Long Overdue

It has been a long time, far too long I think. Since my last post in April things have changed...

We are now back in California which I praise God for daily, or @ least should. I do however miss a few things about Ohio.. our house, our neighbors & neighborhood, frozen custard & a slower paced life.

Jonas is 2 years old & is now a big brother.

Our family has grown - Miss Reegan Noelle was born on July 31st - she is now nearly 5 months & the most precious baby girl I had ever laid my eyes on. She is such an easy going girl & I am so anxious to see her grow.

We've purchased a home in Modesto which we are currently remodeling. Can I just say that I am so over the fixer upper. I would love to buy a home that is move in ready one of these days. Guess it just isn't the Stanton way if we aren't knocking out walls & gutting the place.

2008 has been a blessed year & it is my prayer that 2009 is even better.

Little Squirt

As I was getting Jonas ready for his nap I laid him down to change his diaper on the living room floor. When I reached for something he jumped up & ran away Risky Business style. He only had socks & a T Shirt on. I tried to get my fat butt up to catch the 1/2 streaker when he stopped turned around looked @ me, smiled & then peed on the hardwood floor.

I'm Not One To Complain...

Okay so what if I am, when I am not prego I really do try not to be so negative, what can I say I am flawed.

Anyhow back to the reason for this post - I have been living in Ohio since August 18th, 2006 & in this time I have come to realize a ton of different things about the Midwest & the people who call it home... things here are much different & for the most part I enjoy it's laid back easy going nature, but there are a few things that just irk me, one being the lack of seat covers in just about every flipping bathroom I have ever peed in. I am a squatter so it really has not bothered me too much, that is until recently.

I am nearly 6 months prego & with my growing belly the added weight has made it difficult to squat & hover & so without a seat cover to rest on I am forced to bend in places that are difficult to bend right now @ the risk of losing my balance. It's not pretty as I am sure you are imagining.

The joke about the Midwest has always been how behind in times they are & until living here I agreed with that for the most part - One has to ask how difficult is it to get with the program when it comes to sanitation & comfort? At the very least seat covers in major chains should be a non issue, it isn't as though I am asking for the moon.

One Year Ago Today

Lair & I were blessed with a 7 lbs 9 oz baby boy. Today our little man is one! It is still really hard to grasp just how quickly time seems to have passed us by. We have had an incredible year watching Jonas grow.

Feliz Cumpleanos a Jonas

Why Is Abortion Even An Option?

From the moment I found out that I was pregnant with Jonas I already had such an incredible connection to the little baby growing inside of me. Everything I did whether it be trying to handle my emotions or what I ate was all for this precious little gift that I had been given. I am eternally grateful to have been blessed with the most perfect child.

Recently a friend of mine told me about how her sister is pregnant & leaning towards abortion. I have such a hard time with all of my thoughts, it breaks my heart to know that she does not feel the same way about her baby that I felt for Jonas. I hate to even think about what she is doing or not doing to baby while it tries to grow inside of her - drinking, not eating healthy, missing crucial prenatal vitamins etc. I know that this does not concern me, but the whole thing is making me so emotional.

I am literally weeping today thinking about that poor baby who may never have a chance. Especially when I know in my heart of hearts that there are deserving people out there who would give anything to have a baby. Lair & I have some friends who have been trying for years to have a baby & have been unsuccessful. It has no doubtedly been tough for them to have to stand back & watch everyone else have baby after baby. They have gone to several doctors & have reveled that adoption is the only option they have. They have just begun the process & it really is a beautiful thing.

It pains me to know that there are ungrateful, immature, egocentric young girls & women who are able to have babies & decide to throw them out as if they did not matter, as if they weren't & aren't worthy, as if they were yesterday's garbage while
good, God loving, deserving people have to wait around, turn their lives upside down, shell out every dime to their name to be able to bring a baby home.

When are people going to stop being so effing selfish & think about someone else for a change? When are people going to get that abortion is murder? Define the word however you wish, termination, induced expulsion, etc. it wont change the fact that you are killing God's design.

In weeks 1-4 alone ovulation, conception & fertilization occur, baby's gender is assigned, the neural tube forms, a foundation is set for the nervous system, thought process, senses & feeling, the heart & circulatory system begins to form - all of this occurs often before the mother even realizes she is pregnant. Call me conservative, religious, right wing, self righteous, what have you - I'll call myself aware. I am conscious of things that are moral, I refuse to walk through this life foolishly believing that abortion is any sort of option.


*photo of a baby at four weeks gestation. already 2 inches in size.
*photo of a baby @ eight weeks gestation, the heart has already been beating for about 1 month.

Year 1 Nearly Completed

It's beginning to hit me, my precious baby boy, while still precious is only 9 days away from no longer being a baby. The feeling is bittersweet, watching him grow has been one of the single most rewarding experiences of my life.

He is so small & there is so much more world for him to explore & it really is gratifying watching him learn & take everything in. I pray that I have been doing a good job, that he grows up to love the Lord & lives according to the teachings in the Bible - that's not too much to ask for, I hope.

Now that 1 year is around the corner we have a lot of stuff to work on like walking & talking & of course perfecting self feeding & being weened from his bottle. I so wish we had some help all the way out here in Ohio, my mom would know exactly what to do. Maybe her not being here is a good thing, maybe then I have the chance to do it myself.

Wish me "luck" it's clear that I am sorta just winging it here, sure I visit parenting websites 3 times a week or more, I call my parents often, I flip through the stack of books I have & I pray a lot, but one can ever be prepared enough for parenthood. Call me crazy, but I am already thinking about baby #2.

Thanksgiving Morning

& so it begins, yet another winter
in North East Ohio,
my disdain grows
I need to stay positive
Ohio isn't forever
it is just for right now

Peeved

I dunno why it troubles me but it does... My husband takes longer to get ready in the morning then I do. No matter how late he is running he cannot take less than a 30 minute shower. What the what are you doing in there?

He shaves prior to hoping in, he brushes his teeth post shower, so exactly what is going on? I knew before I married him that he was a tad bit on the pampered side, but this has gotten to be ridiculous. When you are running late for work & by late I mean you set your alarm @ 6 am & it is now just after 8 there should be a fire under your ace the kind that makes you yell "oh shite" & gets you moving.

He is going to have a rude awakening when our water bill for the past year finally gets here (yeah that's right we have not gotten a water bill since acquiring this home in November of 2006).

Poor Girl

Beans & Ryce were playing in the yard & somehow Beans was hurt, it happened sometime yesterday, but we are still not sure how. I let them out in the yard while I took a shower just like I always do (Ryce is still a little pup & can't hold it for very long).

When I called them in neither of them came running right away, finally Ryce ran in & I had to walk out into the yard to find Beans. She was just sitting there licking herself covered in mud & dirt, it took her a minute, but she ran inside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Ryce is a bit rambunctious & drives poor Beans crazy, to give her breaks I allow Beans to hang out in the kitchen where she cannot be bothered. Yeah, I know - 3 different kids in 3 different rooms.

When Lair came home from work Beans did not come running up to him like she always does. She is such a daddy's girl. That is when Lair knew something was up, he went over to her & yelled out @ me that Beans had a huge chunk missing from the side of her belly. The wound was a half dollar size hole in her side completely exposing her "meat" but not bleeding.

Lair said we should make an appointment to see the vet in the morning since it did not seem to be bothering her (& the playoffs were on), but I was thinking she needed to be seen asap. He thought I was over reacting, but I wouldn't let up - I googled some stuff on pet bites & cuts & then called her vet to get the pet emergency # & asked them what we should do, they had us come in right away.

When we got there they took her back & examined her, while we were waiting to hear the news we could hear a family crying because their dog was put down - I lost it. The sound of someone sobbing in the next room made me a little emotional.

The vet came in to say that Beans had more than likely fallen on something sharp in the yard (we were concerned she was bitten) & that she was running a serious fever. They kept her overnight & gave her a zipper. They cut the dead tissue surrounding her wound & stitched her up. Poor baby.

She seems to be doing better today, we have to take her in again on Monday. Until then she has a pill that we have to give her in the morning & some preinjected needles to stick her with before bed.

I Moved 'Em

I decided to join the ranks & convert my old blog to blogger!