From My Family to yours....

Happy New Year!

I am making a promise to my blog readers... the faithful few that are here... I will be more determined to write more this year. May God Bless you all.

Much Love,
Candace, Aka... Gracie and Jack's mom! :)

Sex and the City 2 Movie Trailer HD

This is one of my guilty pleasures.... I love this show, the first movie and now, can't wait for the summer!

Come out, come out... where ever you are!

Hi there... this is a message to anyone that may read this blog, but have never commented or are not a follower:

Come out, come out... where ever you are!

I love feedback, comments, and just meeting new friends.

So... if you are a lurker, make a comment, and I will be happy to acknowledge your blog! What do you have to lose! :)

Getting in the Christmas spirit!

R E S P E C T

Have you ever been a victim of a double standard?

I have been told by my husband on several occasions that I have no respect for him and that I need to respect him more, however, the next day... he turns around and does something so disrespectful that I am nearly in tears.

What do you do in this situation? Does every married couple go through this? I am just exhausted from frustration. Sorry... i will try to be perky again tomorrow.

UP for the Challenge?

I was reading the blog "Happy Texans" today and found that she was doing the Pound for Pound Challenge so I have decided to do it as well.

"For every pound you pledge to lose through June 30, 2010, the Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 14¢ to Feeding America® — enough to deliver one pound of groceries to a local food bank. $800,000 maximum donation."

I pledged to lose 50 pounds(although, I am hoping to lose more...) by June 10, 2010. The more I lose, the more someone else gains.

I am planning on starting back to Weight Watcher's soon, so I will be keeping track that way. I am also planning on starting back up my Weight Loss Blog. For those of you that would like to check it out, here is the link. It has been a while since I have posted there, but I am going to start it up again. Also, I am going to join in with my friend Firewife on her weight loss challenge. Check it out!

Just another day...

December 2nd... just any other day to most people.

But... to me, it is the 3rd anniversary of my 30th birthday.

That's my story, and I am sticking to it!

Jackson's Birth Story

So, Jackson turned 3 weeks old yesterday, and I am finally able to sit down for a few minutes to give a quick run down of the events on the day he was born. I am maining writing this here so that I don't forget the details and will hopefully document it later in his baby book. :) So... here it goes:

October 20, 2009:

The day started very early. The night before we took Gracie to her Grandma Peg's and Pappaw John's so that we wouldn't have to wake her early in the morning to take here there. We had to be at the hospital at 5:15 that morning, so we wanted to be able to just get up and go. So, before we took Grace, we took a few pictures, of course, to document our last night as a family of 3. Of course... I cried, but it was sweet.
As Grace left, I remembered what everyone told me about how big she was going to look compared to the baby. Even here in this picture, I still saw my baby girl... I still do. She looked so little to me, and still does. This was my baby girl....

Waving and saying good-bye to her momma... without hesitation.
I honestly couldn't grasp it... until we brought him home. More about that later! :)

As I said, the next morning started early... I think we ended up getting up around 4... maybe 4:15, it was a little foggy in my brain, I just know that it was early.

So, here I am... belly and all. I am not sure of the amount that I gained, but I think that it was around 25 lbs. I actually had gained quite a bit, but I ended up losing weight(I needed to... I was not told that, but I really needed to...). I had gained 5 lbs in one week, and then I started back on Weight Watcher's and after that... I lost 5 lbs about 3 weeks in a row. It was a good thing, and the Dr's were happy. My blood pressure, which was always an issue with Grace and even when I am not pregnant, stayed perfect my entire pregnancy.

Anyway... here we are... me and baby Jack.

An hour later... here I was. In bed, IV in(after 4 tries!). Don't I look lovely...
Before they got there, the nurse was trying to put my iv in, and as she was doing that, because I had not had anything to drink since midnight the night before, it was very hard for her to find my veins. I have never had such problems with an iv... however this time, I was bruised, an nearly passed out twice! And, I am not squeamish, but it almost happened! Terrible! So, once they finally got my iv in, and Doug came back in the room(he had to leave the room after the 2nd try and I almost passed out).

Not long after that, mom and dad got there to wait for the big event.

Finally, at 7:15 they took be back to to operating room to get things started, and get my spinal in. As I was back there getting ready, my hubby was given this really cute outfit to put on in preparation for the joyous occasion! LOL! I love it! LOL!

Once they got me back there they had a little trouble with the spinal. I thought that it was bad getting my IV, and honestly, the IV hurt worse, but the spinal took 5 times to get it right. Something that usually only takes about 15 minutes, took an hour to do on me. Poor Doug was sitting in the recovery room, waiting, and waiting. Finally, at 8:15 they went to get him and things got started.

Once the surgery started(I had a C-section, by the way... in case you hadn't gotten that yet! LOL!), it was only a short time before this beautiful boy made his debut! Turns out... he was breech! Thank God I was having a planned C-section, but it still threw my Docs for a loop. It is really funny, I asked that Doug video some of the c-section because I wanted to see it, and when the Dr's realized that he was breech, you can hear them saying something like... "wow, that was unexpected!". It was really amazing.... I could see the entire surgery in the mirrored lights above me, and when they were pulling Jackson out, the first thing that I noticed... he was pooping. Ok, I know that is gross, but... for anyone that knows the drama that we went through when Grace was born, this was very exciting for me. Grace was sent to Children's Hospital less than 24 hours after her birth because she has a bowel blockage and did not pass her first bowel movement. I was separated from her for 3 days and it was the worst 3 days of my life. So... I was very happy that my boy was a pooper... and still it!

And from there... it is pretty self explanitory... he weighed 8 lbs 14 oz and is a perfect little boy. Here are some more pictures to enjoy... I will write more later telling about his first 3 weeks being the baby brother!

Brand new look.. and a new name!

Finally... I know this is probably already used, but it was the best I could come up with. Our new name is now:

The New Adventures of the Princess and the Peanut!

So, what do you think? I also created the new banner myself... the background is from the Cutest Blog on the Block. I love that website!

So.... more stuff to follow.

2 weeks and 2 days...

Welcome Jackson!

Sorry it has taken so long for me to post this, but our precious boy arrived last Tuesday, October 20th at 8:28 am. There is a long story to come, but for now, here he is!

Jackson Douglas

October 20th, 2009

8 lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long

And here he is... one week old already!

More to come... and a new blog name! :)

A man experiences childbirth...

Ok... so I have never had to go through these contractions... but that doesn't mean that I haven't wished this on my hubby for just a second. This is a fun watch!

***update***

Had a blonde moment and forgot to mention that I got this from Misadventures in Baby Raising's blog...

Baby Boy update...

Hello blogging friends!

We had our weekly checkup yesterday. I am 37 weeks and a few days. No dilating, and basically was told, definitely not having a baby this week. :)

However... on the other hand, we have a definite date for our scheduled c-section!

Our precious baby boy will be arriving on or before(only if I go into labor, and the Dr really doubts it...) October 20th, 2009. We are scheduled for 7:30 in the morning and have to be there at 5:30... AM! Phew!

I am excited, but seriously nervous.

Please pray for me and baby Mac(yes... still keeping the name to ourselves here until after he is born! :)

Also, thank you all for the very helpful suggestions about the Flu Vaccine... I will write another post to update you all on what is in my mind at that time. :)

Much LOve....

What do you think????

OK, as my readers know, I am pregnant. I am scared to death of the swine flu. I am also completely unsure about the vaccine. I keep going back and forth.

I am interested in your opinion... (especially my dear friend Stephanie, who is going to be a nurse.. hint hint!).

This is a video that I copied from 4 Little Men and Girly Twins.... check out her blog for the rest of what she had to say, then please leave me a comment.

Much love,

One scared momma!

Baby Mac Update...

Hello everyone, I had my 36 weeks checkup today and thought that I would give you all a quick update.

Everything looks great... baby is weighing in (per ultrasound) 8 lbs 6 oz and 18 1/2 inches long. Heartbeat is strong and he is kicking up a storm (actually... when the Dr was trying to get a heartbeat, he kept kicking the Dr! LOL!). He is head down, but per the sonogram tech, it is a full moon coming and babies are being stubborn, so we couldnt' get a good picture of his profile. That is ok... looks like we will be meeting our baby boy somewhere around the 20th(hopefully!!!). We are scheduling a c-section at our next visit.

Other than that... no big news, well, besides that we have decided on a name, but I am keeping that under wraps for a few more weeks. :)

Love ya's!

Pics from the beach!

Greetings From Florida...

I know... it has been forever since I have actually posted anything, but I feel like it has just been yesterday. Our summer has been so busy that I truly do not know where the time has gone. We have enjoyed our blessed summer with our out of the ordinary(yet wonderful) weather in Ohio. I was very nervous when I got pregnant earlier this year, realizing that I would be pregnant for the summer. However, I have truly been so thankful for the coolest summer in Ohio in years! Definitely a far cry from when Grace was born in August of 2007!

So, an update on things...

This summer we have had a visit from my aunt Sandy, who lives in Clearwater, FL. This was back in the beginning of August. It was such a wonderful visit with her, and we were sad to see her go home, but she has promised to hopefully come back for another visit this fall with her husband. Keeping our fingers crossed.

While Sandy was here, we were able to celebrate my beautiful Gracie's birthday, which was fun. I can't believe my baby girl is 2!

After that, for Labor Day weekend we traveled to Tennessee for a family reunion. I am blessed with such an awesome family. I am thankful to be able to say that I know, and are close to, my 4th and 5th cousins. What a blessing!

While we were in Tennessee, I found out that the trip that my mom and I(with Gracie), was actually a week later than we were planning, which kind of messed things up a bit with my baby Dr. See, I had already gotten permission to go to Florida a week earlier than what it really was. I am currently at 34 weeks, and I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to travel or not. Well... as you can see... I made it! We are having a wonderful week, and can't believe that it is nearly over. Here are a few pics so far.

We are heading home this weekend, and Grace and I are really looking forward to seeing Hubby/Daddy when we get there!

Quick update on Baby Mac... everything is going well. I am 34 weeks and feeling pretty good. We are looking at a scheduled c-section around the 20th of August and can't wait to meet our beautiful baby boy. Doug has been home painting the baby room, and I will post pics when I get home. It is really working out nice. :)

Well, I hope you are all doing well, and can't wait to talk to you all again soon!

Much Love from Florida....

C and G and baby Mac!:)

Pics of Grace on her birthday...

Ok, we did not have a cake tonight, we are doing that Sunday at my mom's house, but here is my girl on her 2nd birthday!

Happy Birthday, Gracie!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Gracie... with a side of what the heck was he thinking?!

Happy Birthday, Gracie!!!!


Today is my precious baby's 2nd birthday! I haven't taken any official pictures of her as a two year old(yet), but I will and will definitely post them later! :)


I just can't believe that it has been two years since this spunky little monkey entered our lives! She has been such a blessing to us, and can't imagine a day without her!


Happy Birthday Gracie... I hope that your special day is just that... special and filled with love!


Now... for the second part of this post:


WHAT THE HECK WAS HE THINKING?????


So.... as all of the moms out there, I would hope you would understand what I am about to say, and why this pregnant hormonal mom would be upset about what he has done. OK... so, I feel like Grace's birthday has kind of crept ip on us. Seriously, with being pregnant, having prenancy brain, and my aunt Sandy coming for a visit from Florida (first time in 18 years), I just haven't been thinking about shopping. So, today I called my husband and said that I wanted to discuss what we should get her for her birthday. He said ok, but he really couldn't talk at that time. So, he called back an hour later and said that he was getting off work and was going to Toys R Us to look at swing sets and to see what they had.

Well... about another hour after that he texted me to call him. Finally... he called me and said that he had just bought all of Grace's birthday presents... without me! Whoa! Stop the presses... we went from needing to talk about what we should get her, to he got her stuff, without talking to me about it! I mean... I am her mom, so why would I want to help pick out her birthday presents????

Let's just say, this hormonally challenged mom did not take this news well! NOT AT ALL!!!! It was fine, until the part that he told me that he got her a Go Diego! GO! bike thing, that was basically for a boy!!! I mean, that is not that big of deal, but you know, I wanted to have a small part in deciding, and for me, this is like my Christmas(since, out of respect for my husband's religious beliefs, we don't really celebrate Christmas in our house... of course, I celebrate it at my parents house, and in my heart!). I wanted to help pick out her presents and to have that taken away, hurt like I had been stabbed in the heart. I mean... yes, that is a little dramatic, but I am pregnant, so indulge me!

Anyway... So, after about an hour and a half of being mad, then finally deciding to just suck it up and cry, we headed to my aunt's for dinner. Of course, my face was so swollen and someone mentioned that I looked like I had been crying... so of course, while Doug was out of the room, I started crying again, and explained why I was so upset. Everyone agreed with me that it was just a bad decision on his part and that he didn't mean to upset me(which I know he was trying to just be helpful... I really do know that), but it was basically just something that a man would do without realizing how I would feel. So... after a few hours of being hurt, I decided to just stop being upset. It was a really sweet thing for him to do, and he did a good job, but he needed to realize how important something like this is to a momma and to talk to me next time. So... will see if he does.

Thanks for listening... I am praying that October gets here soon so I can feel back to my hormonally balanced self.

Attitude and a multitude of "CHEEZ"!

Grace has finally learned to say "CHEEZ" for the camera! When she sees a camera... she says it! I have taught her well! :) Of course, prior to the "CHEEZ", she had to show her 2 year old attitude! She is hilarious and I just don't know what I am going to do with her! Love her to death and kiss her and tell her that I love her all the time... that is all I can think of! Oh... and potty train her... funny story coming later!

One week from yesterday...

This little girl will be 2 years old!

Where has the time gone?

She is so smart... really too smart sometimes. The other day, she was coloring on a piece of white computer paper that I gave her. She was going through all of the crayons in her bucket and she came to the white. When she got to that crayon, she colored for a few seconds and said(no lie!), "Mama... White is broke!" She figured out that it was broke because she couldn't see any color on the page! Seriously... how did she figure that out?

Besides telling me that the white crayon does not work, she says so much more! I am amazed by her vocabulary! She is like a little parrot. She can say pretty much anything she wants to, and is starting to put words together to make her point across. She is also telling us when she needs a new diaper, which means that I need to start the potty training process. I am a little intimidated by that, but we will get through it.

She also has a love for animals! She loves our beloved pets, Honey the dog, and Rainy, Sugar, and Tabasco or cats. Of course, the cats-with the exception of Rainy- run from her, only because Rainy can't. But, besides our domesticated animals, she has also found a love for farm animals. Last night my best friend and I took her to the County Fair. I had planned on letting her ride the ponies they have there, but what I hadn't planned on was the fact that she would love them so much that she would not want to get off! Here are a few pictures from our Fair experience! :)

Yep... that is my little cowgirl! :)

And of course, you can't got to the fair without getting a shaved ice in bright blue and red....

Or, FAIR FRIES!!!(Seriously, the best part of the fair!)

Hope you all have a great Saturday!