FAMILY BBQ

A few weeks ago on May 14, 2011 we decided to have a huge family BBQ at the Stagge Ranch. It was so much fun!! Almost everyone in the family was able to make it and the weather cooperated beautifully. We BBQ'd hamburgers and hot dogs, had a bunch of yummy side dishes that everyone brought to share, played games in the yard and gave the kiddos rides on the horses. Chris and I want to thank everyone for coming out and hanging out with us. We had a blast and we hope everyone else did too!!

Scott & Julie

Ellie

Ren & Julieanne

Nick, Julieanne & Chris

Playing red rover!!

Playing Football

Playing Frisbee

Me & Rex

Hollie, Ledgend and Chris

David & Caleb

Hallie

Ben, Ellie & Carter

Parker

Some of the kiddos waiting their turns

Chris & Maisie

Chris & Hendrix

The kids got to feed the horses some carrots

They were so cute and they did such a good job.

This BBQ was a way for us to say "THANK YOU" from the bottom of our hearts for your love, support and patience over the last year since we said goodbye to Waylon. We appreciate everyone's willingness to help, and for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers, more than we can ever express in words. We hadn't seen a lot of you for quite some time and we are so sorry for that, but it was just how we needed to handle things, so thank you for understanding.

We are so greatful to have such a wonderful family!! We love all of you very much.

38 DAYS & THE JOYS OF PREGNANCY

I have been slacking lately on keeping up with my posts. May was such a busy month for us, and I have been working a lot on getting everything ready for little miss Madison to get here. I am close, but there is still a lot that I want to have done before she arrives. We are oficially down to 38 days now!! Only 5 more weekends to go until we get to meet our baby girl. I am so ready for her to get here!!

As the weeks go on I have been getting more and more uncomfortable. I have gained 28 lbs now and I feel like I am carrying a giant boulder around with me all the time. I think I officially started to "waddle" this week. LOL  I have still been going to the gym 5 days a week, walking and lifting weights, but now I have noticed I get home and I have to rest the better part of the day because the gym took just about every ounce of energy I could muster up. I really enjoy going though. I have a pretty sweet little routine that I have gotten into, so hopefully I won't have to give it up.

I have had a lot of the same things this pregnancy that I did with Waylon too. The siatica pain is down right unbearable sometimes. I was walking in Babies R Us yesterday and BAM! there goes my right leg out from under me. I had to grab a hold of the shelf and then hobble down the rest of the aisle. That sort of thing happens quite often. People look at me strange too, and I want to say....stop staring, I'm not uncoordinated, I have a boulder that is sitting on a nerve people!! ha ha  I was hoping I would be able to avoid the very strange growth on my gums this go-round, but I was not so lucky. I has come back with a vengence! So, if you see me in the next little while, NO I do not have watermelon stuck in my teeth!! I had sooooo many people tell me that last time. I think it's hilarious, but it's also such a pain. It bleeds at the drop of a hat and unfortunately it's here for the duration. My dentist and doctor said there is nothing I can do about it, I just have to wait for it to go away after I deliver Madison. Great, just what I wanted, a yucky growth on my gums!! See....

Great shot right? LOL

I also have declared war against the wart on my thumb. I know that may gross a few people out, but I have to tell you guys about it. I swear this thing is not cooperating at all. I have had it frozen about 20 or more times, I have tried duct tape, bandaids with medicine in them, you name it I have tried it. My doctor and dermatologist say that the reason I can't get it to go away is because of my fluctuating hormones. I have had this miserable thing for over 2 years now!! So Mr. Wart......be prepared for anialation once I deliver Madison. You are going down!!

Among the things I have already told you about, I got the mask again. I think it's called melasma, or the mask of pregnancy. I slightly resemble a raccoon. ha ha  I got it with my pregnancy with Waylon too. It eventually went away, but man is it frustrating in the meantime.


Other than these few very strange things, I feel amazing!! I really don't have a heck of a lot to complain about. My blood pressure has been great, my weight gain is on track, I am extremely healthy and as far as we can tell so is Madison. That is always music to my ears when I go in for my appointments every week. I could sit and listen to her heartbeat for forever. I started going in weekly at 29 weeks and last week at 32 weeks they started doing the NST's. I have had an ultrasound at every single appointment I have gone to. Dr. S has taken such phenomenol care of me and Madison. I am so grateful for him and his compassion. He told me yesterday when I went in that everything looks fantastic and Madison's heart rate is great, she is head down and has been for quite a while. He also told me that I had quite a few contractions on the printout, but that they are just practice ones. I told him I have been feeling them for the last week and I wondered if they could be Braxton Hicks ones. I never got them with Waylon. In fact, I don't remember what an actual labor contraction even feels like. I don't remember my delivery with Waylon at all. It's kind of like I am going into this for the 1st time all over again. Maybe things will start to come back to me once I am in the hospital and in labor. I guess we'll see.

Has anyone noticed that I now have an enter key again, and I can space things out when I type. Yiipppeeee!! I love, love, love my new computer!!

Now for some bump pictures that I know you are all just dying to see......

29 Weeks

30 Weeks

Ahhhh, so true.

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

I have been working a lot on the nursery too, so stay tuned for some pictures of it when it gets finished. I am about halfway done with her bedding, so I will post them after I get it all put together. XOXO

MORE BIRTHDAYS....

Happy Birthday to our little speckly girl Morgan, she is now 2 years old!! She desperately wanted a new doggy bed for her kennel after she had a vomit accident on her last one and ruined it, so that's just what she got, a new bed.....and a bone. She wanted to be fair to the other puppies though, so she insisted that I get 3 bones so that each of them could have one. It worked out great, they were sooooo excited to have a new treat to knaw on. They ran and played in the yard and chewed their new treats for hours!! Also, Happy Birthday to Rex, he turned 12 this year!! I can't believe I've had him for 6 years already, boy does time fly by. All Rexy wanted for his birthday was some carrots, so he got to eat a whole bunch of them!! He was so excited when he saw them, he immediately started flapping his lips. (Those who know this crazy horse know exactly what I'm talking about, it's hilarious!) He was a nice boy and shared with his brother Ledgend too. Both critters seemed to have a great birthday!! We love them sooooo much!! Next year, Rex told me he wants a new halter and lead rope. LOL  :) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Last Wednesday was my wonderful and amazing husband's birthday. He had to work all day, but we did get to BBQ that night for dinner. I wish I could have spent the whole day with him, but we were able to celebrate his birthday along with Mother's Day on Sunday with our families. I love you very much handsome man, you are the kindest, sweetest, most loving husband a girl could ask for. You are my everything. I hope you had a great birthday this year!!  XOXO

MOTHER'S DAY 2011

This year I wasn't quite sure how to feel about Mother's Day. The days leading up to it I had a few different thoughts of how the day would go. I thought that maybe it would be awkward and people wouldn't know whether or not to tell me Happy Mother's Day. I personally have never once NOT considered myself a mother. I became a mother the second Waylon started growing in my belly. Nothing can change that or take it away. I could never pretend that it didn't happen. Sure, I am not the traditional "mother" right now. I can't see or hold my baby boy, and I never got the pleasure of raising him, but I AM still a mother. Madison also reminds me every day that I am a mother. I know that right now I am caring for her while she grows strong and tries to make it into this crazy world. I long for that day to come. Once I realized that as long as "I" knew that I am a mother, nothing else mattered. I am so greateful for the wonderful and loving family I have. Thank you to everyone who thought of me on Mother's Day. Thank you to my sweet angel for first making me a mom. I miss you so much and even though you aren't here to tell me Happy Mother's Day, I can still feel your love. Thank you to my baby girl, Madison, for giving me lots of kicks and letting me know she is ok. I love you so much already. Mother's Day isn't only about my motherhood though, it's about my mom and my mother-in-law and all women who are mother's for that matter. Thank you mom for always being my friend, and sticking by me through everything. You are an amazing momma and I am so grateful to have you in my life. I hope I can learn from you and become a great mother myself. Momma Carol, thank you for bringing my man into this world, that alone is something I will be eternally grateful for. You are such a kind, sweet, loving person. I feel honored to know you and so grateful to have you as my friend. I feel comforted knowing you will always be there for me no matter what. Thank you for loving my eggs. :)  All in all, I had a great day. Thank you to my loving husband for making today special for me. I love you more than words can say. You are my everything. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, to all the momma's missing their baby(ies), hoping their baby(ies) get here safely, and to those who get to hold your little ones in your arms......squeeze them a little tighter today. I hope you have a peaceful day. XOXO

MARCH FOR BABIES 2011

First of all, I want to thank everyone who was able to come out and walk with us, (Tammie, Carol, Julieanne, Ren, Nick, Terryn, Parker, Maisie, Hendrix, Jordan, Hollie, Xander, Gabe, Campbell, Ben, Cassie, Carter, Hallie, Ellie, Sadie, Julie and Doris) it meant so much to us to have the support of a loving and understanding family. Second, thank you soooo much to those who were able to donate to the cause. We made our goal of $100 and then some....our final amount raised was $115!! That is awesome you guys!! Thank you for making it all happen. The March of Dimes is a great cause to raise money for. They do so much to help families with babies in the NICU, and fund a lot of research to help make it possible for more babies to never end up there in the first place. I decided to start a team and walk this year to hopefully prevent someone, anyone from enduring the pain and heartache of losing a child. We all walked in Waylon's name, but we walked for more than just him. We walked for all the babies who are micarried, born still, born too soon, with special needs and for those whose little bodies couldn't fight any longer. We walked for ALL babies. It was a way fun day!! I hope everyone who came had a great time and will consider joining the team again next year. We love you all so much, thank you for being a part of this with us. XOXO