Roll Tide!

As many of my high school friends know, we are HUGE Alabama fans. Bama is having an amazing year. Usually, my family gets together to watch some of the Alabama games. This year has been different because my dad and brother got season tickets. However, we got together to wath the LSU game. We took some pictures of the boys in their gear. Aren't they cute?!

Todd is in the grey shirt.

Our newest Bama Fan. Roll Tide Roll!

Sleep At Last!!!

Well, we have had 2 good nights of sleep in a row. I hope and pray that this continues. Jackson has been eating at 9:30is and then again at 2:00 ish and then at 6:15 ish. I will gladly take that!!! I feel so much better. Maybe I can get this giant stack of laundry done now.

We found out a big reason he was not sleeping. He was allergic to the formula we were supplementing with. We had already figured out he could not tolerate diary. I have cut all of that out of my diet since he was having trouble. I also cut out broccoli, garlic, onions, tomato based foods, spicy foods and lettuce because he has had trouble with them. Yes, eating is not fun right now and VERY bland. Well, we had put him on soy, which is what Todd had to take. Within a few days, Jackson had a rash appear in his face. I thought it was baby acne. It got worse and began to spread and he was spitting up as much as an ounce of his bottle. I took him in and they said he was allergic to the soy formula. Now he is on some weird, nasty formula. He is so much happier and comfortable. We feel bad that he was having reactions to what we were giving him and could not rest. I hope this fixes things!

Halloween late..

Here are a few pictures from Halloween. We did not take Jackson out so we did not get him a "true" costume. Todd went to my brother's house with my mom on Halloween. He did not go trick or treating that night. They wanted to pass out candy. All of them had already done 2 trunk or treats so they had PLENTY of candy!

Our Indiana Jones.

Jackson is awake to celebrate Halloween.

My 2 precious boys!!

Pictures at last!!!!

I finally got around to loading some pictures of Jackson. He is 3 weeks old today. Boy the time goes fast!Todd kissing his baby brother. He does this a lot in a days time.

This is what we tend to see at 2:00 am. Isn't he cute?

Jackson taking control of the remote. No, this was not planned he did it on his own! With 3 boys, I have no chance at holding the remote.

It's been a while

I will try to quickly update things. I really plan to post some more pictures soon! Here are the highlights:

• Todd has adjusted amazingly well. After all, he was an only child for 6 years! He wants to hold him and kiss him constantly!
• Jackson does not sleep at night. He has stomach issues from 11:00 pm to 4:30 am. Yes, I have to hold him that entire time or he cries, no he screams!
• I am feeling good now but had to get on an antibiotic because I was running a fever if 101 for several days. Brad stayed home and worked from here so he could help. My mom did a few all night watches so I could sleep. I am feeling much better now!
• We took Jackson for his 2 week check-up yesterday. He had grown 1/4 of an inch and weighed 9lb 5 oz. He obviously doesn't have problems eating.
• We were told we couldn't take him to church until he was 2 months because of flu season and cold season. That is a downfall to having a baby in the fall and not the summer. The doctor said if he ran a fever at his age, we would hospitalize him immediately. We don't want that so we will keep him in.

Well, that sums things up for now. I am off to do a couple of things while he is asleep. This is his time of sleep!

Update

Okay, we have been busy and I have not posted anything. We are doing well. Jackson does not care for the night sleep too much but he seems to be sleeping better today so I hope we can get some sleep in tonight. Todd has been at my brother and sister-in-law's house for 2 days. this has made things easier. He is crazy about Jackson. I will [post more pictures when I have a few minutes.


Oh, I also had to make a trip to the ER on Friday night. Things seem fine but my incision had some discharge (TMI). They said it was normal so I did not have to do anything. Overall, this surgery is MUCH easier than it was with Todd! I am getting around well. I guess it is a good thing since I have Todd to take care of and Brad going back to work.

Anyway, please continue to pray for healing and health!

Jackson Is Here!

Here are picures of Jacskson Ray Beasley. He was born at 1:04 pm and weighed 8 lbs 12 1/2 oz. He was 20" long. Todd is crazy about him! Everyone is doing well. Thanks for all of the prayers! I will post more pictures later!

Busy Day

Okay, today is already proving to be way busier than I hoped it to be. First, it is my birthday. I am 32 today. Does that really seem possible? That sounds so old to me! I have also already made a trip to the pediatrician's office this morning. Todd ran a low grade temp Friday night. It quickly left so we assumed things were fine. Last night, he began to complain about an earache and a sore throat. Keep in mind, Todd had strep 4 times last year. I decided we had to find out if he was contagious because we don't want Jackson sick. He ended up with a sinus infection. That is east to cure and deal with. We were VERY thankful about that. Then, I am trying to complete things here before tomorrow. My mom will stay at our house so that Todd will be in his bed at night and we don't have to board the dogs for the week. Finally, at 1:00 today, we close on the addition to our house.

I guess all of this proves one thing...
I am old and the thought of all of this makes me want to take a nap since I haven't slept well all week!

By the way, please keep me and Jackson in your prayers tomorrow. I am scheduled for the c-section at 12:30. I will post news as soon as I can!

CRAZY WEEK

Okay, this week has been crazy. First, our phones were messed up which made my Internet out of commission. Can I just say that I am really dependent on it! I was able to use Brad's at night. The problem with that is that I am so tired at night that I could not function. The only thing I really did was check on my friend's baby who is in NICU. Please keep them in your prayers. I cannot imagine how exhausted and emotionally drained they are!

On top of that, I have been trying to get ready for Jackson's arrival. I have done so many loads of baby laundry getting ready. We had a shower on Sunday and got lots of cute outfits that I washed up. We got some really good stuff that we needed like blankets and things like that. We are blessed to be a part of a wonderful church family!

After all of the prep time, I am now realizing just how close October 7th is. I told Brad that we will see just how much difference 6 years make. I pray that recovery is as fast as it was for Todd. I find it funny that I feel like a first time mom again. It has been so long. I feel anxious just like I did with Todd. We are very excited, though. God has blessed us with another little boy and we can't wait to meet him.

Well, as you can see, I am tired and rambling so I will stop now!

Cardboard testimonies

If you go to church with me, you may not want to look at this blog because it is something that we are doing on Sunday and it may not be as effective!!!!

This is something that we were exposed to through the youth group a few weeks ago. The teens watched the video that follows and wrote their own cardboard testimonies. I tried to link the video and it did not want to cooperate. Please take a minute to watch this if you have not seen it. It is amazing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ


This made me think about my cardboard testimony. I believe every Christian has an amazing testimony. Sure, in the world's standards, there are some people that have more drastic conversion stories. However, we all have a story. God has changed all of us. So, here is my question, what is your cardboard testimony? How has God used you to change this world? How has God impacted your life and are we letting Him use us? I know there have been times when I have not allowed Him to use me. I pray that we all will allow Him to use us to reach a lost world. I love what the man ask at the end... What if this was our welcoming committee.

C-Section date changed

Well, I went to the Dr today and we moved the C-section up. The ironic thing was he said either the 6th or 7th. The 6th is my birthday so I opted for the 7th so that he could have his own birthday. Brad informed me it was more like I would have my own because he would have taken over that day! My blood pressure was better but the doctor was afraid I would not make it to the 10th. That is not many days different but at this point, it is a little bit earlier and that is good with me. It does make me lose a few days, though. I guess I should get busy. Brad and my parents are painting Todd's room this weekend so I need to go vacuum and get it ready. Todd decided after the nursery was painted that he "hated" his room color. He has chosen a BRIGHT YELLOW for his room. I started to argue and decided it would not last forever and he has loved yellow for a long time now. I guess I will just invest in some good indoor sunglasses!

Update

First of all, to all of my high school friends, I will post stories of my junior high years one day. It was a difficult time for me!

On another note, I have been put on modified bed rest until Thursday. I will go to the doctor then and we will see what he says. This came because my blood pressure has crept up little by little. Saturday night, I had a migraine so bad that I could not sleep. On Sunday, I checked my blood pressure and it was 135/91. My normal is 110/upper 70's. I have had some trouble since then, but not as bad. I am not good at taking it easy but I am trying very hard. I want to make it to 38 weeks if I can! That is September 30th. Anyway, I had this trouble with Todd but it was when I was 38 weeks. That is why they took him 10 days early. We will see what happens on Thursday. Please keep me and Jackson in your prayers. I guess we will throw Brad in that mix since he will be picking up a lot of the load for a few weeks!

Tagged

I was tagged by my friend Kristin. So here we go.

I am suppose to tell you 6 things that you may not know about me. I will give it a try.

1.) I am terrified of snakes. It is almost a phobia state. I think they are ugly and scary.

2). I do not walk over drainage crates on the road. I have always been scared that I would fall in and be left to die in their. Todd now avoids them as well.

3). I have always wanted to get a degree in American Sign Language. It fascinates me and I tend to run into people with hearing impairments that I could translate for to help them. I am able to help some, just not as much as I would like.

4). The profession I have always done, teaching special education, was not my original degree. My original degree was elementary education. I added it only after I needed more credits to be full time. I did not intend on using it, but got into it and love it!

5). I do not eat fish of any kind. Yuck!

6). I was rebellious in my junior high years. I was a habitual liar and did many things behind my parents back. Thankfully, there were lots of people looking after me and I got caught every time. So, I never got into too much trouble! I think this is why I like Jr. High to this day. I know it was a tough 3 years for me!

There you have it. Not too exciting. I will tag anyone that wants to do it. Most of you were already tagged.

Ike Continued

Here is a new picture of the damage done during Hurricane Ike. This is literally blocks from my father-in-law's house. These houses that remain were the very expensive homes that were much higher off of the ground. I cannot imagine going to my home and seeing this!

I guess this is a reminder that our home is temporary and that the structure we live in is just a house. Our home is a place of refuge, comfort, support, and love. When the house is gone, we should rely on the people that make it a home. I guess this is a modern reminder of the song we have sang for years about the wise man building his house on the Rock. Despite the destruction, our Lord is still there to mend their hearts and pain if only they will let Him. That is my prayer for all of those suffering right now. I pray that they will have a peace that only He can provide!

Hurricane Ike

I cannot imagine what a hurricane would be like. I have experienced the edge of a tornado and it was bad. Winds of 100 miles an hour and rising water sound like hell on earth to me. With that being said, I cannot imagine why people would not evacuate! I would pack up the things that are most important and get out of town. I would not wait to see if it was going to get bad.





My father-in-law is from the Galveston, Texas area. He let but he did not go too far. He is in a suburb of Houston and is still without power. We have talked to him briefly. He is safe but was told that he would have nothing left. He is in his mid 60's and has lived in this area since he retired. He was a hard worker and saved a lot of money. However, now so much of that is gone. He asked Brad to be watching for pictures or video of his area. I have included a picture of the part of the peninsula that he lived in. As you can see, there is nothing left.

I will post some more pictures later. It is hard to even comprehend such destruction.

One word... Huge

For those of you that do not read facebook, we had an ultrasound today. I am 35 weeks and 2 days as of today. After the measurements, they have predicted that he is 7 pounds 7 ounces! Todd was 8 lbs 1 oz at birth. He was only 10 days early. Jackson still has 4 weeks to cook until the scheduled c-section. If the stats are true (that they gain 1/2 lb week), he will be 9 1/2 - 10 lbs at birth. My doctor was not in the office today for me to discuss it with him. He had kidney stones yesterday. I do not know if they will take him earlier or let he be half grown at birth. Also, my blood pressure was 125/86. This is high for me. I was 113/85 just 2 weeks ago and that is higher than my normal. I am not sure what that will mean. I am going to try to get things finished up as much as possible just on case I am put on bed rest or taken to the hospital earlier. Please just keep all of this in your prayers. We are very excited about Jackson. We have prayed for him for nearly 4 years!

Decisions

Can I just say that I am terrible at making decisions. Sure, some are made fast ans with very little thought. Others, I take forever and question myself on them a million times. We have been adding a 300 sf foot den to our house. Some things have been easy. However, most things have taken me a while. Flooring was the last big decision. We had one option that was $600 less than the other option. However, the more expensive was a little better match I thought. I went back and forth trying to decide. Finally, I decided on the more expensive. We should be done with the addition next week! I am ready to have my house back. It's been as good as it can get, though. An elder at our church has done it. He is very nice and I had complete confidence in him! It has also been a very clean group of people working on the house. I am excited that it will be done! We look forward to more space for those swings, bouncers, etc. Babies really do take up lots of space.

By the way, I have an ultrasound Thursday. I have been having some pains. We will find out more then. I am anxious to see how much this baby weighs!

Weird post

Okay, I posted something new today and it put it down several posts. I am interested to see others views on this so go to the post about eyes and let me know what you think.

Smiles all over

After school yesterday, Todd came in and went to his room to play. He had been playing Star Wars while listening to The Lion King soundtrack. I had gone in to check on him because he had been in there for about an hour without any communication from me. He was just totally involved in light saber fights. I returned to my room to continue laundry. In about 10 minutes, Todd comes in covered in smile stamps. His arms and legs were total smiley faces. I laughed and did not think much about it. In a minute, he returned and had continued the stamping to his stomach and face. At this point, I thought it was getting out of control. He ran into his room and was going to add some more but stepped in the ink pad. He then got it on our wood floors and his carpet. Now I was not happy. I toted all 58 pounds of him to the bathroom and went to clean the wood. Thankfully, it came right up. The carpet was another story. As I went to put the lids on the stamp pads, I realized that only one of them was washable. It was then that I began to panic. I mean, he was COVERED in these stamps. I put him in the tub and began to scrub. Thankfully, most of them were the washable and came right off. The others came of with some scrubbing except one. He now has a perfectly stamped smile right on his butt check. Yes, he had managed to put on there and it is the one that will not come off. I guess he has a smile tattoo for now. I should have taken a picture of his modest stamping but when it was getting on my floor, I had to get it off. When Brad asked him why he did it, Todd replied, "I was just so happy to have a long weekend!" I guess who can blame him on that. I thought I might need to watch Brad since he was happy to have some time off, too!

The Results are in..

I went to the Dr. today and FINALLY got the test results back from my whooping cough. The verdict was that I am not immune to it so I could catch it. However, it did not look like I had it. They could not tell for sure because you show traces of it if you have been immunized. Basically, I am fine unless I start hacking my head off. Then, I probably have it. He did say that the baby would not be harmed. All in all, that is good news.

Also, I will have another ultrasound in 2 weeks to double check things with the 2 vessel cord. He wants to do one final check before the c-section. I am anxious to know what his estimated weight is going to be.

As always, please continue to pray that Baby Jackson is safe and healthy!