mixed emotions

I had my 13 week ultrasound yesterday and found out that this pregnancy started out as twins. I'm having very mixed emotions about it....I know that the last thing in the world we needed would be twins, but it still hurts to know that we lost another baby. I'm also very happyt hat we have a healthy happy baby cooking in there, but sad for losing one. Life sometimes seems like such an oxy-moron.

Krista

Do you have a life? I've seen 97 so far

December 20, 2008

How many have you seen
SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun.
(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
() Blazing Saddles
(x) AirplaneTotal
(x) The Princess Bride
() Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
() White Noise
() White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
(x) Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
() Harry Potter 1
() Harry Potter 2
() Harry Potter 3
() Harry Potter 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
() The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
(x) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
() Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
() Robots
(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x ) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
() KING KONG
(x ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
(x) Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
() Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber
() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
() Hellboy
() Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
() The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
() The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
(x ) Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
() Ocean's Eleven
() Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
() Bedazzled
() Predator I
() Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
() Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
() War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2Total so far: 82
( ) Best Bt
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
(x) Calendar Girls
() Sideways
() Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
() The Terminator
() The Terminator 2
() The Terminator 3
() X-Men
() X-2
() X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
() Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x ) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
(x) The Notebook
() K-Pax
(x) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
() Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
() Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
() Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(x) Baseketball
() Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
() Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
( ) Three
Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
() Club Dread
() Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
() Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
() Waterworld
() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
() Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
() Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
() Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
() Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
() Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
() Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For EndorTotal so far: 135
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
() The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal

Justin's surgery update

Well--for those that didn't realize it because of my poor communication, Justin got tubes put in this morning. He was a bit cranky when he woke up from the anesthetic, but he is wide awake and doing well. He did awesome, let the doctor carry him back to the OR, and didn't even cry before the surgery.

We are going today for an ultra-sound to test for the chrosomal abnormalities for the baby. I'll post ultrasound pictures when I get home this afternoon.

Krista

The word seems to be out.....

Well--I believe that most everyone knows, but just wanted to update things here and make sure everyone stayed as up-to-date as possible.

I am now almost 10 weeks pregnant for baby #3. I am always tempted to say #4, because I still think of Henry every time I talk about being pregnant. I have been on 2 shots/day of blood thinners since immediately after finding out that I was pregnant back in October. I have had one ultra sound and was able to see the peanut's heart beat very clearly---flickering away in there at 160 beats per minute. I go back to my regular doctor for my 12 week ultrasound on December 9 for the Nuchal Fold Translucency test. This is the test where they do the testing for chromosomal abnormalities. I know a lot of people don't believe in having these tests, and it certainly won't change a thing about where I carry this baby or not. I was very thankful to have had this test with Henry because all of the results were normal. After losing him, the doctors immediately suggested that maybe there was a chromosomal abnormality, which I knew wasn't true as a result of this test. That is on December 9 at 11:30 in the morning. I am about 100% certain that this will go well, and have a good feeling about this pregnancy. I said very early on w/Henry that I was concerned and felt like something might go wrong.....I haven't had that feeling at ALL this time around. According to my last ultrasound, I am due on June 29 and the doc said they would likely schedule my c-section for June 15....which works out well as far as timing. Our last teacher work day for school is Friday, June 12, so I would have the weekend off, then deliver the next Monday.

Funny story about Justin. Most of you know that he doesn't forget a single thing that someone tells him. He still asks us about Henry and has even asked in the last few weeks when Henry will be coming to his house to stay. He has no concept of the finality of death, like most children his age. He has asked questions about living in Heaven in very general terms since last December when we told him that Henry had gone to live with Jesus. Tonight he was asking how old you had to be to get to go to heaven to live with Jesus. We explained that there wasn't a certain age, you could go at any time that Jesus needs you there, but that typically, it was people who were very old. (Bear in mindy, this discussion was happening at the dinner table while Mom, Dad, Barney and I ate left-overs and the kids ate their chicken nuggets.) He looked at us with all seriousness and said "You mean you have to be old like Poppi?" He is so funny. My dad is only 59, not terribly old in the grand scheme of things, but apparently Justin doesn't have that same perspective.

Oh, and just in case we see you somewhere, the kids DO NOT know that I am pregnant. We have decided that to try to avoid having to have the discussion about me losing another baby, we just wouldn't tell the kids about me being pregnant until after we know the sex of the baby and thus the name. Our theory on this is that if it would happen to be a boy, it may be easier for Justin to accept and understand if we gave him a name for the babl. Please don't say anything to the kids---Justin just thinks my tummy is getting fatter.

Hey---If you think that people are really researching who the president should be and reading up on their policies....check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGYvW-zPbNk

Krista

My kids are so very funny!!

Okay--so Ada Grace has taken to saying the dinner prayer after learning it at preschool. Well, one of them is the "ABC prayer" which goes like this "A B C D E F G, Thank you God for feeding me." She usually actually sings all the way through the ABC's first and gets to the prayer the 2nd time around. Well, my mom was telling me that the other day when she was getting ready to "feed" her baby doll, she knelt down, crossed her hands and sang hte ABC prayer prior to giving her the bottle.

Justin--well, again, he has learned the Pledge of Allegiance at school. I'm going to have to get it all on video because its too darn cute. He can and does say all of the words right, usually, except for one. Did you all know that the last line was "With liberty and Justin for all".

National Day of Remembrance

Good Evening. My post tonight is pretty somber, but important for me to share. Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day (United States)
October 15 has been proclaimed by the United States Congress as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in the United States. Many U. S. state governors have made similar proclamations in the last two years, effectively creating two annual days for the remembrance of infant loss. In general, October 15 is set aside by many states as a day to honor babies who were miscarried, lost as the result of pregnancy complications, or lost as the result of SIDS. In this way, the special case of a stillbirth, the cause of which is quite often unknown, is differentiated from infant losses that have more specifically understood causes.

As you all know, I lost Henry 10 months and 1 day ago today. This time last year I was still in the throes of morning sickness, learning how to give myself shots and all the other wonderfully fun stuff that goes with pregnancy. I was blissfully unaware that there was such a thing as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I was, at the time, 100% certain that at this point, October 15, 2008, I would have a 5 1/2 month old baby and our family would be complete. In a lot of ways, I wish that I was still that oblivious to the reality that is pregnancy loss. However, after losing Henry, I have had the opportunity to connect with some people in such a deep and personal way, that I will NEVER forget or take for granted. It is such a deeply personal loss, and for some reason, something that no one, unless they have been through it, seems to discuss. We received more cards than I could count that said "I know how it feels, unfortunately, I have been there. Please let me know if you need anything." Why is it, that such a HORRIBLE experience is so cloaked in secrecy?

If you know anyone who has ever lost a pregnancy, or an infant due to SIDS, please take a moment to remember the baby, as well as the parents who had to say goodbye to that precious baby. As I read in the blog of another woman who lost her baby not long after I lost Henry, this is NOT a day of mourning, but a day of remembrance. On this day, I choose to remember the few times I felt the miracle of Henry kicking me from the inside. I choose to remember that he had his daddy's eyes and chin. I choose to remember his 10 perfect fingers and 10 perfect toes. I choose to remember every single second that I got to hold my little "quarter-pounder", even though it was after he had gone to live with Jesus.

I'm employed full time again!!!

As of Monday, September 29, I will be a full-time teacher. When Ms. Patterson hired me in August, she had told me that she would likely lose her Title I money to bring me in as a co-teacher since I was also certified elementary education. That money has now come through, so I will be full-time in a few weeks. I am doing what I always dreamed of doing, and it really is the best of both worlds. I get to teach and bring in a monthly paycheck, but also get holidays and summers off with my kids. I am happier professionally than I have EVER been!!

My Apologies

Okay, so WOW--I didn't realize it had been 3 months since I had posted on the blog...until my mom reminded me how horrible I was. I remember folks telling me that life just gets in the way sometimes, and I now know xactly wht that means.

As most people know, I quit work on May 2nd, and spent the summer as a stay-at-home mommy. My dream come true, but unfortunately, it was pretty short-lived. I had to find a job and get back to work to contribute financially to our household again. I finally found a teaching job, which I have been looking for for over 2 years. I really think that teaching is the best of both worlds. I get to be home for holidays, and summers with the kids, while also contributing financially. I am teaching music to 4th and 5th graders at Angier Elementary school on Monday, Wednesday and 1/2 day on Friday. In the next few weeks I will become full-time and help co-teach in one of the 5th grade classes. I am happier professionally than I have EVER been...since graduating from college. My principal is AWESOME and I love the people I am teaching with. The kids are great--they are at the perfect age in that they still like their teachers. I get hugs every single day from at least 1 student. NExt year, the school will include 3rd graders also, so I will be full time music, I believe.

The kids are doing GREAT!! Justin turned 4 and Ada Grace turned 2 this summer. She is talking up a storm, and has even asked a few times about using the potty. I SO hope that we don't have the struggles with potty-training her that we did with Justin. They are both in Preschool this year, 5 days/week for Justin, 3 days/week for Ada Grace. I'll have to post pictures later, because her back pack that she has to carry to school is as big as she is, but she is incredibly proud of the fact that she has one and goes to school.

Barney and I are gearing up for our last vacation, sans kids, until possibly our 10 year anniversary. We are headed to NYC for almost a week. We are going to catch a Yankees game, a Mets game (the Cubbies are playing the mets) and a broadway musical (Legally Blonde). I am incredibly excited about the Broadway show.

I'm also gearing up to take on my weight head-on. Barney bought me a treadmill, and I've walked on it 2 or 3 times at this point. But I've decided to really change my lifestyle and make a concerted effort to get this extra weight off. I'm going to be getting up and walking on the treadmill daily, and no more big macs or french fries for me!!!! As most anyone who knows me can testify, I have raised procrastination to a whole new level!! Well, I was watching Dr. Phil the other day and he said "you have to choose to change your lifestyle to get the extra weight off. Think about it this way, the next year is going to go by whether you are doing it or not, so do you still want to be overweight this time next year? or would you rather lose up to 100 pounds by this time next year." Well, the answer is, I have 100 pounds to lose, and I can't keep putting it off until this or that or the other thing happens....I just need to do it and stick to it!! So---here I am, saying that this time next year, I will not weigh more than 155 pounds---I just have to make a concerted effort to stick to my new lifestyle, especially avoiding fast food, and getting up an hour early every morning to walk on the treadmill.

Because I am making this concerted effort to change my lifestyle, I have decided to write down a schedule to stick to until I get used to it!! As a result, a number of things that I have let fall by the wayside (like blogging) will be put on the schedule to make sure I don't forget about it again. So, I'm going to be trying to remember to blog every weekend.

Sorry for the absence---I'll try to be sure it doesn't happen again!

krista

I know, I'm awful

I know, I haven't been the best blogger of late, but since you all don't come on here to hear my crazy ramblings, I thought I'd post some recent pics and a video for your viewing pleasure. I'll try to do better!

Momma said there'd be days like this....

She just didn't say how many.

so while the kids were napping today , or so I thought, I took the time to check a few things on the internet and get caught up on some personal time. As I was finishing up, I heard the rumblings of a 2 year old upstairs asking for her mommy. I hadn't heard Justin in a while, so I thought "YES!!! He's asleep!" Well, I decided to peak in on him in his room, and the smell when I opened the door nearly knocked me over. I looked at him, then the bed, then the floor---NO!! This Cannot be happening, He did not poop on the floor and play in it!!!!! Oh, but yes he did. So, i closed the door, went to the phone and called my mom. I asked her to come over immediately. Go back to his room to begin the clean up, and step in a puddle. A Puddle?!?! You must be kidding. Not only did my 4 yo who has been toilet trained for a year poop in the floor and play in it, he decided to take a pee as well. So, my mom get's here and gives Justin a bath. He literally had poop all over his hands, body, feet, face. I asked him I think a million times if he had eaten the poop because he even had it on his chin. When I asked what he did do with it he pointed to his bed. That's right, the bed we got him for his "big boy bed" because he was so good, well, the trundle drawer under neath it, covered in poop.....I wanted to cuss the entire time I was cleaning it. What on earth posessed my normally well-behaved child to do such a thing?!?! I asked him that exact question, and do you know what he said, "I didn't want to bother you mommy, you were too busy". Seriously? How did he know I was too busy? He never even asked. If he had said he needed to go potty I'd have ushered him there like I have every other day since he was potty trained. Well, I decided that if he was big enough to make the mess, he was darn well big enough to help clean it up. I made him help me scrub the carpet (hands and knees, wet wash cloth), I made him put his sheets in the washer (with supervision) and then, mean mommy that I am, I made him help vaccuum the floor. He is TERRIFIED of the vaccuum cleaner--He screamed and cried the whole time, but I wasn't going to clean the whole thing up when he knew better.

Anyone for a round of the "Hallelujah Chorus"?

Friday, May 2 will be my last day at my job.

I was never so happy to go to work as on this past Tuesday with a letter of resignation in my hands. My supervisor about dropped her teeth when she found it on her desk. After 8 1/2 years at Blue Cross, it was time to go.

During a meeting on Monday, my supervisor was discussing with me the fact that my work had been below the standard I set for myself for quite some time. She was right, it hasn't, but I have remained depressed, anxious and distracted by the events that happened in December. I tried to explain this to her, as well as telling her all the steps that I am taking to make it better. At that point, she very calmly looked at me and said, "what happened to you in december is no excuse for your sub-par performance". It took every ounce of self-control I could muster to not reach across the table and rip her face off. After much discussion and research about the options, we decided that as of May 2, I will stay at home with my kids.

I am still actively applying for teaching jobs, and last I checked there are a record number, 5 music jobs available in Wake county right now. The Wake County teacher job fair is on Saturday and I will be there, at 6 a.m. with bells on. Last year I got there at about 6:45 and was number 135 or so in line. I will be there at 6. Anyone that gets there earlier than that deserves to be ahead of me.

Thank God!

This is a bit off topic from what I usually type about, and a bit more intense, but this is HUGE for me. Those of you who have known me for a long time, will know how big this was when it happened. As a sophomore in high school, one of my cheerleading buddies and classmates, Jessica Keen was murdered. She was found naked, but for 1 sock, beaten to death and raped, in a cemetery near her home. Her body was found on March 17, 1991. It was the most surreal moment of my life until finding out about Henry's death. I can't even being to say how many people were afraid to even go to school out of fear that her killer went to school with us. Until this week, this murder had gone unsolved.

Weird though it may be, the man who raped and killed my high school friend transferred his parole (for other rapes) to NC and was working in a Walmart an hour away from here. He has now been arrested in NC and is awaiting extradition to Ohio. I'm still in shock, but so very glad for her family.

Jessica had the voice of an Angel, and more talent than any other person I had met at the time. I have very vivid memories of her playing tom sawyer in our middle school play, and it came so naturally to her. Please pray for her family as well as anyone else who has been effected by her death. Please continue to thank God for the law enforcement officers who have never let this case get too cold. Their time, effort and perserverence will hopefully give Jessica's family closure after 17 years.

Here is a link to one of the recent stories:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/04/09/jessica.html?sid=101

I have some pictures of myself and Jessica together, that I will post when I can.

Family Portrait

Hey everyone--I know a lot of you have access to Kara's blog as well, so you may have already seen this, but we got together, the whole entire family on my mom's side, to take a picture for my Nana's 80th birthday. It is really kind of funny because we only got 1 shot because it was pouring down rain---and here it is:

Funny Justin Story--I bought him a book at a book fair a little while ago called "Jesus and the 12 dudes who did". This is one of his favorite bedtime stories. This book talks about a number of the bible stories, including Jesus walking on the water. Saturday morning, before the picture above was taken, Mom and Dad were giving the kids a bath. Justin was holding on to the shower door handle and jumping up and down. Mom insisted that he stop before he fell down and hurt himself very badly. He looked at her very seriously and said, "Grammie, I'm walking on the water."

Also--please pray for the Lawrenson family. its really a very long story that I can't summarize here, but check out www.cfhusband.blogspot.com She is still in the hospital, but her lungs may be on the way. Their story is amazing and their faith inspires me. Take a look when you get a chance.

Have a good one.

Krista

Henry

Well--I have been thinking a lot about Henry these last few days. There is a group of girls I chat online with who all lost babies due in May--some very early, and 1 other girl had a late loss like mine. I went to check in on them today and one of the girls has a link posted to a video clip that was on the Today show today...I am always at work--but this touched my heart for obvious reasons and thought I would post the link here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23481435#23481435

I wish I had known about this group on December 13, because I most definitely would have called them. Here is the link to their website for additional information:

http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/start.php

Enough said for the evening....Be well

In Memory of Henry

I know that most of you are here in NC and already know these things, but I wanted to share with the folks who live elsewhere. Barney has done a few things for me, and I for myself, in honor of Henry.

First--We have his urn, as well as the candle from the memorial service flowers. My sister, Kara also gave me a small porcelain figurine of a man and woman kneeling in prayer. The director of Justin's pre-school gave me a "Willow Tree" figurine that is called the Angel of Healing, and unkowingly, I had ordered an angel tealight holder. We have placed all of these things on one of the shelves in our living room. I will take a picture in the near future to post here as well.

Also, Barney bought me a blue topaz and diamond ring to wear with my wedding band each day. Henry's Birthstone, and thus Barney's too, is Blue topaz.

Finally--I chose to get a tattoo on my ankle in memory of our little angel. Some of you may remember that I posted a poem back in January that really touched me. Based on that poem I designed a tattoo that is a heart, with a tear-drop shape missing out of it and the heart has angel's wings. I am posting links to both.

Krista
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/kristasjb03/weddingrings.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/kristasjb03/tattooforhenry.jpg

other stuff that has made me laugh

I have been struggling with things to blog about--and Mom reminded me the other day that I had never posted this story which still cracks me up. Most of you know that I have a tattoo across my lower back, which my father affectionately calls my "wallpaper". I often forget its there because I can't see it in the mirror....well, last spring at some point, Justin asked my aunt about what was written on the butt of his cabbage patch doll..she responded that it was the baby's name. She then asked Justin if he had his name written on his butt and he very matter-of-factly responded, "no, but my mommy does."

Well--I'm hoping tha tmy annual bonus will afford me the opportunity to have the wall paper removed from my back. I never had it colored because I didn't like how it turned out and I've been trying to figure out how to have it fixed. When I got my tattoo in honor of henry, the tattoo artist informed me that there was a great place for tattoo removal in charlotte. I am looking forward to a road trip to Charlotte to have my "name" removed.

Silly Kid Things that Make me laugh

My kids have reached the stages where they do the most adorably funny things that make mommies like me laugh and enjoy them all the more. OF late there have been a lot of these instances. Sometimes I wonder if anyone else will be amused by these things, but then, Barney told me I HAD to post about these.

Ada Grace--Well, She is learning to talk more and more every day. She has learned to say "burp". When she does so and I ask her to say excuse me, she keeps saying "burp" over and over again. She has also started to figre out where her nose, hair, eyes and ears are. When we ask her where her eyes are she squints and blinks at us. If you ask her where her ears are she'll point to her hair because her daddy always says "ding, ding" when he tugs on her ears. So, if you ask her where her ding, dings are, she'll pull on her ears and say "ning, ning". Finally, if you ask her where her belly button is, she will pull up her shirt, stick her finger in her belly button and say "beep, beep". How did she possibly get so big so quickly?!

Justin--We were on the way home from Donna's last night and Justin was having some gas issues. He was being very careful to say "Excuse me" each time that he passed gas and of couse, I re-inforced this behavior at every opportunity. That is when things got funny. Justin had one of those moments where you have a number of small poots that he needed to let go, as in, like 10, rapid fire, machine gun style gas. Things then turned to this "scuse me, scuse me, scuse me, scuse me, scuse me, scuse me, scuse me. Mommy, I had to say scuse me again and again." It took all I had not to burst out in laughter at him. Not becuase it wasn't funny, but because he is the child that laughter is like putting a scratch across a record and asking it to skip for weeks. Laughter re-inforces his behaviors so he repeats them over and over again!

Back to work....

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its back to work I go~~

I will be returning to work tomorrow, unfortunately. I hate the idea of going back to work and leaving the kids. I know that no one could love or take better care of them than my Aunt Donna. As it gets closer, my anxiety is going up, which my conscious mind knows its ridiculous, but my anxiety gets worse by the day.

I'll keep everyone up to date as things go along!

Krista

Updates...

Okay---so its time for some updates, and until now I haven't had much time to do them...so, here goes.

1--Ada Grace is a complete and total daredevil. She busted her lip 1 week after we lost Henry...She was bleeding profusely from her lip, so I rushed her to the pediatrician only to find out it wasn't deep enough to stitch or glue.

2--You've seen Justin's works of art and I posted about his escape trick--so who knows what's next.

3--I got a call from Duke, one of the perinatologists called to let me know that all of the results for all of the tests were back for Henry. He was completely, totally and utterly normal. Nothing showed on any of the tests as a problem/reason for his death, so basically, the assumption is that it was a "cord accident". A few people have asked if that makes me feel any better and the simple answer is, not in the least. I guess it would be easier for my emotions to accept if there had been something wrong with him...but knowing that he was perfect in every way, just like Justin and Ada Grace makes it harder for me, really.

4--I will be returning to work next Thursday, much to my chagrin. It is going to be incredibly difficult since I've kind of gotten used to being a stay-at-home mommy the last 5 weeks. There is nothing better than waking up to my kids voices every morning. And hearing their excitement when their daddy gets home at night.

Houdini

Well--apparently Justin isn't just a budding artist but a magician as well.

This morning he woke up at 6:15 and told me he needed a new pull-up because he had peed in his (he isn't night-trained yet). I put a new one on him and he informed me that he needed to go back to bed and to sleep--I wasn't about to argue with him at that hour of the morning. I put him back in bed and tucked him back in...I also ended up falling back to sleep. Well, the next thing I knew, 45 minutes later, Ada Grace woke up. I heard a weird thumping sound downstairs, and yelled at Justin to get back up to his bedroom so we could get ready for pre-school. He yelled back up that he couldn't, he needed my help. I went flying down the stairs to see what he needed help with, and he was in the garage. Our doors don't unlock when you turn the knob, so he had locked himself in the garage. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "I'm playing out here." He was only in a pull-up, and had dumped both of our golf bags and barney's bat bag as well. He had also gotten out his Shrek tackle box and dumped the weights in the garage floor.

Needless to say, when he was at pre-school this morning, I turned his door-knob around and put the lock on the outside of the door. Now, we can lock him in his room.

Before you all freak out and get upset with me, Barney and I already have a plan for if, God-forbid, we would ever have a fire. He is responsible for getting Justin out of the house, and I am responsbile for getting Ada Grace out of the house. We also have smoke detectors in every room and monitors in the kids rooms so we can hear if they need us, or if their smoke detecors go off for some reason.

I'm beginning to believe my friend Jessica who swears that with boys, they don't have terrible twos, but rough years that are multiples of 3 (ages 3,6,9, etc). Justin at age 2 wasn't an issue---age three might be the death of me!!!

Krista

Budding Artist

It appears as though Barney and I have a budding artist on our hands.....This is what Justin did during naptime yesterday

Happy New Year

Here's hoping that this one is better than the last!!

Enjoy all the football this week!!! and GO BUCKS!!!

Krisat