9 Month Update

It's been a little crazy trying to update this blog between work, house hunting, a doctor appointment, life in general.  So, here's the latest....

Sunday was absolutely beautiful!  After church, we took a nice walk through Walsingham Park and Gavin was able to swing for a few minutes.  If weather continues to be that nice on the weekends, then the park will be our getaway spot. 

Monday afternoon, Gavin had his 9 month appointment.  He is now 28 1/2 inches long and weighs 20 pounds, 11 ounces.  They only gave him one shot this time but they also had to prick his little toe to test the iron in his blood.  The doctor said, "He's perfect!"  There is absolutely nothing developmentally wrong with him and he is just perfect.  I love those reports. 

Monday night, we went house hunting again.  We saw four houses and though a couple of them were in decent condition, the location sucked.  There was one that was great but the backyard was right up against an apartment complex.  No thank you!  We're still searching and praying for that one perfect house.

We've been praying for Eric's Grandpa, Alex, aka G-Pa.  He was supposed to come into town today but he had some kind of internal bleeding.  I'm just going to copy and paste the emails regarding his situation because I have no idea what I'm talking about:

"So here is the latest as of last night (Monday). Yesterday he had both a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. When Tom first spoke with Ken, he thought that the doctors suspected an upper gi bleed. But later in the day, when the results of the colonoscopy came in they confirmed that he has a lower GI bleed, most likely from his diverticular disease. Unfortunately, they can not find the exact location of the bleed so that they can't perform a procedure to stop it. The next step is to do an angiogram. That is where they go in through the femoral artery, inject dye and follow the movement of the dye through the circulation to his intestine on a screen. That will hopefully allow them to see where the bleed is, and then during that procedure they can inject medicine to the site to clot it off. Unfortunately, they do not have a physician at Mansfield General who can do this procedure (it is a bit specialized). So as of last night, they were planning to transport G-Pa to Columbus to a bigger hospital for this procedure. The plan is the procedure will be done sometime today.

I spoke with the doctor at Mansfield General last night and he said that Alex is stable. Blood pressure OK, and blood counts are low, but they are stable as well. so that is a good sign. If they wait for the bleeding to stop on its own and the bleeding worsens, then he would become unstable and would need emergency surgery. By doing the arteriogram at Columbus, we are hoping to avoid surgery."

Then we got another update later this afternoon:

"Finally have some good news. G-Pa did go down to Columbus last night, but as of this afternoon the bleeding has stopped. The doctors in Columbus feel that is a good sign and they have decided not to do the procedure. They will probably keep him a day or 2 more to observe. They will probably make some changes in his medications (and his diet!) so that there will be less risk of this happening again."

Eric was able to talk to G-Pa tonight and he could tell that it was an uncomfortable situation.  So, we're still praying for him and hoping that he'll get to go home soon.

Plan, Pray, Perfection

Here's the devotional I shared with the women of Gulf Coast Fellowship at a baby shower:

I was trying to think of what I could talk about that would be applicable for everyone and not just the guests of honor. So I thought I would use my pregnancy experience and elaborate my spiritual journey.

If you’ve heard this story before, you’re gonna hear it again. Eric and I got married a year and a half ago. Early in our engagement we both decided to not have children. We saw the responsibility and we didn’t want it. We saw the freedom and we had a plan to achieve it. Our plan was to pay off all our debt and then be financially free to do whatever we pleased. One thing we forgot to do was double check with the Lord to see if this plan was ok. Apparently it wasn’t and a month after we were married, we realized that I was pregnant. I’ll admit that we were disappointed; disappointed that we weren’t getting our way. Then I remembered my favorite verse Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” If we walk with the Lord on daily basis, if we let go of our hindrances, if we pray for His will then ultimately His desires will become our own desires. So Eric and I quickly embraced this new “plan” knowing that this was God’s will for our lives. We knew He would provide if we just followed Him.

So we had the new plan. We had no clue what was going to happen. We were just trying to get used to living with each other let alone handle a pregnancy! So….we “prayed”. We literally prayed EVERY night for EVERYTHING: the pregnancy, Gavin’s development, no complications, an easy labor and delivery, his health, my health; we even prayed for Gavin’s future and how God will use him in a mighty way. Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We offered up all of our worries about parenthood, our finances and especially delivering all natural! We wanted this plan to be accomplished and we knew we couldn’t do it without prayer.

Finally, after accepting God’s plan and praying every day, there came “perfection!” James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Through all the physical pain and contractions for 6 hours, I knew there was going to be a reason to rejoice in the end. God answered our prayers because we didn’t have any complications, we had a by-the-book labor and delivery, and we delivered a perfect baby boy. Complete perfection. He even scored a 10 on the Apgar test!

So….I hope you were about to think of your own “plan” for your life. Make sure you run it by the Lord. And then continue to pray on a daily, if not moment by moment basis. Because you will see God’s plan be accomplished and the end result will be pure perfection.

9 Months Old

Well, today Gavin is 9 months old.  That means there are only 3 more months until he is a year old!  Should I start crying now or save the waterworks for his actual birthday?  Gavin is feeling a lot better and only has an annoying cough.  The rest of us?  Eric is getting over a cold and I'm beginning to lose my voice.  I'm trying to cure it with home remedies because I do not want to accept the inevitable.  I need my voice at least until Saturday afternoon.  I'm throwing a baby shower at our church this Saturday morning and I'm going to use my voice!  Oh well, if anything, I'll write everything out on paper and pass it around. :)  I'm hoping this baby shower will be fun.  I've planned for a couple games and a little message from my heart.  I would like to post the message but I'm going to wait till after the baby shower so as to not ruin the surprise.  Just pray that everything goes well.

Other than that, I think we're going to keep this weekend low-key since we're both kinda under the weather.  We looked at houses tonight.  The first house was a corner lot and was very nice on the inside.  The layout was cute, the kitchen was a good size, very well maintained and a big master bedroom.  Then we traveled to the next house.  We went in and we came out....did not like it.  So, Eric and I drove back to the first house.  As we were driving around, I realized that the next door neighbor lived in what looked like a shack!  It was awful and that did it for me.  I was not too keen on a corner lot to begin with so the surrounding neighbors confirmed my rejection.  I know it was frustrating for Eric at first but I do not want to settle when it comes to the neighbors and location let alone the condition of the house.  So hopefully we'll be able to look again this Sunday afternoon. 

Have a great weekend and I'll post that message as soon as Saturday afternoon.        

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Gavin playing in my messy closet....

A baby's paradise....a mound of toys!

Watch your head!

We LOVE bath time! 

This video is funny to me and it may look as though I'm a mean mommy.  See, Gavin doesn't like to have water squirted in his face and he flinches every time it might happen.  HAHA!!! 

Sick weekend

There's something about rocking my sick little baby to sleep that makes me feel accomplished as a mom. Yes, Gavin was sick. It started Thursday morning with just a simple teething cough that turned into a heavy, flemmy cough. I felt bad because I went out Thursday night! I don't feel too bad because I knew that Eric could handle things and plus I was watching Wicked for the second time! I love that musical! I'd like to thank Matt and Kelly Kalil for inviting me and I hope your mom is doing better. Friday morning, I decided to stay home with Gavin and we just relaxed. The weather was perfect for doing just that! Gavin napped quite frequently while I had did loads of laundry. I took him to the doctor's office just to be on the safe side. He did not have croup and it was just a common cold. The doctor gave me at-home remedies to try and he is getting better. Gavin slept better Friday night than any other night before. All of us slept in Saturday morning and it was great! We didn't do much that afternoon. We did look at a couple houses but nothing to write home about. We're still looking and waiting....

Sunday, we skipped church! Don't judge! Gavin was still getting better and I didn't want the other little babies or kiddies to catch a cold. Just thinking of others.... Later that afternoon, I met up with a friend and we went shopping for baby shower items. I'm throwing a baby shower for two women at my church this coming Saturday. I have a devotional I'm going to share and I'll post it in a blog after the baby shower. Don't want to ruin the surprise! :) So, to sum up our weekend, it was spent trying to figure out what Gavin needed....like any other day!

We looked at a couple more houses today. Still nothing but we're not giving up hope. We're waiting on the Lord and we know He has that perfect house for us.

Side note: my husband is absolutely wonderful! I love you!

The Bamdurger....not a very good idea.

Before I recap our weekend, I need to confess something.  I have not been working out like I want/need to and I also have not been cooking like I said I would.  I feel like a failure but praise the Lord that He gave me a husband that loves me the way I am....fat and lazy! :)

We had a good weekend.  We got together with some friends Friday night and Saturday afternoon.  I'm realizing that if Gavin goes out with us to get togethers or parties, I can't concentrate on adult conversations.  I'm sure this will improve as he gets older but right now, I cannot engage on a full topic without being interrupted.  I guess I'm not the multi-tasker I thought I was.  Gavin has been in the stage of picking things up and then dropping them.  It's so much fun for him but it's a pain in the lower back for Mommy.  He's really moving and grooving in his walker now!  We'll chase each other around the kitchen and he'll just laugh and smile.  Gavin's been talking a lot more lately, I just wish I knew what he was saying!  Also, he's now a "cruiser"!  He'll pull himself up to a standing position and then "cruise" by holding onto the furniture.  I cannot believe he's getting so big.  He'll have his 9 month appointment in 2 weeks.

SuperBowl.  We were sad the Colts lost but it was a good game and the Saints did a good job.  Now, some of you may have heard of Eric's SuperBowl grilling idea.  He calls it the Bamdurger!  Let me just say that it was better than expected but we will NEVER do that again!  Here's his idea:  take a hot dog and cheese and wrap it with hamburger meat and then wrap that in bacon.  Grill it till thoroughly cooked.  Eat on a hot dog bun.  Throw up later.

Special Day

Today marks a special day for me.  I started working for the Munce Group 8 years ago on this exact date.  Eight years!  That is probably the longest commitment I've made EVER.  That's longer than any one place I've lived on my own.  That's longer than any car I've owned.  That's even longer than any relationship I've been in.  So this is a big day for me!  And guess what I get to do to celebrate?  I get to answer the phones today:  "Thank you for calling the Munce Group.  This is Brooke."  Some people think I'm a recording so they dial the extension they need.  Some people think my name is Brooks or Beth.  Others think they dialed the Salt Rock Grill because their phone number is one digit off.  Everytime I'm tempted to take the reservation but I'm sure that will cause some legal issues or something.  :)  However, I do more than answer the phones and I love my job!  I am so grateful to be working for a godly company that really seeks to please the Lord.   

Tonight, we're going to look at some houses.  I should take my camera in case there's one I'd like to share with y'all.  We're really praying about this whole process because this is a BIG decision.  It's not like some tv you find in a store where all the selections are laid out before you and you just pick the better deal.  This is a long process of agreeing on a house, inspections, offers, counteroffers, closing costs, signing your life away and not to mention painting, possibly remodeling, moving....this could take months!  But we're ready!  I'll let you know what happens. 

Well, I gotta go to work....hope everyone has a great day and I'll talk to you soon.

Good morning!  How do I get him to close his mouth?!

Fun! Fun! Fun!

As most of you know, I had a gathering at our place of residence this past Saturday and it was a lot of fun!  We set the time for 5:00 and we didn't eat till about 6:45.  That's always the case when you have a potluck dinner setting.  Since we had a Mexican theme, we set up a make-it-yourself taco buffet along with chips and salsa with Corona and Margaritas (too strong to even drink thanks to my husband) to wash it down.  Also, Eric kept ranting and raving about Rachel Goette's Chicken Enchiladas!  They were outstanding!!!  Then Mr. LaChance brought us dessert and my guests turned into vultures over that! :)  After a dessert break, we played games and we really got to see everyone come out of their shell.  We played CatchPhrase and Cranium; the only two games we have for a group of people.  Of course Gavin was sleeping but I don't know how he stayed asleep with all the yelling and laughing in the other room.  There were definitely memorable moments like "Ipod" and "String Cheese."  Also, my impression of Oprah Winfrey and Leah trying to draw a rack!  Oh...and Rick, I know you cheated on "Cabin Fever".  My husband ratted you out after everyone left!  Anyhow, we had a great time and we're looking forward to next month's get together.

Speaking of, I was planning on bowling for the month of February.  So, if you're interested, please let me know!  We have more friends in North Pinellas than South Pinellas so we may find a bowing alley half way heading north.  I'd like to go Galatic Bowling so it might be a late gathering.  But I'll let you know for sure.

Lately, I've been doing something different.  I haven't been wearing makeup a lot if any at all.  1. I don't have my regular powder I usually wear.  I ran out.  2. I'd like to take better care of my skin.  3. I like to rub my eyes and now I don't worry about smudging my eyeliner.  I never wore that much to begin with but now I'm going all naturelle.  I'm telling you this just in case I look tired or pale or even like a completely different person.  I may wear some on a special ocassion but that'll be a last minute decision.

I have another piece of news I'd like to share.  We made our very first BIG purchase yesterday, without credit, without a payment plan, without interest!  I'm a little weary about sharing only because it may seem like a bad idea to you but you know what, I don't care!  We have been saving up for this and we have been doing so well with our debt that we decided to reward ourselves.  We bought a 50" flat screen tv!  With all the tv sales going on because of SuperBowl Sunday, we took advantage.  We shopped around at Costco, hhgregg, Best Buy and then back at hhgregg.  They had the best sale prices and a wider selection.  Let me put your mind at ease for just a moment.  We're still on track with our debt and we actually paid one off this month!  We were gonna get a big tv like this eventually and patience is obviously a virtue we have yet to learn. :)  So....if you don't have anywhere to go for SuperBowl this Sunday, I'm sure we can find extra space in our bedroom for you to fit.  You might have to sit in the closet.  HAHA!!! 

Our week is not busy at all except Eric is doing schoolwork and Gavin is growing teeth.  But as for me, what else is there except working out?!  Gotta run....no pun intended. :)

From Left to Right: Danielle, Aaron, Rachel, Crystal, Amanda, Leah and Rick

There I am!

Probably an intense conversation....

The mess we made....

My little man....