back online :)

So, we are finally back online. The Comcast dude was here this morning and of course said that there is no real reason why we shouldn't be working just fine. Gee, thanks!

Oh well. At least it is working now - for the moment. :)

Here's a new picture of little man. He is holding his sisters purple bear - which he promptly slobbered all over. So now he is the proud owner of a purple bear. I am sure his dad will be excited to see this! heheAnd we got to go and visit my grandma while we were on vacation at Lake Weir. This is the first time she has met Layne. I have to say he laid on the charm and she was just smitten. Here is Grandma Shirley with both of the kids.Bayleigh has been enjoying the new tire swing that Andy hung for her about 3 weeks ago. We took her to get her haircut - she got a little trim and some layers put in. Of course, I had to snap some pictures.Alright, off to eat something and get some rest. I think little man passed his cold onto me. Ick I don't like summer colds at all.

Have a happy Friday and I will probably post some pictures of our vacation with a little synopsis tomorrow. :)

Until then....

XO

what the heck?!?!

Can someone please tell me where the month of July went?? I mean. Seriously. How is it possible that Friday will be August 1st. Wow. I am such a blog slacker. (as some have clearly pointed out to me!)

Let's see - it won't be hard to catch you up on whats new.

Still no job.
Whiny 7-year old.
Hot.
Week long vacay with the in-laws and families.
Hot.
Sick baby.
Sucky Comcast = no internet.
Hot.
Blessed beyond measure.

Got it? Easy enough. That's July in a nutshell.

The kids are asleep and Andy is on military duty at a conference in St. Pete. I am trying to upload pictures to have on hand to create some new layouts, but my internet has been so sporadic that I am not sure that it will upload the 30+ pictures I just spent an hour picking out.

Niiiice. :)

I love being home! I do want a job, but I really love my time at home with my little man.

Speaking of little man. He will be 5 months on Friday. And since Comcast is once again being a pain in the rear - a picture will have to wait until tomorrow.

Keep your fingers crossed and send any positive thoughts and prayers my way. I really would like to hear about some sort of job soon. Something. Anything. I put in for more jobs today and made phone calls all morning. I am doing all that I can possibly do to try and secure a job. It is so frustrating...and WAY bureaucratic. It's just sick. Seriously. Thanks for thinking of me though...I really would appreciate it. :)

I will have to update with pictures tomorrow. Maybe my internet will actually work. What a concept, heh? It's only $43.95 for service that goes down at least once a day. And has now been done for the better part of 2 days. They are sending someone out. Friday. *rolls eyes* Needless to say we will be shopping for a different internet provider.

Hope that you are well. Sorry to be MIA for so long. The month literally flew by.

XO

monday monday!!

Okay, so I must be on an oldies kick with the song titles/lyrics lately...haha

Bayleigh is currently at her grandparents' house in Fernandina Beach. She left on Saturday and calls us each night telling us how much fun she is having and how much she misses me. She will be back on Thursday night. :) Just in time to go scalloping on the 4th of July.

Layne will be 4 months tomorrow. He is growing so fast and is so fun!! He smiles all the time and loves to play and giggle. Here he is at our church fun night yesterday. hehe
Too cute, I tell ya. This is what he does alot during the day. Well, when he isn't screaming! LOL

I got another page done. It looks quite busy when I uploaded it, but doesn't look as loud in person. Oh well...it will do. I made the page to document one of my favorite places to be - on the water. Love, love, love it!
You can click on it to see it in more detail if you are so inclined. Just love using the new Making Memories Passport line. I got this stuff from the June Scarlet Lime kit (www.scarletlime.com). And the July kit from Studio Calico has lots of it too!

I am reading a good book and hoping to get some more chapters in tonight. It is a series of books and I am on book #3. Good stuff! The series is by a Christian author, Karen Kingsbury. She writes some good, realistic books about faith and people finding their way to the Lord. I just love reading stories like those.

Still no word on the new job. However, my old prinicpal called to offer me a job there for next year. I didn't commit and will wait until I hear from the other school. There are lots of reasons...but, let's just suffice it to say that I think I need a change.

Until next time...

XO

summer lovin'..

And we are having a blast!!! Okay, that was really lame. LOL :) I can't help it.

Bayleigh had her best friend spend the night last night. Oh the fun of a 7-year-old sleepover!! The giggling did not cease until *late* last night. Well, until the monstrous thunderstorm came through. Then, I had a little one crying about being scared and a baby not wanting to go to sleep. Yes, it was a late night for all!

And why do men find it funny to scare the pee out of their wives??!?!?! I was reading a book on the couch last night - because is there anything better than reading a book snuggled on the couch while it rains?!?!? My wonderful hubby (insert *eye roll* here) thought it would be funny to sneak up behind me and just stand there. When I turned around, I FREAKED!!! I mean, fell on the couch in tears, freaked! He just chuckled and then rubbed my shoulders and said not to be scared. Oh boy, men!!

Tomorrow is reveal night at Studio Calico and I am so excited. Can't wait to see the kit and add-ons...but mostly, I can't wait to see how the wonderful designers used all that yummy goodness. Maybe I will be inspired to actually get something done with my June kit. hehe

If anyone knows where to get my hands on some of the new Chatterbox, feel free to pass it along. Or just send me some. Yeah, that would be good too. haha - just teasing!! (kinda). :)

Alright on to the good stuff....a scrapbook page!! YAY!!!

This one was inspired by another lovely lady at SC. And had to get that picture scrapped - only Bayleigh!!
Hope to have another page completed tomorrow!

Off to read my book...

XO

cry baby..

I guess that should be cry BABIES. hehe Bayleigh is so emotional - wow! I never knew it would already start at 7. I am in for it when she is a teenager. Yikes. Maybe I can cash in on my "deployment" time when she is in high school. haha

The schedule thing is going well, I think. Layne has been to bed by 8 pm last night and tonight and slept through the night last night until 7 am. I am hoping that today goes the same. I will keep ya'll posted. I pray for my sanity that we can continue on this track.

Alright, onto the good stuff.

Here is a layout using all scraps from my Studio Calico kit (www.studiocalico.com). Lots of yummy goodies on this one.
And here is another one using more of the SC kit. I got this idea from another gal over at SC. And I had to just go with it. :)Loving belonging to Studio Calico. I basically used every last piece of my May kit...all I have left are a few alphabet things and some Hambly leftovers. Yay for me!!

We are probably going to go to the pool for baby/toddler time so that Layne doesn't get trounced by a bunch of 10-12 year olds. Should make for some good pictures.

And here is a picture of the kiddos that about sums it up right now for me.
Bayleigh with a goofy face trying to entertain us and Layne screaming!!! hehe

Pray. for. me. :)

XO

updating some pages :)

Alright, I am finally getting some more posts in.

We had a nice lazy day here today! Andy cooked us breakfast and we hung out all day. Soo nice!! I am attempting to get Layne on a schedule - so we spent most of today trying to keep him awake and getting him to nap when he was supposed to go down. He just fell asleep about 20 minutes ago - so we are making *some* progress - hey it's not 1 am. YAY!!
.
Tomorrow I hope to have another relaxing day. I would love to get some scrapping done for the Extreme Crop at Lifetime Moments (www.lifetimemoments.com). I got some stuff finished up today - I have been inspired to finish lots of lingering things...so that is always good.

Here is a page about Layne. A picture taken right after his birth. :) Lots of Heidi Grace on this one.I will add another tomorrow that uses all scraps from my Studio Calico kit. Loving it. I hope to start working on June's kit here this week.

And I have to add a picture of Bayleigh with her baby brother in the kiddy pool this week. He loved it - even though it was a little too chilly.Alright, off to get some more scrapping and relaxing in.

XO

ok, seriously?!?!

Has it really been that long since my woe is me post?? Craziness!!

So, I must update everyone, I guess. :)

Gotta start with the good stuff...my baby boy! He is growing way too fast for my liking. He will be 4 months on July 1st. So hard to believe. He is pushing up on his arms, rolls from his tummy to back, coos, laughs, smiles, and still eats every 3 hours!! Here he is..how cute is my little man??
Miss Bayleigh is doing good. Of course she wants to be entertained *ALL* day long. I made a schedule for each day of the week this summer to try to keep her occupied. I think once we get it down pat, it will help her enjoy her summer. Here she is having a traditional summer lunch....Sonic ice cream and tator tots! :)

I have been enjoying my summer so far. Trying to scrap tons and tons to make up for what I fell behind on this year. It feels good to get back into a routine of being creative. I will share one here. Our old computer crashed, so I lost A LOT of stuff on it. But, this is what I have on this new one as of today. :) I used ALL of the Studio Calico kit last month. I mean all I have left are some leftover alphabets and Hambly transparency. I am so proud of myself. I will have to share one of the pages I did with it tomorrow.

No news on the job front. I went on an interview on Thursday - and it went REALLY, REALLY well. They are waiting on some grant funding to go through so they can officially offer the job. But, I was told in basic terms that they want me there...just have to get through the legal stuff and make sure the $$ goes through. I will be sure to keep you all updated! I don't count it as a job until I hear official word for sure.

I hope you are all enjoying your summer. I know I am loving being home with my baby! And he is becoming quite the mama's boy.

Until tomorrow....

XO

settling down...

Well, my life is settling down somewhat since the big news of the loss of my job. I think I was in a coma for a few days - disbelief and disgust. But, I have come to see that this may in fact be the biggest blessing. I have been abused and used at my current school and think I may just need this change! :) I am just hoping I get word of another job really soon, so I can stop worrying and actually buy a scrapbook something or other without feeling guilty. haha

My mom is here visiting!! It's so wonderful!! She cleans my house and takes care of Layne and Bayleigh. Too bad she can't stay forever. :) I love you, Mom!

Layne will be 3 months on Sunday. Can you believe that?!?!? Wow, time is going so much faster this time around. It's unbelievable. I will definitely have some new pictures up by the weekend. You won't believe how big he is getting.

Last night was pure madness over at Studio Calico - REVEAL NIGHT!! I had a blast at my first reveal and it was fun chatting with all the girls. :)

Here is a layout I made using some of my stash from the May kit:
I have another page using the May goodies. I will have to pull it off of my camera to post.

Alright, off to take care of Layne and get ready to go get some killer Cuban food!! :)

XO

not great news!

I found out that I am indeed not going to have a job next year at the school I am currently at. My contract was *not* renewed. But, there are some leads on other jobs within my district and in another district. As many have said to me at school - this may just be a blessing in disguise.

I have decided to just take it a day at a time and not let it get me worried. There is a plan and it will all work out. Just have to keep chanting that to myself. :)

Bayleigh only has another week left of 1st grade. I can't believe my little girl is going to 2nd grade. She is getting so big. She started wearing deoderant last week. *sigh* I am soooo not prepared for this!

Layne has been home with Andy for a week and a half. Now on Tuesday Andy heads back to work and my mom is coming to help out for the last week of school. I am hoping that there isn't too much of an adjustment when she comes. We dealt with no naps and fits of crying when I first went back. Poor baby just wants his mama. Nothing wrong with that! LOL

On to some fun scrapping stuff.

A layout using the May kit over at Lifetime Moments (link in the sidebar).
And a card that has a spin wheel to show different messages. Just have to add the messages when I decide who exactly will get this one. :)
Alrighty, I gotta feed the little one. I will try to finish my Studio Calico layout tonight and post tomorrow. Such fun stuff to work with.

Have a beautiful evening!

XO

i am here :)

It's been awhile since I have posted. Mostly because time escapes me everyday! I went back to work last Tuesday and it has been quite an adjustment. Andy has been staying home with Layne. Let's just say.....EYE OPENER!!! I think he now appreciates all that I do around this house - for sure. I am so over this school year and ready to be home for the summer with my baby.

Say a little prayer because today is when the reappointments are being done at my school. With a budget cut of nearly $10 million - everyone is in jeopardy. I will know much more in the coming days!

On to fun stuff....

A layout about Layne's first monthA cards that uses the KI Memories lace cardstock as a masking template. :)I am working on another layout using a fun new kit from http://www.studiocalico.com. I cannot wait to get it finished and uploaded. Then, on to a new kit that will be here soon.

That's about it for tonight. I am going to try to get to bed at a decent hour tonight.

Night, ya'll.

XO

longer than I wanted...

So, it has been a bit longer than I would like between blog posts. Life has just been super crazy with Andy out of town! Wow, all those mothers who have 2 and 3 kids under the age of 5, I tip my hat to you. I don't know how you do it. I have a hard enough time and my kids are 7 years apart!

But, I am learning to enjoy the craziness of my life right now. I love this song by Trace Atkins..."You're gonna miss this." And wow, how true it is. One day when my kids are off involved in their own lives, I am going to want this crazy life back! So, I am making it my goal to focus on the here and now and enjoy the moments that I have. Crazy, hectic, maddening, and fun!! :)

I have a few things to share.

First, a recent picture of Layne. He now weighs 12 lbs, 5 oz! He is getting so big and is such a sweet, happy boy. I snapped this one with my self-timer on my camera - had to capture one of my snuggly boy!
And here is a picture of Bayleigh. I took this to create a layout about her in all her 7 year old glory! :) She is getting so grown...it's hard to believe she is 7. We like to call her Miss Sassy Pants. Do you see why???
And finally a scrappy creation. I took part in the National Scrapbook Day festivities over at Lifetime Moments (see sidebar for link). It was a blast and more scrapping than I have done in a long, long time. So, I hope to be on a roll and getting back to it. :)
I have a couple of other projects that I got done too. I will have to save those and post tomorrow.

Hope your day is beautiful!

XO

crying over spilled milk...

Yep, that is what I did tonight. This is how my evening panned out.

I got to talk on the phone to my girlfriend Jenn - we have been missing each other and playing phone tag of sorts! So, since I got to talk to my friend, the rest of my house and life had to fall apart! LOL

Bayleigh had an accident in her pants. We have been dealing with this on a regular basis now! I don't know what's up with that.

While playing in the yard, she and her new friend decided to play with the hose and squirt each other. Neither of them thought to ask an adult first. The end result?? Soaking wet kiddos. Yay, another mess to clean up. LOL

I finally get dinner made after an hour of attempts and we sit down to eat. YAY!! We made it!!

Not quite. Bayleigh started swinging her arms around for some unknown reason and proceeds to spill milk all over the table and floor. Yes, my table is covered with a fabric tablecloth. Yes, the pictures of Layne from the hospital were on the table. Yes, my planner with everything that keeps me functioning was on the table. Yes, I sat and cried.

All of this went down with Layne crying and wanting to be held.

What a day! I am keeping it all in perspective though. We are all alive and with limbs. :)

Hope your day was better than mine. Maybe a bowl of ice cream will help.

XO

baby steps I say...

So today I think we took one baby step forward to getting this single parent thing down this time around. I *think*. I say this as Layne is screaming in his bed and has been for over 10 minutes. :)

Bayleigh got to play with our new neighbors. They have 5 girls and moved in this past weekend - so we are ALL excited to have some kids nearby for Bay to play with and hang out with. They rode bikes up and down the street for about 30 minutes before we had to leave for another tee-ball game. Fun stuff!

Layne has been crying virtually all day. Nothing I do can make him happy!! I am hoping that he drifts off soon. If he isn't asleep in about 10 more minutes, I will go in and pat his back for a minute. Ahhhh, I hear silence now! :) :) :)

Going to finish up a page about Layne's first month tonight. Just in time for me to start his second month layout. hahaha I am trying to get back to scrapping - but time escapes me!

Hope your world is well. Nothing too exciting here....

Going to go cut a piece of pumpkin pie with a huge mound of whip cream on top. :)

XO

someone pass me a stiff drink...

Good grief, what a day!!

It all went well until Bayleigh came home from school in rare form. The evening went something like this...

Me: "Go get your homework sheet, please."
Bay: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" while crying and screaming
Me: "Now you can go to your room.
Bay: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!!!!" again crying and screaming
Me: "I am going to count to 3 and then you will get a spanking."
Bay: "AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" runs to her room and buries her face in her bed and proceeds to scream into her bed and cry loudly for 20+ minutes

Meanwhile, Layne is crying because he is grumpy and needs to go down for a nap, but I am trying to change his diaper. And he cries louder because his sister is crying and screaming and he doesn't understand what is going on.

Let's just say lots of chocolate was consumed this evening and I just downed some pumpkin pie. hahahahaha

After getting Layne down, everything went fine this evening. He woke up a happy baby....laughing and smiling at me. Maybe some of the happiness will rub off on his emotional drama queen sister.

Hey, a mama can dream, right??

Until tomorrow....

XO

another military trip...

So, yesterday Andy left for 2 weeks. He has another military trip!! I guess it is just one of those things that I should get used to, you know? I mean, I am married to an Army dude. But, saying goodbye never gets easier and being a single parent always gets harder. At least it is only 2 weeks this time. :)

We spent yesterday with Bayleigh activities. She had a tee-ball game yesterday morning. See pictures below for my girl stroking it out and sporting her gear.


Then, we drove an hour to a birthday party for Bayleigh's best friends little sister. It was quite the shindig with a smoked pig and tons of food. Yes, a smoked ENTIRE pig - with apple in it's mouth an all. I might have to post that picture another time! hahaha

We came home to feed little man. And I had to crash for about an hour because I had been up since 6 am preparing for the day. For good measure, our baby boy at 7 weeks. :)


We proceeded to go to the mall to partake in the Webkinz Extravaganza Day. Bayleigh was so excited to get a free reindeer Webkinz and she had a great time spinning the Wheel of Wow! :)

After all of that, we went to the neighbors house so Bayleigh could play with a pup they were babysitting! A little pug who must have allergies because he snorts like crazy! It was quite weird and our neighbors were a little turned off by the nuisance it created. LOL

What a day! Today has been spent doing nothing but house stuff. I couldn't peel myself out of bed early enough to get everyone ready for church this morning!

Have to share this picture with ya'll. Taken on Bayleigh's baptism day. She was being so grouchy and so was Layne at this point. This picture was taken during their grouchies. Layne is already screaming. Bayleigh is whining that she can't hold him anymore. Five seconds after this picture was taken and I had taken Layne, Bayleigh was in tears too and screaming "no more pictures." So, no family pictures of us on this special day because we are the proud parents of the groucho's. Oh the joy!! :)


We will leave for Daisy's here in a bit. Trying to decide if I will use that time to enjoy non-Bayleighness or if I should resume my co-leader duties. *wink*

Hope you are all well. I will be sure to check in again soon. Might save my sanity over the next 2 weeks!

XO

la dee da!

Ho hum, still around! :)

Layne has not let me have a moment's peace during his waking hours. He wants to be held all the time - which doesn't really work for us here at the Wildes house. So, we are working on letting him cry. It breaks my heart to let him cry, but we gotta break him of crying over being held. *sigh* Poor mama! Keep me in your thoughts....that I can withstand the crying and not give in.

Bayleigh is getting baptized tomorrow! Andy's mom and dad came to be here! We are very excited and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our little angel. :)

Tee-ball was this morning - and we had rain! So, the cancelled the game. Bad news for us since we use it as Bayleigh expendable energy time. She commenced to bouncing off the walls when she got home. Andy took her to the Farmers Market, which I missed. I love the Farmers Market... I can't wait to go and stroll around and get some fresh veggies and fruit.

I am missing my cousins wedding. All because it was an adult only reception - so we couldn't take the kids. I won't go there! My feelings are hurt over the whole issue, but I sincerely hope that her day was wonderful!

Let me leave you with some pictures...He is getting so much bigger! And such a sweet boy! :)

Check in with tee-ball pictures tomorrow.

XO

friday fun :)

We had a good Friday!

We went this morning to visit my friend Leigh (hi Leigh) and her new little baby Jack...who I must add is adorable! He has this head full of dark hair that is absolutely cute! It was nice to see an adult during daylight hours and actually talk about girl things. :)

We ran to Target and picked up a few things that we needed and then came home.

Layne had a great day and has been so agreeable and sweet!! Maybe we are getting this whole thing down more than I think.

We went to Chick-fil-A for dinner for Bayleigh's school fundraiser night. And Layne let me eat!! It was so nice to enjoy a meal for the first time in awhile. He was dry and full, so he was one happy baby - just looking around at everything.

We have tee-ball and stuff tomorrow and Girl Scouts on Sunday. Andy will be at drill - so it will be just me and the kiddos until Sunday. It will be survival around here!! I hope I am the one who survives. haha

And I leave you with some new pictures...Naked baby pictures. Is there anything more adorable?!?!

Have a good one!

XO

quickie...

Just wanted to add some new pictures, hot off the camera!


Here is my little man hanging out in his boppy! :)
And one of me holding him. I got the inspiration from a scrapbook layout in a magazine I was going through the other night.
Alrighty, off to bed for me. Must. Get. Sleep.

XO

I survived...

No, I didn't run away!! I survived another day...

Today was a good day. Layne took good naps and ate well. I got to take some naked baby pictures of him.

Bayleigh was good. She did her homework without complaint and was fairly agreeable all evening long.

I have done about 10 loads of laundry today...and that doesn't even touch the laundry in the basket in our room. You see, my son decided to pee on me while I was trying to get some naked baby pictures of him. Then, he decided to pee on my bed while I tried to get even more pictures. I guess I didn't learn from the first time. But, seriously?!?! I thought his bladder was very empty after all the pee he excreted on me, my clothes, and my floor. :) This evening, he peed on himself and his clothes two more times. Put him the in the bath to get all the dirties off. And yes, you guessed it, he peed again! Oh I need a peepee teepee. :)

Going to upload those pictures tonight of Layne...so, I will share some tomorrow.

Hope you all are well.

Off to put the clothes in the dryer. *wink*

XO

AHHHHH!!!

That is me screaming at the top of my lungs!!!

Ever feel like your head might just explode if you hear one more wail or scream from your children?!?! LOL

Let's just say...it has been on of those days. Bayleigh decided to have a royal fit right before bedtime to cap off her less-than-perfect day. She was pestering us all day long!!

Add to that a little baby who has become quite a Mama's boy....

Yes, one long day!

I am anxious to scrapbook, but don't know if I could muster the creativity tonight after the day that I have had. I am thinking about going to bed early and getting rest, so that I can scrapbook tomorrow while Andy is home on his day off. I might even get to go to Target by myself!! Ohhhh the joy. Your perspective definitely changes as you grow older! :)

And I have to leave you with a picture of course....Isn't that picture so funny? Layne had fallen asleep and Andy put him on his play mat with his boppy. Soo cute!! He just laid there, still asleep, while I snapped pictures. It wasn't long before he raised his hands up over his head. :)


Goodnight ya'll. I hope your day was better than mine. I know tomorrow will be a better day and the sun will rise again. :)

XO

a birth story....part two

So, to finally finish up my story!

After being in triage for about an hour and half, enduring more and more painful contractions and back labor. I felt like it was excruciating and wasn't sure if I could do this! The nurse in Triage had asked about pain medication and I immediately told her an epidural please! I already knew that I would like something to help me along. The nurse in Triage wasn't as attentive as I had hoped for. Let's just say that it took her 3 tries to get my IV in and the last one ended with a puddle of blood down the side of my bed and on the floor. At 8:40 I was checked, with my contractions coming every 3-4 minutes. At this point I was 4.5 centimeters! However, we were informed that Layne was face up, so his head was pressing on my spine and that was what was causing the horrible back labor/pain.

Finally, the nurse from Labor and Delivery came to get me from Triage. I was never so happy to see a medical professional in all my life. I knew that I was headed to my own private room, with a bathroom and sauna tub...and yes, a more comfortable bed and rocking chair. Walking seemed to help, so I decided to walk to my new room. After about 5 steps, I questioned that decision. Luckily there were handles on the walls and I could stop and hold on when I was working through a contraction. It took me a bit longer to get to my new room, but Andy and my nurse were wonderful and just talked me through each contraction and stopped with me.

I got to my room and immediately went to the bathroom with much whimpering and squirming. My nurse, Paula, asked if I wanted to sit in the chair or walk around the room...definitely walking! I was now crying through my contractions because of the horrible back pain that I was feeling. Paula was great and told me to breathe and kept me focused, reminding me not to exhale more air than I was inhaling. It wasn't long before I was doubled over my bed trying to find a position to make the back pain decrease. Nothing seemed to be helping. I got onto the bed on all fours and the nurse tried to turn Layne, so that he was face down. She helped by pushing on my back and talking me through each contraction. It wasn't long after that that Paula offered me some Stadol in my IV to take the edge off while we waited for the anesthesiologist to come. It seems like the one on call wasn't answering his pages and there was a shortage at the hospital...and that it may be awhile before I would get the relief I desperately needed. After the Stadol was administered, I felt completely out of it. The contractions were still strong and painful, but not quite the sharp pain that it previously had been. At 10 a.m. I was at 7.0 centimeters! Things were moving quickly.

I must have been in good graces because not long after my Stadol was given, the doctor walked in to give me my epidural. I think I told him that he was a savior! Oh the things we say when we are drugged! :)

I felt so much more in control and less panicked! This labor felt doable! By 11:30 a.m. my contractions were coming on strong every 2 minutes and I was at 8.0 centimeters. I could sit and watch my contractions register on the machine and know that my body was doing it's work in helping Layne enter this world.

When Paula checked me at 11:50 a.m., she determined that it was time for me to start pushing! I pushed for a good hour or so when Paula told me to take a break. She said that Dr. Nova was on his way and we would start pushing after a little while, when the contractions could do their magic and help Layne further down.

Dr. Nova was in and out and said he would be back. He briefly mentioned a c-section, but my nurse was a rock star and told him no way, not nearly time to talk about that yet!

Paula had me start pushing again at about 1:30, when Layne was further down the birth canal. She told Andy that he could come and see his little head when I was pushing. So, of course, he did and was so excited and amazed! It wasn't long after that that Dr. Nova reappeared and took a seat next to Andy and started discussing the military! He was only in the room for about 5 minutes and said he would be right back and that he might need to get a vacuum.

Paula told me that I could probably get him much closer to delivery by the time Dr. Nova came back. So, she turned my epidural down, so that I could feel the urgency in my pushing. After pushing for a bit, I decided I wanted to see the birth too. Paula pulled the mirror over and I was able to watch the whole thing. When Dr. Nova came into the room, I was strongly pushing through a contraction and he said he forgot the vacuum and he would be right back. Before Paula could tell him not to bother, the top of Layne's head was out! Dr. Nova scrambled to get his gown on and put the cloths under me, while fervently telling me not to push! When *he* was all ready, I gave one big push and out he came! Of course, I was crying and got upset when I hadn't heard him cry! But, it wasn't long before I heard his first yelps!

They took him over and started cleaning him off and suctioning him. He had excreted meconium right at delivery, but it was determined that he was fine and it was after his head was out. After cleaning him a bit, they wrapped him up and gave him to me. Oh my beautiful son!!! I just wanted to hold him forever. Paula told me that I might want to nurse him because the pediatric nurse would be there soon to wash him up and do all the birth data. He immediately latched on and took a few minutes of nursing. He was an eating champ (and still is)!!

It was quite an experience! And now I have this little one to show for it!
Thanks for letting me share the story of Layne's arrival. Boring, I know, but I had to get it down before I forgot the little details!

XO

a birth story... part one

I think it's about time I posted Layne's birth story. :) I still can't believe that he just turned 4 weeks old on Saturday.

So, it was March 1st. I was finally dead asleep, comfortable in my bed with each pillow strategically propping my big belly up. I jolted upright in bed and glanced at the clock - 4:17 a.m. What woke me? A gushing feeling... I had to contemplate whether I had accidentally peed on myself or if it was indeed my water breaking. There was only a small amount of liquid, so I wasn't 100% sure. I decided to get up and put a towel underneath me and monitor it, while trying to get some sleep. There were no contractions, so I knew I had some time if this was indeed "it." However, as soon as I laid back down in bed my back started killing me. I leaned over to wake Andy and told him that I thought that my water had broken. He immediately was awake and asking "What do you need me to do?" and "What do I do now?" I told him that he needed his rest for the day ahead and to go ahead and go back to sleep so he could get that rest.

I got up out of bed and did some laundry. I stashed a couple of outfits for the baby and myself in my hospital bag and made sure everything was in order. I quickly realized that I was having contractions. I went online and started timing them - coming 8-10 minutes apart. I was okay for a little bit longer. My back continued to throb! This was all new to me...contractions, labor, back pain, water breaking. None of which happened with Bayleigh without some assistance.

I woke Andy at about 6:30 a.m. and told him to take his time and wake up, but that this was it!
Taking his time flew out the window and he sat straight up in bed. :) I wanted a shower because I knew that it would be awhile before I would get one again. A girl's gotta shave before going to give birth, ya know? I knew that this was labor when I bent over to take my pants off and I gushed some more water into a puddle on the bathroom floor. So, I jumped in the shower and by this time my contractions were coming steadily every 8 minutes.

When I got out of the shower, I went to get dressed and Andy was out of bed and in Bayleigh's room. I got dressed and brushed my hair and joined them. For the first time in her short life, Bayleigh woke with a smile to the news that the baby was on his way. We were all very excited and trying to answer the millions of questions that Bayleigh had about how I knew it was time. Thankfully, we had her put to tasks and she quickly stopped asking us the hard questions.

I told Andy that he should go get breakfast after his shower. However, as he started the water for his shower, I realized that we didn't have that much time left. I peeked my head in the bathroom and told him to hurry and that we would get breakfast on the way. He chuckled and said okay. By the time he got out of the shower, my contractions were coming every 5 minutes and were getting increasingly more painful.

We stuffed Bayleigh in the car with her bag of toys, made sure we had the car seat all set, and put my suitcase in the trunk. We had waited to call our friends, Jorge and Laura, until 7 a.m. and they said to bring her on. They only live 2 blocks away from us, so it worked out perfectly. When we got to their house at 7:30, I got out of the car to help Bayleigh and give her a hug and I was in more pain now than when we left the house. It was hard to sit in the car without sharp pain and more back labor. We went through the McDonalds drive-thru and got some breakfast - me, a biscuit and juice; Andy, a McGriddle and juice. I wasn't that hungry, but I knew I wouldn't be eating for awhile, so I forced myself to gulp it down.

We drove down North Monroe and Meridian going well over the speed limit. Andy knew it was a rare opportunity to speed like heck through Tallahassee. So, he put on his flashers and went 10-15 mph over the speed limit. Funny guy!! I told him that he was going to make me have the baby right in the car if he didn't quit, as I held the panic handle through another contraction.

We got to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital at about 7:50 a.m. We parked in the parking garage and walked around trying to find the elevator in. I started to panic and worry that I would be out of time soon. We got in and went up to labor and delivery. We were told to wait in the lobby...but, they knew that this was pretty much it. I couldn't bear to sit in a chair, so I paced around the lobby. Finally, about 10 minutes later, they called us back to Triage and gave me the pleasant hospital gown to change into. As I changed in the bathroom, I noticed I was leaking more water still. So, I left the bathroom and got into the bed in my little corridor. It was about one contraction later that I realized just how uncomfortable the bed was...with the foot end sliding off the end of the bed. I had to roll onto my side with every contraction because of the incredibly strong back labor I was having. And let me tell you, these are not the beds to do this in. They are made for the 1800's laboring women - silent and motionless due to heavy narcotics.

Be back soon with part two added.... :) Gotta tend to a crying baby!

XO

ta da!

Alright, I finally followed through.

Here are pictures of our family on Easter. There are only a few of Layne in his cute little outfit because he promptly pooped out of his diaper and got the white onesie not so white anymore!

Okay, only 3 tonight. Seems like my computer wants to be a pain in the rear and it has taken me 30 minutes to get these up!!

I will be sure to post more when I can. :)



Thanks for indulging me! :)

XO

*whew*

Here I am!!! :)

I have been meaning to come post, but have been so busy with life. Sheesh!! Going from 1 to 2 kids is quite the challenge. I guess I had heard that this is the hardest adjustment - but, I chose to ignore it for fear of freaking myself out! LOL

We are doing well. Layne is getting into somewhat of a routine at night. He will nurse at about 10 and then go to bed for the night in his cradle. And he will wake about every 3-4 hours after that. But, we are getting him to bed at that time...which is a start. He was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed wanting to look at his toys at 11 and 12 at night. So, we will take progress when it comes!

I am in the midst of Andy's vacation time. Can someone shoot me now for actually ASKING for this?!?! haha It's nice to have him home, but he completely interferes with my daily routine. Thankfully, he found a job to keep him busy for awhile. Looks like I will need to give him another task once he is done. Keeping him busy is key. Just like my kids....keep them busy and distracted and they won't peeve you too bad. hahaha

I have to upload my pictures to my computer from Easter. I will be sure to come back and post a few pictures that I got of us. It was a nice day!! But, going to church was like completing an Army mission...without the Army support. haha It took all I could to get to church...only to get to church and have to nurse Layne. And I am still not into the routine of wearing appropriate nursing clothes...and well, you can imagine how that scene ended. :) I will leave it at that...

Alright, I will leave you with this layout. One for our family Christmas album. Look at how tiny Bayleigh is! Anyway, this is one I finished pre-Layne. I am still working on getting my mojo back and finding the time to actually sit down and scrap.

And I will be back to post pictures later on this evening!

XO

a tisket, a tasket

Okay, gotta post some more pictures of my baby boy. :) And yes, he is in a little basket. He is laying on a pillow that I stuffed down in there. I couldn't resist. I mean, I won't be able to do this very long. Have to get him used to my torture now. haha

I decided to take some of him in just his diaper. To remember how tiny his little hands, feet, legs, and all his part are. He was asleep until I laid him down in the basket and then he was bright-eyed and not too happy with me clicking away in his face.

Here he is.... Layne at 2.5 weeks old.


He was fairly cooperative. :) And look at those tiny hands and feet!!! This is why I scrapbook - to remember these days.

Layne had a fussy day today. He loves to go for walks though. And our daily walk to get Bayleigh from school was the highlight of his day. Hopefully, he will sleep well tonight. He was up until almost 1 am last night.

Alright, off to change a poopy diaper.

my two cuties

So, I had to take some St. Patrick's Day pictures of the kids together. Little Layne in his "Kiss me, I'm Irish" onesie and Bayleigh decked out in her finest of green. :) And tell me that Bayleigh didn't enjoy holding her brother and smiling for the camera.

Here they are....



How fun is that?? It is so neat to watch Bayleigh try to take care of him and hold him. She constantly tries to console him when he cries....telling him that "it's okay" and "sissy's here." I will enjoy it while it lasts. I know that as soon as he becomes mobile - it will all be over.

Here is my little man all suited up and getting quite uncomfortable being held by his sister's tired arms...


Just wanted to share those pictures with ya. I have tons more to share too....I can't help taking pictures almost everyday of him. He's just irresistible. So cute!! :)

Have a great day!

XO

Still here...

I am still here. Barely hanging on, but here.

The latest - our baby boy arrived! Little Layne Andrew Wildes was born on March 1st at 2:45 p.m. and he weighed 7 lbs, 3 ozs and was 19 inches long. We are all quite enamored with him. Especially his big sister - who just wants to sit and hold him all day long. :)

Here he is at the hospital...

















And all that 7 lbs is in his sweet little face. He has little chicken legs and is so tiny. I quickly forgot how little newborns were until this little one arrived. Goodness, so tiny!!!

We are adjusting to life with 2 kiddos. Bayleigh is doing well, but has her obvious qualms about a new little person entering our lives and our home. Especially when he demands so much of my time. I have got to get better at juggling the two better. I don't want her to think that she is second rate now....so, I have to get better about giving her more of my time as well. Hopefully, this won't be the reason she needs therapy as an adult. LOL :)

No real scrapping for me lately. I did finish a page up about sharing the news of our pregnancy with Bayleigh and Andy. I got it done right before Layne arrived.
I also finished a Christmas layout for our family album and will post it as soon as I get it uploaded and resized. :)

Well, off to do some more baby duty. I promise to update with more pictures of Layne soon. He is 2 weeks old today! I need to post his birth story too.

Hope this post finds you all well.

XO

The age old adage...

Time flies....

And it really does! Especially when you are trying to adjust to hour long homework sessions with your first grader and preparing for the arrival of a brand new baby! *whew* Just typing that wears me out!

So, here we are. I am now 33 weeks pregnant with our little punkin. I can't believe that he will be arriving any day now!!! Eeek... as a matter of fact, I was at my doctor's office last Thursday because I was feeling some major pressure and didn't know if this kid was going to fall out or what! He reassured me by checking me and patted my back, while telling me "welcome to a pregnancy with a boy!"

Yep, that's right....A BOY!!!!!

Andy finally caved and let me tell him Thanksgiving morning that we are expecting a baby boy. We are all pretty excited!! Bayleigh still isn't sure what to expect, but that is okay. She is going to do great with her baby brother.

I can't really post any new pictures because my camera is gone to Sony! I will probably be getting a new one because my Minolta is just having too many problems for my liking. I am hoping to be able to call them and get some resolution on Thursday - we shall see. I hate going back to 35mm after being spoiled with my DSLR.

I will post more later on....just had to post a quick update to anyone who actually reads this!

See ya'll! :)

So, once again, it has been awhile since my last blog entry. Life has gotten hectic and busy, but I guess that is always my excuse. :)

Some new things in our family since my last post...

Bayleigh started first grade. I still can't believe that my child is a first grader. Wow, makes me feel really old. Along with starting first grade comes all the new responsibilities of being in "big girl" school. We have adjusted to homework every night and spelling and reading tests every week. She is doing great!

Other Wildes family news is that....

WE ARE EXPECTING #2!!! I found out a week ago Friday what we are having. But, Andy doesn't want to know just yet, so we are keeping it quiet until he decides he is ready. I give him until Christmas. LOL :) Everything is going well and I feel just great. My official due date is March 13th.

Everything else is going well. Just doing the day-to-day stuff and enjoying every minute.

I hope that you (whoever reads this thing) are well!! I will be sure to update more frequently. I need to show Bayleigh off soon, so look for more pictures soon.

Far too long...

Okay, it has been far too long since I last posted to my blog. *slaps hand* Bad blogger!! hehe

The end of the year is winding down for me at work. I am looking forward to a summer of rest, relaxation, and visiting. We are planning a few vacations and I am so excited!!!

But, with the end of the school year, comes mega paperwork time. In ESE land we are all swamped with new IEP's for next year and evaluations to be completed. Bleck! I guess they make it that way so that when summer does come, we are trully appreciative. *L*

I am going to update my blog later tonight with a layout or two and I need to upload some pictures of Bayleigh out on the boat this weekend.

I hope that you are well and finding joy in all that you do!!

Happy St. Patty's!!

I forgot to get on and post this on Saturday, so I wanted to update now!

Just a fun picture of Bayleigh in all her green!! Ok, isn't she getting big?!?! She is such a cutie and she loved all the four-leaf clover tattoos my mom bought her. She loved posing it up for me.

She loves celebrating St. Patty's Day!! The leprechauns did not make it to our house, much to the chagrin of Bayleigh. Maybe next year. *wink*



We enjoyed yummy corned beef and cabbage!! Bayleigh cleaned her plate. I love it when she tries something new and enjoys every bit of it. :) She ate like she hadn't eaten in weeks. LOL I have raised her well.

At long last...

I have completed a scrapbook page!!! This page has been sitting on my table for a long time just waiting to be finished....and the inspiration has been slow coming. I am so glad to finally have completed a page!!! I hope that this is the end of my dry spell, that is for sure.

Here's the page I created:


Oh man it feels good. I have spent the rest of the night putting layouts into albums and getting organized. Now I know what I am going to work on next. :)

Alright, off to try to find inspiration for my next page and call it a night!!

Sunday Musings...

So, it's Sunday. I should have been at church. But, instead, I was here on the couch - high on cold medicine and nose raw from tissues. Bleck. I hate being sick. Especially when the weather is so stinking beautiful outside.

As a compromise, I have the french doors and windows wide open with lots of fresh air filling the house. As I take a deep breath, I am relieved that there is warm weather and sunshine. Makes my soul happy!! :)

Andy left yesterday morning and we spent the day running errands. I took Bayleigh and her best friend to see Charlotte's Web in the afternoon. What a great movie!! The book is one of my childhood favorites, but watching the movie - with real animals and a real Fern, so great!

In my quiet last night (between the dozing on the couch), I started thinking about how much work it was for Charlotte to convince Wilbur that he was all those words that she spun about him. Isn't that how our lives are? It takes alot of convincing by others to help us see ourselves for some of the things that we really are. Why is it so hard for us to see the good in ourselves? Is because the world tells us that it is boastful and ungodly? Or is it because we, as women, were raised to believe in being the ultimate unselfish giver of ourselves without ever thinking about what we need or how much we give? I am not sure. But, I know that with me, that has to change. For my own sanity and good, I have got to start focusing on the positive more. If I don't, the dark will intrude and take over parts of my life that I am not willing to hand over.

So, I am going to try to come up with a word everyday that tells something about myself and try to mull it over and pick it apart. Something positive...something inspiring. I deserve it! And so does every other woman!!

Those are my first thought provoking insights from the movie....funny how a kid's movie can teach us grown-ups so much! :)

Wacky Wednesday

We are done with our crazed FCAT testing in the state of Florida. *huge sigh of relief* I am glad that it is over. These kids were so panic-stricken over this test. It is so sad. They did fairly well, however, they attempted to make every question much harder than it needed to be. I got through it, they got through it, and we will see how they did when reports come back later this school year.

Andy leaves for another school on Saturday. He will be in South Carolina for some Army school. Gotta love the military. I have no clue what it is for - I just gave up trying to keep track. Although I do know that he said it would be quite challenging. But, I know he will do great and leave with excellent reviews!!

So, I think we are done trying for #2. *gulp* Yes, I would love another. However, it's just not happening. So, I think we are just going to let things go and enjoy what we have. We have been blessed with a beautiful little girl and we couldn't ask for anything more. It's hard to admit it, but I think that we will all be a little better off if we put it away for now. Maybe just the top shelf of the closet, not quite up in the attic yet. *wink*

I think that's about it for now. I am going to scrapbook tonight and try to finish up this page I have been working on. It's for a book of me challenge over at Lifetime Moments. We will see. Gonna make a stop at the local scrapbook store - Scrapbook Market - after I get off of work. But, after that, I am going to scrap away. Well, until Lost comes on. hehe

That's all for now.....