Watched pot round 2...

Remember two weeks ago when I compared myself to that watched pot? Well, I was wrong, wrong, wrong. You have never truly been a watched pot until you have been admitted to labor and delivery and have spent the next sixteen hours hooked up to machines, getting pitocin, and truly experiencing contractions. Yesterday I was a watched pot in the truest sense of the word. And I followed protocol exactly...this watched pot really didn't ever boil.

I never thought I would be sitting here writing about this today. It's August 6th. Today is suppose to be my first day with my baby in my arms. Instead, I'm laying in my own bed after having slept a full 12 hours still wondering who my baby is going to look like. I have had the most perfect pregnancy for the entire 9 months. Now, at the end of it, I feel like it's marred by a failed induction. Failed. I don't do "failed".

I am mad at myself for putting myself in this position really. I know not to rush a baby, but we were so excited to have him here. If you were excited and offered to be able to schedule the day that your baby came and it was only 5 days early, you might would do it too. It was a very hard thing to pass up...obviously it proved to be impossible for us to pass up. As a nurse I should have known the risks of an induction. But I am not a labor and delivery nurse. Beyond the increased risk of a c-section, I never knew they were any real risks. Of course with any medical procedure anything can happen. I'm more than aware of that. But the fact that the induction could fail and I could be sent home with no baby after the longest and most exhausting day of my life is not an option that I was ever aware of. The fact that all of our families could come here, missing work, driving hours, getting hotel rooms, and could be sent back home with no baby in sight was never a possibility that I knew was out there. Of course now I feel guilty for trying to rush our sweet baby out of the womb 5 days early, but it was offered with such earnest that I never knew we could possibly be sitting here as a family of 2 still cooking this little boy today.

But here's what I have learned. It was a lesson. A lesson to teach us that we really are ready for our baby boy. I was crying on the way to the hospital the night of induction because I just didn't think we were ready. I was scared of having a newborn at home, and I was worried about how Josh and I would handle it. Now, I know we can do it, and I am really ready. It was a lesson to teach us that you can't plan everything. All my plans and schedules are out the window now. If the baby stays up all night and sleeps all day, so what? I will too! I'm not going to freak out if he doesn't want to nurse exactly every 2 hours. And I know now that once he comes everything won't go exactly as planned. I wanted a delivery as perfect as my pregnancy. I wanted my OB there, my anesthesiologist, my nurse friends, my family, my schedule. Yesterday was God with a pretty big reminder that He's in control of all that, not me. The biggest lesson He is teaching me right now is one of patience. My maternity leave started yesterday. I don't have that much, and I wanted to work until the bitter end so I could spend every second of what I have home with my baby. It's about to kill me to know I'm at home "wasting" it now, but this is another one of those lessons I have to take in stride. We have a great sitter for when I go back to work. My baby will be ok there. I have to trust that this will all work out and be grateful for the time that I can afford to take off work.

So now we wait. And this is waiting like we have never waited before. We know what real contractions are like now, so we wait to feel a familiar twinge. We will be fielding calls about "no not yet" until he actually comes. And the day he comes we will just hope our families are able to make the journey back to see him. Today the tears have stopped. Yesterday was next to hysteria when I figured out I was going home pregnant. I felt like I had let everyone down including myself. I wasn't entirely happy with the information we had been given involving an elective induction, and I was so upset about starting maternity leave for nothing. Today though is the day I realized that God is really in control. We have to trust Him and His plan..not mine.

Today I will continue my watched pot status. Tomorrow I will cook, clean, and do a little pre-studying so that once this baby comes I will have even less things to worry about! I will trust completely in God's plan and try very hard to put all of my wishes, concerns, and overwhelming excitement on the back burner to allow God's plan to come into the forefront.

I am a watched pot

Well this is it!  After a long nine months we are officially in the home stretch of Baby Tyson's arrival!  I say it has been a long nine months, but I can't decide if that is actually true.  I remember the day we found out I was pregnant...it was night actually.  We had just gotten in from doing Christmas with our families in Mississippi...we had to celebrate early since I was on call for the actual holiday.  I knew something was up before we left, but I refused to take a pregnancy test right then.  I had just found out I had been accepted into grad school two days before...I wasn't sure if I could handle all the newness at once.  As soon as we walked in the door at home I tested.  And I tested, and I tested, and I tested.  I have never felt so many emotions at once, and I will never forget the look on Josh's face...excited doesn't even begin to cover it!

As excited and grateful as I was that first week especially, I was still so so scared.  Man, was I bending God's ear that week!  I think I prayed relentlessly every day on my way to work, crying most days.  They weren't tears of unhappiness by any means, but I was just so afraid of how and why it was all working out the way it did.  It scared me to think of being in school full time, working full time, and raising a baby.  Eventually God calmed me down though.  Of course I always trusted that He will never give us more than we can handle, but sometimes it's still scary.  Now we are beyond excited and cannot wait for this baby boy to get here.

Thinking back to Christmas morning when we told our parents and families about our new little bundle seems like light years ago.  I called my family and told them all about one more Christmas present that wouldn't be ready for another eight months or so.  Josh's mom came to us and his dad lives in town, so we were able to give his family gifts to tell them in person.  It was all so fun and made everything seem so much more real!

Other than thinking about how long ago it has been since we spread our news, this pregnancy seems to have flown past us.  I think a big part of that is because we were so busy over the past six months with school.  We couldn't really allow ourselves to focus on the nursery or anything until summer because we had so much going on with our school work.  We did little projects here and there when we had spare time, but for the most part we weren't really able to get busy getting everything ready for Ty's arrival until May.

That's how we have spent our summer...getting everything ready for baby!  It took us until about a week or so ago to finish it all, but finally it is all done!  The nursery looks fabulous!  Kay Kay has been a big part of this because she has made curtains, pillows, bedding for a bassinet, a door hanger, anything we needed that we couldn't find in the store!  Too bad I didn't get more of her craftiness!!

Josh has not only spent the summer helping me get everything ready for Tyson, but he has also been working full time and taking beyond a full load of online summer classes.  He has gotten tons accomplished in the last two months.  I am proud to say that he officially finished summer school last night by taking his last exam and turning in the last couple speeches he still had out!  It has been a tough road, but we made it through!!

Now, on to this pregnancy...I have been beyond lucky.  No morning sickness really to speak of.  The first week I was a little queasy, but it was completely manageable.  My biggest complaint has probably been the pregnancy-related carpal tunnel syndrome, and if that is all I have to complain about then I really can't complain!  It wasn't until about last week that I really started to feel "pregnant".  Exhausted is not the word for it.  Whatever the state is past exhaustion might cover it.  Some days are better than others.  Some days, though, I wake up in the morning almost too tired to function.  Backaches have become an every day thing.  I have these big plans every day to come home and clean the house, or change all the sheets, or do something really productive...usually though it never quite happens.  It's ok though..being tired is part of being pregnant!  Luckily we made it to week 37 before it really got too bad, and still it is nothing that we can't work through.  We just rest and nap when we have to and know that the housework will wait.

Baby classes have been the highlight of these past few weeks.  Josh and I have gone together to every one.  I really am lucky, and Tyson is lucky to have such a great Daddy...Josh hasn't missed a doctor's appointment or baby class or anything baby related.  He is going to be such an amazing dad!  I do think Josh enjoys the baby classes.  Every time I glance his way I see his hand up.  There is always something that he "just has to know".  I tried to talk him into asking me first before he asks them out loud, but really it is fun to see him get so excited.  And he's right, most of the stuff he is asking other people want to know too!

We made our last trip as a family of two to the hunting camp this past weekend.  It was nice to get away and unwind, but I was kind of worried about having a baby in Mississippi.  Josh, on the other hand, was kind of hoping for it I think...he had his eyes on a lifetime hunting license for Ty before he was even out of the womb good!  Men!  Thankfully we made it back home without any scares!

We had our second weekly check up today with the doctor.  It went really well!  Dilated one centimeter, 70% effaced!  He thinks we will have a pretty big baby...probably high #7, low #8 so far!  Ahh!  He says we can talk about an induction at 39 weeks!  Exciting to think that that is only a week and a half away!  We don't mind letting Tyson cook for a little longer so that he is good and strong when he does make his grand appearance, but we don't want him to go past his due date because we will need a little time to acclimate before school starts back up.  So we will just play it by ear and see where we are and how this little boy is faring in a couple weeks.  No need to evict him just yet if he's not quite ready to come out!

As excited as I am to see our sweet baby boy and also to hopefully get my energy back (because it will come back right...like as soon as he comes out?!), there is so much I will miss about pregnancy.  It has been fun just dreaming about him and thinking about who he will look like and what he will become.  I love feeling his kicks and bumps.  He just stopped hiccuping a few minutes ago, and as I type this, Josh is loving feeling him moving all around in there.  I have thought of myself as two people for so long now, it will be weird to go back to being a single entity.  It will also be sad when I have to stop blaming the baby on my need for ice cream and my mid-night snacks!

It's funny how many emotions and mind-sets you can go through in a period of nine months.  About a month ago I was completely freaked out by the prospect of the baby.  It was just all of the sudden one day I was hysterical..I honestly didn't know if I could do it.  I wanted him so badly, but at the same time I was afraid of all the changes he would bring and I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to adapt.  I know that it was God who stepped in once again and became that calm that I needed.  Hopefully that's a normal emotion that every soon to be mother has to face.  Now, I am calm, ready, excited for this bundle of joy to be here!  I cannot wait to see him, and I am even looking forward to the late nights we will be spending together feeding, rocking, and bonding.  I cannot wait to watch Josh interact with Ty and watch as their bond forms and grows.  I still worry about every little thing, and for some reason I think that it will get better once he is here and I know that he is healthy and safe.  In the back of my mind though I know that this is just the beginning of motherhood...that worry is going to be something that never goes away because no matter what I will always want to know if he is safe and ok.

But for now I just feel like that watched pot.  You know, that one that never boils...

It's ok though, Ty.  Take your time getting here ( just don't take more than a couple more weeks or so)!!  We can't wait to meet you!!

A letter to my baby boy

Dear Tyson,

I've begun to realize that life will always be crazy and hectic.  I will say these things to you a thousand times over a million different ways I am sure.  I don't really expect you to hear me the first few times I say them.  I don't expect these words to carry big meaning early on.  It will only be after you have gained true life experience that you will listen to what I have to say...listen to the very things that would have made those experiences easier for you in the first place.  Life isn't always about easy though, and I know you have to learn and explore and figure things out for yourself.  Then, once you think you have figured it all out, you will hear what I have been saying all along and hopefully combine a little bit of my words with what you have already learned.  That's how life goes.  It's my job and your daddy's job to say these things to you over and over so that one day, when you really need them, they will be there with you.  These are not all the life lessons I need to teach you, but as you are my little two pound, wiggle worm, womb occupier these are what come to mind.  I do reserve the right to add to them at any day or time...even when you are grown, married, and have babies of your own.  Because even then, I'll still be your mama.

I'm going to go ahead and tell you right now that your daddy and I have discussed this and discussed this, and I know this will be the hardest thing for me to accept.  You daddy and I agreed that we can't keep you in a bubble.  We have to let you out, let you experience things.  When you are just a baby it will be so hard for me not to worry about every little hiccup that you may have.  You are my first baby.  I don't know what to expect, and I want to do my best to keep you safe.  As you get older I know I will have to let you be a boy.  I'll have to let you go out on the four-wheeler by yourself or go play football with your friends if that's what you want to do.  I will worry every time you leave my sight.  This will be where my faith in God will play a huge part.  I will have to trust solely in Him to guide and protect you during the times that I can't...and even during the times that I think I can.  I have to trust that your daddy and I will have taught you everything you need to know to keep you as safe and protected as possible.  But I want you to know now that every time I let you go somewhere, whether you are still an infant going to the sitter, my four year old big boy riding the four-wheeler, my middle schooler playing football, my high schooler going out with his friends, or my thirty year old making decisions with your wife for your own kids, every time you aren't with me I'll worry.  But I'll think about that bubble and know that I can't keep you right next to me at all times just to make sure your bubble stays intact.  Just know that I want to though.

Always put God first.  Your daddy and I hope to raise you in an environment where it is evident to you that we serve an amazing God.  We want you to understand and believe in everything that sometimes is hard to define.  We want to make you see how lucky we are and how lucky you are to be saved by such an amazing Father.  There are so many things in life that I can't explain.  All of those things point back to God.  Everyone of us has to develop our own personal relationship with God through the years.  It is my hope to you that you are able to cement yourself in your beliefs so that whenever you have troubles you always know you can turn to Him.  I hope to one day be able to explain this to you better; it truly is a hard concept.  Just know that God has a plan for all of us.  As long as you believe in Him and believe in His word then you will be ok...even if some days it doesn't feel like you will be.

Be nice to everybody, no matter what.  You never know what battle people are going through.  In life you will encounter people who will be ugly to you for no apparent reason.  Just know that the reason for their ugliness probably has nothing to do with you.  The problem is within themselves; they will sort it out eventually.  We by no means want you to be a doormat who lets everyone walk over them.  We want you to stand up for yourself and for your beliefs.  Just keep in mind that some people have been dealt a rough hand in life, and they may have trouble dealing with it.  Just remember what your daddy always says, "God don't like ugly".

Whatever you decide to do, do it well.  I mean this at every stage in your life.  If you decide you want to play T-ball then get out there and put your little heart into the game and have fun with your friends.  In middle school, if you decide to join an organized sports team through your school, then practice hard and leave it all out on the field.  Apply yourself to your schoolwork and do everything you can to succeed there.  When it comes time to pick a career, pick what you love.  Find something that really speaks to you...something that you can excel in.  If you love what you do then you will never have to "work" a day in your life.  No matter what you decide to be or what you decide to do at any point in your life, your daddy and I will always support you.  We will always be proud of you.  All we want from you is to be the best Tyson Dugas that you can be.

If you have to question whether or not something is right, then it probably isn't.  We want you to always do the right thing, but we always know that sometimes that can be extremely hard and sometimes there may be gray areas as to what is right and what is wrong.  You can always come to us.  We will always guide you without judgement.  But if you have to question a decision or an action then there is a great probability that it isn't the right thing to do.  Everything in life has consequences.  Think about that long and hard before you make your choice.

Technology may be the greatest invention in this time.  It has allowed us to increase our knowledge base exponentially and at a very rapid rate.  I hope for you that technology continues to improve and evolve as you grow older.  Don't invest in it all the way though.  Don't forget to get outside and let the sunshine hit your face.  Don't forget what an amazing blessing an old country road can be.  Who knows what type of social media will be in place by the time you are old enough to really get involved, but don't let Facebook (the day you have to Google what that means I will really know that I am old) rule your life.  For the most part, people only broadcast the good parts of their life...and a lot of that even is fabricated.  Social media gives you constant access to what other people want you to see as "their life".  Don't buy into that.  Don't get down on yourself by comparing yourself to what others seem to have.  Embrace you, celebrate you, and know that God has a plan for you.  Count your blessings in being fortunate enough to grow up in an age of advanced technology.  Respect what is out there and take advantage of all of it's benefits.  Just don't let technology end up defining you.

I'm not going to tell you not to get a tattoo...even though I want to tell you not to get a tattoo.  I will tell you this: think ahead IF you ever do decide to do something like that.  I'm sure that tribal symbol looks really cool right now, but will it always?  Ask your daddy how he feels about his.  I will be perfectly honest with you and tell you that I see tattoos as a very acceptable form of self-expression.  I have seen some truly beautiful tattoos with amazing meanings.  Those tattoos are really works of art because the message behind them are seated so deeply with the person on which it is tattooed.  One day you may feel extremely passionate about something and want to make it a permanent part of your body...we won't fault you for that.  Your daddy and I will probably respect your decision.  I will say though to be mindful where you place even the most tasteful of tattoos.  You may come to a time in your life where you wished you could hide that tattoo just for a little while by your shirt or some other piece of clothing.  Even a tattoo that means the world to you may not have a place in the work place, out on a job interview, or even hanging out with new people.  It's ok to have some things that only a few people know about.  Sometimes a tattoo is one of those things.  Just keep it tasteful (and off your body all together if I have any say in the matter).

When the time comes, your daddy and I won't force you to go to college.  I want you to know that it is very important to us though.  We want to see you go beyond high school to achieve all of your dreams.  That being said, dreams can be made and achieved and people can be well established outside of the establishments of higher education.  Your daddy has always been one of the smartest men I have known well before he went to college.  Going to college just proves that he is determined and dedicated to better his family.  He is going back to school now for me and for you.  I can promise you that going back to college at this stage in his life after he has been working for years is one of the hardest things he has ever done.  Make it easier on yourself.  Enjoy your time away from the real world.  Have a college experience.  Grow there, learn there.  We will be proud of you no matter what, but always know that we know you have college in you.

You don't ever have to look far to find your role model.  You are a very lucky little boy who has been blessed with an amazing daddy.  You have been made by God and given to us.  By that same token, God gave us to you.  Your daddy is one of the most special men I know.  He is the most loving, hard-working, God-fearing, determined, strongest man.  You are lucky to grow up with him teaching you how to get through life.  He still has to teach me things on a daily basis.  You should have seen his face the night I told him about you.  I think he knew by the undertone of fear that was in my voice as I called his name from the bathroom.  He couldn't believe the first test; he had to go out and buy five more.  Every day he wants to touch, wants to talk to you, wants to feel you move under his hand.  He has big dreams for you and him throughout the years.  We got to see you on the 4D ultrasound the other day; you look just like him.  He is so proud of you already.  He is just so happy to be your daddy.  And I am so happy that we can call him ours.  I can't wait to see all the things he teaches you.  I know you will be a great man one day because you have the greatest man leading the way for you.

Your daddy and I feel lucky to be your parents.  The same week I found out I was pregnant with you, I also found out I was accepted into graduate school.  I wasn't sure what God's plan was for the three of us.  I wasn't sure that we would be able to make it with your daddy and me both in school and you on the way.  We are still a few weeks away from you being here, but we feel like God has shown us that we will be able to make it just fine.  In fact, once you get here our lives are going to be better than we can even imagine.  Some days may get tough.  I am sure there will be a night or two where you feel like staying up all night crying.  I will stay up all night with you those nights too...probably crying with you.  Then, once you finally go to sleep, I'll go back to studying or writing papers or getting ready for work.  Your daddy and I are ready for that challenge though.  There are a lot of unknowns for us...just like there are for every new Mommy and Daddy.  We know that together the three of us will get through it though with help and guidance from God.  We can't wait to see what all life has in store for us all.  For right now we just feel blessed to have each other and to have you on the way to join our little family.  Always know that you are living proof that dreams do come true.  We can't wait to meet you, Baby Tyson.  We both love you with all of our hearts.  Keep growing strong, and we will see you in a few short weeks.

Love,
Mommy

Back in the saddle again

I had to stop blogging for awhile.  I don't know why in the beginning I thought I could do it all.  I don't know what got into my head that made me think I could go to work, come home and do school work, cook supper, keep my house halfway decent, and blog.  Obviously something had to go.  Actually many things had to go.  We have been living on survival mode for the past few months...cooking only when I have to, cleaning only when necessary, doing what we have to get by.  But now I can finally say that school is OUT for the SUMMER!  I have been waiting to say this since January.  Once August comes I am sure I will be counting down the days until Christmas break!  But for now we are enjoying the summer!

School started slowing for us about three weeks or so ago, so we have been able to get a few things accomplished recently.  Last weekend is the perfect example.  Last weekend Josh went to the camp with friends, and I stayed home because I was on call.  I had tons of things to accomplish though, so it was ok.  After barely surviving this past semester I have started to get a little stressed about what next semester may be like for us.  The baby will be here right before the semester starts.  My course load may be a little tougher, and I will still be working of course as well.  Josh will have a pretty tough course load too, and he will be working again as often as he can.  I am trying not to stress, but I already know that it is going to be hectic!  So, in trying to be a little proactive, I decided that I would cook up a bunch of meals and freeze them all.  That way once we are crazy busy and stressed to the max (yet so excited and grateful to have our sweet baby boy here), we will have some easy meals ready to go.  I know that if I hadn't done this that we would be eating out way more often than is healthy or cost effective.  So last weekend was a weekend of cooking.  It started on Friday after I got off work.  I had a major grocery list already ready of things we needed at the house for the week but also of all the things I would need to make my meals.  Originally I had hoped to make 30 meals (because that is what the crazy lady on Pinterest said could easily be done...not sure how she defines easily).  I got a little overwhelmed making my list, so I ended up with a master list of 15 meals.  This major shopping stint took quite a while in WalMart, but I got it all done.  I didn't factor in my tiredness when planning this feat though because after a long day at work, a massive WalMart trip that almost required two buggies, then unloading and organizing groceries I was pretty pooped.  I forged on though and defrosted and cooked all of my meats and sauteed down all of my vegetables (of course I cheated and used the pre-chopped Season's Blend).  I think I ended up with about 8 pounds of ground meat and 3 bags of chicken.  I put together a couple of meals that night, but it wasn't long before I was done.  There was no more pushing myself, so I threw everything in the fridge and went to bed.  Saturday was a new day that brought with a very much needed burst of energy.  I was able to finish preparing and packaging all of my meals.  I used almost an entire roll of aluminum foil because I am so afraid of this hard work getting freezer burned.  Of course the freezer had to be cleaned out and reorganized before it could be packed with anything new, but that got done and all the containers are now in place and labeled complete with directions.  I made all kinds of things like lasagna, chicken pot pie, chicken and vegetable casserole, baked ziti, and chicken spaghetti just to name a few!  We shall see how all of this turns out!  I do know that if we end up having to evacuate this hurricane season we will either be bringing all of this food with us, or we will have to have someone in charge and willing to come over and run our generator for us so we don't lose all of this hard work.  I really might break down if we came back and all these hours and all that food was wasted!! 

So after all my cooking and then major cleaning of the kitchen, I decided that the kitchen cabinets were much too cluttered and that I couldn't take it any more.  Plus I know we will soon be accumulating a lot of bottles, sippy cups, and the like and we have absolutely no place to put them in our cabinets.  Three trips to WalMart later, I fixed all of that.  All of the kitchen drawers were organized, the knives were moved out of the bottom drawer, spices and cups had to be rearranged, all the cabinets and drawers got lined with liner...now it looks nice and functional.  I am very proud of my feat!

In other news, Josh and Kevin fixed the baby's closet a few weeks ago.  They added shelves, storage space, two rows of hanging space, and a bookcase.  It looks great...my paint job is a little less than stellar but that is to be expected!  We have some baby clothes that people have given us because they are so unbelievably sweet...precious things their baby boys only wore a couple times maybe...sweet baby clothes all the way up to 4T!  We were so excited.  So one day Josh and I got to work separating everything and organizing it all by size.  We vacuum sealed and labeled everything from 9 months and up, and Josh put it all in our new storage space.  Then one night we washed all of the baby things that we have that he will be able to wear in the first three months, and we started putting everything up.  It was so much fun, and Josh is of course an awesome daddy already.  We debated what should be hung and what should be folded and in what order we should put it all up before we realized that in a few months we probably won't care anymore and will just be throwing it into drawers after we have washed it for the millionth time.  It was fun organizing it all just right though.  Now Tyson's closet is ready to go, his room is completely cleaned out, and we can get to work.  We have been waiting for summer to work on his room since we were so overwhelmed with school last semester.  Somebody (me of course) got a little nail happy when Tyson's room was merely a guest bedroom, so this weekend we will be puttying walls and touching up the paint.  Soon we will be getting his crib and getting his room ready for his arrival!  We can't wait!

In news other than baby and my crazy organizing habits, I have to give a shout out to my husband.  What can be said other than OMG.  He is amazing, and I really don't know how I got so lucky to have him.  First of all I want to say that I have gotten better, but from about weeks 8 to 22 of this pregnancy I was a little testy.  I like to blame it on school because I was so beyond stressed I had no more available coping mechanisms.  For those (LONG as Josh describes them) weeks, almost everything was a major deal.  I would cry about almost anything, and almost everything was the end of the world.  It was pretty terrible.  I was lucky in the pregnancy department that I didn't have any sickness, but emotionally I was a wreck.  Josh was a life savior though.  I know I was driving him crazy, but he never stopped being supportive.  He did nothing but encourage me more through school as the work would get tougher.  He never said anything about the messy house or the lack of supper or having to eat a ham sandwich for the millionth time.  He kept up with his school, encouraged me through mine, and did fabulous things in the backyard and around the house on his down time.  He really is the greatest ever.  And talk about going to be a good daddy.  I have never seen him more excited about anything!  He has never missed a doctor's appointment and can't wait for the next one to come along.  He reads up on how the baby is growing and developing every week, and he is always making sure that I am eating the best and doing everything just right.  He cannot wait for this little boy to get here, and I know once he is here he will be an even better daddy than any of us ever imagined.  Ty and I are pretty lucky to have him in our lives, and I can't stress enough how grateful I am for him.

This may have been the most boring, cut and dry blog that I have posted yet.  There was just so much that needed to be said.  I am sure more entertaining things have happened throughout these past few months, but not being able to blog hindered me in expressing them.  I will say I have another hindrance.  My laptop died.  Thank Heavens it waited until close to the end of the semester to kick the bucket, but sadly it is not in working order at this time.  I like to blog whenever and where ever the mood strikes me, and now I feel tied to the desktop to do that.  I am getting my computer fixed though, and I can't honestly say it just died for no reason.  The keyboard went out on it..not the whole keyboard just the second row of keys.  Those are apparently the most needed keys though!  I can't be for sure what happened, but a little tiny splash of milk did hit the keyboard right before the keys went out.  I am certain that those two things aren't related though...couldn't be!  I do have to have it back before next semester.  It will be heading in to the Apple store soon for a workup...hopefully a very inexpensive work up...we'll see!!

So for now I am desktop bound, but at least I am able to blog again...for a little while at least!  Busy summer to come!  I am sure August will be here before we know it...and we can't wait!!

God Shocked

I wrote a new blog today, but as I was looking over it and adding pictures...enhancing my duress in some places...I saw something on Facebook that caught my attention. I have been following this family from around the Newton area (my hometown) in Mississippi. I don't know them...although I am sure there is some connection if I dig hard enough. Anyway this family was blessed with their first baby at the beginning of March. I don't know much about the situation besides what I read on Facebook, but from what I understand the placenta ruptured and after the baby was delivered they couldn't get a heartbeat for nine minutes. The baby is a beautiful little girl...sweet little Malley Jane. She is fighting for her life right now, and her mommy and daddy are praying and fighting too. Today I watched the video they posted last night. It made my prior blog seem so inconsequential...I knew this is what I should post tonight! Even if only one or two more people can watch this video because of me...I feel like God laid it on my heart to help them spread their message.

I was in tears watching this video seeing these two new parents volunteering to help get others closer to God when they are sitting there struggling so much watching their baby girl fight for her life. Please pray for this family. Pray for the path God takes them down.

They say the world will be "God shocked", and they are right. Only I don't know if they realize they are inspiring people, leading people to Him, and leaving God fearing Christians like myself God shocked by their bravery and trust.

Everything happens for a reason and on His time even though we may never know what it is. Please pray for this family and for their sweet baby, Malley Jane.


http://youtu.be/xOvuVmcgwfE

(You may have to copy and paste this link because I couldn't get it to upload right, but just copy 
and paste it...promise it is more than worth it to watch the sweet message!!)

Celebrations...

Well has certainly been a weekend to remember the Dugas family, and a weekend we have looked very much forward to for weeks now!

Friday night was our big gender reveal party!!  Everything didn't pan out quite how we had hoped to plan it originally, but what ever does!  We wanted to have a big party where my whole family and Josh's whole family could come to find out our baby's gender.  When we started working out dates and weekends, life got a little in the way!  We couldn't even get our gender scan until I was officially 15 weeks which happened this past Monday...that left this weekend for the perfect time for a gender reveal party.  Then we remembered our good friends were getting married that following Saturday, and it wouldn't work to have my whole family in if we just had to leave them for the majority of the day for wedding festivities.  So we looked at next weekend, but I am on call.  Then the next weekend, but we had other plans...and so on and so forth.  It got to the point that the gender reveal would have to be so far away that we knew we couldn't stand it.  So we opted for this weekend, decided to make it low key, and anyone who couldn't be here we would send them their own special gender announcement.

Friday seemed like it was the busiest day of our lives.  We have been so strapped down with school papers, projects, and studying...then add to that work...and then add to that trying to keep up a household, that everything that had to be done before Friday got done ON Friday.  Crazy!!  Not to mention I had a class to attend from 8 to 3:30 Friday before I could even start my part of what had to be done!  It was hectic, but it all worked out in the end!

Josh and his daddy started boiling crawfish around 5:30.  We ended up with a crowd of about 12 close friends and family that live in the area.  Kyle and Krisha were coming in from Mississippi for the weekend, but by 7 o'clock we couldn't wait any longer for the big reveal and they had only made half their journey.

So...

That's right!  It's a BOY!!  We are all over the moon!  You can't see my expression since I am holding the camera (I would rather be the filmer than the filmee), but you can obviously see how incredibly excited the daddy and grandpa to be are!!  We are all ecstatic beyond words!!  Josh is envisioning fishing and hunting with his little boy.  I can see dirt, tractors, and football practices.  We can't wait!!  And now that we finally know that he is a he we can start really planning the nursery and getting everything ready for our baby boy's arrival.

Friday night brought in another surprise...

Josh's daddy handmade Baby D a beautiful bassinet.  We cannot wait to have him home and put him in it.  It will be a family heirloom that can be passed down throughout the generations.  We love it and can't imagine how much Baby D will love his Paw Paw.

Saturday was a busy, fun day!  Kevin and Dawn got married!! Josh and I were there for the actual nuptials.  We went home and picked up Kyle and Krisha after, and after a little shopping around, we all went to help set up and get the wedding reception underway!  Fun reception with great friends from here and from back home!!  We love seeing Kevin and Dawn so happy and know they will have a fabulous life together!! After the wedding was all said and done, we settled into a nice, quiet Saturday night at home...which consisted of me and Krisha sleeping on our separate couches within ten minutes of sitting down!

Today was also a nice, relaxing day.  Kyle and Krisha had to get on the road to head home, and Josh and I have been taking it easy and doing a little school/housework.

The second most exciting news of the weekend (after, of course, finding out that we are having a baby boy) was that I FINALLY got a new DISHWASHER!!!  Hallelujah!!  It has been about 8 months since mine kicked the bucket.  Josh thought I would appreciate it more if I washed dishes by hand for awhile (I really do think that was a joke though).  I, for some strange reason, insisted I didn't need a dishwasher because I could easily wash our dishes by hand.  How wrong I was.  Most days I came home from work to a sink full of dishes...only to wash them, cook supper, and have another sink full of dishes.  Ahhhh!!!  Thursday night we were at Lowe's and found the perfect dishwasher and it was on sale.  Josh insisted we get it...I still tried to resist it (not sure why)...and I am now in love!!!  I have washed two loads already..just because.  It is fabulous!!  And now I can see my sink bottom!!!  Oh dishwasher, I have missed you!!

Now on to finishing out my weekend celebrating my baby boy and enjoying my wonderful dishwasher!!

Life these days

So much has been going on since the last time I blogged!! Time to do things (like blog) is scarce now...tomorrow morning when the alarm goes off I will probably regret staying up to write this instead of stealing a few extras winks, but sometimes I guess you just have to live a little!

Life these days...busy, non-stop, chaotic, but great and wonderful at the same time!

Baby D is growing nicely!  We finally got to see him/her about three weeks ago.  It was the most amazing thing ever.  He or she is really in there...bouncing and flipping all around...the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!  We actually got to see him/her again today as well!  Today we went to an ultrasound tech's shop for an early gender ultrasound...sorry the big reveal is Friday!  Needless to  say, we cannot wait!  Heart rate was 150 three weeks ago and about 145 today.  The baby looks great, and that's all that matters to us!!

Pregnancy has been fabulous to me so far!  Now that I am safely in my second trimester, even the tiredness is starting to slowly wane away.  The sickness has stayed at bay since that first week or two, and everything has been going smoothly.  My husband may tell you to beware of my mood swings, but I can assure you that I would never have anything of the sort! ;)  Cravings come and go.  For a couple of weeks I became almost vegetarian, then all I could stomach was Wing Stop, Icees were a big hit for awhile, now I will eat almost anything and everything that you put in front of me...sadly!

We are having a great time planning and dreaming for our baby.  We can picture him or her.  We try to envision different sports teams or dance recitals we may be attending.  We are having a blast just picturing our "down the road".

Life at home is a little on the hectic side.  Josh is doing amazing in school.  He is excelling in every course; although, for some reason he hates his computer course with a passion.  We study together a lot of nights, and we take turns calling out questions to each other.  I sometimes get a little frustrated with the quizzing process.  He, on the other hand, has nothing but patience as he is quizzing me on cardiac drugs and having to give me more hints than I am willing to admit.  He is a wonderful study partner and encourager. (And I need to remember this for when our child enters school and needs someone to help with homework...Josh will be much better at that than me!)

My school is very demanding..which I expected.  It took me a couple weeks to really figure out how to manage my work schedule and home schedule and incorporate quality study time in there, but now I think I may have it down pat (knock on wood).

All-in-all it is going great!  We are trying to jump a couple hurdles around the house.  The bathroom needs a lot of attention...like a major renovation.  Josh, his daddy, and Kevin are starting to think in that direction.  I am directing all my spare time (ha! SPARE time??) to cleaning out the nursery.  This is no easy task!  We will get it all!  Thankfully we have another 5-6 months.  And when typed out, that seems way sooner than I thought!

Life in the Dugas household is going great!  It is crazy.  We are busy and exhausted most days, but in the end it will all be worth it.  Josh has the backyard looking so amazing...we love to spend all of our (non-existent) free time back there!  I am so proud of him for everything he is doing going back to school and doing so amazingly well at school.  He continues to encourage me through all my school processes and pumps me back up on those days when I feel overly hormonal and stressed.  He is definitely the rock of this family.  An amazing man and a soon-to-be wonderful Daddy...Baby D is a very lucky Baby already...and I am a lucky wife and mommy-to-be!