Another writer in the house...

I  took these photos yesterday after I caught Savannah trying to write in my address book. She loves to get my pens and sit down with any piece of paper - paper, books or my address book - and try to write in them.

These photos are in sequence... the last photo was her reaction to me taking her photo.

Our water baby...

I took Savannah to her swimming class today because her Daddy wasn't feeling too good this morning.

I'm proud to say that everyone was bragging about how good she is doing in the water! The teacher and several of the other moms told me how natural she is in the water and it made me so proud!

She was the first student to go under the water today... with the help of the teacher... and she didn't cry at all. By the time the class was over she was able to go down in the water several more times.

I'm a very proud Mama!

Swimming lessons...

Savannah started her swimming lessons yesterday and, of course, she was a natural in the water. Pat is her coach and that is something he's always wanted the two of them to do together... and they seemed to be having a blast.

I didn't go with them today because I had some freelance work to do, but he reported Savannah learned to kick on her own... and she was happy to be in the pool with all of the other kids.

There is one child in the class who cries the entire time... she did it yesterday and Pat told me she did it today as well. I felt bad for the little girl and for both of her parents who were in the water with her... I'm not sure what they can do to solve that problem.

Here are a few photos from yesterday... I promise to get some video tomorrow... the camera batteries were almost dead so I had to take shots here and there.

Hmm....

Savannah has a love of the phone... the cell phone or the home phone... it doesn't matter to her.

Pat has always said "Like mother, like daughter" when it comes to this issue, but I now have proof that it might not be that way.

Mom and Dad sent some of Pat's past back home with us yesterday (along with some wonderful American Girl dolls for Savannah) and he found this picture while sorting through the box.

It looks like someone else in this family had a love of the phone early in life!

Old country music...

I've always been a fan of old country music... and I listened to it all the time when I was pregnant with Savannah and traveling back and forth to work or job assignments.

So it shouldn't be a surprise that Savannah is also a fan of old country music.

She woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. and I got up with her so at least one person in the house could get some sleep.

We came into the living room and she was fighting sleep... until I turned it to the old country music channel on our television.

Within 10 minutes she was asleep and we slept for five more hours.

Thank goodness for Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash!

Potty-time...

We bought a potty chair for Savannah this week...  not because we're anxious to get her potty-trained, but because I wanted her to get used to having it around the bathroom.

She's sat on it a couple of times, but hasn't used it yet... and this one is special because it will play a song every time she goes to the bathroom!

She went around Target on Monday pressing the button to the chair and "moving" to the music.

I hope she'll continue to have some interest in the chair until she gets to the point where she's actually ready to use it.

We'll be really excited if that time comes before Baby Bean arrives!

In the meantime, I have to make sure I don't stub my toe on the chair when I go to the bathroom.

Missing in action...

I just wanted everyone to know that I'm OK... and I'm sorry if you've been looking on here and wondering if something was wrong because I haven't been posting.

Between Savannah being mobile (and very active) and my pregnancy, I haven't felt like posting multiple times every day. I now spend a lot of time chasing our little one up and down the hallway and trying to rest a little in between.

We're all doing well here... just a little tired and sunburned!

I'm going to try to do a little better with my posts since I know there are several dedicated readers to our blog.

Savannah and Daddy in the Pool

We went to Stafford yesterday to visit Savannah's three aunts and one uncle and had a blast in Aunt Sharon's pool.
Savannah and her Daddy had a lot of fun jumping around and we all had a great time visiting and being in the pool.
We all went home with sunburns... OUCH!

The Way We Were...

I finally got to watch all of "The Way We Were," a 1973 movie about a romantic relationship between two opposites that could ultimately never succeed. I've always caught parts of the movie, but have never watched the entire thing. 

So when Pat noticed it was coming on today I taped it to watch tonight... and it was a great movie.

I saw some of my younger self in Barbra Streisand's character, Katie Morosky. She idealized Robert Redford's Hubbell and beat her head against a wall to oversee his flaws... until they ultimately did the couple in.

I've been there before myself.

I know some people don't like her movies, but I've always found Streisand's work to be good... and I've liked every movie of hers that I've seen.

Watching this movie tonight made me think about how every choice we make in life leads us to where we are now... and all the crazy relationships we have bring us down the road a little farther.

Pat and I always joke about crazy relationships (more his than mine of course), but I know that all of the people in our pasts are what led up to each other.

So if you haven't seen this movie I highly recommend it... and if you haven't seen it in a while than you should watch it again.

Need for sleep...

Thank goodness Pat came home early last night because I was in great need of some extra sleep. Pat was home before 9 p.m. and I was in bed shortly after... and thank goodness I have a wonderful husband because he cleaned up the living room and kitchen (which is a daily chore thanks to our walking toddler) and finished up the laundry.

I tried to get Savannah asleep before I hit the sack, but she ended up staying with her Daddy while I slept.

My memory isn't always  the best, but I don't remember my last pregnancy wearing me out as much as this one is... guess it's because I was sitting behind a desk instead of chasing after an active little girl.

Peas and carrots...

Savannah has a lot of traits from her parents... her love of newspapers, chattiness and friendliness are among them.

I was feeding her dinner tonight and noticed that she has a trait that is so like her Mama... she LOVES peas and carrots!

I bought her a few of  the toddler Gerber Graduate meals to see  how she likes them and tonight's meal was mac-n-cheese and peas and carrots. 

Although most kids would chomp down all of the mac-n-cheese, my child attacked the peas and carrots first. I'm proud to say she cleared her small plate and ate the dinner... including every bit of the peas and carrots.

She's my daughter!

Baby Bean Fitzgerald...

Here is the first picture of our youngest family member. I went to the doctor today and discovered that I was two days off my count... our new due date is March 5.

Baby Bean looks great and has a strong heartbeat of 120... my blood pressure looked good and everything is on course for a smooth pregnancy.

I'm seeing a high-risk doctor (due to the C-section I had with Savannah, my age and weight)... and we discussed the possibility of having a VBAC (vaginal birth after C-section)... although it's too early to make a decision, I'm sure I'll be having another C-section because this will be our last baby and they can take care of that after Baby Bean is born.

We'll get to see Baby Bean again on Aug. 7 as I have another appointment for bloodwork and then again three weeks later for testing due to my age.

I can see Baby Bean is already getting his or her pictures taken a lot... it's a great trend to start early.

Savannah reading the comics

Here is a little insight into our Sunday ritual... Savannah takes the Sunday newspaper and spreads it across the living room... and Mommy has to pick it up.
She enjoys reading the newspaper as much as we do... hopefully she won't choose it as her career.

Just like her Daddy...

Pat snapped this picture of Savannah reading the Sunday comics today ... just like her Daddy enjoys doing each week.

This is the best photo we've got of her in a while... because she's actually sitting still.

I also have a video to upload and post, but that will probably be tomorrow.

Seeing Baby Bean...

I'm excited to go to my first prenatal appointment tomorrow afternoon. With all of the stress of this past month, I'm looking forward to going to the doctor and making sure everything is OK with this baby.

I'm hoping to actually get a chance to have an ultrasound... which is something the doctor's office in Arkansas didn't offer when I was pregnant with Savannah. According to my calculations we're seven weeks pregnant and that is the mark I have to be to have an ultrasound at the first visit.

We didn't get a chance to see Savannah until I was in my fourth month... and she was a good girl and  kept her legs crossed so we couldn't see anything!

I'm just looking forward to seeing the small "baby blob" we can see at seven weeks... which should include the heartbeat.

It's going to be really exciting.

New photos of Savannah

I took these photos yesterday and it still amazes me how quickly Savannah is growing up! She's now toddling around the house and I'm trying to keep her out of trouble without constricting her too much.

I guess all toddlers need a chance to explore... even if it means I have to pick the DVDs up five times a day!

She's such a beautiful little girl... although I admit to being a little bias!

Daddy's Girl - A tribute to my Daddy

Tomorrow will be a month since my Daddy died. In some ways it seems like he's been gone forever and then it seems like I could pick up the phone and talk to him.
I made this little video today because I wanted to once again share the video I took of him talking to Savannah... it's the only video I have of Daddy's voice and I'll cherish it.

Beautification time...

One of the side effects of taking prenatal vitamins is that your hair grows quicker.

Since I've always been partial to short hair it means either more trips to the beauty salon or try to grow my hair out long again.

I was considering growing my hair out when my wonderful husband so gently (NOT!) explained to me today that it was time for an eyebrow/lip wax.... and he didn't mean to hurt my feelings by saying it!

I don't think there is an easy way to tell a woman she needs to go to the beauty shop!

I've made an appointment for a little ME time tomorrow while Pat and Savannah stay at home and have a little Daddy and Daughter time.

There is nothing a woman loves more than having hot wax poured on her face and then pulled off with tape! 

See what a woman does for the love of a man!

Visit from Shanay...

My friend Shanay came to visit for a few days... she came at a crazy time as Pat had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and then he ended up having a bad reaction to his meds and ended up at the doctor's office again on Thursday.

Shanay was kind enough to keep Savannah Thursday while we made our trip to the doctor's office. When we came back 1.5 hours later she had Savannah fast asleep in her lap.

I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to have Shanay here... it was great to have a friend around to chat with. I love Hubby more than anything, but we all need a little girl time.

Here is a picture Pat took of us before we took Shanay out to dinner and then sent her back to New Jersey.

I guess Savannah and I will have to make a trip north in the next few months.

A scare...

Pat had a little scare today with his medication. Pat was supposed to take one pill on Wednesday, two pills on Thursday and then the regular daily dose of three pills on Friday. 

He only made it to the second pill before he had a reaction that totally stopped him from taking the medication (which I can't think of the name of right now).

Pat took the second dose of his medicine early this morning (because the first dose made him really groggy last night) and he quickly went back to sleep. Fast-forward four hours and he was up and getting ready to go into the office.

He showered and got dressed, but then he couldn't get his socks on. It hurt me just about as much as it hurt him to watch as he tried to get his legs and brain to work together.

It took him an hour  to put on his socks... and by that time we had made an emergency appointment at the doctor's office.

The doctor determined Pat had a bad reaction to the new medication and he won't be able to take it again... so we're back to square one on how to treat his legs.

I'm just glad he's back to his old self this evening.

Pat's trip to the doctor...

I wanted to let everyone know that Pat made it to his doctor's appointment this morning and he has been diagnosed with restless leg syndrome, a disorder that causes an uncomfortable creeping, crawling, tingling, pulling, twitching, tearing, aching, throbbing, prickling or grabbing sensation in the legs (thanks to the www.medicinenet.com Web site).

The nurse checked Pat for bacteria in his stomach, but he was clear of that... so now he has to take some meds for acid reflux (and hope he doesn't have an ulcer).

He has a follow-up appointment next month for blood work and to check on the restless leg syndrome... let's hope that he's feeling better.

How about them apples?

Pat has a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. It's been eight months since he went to the doctor and stress at work has brought on more than a few sources of pain.

Shanay, a friend of mine from New Jersey, is visiting so we're going to leave her at the mall tomorrow while we go to doctor's office. Hopefully Pat won't get pricked and prodded too much (because he hates anything that has to do with needles)... and that we get a few answers as to what is going on with him.

I'll post a little more tomorrow... in the meantime, please send some positive thoughts Pat's way... he'll be stressed out until he leaves that doctor's office.

Maybe I should start feeding him an apple a day?

Layoffs...

Pat was called in to work early yesterday for a mandatory manager's meeting... which was followed by a total staff meeting. His boss also mentioned they were starting new deadlines ... an hour earlier than the midnight deadline they've been under.

We both knew there was bad news and Pat called me on the way to work to say that he was sure they were probably going to start printing his paper in another town.

He was right... and 30 people who worked to print the newspaper and put it together lost their jobs. Pat told me that one of the pressmen had been with the paper more than 40 years.

The pressmen heard rumors layoffs were going to be announced in October, but I'm sure no one expected to find out they no longer had a job as of yesterday.

Pat's job was spared this time, but we both know that any day now they could outsource his job to another office. It's a real fear that I have.. especially with a baby on the way.

The writing truly is on the wall for newspapers... downsizing to save money hurts the product and  causes longtime staffers to find new career fields.

It's just really sad to see.

 

Show me the money (and the bills)...

Pat and I sat down at the kitchen table this afternoon and went over the bill pay cycle. This is the first step in Suze Orman's plan to get straight with your money. She recommends that all women know about the financial situation in their home and become more involved.

Some of you may remember that I blogged a few weeks ago about my plan to get more involved in the family finances for two reasons: To learn more about how much money we have coming in and going out and to take some of the burden off Pat.

I have to take a few minutes to praise my husband on how precise he is when it comes to paying our bills. Most of our bills are on Bill Pay and Pat has them on two cycles... so that he goes in every other Saturday (after pay day) and sends out the bills that are due in the next two weeks.

Then he puts all of that information (along with the deposits) into a Quicken program that keeps up with our balance. He does the same thing with our savings account.

It looks like a lot of work!

It really did me good to look at our bills... I should have done it a while ago and recommend it to anyone who doesn't know how much money they have coming in and are spending each month.

We've had a lot of unexpected expenses in the last few months that have put a hit on our bank account, but Pat had made sure we stayed a set course (as much as possible). I can certainly understand the importance of my freelance work and bringing in a little extra money.

In two weeks I'll sit down again with Pat, but I hope to be the one paying the bills ... without messing anything up.

Now we just have to tighten our belts since we have another baby on the way!

Happy Birthday Megan!

I just wanted to wish our friend, Megan, a Happy Birthday!
I've always called Megan Pat's "work wife" because she sat between him and her actual husband, Mickey, when the three worked together at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Can you imagine trying to keep two men straight?
I had to post a little blurb about the next Harry Potter movie (which will be coming out soon)... wish we could go see it together.
Pat, Savannah and I (along with Maggie) wish you a Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Andy... even if it comes at the end of your birthday!

I had to post a little video in tribute to my friend, Andy. He is getting the ripe, YOUNG age of 36 ready for me... as I'll be joining him there in just a few months.
I had to include this Dallas video clip as a tribute and late birthday wish (because I couldn't send you birthday wishes to the cliffhanger that led to this reunion.... that's not a very happy moment)!
I hope you had a great birthday... and I promise we'll talk soon.
Please don't go racing any turtles... I couldn't take another story like that!

Dolly Parton - Better Get To Livin'

I wanted to post this for my younger sister, Lynn. She has spent the last 15 years taking care of our Daddy while Mama worked almost every day.
Now it's time for Lynn to have her own life... and I'm proud to say she's going out Monday to look for a job.
I love this song because it talks about not wasting one more minute... and that is what I'm hoping Lynn doesn't do.
This is your time to succeed and start making your own way.
I'm very proud of you and keeping my fingers crossed.

Savannah at the restaurant

Daddy took us out to lunch today since he had to work (and I asked him to since I had a craving).
I took my camera in an effort to get a good picture of Savannah in her July 4th outfit... and instead I caught her doing something that is fairly new.
Savannah has started screaming now when she wants something... and today it was my glass of sweet tea.
I guess she is a Southern girl... and I'm sure a pest to other restaurant diners.
She used to be such a good baby when we were eating out!

Miss Independent

Savannah's Grammy and Granddaddy sent her an outfit for July 4th... and I've been attempting to take a good picture of her in it... and I've had no luck at all!

Savannah has gotten good at avoiding Mama's camera... and she used to be such a ham! She still loves to have her picture taken, but only when she wants to do it (as you can see in these pictures).

I took about 30 pictures, but only a handful were even worth saving. She's now moving around so fast that she gets out of my viewfinder before I have time to take a shot.

I promise to work on getting a great photo of her in her new outfit... which is just adorable.

Happy Fourth of July... BTW!

Our little reader...

We are amazed by how much Savannah loves books. She "reads" everything from her children's books to newspapers to my address book. She loves for us to read to her although she knows that it usually means it night night time afterwards.

I snapped these pictures in the last week and had to post them.

She continues to amaze us with how fast she's growing up... I'm so blessed that I've been here to watch her grow every day. It's something that means the world to me.

Nap time for Mama...

I can tell you that my pregnancy symptoms have now kicked in full force: Morning sickness, insomnia, sore boobs, need to nibble constantly, powerful smell ability, loss of brain power and most importantly - A NEED TO NAP!

I had most of these issues when I was pregnant with Savannah (loss of brain power high on the list), but I don't remember being as exhausted as I am this time. I really think it's because I traded my full-time newspaper job for the full-time Mama job... and that can wear you out and then some!

I had a freelance interview today and asked Pat to keep Savannah up so she and I could take a nap together when I came home. He called me when I was driving back and said she finally fell out... and I put my car in overdrive so I could get in a little nap time before Savannah was awake again.

Thank goodness my beautiful daughter took a long nap... we were able to sleep for about 1.5 hours.

It's going to be a long nine months!

Update on Sandra and Baby Tori...

I received great news on two fronts today and wanted to share them both for all of you who check into my blog.

Sandra, my "extra" Mama, was released from the hospital today. It appears she had a mini-stroke and not a serious one like was first thought. I'm hoping to talk to her tonight, but from what her children have told me she's doing much better.

What a great relief to me!

I also got an email from my cousin, Linda, today. She became a Grandmother for the second time last night when Victoria Marie Dickerson was born at Crisp Regional Hospital in Cordele. Tori weighed in at 7 lb. 8.1 oz., and was 19 1/4 inches long. Mother and baby are both doing fine... which is great news.

I'm so excited to see the pictures of our growing extended family... life is about about living and dying... and it's nice to have some more good news to share.

Time to shop...

I know there will come a day when my pre-pregnancy clothes won't fit anymore... and although I made it to my fifth month of first pregnancy before I had a baby belly, I'm not sure I'll be so lucky this time.

So I got up this morning to check out maternity clothes at JCPenney.com... they were having a big sale along with free shipping so I picked out a few things and ordered them.

No problem... figured that would be enough to at least get me started.

Then Savannah and I went with Pat to Charlottesville today... and we headed to the mall while he  worked for a few hours. Our stroll ended up in the Motherhood store... where low and behold they were having a huge sale on clothes.

I have to brag because I bought three pairs of pants and two blouses for just $36!

I now have enough maternity clothes to make it through most of my pregnancy.

Elvis Presley_ an american trilogy

Elvis has always been one of my Mama's favorite singers... I guess I should say he is her favorite singer (followed very closely by Conway Twitty).
This has always been one of my favorite Elvis songs (tied with In the Ghetto) and the last verse has always made me cry... because I knew that one day I would say goodbye to my Daddy.
I've been thinking about Sandra this morning and feeling a little sad... so that makes me look up old sad songs on YouTube.
I just had to share it.