Mother's Day 2010

Happy Day to Me!

Sunday was Mother's Day, a day that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. When I was younger I remember whispered giggly conversations with my dad about where to take my mom out for dinner, and what to get her for a present. I always felt it was something close to a birthday. You buy a present, go out for dinner, say "Happy Mother's Day, mom!" and that's it. Just a chance to celebrate.

Now I understand. Now I have a little boy who calls me momma. He tells me he loves me. He gives me hugs and kisses. He demands I'm the one to put him to bed everynight. When I do something with my hair he says, "Your hairs nice, Momma." He hates seeing me upset. When I struggle with depression he's there to force me out of it. Somedays he's the only reason I get out of bed. Well, him and his little brother. That one doesn't say much of anything yet. But he smiles at me. Smiles so big his entire face lights up like I'm his whole world. Which I am. He doesn't use words to tell me how much he loves me and needs me, but we don't need words. Yup, I'm pretty much the most blessed person in the world. My husband is just as awesome as my boys. They really made me feel special this weekend. Saturday they took me to lunch, then we went to JoAnn Fabrics so I could get some scrapbook supplies. Then we headed to the mall where I got my hair cut. They surprised me with some of my favorite truffles from Godiva (extra dark chocolate). Sunday we got up and Mitch made coffee, the we headed to church. The boys went to their nurserys and Mitch and I sat through the service, enjoying tribute to mothers. When I went to the 3 & 4 year old nursery to get Alex, he surprised me with a card he made me. Yes, it's a plate with stickers on it. I will treasure it forever! We stopped at whole foods on the way home where I got to pick out some treats. We got home and I was forced to sit down and RELAX. Alex and I ended up having a hillarious photo-shoot with daddy going crazy on the camera. Eli eventually joined in too. I'll post pictures soon. I love my boys. It was a great weekend!

Eli James at OneTrueMedia.com

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Eli James LaVire

Eli James LaVire was born at Beaumont Hospital in Troy, MI on February 4th, 2010 at 4:00am. He weighed 7 lbs. 15oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. I was only in labor about 11 hours and only pushed for ten minutes. The nurse timed it. They were impressed. Everything went well, no problems. And he's beautiful!

He met his older brother Alex and his grandma when he was about 12 hours old.

We came home from the hospital when he was only a day and a half old! He even got to meet Sampson!

First week home

Chillin with a puppy

First Smile!

St. Patrick's Day

Easter

Remembering

I remember September 11th, 2001. I was a senoir in High School, in choir, when our principal come over the P.A. to announce that NYC had been attacked. I thought, "Oh, how sad!" and wondered what had happened. After choir I went to senior english (boooring class!) and sat in my usual seat next to my friend, Bryant. Our teacher was extremely laid back and turned the TV on for us so we could watch CNN and the coverage. So we sat and watched. I overheard some guys in the back of the class joking about how maybe they'd let us go home from school early because of what had happened. Jerks. Bryant and I were the only ones really paying attention, everyone else was goofing off having a good ole time, like it was a party or something. I saw the second plane hit the other tower and so did Bryant. We turned to each other and both said, "DId you just see.....? I think I saw...." We were in shock. Our next class we had together, and it was Economics. That teacher too was extremely laid back and let us watch TV all hour. So we watched some more. And then we stayed there during lunch and watched even more. It was so sad. It was also sad to see how most of my classmates reacted to it. Lots of joking. And yet somehow I was voted "Most Immature" in our class. Jerks. After lunch we went to different classes, and my teacher actually held class like normal. By that time there was no new coverage or anything. But I was pretty much in a daze all day. My dad came to pick me up from school like usual and we drove home, wondering how the world was going to change. Our first clue was when we drove by the gas station in town. It was PACKED OUT, people were lined up into the street to get gas. I asked my dad if we were going to go through another depression or something, or if the world was ending. He just shook his head and said, "We'll see." But everyone was panicking, it was crazy. We got home and turned the TV on to watch some more. A few days later dad was contacted by the FBI (I think). His name had come up in a list of people they were calling to come help with rescue/recovery. He was very qualified because he was a firefighter, and EMT and a Pastor, so he was good for everything, including counseling. So he packed up and left, picking up his friend Leo on the way. When he got home he had aged about ten years and had a lot of stories to share. I could see the sadness in his eyes and it really bothered me. He told me all about it, about the body sniffing dogs, and the smoke and the smell and the noise, and walking through a building that may collapse in order to get to a building where people were trapped. And about the "bucket brigade" lines of volunteers that would pass five gallon buckets of debris to try to get people to save them. They didn't save anyone. He found a torso, a leg and an elbow I believe. I still don't know how he did it. He's a hero.

I have a few pictures from when he was there, I'll post them tomorow.

Little Blob of a Baby

We went last week for an ultrasound to determine how far along I am. Turns out I was only at ten weeks, so here's a picture of my blob!

And because no one can tell what they're looking at:

The green circle is my uterus and the little blob is the baby. Cute, isn't it?

Here's a picture of what a baby at ten weeks looks like, to give you more of an idea. My baby is in pretty much the same position.

Counting My Blessings

Now that I'm pregnant for the second time, I find myself tired all the time, sick to my stomache alot, achy, irratable, crying for no reason, being mean to my wonderful hubby, not having any patience with my two year old, and a whole bunch of other wonderful things. Needless to say, I've been finding a million and one things to complain about. And complain is what I've been doing. And being mean. And wishing things were easier. Pregnancy really is a miserable experience if you let it be that way. But I don't want to be a miserable person anymore. I was just reading a friends blog, and all three of her daughters have now moved far away. She's a wonderful woman, full of love for Christ, her girls and her hubby. And anyone who needs her. While reading about her struggles I realized how stupid I've been acting. I have a wonderful husband, an amazing son (even though he's now acting like a two year old), a great family, great friends, and now this new little miracle thats growing inside of me. Not to mention a Saviour who loves me no matter how horrible I act. I really need to just shut up about how icky I feel. It doesn't matter how tired I am. I need to stop complaining. If I'm really tired and don't feel good, I can just Mitch (sometimes even Alex) or someone else if anyone's around, and they will help me and take care of me! I also realized today that I have the very best father in law a girl could ask for. He works nights, so he's exhausted most of the time, but every couple of days he takes Alex out either to a store or to his house. I know he loves spending time with him, but I also realized today that he does it to give me a break and let me rest. He is amazing, truly a gift from God. And I've been rude to him, because I was tired. *sigh* But reading my friends blog made me appreciate just what I have. So no more of the attitude. Yes, I'll still be tired and feel sick all the time. But I'm so blessed! Thank you friend, for reminding me of this. Your daughters are extremely blessed to have you for a mom, don't ever forget that, especially while you're apart!

To all my friends, family and anyone else who's done something for me or my family:
Thank you. I truly appreciate you.