Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Here We Are

Because things around here aren't fun enough... I thought it would be great to have a migraine. We took the boys to school on Monday and did our shopping for all of our Thanksgiving meal preparation... you know you're not doing well when your husband asks you no less than 5 times in the store if you're feeling alright. Apparently I looked bad, and was acting really spacey. From there we went to lunch the on to Lowe's for all of our outside Christmas decorations, and Hobby Lobby for a couple of remaining things I needed to my ornament wreath to be completed in the next day or so.

From there, I lose Tuesday... the headache was so bad yesterday that I was sitting on our couch watching the boys play, and in my peripheral vision on the right side - I saw all sorts of squiggly lines. It was crazy. I took most of the day easy - I managed to make the cornbread for our dressing, and helped John make some Jack Daniels sauce for some chicken we made last night to go along with some roasted broccoli. (Thanks Pinterest!) I will be blogging more recipes as soon as I get my Christmas list completed for the family. (Said Christmas list is due on Thursday... so I've got to figure out what I want/need)

This morning, John took the boys to "work" - they had to go pick up a ladder for him to use to do our outside Christmas lights over the weekend... and he gave me a little break by taking the boys with him. While they were gone, I took Missy (our dog) to Starbucks and then we came back to work on cleaning out the dining room. I have sort of used it as a storage room since we've moved... and I'd like to set it up for our Thanksgiving dinner... and we're putting the big Christmas tree in there so that the boys don't mess with it.



Anyway, while I was moving some things around. We had one of those cheap plastic CD storage things in there - I have hated that thing for years and haven't put it out in either of our last 2-3 homes... so I was planning to put it in the attic... only when I had it in my arms - it came apart, and hit me right in the eye socket. So, lets add a black eye to my list of ailments at the moment.

If you add my black eye to the bruises on the boys' eye/nose/forehead... we look like John is some sort of tyrant. I offered to punch him in the eye so that we can all look "special" for our photos of the holiday... but I don't think he thought that was a good idea.

So that's about all that is going on here... we're just in prep for our big meal... and trying to get well. Here is our menu for our Thanksgiving:

Appetizers:
Cheese Ball
Sausage Balls
Armadillo Eggs (it's a stuffed jalapeno dish that John makes)
Cranberry Spritzers (3/4 Sprite and 1/4 Cranberry juice)

Main Meal: 
Turkey
Honey Glazed Ham
Cornbread Dressing
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Souffle
Green Bean Casserole
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Rolls

Dessert: 
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Strawberry Jello
Memaw's Praline Cookies

I will post recipes for the Sweet Potato Souffle, the Brussels Sprouts, and the pies once we get them made and I can get photos. I also plan on getting a photo of the cheese ball for the blog too - it's too good for there to be no photo to make you drool. HA!

Now, if you choose to accept the mission today... I am in desperate need for some Christmas list ideas. What are some things that YOU think I need this year?

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Last Few Days

Seems like just when I feel like we're heading into a good patch... the bottom drops out again. Last week was a blur of stomach virus mess with James... then lead into the weekend and he picks up a cough. I also haven't been feeling well, so I knew that we had a cold coming on.

We did alright on Monday, but more of the same on Tuesday... so when we woke up, I decided that I needed to get the boys checked out. We were planning on traveling home on Friday, and I wanted to get them well before we left. I got us an appointment for that afternoon, with a new pediatrician within the same practice. I loved her! (praise the Lord!)

At the end of the visit, I learned that both boys had an ear infection and had a prescription for antibiotics for each of them. I also learned that James needs to see a neurologist and a geneticist for the excessive number of birth marks that he has. Apparently the number and the size of some of them can be linked to a disorder, and since we have limited medical history for him - it's better to be safe than sorry. (He is NOT going to agree on that one)

We got home and I gave them their first dose of their medicine with dinner - and that's when the craziness started. Immediately after dinner, Tyler threw up. Like something from the Exorcist. It's not uncommon for him to throw up - so I didn't initially think much of it. We did our normal routine - clean everything up, John gave him a bath, I gave him more of the medicine that he threw up, bottle, and then bed.

Of course, the night that they're both sick - we have crazy storms and the power goes out from 3:30 to 5 in the morning. I was a nervous wreck, and was awake the entire time. I wanted those baby monitors back on the second the power came back on! When it came back on at 5... I crept upstairs... went to James' room first... and turned on the monitor. He started moving a bit, so I hit the floor so he wouldn't see me. He stopped moving, so I quickly turned on his sound machine and headed for the exit. Next, I went into Ty's room. Same procedure, except when I turned on his monitor - he sat up! I did some sort of Kung Fu Panda move trying to be stealth so that he wouldn't see me! (I'm about as smooth and graceful as Kung Fu Panda - that's for sure) After a minute, he was back down and I turned on his sound machine... and made my swift exit. John was watching it all from the monitor and I'm sure was laughing.

We made it through all of that, and when we got up - I went with normal procedure. Made the boys a bottle, got them up, changed diapers, and fed them. Tyler proceeded to throw up twice in this process. I gave him some time, and when it came to breakfast he was fussy - so I thought he was hungry - typically that's what it is. I gave him some yogurt, but didn't give him any of the antibiotic... he threw that up.

I had already called the pediatrician, so when they called back - I explained the situation... and our thought is that either he was having a problem with the consistency of the medicine OR he now has the stomach virus too. Good times. They also said that I could bring him in for an antibiotic shot that afternoon. I opted to do that.

After the shot, we came home and he took a little nap. From the time he woke up at 4 - he would not let us put him down. The few times I did, you could tell his leg was bothering him and he would just cry or whimper. He went to bed, but couldn't get comfortable - so he ended up sleeping in our bed last night. Poor thing! So far today, he's doing better.

In the meantime, I've got a sinus infection as well - so three out of 4 of us are on antibiotics... we are a PARTY folks... We have cancelled or postponed our trip home for Thanksgiving - so it might just be a quiet holiday at our house... cooking, cleaning, and Christmas decorating.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Shutterfly Winners

The lucky winners of 25 free Christmas Cards from Shutterfly are:

Lucky #s:


4 - Ashley!
23 - Jennifer S!
9 - Jennifer G!

Ladies, email me at KBHawkins00 AT gmail DOT com - within 24 hours to get your claim code for the cards.

Congratulations!!

By A Thread

I've got every intention of writing everyday in this old blog - but lately, things are getting the best of me. Life is completely out of control!

With a baby going to the ER this week, and me having a 3 hour long root canal yesterday - not to mention - I think Tyler might be coming down with some of the same symptoms James had earlier in the week... I can't get a break!

I'm not even kidding when I tell you that today, I think my jaw hurts worse than yesterday. (Ok: my jaw, my tooth, my dried out lips, my eyeball, and general pounding head) They didn't give me any medicine to take for pain - just told me to take Advil, but I'm not kidding that this hurts worse than my C-Section did. I think it's just where it is and the things effected.

Anyway, while I'm healing up from this... I thought I'd take care of a couple of things I've neglected. I need to draw winners for the Shutterfly Giveaway, and take care of the Fall Blog Swap... which I will be doing today.

I also want to make sure to tell you about the new look and fun going on over on my recipe blog. Momma Hawk Cooks is the new name I chose, and my lovely friend Laura did the design for me. John got a kick out of the design - asking if when we get pregnant if we'll add an egg to the nest... and when I go in to have said baby - if we'd put a crack in the egg... then finally a new bird in the nest.

Who knows... but it does sound creative and cute! What do you think Laura?

That's about all I've got for today - trying to survive and keep the pain under control. I hope you're all well - give me a shout out and let me know what you'd like to read about in the next week or so.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

M is for a Mother's Heart

It is National Adoption Month, and a blog post has been floating around in my head for a while... I just wasn't quite sure of the format that I was going to take to get the words out. Insert, Twitter a week or so ago... and it all fell into place.

I happened upon a post that mentioned adoption... and it actually set my blood to boiling instantly. Not at the person that posted it, but just the whole situation behind the tweet. This particular Twitter friend of mine had an encounter with a friend who adopted two children. Lets call my friend Robin, and her friend that adopted Susan.

Robin was commenting about her disgust for a comment that Susan made... so I had to hear the back story. Basically, Susan has infertility problems - I don't make light of this in any way, but want to keep the story to the basics so that I can get to my thoughts and point. She (Susan) adopted two kids, but still struggles greatly with wanting to have a biological child of her own. She has really deep jealousy issues with people that get pregnant around her, which is where Robin started having problems with her. Susan reacted very badly to Robin getting pregnant and caused their friendship to crumble. When I say reacted badly - it's an understatement. Somewhere along the way, Susan informed Robin that "People just don't understand. When you adopt your children, it just isn't the same." 


It was at that moment, this post came together in my mind... I knew what I wanted to say. I firmly believe that Susan has a lot to learn about what it means to be a mother. I can't say for sure if it is just the extraordinary supernatural circumstances around our adoption process... or the training that we got from the 3 amazing ladies at the agency itself, but NEVER once have I ever thought of adoption as a lesser choice for becoming a parent. It was never a "back up plan" for me.


You see, I have always wanted to be a mother. How that happened for me was of no consequence - pregnancy, adoption... fall from the sky... I never cared HOW we became parents. I just knew in my heart that we were meant to be parents. Additionally, I am saddened at the idea of this woman ever having a biological child - because I couldn't imagine the hurt and pain that the different love would cause for the two beautiful kids she currently has.

We suspected there was a slight possibility that I might be pregnant before we went to the hospital on James' birth day, but I loved him so much already - I couldn't bring myself to even consider that until he was at home with us. I had the unique experience of adopting and being pregnant at the same time... and can honestly say, both were beautiful experiences. The day that we met James - just minutes after his birth was truly magical... from the instant we saw him - we knew he was ours and that we were chosen to be his parents. John and I were head over heels for this precious little boy from the moment we met his birth mother, truly. I love her as a part of our family too... and wish that our relationship with her was as close as we hoped it would be on the day we met her. She has forever changed our family, and with the open nature of our adoption - I wish someday to be able to connect with her again.

Forty-eight hours later, we signed the papers on our adoption and brought our son home. During the night, on our first night home - I took the pregnancy test. I think to a certain extent, I was in denial about Tyler growing inside of me for a long time. I had a rough pregnancy, but never once did it overshadow or take away from the joy and love that I had in being James' mother.

I remember getting the call the Friday evening before Tyler was born that he'd arrive on Monday because of complications - and all I could think about that entire weekend was James. Would he get enough attention? Would he know that he was loved? Was I short-changing him because he wasn't going to have a good solid amount of time being the only child? The guilt was staggering. Just as God has his hands all over our boys coming into our family in their unique ways... he had his hands on all of us through this process.

We have never looked back. Our situation is unique to be sure, but it is beautiful. Our family is a creation that we could have never planned for ourselves - but it is a product of YEARS of prayer and in the end - a beautiful creation because we gave up trying to have it come together because of our control, but allowing Him to work his will.

Today, I am asked constantly when we are out in public if the boys are twins. I feel compelled to say that they aren't. Occasionally, women put together that it's pretty much impossible to have children 6 months apart... but IF I choose to explain that adoption is part of our story - I don't indicate which of the boys is adopted. Sometimes, even I forget. They are both every bit a part of me, they are my sons... and I don't love them them any differently for the way they came into our lives. They are both a part of me in every way... and just last night - it wouldn't have mattered which of them needed to go to the ER... I was physically ill worried about him, and waiting for news. I feel like I have the heart of a true mother. My kids are mine, and are equal in every way... they are both a part of me no matter what their story is.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Always Something

My baby boy is sick again... this is pre-pneumonia and a stomach virus within less than a month of each other. Let me give you the details.

Saturday morning, we all woke up and things were completely normal. My boys all went for a quick trip to Home Depot and then to pick up breakfast at McDonalds. Everyone was fine, at breakfast - actually enjoyed it more than my boys typically do. They then took their naps as usual... but for the rest of the day, James wasn't eating much if at all. I noticed his tummy was a bit bloated, but thought that everything would be fine.

I got him to eat a little bit the rest of the day, and put them to bed a little later because of the time change. When we woke up on Sunday morning, he had thrown up in his bed over night and was a mess. Poor baby! He didn't really want to eat much or drink much at all yesterday - but we tried to encourage as much as we could. I kept him to the BRAT (Banana, Rice, Apple Sauce, Toast) diet with a few other things added in. We also gave him some Miralax - because that's been a problem for us in the past, and sometimes that makes everything all better.

Around 12:30 in the morning, he woke up screaming. I went up to get him and he had thrown up two more times in his sleep. We brought him downstairs and noticed that his diaper was pretty much dry - from 6PM to after midnight... so we decided he needed to go to the ER for fear of dehydration or John was worried he might have some sort of intestinal blockage. I stayed home to wash all his bedding and stay with Tyler.

The hospital did an x-ray on James' tummy and didn't see anything to be too worried about. They gave him a Tylenol suppository, a Popsicle, and a prescription for some Zofran. They got home around 4 this morning, and he went straight to bed.

John went to bed at the same time and headed for work around 7... poor Daddy, got about a total of 4 hours sleep - 2 hours before the hospital trip and 2 hours after. We're watching James today, he's sleeping quite a bit today trying to catch up. I'm also trying to get him to drink as much as I can... he's not eating so far today - but I'm not worried about that too much right now.

They said that Tyler might get this too - so we're praying that doesn't happen and trying to be diligent about keeping things separated and clean. It's always something, isn't it?

Just Keep Swimming

I'm shocked that this is my first post in November. I remember sitting here last weekend, thinking that I would post every day in November... guess that didn't happen. The last couple weeks have been a blur with me not feeling well... trying to keep the boys cared for, and the house basically running. (even if it's barely running)

I spent the better part of the last two weeks feeling nauseated and exhausted - which lead to a quickly resolved pregnancy scare. We are not pregnant, and for the first time in my life - that information is actually given with a great sigh of relief. I absolutely without question want another child (I'd have two more) but as I was faced with the possibility of 3 kids under 3 years of age... I was terrified. Ya'll, honestly - most days the two I've got kick my butt and ware me out beyond being able to put together a sentence by bedtime. Adding another to the mix is down right insanity!

So with that, we survived through Halloween... which is our least favorite holiday in this house. I'm not a huge fan of having strangers come up to my door - and yes, I know they're kids. I'm not a fan of taking candy from strangers either - one of my friends on Twitter said it best "One night of fun...and weeks of retraining the kids that taking candy from strangers is bad." We don't know anyone local yet - so trick or treating at the homes of people we know isn't really an option. I don't know what we'll do next year. In the end, we gave out candy while the boys played in the garage... and I battled guilt that I hadn't dressed them up to take them out. I guess next year, I'll lose that battle.

John took off a couple of days this week - so we got to spend some time together while the boys were at school... complete with lunch. Ya'll, I can't tell you the last time I went to a restaurant and ate food while it was hot... and didn't have to worry about our noise level or feeding anyone else. Wait, yes I can... it was the week that I came to Memphis to look at houses! We then spent Friday shopping with the boys - Momma got some great new tops for my winter wardrobe... of which I didn't have before Friday's shopping. Still on the lookout for a good coat. I don't have so much as a jacket - so I've got to get something soon.

It was my intention to get a lot of blog posts scheduled this weekend and get caught back up - but it didn't happen. We tried to get everything adjusted for Daylight Savings Time... which worked out alright - until we woke up to James covered in vomit. Good times. We've tried giving him the B.R.A.T. diet today - and he nibbled some, but the main noticeable difference is that he's not drinking much. We gave him some of the Miralax that our wonderful pediatrician back in Houston told me to use with him - and we'll see how things go tomorrow. I pray that we're not headed back to the pediatrician - because I truly can't have a sick baby this week... Momma is scheduled for a root canal on Thursday and I need to get that over with. Prayers would be appreciated.

I'm behind on a couple of things:
1) my Fall Recipe Blog Swap needs my attention... so I will be emailing the participants directly in the early part of this week.
2) The winner of the jewelry giveaway is Katie Waters - she's chosen the yellow necklace - so the purple and the pink are still up for grabs in my Etsy store.
3) I will choose the winners of the Shutterfly giveaway and announce them by Tuesday morning.