Mother's Day Reflections 2012: "A Baby Changes Everything"

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

"A Baby Changes EVERYTHING"

As Mother's Day approaches us this Sunday, May 13, 2012 I am reflecting on my short years as a mother and my time spent alongside my own mother, grandmothers and mother in-law. These 4 women are very unique, each in their own ways, and have made a true impact on my life and how I am as a mother as well. I am grateful to God for giving each of them to me and allowing me to see what a wonderful and Godly example each of them has set for not only me but their own children and grandchildren as well.

I am going to start with reflections of my 2+ years of being a mother. Just as most women do at a young age, I always dreamt of being a mother and having my own little family when I grew up. When Chris and I married 6 years ago, we knew we wanted to have children but not necessarily immediately. We waited about 2 years to start trying to have a child. We wanted to be able to start our marriage off with "alone time" and really set the foundation for our lives together by being together as often as possible. These 1st few years were fantastic and I will never forget them... but our lives really changed once we started to "try" to conceive.

We began what we thought would be a short process in August 2007. We had been married about 2 years and wanted to go ahead and start our family. As month after month passed and there still wasn't a "pink line" on the pregnancy test, we began to worry and start to follow up with my doctor in Norman and then Shawnee. About 11 months had passed since the start of this process and Chris and I decided it was time to see a specialist. I was referred to someone in Shawnee and we began that long process of paperwork and tests in August of 2008. We both were getting anxious, frustrated and more for me than Chris just overall depressed. In fact, this was the first time in my life that I experienced real depression. We decided not to do "in vitro" or any other kind of medical "treatment" just yet as those were incredibly expensive and we just did have the cash on hand. I remember being so upset and depressed that I was shopping one time in Dillard's at Shawnee Mall and seeing a teacher from school who just came up to me and we prayed for a baby in the middle of the Woman's Department of Dillard's! She was a God send and I will never forget her or that prayer time for as long as I live! Thank you Kelli Hoffman!

I will never forget the Sunday Morning sermon given by our Pastor, Todd Fisher, at Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee, OK that Sunday morning in late September. It was a sermon about prayer and how to pray correctly. Needlesstosay, we were not praying correctly. Chris and I both left that service touched by the Holy Spirit and we immediately changed our personal quiet times, couples devotional and prayer time. I remember getting up every morning and beginning my quiet time with the story of Hannah. I would just sob and sob about not being able to be a mother and wanting a baby SO BAD! Yet somehow over the following weeks, I felt a peace that I had not felt for quite some time.

In November of 2008, Chris and I went on vacation with his family to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. This was a trip I will never forget and all us Davis' had a blast. I remember taking it easy while on that trip because I was "late". We got back home from Vegas on a Saturday and on Monday when I took the 4th pregnancy test, the "pink line" appeared and we were pregnant. It was a TRUE TEST OF MY PATIENCE AND FAITH IN GOD for sure! It had been 15 long, draining and depressing months of waiting and we finally saw that line. I will never forget running into the bedroom from the bathroom just screaming "Were PREGNANT". It was one of the best moments of my life.

The following 9 months (WELL REALLY 10) were a true blessing for me and at 43 weeks and 1 day I delivered our precious gift from God, Natalie Grace, via C-Section on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 7:34am. She weighed 9 pounds and 3 ounces and was 20 3/4 inches long. The induction/ labor process itself was yet another TEST IN MY PATIENCE AND FAITH IN GOD! There were times where the doctor wanted to send us home (Again, I was 43 weeks along...crazy huh?) and other times where my blood pressure was so high and Natalie's heart rate was dropping where we weren't sure if we would leave with a baby. After about 24 hours of labor, Dr. Trotter came in and said it was time to do an emergency C-Section... I was devastated but had no time to worry about that! Approximately 13 minutes later, Natalie Grace entered the world and I have never been the same!

She is my EVERYTHING and I am so very grateful to God for giving me this gift. I think of my many friends, family and acquaintances who have had the same struggles as Chris and I did and I am forever grateful for God's faithfulness to our family. I also continue to pray for each of these families and hope God will give them the peace that "passes all understanding" about His plans for their life. Chris and I are so undeserving of Natalie Grace and we know she is a true gift from God and a blessing to us! I love you Natalie Grace and you will ALWAYS be my little miracle and GIFT! 

In October of 2011, Chris and I saw another "pink line" and are now expecting our 2nd child, David Luke in less than 5 weeks! We are both thrilled to be able to continue our family and receive yet another gift from God. I am so blessed to be called a "Mother" and I thank God for that opportunity EACH AND EVERY DAY!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and may we NEVER forget...

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!

Prenatal Visit #10

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

"Not at the same time"

Today I went in for my 34 week OB appointment/ check up and all is still well with me and Baby Luke. He is growing perfectly and doing great. I wish I could say the same... All I can say is "IT IS HOT!" I swear it gets HOTTER and HOTTER EVERY DAY! Oh... and I get BIGGER and BIGGER EVERY DAY! These two make for a pretty miserable day by 2:30-3:00pm. But that is OK... I am trying to enjoy these last few weeks with just me and Natalie and daddy. It still seems hard for me to believe that in less than five weeks I will be a mother of 2! Seems crazy but I am ready!

As usual, the appointment began with the taking of my blood pressure and checking my weight. Both of which were a little high for me and my previous bi-weekly or monthly stats. In just 2 short weeks I had gained nearly 5 pounds... YIKES!!!! Now I kept telling myself that is because I got the green light to eat sweets again, and honey let me tell you... I ATE THOSE SWEETS! It is like I had been so cautious and careful the previous 30 some weeks and I was going to make up for lost time:)! But, I DID NOT like the number I saw on the scale so I am going to tone it down a bit! My blood pressure was 131/78 which is still a good number but my nurse said Dr. Markos would want to retake it in after a short wait time.

Sure enough, as Dr. Markos came in and checked all my statistics and figures he noticed 3 things: The high Blood Pressure (For me), the 5 pound weight gain and MY FAT FEET. Yes... the dreaded SWELLING of my ankles and feet has started. He took my Blood Pressure again and it was 120-78 which is almost perfect and usual for me. He explained that the weight gain was more than likely because of the swelling and retaining of water. But he also said the baby could have just gone through a growth spurt too... Of course lets hope the 5 pounds is not all LUKE!!!! He measured me at 34 weeks "and some change" as he said so I seem to be right on target for my little man. Dr. Markos also used the "Doppler" to check Luke's heartbeat which was in the 120s and 130s. Dr. Markos also liked to poke around at my belly and Luke just to get a laugh! It was interesting to see Luke's heartbeat change after being poked at!

Dr. Markos mentioned wanting me to have another ultrasound next time (36 weeks) to check on an approximate weight of Baby Luke. I am really anxious to see this figure since when I was 36 weeks pregnant with Natalie, Dr. Trotter estimated a 7 1/2 pound baby and Natalie came out 9.3!!!! Now keep in mind I was 43 weeks pregnant when I delivered precious Natalie so there was a 7 week wait time in between that ultrasound and the actual delivery date but I am still curious to see if I will just be prone to have big babies or was it because I was 43 weeks along!!! Either way, I will be able to find out his current weight (at 36 weeks) and get an estimate on his birth weight as well. I am excited and a little nervous!!!

I also found out that the original C- Section time of 7:30am on June 12th had already been scheduled for another woman so I was pushed back to the 12:30pm slot on that same day. This was a little shocking to me at first because my nurse told me 7:30am was the set time. Because of this I had thought it would be neat to have Natalie and Luke born at the same time of 7:34am on a Tuesday. Even though they will NOT BE BORN AT THE SAME TIME... I do think this will be better in the long run since I will have just finished school for the year the previous Friday and I have to get up for work so early 5:00-5:30 every morning. This will allow me to sleep in (We will see if that actually happens... not the sleeping in but the SLEEPING AT ALL!) and even eat a later dinner the night before. It is just 5 weeks away and I CANNOT WAIT!

On a side note, I am really beginning to like my doctor (which is ALWAYS a good thing right?). This is not to say I have not liked him but since I was new to the area and literally knew nothing, I had to ask friends from Sunday School about local doctors and Dr. Markos came as a highly referred doctor from a SS friend. He has been very knowledgeable and helpful but it just seems I really know how to pick em'. He is much older and has an extensive history of OB/GYN and Director of OB clinics and what not. He reminds me so much of Dr. Trotter from Shawnee and I was never really a fan of his. All of this to explain a funny story from yesterday. I was all decked out in my college day apparel for school with my "Future OU Sooner on the Way" shirt with matching jewelry. I had bedazzled earrings, a necklace and even an OU bracelet on. I was showing my TRUE COLORS for sure. The first thing Dr. Markos does when he walks in the room yesterday is say "Oh I see you are an Ohio University Fan!" I laughed and smiled and said "Ummm... NO! That is Oklahoma University sir!" He smiled and explained that he went to the University of texas and his son was offered a scholarship to OU for football. He was very familiar with OU and its football legacy and said even though he went to UT for med school, he had a true respect for OU! Yeah... He is getting a big tip at the end of all of this! Of course he then jokingly said he would give Luke a "hook em' horns" first thing after the surgery! (I was laughing inside thinking... yeah "just cut your tip in half")  I just love having a OU/ texas rivalry person to pick on! Luke WILL BE A SOONER!!! TRUST ME!!

Overall, it was a GREAT check-up and I am looking forward to the ultrasound and weight check in a few weeks as well as actually meeting Mr. David Luke on June 12th at 12:30pm! I am truly amazed at God's continued blessings on me and my family and I am eternally grateful!

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!

"It's the end of an Era"

And what an amazing Era it has been!

God has been faithful to Chris and I and our family throughout the years and we are continually grateful. You see, we have been faithfully praying for a miracle with the sale of our house in Shawnee and about 3 weeks ago we got an offer on it. This came as some what of a surprise as the previous 3-5 months have been very slow in the real estate market in Shawnee and our house had not been shown in quite some time but even when I felt I had lost all hope of ever selling the house and getting our own here in Houston... God looked down at us, smiled and said "Oh ye of little faith"!

It all started with a comment on Facebook from our realtor in Shawnee. She said that another realtor in her office had shown the house and has an interested couple. I shook my head in dis-belief and even told my mother-in-law "Yeah right, I will believe when I see it". I had SUCH A BAD ATTITUDE! That was on a Saturday and on Monday our realtor called and gave me the buyers offer. Wow... I could not believe it! We actually had an offer and an opportunity to get rid of the house and begin a new chapter in our lives. After a few days of bargaining we settle on a price and the paper work has begun. We are supposed to close on the house on May 21st and that day is fast approaching and we are forever grateful not only to God for answering our prayers but to our two real estate agents back in Oklahoma for their continued effort to help us sell this house.

Last week after the inspection had been done, my realtor put up the "SOLD" sign and sent me a picture of it on my iPhone. In the midst of all the celebrations and happiness for selling the house, I looked at the picture and just teared up thinking of all the wonderful memories we have had in that house. I sent the picture to Chris and we both just cried and reminisced about the 5+ wonderful years we had in that home.

Our First Home: We moved in on October 6, 2006

My first day of teaching my second year at Grove Public School (Fall 2007)

My very first Christmas Tree in 2007

Our name is on the mailbox (Fall 2007)

My precious Abbey in her first snow storm (January 2008)

The first day we brought home Oxford (November 2007)

Abbey and Oxford's 1st batch of Beagle Puppies (September 2009)

The house where we decorated our first Nursery- for Natalie Grace (March 2009)

The house we brought our first child home to- I love the way Abbey is sniffing of her (August 2009)

The house we gave Natalie her first bath in (August 2009)

Our first Family Portrait (September 2009)

The house where Natalie ate her 1st Solid Foods (January 2010)

The home I spent my very first Mother's Day (May 2010)

The home where Natalie took her first steps and had her first Birthday (August 2010)

The home where we showed our true "House Divided" colors with opposing team Address Markers- BOOMER SOONER!!! (Fall 2010)

The home where we started our FAMILY! This was our last day in this house as the 3 of us (June 2011)

This house was an amazing house and it will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart. The pictures and memories above are pale in comparison to the amount of memories I will hold in heart forever. We lived in that home for 5 years and those were some of the best 5 years of my life. Chris, Natalie and I had so much fun and experiences together that I will never forget. God has been so good to me and my family and I am eternally grateful.

I waited 10 months to see this sign and now I tear up almost EVERY TIME I look at it. (Sold Sign... April 2012)

It truly is "The End of an ERA" and I thank God so much giving me the opportunity to celebrate and spend this "ERA" with my family! It really has been an AMAZING five years spent in that house and I will truly miss it... but it is time to move on to the next chapter in the Davis Family!

We have been living with my in-laws for the past 10 months and now we are ready to start a new chapter in our lives. We have been in somewhat of a holding pattern for these 10 months not really knowing when or what is next. I am very excited to begin this next "ERA" in our lives which will include Baby David Luke and THE FOUR OF US! But never-the-less, I am very sad to reminisce on our time spent at Liberty Circle!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!

The Wife of a Math Teacher

So my husband changes careers and becomes a math teacher and in 7 years of teaching elementary Music and Band... I finally do a complete Math & Music Lesson complete with charts, graphs and more. I am pretty proud of myself!

I decided to try and teach the unit about instrument families a little different this year since my "crowd" and student ethnic group was a major difference than that of I am used to. I have a really neat video series that teaches all the instruments and their families and then there are Smartboard games to go along with it. We have been completing these on a monthly basis (I only see my kids once a week... if I am lucky). I had told the students that we would be completing a "SURVEY" about the instrument families and that they would need to be picking a favorite in each family.

A wall of the different type of charts my 5th graders complied of the survey results.

This past week we reviewed all the instruments and played lots of them and then began our survey. I had all of my primary students grades K-2 participate in this survey (over 410 kids) as well as their teachers and administrators. I then had my 5th Grade students compile all of the survey results into data with bar and pie charts as well as spreadsheets. They seperated the data into homeroom teachers, grade levels and an overall primary grades table. It was very interesting to see the results and charts my 5th graders made. We compiled charts as well as percentages. I am no math teacher but I was impressed with these students and my ability to compose such an "outside of the box" lesson! I might have to do this every year!

A Bar Chart completed by a 5th grade group reflecting the results of the entire Primary Grades Favorite Brass Instrument (The TUBA won... kinda odd to me. I would have NEVER guessed that!)

Nonetheless...

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!

Opening Day 2012

Friday, April 6, 2012

Colorado Rockies vs. Houston Astros

Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity where I not only got to go to the Opening Day Festivities and Game but also be able to do this with my family. This made it so special and memorable for me and I will never forget!

 

It all started at 4:30 or so when we got to downtown and Minute Maid Park. We arrived and it was completely crazy and packed. They had an all-day street fest that was wrapping up and we were able to see news crews, bounce houses and other vendors. We went to the Southwest corner of the park and was able to take a few pictures together and even play catch while we wait for the gates to open. It was so special to see Natalie and her daddy play catch on the beautiful lawn. Natalie really enjoyed this and I certainly loved watching them play.

Mommy and Natalie outside of Minute Maid Park

Natalie and Daddy playing catch before we went into the game!
 

We finally got in at about 5:10 or so and made our way to our Mezzanine level seats. These were pretty good seats in right field directly under the big screen. These seats were also ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT! This was very interesting to me and having traveled to Baseball stadiums all my life and all around the US, I have NEVER seen anything like this. We arrived and got a wristband and were able to go and get concession items 4 at a time. We were on the 2nd row of this section and the seats were fantastic. With these wristbands we were able to go to a designated concession stand and get up to 4 items at a time including:

Hot dogs

Nachos

Peanuts

Popcorn

Water

Soda

This ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT tickets were such a blessing to us. We had tried to save up our calories and what not for the game and that also made this $30 price tag more worth while. It was about 88 degrees and we were in the sun at the beginning of the game so we just got 8 waters to start with. Natalie really enjoyed the singing of the Star Spangled Banner and the entrance of the Budweiser Clydesdale horses but not so much of the fireworks. She said they scared her. (I think they scared Luke too... he became very active right after they went off). Soon after the 1st pitch I took Natalie to go potty and get some food. We ended up get hot dogs and nachos. About every inning we would go and get another snack and/ or drink. After the sun went down Natalie was less fussy and began to really have fun.

Natalie eating her share of our "All you can eat" seats!

 

All in all, we ended totally get our $60 worth of food for the 3 of us. In fact, Natalie ate 4 1/2 hots dogs (Keep in mind she doesn't like the buns but still... THAT IS ALOT)! Chris ended up eating several servings of nachos and a couple of hot dogs and I was able to eat some hot dogs and popcorn as well. This really made for a memorable experience.

She LOVES her hotdogs!

 

Natalie loved standing up and doing "The Wave" and having to get up and sing "Take me out to the Ballgame". We had been working on this song in the bathtub for about a week and she sang the first line but then just hummed. It was wonderful for her to be able to sit on my lap and look out on the field and say "Baseball" and "field". I am not really sure if she understood much more about the game but she loved looking for the baseball and saying "Baseball".

 

We ended up leaving the game in the 9th inning to avoid traffic and get Natalie out of there without too much fussing. On our way to the car Natalie said "I had fun at the baseball game mommy. Can we do it again?" These words were PRICELESS to me!

As far as little Luke was concerned... He was the most active during that 2-3 hour stretch than I can remember him ever being. Anytime they hit a home run or scored the Astros would shoot off fireworks and he would just start kicking and dancing to them. Also, anytime I would holler or get excited he would just kick and kick. This too was priceless because that just assures me that my little boy will LOVE BASEBALL!

It was very interesting to see things like a .000 batting average and other zero statistics. I also was able to see the very first home run of the season for the Astros as well as the very first home run of the season for 4 different players. On top of all of that... I got to see BACK to BACK homers! It was AWESOME!

I am just so very grateful to my husband and Natalie for coming to the game with me and helping experience and enjoy this lifelong memory together! I cannot wait for next year... Oh yeah, this will be an ANNUAL THING!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!

My Husband: Days of Thankfulness Part 4

I write this particular post with a very heavy heart this morning. You see when I got to school this morning, I was greeted by a co-worker who was "down and out" and seemed very depressed. I spoke with her a little in the hall only to find out that she and her husband of 8 years have been separated for 3 months and are now filing for divorce. This is a Godly woman and she always seems to be happy to work here and teach her kiddos yet somehow in the past few months she has been a little depressed. I would occasionally talk to her but it usually remained about school life and not home life. However, her husband is a coach as well and we have talked about his topic frequently.

I spoke with her for about 30 minutes this morning before we each had to get to our respective duty stations and she kept repeating the statement "I just didn't realize what I had. I kept griping and complaining about the small things and I really just took him and our whole relationship for granted." I consoled her and we prayed but I just realized that I too frequently complain and get wound up in the little things. I swear just last night I was complaining at poor Chris to pick up his socks on the living room floor (on his birthday nonetheless)!!! I think sometimes you just have to take a step back and smell the roses. And clearly after speaking with this friend... NONE OF US DO THIS ENOUGH! It is time we START appreciating what we have!

So today, on the day after my husband's 34th birthday, I would like to thank him for being there for me through thick and thin and listening to my "nagging" and complaining. I know all wives do this but I thank him for putting up with my complaints all these years, even if they are to "make the bed" or "pick up your socks". I love my husband so very much and I really don't know what I would do without him. He is my rock and my foundation and I don't think I would be able to live or function without him. I thank God for Chris daily and for allowing me to be his wife but I don't thank CHRIS enough for allowing me to be his wife. Today is a new day and I am going to start THANKING CHRIS everyday! I know I am NOT going to win any "Wife of the Year" awards but I am trying and I will continue to try to be the best wife possible.

Chris, I thank you so much for just putting up with me and being there for me EVERYDAY. Please know how much I love you and how I feel so lucky to be your wife! I cant wait to spend the rest of our lives together. You are the "Husband of the Year (Century)" and I thank you for that! I LOVE YOU!

For my friends and followers, please pray for this friend of mine at school who is now suffering and hurting from this situation in her life. I felt so helpless for her today and I am now praying for a miracle that only HE can provide. Thanks for your prayers!

Even in a situation like this...

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!

Prenatal Visit #9

Monday, April 23, 2012

"ETA: 7 Weeks"

Today I went in for my 32 week OB appointment. This was just a routine 2 week check-up and it turned out to be very pleasant and uneventful. Although I did get to see my doctor (the one that will be cutting me open) learn something new but more on that later.

It began with a weight and blood pressure check. I gained 1.5 pounds this past two weeks which puts me over the 25 pound mark. This made me tear up a bit standing on the scale since I was REALLY hoping I would hold steady at just 25 pounds gained. Of course if these tears would have just weighed 2-3 pounds each, that would not have been a problem! Nonetheless, according to my doctor I am doing perfectly in the weight department and much lower overall than I was with Natalie as well as gaining at a slower and more steady speed than with Natalie. Either way... I see a long and miserable diet ahead of me soon! My blood pressure was 110/73 and very normal for me.

After the nurse checked these items, she also checked my exact dates and other calendar questions and then said "Well, June 12th... does that sound like a good day to have a baby?" I was not expecting them to set an actual date until my 34 week OB appointment so it caught me a little off-gaurd. I told her that was the date we all had in our minds since day one and that would be great. She then went to the phones to try to secure that date with the Labor and Delivery department downstairs.

She came back after about 5 minutes and said "June 12th it is. I will try to get the 1st surgery of the day which would be 7:30am. Is that ok?" I said sure thinking 7:30 was about 1 hour after I usually get to work so that sounded great. The nurse then said "You will have to be here at 5am"! WHOA... WHOA...WHOA... 5am? Umm lets try to move that if possible please! I explained to the nurse that my last day of school is June 8th so I would LOVE to have the surgery a little later if possible. She told me she would get a definite time by my next appointment but June 12th was set in stone... That is of course if I dont go into labor sooner! HAHAHA... me? I carried Natalie Grace 43 WEEKS! HAHAHA... Sooner? I dont think so!!!

In the meantime I waited for Dr. Markos to come in and do his part of the visit. After about a 10 minute wait, he came in and checked for swelling (It is beginning to happen... YIKES), checked my measurements and then asked if the nurse had taken the baby's heartbeat using the "doppler". I was measured at 32 weeks which is the first time in about 2 months that I have had the correct measurement for the actual week I am on! I asked Dr. Markos about that and he said "That usually happens and there is no need for alarm". He then went and got the "doppler" out to check for Luke's heartbeat. He was able to find it ALOT quicker than the nurse usually does and Luke's heart was beating 144 bpm. Dr. Markos then jabbed at Luke a little bit (This was a little uncomfortable for me) and said "Wake up boy!". I then felt Luke kick and then Dr. Markos found his heartbeat again and it was 160 bpm. Dr. Markos laughed and said "I just love boys!" This whole process was a little weird to me but I am glad to have such a fun doctor.

It was then time to prick my finger to do a triple... no make that a quadruple check on my blolod sugar level and to check for gestational diabetes. Dr. Markos said "Tricia (the nurse) will have to do that. I dont know how". I found this odd since #1. he is a doctor! and #2. he is going to cut me open in just 7 short weeks to take out my child BUT CANT USE A DIABETES MACHINE! I had to laugh a little. So he left to go and get the nurse and after about 15 minutes she still had not come back. I hear him talking to her in the hall about how to use the blood glucose machine and checking how to prick my finger. I am in the room (With the door open) just laughing histerically. He comes in and smiles and says "I am learning something new today... bare with me." I just smiled and was still giggling inside. He then started to talk to himself about the steps to take and FINALLY pricked my finger and took my blood glucose level. It turned out to be at 68 which is PERFECT for a 2-3 hour wiat after eating. He then said "NO Diabetes! Good job!" I was VERY happy and excited and relieved all at the same time. He told me to continued to watch what I eat and my caloric intake but I was secretly in my head already planning the next 7 weeks of sugars and eating before I have to start on that overwhelming diet I mentioned above!

All in all... It was a GREAT check-up! I now have an OFFICIAL ETA on Baby Luke and I cannot wait to meet him. I must say that it is a very WEIRD feeling to know the exact date and even time my little man will arrive. Since having to wait and wait AND WAIT for little Natalie... I am not really sure what to think. All I know is... I BETTER GET TO WORK! Nothing is ready!!!!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!

My Husband: Days of Thankfulness- Part 3

I really am a very lucky girl in the fact that I have a loving husband who not only cares for me and my health but the health of our child(ren). Yesterday, I was scheduled to go in for a 2nd chance at capturing a 4D picture of Baby Luke via 4D ultrasound. I had scheduled this a few weeks ago in hopes that Chris would be able to take off of baseball practice and be able to come. On Wednesday, Chris found out that he was going to have to run 2 practices on Thursday due to a re-scheduling of a Varsity Baseball game. I had told him it was not a big deal and I would try to re-schedule or just not go at all. I did not want him to have to "bend over backwards" for something as small as an ultrasound.

I called yesterday and tried to reschedule but due to my late notice, I was not able to cancel without paying so I decided to keep the appointment and go alone. At about 2:30 Chris called me and told me he had cancelled the after school practice in order for him to go. Again, I told him that it was not a big deal and it was not necessary for him to do that. He said "This is important to me". That statement alone meant a lot to me and I really appreciated him coming. In fact, thanks to him and his supervision of Natalie during the actual ultrasound, we were able to take Natalie to see her baby brother. This was very special and she talked about it all night!

I am very grateful to have such a wonderful and caring husband who would clear his schedule to come and see me and his unborn child. That was a true blessing to me and I really appreciate it!

I love you Chris Davis and thank you for being such an amazing husband!

I guess he wants to make a BIG entrance!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

4D Ultrasound Take Two

I went in today for a second chance on a 4D ultrasound. I had tried this at week 28 but it was a little early according to the Ultrasound technician. She mentioned coming at the very end of the 4 week window (Weeks 28-32) for best results. I had asked my parents to come with me 3 weeks ago since Chris was not able to come but this time Chris was able to come with me. In fact he ended up cancelling his baseball practice in order to come. I know this was very important to him and I surely appreciated it. We also decided to take Natalie along with us and try to get her to see her baby brother.

When we arrived at the hospital/ medical center for the ultrasound, Natalie IMMEDIATELY started to fuss and cry thinking we were going to HER doctor. She kept screaming saying "No doctor, mommy. No doctor". It was sad. We kept telling her that this was Mommy's doctor and she was not going to get a shot or anything like that. We kept telling her she was going to be able to see baby Luke and she just wouldn't let up. While we were in the waiting room she was just crying and crying. Chris said "Natalie, stop crying. You are giving these other women second thoughts." That gave EVERYONE a good laugh, well except Natalie! We tried giving her a sucker, candy, peek-a-boo and eventually just gave her my iPhone and she played with the animal flashcards.

We had to wait about 30 minutes for the technician to complete previous appointments that were running late. This seemed like FOREVER since Natalie was not very happy. When she finally called us back into the room, Natalie was still playing with my iPhone but still crying. When we got to the room, I laid down on the table and Natalie stopped crying. She noticed I was showing my belly and she immediately said "Baby Luke is in mommy's tummy". It was really sweet. The ultrasound tech gave her disclaimer speech and then began the process. As soon as the 2D image of Luke came up on the screen, Natalie literally dropped the phone (Luckily daddy caught it) and said "Baby Luke!". She then was fascinated with Baby Luke and him on the screen. She said "There is Baby Luke. He's my brother". The tech was having a great laugh at her and would point out the features we could see.

Unlike last time, Luke was actually in a position to where he was facing us and the 4D ultrasound would have actually worked. However, he was sucking his thumb most of the time and both of his hands and arms were in front of his face. The tech poked around at me and even had Natalie try to talk to Luke to get him to shift but he was comfy! He continued to suck his thumb and keep his arms and hands in front of his face.

After about 15 minutes the tech said that was the best she could do. She also informed us that at 31.5 weeks, I was at the very end of the 4D window and if he was this squished and crowed at 31 weeks he would continue to be crowed and I would never get that "4D" picture I was seeking. I greatly appreciated her honesty and help!

I am a little disappointed that we were not able to get the 4D picture. We didn't do this with Natalie because money was tight and we didn't have the means to pay for such a luxury (They were a lot more expensive at that time... about $300 instead of $100). But I am very grateful that not only did Chris and Natalie get to see Baby Luke but my parents were also able to come down and see this fascinating technology and my baby boy! This was my 4th overall ultrasound (2D and 4D) and Mr. Luke has NEVER been cooperative in getting a good picture of him. I guess he just wants to make a BIG entrance!

This was the best shot we got and this was at 28 weeks and 2 days!

What a beautiful gift from God.

I cannot wait to see my little guy and I only have about 7 weeks left! It is amazing how time flies! I am so gracious to God for this blessing of a baby boy and being able to share this time in my life with my family, parents and in-laws!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!

In the midst of it ALL

Life is CRAZY!

You know, I should really just leave it at that! Enough said... But humor me! Anyone who has read some of my more recent blogs or followed me at all on Facebook knows that my life is a mess right now. Chris is in full swing of baseball season and is not at home very often or gets home very late. The weekends are taken up with either baseball games or Saturday School for him at work. I am having to take care of Natalie by myself in the afternoons and evenings (With the help of Jackie Davis, of course) and I am in my third trimester of my pregnancy and beginning to really feel it!

This past 2 weeks alone have been very touch and go for our family. I have been in and out of the doctors office for glucose tests and Gestational Diabetes testing and result discussions. Chris has been anxiously waiting his final evaluation for his Alternative Certification process by his campus principals and program officials and again baseball season stress and weariness. On top of that, for whatever reason, Natalie has been having stomach and digestive problems and been overall VERY FUSSY. We are not sure if it is just constipation or a big problem like lactose intolerant, hopefully we will find out soon. In addition to all of this, our house has now been on the market for 10 months and still no offer in sight!

Until Saturday, April 7th. It all started when I posted a picture on Facebook of Chris and Natalie at the Astro's game and our realtor sends a comment back that we were getting an offer on our house. This was great news but my bad attitude and as my dad said "Lack of faith" showed through in my response to her as I said "That is great but I am not going to hold my breath". It had been 10 months and in my mind... I felt like I was going to have to raise my kids, graduate them from high school and retire living in my in-laws house before ours would sell. (You can see why my dad said it was a lack of Faith...) Despite my bad attitude, I called my family and some of my closer friends and asked them to pray for that situation over the weekend.

Easter Sunday came and went and we had a blast together as a family. We went to the Easter Egg Hunt at our church and had a wonderful day and evening together. But still Chris and I each had our own different worries and frustrations going on in our heads and we seemed to be so stressed we were taking it out on each other. All married couples do that right ?? :) Unfortunately, I am sure we do that FAR TOO OFTEN! But we are working on this!

Monday morning came and I was in a professional day meeting at school and got a text from our realtor saying she emailed me the offer. I dropped everything (literally) and went to office to see the details. I reviewed the papers and saw from the details that we were going to end up losing money on our house. I tried to reach Chris but was unable to. I continued to try to contact him but didn't have any luck. I called my realtor to let her know I could not confirm or deny the offer until I spoke with Chris and she the gave me some advice about counter offering and told me to call her as soon as we decided what to do.

At about 1pm Chris texted me to tell me that he finally got observed that morning and it DID NOT GO WELL. I felt so very bad for him and I wanted to drive down there and give him a hug. He was stressed, frustrated and mad at the whole situation and needed some encouragement. Instead we had to worry about this offer on our house and how we were going to counter. Chris, being the more logical and analytical of the two of us (Besides... he is the math teacher), wanted to counter offer with a much higher price than I did. I was just thinking the emotional side of the story and finally after 10 long months having my own house again.

In the end, we went with the obvious better choice of the logical and analytical reasoning and counter offered. On Tuesday, we found out that they came back with another offer lower than our 1st counter and that is when we decided to take their offer. This was a huge blessing to us and a burden lifted off our shoulders.

Yet still in the midst of it all Chris and I were still both stressed and tired from the burdens of the week and weekend to really be able to celebrate together. This made for a very uncomfortable evening but we were eventually able to get some rest and really celebrate the whole ordeal yesterday and today.

It is so amazing to me how you can be caught in the middle of what seems like the "end of the world" situations and feel like nobody is there to help and yet somehow God finds a way to lift you up. I saw a "pin" on Pinetrest that said "When you feel like you are drowning... remember your lifeguard WALKS ON WATER". This is so true and remarkable to me. There I was drowning in my stress, life and pity and there God stood holding out His hand saying "Take My hand, Kellie".

My dad was right... This WAS a faith issue and I am really glad we took the "gamble" and decided to counter offer and eventually take their other offer as well! We are supposed to close on May 21st or SOONER and we will be really relieved once we officially get this off our chest.

No matter what you might be facing or how deep your "waves" are and may feel like you are drowning... Remember God is your lifeguard and he will SAVE you! Just reach out your hand! I am so glad we reached out and put our Faith in Him.

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

My Husband: Days of Thankfulness Part 2

I consider myself to be a very lucky woman. I have been able to marry someone who is not only a wonderful husband but also an even better father to my children. He is so very good with Natalie and consistent in his discipline of her. They have a unique and special bond that can never be broken. Even after a long day's work or baseball practice/ game he will come home and spend quality time with her and play with her. He takes time to read extra stories to her if she wants, hold her hand when she is scared at night and say prayers with her. I know that when little Luke gets here this will continue to be a tradition in our home and I am sure he will be just as good with Luke as he is with Natalie. I thank God for giving me a great husband sure... but a great husband who is also a great father is HARD TO COME BY these days and my family and I are lucky to have him. Chris you are amazing and I thank God for you each and every day!

Day #2- I am thankful that my husband is a wonderful father to our children.

My Husband: Days of Thankfulness

I saw a post on PINTREST the other night about a plan to daily thank your husband for the many things he does for you. I "repinned" this post and then went to the website and decided I would try to do this starting this week. There are MANY things I am thankful for when it comes to my husband, Chris Davis. One of the most forefront on my mind today is the fact that he is always there for me when I need him. I know alot of women whose husband is not around or does not care about their problems and concerns or any type of difficulty that the wife might be facing. My husband is the opposite. He is always right there beside me through every step of the way... What more could I ask for. Chris you are an amazing husband and I am grateful to be called Mrs. Chris Davis.

Day #1- I am thankful for my husband being there for me NO MATTER WHAT!

Prenatal Visit #8

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

"Just get out of here"

(Don't assume the worst)

Today I went in for my 30 week OB appointment and check-up. The previous 2 weeks or so have been unbelievably stressful and full of headaches (Literally and figuratively) and turmoil. Keep in mind that over the weekend, Chris and I had been given an offer on our house but it was too low and was going to cost us alot of money. By today, we had made a counter-offer and were just awaiting the news of them accepting or declining our counter. I did not sleep last night hardly at all just worrying and thinking about the whole house situation. That alone has put alot of stress on Chris and I as well as our marriage. My whole life, the thing that I have hated the most about just about anything is the "hurry-up and wait" game.

In addition to that personal/ home-life stress, it was this time last week that I found out that I had not passed the 1st 1 hour glucose test for my pregnancy. I had took the test on March 27th for my 28 week OB and had not heard back from them and my doctor had said "No news is GOOD news... we will call if there is a problem". So the weekend of March 31st we had family in town and I ate like a 7 month pregnant woman would. On Tuesday, April 3 my nurse FINALLY called and said "Oh yeah... you failed the 1st test. You need to come in and take the 3 hour tolerance test on Friday (April 6th)." So I am a little upset at the delay in telling me about this. I would have been a lot more cautious. Needlesstosay, I took the 3 hour tolerance test on Friday and there I was today waiting to hear the results.

It all started with the typical weight check and blood pressure check. Funny thing is that this time I actually LOST 2 lbs. I thought that was weird since I am 30 weeks and in my 3rd trimester but then again READ THE ABOVE! Hahaha... anyway the weight was not an issue at this time. Before the nurse took my blood pressure I warned her I had not got alot of rest last night, had been anxious all day and just overall stressed. This disclaimer didn't really matter because my BP was 110/70. This is a little lower than usual but no a problem at all. She used the "Doppler" to check Luke's heart rate and it was steady and STRONG at 140 bpm. Listening to that seemed to make all my stress, worries and cares just melt away.

She was about to the leave the room when I just blurted out somewhat loudly, "Where are the blood results from Friday (I just couldn't wait anymore)". She then told me that I had failed 2 of the 4 blood works and showed me the numbers and told me Dr. Markos would be in the room in a few minutes to discuss the whole thing. Well... This started the waterworks. I just lost it right then and there. I texted my mom (I would have preferred to call but the Dr usually comes in within minutes) and told her and just sat on the table and cried for about 10 minutes. I then collected my thoughts and just waited. AGAIN WITH THE WAITING GAME... I was getting frustrated at this point.

Finally, Dr. Markos came in after about 20 minutes and started to go over my chart. He checked for any swelling as well as measured my belly. This time instead of meausing 2 weeks ahead... I was only measuring about 5 days ahead at 31 weeks. Of course, I have been feeling that poor Luke is running out of room for a while so I guess that is the case. Then Dr. Markos looked at my blood work chart and said "OK these are negative for Gestational Diabetes and you passed 3 out of 4. You failed the 2 hour draw by 4 points but the other 3 you passed with flying colors." I kinda sat there bewildered for a minute and very much dazed and confused. He then wanted to check my blood sugar right then and there (with a diabetic finger pricker) to see what the number was. He left to get the nurse so she could do this.

Another 15 minutes passed and the nurse came back and took my blood sugar reading and it was 71. I had not eaten since 11am so it had been 5 hours since I ate ANYTHING but Dr. Markos said that didn't matter. He came back in the room and gave me a salute. I looked at him oddly and said "So..." and he replied "You are good to go. No Diabetes and we will check again in 2 weeks." I then went into Kellie mode and began asking my list of questions. He told me the nurses have the wrong chart on their blood work handouts and that all my numbers were fine from the blood test and the numbers from today's check were perfect. I began to ask more questions and he looked at me and said "Just get out of here... YOU ARE FINE!" I kinda laughed and thanked him. He told me that he would check my Blood Sugar again in 2 weeks and I would need to eat about 2 hours before that check.

So even though I was a little confused and I had texted my mom that I did have GD and she then texted

In the midst of all the stress, crying, sleeplessness and turmoil of my life this past week... little Luke put it all into perspective for me. His heartbeat was so steady and beautiful. God has given me the most perfect gift of a baby boy and I need to stop and thank Him for this gift and not worry about all the small things going on right now. All I have ever wanted is a little boy and here I have been given that gift and I am focusing on other minor things instead of this gift. God's continuous MERCY and GRACE are remarkable and I cannot thank Him enough for that.

God is Good... All the Time!

Songs of Faith: The Greatness of our God

I have a collection of songs that I listen to before, during and after my prayer time as well as during my planning time at school and other places as well. This play list is called "Faith" on my iPhone and laptop. I have been listening to these 25 or so songs everyday since this time last year. They each really speak to me in different ways. Of course I have my favorites such as "Great is thy Faithfulness", "Jesus Will Still be There", "Amazing Grace" and many others but for whatever reason, I woke up last night in the middle of a pretty good sleep with this particular song (The Greatness of our God) in my head and lyrics speaking to me. With everything going on in my life right now I have to catch and stop myself crying to God and asking for my many issues, concerns and requests to be answered and instead look to Him to know Him and His GREATNESS.

I first heard this song at Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee at a special service inside Raley Chapel. I played in the orchestra and I had heard the orchestral side of the arrangement but never the words and scripture side of this song. When we began to sing and play the song and I heard the words, I stopped playing and just listened and was moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Greatness of our God

Give my eyes to see more of who You are

May what I behold Still my anxious heart

Take what I have known and break it all apart

For you my God are greater still

And no sky contains

No doubt restrains

All You are

The greatness of our God

I'll spend my life to know

and I am far from close to all You are

The greatness of our God

Give me grace to see beyond this moment here

To believe that there is nothing left to fear

And that You are alone are high above it all

For you My God are greater still

And no sky contains

No doubt restrains

All You are

The greatness of our God

I'll spend my life to know

and I am far from close to all You are

The greatness of our God

And there is nothing that could ever separate us

No there is nothing that could ever separate us from your love

No life, no death

Of this I am convinced

That you my God are greater still

And no word can say

Or song convey all You are

The Greatness of our God

I'll spend my life to know and
I'm far from close to all you are

The Greatness of our God

And no sky contains

No doubt restrains

All You are

The greatness of our God

I'll spend my life to know

and I am far from close to all You are

The greatness of our God

So give me eyes to see more of who You are

What an amazing testimony of  getting to know God and all of His GREATNESS. I know I am continually working towards this goal and no matter what is going on in my life, I still need to look to Him for guidance. He is a GREAT GOD! He will take care of you and provide for you and your family. You just have to look to Him and trust him!

God is Good... All the Time!

Prenatal Visit #7

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

"That looks like him"

Today I went in for my 28 week OB appointment. This was a special appointment because not only was I having my glucose/ sugar test, I also was having a special 4D ultrasound as well. Since this was a special appointment and we were going to be able to see a 4D image of Luke, I decided to invite my parents to come down and go to the ultrasound with me. Chris had baseball practice and he could not get it out of it so I wanted someone there to be with me. Who better than your mom, right?

It started with me drinking that nasty Orange stuff for the glucose/ sugar test. I had to drink all 20 ounces of it within 5 minutes then had to wait an hour before they would draw my blood to determine if I would need to take further tests and blood work for Gestational Diabetes. During this hour long wait, I was able to get my ultrasound done and meet with my doctor.

When we went into the Ultrasound room, the tech began by giving us all the disclaimers that are involved with an elective ultrasound such as a 4D. I knew most of this information but she was very helpful and enlightening for the whole process. She began and immediate found "his" parts with the regular 2D image. It was amazing how fast she found them as well as how clear she made them out to be. My parents and I were blown away and really could not tell either way. After that she switched over to the 4D technology and started to look for a great face image.

Unfortunately, Luke was looking off to the side and was not able to get the "full-on face" image that a 4D was known for. We got some excellent profile shots of him and we were able to watch him move and even SMILE while she tried to get him to roll over but we never got that 4D full- on face shot. I was a little disappointed, especially since my parents had drove in from Tyler, but at the same time felt good that I at least got to see his profile. (In our 20 week ultrasound, he was not cooperating either and we did not get a good or any profile shot). When I showed the photos to Chris he said "Yeah, that looks like him". Always a kidder, my husband. But Luke really did look like Natalie in these profile shots.

He kept rubbing his hand against his face the whole time. It was SO CUTE!

 The profile shot we had been waiting for...(He really does look alot like Natalie!)

The best one and MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!

I just cant wait to meet this little guy!

During the whole 10 minute process the technician was very nice and helpful and told me that if it was her she would try to reschedule and come again a little later. Most 4D ultrasounds are done between 27-32 weeks or so and I am just 28 weeks so she said don't spend my money on these. Again, I was disappointed but I went ahead and decided to wait and not pay the $100 for this session. My parents were just thrilled to be able to see Luke and get to see him SMILE and move around. I wish for their sakes he would have cooperated but then again maybe if we wait Chris MIGHT be able to come and see it too. I am going to go back in 2 weeks for my 30 appointment and  I am going to try again then.

Dr. Markos was running late from an emergency surgery in Conroe so I had to wait for him just a little while but as soon as he got there he came right in and did the full check-up. Once again, I measured 2 weeks ahead at 30 weeks instead of 28. And once again he told me "Your an over-achiever". He still did not move my actual due date up yet but he said he will continue to monitor this. I measured at least 1 week ahead from 30 weeks on with Natalie and although she was big she was fine. Of course I would like for the due date to be earlier so I will get more time with Luke overall and not have to teach up until 2 days after I get out of school for the summer; BUT my MAIN CONCERN is LUKE'S DEVELOPMENT and I certainly don't want to take him out before he is ready. We will just continue to monitor him and see what happens as we get closer and closer to his arrival.

My blood pressure was nearly perfect (as usual) with a 126/82. I have felt that my blood pressure was really high lately due to alot of stress at home and school but EVERY time I go to the school nurse or the doctor it is in this perfect range. I ended up gaining 3.2 pounds this time and I am not happy about that since I have been trying to monitor my weight gain and my caloric intake so very well (especially this time since I was having the Glucose/ Sugar test). But it was at this visit that I passed my PRE-PREGNANCY weight of Natalie. Of course that was the day we found out we were having Natalie and right now I am 28 weeks along but I was a little depressed about that. As I have mentioned before, it is just so hard to watch that scale go up and up knowing how hard I worked over the last year or so to lose that 65+ pounds. I guess I will just have to work that hard again here soon.

I wont know about the results of the sugar test until Thursday or even Friday but I am hoping and praying that I will pass this first time and not have to go and take the 3 hour fasting test like I did with Natalie (It was AWFUL). The doctor told me that "no news is good news" and they would call me if there was a problem or I would need to come back in for a 2nd test. CROSS YOUR FINGERS and SAY A PRAY FOR ME PLEASE!

Overall, it was a good appointment and I was very pleased. I now start my bi-monthly, or every 2 weeks, appointments. It seems too early for that but I know this is when I started them last time. The time is just flying by so very fast... Mr. Luke will be here before you know it!

Thank you Lord for my little boy and for a healthy pregnancy thus far!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME !