Beach Trip

We went to the beach a few weeks ago with my family. Sarah had a great time, but it is definitely a new experience going to the beach with an infant! She liked/tolerated the beach -- hard to tell which! She ate some sand and thought that was funny. She loved the pool, rode on a carousel for the first time and finally cut her first tooth!

Happy July 4th to everyone!! I hope that you enjoy this picture of Sarah in her little tutu! I had fun making her outfit. She enjoyed the day with family. Of course, she was asleep before the fireworks started! We hope you had a great holiday!



On a side note ... if anyone is interested in a unique gift, I'll be happy to make you a tutu and or flag window. I'm thinking about selling them. What do you think?

Unparalleled Cuteness to Come ...

Stay tuned this weekend for this cutest baby ever in all of her July 4th Finery ... :)

The Arc of Jefferson County's Children's Services Website

Hey ... I designed a blog for where I work ... go check it out!

http://childrensarc.blogspot.com/

Can you name these classic toys? - sporcle

Can you name these classic toys? - sporcle

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Fun Times

Yesterday, our good friend Amy kept Sarah for us while Michael had rehab and class. Amy has a little boy, Tyler, who is 21 months old. I am sure that Sarah and Tyler had fun. Pretty sure that Amy was probably exhausted last night and told Keith that another baby was not coming anytime soon! :)

Here's Sarah hanging out in Tyler's old exersaucer. I'm pretty sure that she's wishing she could borrow it because this one is way cooler than her Baby Einstein one!


Here's Sarah and Tyler ... one day we'll be great friends!


Also, I can't forget about the Blakes (Cindy, Laura and Caroline). Sarah had an awesome time with you and we can't wait for you to come over again soon. We hope that Sarah will grow up to be just like these two girls. Their parents have raised them well and they are the sweetest girls ever!

Michael and I are so blessed to have such wonderful friends to help us out when we need help with Sarah. It has been so nice to not have to worry about a thing and know that my child is in capable hands and is having a great time while Mommy and Daddy are busy and away! We are also super excited that Lauren (regular babysitter) will be back next week! She's been in Honduras this week on a mission trip.

Pictures of Sarah

You've all been asking for it ... so here you go. Here are a few pictures of our little angel. These are pictures from the past few weeks. Sarah will be 7 months old on Friday. It's hard to believe!!

Sarah ready to go swimming ...

Sarah exploring her playpen ...

Sarah went to see her Great-Grandmother recently ...

My little girl is growing up ...

I know that I haven't posted in a long time, and its not because I haven't wanted to ... but it is often hard to find the time. I've had a lot in my head lately that I've meant to post about, so i'll try to remember some of it over the next several days and post it!

First on my mind lately is sleep. No, Sarah is not having problems sleeping. Michael is in grad school at University of Montevallo. He is enrolled in the May term. Basically, this means they cram an entire semester into 2 weeks. His class is from 4-7, he gets home by 8 and then he has homework and reading to do. I've been staying up helping when I can, but that means that we are not going to bed until close to 11. that is super late for us!

also, as part of michael being in class, i am having to leave work a little early each day and drive down to columbiana to pick up sarah from school. basically, it is an hour drive there, get out and pick her up (15 minutes) and then get back in the car for an hour. it is wearing on us all. luckily, we are almost done with the first week.

next week is michael's last week of regular school. wednesday is the 6th grade class party. they are going to trussville play station, thursday is the 6th grade graduation banquet (i'll likely bedoing the food for it) and friday is his final at UM and also CCS graduation. i'm taking off next thursday and friday because i need a break and i deserve it! :)

one thing that we have really been struggling with is summer arrangements for sarah. michael will be in class from 12-5 for most of june and july. we have been worried about where she will go. we really wanted someone to come to our house and keep her, but we just didn't think that would be possible due to money. well, GOD IS FAITHFUL!! last weekend we met a girl who was interested in keeping sarah. she was referred to us by our hairstylist/friend. she was perfect, but we figured she would want more money than we could offer. last night we got an email from her and she feels that god is leading her to accept our offer and stay with sarah this summer. i am so thankful and relieved. she is graduating from samford this weekend and then she will be going to honduras on a mission trip for one week in june. we just know that god has his hand on this situation and that this is the perfect person for us and for sarah.

i really should probably get back to work. its probably a little unprofessional to blog while you're at work. what about twittering? is that unprofessional? i'm not sure anymore since i saw people in the business office on facebook this week. oh well ... have a great thursday!

Sleep is a beautiful thing.

Of course, I wouldn't know of that beauty because our little princess has not been sleeping well this week! It is mostly my fault -- or at least I blame myself. She has been eating real fruits and veggies for almost 2 weeks. She loves them!! So far she has had sweet potatoes, sweet peas, pears, prunes. The problem is ... she loves them, but they do not love her back! My poor baby has been up multiple times this week screaming, supposedly because her stomach hurts. At least that is our best thought.

Last night, I finally gave her a glycerine suppository. Wow! What an experience! Who knew that much could come out of such a little thing. (We even threw away a towel because it just wasn't worth the effort to clean up!) We were sure that we were going to finally get a good nights sleep, because how could she NOT sleep after the night she'd had?!

Well, she didn't sleep. She does good until midnight or so, and then its all over! We were up with her multiple times. She finally got in a good sleep pattern about the time to get up. So, I sent her to school in her pajamas and a wet diaper so that I wouldn't have to wake her up. Don't worry, I sent real clothes and her daddy will change her when he gets there!!

So, I think now we are going to back off of food for several days. I am sad by this because it has been so much fun for all of us to see how well she is eating her food. But, I cannot feed her if her little system isn't ready to digest it yet. On a positive note, I have some great pictures of her eating ... I'll try to get them up this weekend.

Please pray that her body will regulate and that we will be able to get some sleep this weekend. I'm getting a cold, and I think its because my body feels run down. Oh, and of course going from temps in the 70s to 30s don't really help!

Sarah's first snow!

On March 1, 2009, Sarah saw snow for the first time. Granted, we live in Alabama, so it may be the only time she sees it for several more years! I know that it is cold and that our child is prone to ear infections, but do you really think I'm going to let this event happen without her getting outside in it!?

We bundled her up and took her outside. It was hard to tell what she thought about it. Her little eyes were watery and her nose and cheeks were red from the cold. At least she didn't hate it!

More images from the past month

Here am I with my two favorite children ... Sarah and Gus. This month, Sarah had her first sleepover with her cousin Steven Riley. Also, she enjoyed Grandpa coming for a visit.

February

Wow! The weeks just seem to fly by. The month of February was full of excitement as usual. Sarah came down with her second major bout of ear infections. I turned 33 years old, Sarah turned 100 days old. We also had her dedication at church. The following are some of our favorite images from the month.




To my little Saree-bug ...
I can't believe that you are already 100 days old. The time has gone by so fast. It is hard to believe that you were growing inside of me for all of those months and that now I have you here to hold. I love you so much. You mean the world to me. I am so honored and blessed to have you as my daughter. One day, we will be great friends. I want you to be able to share your life with me. I promise to not judge you to harshly, but allow you to make decisions and mistakes in your life. I believe that it is important for your daddy and I to allow you to fail from time to time, because that is what happens sometimes ... but know that your daddy and I will always be there to pick you up and start you back down the path again. We will always be here for you little bug. You are our everything. I love you from here to forever.
Love,
Mommy

Sarah Update

This week (Wednesday), Sarah will be 12 weeks old. We took her to the doctor today to check her ears to make sure that she is ear-infection free. Michael and I had our suspicions, since she has had a mild (99*) fever for most of the weekend. However, her ears look clear! Dr. Stone said that he only guarantees his diagnosis for ear infections for 24 hours -- after that, all bets are off and she could develop one still! The biggest surprise was her weight. She now weighs 10 pounds 5 ounces. Can you believe it?! She's growing up! :)

Praise Report -- Michael's mom is doing very well following her surgery last week. She is being able to eat some pureed foods and tolerate liquids well. One of our friends from sunday school even assisted in her surgery -- thanks Dr. Scarcliff!

Have a great weekend.

S.W.A.K. (Sealed with a Kiss)

I found this fun little challenge today, read the accompaning post that I copied over for your viewing (and kissing) pleasure!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My hubby and I have been married 14 years.
We have three children.
We've been thru a lot.
I think we have a great marriage. We communicate well. We fight fair.
But I want it to be even better.
And it starts with me.

Busy schedules, demanding children, job pressures and selfishness gives our marriage a beating. And we have to fight to keep it healthy, to keep it passionate.

I entered this New Year wanting to initiate more time for us. I want to capture moments to remind him that before all of this, there was just us. The two of us.

I was flipping through January's Woman's Day Magazine and a title caught my attention "Lock Lips with Your Husband."

Reading the blurb, I learned that there is an actual chemical released when you kiss called The Cuddle Chemical. It produces a euphoric feeling. And an unplanned passionate kiss increases the chemical.

Now, let's be honest. I kiss my hubby everyday. A peck here. A smooch there. But a knock-his-socks off K-I-S-S? Well, there's dinner and a toddler pulling on my leg, a ringing phone, and endless homework. And not to mention the utter exhaustion I feel at the end of the day.

Well. You know. It's hard.

I'm issuing my own personal Kiss Challenge for myself. For 30 days, starting Feb. 1st, I'm planning to passionately lock lips with my hubby. To block out all distractions for a few minutes and lay one on him.

I think just this one simple act will speak volumes to my man.

{You can secretly join in too if you up to some serious smooches}

The days leading up to Valentine's Day (Feb. 11-13), I will be having a little S.W.A.K. carnival. I want you to link up a post honoring your hubby anytime during those three days. It can be how you met, your first kiss, what you're doing to celebrate Valentine's Day, or about your own personal Kiss Challenge.

For several days, I will be sharing some of my marriage secrets, my fau paxs and what I've learned.

You might also want to stock up on some chap stick. I'm just sayin'.

Tell me what you think....can we join together {on Valentine's Day} to honor our hubbies in some way?

You DO NOT have to join the Kiss Challenge to link up to the Valentine's Day carnival!

Food for the Soul:
Song of Solomon 1:16 "[ Beloved ] How handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant."




-----------------------------
So, I can relate ... Michael and I will have been married 3 years in March. It has been a wonderful three years. But, now that Sarah is here ... our time together (just us) is limited! Also, we are involved in a marriage mentoring class at church. We want to be intentional with our marriage and put each other first. Without each other, there would be no family unit! So, think about it ... are you up to the challenge? Want to participate in the SWAK carnival?

Happy Monday!

my little angel

Such a pretty girl ...

My poor little angel ... not happy during this picture.

Our little Anne Geddes baby ...

Sarah is already praying ... now I lay me down to sleep ...

Here are some pictures that we took last week at a place in town. I thought they turned out very well. I can't believe that she is already 11 weeks old. She is sleeping through the night (knock on wood, cross fingers, etc.) most nights.

Also, please pray for a few people this week --

My friend Amanda's mom passed away last week. A family at church lost their three month old little boy to SIDS. Michael's mom had hernia repair surgery.

Sarah's sick

Well, it finally happened. Sarah got sick. Just last night we were talking about how we were so lucky that Sarah had not really been sick yet. Oh sure, she's had the sniffles, but nothing really to speak of. Well, Michael has been sick for a week so it was bound to happen.

Michael called me today from school and told me that Sarah hada fever. I went to pick her up from school and took her to the doctor. It's a good thing! She has an ear infection in one ear, the other ear almost is infected and she has bronchiolitis. So, now we have our first antibiotic.

On a positive note, Sarah weighs 9 pounds and 10 ounces! :)

I forgot

I'm sorry that I haven't posted more regularly. In essence, I forgot! After all, we have an 8 week old!! Actually, she's 8 weeks today, so happy birthday sweetiepie! :)

Life is great! Michael and I both are back at work full time. The transition from stay at home mom with a newborn, back to work ... not very fun. I was sad to go to work and not be at home with Sarah, but I know that it is for the best. She is at school each day with her daddy. They are quickly forming a very strong bond during the two-hour long commute (round trip) to work each day.

Sarah is eating much better than in previous weeks. She is fairly consistent about eating 4 ounces at a time. She is also sleeping more. Most of the time, she will go to bed between 7:30 and 8:00, wake up and eat at 12ish and 2:30ish. Then we have to wake up her up around 5:30 or 6:00 to eat and get ready for school!

On a more serious note, Michael's mom may be having surgery on her esophagus later this month. It is a pretty dangerous surgery, but we are optimistic that it will fix a lot of her problems. Also, our friend Amanda's mom is in the hospital in Little Rock. She has been undergoing treatment for myeloma, but now she has pneumonia. Please pray for both of these situations.

Hope things are going well for all of you. We will try to post some pictures over the weekend so that you can see how much Sarah has grown! She is now 23 inches long (90th %) and weighs 8 pounds 12 ounces (30th %).

Week 3 Update

Well, today Sarah is three weeks old! It is so hard to believe that she is already that old. In so many ways, I feel like she has been in our lives forever. She has certainly made life much better! She is such a joy to be around. She has the cutest little expressions on her face when she is sleeping or looking around at the world.

Gus is adjusting to life as a big brother. He is very protective of her. He doesn't really like for new people to be around her. He also has found a new toy -- her pacifier! He likes to sneak up and grab it when she spits it out. If we could only get a good picture of him with it!

We went to the doctor yesterday for her 2 week checkup. She weighs 7 lbs and 2 ounces (yes, that's right ... same as when she was born) and is still 21 inches long. The doctor was pleased with her weight gain, because she had lost some weight before we left the hospital.

Well, it's her nap time ... which means it is time for me to take a shower! Bye!

Our New Life ... family of 4 (including Gus)

Well, it's official ... we are parents! Can you believe it? Lucky for Baby Sarah, we're actually getting the hang of things and life is getting a little bit easier each day.

Well, a week ago tomorrow, our daughter was born. Her name is Sarah Mae Crawley. She was born at 12:33 pm and weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. She was delivered via C-Section because she was in the breech position.



The surgery went really well. We only had a minor scare with Sarah. The overall mood in the OR was relatively light and happy. They had managed to get most all of her out, but then the mood drastically changed. Her head was stuck. Another doctor rushed in to assist and they were able to get her out. She needed some extra oxygen and they worked on her a little extra, but she was fine. Initial Apgar score was 3 (very scary), but then the second score was a 9!! I recovered very quickly from the surgery. I was up moving about with minimal pain on the next day. Granted, I think I moved around a little too much because I was sore on Friday! Oh well ... I'll live!

The next few days are a bit of a blur. There was some concern with her left hip. She showed some signs of possible hip dysplasia, but they did an ultrasound and determined that it was ok. We will have another ultrasound on it in January, but for now it looks fine. The last day that we were there, they told us that she was looking jaundiced. Her bilirubin levels were a bit high so we had to make an appointment to go to the pediatrician on the next day and have it rechecked. It ended up that she was fine.

Life at home is interesting ... she sleeps great during the day, but not so much at night. She is eating well and the diapers are an experience! :) Gus is adjusting to a new life in the house. He is confused as to why his mom and dad are spending so much time with this little blob that just lays around all the time. He gets scared and protective when she cries. He will sometimes bark at us when we change her diaper because he is worried that we are hurting her. Dressing her is an experience. As many of you know, we have a ton of clothes for her ... however nothing really fits her! Since I had gestational diabetes, there was the concern that she would be bigger at birth. Well apparently I did an amazing job of controlling it :), because she is little! When we left the hospital, she was 6 lbs. 6 ounces. Even the "newborn" clothes are big on her! Oh well, she'll grow into them.

All in all, we are doing well. We appreciate all of the phone calls, texts, and emails. Sorry we don't respond to them all, but we have gotten them and are thankful for such wonderful friends. We would love for you to meet Sarah. Also, her pictures are on the Brookwood website if you want to see those (http://www.bwmc.com/CWS/VirtualNursery.aspx?URLid=4269635085). I've also attached a few more pictures from the past week.

I know ...

I don't need the reminders or guilt trips! I know that we are WAY overdue for a posting. What can I say!? I'm 9 months pregnanct and my brain is full of just a few other minor details other than posting saying that things are going well! :)

However, this post is different. I have big news to share ...

Mark your calendars for November 19, 2008 at 12:15. Sarah Mae Crawley will be making her debut by scheduled C-section! I just wanted you all to know.

My twice weekly doctor visits are continuing to go well and my sugars are mostly managed with my 3 shots of insulin daily. Non-stress tests continue to show good development. Two weeks ago on the weekly ultrasound, Sarah weighed 5 lbs and 14 ounces, so her size is exactly where it needs to be.

We got the car seat installed in my car and the stroller is put together. Most of the clothing is washed and ready for her. The monitor is in place, the bottles are ready in case we need them ... am I missing something!? Still have to pack bags for all of us at the hospital, but maybe I'll get to that over the weekend.

Well, I need to get back to work. I'll try to write more later this week.

4D Pictures of Sarah

As Jennifer said in her post we did get some pictures of Sarah today. Here they are for your viewing pleasure!!!

In a much better mood today

Well, today is a better day! We went to the doctor this morning and did our 4-D ultrasound. Sarah cooperated a little better today and we got a few pictures, but she is now completely breech instead of being horizontal. I don't care, as long as she is comfortable and healthy -- which she appears to be! :)

The doctor still really wasn't pleased with my blood sugar numbers, so he prescribed a form of long-lasting insulin that I will take at night before bedtime. Yes, one more needle going into my body. But that's okay. I'm fine with it now. Whatever works!

I also asked for a referral to a diabetic educator. It turns out that it got overlooked at my last appointment and that I should have been referred to one as soon as I got diagnosed. Well ... imagine that?! Going to someone immediately to learn about your problems, rather than waiting 2 weeks and having countless mental breakdowns?! So, the nurse called the diabetic center and the lady was actually able to see me right then. We waited on her, she came and got us, and then we went to her office. Needless to say, when you have correct and accurate knowledge, anything seems doable! After speaking with her for almost 2 hours, Michael and I both feel better about the situation. She explained to me the things that I'm supposed to watch out for, the information to look for on nutritional labels, and most important ... she gave me a new glucometer that doesn't hurt my fingers!!! Yeah!

So, things seem much more manageable now. It will still be hard and I still have to figure out what works best for me, but at least for now, things seem to be looking up! I go back in one week so that they can see my numbers and see how I have reacted with the insulin. But, stress also makes the numbers go up higher, and I have definitely been feeling stressed. So hopefully, things are looking better. No, in fact, I am saying that things are better. I feel relief from knowing more, knowing that Sarah is doing well, and just have more peace of mind today -- and that is half the battle!

Thank you for your prayers and support. Also, thanks Jennifer for including us on your blog ... I'm thinking girl! :)

It's been a while ...

I know that I haven't been good at blogging lately; I'm sorry, but I've had a lot on my mind. First of all, I went a few weeks ago and did my glucose screening test. Well, I failed that miserably! The 1 hour finger stick came back at 204 -- they wanted it at 139 or less. The next week, I went to do the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. Well, I failed that one too. So, now I am officially diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

I am trying hard to come to terms with it all. It has been 2 weeks since I was told. The doctor told me at that time that he was borderline with going ahead and prescribing insulin, or letting me try the diet. Well, we basically talked him into letting us try the diet. It really isn't bad. In fact, its a lot of food. For instance, breakfast should consist of 2 starches, 1 protein, 1 dairy, 1 fruit and 1 fat. So, I've had a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich some mornings. That isn't bad, but I'm still missing a fruit. I'm having to test my blood sugar 5 times a day. Once in the morning, right after I wake up, and 2 hours after each meal, and again at bedtime. Well, the numbers at wake-up should be under 90 and the ones after meals should be under 120. Needless to say, my fasting (wake-up numbers) have been over 90 every day. Also, my meal time numbers have been over 120 for at least 1-2 meals per day.

I've been having a really hard time struggling with the fact that I am not being able to do it on my own. I think that is why I haven't really felt like writing anything about it. Sure, I can put on a good front and tell you that I'm doing fine. But at home, I'm sad and mopey and upset because I'm potentially putting my precious baby girl at risk. I'm supposed to take care of her and provide her a safe living environment until she's born, but lately I feel like i'm doing a crappy job of keeping her safe. Michael always says the right things and cheers me up and motivates me, but I still feel depressed about it.

I am going to discuss it with the doctor when we go on Wednesday, but I feel certain that I'll be on medication by the end of the week and this time I'm not going to fight him on it. I can't do it by myself.

In other exciting/frustrating news ... 2 weeks ago we tried to see Sarah on the 4-D ultrasound. However, true to form, little bit wanted to hide! She kept her hands and feet in front of her face the entire time!! However, we will try again on Wednesday. I hope she cooperates this time. Her momma needs to see her and know that she's doing fine in her little temporary home! In other news, the ultrasound did tell us that she weighed 3.2 pounds and was measuring a week and a half ahead of schedule. Also, she was sitting completely horizontal at this time. Granted, there is still plenty of time for her to shift; but, if she were to be born today, she'd be considered breech and a c-section baby!

Other fun happenings!!!
Michael and I went to the Greek Festival on Friday night. It was so much fun. Michael had never been before, and he had a great time. We had wonderful food, saw some Greek dancing and had lots of fun! On Saturday, we went to Babypalooza at Brookwood Mall. This is basically a big event that highlights all sorts of baby vendors (photographers, stores, furniture, etc) in the Birmingham area. We collected lots of "baby bucks" from the vendors and used it to "buy" some stuff at the Ultimate Baby Shower. We "bought" a set of infant toys/rattles and also some swaddling blankets. We also got to eat lunch with our good friends -- Amy, Keith and Tyler. Tyler turned a year old last week. He raced in the diaper derby on Saturday and won! We are so proud of him!!

Also of note, I have two baby showers that are coming up soon. One is given to me by some of my very best friends from church and Michael's sister is hosting the second one that will be more for just family. I'm excited about seeing all of the wonderful things that people give to us and to Sarah. We are blessed to have so many wonderful friends.

Well, I know that this post has been really long, but you've been asking what's going on ... so there you have it! I'll let you know later this week if little miss sarah cooperates for her close-up on Wednesday. Have a great day!

It's official ... Sarah is growing up, and out!

I'm really pregnant. I know that you already knew that, but I really am -- all of a sudden!! Seriously, over the weekend, I swear my stomach all of a sudden doubled in size. I read online that my uterus is now the size of a basketball (week 27), and I believe it!

My co-workers noticed the difference immediately and several of the daycare parents also stopped me and commented. Two of them had not even realized I was pregnant at all and then to tell them that I am 7 months! Wow!

Anyway, I'm continuing to feel pretty good. We got our chair put into the room over the weekend. I'll have to figure out how to post pictures, but everything is starting to come together and look really good! We have all the major stuff ready for Sarah to come home, but I think I'll let her keep growing for a while! I'm happy and excited to meet her, but I don't want to rush her!

depressing ...

I probably have gestational diabetes. Yeah me!! (do you hear the sarcasm?) Well, I guess I will start at the beginning. My mom went with me to the doctor yesterday for my 26 week checkup -- 26 weeks ... can you believe it!? I had to have the blood sugar screening test. I had to drink the nasty syrupy sweet orange drink and then wait an hour and have my finger pricked. Well, the cut-off is 139. Get ready ... my level was 204. I know, unbelievable! So then they whisk me down to the lab for more blood work. That level came back today as 174. I have to go for the three hour test next week. I don't know why they won't just go ahead and let me start on the GD diet, instead I have to load up on sweets for 3 days prior to my test. Desserts with meals and 2 sweet snacks per day. I don't even really like sweets! Ok, I'll try to quit complaining. I know people are tired of hearing it already.

In other great news ... the baby furniture is in and it looks great! It is so pretty in Sarah's room. We will have to post pictures of it soon. Hopefully our chair will come in either this week or next and then we can start decorating! Also, the dates for the showers are set. So that is another positive thing for me to be excited about. In 2 weeks, Michael and I will go for our 4-D ultrasound. I can't wait to see Sarah's face and start to really connect with her. There's just something about being able to see your baby's actual face and features. Incredible how technology makes so many things possible.

Michael starts class on Monday night. He'll be taking a computer class every Monday (until December) at the University of Montevallo. He's interested in going back to get another Master's Degree. This time in Secondary Education. This will allow him to get his Alabama Teaching Certificate so that he would be able to teach in a public school (if he wants to).We're excited about that, but also very apprehensive about what that means for the future. Oh well, God already had that part figured out. I need to remember that and quit worrying about stuff like that. Don't I have enough to worry about already? :)

Need to learn how to drive?

If so, I know a wonderful Driver's Education teacher who is newly certified. Yes, Michael made it through the two weeks of Driver's Ed Hell! It really did seem to be that bad at some points in the past two weeks. I'm sure that he may post more about it later, but I'll try to hit the highlights. Keep in mind that everything had to be passed with 80% or higher, or else it was considered a failing grade. Over the past two weeks ...

• Michael had a test almost every day.
• Had to learn the boating manual and take the licensing test -- he passed. (Do you need him to drive your boat this weekend? We're available!)
• Had to take the Alabama Driver's Manual test.
• Had to complete 30 days of lesson plans (complete with Course of Study information, goals/objectives, materials needed, action needed to teach, evaluation materials included, etc)
• Had to teach the class about a particular point within the manual. his area was right of way and emergency vehicles. This had to be done via Power Point slides.
• Spent a week driving around town with State Department representatives simulating him being the student and also being the teacher.

Needless to say, it was exhausting! However, I'm happy and proud to say ... he made A's on everything and received his certification! Yea ... I love you honey!

Long Overdue Posting (Baby Week 24)

I know ... I don't even need to hear it! I know that it has been almost a month since we posted -- but, we're busy people! :) Earlier in July, we went to Mobile to visit my best friend April. We have known each other since college. We've survived weird boyfriends, psycho friends, marriages, kids, etc. Well, it was her birthday, so we went to visit her and to shop in Foley. Michael got lots of clothes for school from his favorite store - Banana Republic- and I got some clothes from the only place that fits me right now - Motherhood Maternity. We stayed at a shady place (Baymont Inn), but what do you expect for $65 a night?!

We've also been MIA from church lately. What can I say -- I'm pregnant!? Some days I don't feel good. I've still been getting sick some mornings. I thought morning sickness was supposed to be over by the second trimester, but mine is still lingering. I've also added car sickness to my new fun list of ailments. Aside from visiting Mobile, we've also attended church where we got married. They had recently redone the sanctuary and we wanted to see it. While it looks nice, we still prefer the old way better. Looked much more traditional and churchy. We also went to church there because we wanted to go to Sunday School. This is the church where Michael grew up. His family still attends. We went to Sunday School with his sister and her fiance. Yes, that's right ... I said fiance. They will be getting married in March and will be moving to Odenville. While Michael's mom is very upset and semi-depressed about this, I personally feel that this will be an excellent move for Melissa and Doug. She has lived across the street from her parents for most of her adult life; it is time for her to spread her wings and fly!

In baby news ... the room is painted and all furniture is ordered and awaiting delivery. Michael and his dad painted the baby's room earlier in July. It is about the color of a yummy chocolate milkshake. We've hung up the curtains and now we're just waiting on furniture. I am excited about seeing it all in the room. One of our neighbors recently brought us over a large bag full of baby clothes that they no longer need, so Sarah is getting quite the little wardrobe! Sarah is moving around much more lately. Michael still can't feel her, but I feel like it won't be too much longer because her kicks are getting stronger each week. In 2 weeks, I have to go for the blood sugar test. I am worried about taking it because my mom is diabetic. I am trying to watch my foods and make sure that I will not be eating excess sugar for the week preceding the test. Mom is going to go with me to the test. She'll get to hear the heartbeat. She's so excited. She's going to need to buy a new car pretty soon because by the sound of things, she's planning on being here with Sarah a lot!! :)

Wii love the Wii!!!

I almost forgot some of our most exciting news ...

We bought a Wii!!! Actually, we traded in Michael's xbox and our neighbor's playstation 2 and all of the associated games. But who cares how it happened ... it happened! We've been wanting one since Christmas. This is our last big guilty pleasure (supposedly) before Sarah comes. We have had SO MUCH FUN playing this since Saturday night. By the way, I am a star at bowling and not so bad at tennis! If you're interested in challenging us to a match ... let us know! :)

Big Trouble

I know that we are in big trouble with some of you for our lack of posting over the past week, and also because we never posted pictures. Oh well ... you'll have to forgive and forget. Life goes on! :)

In all actuality, it has been a busy week!! Last Monday (6/30), Gus had another episode. This time, he had two "seizures" back to back. It was very scary. We did better, we didn't rush immediately to the vet. Instead, we called a friend of ours who owns her own vet clinic in Gardendale (about 30 minutes from our house). We described everything that was happening and she decided that she wanted to see Gus the next morning. Lucky for me, it was my Gardendale day -- so I was already going to be up there. So, Michael and I decided that we would go and I would meet them there. Well, Miranda is a genius apparently because she did the most novel thing ever -- she took Gus' temperature and blood work! He had a fever of 104 and a high white blood count. My little buddy was very sick!!! Here's the scary part ... she kept him the rest of the day on IV fluids and IV antibiotics!!! Can you imagine little gus like that?! At the end of the day, I went back and got him. She sent us home with some medicine, and now, almost a week later -- he's acting like his old self again! He's eating more, going potty more, everything. He's healed! Thanks Miranda!!!

In other news, baby Sarah continues to grow. We ordered her furniture this weekend, and her bedding is supposed to be delivered today. Michael and his dad are planning on painting her bedroom next week. My next appointment is in about 2 weeks.

We hope that you had a nice 4th of July with family/friends. Happy Summer!!!

It's a ....???

I'm sorry that all of you have been checking and wondering when we were finally going to post ... we have gotten your emails and phone calls! It's been a busy weekend! Our parents and family were here on Friday night and the yard sale was Saturday.


However, we would now like to announce that Sarah Mae Crawley will be making her arrival in November. She is looking forward to meeting all of you and hearing fun and crazy stories about her amazing parents!! :)

Michael will try to post pictures on Monday.

Healthy Baby!!

Well, we are pleased to report that we have a very healthy baby! The doctor stated that our baby was developing according to schedule and was actually measuring 2 days ahead of where it is supposed to be! The baby weighs 9 ounces and was very active during the ultrasound!!!

Everything looks great and we are very excited, pleased, nervous, etc. We can't wait to share with all of you what we are having! Just a little bit longer and we will reveal the news! :)

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers this morning. I was a nervous wreck, but just knowing that our baby is healthy is worth everything!

misc. musings

Well ... we haven't really written in the past week because nothing has really been going on. I've been obsessed with thinking about the baby and wondering if it was truly growing or not. i've been worried about it. we had some friends in our sunday school class who went to their ultrasound last year and found out that their baby had no heartbeat. they have since gone on to have a beautiful little girl who is now 6 months old. however, i think all of that is still in the back of my mind. i think it is more so because up to this point, i really haven't gained any weight. granted, i had a little extra to begin with -- but still! you can imagine how my mind works overtime!!

our neighbors are also having a baby. they are due the week before us. they just found out that they are having a boy. she told me last week that she had felt the baby move. that also made me a little sad because i had not felt our baby move. once again, here comes my overactive mind at work. is our baby growing? why isn't it moving? is it developing okay? well ... lucky for me ... i think that i finally felt the baby move this week. michael and i were watching tv and i felt like something pushed my stomach. normally, i would blame gus (because he's usually sleeping on me), but it wasn't him this time! i think it might have actually been our little jellybean. :) i felt it several more times that night, and a few times since. so yea!!!

well ... all of these random thoughts leading up to one really big thought ... are you ready?

tomorrow we have our ultrasound to check the baby. we are 18 weeks at this point, so hopefully we will be able to determine what we are having. in reality, the more important part of the ultrasound is to check development. we will hopefully be able to check brain development, major organ development and function, etc. i can't wait!! i'm also pretty nervous -- remember how my mind works?! :)

for all of you who are reading this wanting an immediate posting of what we are having -- you will have to wait! we are having both sets of parents over to the house tomorrow night to tell everyone at the same time-in person. therefore ... you won't be reading it on here until after we have told the family!! you'll most likely read about it sometime over the weekend. however, you can call us if you are dying to know before we post!

wish us luck -- our appointment is set for 8:00. i will try to at least post online and let you know if everything development-wise is okay. have a great day -- sorry for the super long random thought process! :)

First of Many Worried Parent Moments

Well, we had a moment last night where we played the part of the overprotective and worried parents. For the baby? Well, of course -- however, it was towards our first born child, Gus.

We had been outside playing in the yard with Gus' best friend, Lady. Lady lives next door and they love to play together. We came in from playing and Gus was acting fine. A few minutes later, he came into the kitchen and threw up. Then, he sort of staggered around and fell over. It was like a seizure! My baby dog!!!

Well, of course we went into full panic mode! We called the vet, but they were non-commital on whether we should bring him in or not. We decided to go ahead and take him in. As soon as we got there, they took him from us and took him into the back to be evaluated. (Mental note, don't let strangers take your baby from you at the doctor again!) After a long time (15 minutes), someone came and got us and took us into a room. Still, no Gus! After about 10 more minutes, the doctor came in (without Gus!) to talk with us. WHERE IS MY DOG?!?!

Well, bottom line -- the doctor thinks he may have gotten too hot and fainted. We were supposed to just give him a quiet night at home with his loving parents and watch him closely for a few weeks. This is the age where some dogs start to show signs of epilepsy, so we would want to catch that immediately! But for now, it's most likely an isolated incident.

He was acting fine this morning, but he was super needy last night. "Just like his momma", according to Michael. He thinks that Gus and I act just alike when something is wrong with either of us. Anyway, crisis averted! Michael and I were talking on the way home last night from the vet that basically this episode is the equivalent of our child falls and bumps his/her head. Of course, they act fine, they are playing, not crying, no swelling ... yet, we decide to go to the doctor or ER. Hopefully, we won't be overprotective parents -- but you never know!

Doctor Appointment Update

Well, we went to the doctor yesterday afternoon. Relatively uneventful! We were able to hear the heartbeat. It was at 157 beats per minute. However, we have a sneaky little child! On multiple occasions now, the baby has moved when the nurse tries to get the heartbeat. Yesterday, we actually heard the baby when it did its little acrobatic maneuveurs to get away from the doppler machine. That was pretty funny. However, it does not set a very good precedent for our next appointment. The next appointment will be the ultrasound when we are hopefully able to see if it is a boy or girl. However, if our little one likes to be evasive -- there may be some problems! We are going to start talking to it now about the proper way to behave at the doctor's office and start getting it used to acting correctly in public! :)

Next appointment is set for June 27. Not much longer and we'll know what this little m&m is all about! :)

Pictures from our weekend.

Well, today we return to the doctor. We are looking ahead for the next appointment so we can find out what we are having. It seems to be a good time for us to have a baby. We now have four couples in our Sunday School Class including us that are having babies. We had a wonderful weekend together. We went to Pepper Place then to Aldridge Gardens in Hoover. They were having their yearly art show which is fun to look at but most of it would not be our style. We finished the day swimming and planting some flowers at the house

Next Doctor's Appointment

I forgot to mention that we go back to the doctor on Monday afternoon. We will get to hear the heartbeat again. That's always exciting! The next appointment will be the big one ... boy or girl?! Start placing bets now! Be sure to let us know what you think we're having -- please leave a comment!!!

Week 15 Update

Well ... this has been a super long week for me at work. Michael has been enjoying his summer at home. He's been cleaning and getting some much needed stuff done around the house!



I guess one thing that is note-worthy is that I'm finally starting to show a little bit. One of my friends from work told me the other day that she is starting to be able to see that I'm pregnant. So that is exciting! Another big deal lately are emotions. Currently this morning, I'm suffering from a sad movie hangover. We watched P.S. I Love You last night. I'm not going to spoil the movie for you, but let's just say that it definitely has its sad moments. Well, I of course escalated that sadness by about 50 times and had a complete meltdown -- not once, but twice! Michael said that we could no longer watch sad movies during this pregnancy because I get completely uncontrollable. So this morning, my eyes are swollen and I have a headache from crying. Oh well!

Back to baby ... this week, the baby is about 4 to 4-1/2 inches long and weighs about 1-3/4 ounces. It is about the size of a softball. This week, the baby may be starting to suck his/her thumb. Eyes and ears continue to develop and move to their more permanent positions on the face. Bones are continuing to grow, and if an x-ray were performed, you may even be able to see the baby!

It truly is a miracle -- that something can grow into a complete human while inside of you! I had a long talk with one of my kid's moms this week about genetic testing. Her child has Down's Syndrome. They didn't find out before she was born and she said that she wouldn't change a thing. Michael and I are not having genetic testing either. We already love our baby -- no matter what disabilities he/she may or may not have. Besides, I work in early intervention, so I'll probably have our baby evaluated within the first month anyway! :) Just as a side note, did you know that 90% of mothers who find out that their child may have Down's abort the pregnancy?! That is an astounding statistic. Granted, I haven't looked it up to know if it is accurate, but that's what the mom said.

Oh well, so much for the rambling this morning. I'm about to go and wake up my husband. It's Saturday after all ... we can't sleep late today! There's too much fun for us to do before the day is over!!! :)

Week 14 and other thoughts

So far week 14 has gone smooth. Jennifer has been feeling pretty good this week. No major problems just the usually struggles that pregnant women go through, (pain, headaches, heartburn, etc.) We are two weeks away from our next doctor visit.

Last weekend we went on our first trip looking at the world of baby furniture. It was kind of overwhelming to see so many styles and features. The most shocking of course is how much it all cost. I bet that the money that we will spend on one baby room could have bought my entire street baby stuff in 1973. Who knows maybe even the city? :) Most baby stores tend to tell you more than you need to know or that you would care to know. Lets also not forget the scary words that they all say for the most part: Your furniture will take 10-12 weeks to come in so buy as soon as possible. Ah !!!! Panic !!!!! Stress !!!! There was one place that we looked at that tries to keep what they sell in stock so we will wait and see what happens in the weeks to come.

In the end it looks like we pick a style that we like no matter if it is a boy or a girl.

As Jennifer mentioned in her last post, I am now out of school. Yeah me! Being out for the summer is not exactly like it use to be. As a teacher we only have about ten weeks out not the old three months like it use to be when I was in school. That statement made me sound pretty old. It is nice to be away from teaching for a few weeks. The only problem is by the time you get recovered you have to go back. Just like last summer, I have alot of plans for what I want to do with my free time. This year most of it centers around getting things ready for the baby. Hopefully, I will be able to have a little time for me as well.

Week 13

Well, week 13 (last week) was pretty uneventful. According to books, the baby was the size of a peach last week. Pretty funny to me, because we bought some peaches recently. Just think ... that's the size of my baby!

I did learn one important tidbit that I'll pass on to you ... not a good idea to rapidly drink an entire glass of OJ first thing in the morning. I'll leave it at that ... not a pretty picture!

According to Michael, he is starting to be able to see more of where the baby is inside of me. Hmmm ... should I take that as a compliment? :) haha Just kidding -- we are both excited to be able to notice more changes happening to me.

On a negative note ... I'm the only one having to get up each day now, because Michael is out of school. So not fair!!! However, to his credit, he is being the super perfect husband and woke me up this morning and had my breakfast ready for me.

Week 12 Update

Well, we went yesterday to the doctor. After filling out tons of paperwork and basically signing our lives away ... we heard the heartbeat! Pretty exciting, huh?


At first, the nurse had some difficulty in finding it (I think the baby was playing Hide and Seek!), but then she was able to locate it. Of course, as soon as we heard it, the baby moved again ... such a playful little crawley bug! She found it again, I started crying -- all in all a good day!


The heartbeat was measured at 164. According to internet and old wives tales, this means that we are likely having a girl. (Above 140 -- girl; Under 140 -- boy) Is this accurate? Who knows?! If you remember the heart rate of your child, let us know if it ended up being accurate or not!

In other related news ... Michael is almost finished with school for this year and I think I'm mostly done with my morning (um, all day) sickness. Yeah!!!! Gus is looking forward to having his daddy all to himself for these long summer days. I guess he better enjoy it this year, next year will be completely different for the little child dog!

Have a great day!

Exciting Week Ahead

Well, this Wednesday we will (hopefully) get to hear the heartbeat! I must confess, I'm a bit nervous. What if we don't hear it? What if something's wrong? I know that I shouldn't worry about those things, but of course I do! That's what a momma is supposed to do, right? :)

This past weekend was Mother's Day. It was a little strange, because I am a mother, but not really -- you know? Anyway, Michael did his part and got me pretty earrings and my parents bought me a book about pregnancy.

Hope all of you had a nice Mother's Day as well.

New Beginnings

Well, as you come to our blog for the first you will see that it actually started the year that we got married. Needless to say our attempt to chronologically talk about the first year of married and our new jobs at the time last only a few weeks. Now we will attempt to share with all of you the joy of our first child. It should be interesting as we count down the months til November. For all of you that do not know our baby is due November 26th. That's right the day before Thanksgiving! Turkey Day needless to say will be forever changed :)