Introducing Caroline Dean!

Well, I have re-entered blog land. I was doing so god right after Christmas, then things kinda fell to the wayside. I had to go have a baby and stuff and that takes just a little bit of time.

Friday night, Jan. 16 we decided to go to go to dinner and Chili's was the place chosen (mostly because of the giftcard given to us for Christmas-thanks Mom). I had been having some contractions all day but it was nothing new. I had been having contractions for the last 2 months. Who knew it was different. Well while we were waiting then eating my contractions kept getting stronger and more consistent. Dan was timing them so I didn't have to think about it. after we left I asked him how far apart they were and he said 5 minutes (I'd have a string one, then a weaker one). So we headed home to get Katelyn's stuff together, grab my bag and head out. Dan decided to take his time getting he and Katelyn ready so I was really hurting by the time we went to Dean and Tiffany's house to drop Little Bit off for her "slumber party" at Elias' house. Now before we jump on Dan's case about taking too long, all we had to go on was our last experience with Katelyn. I had been having contractions all evening with her before we headed to the hospital. When we got there I was only 2cm. It was another 10 hours before Katelyn decided to join us.

My contractions at that point were about 3 1/2 to 5 minutes long. The nurse we called at our doctor's office said to head to the hospital, though we could wait a little while longer if we wanted. I said no thank you! I wanted my epidural! I was past ready for it. This is all happening about 10:15 that night. We get to the hospital about 10:30 and I'm hurting! I have to stop every little bit to have a contraction. They take me right into a birthing room and check me and I'm 9 cm and 100% effaced!! I must admit I have never been that scared in my whole life! I am not one of those women who has any desire to give birth naturally. I am a bonafied chicken and proud of it! All I ask is am I still going to be able to get my epidural.

Now I must give a huge shout out to the St. Vincents crew. They were on the ball! I have never been asked as many questions in such a short period of time. I have never seen a hospital room with as many people in there at once (except maybe on TV or in the ER). they were moving and grooving trying to get everything ready. The anaesthesiologist was there as soon as I got on the bed. They were wonderful!

So back to the story. They told me I could still get my epidural as long as my water hadn't broken and it hadn't. So about 11:30 they start the epidural and give me a fast acting medicine right in my spinal fluid then they put the normal medication in the catheter. As they are inserting the catheter, my water breaks. What great timing! Needless to say, after that I felt better. I was able to relax a little and breathe again. Just before midnight I started to push and after 2 pushes, Caroline Dean entered the world at 12:02am. I had only been in active labor for about 3 hours total and half of it was spent at Chili's eating chicken crispers! Caroline was 5lbs 13oz and was 19 inches long. She was so tiny! Katelyn was 7lbs 9oz and my last 2 doctors guessed Caroline would be the same by the way my belly measured.



Since then life has been good. Caroline is such a great baby! She is very chill. She is nursing well (about every 3 hours), sleeps pretty well (though we've spoiled her by letting her sleep on us. We'll fix it later), and only cries when is hungry or has gas. She is very alert and very sweet. Katelyn is doing well too. She loves her little sister. She's always kissing her and saying, "She's so cute!" Katelyn is having some issues with attention though. She wants all of it all the time. She doesn't yet understand that sometimes mommy and daddy have to take care of Caroline. This next week will be the real test. It's the first time I'll have the 2 of them by myself. Dan was home with me the first week and his mom has been here this past week. They have both been the biggest help! So pray for me this coming week that I don't lose it.

The Zoo

Today was the last day my brother Jeff, his wife Liz, and my niece Sophie are in town so we decided to head to the zoo to make the most of it. Sophie had been sick pretty much the whole time she had been here but today she was starting to feel better so it was nice to be outside and walking around. The kids were pumped to see all the animals. Katelyn was super excited about the monkeys. They must have known she was coming because one group of them put on a show for her. They were swinging all around the cage. It was really cute. We did have one misstep though. Katelyn decided it would be fun to fall and give herself a fat upper lip. She was fine and continued on her merry way after a few tears and hugs.

One of the craziest things was right before we got up to Silver back Gorilla, we heard this HUGE bang. We rushed around the corner and low and behold the gorilla had thrown a frozen watermelon at the glass. There was a family there with a boy around Katelyn or Elias' age who was in tears it scared him so bad. We couldn't believe it! The zoo keeper said he was probably just trying to break the melon open. Well whatever he was trying to do scared a bunch of people!

We had a great time riding on the carousel, looking at the animals and playing on the playground. The carousel was really cool because they had all these different animals you could ride. there was the horse of course, an alligator, an eagle, a giraffe, a zebra, and lots more. It was really neat. I think that might have been the highlight of the kid's day. The playground was pretty cool too. They had a fun spider web made of rope to play on and slides and ladders too. The kids could have stayed all day.

Once about noon hit, Dan, Katelyn, and I left and headed to meet up with parents who came into town for the day. They are leaving in the morning to go to CA for the Rose Bowl parade. We had a great time with them just relaxing and spending time them. Katelyn got to show off her new toys and other Christmas presents so she thoroughly enjoyed herself. After dinner, Nana gave her a bath and we watched part of Little Mermaid until it was time for her to go to bed. After she went to bed, Dan got his mom signed up for Facebook. It was so cute watching him explain all the functions to her. Dan's brother saw his mom got one (through his wife's) and decided to sign up too. So I told Donnie, Dan's dad, he was last holdout. Before you know it we'll have him signed up too! : )

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! What a great day it's been! Long, but very good. My brother and sister-law and their little girl came into town yesterday just in time for our annual Cuban sandwich party at the Rodriguez's. Man, what a lunch! Alan Sr. always does such a great job on those sandwiches. I brought salad and fudge which were great accompaniments. Later that evening, we all headed to church for a sweet Christmas Eve service. The music was beautiful and Dr. Brunson read the Christmas story. We also had the opportunity to participate in the Lord's supper. What a special thing. One thing Dr. Brunson said which I thought was great was that whenever you talk about the manger, you have to talk about the cross and vice-versa. It's so true. You can't separate the two events. Thank You, Jesus for humbling Yourself, putting on flesh, and dying to save me. You did it all because You love me and I am so unworthy.

This morning was really sweet. We had stayed up a little late last night watching a Christmas cartoon so I wasn't sure how late Katelyn was going to sleep. Well, a few minutes after 8 we hear, "Mommy, Daddy!" coming from down the hall. Dan jumps out of bed (I think he was more excited than her) and ran and got her out of her crib. I'm moving a little slower due to the extra 25lbs I'm carrying, but we head into the computer room to check out the tree. We had bought Katelyn a Play-doh canister that I couldn't figure out how to wrap so she spotted that first. She was so excited! There is nothing like experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a 2 year old. After a quick brushing of the teeth (a MUST for me) we opened our stockings then our gifts. It took a while because Katelyn wanted to play with each present she unwrapped. It was so cute! She got some new princess books and slippers, a big princess floor puzzle (that has already been put together multiple times), a new gator shirt, some coloring books and stickers. Dan got me a new sterling silver ring, a book, a pedicure gift card, and a few other little things. I got him a new running watch, a pair of his favorite khaki's from Gap, a new shirt, new PJ pants and a few stocking stuffers. We had a wonderful morning that ended with Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Yummy!

We then headed to my parents to meet up with the rest of the family and do gifts and things there. The 3 kids were so cute together! They were having so much fun! They wanted to be right in the middle of things and open everyone's presents. Katelyn was being funny because she was all about her Titi Tiff. She wanted to show Tiff each of her presents. She didn't care about what mommy and daddy thought, she just wanted to show Tiff. It was sweet. I love that she enjoys her family!

After gifts we just relaxed and started preparations for lunner (lunch/dinner). I cooked a ham (my first one) that day before and then I also made Sweet Potato casserole (a Paula Dean recipe with coconut-so good!). We also had smoked turkey, green beans, corn on the cob, Maria's yellow rice (it's not a Spurlin/Rodriguez function without yellow rice), and yeast rolls. Man, Caroline and I ate good!

We also had the dad's help the 3 kids make a birthday cake for Jesus. It was so cute! Each kid took turns putting things in the bowl then stirring and pouring. They did a great job! Later in the evening we iced it then sang "Happy Birthday, Jesus." All throughout the day we tried to put the focus on Jesus. We thanked Jesus for our gifts and for our family. We read from Our First Bible about the birth of Jesus. I know Katelyn is learning and it's sweet to hear her talk about baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph and the angels.

I pray you and your family had as special a Christmas as we did. Here's to celebrating Jesus everyday throughout this next year. Merry Christmas and God bless!

Catch Up

I haven't been doing real well in blogland lately. It seems every time I sit down, my mind just goes blank. We've been doing lots of fun things but when it comes to writing about it, I just can't seem to do it. Well, tonight, I'm determined to try. I don't even know if anyone actually reads this, but my goal is to at least somewhat document the life of my family so we can look back on it one day. I know one day I'll be glad I did this.

We took a family trip to Disney last weekend (Dec 12-13). My parents and my brother and sister-in-love and their little boy all went down and had a blast! The weather was nice, the park was crowded, but not too bad, and the company was the best. It was so much fun watching Katelyn and Elias take everything in. Katelyn still didn't like the rides in the dark. The one surprise was Small World. In September, she loved it! This time, she complained the whole time that she wanted off, it was too dark, etc. By the end of the ride she had her blanket over her head. Who knew Small World could be such a frightening thing?

We went to Crystal Palace for lunch with the Pooh characters. The food was very yummy and the kids had a blast! Back in September, Katelyn was interested in the characters, but was scared to go up to them by herself. She wanted Dan or I to hold her. This time, she ran right up to them and hugged them, gave them all kisses and didn't want to say bye-bye when they had to leave. It was so cute! One funny story from lunch: Katelyn was hugging on Piglet, who had stooped down to be on her level. Elias wanted it to be his turn so he rushed at Piglet and knocked him flat on his bum. It was one of the funniest things! Poor Piglet!

We ended the day by playing in Toon Town, riding the train, the people mover, and doing a little Christmas shopping. Tiff and I actually found some great deals! We were very excited! At the end of the day, we all loaded up in the van and headed home. One side note, I don't really recommend going to Disney when you're 8 months pregnant. I had a great time, but by the end of the day, my hip and my sciatic nerve were throbbing. At least I got the back seat of the van to myself so I could stretch out a little and take a short nap. : ) I'm not complaining by the way, just stating a fact.

The next day, Sunday, was a busy day for us. Dan was leaving town for a week up in Louisville, KY to take a J-term seminary class. He took New Testament 2, which is pretty much the second half of the NT. He had a great week and thinks he did really well in the class. It stunk to have him away and I know he missed us, but it was a great opportunity to get a 3 credit class in just 5 days. He had the chance to meet up with some friends some high school and college and learn a lot in the process. Let me tell you what though, that week made me thankful for my husband. My heart goes out to single moms. You are my heros! I stayed at my parents for the week but it was still really hard! Thank you Jesus for a wonderful, involved husband!

That same day, Travis Cottrell was in concert at our church with our high school choir and orchestra. The HS ensemble I direct had the chance to back him up on one of his songs off his new Christmas album. It was a very difficult song and the kids did a great job! The whole concert went really well and I couldn't be prouder of all the high school kids. The worked really hard and sacrificed a lot to sing in that concert. I think Jesus was glorified in the final outcome.

Dan got home a little after midnight on Friday night and we were so excited to see him (at least I was Katelyn was asleep)! The next day I did some grocery shopping (we were out of toilet paper and I'm sorry, but that's a must have) and finished up my Christmas shopping while Dan took Katelyn to the park for a couple of hours. As you can see, she thought the park needed a little cleaning. Katelyn was the happiest girl alive that day! She had missed her daddy so much! Every time they talked on the phone, the first thing she would say was "You on your way home?" It was so sweet and so sad at the same time. But they had a great time together. That afternoon Dan and I headed to Gainesville to go to one of my college roommate's wedding. It was hard for Dan to leave Katelyn but I really appreciated him going. It was a sacrifice on his part on many levels and I love the fact he didn't complain or try to get out of it. He's the best husband ever! Anyway, the wedding was held in the chapel that Dan proposed to me in so it was very special. It was a fun evening but we scooted out early so we could make it home at a reasonable hour.

So, I guess that catches you up on our life the last couple of weeks. I'm a little tired now so I don't think I'll post pictures tonight, but I'll try to do so tomorrow. So, I'm off now for a date with Mr. Pillow! Good night!

LNO

Rhonda Ellis has this neat program at her house one Tuesday a month called Ladies Night Out. It's a time for moms to get together, have dinner, and hear practical, Godly wisdom from a mom of 6 who actually has some things figured out. I know she is not perfect, but she has let the Lord teach her and build her into an amazing mom and I feel blessed to be able to listen to her share some the things she's learned over the years.

Last night's topic was Respect. Respect for adults, respect for our husbands, and respecting our children. I will admit I left in tears. Not bad tears, but good ones. Have you ever been at a place in your life where you are just overwhelmed? I feel like I'm there right now. Last night just confirmed it. I so want Katelyn and Caroline to grow up loving God. I want them to make right choices not out of fear, but out of love for Christ. So much of what I have done right in my life was because of the fear I would let my parents, or my youth pastor or my husband down. I'm tired of feeling that way. I want my love of Christ to be the driving force in all the "whys." Know what I mean?

But here's where the problem comes in. How do you do that? How do you move from fear to love? How do you change a mindset you've had (subconsciously or not) for most of your life? That's where I am. How do I move from doing my quiet time because I know I should, to doing it because I truly love Jesus and want to spend time with Him? How do I share my faith because I am truly concerned about the lost instead of because I know I'm "supposed" to? And then there's the main question...How do I teach my child to do it out of a love when I'm not?

It all comes back to me. There is so much that God is showing me in my own life that I'm just overwhelmed. How can I tell Katelyn and Caroline one thing, and live a different way? The older I get and the further along I get in my christian walk, the more I realize how much farther I have to go.

We also talked how we, as women and moms, set the tone in our homes. Are we always looking at things critically or are we forthcoming with praise for our family? Rhonda talked about the importance of lavishing praise on our family and making our home a safe place, free of bullying, criticism, and sarcasm. That last point got me. How often do I make sarcastic remarks to those I love most? That does nothing to build them up. She challenged us to start a study of the Proverbs and I think I'm going to do it. I've read the book of Proverbs many times, but not often have I stopped to truly examine what the verses are saying. What better wisdom to seek than that of the Lord's?

So as you can see, I'm trying to get real with myself. I am asking the Lord to do a major renovation of my heart. I want to be open with my fears, insecurities, and failures and use those things to remind myself how I NEED Jesus everyday. I would covet and appreciate your prayers.

Christmas in November

This past weekend, we went to Savannah to celebrate an early Thanksgiving and Christmas with Dan's family. Not everyone was going to be able to get off work for the actual Thanksgiving holiday so we decided to celebrate a week early. We had such a great time! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch with all the traditional food, watched some traditional football and also did some shopping.

Saturday morning, the girls left the kids with the guys and we went to this great little tea room in downtown Savannah called The Tea Room. If you ever want a fun girls day, you need to take a trip. The food is wonderful and the teas are even better! I always get the same kind, the house tea called Emperor's Bride. It has hints of citrus and pineapple and is absolutely wonderful! The best part is they can make it decaf for us preggo people who have to watch our caffeine intake. After that lunch, we went to the Christmas in the South show. My sister-in-law Brooke and I walked around and mostly made fun of the things people were selling. You would be surprised how many people think rhinestone santa sweatshirts are fashionable (for those of you who own one, please forgive me).

We also celebrated Christmas in the same weekend since we won't be able to be together for Christmas. The kids, especially Katelyn, were in hog heaven. She was more interested in ripping the presents open than the actual presents themselves. She felt it was her civic duty to help everyone else open their presents. It was pretty funny. We all got some great presents and made even better memories.

Wordless Wednesday