A year or so later....

Wow...I just read my last blog. That seems forever ago! I had to chuckle when I read that I only wanted photography to be a hobby. It's true, I did. I never expected anything more from it. I am now the proud owner of April Sawyer Photography. That's right, I have a business license and pay my taxes...Well...I have a WONDERFUL assistant who takes care of all that for me. ;) That wonderful assistant would be my husband. I have been in the photography business for a little over a year. Last year I let it take over my life more than it should have. I tried to be superwoman and it almost got the best of me. I'm learning to say no, and thankfully, I have sweet photography friends that I can send business to when I just can't. School starts back tomorrow. My baby's birthday is tomorrow, too. I have so many thoughts running through my head that I figured I needed to get them out so that I could get some rest! Last year I was literally too busy to blog or do anything for myself. You want pictures? Sure! When? This week? Well, I'm busy, but I don't want you to go to another photographer so I'll bend over backwards and make it happen...Yeah...not happening this year. I'm not complaining. As a matter of fact, I am sometimes in awe of this new found talent. God is so good and I love being behind the camera. I had a good school year. Thankfully I had another year with my precious team teacher. I don't know what I'd do without her. She is my other half. She is a wonderful person, teacher, and friend. I am so grateful for her friendship and caring heart. She goes way above and beyond the call of duty in all that she does. She was definitely a strong support system for me last year. This will be our last year teaming together because we are building on to our school. The weekend before school got out, my bestie and I were flown to New York to shoot a wedding. Hopefully I can blog about that at a later date! :) It was a BLAST! This summer we went to Wyoming to visit Matt's grandparents. Get this..a 2 hour drive to Atlanta, few hours waiting at the airport, 3 hour plane ride, and 8 hour drive to Basin, WY....ALL WITH A (almost) TWO YEAR OLD!!!!!!!!!!! One day we will look back on the experience and wonder how we did it, but we did, and we had a great time. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen. We saw "Old Faithful" at Yellowstone, Indian graffiti, and LOTS of land, mountains, and animals. The rest of my summer has been spent with my family. We went to the beach for a few days with my parents. It was Edison's first time and he LOVED it. He was also very well behaved, thank the Lord. :) Edison started sleeping in this summer. I never thought I'd ever see the numbers 9:00 on the clock when first opening my eyes in the morning. Now, instead of crying when he wakes up, he yells "MAMA!!!!" hahaha :) After getting up with him, I normally fix him breakfast and then we snuggle and watch a few episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Doc McStuffins. We've been pretty lazy and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Matt is on day shift and really enjoys what he is doing. Hopefully he will stay on day shift. Matt's mom has been diagnosed with cancer..Scary..She was diagnosed early on this summer but has yet to find out exactly where and what it is. Long story....Just pray. Edison is turning TWO tomorrow. What happened to my baby??? I love him so much. I know he isn't perfect, and I wouldn't want him to be, but he is so perfect for me. I love everything about him. He is my joy. He brings unimaginable happiness into my life that I didn't know was possible before him. Here is a little thing I made to remember him and what was special about him during this time in his life...

catch up!

I have a lot to catch up on! Good grief!

Edison is almost 10 months old. Where has the time gone?

Remember my post about photography classes and not planning to make any money off of it?? Well, I now own a small business called "April Sawyer Photography" and have made over $1,000.00 in just a few short months. Wow.

Ok, now let me back up some! :)

Edison sleeps through the night consistently. At his 9 month appointment he weighed 20 lbs 2 oz. He is in the 95th percentile for his height. He is tall and skinny! He is the sweetest thing! I taught him how to kiss on command at about 7 months. His Maw taught him how to clap at 9 months. I never thought he'd crawl. I had many friends have babies after me and their babies were crawling way before Edison could ever think to crawl. I called him my professional roller because he could roll anywhere he wanted! At 9 months, he finally crawled! I just knew he would start crawling while I was at work because he was already getting on all fours and rocking. One day when I went to pick Edison up from Mrs. Kristy's, right there in front of us, he started crawling! He waited for me!! He has also started holding his own sippy cup, giving high fives, and dancing.

He used to love anything we gave him to eat; now it seems he has become picky. He loves rice cereal in the mornings and he pretty much loves most fruits. At his 9 month appointment the doctor said that he could start having "gnaw"able table foods. haha

He is in size 3 diapers and 12 months clothes.

Mother's Day was an awesome day for me. It was baby dedication at church. 7 babies were dedicated! Edison slept through half of the dedication, but during his turn, he woke up. Luckily, he woke up in a good mood and flirted with the baby (Lottie) beside us. Both sets of grandparents were there.

Edison got his first hair cut this past Saturday. His hair had gotten so long that it was getting in his eyes. So many people told me to wait until he turned 1, but we couldn't wait that long! Matt's Aunt Glenda cut his hair. Edison did a great job! He didn't cry. He sat there and let her cut it. Towards the end he was ready to be a little more active, so Matt sat in the chair with Edison in his lap. I cried when she cut his bangs. As soon as she cut them he just looked so much older and silly me couldn't hold it together. I'm doomed when he goes to school, graduates, gets married, etc. He looks so cute with his new do!

I turned 25 on April 15th. My mom threw a surprise party with all of my closest friends and family. It was awesome! I had a camera cake :)

Speaking of cameras, wow...I never thought I'd venture into this area. Photography..it's my thing! I love it. I think about photography just about all day. Whenever I'm in the car, I look around and think of how I could turn it into a picture, or if I had a model, how I would use the scene to produce a beautiful picture. This wouldn't be happening if it weren't for my mom and Matt...and a little bit of talent, I guess. :)

I learned so much after my first photography class. I took a lot of pictures on the Saturday photography walk.

Is it summer break yet???

I'm exhausted. Taking care of Edison on my own at nights and getting him and myself ready and to our places on time is literally draining me. Yesterday I went to sleep around 6:00pm. I never heard Matt shower, get ready, OR leave for work. Edison woke me around 11, I gave him a bottle and he went back down until 5:30. I felt much better a rested today.

At 4:00, Edison had pictures made with Julie Hedges (wedding photographer). Originally, I decided we would not have "professional" pictures of Edison made since Matt got me such a nice camera, but in messages back and forth on facebook, she really wanted to take his picture. I knew I couldn't afford them so I kept backing away from the subject. In a recent message she sent, she said,"Dangit, bring that baby to me or I'm coming to get him!" So....I brought him...she, being the sweet heart she is, offered to GIVE me a cd of the pictures

When I dropped Edison off with my mom this morning, I stressed the importance of him getting a nap right before pictures so that he would be all smiles. I left work 15 minutes early and on the way to her house I called her. She told me that he had not had a nap in a long time. I just knew he was going to be tired/cranky. I met Mama and we rode together to Julie's. When we got there, Edison was just as happy as could be. He was such a good sport! I can't wait to see the pictures. Even though Julie is giving me a cd, no charge. I'm SURE I'll want to order more and book another sessions with her..and hey, maybe that was her intention in the first place ;) Either way, I'm glad we did it. I was thrilled with the newborn pictures Mama and I took of him when he was 4 days old. If you ask me, it was professional material. Now that he is 5 months, I'm glad we were able to get some more pictures that will be extra professional. Julie, if you read this...thank you. I'm sure I will be booking more sessions...haha

Tonight, Mama and I started a photography class. It's through CSU's continuing education program. The class is every Thursday, for a month, and then on Saturday, January 28th, we will have an ALL day long picture session that is hands on. We learned SO much about our cameras and about ISOs, aperture, and shutter. I think I'm going to take my camera to school tomorrow to play around. I'll take some of my students during "Friday Free Play".
By the way, I do not plan to become a professional or make money off of photography. I'm just taking classes so that I know everything about my camera and how to use it properly. :)

Tomorrow is Friday and Monday is a holiday! Thank you, Jesus!

I look back at this year and wonder if I could have done all of this on my own (teaching on my own). I am so grateful for my team teacher. She was there when I was on maternity leave and always steps up to the plate whenever there is a need. She isn't as straight-forward as me and I just hope she enjoys teaming with me as much as I enjoy teaming with her.

Edison is spending the night with Maw tonight...For some reason, I feel guilty. I feel as if I should be caring for him at all times. I understand that I have to go to work and therefore someone else has to watch him during those hours, but when I am able to care for him, I feel like I need to be caring for him. After our photography class, we came back to my parents' houses where Edison was (Uncle Go Go was watching him). I woke him up and was preparing to put him in his carrier. My mom told me I ought to let him stay with her. Previous times I have declined the offer. I think he was 3 or 4 weeks old the last time he stayed with her. I said yes. I have to realize that she WANTS him to spend the night and she WANTS me to be able to rest. I don't know what I'd do without my Mama....speaking of that, my best friend from Elementary school lost her mom. She had a heart attack in her sleep...how awful..and scary.. My heart breaks for her.

I also have a friend from high school who just had a baby about 2 months ago. He was born with a cleft lip/palate. He is so precious. He has many surgeries awaiting him in the future and my heart goes out to my friend and her husband. I. can. not. imagine. Nor do I want to imagine having to watch my child endure such awful things.

Matt's cousin is about 3 months old and the doctors discovered that he has cataracts on both of his eyes. He is basically blind. Again, my heart feels so heavy. I just can't imagine the worry and hurt that these mothers must feel.

I thank God for Edison and just pray that he will continue to be healthy...you just never know. Life is so crazy.

Well...I'm baby free tonight and it's after 11:00. I better take advantage of this sleep I'm about to get!

Night, all!

5 months!

Edison is five months old...wow, time is flying! So far, he has liked all of the vegetables that he has tried: carrots, squash, peas, and mixed veggies. He likes to play on his back on the floor, but gets mad when he rolls himself on his tummy. He only likes to be on his tummy if it's time to sleep. He started rolling from his tummy to back at three weeks old. At four months, he finally figured out how to roll from tummy to back. For the past week, he has been sleeping from 9:30 to 6:00. He is teething, but hasn't cut a tooth yet. I give him oatmeal in the mornings, and a vegetable at dinner time. He babbles the most when he is in the car. He has a toupee! Most of his hair fell out except right at the top! He normally drinks 6 oz every 3 to 4 hours. He is a very happy baby! He wears 6 months clothes and goes through a few bibs a day because of all the drooling. He gets a bath every other night and we use the night time stuff. Before bed,i put a little rice in his bottle to help him sleep longer.
He is waking up...

Back to work!

I went back to work today after a wonderful 2 weeks of Christmas break. It wasn't so bad, but my body will have to readjust. I've gotten used to waking up with Edison around five, giving him a bottle, and going back to bed for a few more hours. Now it will be give Edison a bottle a get ready and no going back to sleep. With Matt being on 3rd shift, it's a lot of work for one person. I feel for single moms. I'm glad to at least have Matt in the evenings. Tonight I really wanted to go to choir, but after being away from Edison all day, and rarely seeing Matt, I just wanted to be home with my boys. We didn't do anything special, but I was able to feed Edison carrots for the first time and give him a bath. I feel guilty every Wednesday that I'm not there, but then when I am,i feel guilty for leaving Edison a second time in one day. Once I get home, it's bed time for Edison and me, and Matt is leaving for work....Then I try to justify skipping choir. I was so loyal for so long. Do I go to practice, or do I spend time with my family? Tonight,i chose choice number two....

As I type, I have the cutest, sweetest smelling, cuddly little baby boy sitting beside me looking at the bright screen. Oh...I also have a sweet, furry, cuddly dog on my other side. Life is good.

Tomorrow the kids come back to school. Hopefully Edison will sleep well so that I have the energy for my other 35 kiddos!

Recap of Christmas 2011

Christmas was very special this year because Matt and I woke up to the greatest gift ever, our son. I know that gifts are not the meaning of Christmas, but nevertheless, gifts are given, and I gave and received some pretty cool things. I had a photo book made of Edison's birth for my parents, my Aunt Sharon, Matt's parents, and Matt's grandparents. As soon as I get over some debt, I plan to get another one printed for my Grandparents. I also had a personalized calendar made for my mom. Each month has a collage of pictures from that same month a year earlier. Matt's big gift was a banjo. I'm SO glad I got it for him because he is really enjoying it. He loves "The Office" so if you're a watcher of that show, you may remember the "rabies fun run show". I got him the fun run shirt that they wore on the office. I also got him some clothes, the book "Decision Points", and the 1st season of "The Walking Dead" on blu ray. My mom always goes above and beyond. She loves to give. She had Edison's coming home outfit put in a shadow box. She also got me a lot of other random things that I circled in some magazines. When we were kids, we would circle things that we wanted for Christmas from magazines such as Toys R Us. Many years later, she still has me circling things! haha...She got me some things for my camera, but most importantly, she got me PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES!!! To make that gift even better...we will be taking the class together! We are going to have so much fun! Matt got me a new lens for my camera and some other things for my camera. He also got me a remote control for my camera. On Christmas morning, we were able to take a picture of us with the camera remote instead of using the timer function on the camera...too neat! I made a breakfast casserole. I really wanted to go to church. I love going to church on Christmas. We didn't make it. :/ The pictures below are pictures I took using the remote! :)

It was a wonderful Christmas. I look forward to teaching Edison the reason for Christmas! Matt's dad (Pappy) blessed us this Christmas with new tires for my car. I needed them in a bad way and we are so grateful for that gift! Most of all, my favorite part of Christmas was sitting in my living room with just my husband and baby with wrapping paper all over the floor. I love my little family!

Resolutions? Nahhh

I never keep resolutions...Instead, I am making goals for myself for the year 2012. Want to hear?? Goal #1: I'd like to be better about blogging so that when 2012 comes to a close, I can look back over the year and remember. I'd also like to print it and put it in some type of book/journal. When things happen I always think I'll remember it...then, it becomes a faint memory and I can't remember what month the certain situation or memory happened. Goal #2. Within 5 months, Edison has already grown over 6 inches and gained over 8 pounds. It seems as if I blinked and he was sitting up and grabbing things! I plan to take a picture of him every day in the year 2012. So far, I've done good! Granted we've only been in 2012 for 2 days, it's a start! :) Goal #3: I don't plan to lose an X amount of weight, but I plan to eat healthier and do some fun workouts. Matt got me a Kinect for the xbox for Christmas. He also got me "Just Dance 3". It's a fun way to sweat :) I plan to do a lot of dancing in the comfort of my own home and maybe help lose a few lbs. :) Goal #4: Cook more! Goal #5: Learn to use my wonderful camera better. Goal #6: Print all the pictures that have been taken since Edison's birth and put them in a photo book. Goal #7: Plan the night before...Now that Matt is back on 3rd shift (11 PM-7AM) I am responsible for taking care of Edison during the night and getting him to the baby sitter's/Maw's house before I leave for school. In the mornings, I'm running around like a crazy person trying to figure out what I'm going to wear, what Edison is going to wear, what to eat for lunch, what to pack for Edison, etc. etc! It's too stressful and many times I am literally running out of the door...my "GOAL" is to have everything ready the night before so that I can save myself the stress. Goal #8: Give more. I love hearing stories about people paying for others in fast food drive-thrus or at restaurants. I have done that twice and it was a great feeling. It was also kind of funny to watch the lady's face as the cashier was explaining that her ticket had been paid. I also love receiving just because cards or those cards that are "Just thinking of you"...I'd like to do more random acts of kindness in the year 2012. I really wanted to have 12 Goals for 2012... Kind of silly, but I thought it would make for a good title...I can really only think of 8 things I really want to achieve in 2012. ...whatever :) Matt's grandparents came down from Wyoming. We haven't seen them since our wedding. Granddaddy's health is slowly declining and we wanted to make sure we got to spend time with him. The original plan was for us to go see them in Wyoming, but the plane tickets were going to cost almost an arm and a leg and probably a finger or two from the remaining hand! They came down instead. Matt and I wanted them to stay with us, but Matt's mom insisted that they stay with her. They slept in a camper outside Matt's parents' house. They came and stayed with us for 2 nights and it was great to spend the quality time with them. I am loving life with Edison. When I say God answered my prayers, he truly did. When I was pregnant with Edison, I prayed for things that I'm sure many moms pray for. I prayed for his condition in my womb, a healthy delivery, and a healthy baby. I also prayed that he would be a baby who was full of joy and happiness. I prayed specific things. I prayed that he would have his Daddy's sense of humor and be cuddly and affectionate like me. I'm sure that all moms want the best for their children. I just pray that he comes to know and love the Lord. I pray that we (Matt and I) will be able to steer him in the right direction to becoming a man of God. The first 3 months of his life were a little rough. He has gas and tummy troubles. He cried almost every time he took a bottle. I just knew he was unhappy. Around 4 months, it was almost as if a switch was flipped. He is THE happiest baby. He is so sweet and cuddly. He makes us laugh already and he's only 5 months old. Tonight before I put him in bed, I rocked him in his room and prayed. A lot of it was tears of thankfulness for what God has given me. I do not take for granted the child that is mine. He is a gift from God and I couldn't have asked for anything better. I love everything about him. I love all of the noises he makes when he eats and sleeps. I love the smile he gives me when I come to get him in the mornings, the smiles he gives me when I get him out of the car, and the smiles he gives me when I pick him up after work. All I have to do is look at him, walk by him, or touch him and he gives me the sweetest smile. I can't imagine life without him and I'm looking forward to what's to come! I've had a wonderful Christmas break with Matt and Edison. I'm sad to see it go, but summer break will be here in 4.5 months or so. Sorry if my grammar isn't always "grammatically correct". A lot of my blogging will be on my phone, and hey, at least I'm blogging! :) If you're reading this, I pray you have a wonderful new year. It has so many possibilities! Stay positive and try to see the good in all situations. Live, laugh, and love. Don't take the small things too seriously. Don't focus too far in to the future. Take one day at a time and make the most out of it. Spend time with your loved ones and stay away from negativity. Take lots of pictures! Life is fleeting. (I'm also saying all of this to myself!)

Letter to Edison Dec. 30

December 30, 2011 My happy baby boy, You are 21 weeks today. You are growing so quickly. I wish I had a button to slow time down. As I type, you are sleeping on the guest bed beside me making the sweetest noises. You can now grab things. You put anything you can in your mouth. At your last doctor visit, you were 26.5 inches long and weighed 15 pounds. You are my joy. Your smile is so contagious. Right now you are experimenting with your voice. It is the cutest thing. When Daddy and Go Go play their instruments, you sound like you’re trying to sing. You started eating rice and oatmeal about a month ago. You have oatmeal in the mornings. You started eating vegetables a few days ago. Your great grandmother (Maw Maw) fed you squash for the first time. You were such a good sport and made the funniest faces. We recorded it and took pictures. Two nights ago you had peas for the first time. You like peas. You sleep on your tummy and you are great about taking naps and going to bed. We do not have to rock you to sleep like some moms do with their children. Sometimes I rock you because I want to and because I know that you won’t be this little for long. Everyone comments on how happy you are. You are such a good baby. Daddy and I are so blessed. Maw, Daddy, and I took you to see Santa. You didn’t cry. Of course, at this point, you will let anyone hold you and love on you. You had so much hair when you were born, but a lot of it has fallen out around the sides. You have a good bit of hair right on the top of your head. When you wake up, it looks crazy and Daddy and I always laugh at the crazy mess of hair on top of your head. You eat around 6 oz of formula every 3-4 hours. When you are hungry, you scream until we pop the bottle into your mouth. As long as you aren’t hungry, you are a very easy-going baby. You steal the hearts of everyone who comes in contact with you. You met your Maw Maw and Grandaddy for the first time last week and they are crazy about you. You even talked to them (in your baby language). As I look back, I can’t believe it’s been almost 5 months since you were born. It seems like last week. I can’t believe how much you have grown. I shake my head as I put clothes away that are too small for you to wear. You wear 6 months clothes. You wore newborn clothes for 2 weeks. You wore 0-3 months for about a month. You wore 3 month clothes for a month. 3-6 month close for about 2 weeks and have been in 6 months close for a little over a month now. I take pictures of you all the time. When I put them on the internet for people to see, I just about add them all because I think they are all adorable. Even though I am sometimes saddened by your rapid growth, I also look forward to the new things that come along with each milestone. You have this toy that hangs from the handle of your carrier. I remember when you looked at it. Then I remember when you smiled at it. I remember when you raised your arm as if trying to grab it, but you couldn’t quite get the coordination to touch it. I remember when you touched it, and then you were touching it over and over and made it swing back and forth. One day as I was driving, I heard you pull it down (because it makes a funny noise when it’s pulled and retreats back to the original position), I was so excited. Now, you pull it all the time as if it is the easiest thing in the world to do. Your pediatrician says that you are perfect. We really like him. His name is Dr. Oliver. He takes his time with us when we take you to see him. You got shots at the last visit. You cried as they gave 5 shots to you, but you quickly got over them and became happy again. You ran fever the next day, but we gave you baby Tylenol and you were fine. Daddy and I think you may be teething. You gnaw on your fingers/hand all the time and we see a little white mass under your gums on the bottom jaw. You like to play on your play mat that has toys hanging above. You also like your swing. Sometimes you get so relaxed in your swing that you fall asleep. You got a lot of toys and things for Christmas, but we haven’t had much of a chance to sit down and play with them. You are so loved. Your daddy and I hope you love music as much as we do. We play instruments and songs for you all the time. Everytime you laugh, you get the hiccups! Oh! You rolled over from your back to your tummy about three weeks ago! You did it at home. Daddy and I missed it. All of a sudden, Daddy realized that you were on your tummy. You later did it for us again  You do not like to play on your tummy. Instead, you like to be on your back. You can even scoot yourself some on your back. You enjoy bath time and never give me any fuss about it, even if you are really tired. I’m looking forward to the summer time when I can spend all my time with you. Christmas break has been wonderful! I love you to the heavens! -Mommy

Letter to Edison Oct. 22

My sweet Edison, You are 11 weeks old today. Wow, how time flies! You are the joy of my life and I couldn’t imagine loving anyone more than I love you. My favorite part of the day is in the morning when you wake up and mommy and daddy are not ready to get up, so we bring you to our bed and cuddle with you. You started smiling around 6 weeks. You first (intentionally) smiled at your Maw. Mommy was slightly jealous, but you made up for it the next day by smiling at me over and over. At night when I lay you down to sleep, you are normally awake and swaddled. You lie there and smile at me and it just melts my heart. You look so cute that it’s hard for me to walk out of your room to let you fall asleep. You are beginning to coo and make more sounds. You really like your car seat and sometimes we put you in there because we know you’ll go to sleep in it. Sometimes you get gas and it hurts your tummy. This past week I had to come home from work to see about you because you kept crying and fussing and would not eat anything. Turns out, it was just gas. You started rolling over from your tummy to your back at 3 weeks and we were amazed. Maw took you to get shots about 2 weeks ago. She said that you smiled and flirted with the nurses, but that it didn’t stop them from giving you 5 shots! The nurses said you had very strong legs. You never ran a fever from the shots. You seemed a little cranky, but otherwise, you took it well. Maw said you only cried a little while they were giving you the shot. We gave you some baby Tylenol at home and it seemed to help. I love rocking you and singing to you. I hope you love to sing as much as I do one day.Your cousin, Ivy, was born 2 days ago. I’m sure y’all will be great play mates. You drink around 4 oz every 3-4 hours. Yesterday you drank 5 oz…you are getting so big. You weigh 12 pounds, 5 oz. Your fingernails grow so quickly. I have to cut them every week. Today, you scratched near your eye to the point that it drew blood. Last Sunday was your first time in the nursery and it was very hard for me to leave you. As soon as church was over, I wasted no time in getting to you. You are such a little snuggle bug. You loved to be cuddled. You love to lie on your back and kick your legs and move your arms around. For some reason, you LOVE your changing table. When I change you, you become so excited about something, but I can’t seem to see what you’re looking and smiling at. Whatever it is, changing you at home is a breeze! I remember the first week that we brought you home. You cried every time we changed you as if we were doing something terrible to you. I was so nervous that you would always be like that, but now, you are so calm. You still have to be swaddled to go to sleep, and I wonder when you will get out of the need to be swaddled. Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night simply because you have become un-swaddled. During the day, we let you take naps on your tummy, and you seem to like that. As a matter of fact, you are napping in your crib on your tummy and that is why I have time to write you this letter.  Your daddy and I take turns feeding you in the night. I normally take the first shift, between 9-2 and Daddy gets you from 2-6. Lately you have been sleeping through my shift, so your daddy gets the pleasure of getting up with you. We put you to bed anywhere from between 8:30 and 11:00. I love giving you baths. You seem to enjoy bath time. You just sit there as I bathe, sing, and talk to you. I normally give you baths at night. Lots of people say you look just like your daddy, but if you look at my baby pictures, you look just like me when I was a baby. Sometimes when I’m watching you sleep, I feel like I’m looking at a baby picture of myself. You have your daddy’s beautiful lips. I have to work, so on Mondays and Tuesdays, Mrs. Kristy watches you, and on Tues, Thurs, and Fri, your Maw keeps you. You haven’t been to your Pappy or Nana’s house yet. I won’t let you go yet because they smoke in their house and I don’t want anything to harm you if I can help it. They love you very much and come to our house to see you. You are their first grandchild, and you are Maw and Paw’s 4th grandchild. You like your pacifier, but you don’t have to have it all the time. You normally go to bed without it, but for car rides or just hanging out during the day, you like to suck on your pacifier. I breastfed you for the first 3 weeks of your life; I wish I could have done it longer, but I got a terrible rash called PUPPPs and had to get on steroids. It was very hard for me to only give you formula. I felt like I wasn’t providing for you, but at some point I had to just get over it and move on. As long as you are growing and staying healthy, that is what matters most. I sometimes look at you in awe. It’s hard to believe that you were made from your daddy and me. You are such a miracle and watching you breathe as you sleep never gets old for me. You are so innocent. You are beautiful inside and out. Your eyes, they are just gorgeous. You have a way of smiling without your lips, but through your eyes. I have a perfect picture of it. I hope you feel the love I have for you. I’m looking forward to watching you grow, but at the same time, wish you could stay this little forever. I love you to heaven and back, -Mommy

Letter to Edison

Edison, I’m not sure where to begin. Your Daddy and I are looking forward to meeting you. Mommy is 38 wks. 3 days and it seems as if the days are getting slower and slower in anticipation of your arrival. I pray for you every night. I pray for our family every night. Some of the things I pray for are your health and happiness. I hope you are a good, happy, and healthy baby. I hope you are funny like your Daddy, and affectionate like your Mommy. I hope you are easy going and respectful. I hope you learn to realize just how much you are loved by your Mommy and Daddy, along with other family members and friends. Your Maw hasn’t missed one single doctor’s appointment. She would get excited just to hear your precious heart beat. You were not planned, but you are the best unplanned surprise to happen to us. We loved you from the moment we knew you were in my stomach. We hope we will be wonderful parents for you. Since Mommy is a teacher, I have it planned for you to be able to read before you ever get to Kindergarten. We’ll see how that goes! You have already been very sweet to Mommy during this pregnancy. I have not had any morning sickness or bad effects from being pregnant. I love being able to feel you move around in my tummy. It’s going to be hard to share you once you come into the world; for 9 months, you have been all mine. I hope that your daddy and I will be able fall into a smooth routine. I wonder what you will look like. I wonder if you will have any hair. I hope that labor does not stress you out too much. Mommy would like to avoid a c-section if at all possible. I wish you could see your room right now. Mommy has done a lot to make it just perfect. Your Maw made your bedding, valence, some blankets, and has monogrammed your name on just about everything. I joke with everyone that you will know how to spell your name before you learn to speak in sentences. Your Paw is excited to meet you as well. He has great plans to take you fishing and golfing with him. Your Pappy has bought you many nice gifts, and you are being named after him. Daddy came up with your name off the top of his head one day before we ever thought of having you. When we found out you were a boy (on Valentine’s Day) we kept coming back to the name Edison. We hope you like your name. Your first due date was August 19th. It later changed to August 8th. I hope you love the Lord with all of your heart. I am already praying for your future wife and that she will love the Lord and will be the perfect mate for you. I want only the best for you and I would do anything to make sure you are happy, healthy, and safe. I hope that you are kind to all of your friends and that your friends are kind to you. I hope that you are respectful to other adults and I hope that you are smart, like your daddy. So far, in ultrasound pictures, you look like your Daddy. It seems as if you have your Daddy’s nose . I can’t wait to see what you look like. You have been created by love from your Mommy and Daddy. So far I have gained 23 pounds. Your heartbeat is normally in the 120’s and 130’s. I can’t wait to snuggle you and sing lullabies to you. I hope you are good at nursing and that you will be a strong boy. Daddy likes to talk to you through my stomach. It’s very funny to watch him do it and one day I will reenact it for you! I hope you do not have colic like your Daddy did when he was a baby. I can’t believe the time is winding down to finally meet you. I wonder how your Daddy will do during labor. I hope he is able to cut the umbilical cord. I hope he does not get sick or faint. You got so many things from baby showers. There were 4 showers thrown for you. We got about $400.00 in gift cards to Target, and $100.00 in gift cards to Baby’s R Us. You have so many toys, clothes, diapers, wipes, blankets, and bath stuff. This pregnancy has flown by! Always know that you are loved more than you can imagine. I will always be here for you. I’m looking forward to experiencing love at first sight for the very first time in my life. I love you to the heavens. Love, Mommy

WAY BEHIND!

I have so much to catch up on. One of my new year's resolutions is to blog more. I use facebook more as a journal than anything. Below I am going to post the story of Edison's birth along with the letters that I have written to him.


The story of Edison’s birth (Told by Edison’s Mom)
We originally decided to deliver Edison at the Columbus Medical Center. We chose this hospital because they were the only hospital in the area that had a NICU. As Edison’s due date approached, I was making little progress. Dr. Aranas decided to induce me and they chose to do so on Friday, August 5, 2011. I was to report to the Medical Center between 3-4:00 am. Thursday, August 4th, Matt and I were very anxious. We completed unfinished tasks such as laundry, cleaning out the trunk, packing the hospital bag and picking up around the house. We decided it was a good idea to try and get some rest (yeah, right!). We finally got in the bed around 11:00pm Thursday night. I set the alarm for 2:00 am. At 2:30 am, I awoke in a panic. I rushed to the shower and got ready as quickly as I could. I called the hospital at 3:00 am as instructed by my doctor. Matt and I sat in our recliners feeling giddy, nervous, and excited. A nurse at the medical center answered the phone and I explained who I was and that I was to be induced within the hour, per Dr. Aranas. The nurse explained to me that they had no rooms available and that they would call me as soon as a room became available. Matt and I sat there in disappointment over the news. Matt suggested that that I try and get more rest until they called. I went to sleep for a bit longer. 3 hours later, I called the hospital again; still, no room. Another 3 hours passed and I got a phone call. When I answered, it was a nurse from the Medical Center explaining that they still had no room, but they had talked to Dr. Aranas, and if we were willing, could go on over to Doctor’s Hospital. At that point, I could have almost cared less where he was born. I had that date set and wanted nothing more but to deliver him on the planned date. We agreed to deliver at Doctor’s Hospital and began making calls to family to let them know of the changes. We loaded the car and headed to my parents’ house to get waterproof mascara (I had to look decent!  There would be lots of pictures taken). We arrived at Doctor’s Hospital, got registered, and after waiting over an hour in labor room 7, got the iv’s started. Our first nurse inserted a pill called cytotec. This was a pill inserted vaginally in order to help thin the cervix. Four hours later, another dose of cytotec was inserted. I began to experience mild contractions. Four hours after the second dose of cytotec, they began a drip of pitocin to fully induce labor. Once on pitocin, the contractions became stronger. They had a heart monitor strapped across my stomach and every time I would reposition, so would Edison, and that meant that they would have to come in the room and reposition the monitor so that they could keep a good check on Edison’s heartbeat. They tried putting a vaginal monitor in to check on Edison’s heartbeat, but there was a shortage in the cord, so they had to stick with the stomach monitor. The nurses would up the dosage or lessen the dosage of pitocin based on Edison’s heart rate. Early morning (7:30ish A.M.) of August 6th, Dr. Aranas broke my water. Matt said that it had a distinct odor and that it was probably the worst part of the labor/delivery. Once my water was broke, the contractions became worse and worse. Around 8:00 A.M. the contractions were back to back with little to no break. I broke and asked for an epidural.
((side story)) I had back surgery a few years ago. The anesthesiologist looked over the surgery report from when I had my surgery and explained that he would try and administer the epidural, but wasn’t promising anything. It was a 50/50 chance that it would kick in.))
I had to wait approximately 45 minutes to get the epidural so that they could pump me full of liquids. As soon as the liquids had enough time to get in to my system, the anesthesiologist came in. Due to Matt’s squeamishness, he requested that my mom be with me during the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in and Matt stepped out. He instructed me to sit up in the bed and hug my mom while bending over. Both my mom and I quivered in hopes that it would take. After he started the epidural, they had me lie flat for a few minutes to wait for it to kick in. About 10-20 minutes later, I felt relief from my terrible contractions. That was the most I was able to rest since I had been admitted to labor/delivery. Within a few hours, I began to feel pain on my left side. I called the nurse in and explained that I could feel contractions on the left side. The nurse called in the anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist came in and explained that because of my prior surgery, there wasn’t anything more he could do. He put another dose in my epidural, but it did not take away the pain. Back to square one/contraction pains! A nurse came in and explained that the baby didn’t like some of the positions I was taking such as my left side. My hips were killing me, and on top of that, they were making me wear an oxygen mask. I could do nothing more but pray and cry. I prayed that the Lord would give me strength to endure. The nurses told me that I still had probably 5 or more hours until I was dilated enough to push. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it 5 more hours without the help of the epidural. At that point my contractions were on top of each other with little to no break. A nurse came in and asked me to turn over on my left side. I did as she said. She then asked me to turn on my right side because it seemed as if the baby did not like that position. Again, I asked no questions and turned over on my right side. She called another nurse in. They had me turn over on my back. They decided to check me to see how dilated I was. They told me that I was 7 centimeters. There was hope! Matt called his parents to tell them to come on to the hospital because I was almost at 10 centimeters. He then went to the waiting room to let the rest of the family know of my progress. While he went to tell the family, the nurses were still trying to get me in to a position and I could tell that they were closely keeping an eye on Edison’s heart rate. A few seconds later a nurse said, we have a 911 in room 7. WHAT?! 911? What in the world could be happening?
((REWIND** After being put in room 7 the prior morning and waiting an hour or so to get the iv started, the nurse explained that if for some reason, something went wrong and a lot of nurses rushed in my room, to not ask questions. She said that most likely everything would be fine, but just in case something did happen, to let them do their jobs))
As they are calling a 911 in my labor/delivery room, I went back to what the nurse said about asking no questions. I did my best to remain calm so that it would help them do their job. It just so happened (by the grace of God) that my doctor was on the same floor taking a nap. She was in my room in a matter of minutes. She checked me and all I remember was her sticking her hand up towards the baby saying over and over, “Come on, Baby…come, on.” At that point, I thought he had no heartbeat. There were nurses everywhere in my room working together. They inverted my bed so that my head was lower than my feet. At that point, Matt walked back in from telling my family that I was 7 centimeters. He had no clue what was going on and he had to wait in the hallway. They gave me a shot in my arm in hopes of getting his heart rate back to where it needed to be. Up until this point, his heart rate ranged anywhere from 120-150. I later learned that his heart rate had dropped to the 60’s. Dr. Aranas quickly and sympathetically explained that I was about to have an emergency c-section. I simply nodded my head in understanding. They whisked me out of the room in my bed. As I was being rolled down the hall I passed Matt who had tears in his eyes. His face was a face I will never forget for as long as I will live. It was a look of helplessness and fear all wrapped into one pitiful package. I then passed my mom who tried to give me a reassuring wink. Once in the operating room they were throwing me around like I was a sack of potatoes. I could feel the urgency in the room. Everyone was working together so well. The anesthesiologist was at my head and was inserting something in to my epidural. In my head I was thinking, “Hello??? This isn’t going to work!” I knew that Matt was getting dressed in the surgery clothing and I kept waiting for him as they draped a sheet in front of my face. All of a sudden I felt something sharp being poked at my stomach and I quickly let Dr. Aranas know that I could feel the sharp pricks. Within a matter of seconds, they put a mask over my face and told me to take deep breaths. I knew that they were putting me under and I also knew that Matt would not be able to experience the birth of his son. My last words were, “please take care of my baby.” I sucked in the air as hard as I could, gave my worries to God, and everything soon went black. I awoke in the recovery room in excruciating pain. I felt as if I had been ripped open and beaten shut. My sweet nurse, Sandy, was by my side and I told her I thought I was dying from the pain. Because the epidural didn’t work, the other pain medicine that was put in to the epidural during the operation did not properly get in to my system either, hence the terrible pain. She quickly gave me pain meds through my iv. As she was doing so she was telling me that my baby was fine and everything went well. The pain meds did not touch my pain, so she gave me a dose of something else. At that point, Matt walked in. I could see relief come across his face as he saw that I was coherent…and alive! He started telling me how much he weighed, how long he was, etc. I asked if he had hair, and when Matt replied yes, I could have melted. The nurse told Matt that he could go get Edison. A few moments later Matt came rolling in with my beautiful baby boy. I was still in excruciating pain, but as soon as I saw Edison, I felt nothing but pure joy. I wanted so badly to hold him, but I simply could not move. Matt held him up for me to see and I touched him as best as I could. Matt asked me if I wanted to see my mom. She was exactly who I needed and wanted. She came in and we shared a few moments. I asked the nurse if I could try to nurse him. The nurse tilted my bed up some and Edison nursed with me. It was the most precious moment. From that point on, I was his source of life. I could finally provide for him. I wasn’t helpless anymore. Thank you, Lord, for this miracle. Thank you for his health and safety. My mom, Edison, and I sat there as he nursed in amazement and relief. What a precious ending to a horrendous day.
Maw’s facebook status updates throughout the process of awaiting Edison’s arrival:
• is anxious to meet my new Grandson, Edison tomorrow!! Asking that you all remember April Dorrill Sawyer in prayer during her labor and delivery process. We are heading to the hospital @ 4a/m. Thanks!!August 4 at 6:36pm
• Gonna try to get a little nap in before we head to the hospital. Thanks for your continued prayers!! Will keep updates coming as I can.August 5 at 12:09am
• No bed yet for labor/delivery. We wait. August 5 at 3:26am
• Heading to doctors hospt. Medical center is full. August 5 at 8:37am
• Waiting on a nurse to get this process going! We've been in here an hour. — August 5 at 10:40am
• 11:23am iv being started.
• 1st pill vaginally inserted to thin cervix. It's gonna be a very long day. August 5 at 12:34pm
• Next check @ 4:30. Edison may not be here until tomorrow morning. August 5 at 1:56pm
• 1 1/2 cm 50% thinned. Progress!! Pitocin to start @ 8! August 5 at 4:35pm
• 2cm 60% thinned pitocin given. August 5 at 9:09pm
• 80% thinned. Progress though it may seem slow to many....this is on schedule of how it's to be. Nurse estimates it will be later in the pm before Edison is born. August 6 at 1:18am
• 3cm dilated! August 6 at 5:32am
• Could be 8 hrs longer. August 6 at 7:21am
• April's water has been broken, approximately 8 hrs and Edison will be here. August 6 at 7:42am
• Waiting for epidural! Thanks for your prayers! We are feeling them. August 6 at 8:38am
• Epidural given! Praise the Lord! August 6 at 9:25am
• Last check... No change.... Next check afternoon. August 6 at 10:23am
• 4cm! August 6 at 12:46pm
• Pray emergency c section August 6 at 3:32pm
• Edison mark 7 lbs 2oz born at 3:38 P.M. August 6 at 3:48pm
• April's in surgery still. Keep praying Edison 7lbs 20 /2 inch long. August 6 at 4:01pm
• Cord was around his neck and foot August 6 at 4:12pm
• Thank God for his mercy and care! August 6 at 7:25pm

Boy or girl??? Deciding on a name!

I felt deep down I was having a boy. Mother's intuition, I suppose! ;)

We went to Baby Waves on Valentines Day, February 14, 2011. I was so nervous and excited. It was the first time that I would be seeing this little creature inside of me.

The lady began the ultrasound. She showed us each body part. The neatest thing about the whole experience was seeing that tiny heart beating so strongly.

A few moments later she said, well..."It's a BOY!" We were very excited and for me, was confirmation on my gut feeling.

When it was over we walked to the car and Mama had us a gift. It was little boy things.

It was then time to start thinking of a name.

Before we were pregnant, Matt would sometimes throw names out that he thought were cool. The good thing was that we weren't big on traditional, everyday names. We didn't want anything crazy, just different. Being a teacher, I come across hundreds of names. During one of his name ideas, he asked me how I liked the name Edison. Honestly, I didn't love it immediately. It grew on me and I told him that I liked it. After we found out we were having a boy, we both still had the name Edison in the back our minds. We looked through a baby name book that had thousands of names. We liked a few of the names, but we just kept going back to Edison. We decided that Edison would be his name and now we were in debate of his middle name. I told Matt I either wanted him to be Edison Matthew, or Edison Mark after his Dad. Matt decided he liked Edison Mark after his dad best, so there it was! Within 2 days of finding out what we were having, we had his name set!

Edison Mark Sawyer...arriving in August!

telling friends and family

Jamie and Chris came over to exchange Christmas gifts. I got her a bib that said, "I love my Aunt." She got me wine and popcorn and in my head I thought, "Man...I have to go nine more months without wine!" I said thanks and hugged her. She opened her gift and lifted the bib. Then she put her hands over her mouth in shock. We hugged and cried. It was a sweet moment to share with her.


Hillary was with us the night I thought I was getting food poisoning. Matt mentioned to her that he was going to make me take a pregnancy test. The next morning she texted me, "Are you pregnant?" I replied, "No" and she replied, "Good!"...Little did she know...A few days later she invited me to lunch with her parents. While we were going through the line at Minnie's she said, "You're pregnant aren't you?" I couldn't lie. I told her that I was. She was freaked out for me, but in true Hillary fashion, kept my spirits up about it.

We always go to Aunt Sharon's house for Christmas Eve to exchange gifts. Aunt Sharon is basically a grandmother to me. After exchanging gifts we took some family pictures. I then asked to take a picture with just my mom, me, and Aunt Sharon. We had coached my Dad on what to do. He got the camera and said, "Ok...1, 2, 3, Say Cheese" We all said, "CHEESE!" He then said, "Let me take another one...Ok, 1,2,3, say APRIL'S PREGNANT". We all said, "APRIL'S PREGNANT!" Aunt Sharon laughed. Mama and I were waiting for her to get it. Finally she became serious and said, "Are you?" We (Mama and I) both nodded and she began to cry. It was a sweet memory I will forever cherish. Not only do we have pictures, but Jonathan and Matt were videoing the entire thing.

Telling Matt's Parents

Matt could not believe the way I had told my parents that we were expecting. He thought I would have been a little more elaborate about it. I just wanted to get it over with. After knowing my parents were excited for us, I was able to think more creatively. I decided that I wanted to find a creative way to tell Matt's parents.

We decided to share the news with them on Christmas Eve. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I had a strong feeling it was a boy. We went to Baby's R Us and bought bibs. They both looked boyish, but could go either way. We got one for his mom that said, "What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's." We got one for his dad that said, "I love Grandpa".

We called them Christmas Eve and told them we were coming over and that we had an early Christmas gift we wanted them to have. His Dad asked if we could just wait till the next day, which was Christmas, but we were almost there. We couldn't stand waiting any longer to tell them. We had already bought the bibs and put them in gift bags. We went against his dad's wishes. We got there and Matt kept telling his Dad we really wanted them to open it. Finally, Matt said, "Daddy, this is really important to us, just please open the gift."

His mom was in the kitchen with me. Matt brought his Dad in the kitchen and his dad told his mom that they had to open these gifts before Matt had a hissy fit. They opened them at the same time and had a confused look for a few seconds. Then you could literally see the light bulb go off in Mark's head. He said, "You're joking!" We said no and he hugged us. Linda was very excited and we told them the story of how we found out.

telling my parents

After taking the home pregnancy test, we decided that we needed to tell our parents. We found out on a Friday night. After taking the test, I wanted to go to my mom's immediately, but I knew she was in bed. The next morning, we had rehearsal for our Christmas musical. Matt, Mama, and myself all had roles in the play. It was killing me to keep the secret all bottled up inside of me. I didn't know whether or not I should tell her right then and there or wait for a better time. Well, the Lord quickly gave me an answer. As we were looking at the final program we realized that my mom's character along with her name was nowhere to be found on the program. After all of her hard work, she was upset to not have her name mentioned. Also, I wasn't sure how she'd take the pregnancy news, so I had my answer...it wasn't time to tell her. Sunday was the performance and if I wasn't already a ball of nerves, I could really have used a nerve pill at this point! I was so nervous about the musical and even more nervous about sharing the news.

After every Christmas musical, we have a choir fellowship at my parents' house. I knew I couldn't hold the secret much longer. I decided that I would tell her after everyone left their house. Around 11:30 the last few people FINALLY left. I could feel my face turning red and my pulse start to race. Matt was sitting on my left. Mama came in the living room and sat down on my right side on the couch. I really wanted Daddy to be there as well when I shared the news. God made it happen. Normally, Daddy would go to his study or find something to do; instead, he sat down on the floor in front of us. I wasted no time. I looked at the both of them and said, "Mama, Daddy....I'm pregnant." Mama laughed and said, "Yeah right." I said, "No..really, I am." She kind of rolled her eyes and said,"Whatever, April." I then started crying and whimpered out, "No Mama, I am really pregnant." In a split second she said, "Oh, Baby!" Daddy swooped in and hugged me. I wasn't sure why I was crying. Maybe because I was terrified of their reaction. Maybe it was because of the nerves. Maybe it was hormones! This was a big deal!

In my great plan, I had planned to be married for about 3 years before having children. Mama knew of this plan and she had planned to be our nanny (one of her dreams). I knew that, financially, now wasn't the best time for her to up and leave her job. Through tears I explained to Mama that we would figure this out and that we did not want her to even think of leaving her job. We would find a way to afford daycare. Mama, the saint that she is, reassured me that everything would work out and that we would all work together to figure it out. After all, we had nine months to come up with a plan! Nervousness turned into more nervousness and slight excitement. I didn't sleep well that night. The next day, Mama called me around lunch time. She was crying and said, "Baby girl, my baby is having a baby!!! I'm sitting in Cracker Barrel crying!" It had finally hit her. I cried, too.

Next, we had to tell Matt's parents...

We're having a baby!!!

Warning...this will be long!


I'm going to rewind to December 17th, 2010...around the time that the world quit spinning...ok..kidding :)

December 17th was like any other day. In fact, it was a great day because it was the Friday we got out for Christmas break. We had a Christmas party and I cleaned up the classroom. That evening, Matt and I decided to go to dinner at El Vaquero with Hillary. We got to El Vaquero and ate. While we were eating, I began to not feel so well. After dinner, we went to the mall. I needed an outfit for the Christmas musical, and Matt needed some new jeans. The more we shopped, the worse I felt. I kept telling Matt that I wasn't feeling well. I couldn't explain how I was feeling. We went to JC Penney's to look for pants for Matt and I began to feel worse. All of a sudden I felt like I could drink an ocean. I was so thirsty. I told Matt and Hillary that I needed some water right away. We went to Cinnabon and I chugged a whole bottle of water. I thought I would be good after re-hydrating myself....well...we went back to JC Penney's and then I got hot all over and felt as if I were going to pass out. I told Matt that something was really wrong and that I needed to go home. We found Hillary and told her that we needed to go. I chose to walk outside in the cold weather all the way to the car because I was so hot.

On the way home, Matt kept asking me why I thought I felt so bad. I honestly had no clue and thought that maybe the Mexican was bad and that I was in the beginnings of getting food poisoning. As we were getting closer to home Matt asked, "You don't think you could be pregnant do you?" Of course I said no. I knew that there was no way I could possibly be pregnant. I had taken birth control. I decided to humor him and he stopped at Wal-Greens to get a test.

We got home and he had to go #2. Immediately I went to the bathroom to squish the pregnancy possibility. I decided to pee in a cup so that I could just put the stick in the urine. The first test I took was the kind that clearly says "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant". I stuck the stick in the cup and sat there (not worried) while the sand timer blinked. Within a few seconds it said, "Pregnant".

my heart stopped.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't do anything. In my mind I kept thinking, this can't be true, this can't be true.

I quickly opened up the next test hoping that the first had malfunctioned. This was the kind where either one line showed up for not pregnant, or two lines for pregnant. In a few seconds, there were two bright red lines....pregnant.

Again I thought that maybe that test was faulty, too.

I ended up taking 4. I didn't cry....yet...but I was freaking out on the inside. I could feel my pulse beating in all areas of my body.

I went to the living room and sat down with all four tests in my hand. Matt opened the bathroom door and said, "Well...did you take one?" How was I supposed to tell my husband that he was going to be a father while he was doing a #2 on the toilet? I told him that I hadn't taken them yet. After he finished in the bathroom, he went to wash his hands in the kitchen. I followed him and held out all four sticks. He looked at them and said, "Yeah right." Is this a joke? He soon realized that in fact, it was no joke.

We both sat on the couch side by side in shock. He was excited, but knew that I was having a panic attack inside. About five minutes later, Jonathan and Nicole came over. We had planned to make a ginger bread house. We were all sitting at the kitchen table. I was very quiet. Nicole asked me what was wrong and I couldn't really say much. I would just shake my head yes or no to her questions. Finally I broke down and told them. They didn't believe me either. Once they realized I wasn't joking, Jonathan became very excited. Nicole cried. I told Jonathan that I thought the tests may have been faulty. He agreed and offered to drive me to the store to buy some more to make sure. SO, the four of us went to Wal-Mart to get a few different brands. We came back home and I took them. They all came out positive.

I did not sleep that night.

To be continued...

Thanksgiving, Family, Black Friday..OH MY!

We had another great Thanksgiving with family. I made homemade mac n' cheese and homemade banana pudding for the Sawyer's celebration. Matt made dump cake...ever heard of it?

I woke up early Thanksgiving morning to get the mac n' cheese started. It's delicious! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

* 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
* 2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

YUMMMmmmm

We arrived at my parents' house at 12:00. We had a large group there. Sean, Annie, Keegan, Brandon, Candy, Little Candy, Olivia, Jonathan, Nicole, Millie (Nicole's mom), Matt, me, Mama and Daddy. After we ate, we went outside for the traditional family pictures.



Me with all of my brothers




The grand kids



The kids with spouses/girlfriends



The whole crew!




Me and hubby :)



After pictures, we went to Matt's parents. They had a packed house as well and I can't begin to recall everyone that was there.

We came home and started looking at Black Friday Deals. Matt said that we needed a "game plan". We really didn't get the greatest plan, but we had a few ideas of where we wanted to go. We went to bed and a few SHORT hours later, the alarm was going off. We woke up and quickly got dressed. Our first stop was Target. We got to Target at 4:00 to see everyone lined up all the way around Hibbet Sports. After the long line of people made it into the store, we went in. Matt got extremely lucky with what he was wanting to get. He wanted a hard drive. It was on sale for $69.00..He got in line for them and they ran out. A worker said that they had more in the back and went and got them. Matt was the second person in the line so he knew he'd get one. When the worker came back, he handed them to the people in the back of the line first. He had none left when he got to Matt. Luckily, the woman next to Matt realized that that certain hard drive wasn't the kind she wanted, so she handed it over to Matt...victory! I got a few items, and then we moved on to the mall. The mall wasn't nearly as crowded as I had expected. We got some more things there as well. I think we bought more for ourselves than we did other people. I told Matt that I wanted a new camera for Christmas. They had it on sale at Wal-Mart for Black Friday and then we found we where we could order it for the Black Friday Sale Price. Instead of fighting the crowd at Wal-Mart, we just ordered it online :) We went to Macy's and found a toaster/convectional oven (Black and Decker) for $20.00. That would have been a nice gift for someone to get us, but we couldn't pass up on the good deal and name brand. After the mall, we ate at Waffle House. After eating, we stopped at Office Max and then went home. We slept until 3:30!!! Matt woke up in a panic because the Auburn/Alabama game started at 2:30. When we cut the tv on, Alabama was up 21/0. Needless to say, his panties were in a wad! Auburn made a crazy comeback and beat Alabama 27/26. One point. Wow.

This morning it is in the 30's..brrrrr. I made some cinnamon rolls and coffee. I'm determined to get better about blogging (as you can see)..and after blogging I need to do some major cleaning on my house! I'm not sure if we're getting a tree today or not, but I'd really like to get decorating asap :)

My sweet baby Ethel has been with us for almost a year now. She is my furry bundle of joy and I am so thankful that she is my baby. She is the sweetest animal.

Hopefully we can get on the ball soon with our Christmas card picture...stay tuned :)

Thanksgiving BREAK!

Praise Jesus! It's Thanksgiving break!!!

I love my job, don't get me wrong, but hallelujah that the school day is over. I didn't think 3:30 would ever make it!

I really need to get better at this whole "blog" thing.

School has been going very well. Matt has lost between 20-30 pounds with his new job..and me?? yeah, still the same weight...I need to get on the move..big time!

We have a Christmas musical coming up that I'm super stoked about. Matt is the lead character, Phillip. I play his sister, Jenny, and my mom is our dead mother...I'm sure that sounds crazy, but if you want to understand it better, come see the play! Matt, my mom, and I all have a solo and drama parts. I don't think I've ever been THIS nervous about a solo. I'm singing a serious gospel song that is even super gospel for gospel people if you know what I mean. :)

I've really gotten in to reading lately. I read "Charlie St. Cloud" last week and then watched the movie...the book was SO much better. Last night I finished up "The Shack". Best book I've ever read. I laughed, cried, and got angry. Such a wonderful book. You should read it :)

I will be getting braces soon. Not because I love them, but because I love straight teeth. I had braces for over 3 years when I was younger. My bottom teeth are perfectly straight, but the top...not so much. I will be getting them probably in late December or January. Dr. Serff said that I'll only need them on my top teeth and will probably have them for 6 months. On top of all that, he's given me the biggest discount you can imagine ;)

This time last year, Matt and I were honeymooning in Gatlinburg. We had such a wonderful time and I am so blessed that to say that we have had a wonderful, memorable, and crazy first year of marriage. We were supposed to stay in Tennessee until after Thanksgiving. My mom was devastated that she wouldn't have her whole family at the house for Thanksgiving. On a last minute whim, we decided to pack up and come home early. She was so surprised when we walked in the door on Thanksgiving that she cried. It was the best Thanksgiving I've ever had.

I can't wait to begin decorating for Christmas!

school, house, trip, friends, OH MY!

A list of things I need to catch up on in the blog world:
1. School
2. House
3. Trip
4. Matt
5. Chris

OK...
We're in our second month of school. The first day/week was great. I kept comparing this group of students to my kids from last year and thought that there was no way they'd steal my heart like my group last year. I was wrong. My class this year is such a loving group. Most of them LOVE to read AND write. I'm enjoying having my own room to be creative. My students are making wonderful gains and I can't wait to see where they go. Since I'm not teaming this year, the day goes by so quickly. Last year, I taught half the day and the other half I spent helping, grading papers, etc. This year, from 7:50-3:40, I'm on the go, non stop. I'm truly enjoying my job, my students, and parents.

Joey (Matt's Uncle) started painting our house about a month ago. It was a light tan with ugly dark brown shutters and front door. I'll post pictures as soon as it's COMPLETELY finished. We picked out a gray, with dark blue/black shutters and a red front door. It looks SOOOO much better. I'm so excited with our choice! Yesterday Joey came and installed the gutters. We still have to finish the walkway, put up the railing on the front porch, and fix the garden area.

Matt's still on 3rd shift, and will be for who knows how long...The other night we got into the discussion about having a baby. He begged me to stop my birth control. In all honesty, I don't quite understand why he wants a child so badly...I really don't. Isn't it normally the other way around? Personally, I am enjoying Matt and April time. I like coming home to Matt and Ethel and not having to worry about anything else but us. I like being able to go and do as we please and not have to worry about a babysitter. As we were talking, I was trying to make him see my side. We've only been married ALMOST a year, and even though we dated for 8 years prior to getting married, this is a different experience, and I want more of it before we add kids to the mix. We kept talking and a light went off in my head. I told Matt, "You work 3rd shift. We don't know when you'll get off of 3rd shift, if ever. How am I supposed to wake up in the middle of the night with a kid and be expected to go to work? Matt would sleep all day while my mom watched the baby, then I would pick the baby up and go home from work, feed the baby, put the baby to sleep, then Matt would wake up. How fair is that??? Not fair at all. I'm not even ready for that and I'D be the one doing all the work." I'm exhausted just thinking about it all! So-babies aren't even a thought at this point in my life.

October 10 is our 1 year anniversary. This year has FLOWN by. It has been a special and fun year. I made Matt something very special and can't wait to give it to him :) With Matt's new job, he works mostly 7 days a week. Last weekend was Labor Day weekend and he got 2 days off. We took advantage of it and left for Atlanta. We went to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. We booked a room at the Westin. We wanted a good view of the city so we asked if we could stay on a high floor. At first, we were on the 49th floor. After a long day at the aquarium and coke place, I was tired and had a little bit of a headache. We ate lunch at the Varsity and then checked into our hotel. We had a beautiful view and could even see Stone Mountain. I decided that a little nap would probably help my headache. All of a sudden we hear a dog barking. I thought, "No...you've GOT to be kidding me." We ended up going to the 70th floor where they have a restaurant called the Sun Dial. We weren't going to eat there because it was SO expensive. We went up there simply for the view. We got up there and soon decided that we didn't care how much it would cost, we wanted to eat there. The neat thing about this restaurant is that it slowly rotates. It takes an hour to make a complete rotation. It's the best view in Atlanta. We made reservations for 7:30, went back to our room and started getting dressed up. We went back up to the restaurant at 7:30 and was seated by the window. The waiter came with a fancy bottle of water and asked, "Would you like this 'still water' or would you like for me to go get you 'sparkling water'?" Matt, which much confidence says, "We want the sparkling water." The waiter leaves to get the sparkling water, brings it back and pours it in our glasses. It was the most AWFUL water I've EVER tasted. It was carbonated. I had to laugh, because Matt thought he was making the right choice and was so confident about it. We ordered this ravioli dish for an appetizer. It was delicious. I got a glass of riesling and Matt got a lemon drop drink. Matt ordered their chicken dish, which was $30.00. I ordered steak, which was $50.00. I got a little nervous because I knew that our bill was going to be outrageous. Matt just smiled and calmly said, "You only live once. We can afford it, don't worry about it, just enjoy and get whatever you want." Dinner was DELICIOUS; not only that, we got to watch the sun set over Atlanta. It was the most amazing view I've ever had. The sun set and soon we had the beautiful view of the city lights and car lights. We ordered dessert. He ordered some kind of brownie and I ordered creme brulee. OH, MY, SWEET TOOTH-it was so amazing. Our bill, with tip and all came out to be $180.00. I don't regret a single dollar. It was amazing food and an amazing experience. After dinner we came back to our room. There was a hotel worker who was telling us that they had complaints about the dog next door and that they were going to take care of it. The owner had been gone ALL day. You know that dog HAD to have messed all in that room. The worker said they had locked the door so that the owner would not be able to get in and would have to face them. We asked if we would be able to get another room and the worker said that shouldn't be a problem. We went in our room and as soon as we heard the dog bark, we called the front desk and got moved to the 60th floor which had an even BETTER view! It was wonderful. The next morning, we left and headed home. We stopped in Newnan for lunch and ate at Five Guys Burger and Fries...yummy! We also went to my favorite teacher store and I got some needed items. Our last stops were at Zaxby's so that Matt could get his favorite, birthday cake milkshake. We then went to Starbucks so that I could get MY favorite, vanilla bean frappucino.

We had a wonderful time and I'm so glad we did it.

Our friend Chris had his final surgery. If you've been reading, you'll know that he had chron's disease and ulcerative colitis, which doctors believe is from the medicine acutane. Anyways, he had his colon removed. For a while, his waste was going into a bag from his stomach. On this last surgery, the doctors closed him up and he is now producing waste like the rest of us. Bless his heart, he has been through so much. I pray that he and Jamie will get back on their feet again and experience more blessings than they can possibly imagine.

That's all for now!