2 Months Old!!!

So...in 4 days he will officially be 3 months old...i'm a little late posting...but oh well!!!!

At your 2 month check-up, here are your stats: Weight: 14 lbs (87th percentile) Height: 25 inches (95th percentile) Head Circumference: 16 inches (57th percentile) You are tall like your daddy with a tiny head! Lol! I knew you would be tall, but it still makes mommy laugh to see the percentiles! You are our big boy!!

At 2 months here's what you are do/like/dislike: *You smile at mommy when she talks to you *You make the sweetest coo sounds *You HATE to be swaddled *You take your last bottle around 10:30pm and I put you in your crib and you put yourself to sleep. You usually don't wake up until between 6:30 or 8:00 am the next morning. You've been sleeping through the night since you were 6 weeks old! *You love to stretch in your bed every morning *You make lots of noises when you sleep so we started having you sleep in your crib at 4 weeks *You love to watch the Baby Einstein Level 1 Video (you will watch for 10 mins and then start to cry) *You like to lay on your play mat and stare at the toys *You love your vibrating chair and take naps there during the day *You wear Size 1 Diapers *You are wearing 3-6 months clothes because you are so LONG! *You LOVE the bath and have never cried during bath time! *You LOVE your changing table...it always calms you down if you are upset!

*You are such a good eater! You eat 6 bottles a day (5-6 ounces per bottle). *Your eyes keep getting "blue"er like mommy's

Weston, your daddy and I love you so very much. We prayed for you for a long time. Last night, your daddy was holding you and he said "You are exactly what I wanted." It was the sweetest thing I have ever heard and I couldn't agree more! You are the best thing that has ever happened to us. We LOVE you to the moon and back!

OH BABY! Part II

So it was around 2pm when I found out I wasn't going to have a C-Section. I was on the phone with my mom hoping she was going to make it to the hospital before I had the baby. She was in Missouri visiting my grandparents, and was on her way to Little Rock. Luckily, she made it when I was about 9 cm. She got to come see me and I started crying the minute I saw her. Something about seeing your mom when you are going through a big event just makes the tears start flowing. I was SO excited she made it. She was snapping pictures and was so ready to meet her grandson! My grandparents were with her and got to come see me, too! They weren't there very long before they wanted me to start pushing, so off they went to the waiting room. Hunter and I wanted it to be just the two of us in the delivery room. Pushing was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life...pushing aint for sissies! Wow, what an amazing experience. Probably the best day of my life besides the day I married Hunter. Weston Daniel Scott arrived at 5:04 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long with a head full of blonde hair. What a blessing! Here's our first family picture:

I told you that I was super hungry the entire day...so I wanted some FOOD! The nurse brought me a Dr. Pepper, but told me to be careful not to drink too much because the bubbles might upset my stomach. She also brought me a tray of food, which I ended up only eating a few bites because I started feeling sick to my stomach...bummer!!! I suddenly hit a wall and was so tired!!! Giving birth WORE ME OUT! We finally got moved to our other room and Weston went to the nursery for the night so that mommy and daddy could get some much needed sleep! The next day, a photographer came into the room and took some of the sweetest pictures of Weston...

OH BABY!!! Part I

Holy Moly, it's been a hectic two months. I haven't even had the chance to think about blogging. Why you say? Because we had a BABY!! A beautiful baby boy...who I am absolutely in love with! I know most people already know this because of the FACEBOOK world; however, I wanted to blog about it so that I can always remember the details. You think you'll always remember the details, and then years pass by and things start to slowly fade away...so, here's the birth story... On Sunday, August 19th, I was one day shy of 39 weeks...and rather large!

We went to church with my in-laws and to lunch at Copelands. I was a little anxious because on Monday I had my first day of school, with students. Every year, I get a little nervous to meet all of my kiddos and especially this year because I was SO pregnant. I wanted to meet them, even if it was only for the first day...I wanted to work up until the day I had Weston because why sit around and wait and drive myself crazy! It's like watching paint dry...BORING! Those last few weeks of pregnancy just creep on by and I remember having thoughts, "Is this ever going to happen???" On Sunday, I kept thinking that maybe my water broke or had a slow leak, so I called the nurse on call and she told me that if my water broke, i'd for sure know because it's a LOT of water. She said not to worry and to come in if it was like a faucet. So....I cleaned house, took my shower, straightened my hair, and picked out my close for the first day of school. At 10:00 pm, Hunter and I went to bed. At 12:15 am, I woke up and had to use the restroom (every 2 hours I did this those last few weeks). I remember going to the bathroom and thinking, "what if my water is leaking and I don't know it?" I was rather concerned but got back in bed and said "God, if my water is leaking and i need to go to the hospital, will you please give me a sign?" I am not kidding when I say that minutes later I felt a large gush and immediately ran to the bathroom. This time I KNEW my water had broken. Hunter must've heard me because he was up and I yelled "Hunter, I think it's time!!!" I got out my handy dandy list of last minute things to grab (phone charger, bathroom toiletries, etc...) and we were out the door in 10 minutes. I already had our bags packed and in the car, along with the car seat. I was ready for this moment and it was just as exciting as I'd hoped it would be. At this time, I had absolutely no pain or contractions. We pulled into Baptist before 1:00 am and parked in the parking garage. We walked across the sky bridge over to Labor & Delivery (we knew exactly where to go because we took childbirth class in July!) We were both SO excited and I made Hunter take one last picture of me pregnant, which turned out to be pretty blurry, but oh well!

I walked into the hospital and told them that I think my water broke. They weighed me at 146 lbs and took me over to Triage to have me checked before they would admit me. I started getting worried that maybe I just peed and my water didn't break...but then I knew I had just gone to the bathroom before it happened so it HAD to have broken. Hunter was laughing and hoping that we wouldn't be sent back home. Sure enough, my water had broken!!!! Since I wasn't having any contractions, they admitted me to a room to get my IV and were going to start Pitocin at 7:00 am. Our first nurse was Kelley Passifiume, a girl who graduated from CAC with my sister, Katie. It was so nice to have a nurse I was already familiar with! She was so sweet! We basically just spent the night at the hospital and tried to rest (but I was SO excited that it was pretty difficult to sleep). At 7:00 am, Kelley introduced me to my new nurses because she was going home. There were 2 nurses with me all day and an intern who was there to help/watch. The nurses were Sarah and Lindsey and the intern was Lacey. They were still on the clock during delivery, which was really awesome since they had been with me ALL day long. Luckily, my contractions were not very painful. At 3 cm, they had asked if I wanted some pain meds and i was told at childbirth class if they offer you pain meds, do not decline. So I said, "Sure." They asked if the doctor said ok, would I like to go ahead and get my epidural, and I was like "heck yeah!" So that process began and for me, it was more painful than contractions. He had to do it TWICE because the first time it was too low and I could feel it in the rear! It took awhile, but finally it was in place. The day went on and I was progressing...and STARVING!! I hadn't eaten since 7pm the night before, and not very much then because I wasn't feeling well...so I wanted FOOD, which was not allowed. I enjoyed my ice chips and pretended they were something awesome! I kept talking about the food I would eat as soon as I had that baby! Here I am in the hospital...

Around noon, I could tell the nurses were studying my contractions and kind of talking quietly to each other and I told Hunter that something was up. He asked them what was going on and they said that they were concerned because with each contraction, Weston's heartrate would drop. They didn't like how it was affecting him so they were going to have the doctor come check it out. She came and I was at 5 cm. She had them take me off of Pitocin. She was afraid that without it, I might not make any progress. She was going to give me a little over an hour to see how I do on my own, and if no progress was made, we would have to have a C-Section. I was a little nervous, but decided that I'd get to meet my son sooner if this happened, so we mentally prepared for it...It was time to put on makeup in case we had to go to surgery soon...I didn't want to meet my son for the first time without my "face" on. Plus, I knew tons of pictures would come after I had him...here I am:

The doctor came back a little before 2pm to check for progress and wouldn't ya know I went from a 5 to an 8 in that short time...no C-Section!!!! We were gonna meet this baby soon! The doctor and nurses were so excited!!! And so were we!!! Part II to come soon... Carrie

The End of Another Summer...

Another summer ends, a new school year bgins! It has been a great summer! We got out earlier this past school year...before Memorial Day...which NEVER happens! I'm so thankful i've had 11 weeks at home, sleeping in and preparing for baby Weston. Next Tuesday, I am going to go back to school for Professional Development (teacher in-service) to prepare for yet another year. This will be my 6th year at Northwood...wow, time flies! Some people ask me why i'm going back to work when I only have a few short weeks until the baby arrives. Well, I'm not going to sit at home and wait for him to come...that's like watching paint dry. I need to stay busy so that time goes by fast! Also, I think being up and moving will help labor progress...so i'm gonna go back to work until I can't stand it any longer! The first day of school, with students, is on August 20th, 7 days before my due date...so I may make it, I may not...but i'm gonna try as long as I can! Also, I'd rather take my time off AFTER he's here, rather than BEFORE he's here. I want to stay at home as long as i can with my little man before I have to return to work. I'm using 6 weeks disability plus 40 days accrued leave I have saved up over the past 5 years. I'm hoping I won't have to return to work until Mid to Late November. Then, I'll only have 3 weeks of school left before Christmas break, easing my way back into the working world. Hunter's mom is going to take a leave of absence from her pre-school for the 2nd semester so that she can stay home with Weston and I can resume working. It's so nice having family that can help take care of him. I won't have to worry about day-care, especially the cost of it! Plus I think it will be easier on me to know that he's being taken care of by his Nana! So, that's the plan for this school year! Can't believe it's already time to start again...ready or not, here they come!!!! Carrie

Tristan and Tyler

My niece and nephew are so special to me! Tristan is 7 years old and is about to enter 2nd grade, and Tyler is 14 months old and cute as can be! I don't get to see them very often because they both live in Florida, but my mom sends me pictures of them all of the time. It melts my heart to see them playing together. I cannot wait for Weston to meet his cousins and play with them. I'm sure he will look up to them because they are his big cousins (but i'm pretty sure he might out-grow them, eventually...seeing as though his daddy is 6'5"). Here are some pictures of them, today, playing in Tristan's backyard! Tyler looks a little scared, but mom said he LOVED it! He is not afraid to get water in his face one bit!

And of course, Tyler is being a boy and spraying his cousin with the hose...boys know how to annoy girls at such an early age!!!

Tristan just found out she needs glasses...bless her heart! They tested her at school and she failed the eye exam. My sister took her to the eye doctor and they said she has probably just gotten used to not seeing very well, and she probably never really knew the difference. I think she's cute with glasses!

And of course Tyler is sporting his "glasses" too:

I love my niece and nephew! I miss them so much and think of them, daily! Aunt Carrie loves you Tristan and Tyler! Sending hugs and kisses to Florida!!

Weekend Re-Cap

We had a great weekend! I'm trying to enjoy these last fews weeks with just my husband because I know once baby comes, it will never be just the two of us again! We have had a great 5 1/2 years together just the two of us, and we are definitely ready to add a new little member to our family...5 more weeks!!! This is a picture of us on July 5th, Hunter's birthday. Last family photo with just the two of us!

On Friday night, we had our last baby shower! This was a couples shower, so Hunter got to come and join in on the fun! Hunter's parents have lived in the same neighborhood for almost 20 years and all of their neighborhood friends threw us a baby shower. It was so fun! We ate great food and got lots of great gifts. Here are a few pics of us opening gifts...

We had a great time and Hunter laughed at how small his clothes are...he just can't believe we are going to have a baby that is going to be tiny (at least i'm hoping he's tiny...he can get big later in life!!!) We have been blessed to have so many wonderful showers! Weston has so much stuff...we are fully ready for him to arrive!!! His nursery has been ready for weeks, and we've gotten all of his clothes washed and put away, closet organized, etc... Hunter and I are both a little anal when it comes to having things organized and ready on time. We even installed his carseat on Saturday just in case he decides to come earlier than expected! On Saturday, we decided to go and buy a few things on our registries that we still needed/wanted. Luckily, we had some gift cards to help us buy those items! We had fun shopping and then decided to go to dinner at Senor Tequila! After dinner, we went to Trevor and Lori's house. Lori is due the same week as me so it's been fun to compare our bellies and discuss our progress. Here's a pic of us taken back in June:

We helped Trevor and Lori move some furniture around in their nursery. They are getting close to finishing it...it's exciting! She is due 6 days before me but it will be fun to see who goes first and how far apart our babies will be. We know they will be in the same grade, so that will be really fun! Maybe we will end up in the hospital at the same time...you never know! We go to our last childbirth class with them, tonight...so now we're really prepared! LOL! It's been fun sharing this special time with close friends...something we'll never forget! On Sunday, we did chores all day! Hunter mowed and washed our cars! I did lots of laundry and cleaned up the house. We did our weekly grocery run, which we always do together. Might change after Weston arrives, but for now, we love going to the store together. Maybe Nana and papa will babysit so we can still shop together! I watched the Bachelorette (and Hunter did, too, but shhhhh don't tell) and was glad she chose Jef! Hope this relationship will actually go the distance! Well, that's our weekend re-cap! Nothing too exciting, but I enjoyed my time with my husband! Hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend, too! Carrie P.S. For some reason, I put spaces between my paragraphs and they never show up when I post...It just makes one large paragraph. Anybody know how i can fix this? I hate that it's all jumbled up together. Help!

Week 33, the worst week for me!

Wow, last week was a rough one. A week that I NEVER want to repeat. I had a 4 day workshop planned in Hot Springs to renew my Pre-AP Certificate so that I can teach my Pre-AP classes (a must in public school)! I had a few co-workers going, too, so we decided to meet up and carpool each morning. Monday, I drove, and everything went well. It was a long day, but it went well. Tuesday, a friend of mine drove, and around 9 am, I started feeling a little lightheaded/dizzy. I thought maybe I hadn't eaten enough or maybe had too much sugar, so I tried to snack a little to see if that would help. It continued to get worse so I finally got an ice pack on my neck and laid on a chair with my feet propped up until lunch. I tried to take a small nap, too. After resting, I still felt bad. I tried an apple and about 10 seconds after I finished, the vomiting began. I couldn't even keep water down...I kept feeling dizzy. Finally, my instructor decided to let me go home early. I'm so glad I didn't have to drive that day because I was miserable. On the way home, my friend had to stop in downtown Hot Springs so that i could vomit in a trashcan, in front of everyone. Then again on the side of the highway in Benton as semis are flying by. She dropped me off at my car in Bryant and I drove myself home. I was really nervous because I was still dizzy, but all I wanted was to be home in my bed! I started to vomit again in my car, luckily having a ziploc with me, and pulled over in a random parking lot to finish. It was miserable!! I called my OB and they presribed me a nausea pill that would melt in my mouth since I couldn't keep ANYTHING down. Hunter went to Walgreens to get this for me, along with chicken noodle soup and sprite. I took my pill and finally fell asleep for an hour and a half. When I woke up, Hunter insisited I try to drink some Gatorade and eat some saltines...they lasted about 5 mins. I was so dizzy the room was spinning and I could barely walk to the bathroom without running into the walls. Hunter has never seen me so bad and he was getting scared. Finally at 8 pm, we decided to go to the hospital. I took a trashcan with me in the car...which was a good thing b/c i vomited the entire way there. I was quite a site walking into the ER, but seeing a pregnant woman, they immediately had me taken up to Labor and delivery. I told them I wasn't in labor, just really sick, but they wanted to check the baby out, regardless. They told me that I probably had a stomach virus, and I ended up getting a suppository to stop the vomiting. The dizziness was caused from dehydration, since I couldn't eat/drink all day. I finally was released around 10 pm and got to go home. The medicine made me sleepy, so luckily, I was able to sleep through the night. On Wednesday, I stayed in bed ALL DAY LONG! I had no energy and was still pretty dizzy. I was able to eat and keep food down, but it took me until Friday before I felt like getting up, dressed, and well enough to leave the house for a few errands. Then on Friday, as I'm finally feeling like eating again, one of my molars starts hurting. I bought some Oragel to numb it and thought it would help, but by Saturday morning, I had a full blown toothache. If you've never experienced a toothache before, they are MISERABLE! It was a throbbing pain that went up my face to my temple, giving me a terrible headache. It lasted the entire day! I couldn't chew anything without being in excruciating pain. I tried more oragel, rinsing my mouth with warm salt water, ice packs, heating pad, regular tylenol, vanilla extract (something I found on the internet), hot tea bags...nothing would stop the pain. By Saturday night, I was in tears. Hunter knew I wasn't feeling well all day because I kept grabbing my face and had barely said 5 words all day (which is not like me at all)! Finally, we called a family friend that's a dentist and he prescribed me an antibiotic because he thought I had an infected tooth, along with a pain pill (Tylenol 3...of course I had to get it cleared from my OB). Hunter took me to Walgreens at 10:30 that night and withint 30 mins of taking the pain pill, the pain was gone! OMG...it was wonderful! I had been waiting for the pain pill to kick in and I'm so glad we had a family connection. I knew I couldn't go all weekend with that miserable pain. Luckily, I'm doing much better this week. I'm going to the dentist tomorrow to have my tooth checked, even though the pain had gone away. My OB doesn't want me to have any tooth problems while in labor so she said to get it checked out now! I have stopped vomiting and can finally eat food again! Amen! Weston is still thriving and barely noticed that mommy was sick because he gained 11 oz during that week of my sickness. I felt pretty bad for the poor little guy...probably wondered what all those awful noises were coming from mommy! LOL! Hoping that the next 6 weeks aren't anything like week 33. I'm writing this post so that one day I can go back and remember/laugh about Week 33....hoping that i'll never have to re-live that week again... Carrie

The Sara Study

Through our friends Lindsey and Drew Holbert, we found out about a study at UAMS called the Sara Study. This study is for pregnant moms who are around 30 weeks pregnant. UAMS received grant money for this study in 1998 to assess the neurological development of the fetus. Most neurological damage occurs to the fetus prior to the onset of labor. This study is voluntary and completely free. One bonus to the study is that you get free 4-D ultrasounds at every appointment. They want you to come every 2 weeks until the baby is born and then once after the baby is born (before 3 weeks of age). Hunter and I decided we wanted to participate in the study and had our first appointment on July 6th. We did the 4-D ultrasound first, which was amazing! Baby Weston was wide awake and sucking on his fingers, his toes, yawning, stretching, and moving his mouth all around. We were all laughing at him. We tried to get some good pictures of his face when he wasn't moving or sucking...so it was rather difficult...but we got a few keepers. He weighed approximately 4 lbs 8 oz. at our 32 week visit. Here are some pics of our sweet baby boy:

This next picture makes it look like he has Elvis hair...but it's not hair. He was smashed up against the wall of my uterus, so i'm not sure what that is. I asked her if she thought he had hair, and she said she saw maybe a little on the back of his head, but I doubt much. Hunter and I were both baldies, so we think he may be too...

After the ultrasound, they had me go into a room that looked like I was entering a space shuttle. I had to sit on this stool and lean forward onto another chair that had a cutout perfectly for a pregnant belly, laying my head down on a pillow. I had wires and things strapped around my waist, touching my belly. The lady shut the door behind me, which really felt like one of those doors they close for an airplane. I was all locked in...She could speak to me through a microphone and had a camera to watch me. Unfortunately, I didn't get to participate in the study because they were detecting metal that was interfering with the machine. Come to find out that metal was coming from my mouth...yes, I have several metal fillings from when I was a kid. She said this happens occasionally and we wouldn't be able to continue the study. Oops! I felt bad...but I got my 4-D ultrasound, so I was still pleased. We made another appointment to try again on July 16th, which is Monday. We will get to do the 4-d ultrasounds again, and I can't wait to see my sweet baby! Hopefully, I will get to participate in the study this time! If it doesn't work, this will be my last appointment. Hoping for better results this next week! -Carrie

I'm back...and Pregnant!

Wow, it's been a LONG time since i've made a blog post. Life just gets busy, doesn't it? I can't believe the events that have taken place in my life in just one year! It's been fun, though! Since i'm starting my 8th month of pregnancy, i'd thought i'd start from the beginning of my pregnancy, so I can always remember it! It was Saturday night, December 17th, when I got my first positive pregnancy test. I was home alone because Hunter went to El Dorado for the weekend to hunt (imagine that)! I cheated because I wasn't supposed to take a test until Hunter returned on Sunday, but I just couldn't stop myself from doing it. I had a hunch I was pregnant this month. Waiting for that stupid hour glass to stop blinking seemed like an eternity, so I tried to walk around the house and put away some laundry. When I walked back into the bathroom to see the word "Pregnant" I put my hand over my mouth and instantly began to cry. These were tears of joy! (For those of you who know my story, you know how truly exciting this was for me. I'd been trying to get pregnant for over a year and a half, with one unsuccessful pregnancy back in April 2011). I could not believe my eyes and decided I needed to try another test to be sure. Same positive results. I could not wait for Hunter to get home on Sunday...I kept pestering him to get home and made up some story as to why he needed to return earlier, rather than later. I decided to tape the tests on a paper that said "Surprise Daddy!" and i put it on the computer in the room where Hunter keeps all of his hunting gear (since I knew he would go into that room). When he got home I was shaking and he could tell I was acting a little nervous. When he walked into the office, I followed and as soon as he saw the sign, he just turned around and said "SHUTUP!" I told him it was true and he came and picked me up and turned around in circles. He was in disbelief, too. We were SO EXCITED! We shared the news with my family over Skype that next week, and we told his parents on Christmas Eve. Getting pregnant was by far my favorite Christmas present to date. The next 8 weeks were very scary for us because we were so afraid something would happen and we would lose our baby...but we made it to that 12 week mark and decided to share the news with friends. We knew this baby was in God's hands and we couldn't let ourselves worry everyday. Now here we are at 8 months...God is good! For those of you who don't know, we are having a baby BOY and his name is Weston Daniel Scott! As soon as we found out he was a boy, we had the nursery complete in 2 weeks. We had known his name before he was even conceived, and we were so excited to start his room. Hunter immediately bought paint and painted the walls...my parents bought us the crib, his parents bought us a recliner, and my grandparents bought us the bedding/accessories. His room came together in no time...can you tell we're excited???? As far as pregnancy goes...mine has been wonderful! I LOVE being pregnant!!! I love gaining weight and watching my belly grow...I love when people ask about my baby and how far along I am...I love having baby showers and opening all of his adorable gifts...I watching him move in my belly...I love watching my husband talk to him and get excited when he can feel him kick/move...I love sitting in his room, looking around at it and imagining what life will be like when he finally arrives...I love hearing his heartbeat at the doctor's office...I love eating whatever i want, whenever I want! Yes, there are times when I am uncomfortable and wish I didn't have indigestion or sore feet, but how can I complain when i'm experiencing one of the greatest miracles in life. I asked for this...I prayed for this...God gave me this sweet baby, and I am on Cloud 9. I feel so blessed to be pregnant and I am going to enjoy every minute of it! Life is good! One thing that cracks me up is that I always said I never wanted a baby in August. And God gave me a baby in August. He sure has a sense of humor. The only reason i didn't want an August baby is because that's when school starts...and as a teacher, it's not really a good time to be gone. But what I now know is that I'm not in control. God is in control and He knows whats best for me. Having a baby in August, is actually one of the best times for me. Here's why: I am off all summer and I can do whatever I want. If I don't sleep well, I can sleep in. If it's 108 degrees outside and I don't want to leave the Air Conditioned house, i don't have to! I don't have to find maternity work clothes to wear...i don't have to go to bed early...I don't have to get up early...I get to enjoy swimming in the pool and getting a suntan...I get to enjoy the wonderful fresh fruit we have in the summer...i get to wear sundresses and flip flops (no tying shoes)! It's actually been wonderful! I may go back to work for 2 weeks before Weston is due...but that's it until Late November. It's so nice to have a break from work and get well rested before my sweet baby arrives. I'm enjoying some "me" time this summer, reading books and watching movies. I know this has been a long post, and I'm sorry for those of you who are extremely bored and want to vomit over my pregnancy excitement...but I needed this post. I need to remember how I felt when I was pregnant and remember the good times...because i struggled for a long time before this pregnancy. I know others out there are struggling with getting pregnant, too. But know this...God is in control. He knows what's best for each of us. We just have to trust in Him and never give up! I was lucky to have a loving husband, supportive family, and wonderful friends at my side through all of my struggles...thanks to all of you who prayed for us and our sweet baby. We can't wait to meet him at the end of August!!! Here's a 7th month picture:

Hopefully, I'll be better at blogging this year...we shall see! Have a wonderful summer, Carrie

Update on Mom & Nashville, AR

So, I've been off all summer and I haven't found time to blog...what????? I tell you, the summers make me so lazy! I find so many other things to do...watch tv, layout, bake, take trips, shop, make peach preserves, visit coca cola plants, and of course, SLEEP IN!!!! What am I going to do when I actually have to start getting up at 5:30 again...this girl isn't going to worry about that now because I have two more weeks before that will happen...and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it!!!

Update on Mom:

Mom's scar has healed really fast and she's been a trooper! She has had a few curveballs thrown her way, but I know she's a strong woman and can make it through! Tomorrow, she will go to take her Radioactive Pill. She has to be quarantined from people for about 3 days...she will have a scan run to make sure that all of the thyroid tissue is gone so that no cancerous cells are left behind. She has already done a lower dosage of this pill and it didn't kill everything, so this is round two for her. The pill makes her very tired and last time I believe it gave her really bad headaches. She is already tired enough with her thyroid, so i'm hoping she'll have more energy soon! Hopefully, after this scan, she will be cancer free and can resume normal life again. I know that her summer has been consumed with doctor's visits, surgery, and worry, so I hope this will be the end of it! Please pray that this radioactive pill will get rid of everything and that when she starts her thyroid medicine, she will finally start having more energy!

Update on my weekend in Nashville, AR:

I had the best weekend! My wonderful friend, Ashley Jamison, took a group of us home to meet her family and to make peach preserves! Ashley was an amazing hostess, and was constantly preparing food for us...she's an awesome cook! Here's our weekend recap:

We left around noon on Friday, and made the 2 hour trek to good ole Nashville, AR. For those of you who don't know, I was not born a "southern" girl. I was raised in Indianapolis, IN...No Ya'lls and Fixin's and Coke (we said POP)...so this was an eye-opening experience for me. I really enjoyed going out to the country and traveling down dirt roads as the cows "moo-ed" at me (which if you know me, I'm scared of dogs, so this really scared me...haha). Ashley's family owns a lot of land, and practically all of her dad's family lives on the land....so as we entered town Ashley pointed out where everyone lived, Granny, Poppa, Aunt Amelia, Aunt Jackie, Cousin Micah, Cousin Ace...and so on. (There are WAY too many to remember, haha!)

Once we made it to Ashley's, we unloaded the car and got right back in to head over to her Cousin Tela's house. Tela is building a house with her husband, and man was it beautiful!! Tela just found out she is having TWINS, so it was fun to see her! She was in Kojies with us at Harding. We left Tela's, and went home to help Ashley cook supper. She made fried chicken, fried okra, creamed corn, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, and a delicious salad. Mrs. Bernie made Mocha Cheesecake for dessert! We tore up the kitchen, but it was worth it! We spent the evening cleaning up our mess, before we finally decided to hit the hay. We needed our rest before the Peach-Mania began.

On Saturday, we arose to the smell of homemade cinnamon rolls (Ashley spoiled us, if you can't tell already!) Lindsey and I began to sit at the table and peel some peaches, and some more peaches, and even more peaches. Talk about a sticky job...but it was fun! Ashley decided we could go first to make our preserves, and she coached us through the process. What a wonderful coach! Here's a picture of me cooking: (no makeup, so don't mind me)



And sweet, pregnant Lindsey:



And here are my peach preserves, waiting for the lids to "pop" and seal:



After we made preserves, we took the leftover peaches, mixed them with sugar and this fresh fruit powder (to keep them from turning brown), and we loaded them up in freezer bags. This way we'll have some frozen anytime we want to pull them out and whip up a pie or cobbler. YUM! So most of saturday was taken over with peaches...Granny came to help us, and she was so sweet...she showed us how to peel easily (because me and a knife is scary business). Her and Poppa picked all of these peaches for us out of their Orchard, and they were so great to do this for us! Thanks Granny and Poppa!!!!!!!!!!

After peeling peaches, Ashley's daddy took us to the Coca-Cola Plant where he works. They just celebrated their 100th anniversary in Nashville, AR, so there was a Museum to walk-through with Coca-Cola paraphernalia from years and years ago. I loved all of the old Coca-Cola machines...we took some fun pictures, too!

The plant, complete with Ashley's mother:



Lindsey and me in the museum:



The coke machines:



Now that's a lot of COKE!!!



And of course we took silly pictures:













Can you tell we had fun at the Coca-Cola Plant???? We really enjoyed getting to see everyting! Thanks, Mr. James for taking us!!!!!

When we got home, Ashley started working on another dinner...Greek Salad, Squash Medley, Rolls, and her dad grilled chicken with an awesome marinade. Granny and Poppa joined us for dinner...we had a great dinner! After dinner, Caroline, Lindsey, Ashley, and myself decided to take a walk. We walked over to Granny and Poppa's house...this is when the cows were "moo"ing at me and I started walking faster...the girls made fun of me. I know a cow is not going to "get me" but I was still nervous. They were LOUD!! And there were TONS of them! We made it home, safely (thank goodness), as soon as the sun went down. We finished the evening wrapping up the peaches we hadn't finished yet...I slept great that night. Lots of work!

Sunday morning, we went to Ashley's church, and got to meet a lot of her family members. We went home and Ashley made us taco salads. Ashley's mom, Bernie, made us cookies fresh out of the oven...YUM Then we packed up our things and headed home. We really had a fabulous weekend! I enjoyed meeting new friends...Sarah, Valorie, and Caroline...along with all of Ashley's family! If anyone is reading this, thanks so much for a great weekend! I loved every minute of it and I learned a lot!

I'm officially a peach preserve making queen,
Carrie

Mom

So, my mom had her surgery last Friday. The surgery lasted about 4 hours. My dad, Katie, and my Grandma Lillian were all waiting for her in the waiting room, and they were getting so antsy!! Mom finally finished her surgery around 5:00, and immediately went into recovery. The hospital didn't have a room ready for her yet, so they didn't get to see her until 8:00 that night. Needless to say, it was a LONG day for them...and for me. I was just waiting by the phone all afternoon, worried. There are so many things that can go wrong during a surgery, especially one in which they slit her throat open and begin removing things. The main thing to worry about is damaging the vocal chords, but luckily, everything went really well! She can talk, and eat, and get out of bed...things we take for granted every day! She had a really bad night, the first night. The anesthesiologist forgot to put Phernergan into the medicine he used to knock her out, and she spent that first night vomiting every 20-30 minutes. I know she was just miserable!!! Finally, saturday morning, the vomiting subsided, and she began to feel better. She finally got released from the hospital on Saturday evening, and was so happy to get home to her own bed. Her mom was there to take care of her and make her food, etc... Sunday, she started to feel really bad, again. Her hands and feet began to numb and she was shaking. Dad took her back to the hospital on Sunday night, and she was re-admitted. Her calcium levels were extremely low. Now that she no longer has her thyroid, she is having trouble keeping her calcium levels high enough. She has these Parathyroid Glands that were left behind that are supposed to help with this, but apparently they aren't "awake," as the doctor put it. She is currently in the hospital, getting a calcium drip every so often, and blood drawn to keep testing her levels. My sister just called and told me that her Magnesium and Potassium levels are low, too, so they are monitoring those, as well. I'm really hoping that they can get her levels under control...this is the hardest part with the surgery...she will always be on medication to help take the place of her thyroid...POOR MOMMY!!! Please pray that the doctors can finally get her levels where they need to be, and keep them there, and that she has a smooth recovery because I know she's been miserable thus far. I'm hoping she gets to go home soon, for good!

Just wanted to update everyone on my mom! I am flying to Florida on Wednesday, and I will get to spend some time with her...so at least that makes me feel better!

Thanks for your prayers,
Carrie

Babies, surgery, and summer vacay!

Since my last post, A LOT has happened! My sister gave birth to a precious baby boy, my mom found out she has thyroid cancer and has to get her thyroid removed, and I wrapped up my 4th year of teaching!!

Tyler Daniel Kintz arrived on May 10, weighing 7 lbs. 6 ounces! He is healthy and happy! Katie and mike are doing awesome getting used to being parents! I haven't been able to go to Florida yet, due to school, but I leave in a week and a half, and I can't wait to hold my nephew! I can't believe he I already a month old!!! I wanted to upload a picture, but am not sure how to do it from my I-phone, so those will have to wait!

My mom is having surgery this Friday, June 17th! Pray the surgery goes well and she heals quickly! She will have to have radiation three weeks after her surgery, to make sure no cancer cells are left behind. We are hoping once the thyroid is removed, she will be cancer free. Please keep my family in your prayers!

School is finally over! It seemed like the never-ending school year with all of our makeup snow and flooding days, but we made it! I'm so glad to have a break! This summer, I'll be going to Florida and to the lake a lot! Im so glad I have a job with great vacation time! Woohoo! I always sing on the last day of school..."schools out for summer!!!" I hope everyone has a great summer! Don't melt in this heat!

No Sunday night blues for the next eight weeks,
Carrie

April...almost over?

So I haven't blogged in FOREVER! Hunter and I have had a very stressful April, but we made it through and we're ready for summer! I can't believe that April is almost over!!! (but so is school...YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!)

This week has had some crazy weather! Feels like the longest week ever...we lost power on Monday night (luckily it came back on in the middle of the night) and all of the shows we normally watch have been nothing but weather reports because of these dang tornadoes...yuck! Rain, Rain, GO AWAY (and take your tornadoes with you!) Hopefully, tonight will be a different story because if I can't watch American Idol and Survivor, I will NOT be happy! Looks like tomorrow and Friday will be pretty...without rain...and it's about time!!!!!

On a different note...my little sister is about ready to have her BABY!!! I can't wait to meet my nephew, Tyler. Katie went to the doctor, today, and she is dilated to 2 cm. Shouldn't be too much longer...her due date is not until May 14th, so we'll see how stubborn Tyler is! I'm hoping he doesn't make her wait that long because she is starting to get really uncomfortable and swollen. I'm getting excited, though! I'll keep you posted!

Well...that's about all that's going on right now! Hopefully, I'll make another post before May ends...keep your fingers crossed!

Auntie to be...
Carrie

Spring break!

So I've been a little busy lately and haven't blogged...bad, I know! This is our last week of school before spring break and I cannot wait!!!!!!!!! 4 more days!! Hallelujah! I love my middle schoolers but I need a break! Winter is always the hardest part of the school year! So happy for spring...flip flops, dresses, sunshine, grilling...yes! I'll be spending part of my spring break with family! I get to see Tristan, my niece, my mom, my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins! I'll be in Missouri and then hunter and I are going to spend the weekend in Branson! A nice break away! Sorry to those of u who don't get spring break...it sucks to be you...JK!!!!!! Haha. I earn my break, believe me! You probably wouldn't trade me if u could. Well, guess that's all for now. I'll be spending the rest of the week at work, parent/teacher conferences, and watching march madness!! Have a great week everyone!

Happy spring,
Carrie

Upgrade!

So I mentioned a few posts back that I wanted an I-phone. I have had the same flip phone for the past two years!!! In the past few months, I've had several people, including students, who have commented on how 'old school' my phone is.....I was starting to get embarrassed...so....my husband came home from work on our Anniversary with a new I-phone for me!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was pumped...and how did I ever live without one of these babies???? I'm loving it...it's only the 3G, but I don't care...anything is better than my flip phone! He's the greatest! Now maybe i'll take more pictures and actually post them!!!

Loving my new toy,
Carrie

Anniversary #4

I decided to change our picture, to a picture from our wedding, because it's time for another Anniversary! Our 4th Anniversary is on February 24th (this Thursday)! I cannot believe it has already been four years!!!!! It's been a wonderful four years...better than I ever imagined. Hunter and I are so happy together...we've got this marriage thing down! ha. Can you every really have everything perfect in a marriage?? Probably not...but I feel as though we're doing great! I know he would say the same thing. We're still as much in love as we were when we were 18 years old. I'm so happy I get to share my life with such a wonderful man! He still makes my heart pitter-patter. Hunter, I love you! Thanks for making the past 9 years wonderful...4 of which we have been married! I can't wait to share many more years with you!

We will go out to dinner to celebrate, and hopefully, I'll get a new picture of us. We never take pictures anymore, unless we go somewhere special. Like we need anymore pictures of us......we have soooo many, but I'll try to get a new one!

Thankful for my husband,
Carrie

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hunter and I were watching Man vs. Food and we saw this pie (Peanut Butter Pie)! We just had to have it, so we went and bought the stuff. I made it last night and we'll have it again tonight...delicious! I'm sooo excited. There wasn't a recipe, so I just did what the Amish lady described, and it turned out great! We decided to have Valentine's dinner at home. I really don't like messing with the crowds, and with our Anniversary coming up in 10 days, we like to go out then. So we're grilling steaks with asparagus, baked potatoes, and rolls. Sounds yummy to me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope Cupid came your way...(Hunter used to sing this song to me in college...it makes me laugh really hard! Enjoy!



P.S. This link will send you to YouTube to watch so click on the icon...it won't allow you to hear it from my page...sorry!

With love,
Carrie

Super Bowl Sunday (a little late)

Super Bowl Party at the Scott's house!!!! Matt & Lana Summitt, Drew & Lindsey Holbert, Trevor & Lori Holbert, Gene & Dona Scott, and Andrew Meadows joined us for our party! We had a GREAT time! It was pretty typical...girls sat at the table, chatting, while the boys crowded around the tv, watching the game. I usually get into the Super Bowl, but was not too terribly excited about the teams this year. Wish the Colts had made it...I'm a die hard fan (seeing as though I was born in Indiana!) But oh well...it was still a fun excuse to have a party!

Hunter wanted to make ribs and chicken, so he had the smoker going at 11 am. They smoked all day long...and they were delicious! Our friends were in charge or sides. Lindsey brought beans and chips, Meadows made cheese dip, Lana made coleslaw and a texas sheet cake, and lori brought another dessert (ooey gooey cake). It was a success...and I actually snapped some pictures of the occasion! Woo!

Enjoy looking...

Hunter is working hard on the ribs & chicken!




Outdoor fireplace going...it was chilly!




Yum!






Finished Product!




Boys are chilling while waiting for everyone to arrive...



Everyone's eating...











The girls...love them!



Hope everyone had a great Super Bowl Sunday! Too bad Christina Aguilera blew it...haha! She was the talk of the week...along with the winter weather! We had 3 snows days this week...can you say, LONG WEEKEND! Yay!

Enjoy your weekend! ;)
Carrie