a Spark".  I don't know why that is a song I started singing her, but it is, and as I watched the TV last night singing those words to my sweet one year old in our warm house under our warm blanket the words rang so true for me.

It only takes a spark
To get a fire going
And soon all those around
Can warm up in it's glowing
That's how it is with God's love
Once you've experienced it
You want to sing
It's fresh like Spring
You want to pass it one

I wish for you, my friend
This happiness that I've found
You can depend on Him
It matters not where you're bound
I'll shout it from the mountain tops
I want my world to know
The Lord of Love
Has come to me
I want to pass it on!

And so, even though I cannot go and even though I cannot give thousands or even hundreds of dollars, I will continue to pray.  Pray those people that God will comfort them and wrap them in His arms and that He will see to it that the money that people CAN give is used as it should be and these people of Haiti will somehow be saved! 

Christmas in January!

I went to Jackson last week sometime and stopped by my favorite consignment shop.  I have to say if you don't shop consignment, or at least check them out if you have any near-by,  you are really missing out.  Some of my favorite things of Bay's have come from consignment shops.  My MIL got her the cutest Sweet Potatoes outfit at a local one here for just a few bucks, I would have paid well over $30 for it brand new or well over a few bucks for it on ebay, too!  You do have to check things out, because sometimes there are stains and such.  But I just happened to stop at my favorite one during a day that everything was 50% off.  I felt like I had hit the jack pot.  I got Bay two outfits that she can wear now during the winter months, one a Le Top that even came with a matching jacket, actually she had it on in the post where we went to Tuscaloosa to eat with Mom and Dad, and one a Baby Gap warm-up type suit that is just precious on.  I also got her a pair of orange mini-boden levour pants to wear with her Kubota stuff from Pappaw and I also got these great Christmas outfits for next year:

A brand new, tags still on Mis Tee V Us outfit for $20 bucks!

This precious Sweet Potatoes dress and tights for like $5 bucks.  I thought this was the cutest thing I'd ever seen! You can't really tell in the picture, but the Christmas tree is 3-D like, all fuzzy like!  And the tights say Sweet Potatoes across the butt!

Another Le Top outfit that looked never worn!  For another something like $5 bucks.

And I've been on a ebay hunt lately.  I've sold alot of her stuff from last summer and spring and used the money to buy her new stuff for this upcoming Spring/Summer/Fall.  I've noticed that you get to a point where all the outfits you recieved as gifts and all the baby outfits you buy along the way run out, and you left with nothing or the next season when your baby gets older.  haha!  I'm going to make a point to buy baby gifts in bigger sizes if I'm buying clothes.  But this was an outfit that I watched for awhile and finally bought and loved it when it came in.  I also bought about 5 outfits from Gymboree for less than 10 bucks each but they haven't come in yet.  Look how cute this is and it's from Nick Nack Patty Wack:

Love it!

And lastly I wanted to share this story because it's really funny.  The other day Sid was in the extra bedroom where he keeps all of his hunting stuff getting dressed to go hunting and he got out some stupid deer making noise thing and made the noise and I thought it scared Bailey to death.  The next day, she clung to me, literally clung to me.  She would walk to the hallway and look to the right in the room where Sid keeps his hunting stuff and then look to the left into her bedroom and then come running.  A little later, we were in her room and I tried to put her down and she about climbed right back up my leg.  I fussed at Sid and we moved on.  Then yesterday we were in her room and she did the same thing and I remembered we had blown this toy up from her grandmother and put it in her room when her cousin was playing a little rough with it.

I finally figured out she was scared to death of this thing! haha!  I brought it out into the den and we played with it but when I walked off, she moved far away from it and then looked back at it and started "talking"  to it and even offered it her paci.  I guess she was making peace.  haha!  It was really cute, but I was amazed she was scared of it.  She has never seemed to be scared of anything.  It's still in the den, but  I've noticed she hasn't played on her big rabbit chair because that's what it's sitting next to.  Guess I need to move him.  I just wonder what they think:  here's some crazy looking "thing" that wobbles around and has balls all in it and plays music and really if it look at it's cross-eyed.  BTW, you do not want to know what I had to google to find the picture of this guy!!!!!

Have a great weekend!

BTW:   If you are the mom or grandmom or aunt or whomever to a little princess under 1, check out our ebay stuff.  I think the way you look us up is basw07.  My husband also is purging his POLO collection, b/c he's obssesive and has way too much!