5.31.2010

Schools out for Summer

The first day of school and the last day of school.
It was an interesting year.
And it's hard to believe that when they go back in August we will have a 5th grader and a Kindergartner. A 10 year old and a 5 year old.

And the winner is....

KATY BAKER!! Congratulations Katy! Evan and I will be taking you to dinner.
I know, don't get too excited. I'll send you a message soon and we'll make plans!
And to everyone else, thanks for playing.

5.27.2010

Post #100!

It's hard to believe that I have managed to come up with 100 posts to bore you with.
But I have! This is #100!
So to celebrate- I'm going to have a giveaway.
This one is sort of geographically specific.
Like you have to live close enough to Sharpsburg, GA to drive there.
Because the WINNER gets the honor and privilege of having dinner with me and Evan!
And I will let you choose whether or not you want to hang out with our kids or not.
Because I know that some of you like them better than you like us.
And if you have kids, well maybe they can come along too?
Or maybe we can just have a double date?
And oh, if you are single, bring it on!
No one is to be excluded.
In fact, if you don't live within driving distance of us, we'll send you some sort of certificate for dinner. How about that!
So here are the rules:
In the comments, tell the world how you know me and Evan.
Make sure to include at least your first name.
If you are a blog stalker, now's your chance- get it out there for the world.
And if you have been stalking me, I will give you 2 entries into the contest if you will make yourself known- either by just saying "Hey, here I am" or becoming a follower.
The winner will be chosen by random.org.
It's that easy.
Contest ends Monday, may 31st at noon.
So on your mark, get set, GO!

5.26.2010

Glimpses

Random pictures of our life. The life I love.


For 3 years, she has been a cheerleader.
She looks like a cheerleader.
She has the build of a cheerleader.
And now she has decided she wants to play softball.
I've been cutting his hair since he turned 9 months old.
I love a boy with a buzz cut.
But for some reason, we've decided to let it grow a little.
Not because it's the popular style.
Because we have never seen it longer than a 3 guard razor cut.
And because I have always wondered if his hair would curl like his Daddy's when it grew longer.
I wonder if I'll get tired of his little mop?
He sure is cute though.

There are 2 things wrong with this picture.
2 changes I have made.
1st- there is a book in my hand.
That's the 3rd one I've read in 3 weeks.
More books than I have read in 12 years.
2nd- those red fingernails.
They are red because I paint them to remind me not to bite them.
And I've gone 2 weeks without biting them.
Not a big deal for most, but HUGE for me.

See those boots? They are size 13 Georgia Boots.
6 months ago I would have been pretty mad that they were sitting in the kitchen (clearly not where they belong!)
But now I am thankful that they are there.
Because them sitting there means that Evan went to work and came home.
And that is the most treasured thing to me right now.
He is healthy and comes home to me and the kids every day.
What a neat life I get to be a part of.

5.25.2010

Stick a fork in me- I'm done

I have 2 points of focus in my life right now.
They were both brought on by the fact that Evan had cancer.
My life is forever changed because of it.
And it's a good thing. (That's the only good thing about cancer by the way)
But I should let you know, the old Lori Bryant doesn't have time for what used to bog her down.
Because I'll be a little busy trying to be a better person.
I've done a pretty rotten job for 31 years but I am ready now.
Ready to focus on 2 things
1. My relationship with God and
2. My family
If I can't get those 2 right then what would I really have?

So here's what I want you to expect from me going forward. Hold me accountable.
-I am going to be happier in general.
-I am going to praise and thank God like never before.
-I am going to spend crazy amounts of time with my husband and kids. This one I am good at, but I want to make the times together really count.
-I am not going to let others bring me down. I'm only interested in having happy conversations.
-I am going to do more for others. Because I know that is my gift from God. I am going to do things that hurt and things I don't want to do. Because it is worth it.
-I am not going to let my dislike of work make life miserable. In fact, I hope to see work go away by the end of the year.
-I am going to make better financial decisions.
-And I am going to open my eyes to the world around me and live with passion.

So there you have it. I'm done being my old disgruntled, complaining self.
I have nothing to complain about.
I have life, love and my God.
And hopefully I can use this blog to keep a record of how I'm doing.

5.20.2010

Oops- I forgot

I forgot to do an update after Evan's last appointment at Emory.
Sorry about that!
So here goes-
They are not able to tell him he is cancer free YET.
Simply because he has to have some blood work done 6 months after his radiation in order to get a true cancer-free diagnosis.
That will happen in late July, as he had his radiation treatment back on February 26th.
It's hard to believe it's been that long!
And the test he will have then involves a series of shots that will help give a true picture of his thyroid-less health.
The blood work he has had recently can be skewed because of medicine he takes.
But with the work-up in July, we will know how things are looking without the medicine effects.
Basically, we'll know if the cancer markers are still present or not.
So you have ALOT of time to pray for the crap to be gone.
And we still need those prayers, as we are looking for COMPLETE HEALING!
As for now, we will sit back and relax a little.
We are looking forward to a great summer with our kids.
Thanks for keeping up with us!

5.19.2010

He gets it honest


I hate to type this out, but Evan, you are right.
Our son is just like his Mama.
And I'm not sorry for that.
Because I like him just the way he is.




His stubbornness can be a bear to deal with sometimes.
But he's a boy who knows what he wants.
I like to believe this will turn into determination.
I think he'll probably move mountains one day.

His impulsiveness has landed him in the Principal's office many a time.
But that's his way of letting those around him know he means business.
I hope he will take this trait and uses it to be a great leader.
Someone who will take charge and run with his dreams.
I want him to know he can do anything.

And his need for order and structure. That is enough to drive anyone crazy.
But who doesn't love order and structure?
I feel certain he will thrive because he will always have his routine.

And all of these things, he got from me- his Mom.
As we sat with his teacher this morning for a parent/ teacher conference, I couldn't help but think of myself. Every trait his teacher pointed out about Britton are traits I too display.
I'm the one who is stubborn, impulsive and needs structure.
And look at where it has landed me.
I have a strong faith in Jesus.
An amazing husband.
Two beautiful, sweet and fun children.
And a life I'm proud to lead.

So it is my hope that Britton doesn't change a bit. I just hope he grows to learn that the traits that Mama gave him- the traits that God gave him, can be put to good use.
Oh how I love that boy.

5.18.2010

He should write a book

If you want to better understand how God can work a family through cancer, read Evan's latest blog post. I am so proud to be his wife. Daily I get a glimpse of what Jesus wants us to be like during our time on Earth.

5.17.2010

One more appointment?

Tuesday at 10:45 Evan goes to the surgeon for a follow up.
It was supposed to be an appointment to go over his pathology reports.
But since there are no pathology reports (because there was no biopsy), We are not sure what he will have to say.
Our hope is that he will say, "Have a nice life!", "You're free, done, no cancer!"
So if you get a free moment around 10:45 on Tuesday, say a prayer that this is over.
This is all over. That life as we knew it will be back again.

Or was it a dream

Have you ever had a dream so vivid that you are convinced it actually happened and you start conducting your life as if your dream changed everything?
It happened to me last night.
I dreamt that a relative of mine took $549 out of mine and Evan's bank account. By means of identity fraud.
And when I woke up this morning I was pissed.
And part of me has wanted to go online and check the bank account.
My mind has me convinced that my dream really happened.
An interesting twist to this story is that the person who took the money in my dream is currently not a part of my life.
By my choosing.
It is a relationship that had become so toxic that I bowed out. In order to protect my sanity.
So I wonder what this dream is trying to tell me?

PS- I still can't remember my pin number and I'm too embarrassed to call the bank and ask for a new one.

5.13.2010

6 Months- The Story

November 13th, 2009 I sent Evan to the doctor. Not because he wanted to go, but because I threatened to sleep on the couch if he didn't. Because of the cough.
The cough that keep us up at night. The one that was loud and deep and shook the whole bed.
And being selfish, I was done with hearing the cough all night. I wanted to sleep.
So he went to the doctor.
As a walk-in appointment.
And he found out our doctor was out of the country doing mission work.
And the 2nd doctor in our practice was in a different country doing missions work.
And because of poor planning on the office's part- there was only one doctor to see every patient that came in that week.
And he was the "Rock Star" doctor. The one that opened the practice. The one that doesn't take new patients. But he didn't really have a choice at this point, he had a new patient- Evan.
And they talked about the cough.
But the doctor knew better. He had taken one look at Evan and seen the lump.
The cough didn't seem important now. the focus changed to the lump protruding from Evan's neck.
The one that everyone should have seen. But no one did. Except this doctor.
Because he had made a mistake once and missed a diagnosis on someone with a neck goiter during his residency. And his attending made him feel so badly about it, that now he looks at every patients neck for lumps.
And he had found one. Because God put him in the right place at the right time.
Because Evan needed that doctor. And God provided.

So the tests began. Blood work was fine so off to an ultrasound.
I knew something was wrong the moment the ultrasound tech put her wand on Evan's neck.
I could look at the screen and look at her face and know that things were off.
But she couldn't speak- she wasn't allowed to.
And we left.
And the doctor called on the night before Thanksgiving, late after office hours. And the mass was the size of a baseball.
It didn't matter what it was, it had to come out. Because that was what was causing the cough.
Evan had a large mass sitting on his windpipe.
And so there were more tests, a CT Scan, and surgery was scheduled for January 19th.
The surgery went well. Although painful for Evan, he could not have done better with dealing with the situation.
He was a great patient. A trooper.
And the pathology was inconclusive and was sent away. For 2 and a half weeks.
We waited knowing that the surgeon said it did not appear to be cancer.
And he called at 8:30 one night.
A night I don't even remember.
Because that is when cancer decided to give us it's name.
Hurthle cell Carcinoma.
Thyroid Cancer with a twist.
A twist that would involve 7 doctors total.
Endless appointments.
Countless tears and pain.
Anger and frustration.
And now, hopefully an end.
We think it is the end.
That this cancer is really gone.
It has died a horrible death at the hands of Iodine 131.
But more importantly, every pray said for Evan was heard. And it is gone.

So at the 6 month mark of this journey, I rejoice.
Because through this all, Evan has remained healthy.
There are moments when I know that the effects of not having a thyroid bring him down.
But I can't help but be thankful for his overall health. His good health.
His spirit. His love.

5.12.2010

At The Kroger

I had something rather embarrassing happen to me yesterday afternoon.
It happened at Kroger in Peachtree City- a place I'm not fond of.
I try to avoid going there if I can, but pretty often, the need for food outweighs my hate for that place.

So yesterday I went at 4:05 in the afternoon. With both kids in tow. Which in my opinion is as close to hell as I can get. My kids take on whole new personalities when we get to The Kroger. (YES- I call it THE KROGER, cause that's what my mom would say. THE KROGER, THE WALMART, THE MACY'S...I think it's a southern thing)

But back to my story.

So I managed to get all of the grocery items we need for a project Haley has at school (another blog entry). And with the exception of a ginormous donut covered in sprinkles that Britton pitched a fit for, we had a pretty decent shopping experience. Until we got to the checkout line.

I placed all of our items on the belt in the 15 or less line. Oops, I think we had 16.

And the not-so-excited-to-work-at-the-kroger lady behind the counter rang up our groceries without saying a word.

I walked over to the card swiper, swiped my Kroger Plus card, swiped my debit card. And then it happened.

I forgot my pin number. Never had that happen before.

And I stood there mortified.

How did this happen. How did I forget a pin number I've used a million times?

I was so embarrassed.

And of course there was someone behind me. But lucky she was nice and she felt bad for me. Because she knew from the look on my face that at any moment I might have broken down into tears.

And the only reason I didn't cry was because she looked at me and said, "Do you want to try my number and maybe it will work for you?"

Umm- yeah. That's odd. Because alot of people have the same pin number right?

But she really was sweet.

And the cashier lady all of the sudden felt bad for me and offered to wait while I thought a little.

But I wasn't remembering any pin number. I wasn't remembering any numbers.

My mind was blank.

And so the cashier did what she thought was right.

She pushed a button on the register and changed my order from debit to credit.

She handed my the pen thing to sign the screen and thanked me for shopping at Kroger.

And I gathered up my bags and my now very quiet kids and left as quick as I could.

And we were almost to the car when I heard a female voice screaming at the top of her lungs, "Ma'am, you forgot your hamburger!!"

And since I didn't buy any hamburgers, I ignored her. Until she screamed louder at me from across a full parking lot. "YOUR HAMBURGER!!!".

And it was then that I noticed she was waving a bag that contained a pack of ground beef.

Ground beef that I had just bought using my debit card that has lost it's pin.

So like any good parent, I sent my 9 year old across the parking lot unassisted to retrieve the meat for our dinner (MY HAMBURGER!!).

And we got in the car and went home. On an 1/8th of a tank of gas. Because I couldn't get gas without my pin number.

If you happen to know my pin number, I'd like it back. Feel free to email or text me with it. Because it still has not made itself known to me. And I only have 3 chances before the bank locks me out of the ability to have money or make purchases.

And did I mention that I have googled "Alzheimer's in your 30's" and "Memory loss in young people" already today?


5.11.2010

You serious Clark?

My very favorite movie in the world is Christmas Vacation.
I think it is the single funniest movie to ever come out and I think I could watch it over and over again for days on end and never stop laughing.
And my very favorite quote in Christmas Vacation is when Clark turns to Eddie and says, "Eddie, I couldn't be more surprised than if I woke up tomorrow morning with my head sewn to the carpet."
And just like Clark, that's how I felt at 1:35 yesterday. I got a big surprise. As I sat in the waiting room at Emory University Hospital.
I looked up from my book to see an ultrasound technician headed toward me saying, "Miz Bryant, we're done with him." And so I followed her half way down the hallway when she turned to me and said, "We didn't even cut him or nuthin'!" To which I gave her a strange look. And she proceeded to say, "I'll let Mr.Bryant tell you all about it."
And he did. And I'm still surprised.
Because he told me there was nothing for the doctor's to look at. The cancer that was supposed to be biopsied yesterday is not there. There's nothing there according to ultrasound.
There is a good chance that the cancer is gone.
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME??
Because that is the best news I have heard in 6 months!
But I hesitate to be excited.
Because there was no official paperwork. No fancy well-educated doctor that came out and wished us well. No balloons and streamer. Just an ok to go home.
But I am really very excited. We are both excited.
We just are in a state of shock and somewhat overwhelmed with disbelief.
It might be over. At least the hard part.
And it will be a life long series of check-ups and scans for Evan.
But good grief- it's over for now (we hope).

So I leave you with this- Thank you for your prayers. For your time and energy. For your love. But I ask that you continue to talk to God about complete healing for Evan. As this stuff needs to NEVER come back. And six months of cancer and treatment can really take a toll on you. So please don't forget him in your prayers. And make sure to say a special thanks to God for all He has done for our family.

And I hope that pretty soon you will not be able to come back here for cancer updates. We're moving on without cancer. Praise God.

5.10.2010

You're on at 10:00

That's right- you. Th one reading this blog.
Pray today from 10-2.
We will be at Emory for a biopsy of Evan's lymph nodes.
So stop now and say a pray. Please, please, please!
Prat specifically that everything goes smoothly and that next Tuesday we will get good results.
Gotta go! Thanks!

5.07.2010

Happy Mother's Day, Evan!


I'm sure many of you have heard me say it-

Evan makes a much better Mom than I do! I'm serious, he does.

It has nothing to do with not being manly, as you can take one look at him and be overwhelmed by his stature and physical presence.

But those of you that have the privilege of knowing him already know that 99% of Evan Bryant is heart. He has an amazing heart. The heart of a true caregiver.

And he ADORES children. I mean really. Like he would rather hold a baby than anything.

And my heart melts every time.

Because I am so lucky to have someone in my life who is a perfect example of God's never failing love. Here's a few times I love to see him in action:

Evan puts our kids to bed every night. That might not sound like a big deal, but for 30 minutes every night he does the exact same routine. All the while using the patience of a saint to get them settled in to sleep. And heaven forbid I have to stand in and try to make bed time work. Cause those kids don't like it one bit when their routine is altered in the least bit.

Case in point- the night after Evan had his thyroid removed. We spent all kinds of time mentally preparing the kids for a few days of change in routine. And the time came, and there were 3 of us in tears and 1 of us unconscious. Britton cried because I just couldn't get all of the steps to his routine correct. Haley cried because she was upset about her Daddy. And I cried because Britton told me he thought I probably just needed to not try and put him to bed- because I wasn't as good at it as Daddy. And Evan being the complete soft-hearted trooper that he is got up 2 days post-surgery and put the kids to bed the next night.

Did I mention he also gets our kids up in the morning? Yep. He dresses Britt, keeps Haley focused on getting ready and gets them to the kitchen. Where he also fixes breakfast and makes lunches. All of this happens when I am trying to get my non-morning person self out of bed.


And I should let you know also that Evan is not just awesome with our kids, he is amazing with all children.

If you ever want to see a really neat sight, go to the nursery at our church on some Wednesday nights and you will see Evan in the floor playing with the toddlers. Or you might see him walking the halls carrying a crying baby that misses their mommy. It's what he likes to do. And he's one of the only men I've ever seen in the nursery at the church. And being 6'4", it's really quite a sight to see him with a baby or toddler. Again, my heart melts.

And then there is his t-ball team. Yes, the man coached a t-ball team while being treated for cancer. And he did it with a level of patience that I'm not sure is human. Many people would have lost it completely with some of the kids he had. But he just kept telling them what a good job they were doing. Just like Jesus would have.


So this Sunday, on Mother's Day, I will be honored by my kids for being their mom. But I know deep down I couldn't do it without my other half. I can clean a mean house and run a tight ship, but the man with the biggest heart ever really is the one that makes it all work. I love you Evan Bryant.
PS- The lady in the middle of the picture at the top of this post is Evan's mom. And I'm pretty sure that she is the reason Evan is who he is today. She has a heart of gold and she would do anything for anyone. Happy Mother's Day to the best mother-in-law ever, Anita!

5.05.2010

Dishes don't belong in the sink


I am ready to give an answer to another one of my loyal follower's questions.

This one just so happens to come from best friend Bee. So here goes:

"I think you should blog about how you keep your house clean and organized"

This is a great topic in my opinion. As it is one of my life's passions.

Nothing makes me happier than coming home to a clean house.

And I ALWAYS Do.

Because I have one rule that makes it all happen.

RULE #1: BEING CLEAN AND NEAT IS NOT AN OPTION IN MY HOME

Plain and simple. If you want to live in my house, you will be clean and neat. That includes small children. And I have instilled this in my children from the time they were old enough to listen and comprehend. And by doing so, my children understand that having a clean house makes life easier. And we don't panic to find things in the morning. And we rarely have conflicts about anything related to cleaning or our house. Because they know what is expected. And they know that if they don't comply, they have to answer to me. This is something that is not good. As I am better known as The Cleaning Nazi.

But lucky for them, they are so well trained in the art of clean, that I almost never have to get on to them. And if I do, I'm usually nit-picking because I want it to be perfect.


This might sound harsh to some.
But to me it is worse on my kids to be yelling at them for not knowing where something is.
Or to let them live in a home that is dusty or has dirt or crumbs on the floor.
And my kids don't have chores to do all week because we have 1 time a week where everyone helps clean for about 2 hours. And after that, my kids are free to do whatever they want for the other 6 days and 22 hours. So I will argue with you that my way is the right way if you want to argue. But I think my kids will tell you that they like being part of a clean household.


And so now the real answer to Bee's question- HOW DO I (we) KEEP A CLEAN? ORGANIZED HOUSE? I'll answer it with several points.

1. We clean once a week, as a family for about 2 hours. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But we get everything done around the house. We dust, vacuum, clean base boards, scrub toilets, mop floors, disinfect and everything else that goes into cleaning a house. Nothing is skipped.

Most of the time, our regularly scheduled clean time is about 10am-12 noon on Saturday. Recently, we have had baseball so we have moved cleaning to Sunday from about 2-4. It makes it so easy to have a scheduled time because the kids get into cleaning mode and know that soon it will all be over and they will have a clean house and plenty of free time.

2. We do not allow making messes. If you want to make a mess, go outside or somewhere else. But there is really no justification for a mess. I will say that I let my kids play like all kids should, but when they get something out, they must put it up before getting something else out. How easy is that? And they also know that crumbling cookies into the carpet or getting out paint or glue without me know might cause their demise (just kidding people).

3. We do not allow clutter. I live by a simple rule: IF YOU DON'T USE IT AT LEAST ONCE IN 30 DAYS, IT DOES NOT BELONG IN YOUR HOUSE. There are a few exceptions, like the Christmas tree, but that is why it lives in the attic. Everything else falls under the rule. We do not keep baby items that our kids aren't using. We give them away immediately. We do not keep papers, magazines, brochures, mail. We do not keep old clothes or shoes. We do not keep old lotions or shampoo or items that we didn't like after buying them. We give ALOT away. Because I feel like if we don't use it and someone else can- that's a win-win.

4. We always clean up after a meal. Completely. As in we put the dishes in the dishwasher. Wipe the table off. Wipe the counters off. Sweep the floor. And we leave the kitchen the same way every time- clean. And everyone helps.

5. We do small things that make a huge difference. Here are a few:

-We NEVER put dishes in the sink, they will pile up

-I vacuum daily unless I'm dying or have surgery and a doctor's note. You can eat off of our carpet. And we will not be in the market for carpet any time soon because we take care of it. That's big money savings.

-We don't wear shoes in the house. Which doesn't just help the carpet. It keeps alot of dirt and grime out of the house in general.

-We have a "spot" for everything. Everything goes in the same place every time. And if something is out of place, my kids hear, "That does not go there" or "That doesn't live there" and they know what I mean. Move it or it goes in the trash. Easy enough.

-We don't keep items sitting out on counters, dressers or on the floor. The hair dryer does not belong on the counter. Surfaces are to be nice and clear. Some people might say boring, I say clutter-free.

-We don't wait until spring cleaning to do certain tasks. We clean every thing every time. So it's always clean.

-We clean before we leave on vacation or have a major life event like a surgery (which we have had our share of lately). Coming home to a clean house is fabulous.

And I could literally go on for hours about keeping my house clean. Because again, it is something I find important. And I don't miss out on special times with my family because I am cleaning. And I don't stress out when someone is coming over.

My life is better because we choose to keep a clean house.

Plus, the little voices in my head wouldn't have it any other way.

And when it is clean, no one gets hurt.

PS- It is not unusual for my child to insist on helping her friends clean their room. And at least on one occasion, I have had another mom tell me that Haley told their child that being clean is not an option in her house! I'm so proud.

5.04.2010

Update #9,450,761- We have an appointment

Evan finally got the call. We go to Emory on Monday for his lymph node biopsy at 10:00.
The appointment is scheduled for 4 hours so that should be interesting.
Keep us in your prayers that day as we are hoping that the pathology reports come back free of cancer. We probably won't have results back until a week after (and knowing from previous experience- it will be longer).
So pray, pray, pray. And I'm hoping soon that we can get off of your prayer lists. Because I am ready for no more cancer.
Thanks!

5.03.2010

And then there was Britton..


In this post, I told the story of how our first born Haley came into this world. And for 5 years, 1 month and 14 days, she was an only child. And then our lives changed forever...
After Haley was born, Evan and I decided that we were going to be a one child family. We liked the size of our family and I wasn't thrilled about the idea of having another high risk pregnancy.
Until Haley was about 3 and I got baby fever. And i just felt like maybe we were meant to have another child. And Evan didn't disagree.
So I stopped taking pills and we decided to see what happened.
I have a very vivid memory of sitting across the table from Evan one night when we had a date night at Outback. It had been 8 months since we had decided to start trying for #2. And in 8 months, nothing happened. And I was sad. Really sad. As I looked across at him, I cried. I couldn't help it. I cried because I wanted a baby. And it wasn't happening.
And so I decided to go to the doctor. And she there was nothing wrong. That until we had tried for a year, I was not in need of help. I left frustrated.
And at the 1 year point of trying to have a baby, I decided it wasn't supposed to happen. And I decided I was not going to think about it anymore. Part of me even decided it was a dumb idea to even want another baby. Why would I want an infant when I had a child that was starting to be self-sufficient? And so I gave up.
And I got pregnant.
I took a test by myself thinking that it would be negative like all the rest. But it had a faint pink line. And I panicked. And the only thing I knew to do was call Evan. He was in the checkout line at Wal-Mart and I called him and said "I think we're having a baby". And I think he didn't know what to think and just went on about his business as if it were just another day. I think they call that shock.
And so we did the normal "we're having a baby" things. Until I was 19 weeks pregnant and I started to have contractions. We spent 1 night in the hospital hooked to monitors and me taking shots. And things seemed to calm down. Until 29 weeks. I went into a regular OB appointment not feeling well. She decided I needed to see a neonatologist because I was contracting and dialating a little. So I went to see Dr. Brown in Decatur.
I while I was in her office, I went into full blown labor.
She called the hospital and wanted me to take a ambulance, but I decided Evan needed to drive me and she agreed.
As soon as we got to the hospital, we were sent into a room and I was immediately put on Mag Sulfate. They had been waiting on us.
I was so scared and sad. I was not ready to have a preemie.
Another just like my pregnancy with Haley, I have 5-6 days of my life that I do not remember. I was medicated and sedated and doctors did everything they could to keep my baby in.
And on the 7th day, I needed to go home. It was Haley's 5th birthday. And she needed her Mommy there. But the doctor said no. She said I could not leave the hospital because I was not stable on my own.
But I signed myself out. I had to. It was the right thing to do. And the doctor in charge of my care told me I was endangering my unborn child's life and that if something happened, I was to blame. It was hard. But I sign saying that I was willingly resisting medical treatment.
And I was discharged on complete bed rest, flat on my back.
Haley's party went well. She was happy I was there. I felt awful and hardly remember anything.
And for the next 4 weeks I laid still. And I went to the neonatologist once a week. And they did all they could to keep me from dilating any further. I stayed at 2.
And at 36 weeks, I was taken off of all medications. And Britton waited 1 more week to come (with a little help from a midwife).
On Aug 16th I went to a 10am appointment. The midwife came in, I started to cry. She knew I was in pain and in early labor. And so she stripped my membranes (gross and ouch) and I was at the hospital by 12:30 ready to have a baby.
I had an epidural as soon as I got there. And it malfunctioned. I had some sort of "hot spot" reaction that caused my body to feel extreme pain. And so they turned the epidural off.
And I gave birth to an 8 pound 5 oz butterball naturally.
And it was awful. I have never felt worse in my life. And the whole experience was insane.
Like when the midwife told me to reach down and pull out my baby! And that was not a part of my plan (not that I had a plan but that was not a part of it!).
But then there he was.
Chubby, bald headed and big headed. But sweet and mine.
And I should have know on that day that God was sending us an adventure. Cause that is what Britton is- an adventure! Never a dull moment when he is around.
I am so glad that God blessed us with #2. As I say often, "Life would be boring with Britton around!"
Love that boy of mine.

Featured Question #3- What Deanna wants to know

This is a pretty simple question to answer from my good friend Deanna.
"Since you don't eat seafood, what do you eat when you go to the beach?"
Here's my answer:


Steak- cooked medium
Baked potato (butter only)
Salad with Honey Mustard dressing

That's it. I pretty much eat it every night of every vacation. Unless of course someone gets crazy and decides we should go to a Mexican restaurant (as if we don't eat enough Mexican at home!).
Oh and there is that one time we went to The Crab Shack on Tybee Island and they had 2 non-seafood choices on their menu- BarBQ and BarBQ ribs. Ah the choices. Really. BarBQ or seafood? Vomit.
So I had ribs. They were ok at best but "that is what I get for not eating seafood at a seafood restaurant" (to quote my people throughout my life).