Reagan's Funnies

Some of Reagan's funnies lately:

In the bathtub:
Me: "Reagan stop drinking the water!"
Her: "why? I didn't even pee in it!?"

Riding in the car:
"Ohmylord!, I see a big dragon running beside us!"
She was being dead serious y'all!

She walked outside in the cold yesterday and said, "OHMYJEEEZUS, It's freezing!! HAVE MERCY!!"
I almost feel off the porch I was laughing so hard.

Reagan: "momma, do I have a father? "
(She'd never heard that term)
Me: "yes! That's the same as daddy"
Reagan:"well who is it then?"
Me:"your daddy! You know TC?"
Reagan:"oooh TC? That's my real daddy?"
*and of course she asks this in front if people I don't know!!

Reagan: "Momma, I'm not going to your wedding!!"
Me: "ok, we'll you don't have to since I'm already married"
Reagan:"you are? Where's your husband?"
Me:"it's your daddy"
Reagan:"ooooh he's the husband too? I thought he was just my daddy…"

And lastly a cheer from the Iron Bowl!!

Weekend Update

This weekend was great. Last Thursday we enjoyed Thanksgiving in Tuscaloosa. We had lunch with my family and dinner with TC's. We are blessed! My paw paw Bobby goes all out on his decorations and he let Reagan and her cousin Lilly turn on the lights and watch the blow ups all light up. They loved it and Reagan wanted her picture taken with EVERY SINGLE ONE!

Loving the decorations!

TC cooked and carved
the turkey!

Reagan worked on the
dressing forever!

Friday we did a little shopping. Only two stores since I have bought most things online. I am over halfway done and plan to be finished soon. Friday night was so great. (see best friends post from yesterday)

Saturday TC and I got to sleep late, then we had a great family day just hanging around and being lazy. I never even left the house except to go to Catfish Charlie's to pick up dinner. They have some great catfish down highway 43 if your ever in the neighborhood. Lastly we LOVED watching the Bama game. The iron bowl was great. I couldn't have asked for our team to do any better.

Cheering on the Tide

Cee Cee and Poppa sent us a pic
from the game

Sunday we got up bright and early for church. We had a great sermon followed by lunch at Jim and Nicks. Sunday afternoon we rode up to Lake Harris to surprise Patrick for his birthday. Eileen had bought him some new hiking boots as a present and they went on hike. At the end of the hike we were there with his family, cake and all the dogs. It was a great afternoon.

TC and Reagan at Lake Harris

Me and Sis waiting on lunch
at Jim and Nicks

For dinner we all went to Anna Claire and Roberts for some Taco soup. I am so thankful for this group of friends in our lives. My last announcement is that TC is no longer participating in No Shave November. His beard is officially gone. (Although it's in the Christmas card pictures) Here's a photo shoot of him having a little fun with it. All day Saturday he kept only his mustache. I could not even look at him without dying laughing… He seriously looked just like Mario!

Best Friends!

This past Friday night was a great night for me. Some of my closest high school and college friends were all in town for the holidays. These are the people who will always be my best friends because they know way to many of my secrets! We are all never in the same place for long, so for us all to be together on Friday was a big deal.

For two years a bunch of us lived in the same apartment complex in college. These were the BEST times of my life and if I could relive them I would. We were together all the time and made some of my best memories. I cherish those relationships and memories to this day.

This is also a group that I don't have to talk to daily. When we are together we pick up right back where we left off. It feels like nothing changed. These are people I will hold dear in my heart forever!

In the end we had TC and myself, Rodney and his wife Lacey, Chase (who lives in ATL now), Jason (who is currently in California), Perryn (our New Yorker), Krystal (who lives in Fairhope,AL), and Layne and Stephanie who are both still here in Ttown. I am so glad to have had this night with some important people in my life!!

Sorry for such terrible quality pictures. We were working with iPhones!

Weekend Update

Such a great family filled weekend. Friday night mom and dad came up for dinner. We cooked red beans and rice and it was AWESOME! Mom and TC helped me put up my Christmas tree and a few lights, along with some garland. There aren't any ornaments yet, but we are getting there.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to head to Sylacauga for family thanksgiving on dad's side. We also tried for some Christmas card pics which turned out awful. They had to be redone!! We had a great lunch with our fam and got to visit with our cousins. TC couldn't join us due to a last minute work emergency, so we missed him.

Playing in the leaves

Aunt Janice

All the grandkids and
great-grands

A movie star?

Oh wait, I forgot
to take off my sunglasses...

Saturday night TC, Wes and I sat up yelling at the TV cheering for Baylor and Samford. THANK YOU for that boys!

Sunday we got up extra early to make it to Krispy Kreme before church. Then a wonderful service followed by lunch. We did a little shopping then headed to Anna Claire's 3rd Birthday party. The girls had a blast and AC got tons of cute stuff. It was a fun weekend and relaxing. I am super excited for Thanksgiving this week. It is going to be relaxed and laid back. We don't have to rush all over town and stress over the times. For that, I am THANKFUL!

A new dog...

So a few weeks ago I received an email from a friend of a friend who had a soft coated wheaten terrier just like Murphy. They were looking for a new home for him since they had recently moved and he wasn't able to be outside. They wanted to know if we knew of anyone who might like him. Of course I instantly wanted him. (What girl doesn't want another animal?)

TC was on board, so we decided on a trial run over the weekend. Needless to say, he's never gone home! He and murph had a few issues in the beginning deciding who was the "alpha" male, but have now become best friends. They play all day everyday. Charlie is 6 years old and super snuggly. He even sleeps in the bed with us most nights. Right before we got him he had a slight mishap at the groomers so his hair is super short right now.

He's an awesome squirrel hunter and a better guard dog than Murphy! He has fit in so well with our family. I never thought I would have two big dogs inside but I do. Thank goodness they don't shed!

Barbie Jeep!!

Reagan got a Barbie Jeep from TC and I for her birthday. We surprised her with it on Saturday afternoon. She was so excited and immediately drove it straight out of the garage. She wasn't the best at it at the beginning, but she's getting better at steering. She would rather get in and out of it a million times instead of actually driving it. She piles in about 5 baby dolls before she drives it anywhere. Whatever entertains her I guess?

Weekend Update

It's been crazy around here. We have had something to do nearly every night. Last Tuesday was Reagan's actual birthday. We woke up Tuesday morning singing and telling her happy birthday to which she replied, "Where's my party at today?" Um no, sorry kid you only get one party.

That night we went to the fair with Josh, Lindsey and little Anna Claire. The girls LOVED it and had a blast. There were about 15 rides for the small kids and we did not wait in one line. Poor Josh spent about $40 dollars winning two stuffed Dora's from a carni… We left the fair and went to a special birthday dinner for Ray Ray at the Mexican Restaurant. She and Anna Claire love going out to eat together and we finally convinced them to sit in their own chairs. Between her birthday at the Barnyard, Disney on Ice, her barbie jeep and the fair I think she had a pretty dang good birthday for a three year old!!

Wednesday was church and Thursday was date night. TC and I go out to dinner ALONE every single Thursday. I live for Thursday… Anyway, we have discovered a new place. It's in the Winn Dixie parking lot on 43. It's a sports bar named Clarks and we are in love with it. They have the best wings, homemade fries and fried pickles.

Friday night we had family night and cooked dinner. Then Saturday spent the morning outside playing with the dogs and enjoying the day. We cooked out at the neighbors and watched the game.

TC woke up sick with a bad headache Sunday so we skipped church and had a lazy morning. It's been a fun and lazy weekend that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Reagan's Story Part 3

Catch up on Part 1 and 2 if you missed Reagan's story from the beginning.

At UAB the NICU is designated into levels and then "step-downs" as the babies improve. The day Reagan was born we started off in the highest level. There is one nurse per baby because the babies are such high risk. When Reagan was born we all assumed that she would be dependent upon a ventilator at all times. Due to the good Lord above and those wonderful steroid shots she surprised us all. We made it thru the first day and night without needing a thing! It was truly a miracle in itself. We were told over and over how amazing it was that Reagan was never on a ventilator or any type of breathing machines for help. Side note: We give all praise to HIM!!

The first few weeks were blurry. Since I had to have a c-section I couldn't drive so TC, my parents or his parents would drive me up about 8 am everyday. We had unlimited access to her so we could sit in the nursery with her the entire day. In the very beginning we really couldn't even touch her because she was so sensitive. Her skin was basically see thru and the nerve endings were so close that when we touched her, it physically hurt her. I would barely stroke her back and it would make her flinch. I remember those being some of the hardest times when I just wanted to feel her.

 I would take a book or a magazine and sit in a chair beside her isolette everyday. One of my favorite NICU doctors would always find me there and would laugh saying I was going to stare a hole into her. We started off fairly well in the beginning. Each day in the NICU is a roller coaster ride. You think things are great and then your world gets turned upside down in seconds.

 About the second or third night a resident came up to my hospital room for me to sign a paper giving consent for a spinal tap. It was so incredibly scary to allow them to do this to my 1 pound baby, but I knew for her health she needed it. I think I cried the whole hour until they called back and told me she had done well and was resting.

 Our first major scare was when they discovered she had somehow contracted MRSA. This is a VERY scary thing and can kill adults easily. It's basically a type of "staph" that does not respond to antibiotics. The day this was realized we instantly got moved to an isolated nursery of only other babies who are infected as well. (We still don't know how she got this?)

 At one point Reagan was on four different antibiotics at one time. There are only 4 that they can give to such small babies and usually they are on only one at a time. Reagan wasn't responding to the first two very well, so she was on all four at one time. This was a scary moment because if she did not improve there wasn't many other options.

 A daily struggle with babies this small is the blood counts. Their bodies are so small they do not make new cells quickly enough. Reagan was about two weeks old and TC and I were spending the night in a hotel room in Birmingham. A doctor called us about 1 AM. They needed us to verbally approve Reagan getting a blood transfusion. I freaked out and told them I could be there in 5 minutes and the Dr. informed us it would have to be now and they couldn't wait. Of course we agreed and raced to the hospital. By the time we got there she was fine and had her blood transfusion completed. She was literally see thru that night when we left her and when we got there about 2 AM she was a total different color. We couldn't believe the improvement from those couple of hours and a little bit of blood.

One of our daily struggles with Reagan was her feeding tube. They would tape it to the side of her mouth or place it down her nose and tape it to the side of her nose. Somehow she would rip it out over and over. She would also rip out her IV's frequently. They would have them in her hand, on her feet and sometimes in her head. She still has tiny scars from them to this day.

I can remember them giving me the smallest syringes of breast milk and I would get to put it thru her tube. We would be so proud when she would take 4 or 5 cc's. If you know anything about amounts that is practically nothing but it would fill her up!

The babies would get weighed on nightshift and each day if we weren't there I would call to see her improvement. Sometimes it was nothing but sometimes it would be an ounce or two. There were a couple of times she had digestive problems and we would have to stop her feedings and start from scratch again. I think the day she drank her first full ounce of milk I sat there and cried. She was actually drinking from a bottle and drinking a whole ounce of milk.

 TC and I were there the first day she got to move to an open crib. This was a very proud moment for us. She looked like a real baby just really tiny!! She was only about 3.5 pounds when they moved her to the open crib. We dressed her in the tiniest premie clothes we could find and they still hung off of her.

There are plenty more small issues that we overcame while we were there. It ended up being around 6 weeks when we came home on Dec 20, 2009. Just in time for Christmas!! On the day we brought her home she weighed approximately 4lbs and 3 ounces. She was too small for her car seat so we had her stuck in there with blankets around her. I remember TC and I being scared to death, but we figured it out like all new parents do! What a miracle story I have to tell… ALL THE GLORY TO GOD!