It's been two years???

Wow, it's been over two years since I have written a post. Looking back, I know I cannot possibly recap the past two years in one post. I neither have the time to write that much nor do you have time to read it (if there is anyone reading anyway).

Our precious baby boy, Griffin Lee, was born on August 10, 2010. He was over 5 weeks early. I will come back (most likely) and include his birth story. Fast forward several months and we noticed that he was not meeting his milestones. At first,  I thought it was because he was a preemie and that it would take him a little longer. By his first birthday, we had enrolled him in our state's early intervention program and had started therapy since he wasn't sitting up well and used his left arm much more than his right. A few months later, a position opened with another therapy group, Hand in Hand. We started working with a great OT and PT. Although Griffin was making improvements, he still was not where he needed to be.

On August 2, 2012, we met with a doctor who specializes in pediatric rehabilitation. He is on staff with our PT & OT. Griffin was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (90 % diagnosis...we had a CT scan on Friday to rule out anything else and we are still waiting on results). Griffin seems to be only mildly affected...Praise God! His prognosis was good. According to the doctor, Griffin is bright, is not affected cognitively, he will walk and live a relatively "normal" (what is normal anyway?) life.

We are so fortunate that we are already with Hand in Hand because they are a branch of United Cerebral Palsy of Birmingham. The Lord had us exactly where we needed to be.

Although I was somewhat prepared, it was still very tough hearing those words. In my heart and head, I knew something wasn't right. Hearing it did solidify it and then I had to grieve it. I am so very fortunate for my family and friends who sent emails, texts, cards, PRAYERS, food and came to be with us. The prayer they covered us in has given me peace that is beyond my understanding. It's just a God thing!

Griffin will continue with therapy and I KNOW that he will overcome all the obstacles that come his way.

Thanks for taking the time to read about our sweet boy. I hope to keep up with this blog better than in the past. Joseph wants to join me on here and give his view on things about life,our son and CP.

Love,
Aimee

23 Weeks

I cannot believe that I am in my 23rd week of this pregnancy! My mercy, time is flying by!!! I am quite behind in blogging (surprise, surprise), however, I wanted to post my 20 week baby bump picture.

I am feeling pretty good these days. I am getting some energy back and really starting to get an appetite thanks to most of the nausea finally subsiding.

I don't think that I have offically blogged this but we decided on a name...Griffin Lee! Lee is my hubby's middle name. We came up with Griffin while reading baby name books. Joseph had a book and I had a book. He would say a name and then I would say a name. We could not agree on anything until I said, "I kind of like Griffin." He said, "Me too!" And that is how we chose his name!

I ordered his bedding and it came in this week! I love it!

I want to use the lime a good bit throughout the nursery. We still have a ton of work to do in there but once we get started, it should go quickly.

Hopefully, I will soon be able to catch up on some fun things that have happened over the last few weeks. We have a couple of things planned for this weekend but I may manage to squeeze in some computer time!

Have a great weekend!

Atlanta

On Friday, I picked up Meredith after work. Before we could get on the road, headed to the So Long Insecurity conference with Mrs. Beth Moore, I had to stop and get some snacks. Pregnancy brain was in full swing and I had forgotten snacks, my CAMERA, my pillow and I can't remember if there was anything else! We arrived in Atlanta with only one missed exit and one wrong turn. After checking in to the hotel, we ate dinner at a cute Mexican restaurant with a very unusual mural on the wall. I had the absolute best flautas of my life! We headed back to the room and chatted a while before falling asleep.

At some point early the next morning, I heard thunder and the rain start. I started praying that it would stop when it was time to leave because we left the umbrellas in the car! No such luck...it was pouring when we were leaving! However, when we got to the church, the rain had slowed and we made it inside without too much hair damage! Here we are waiting in line.

We were sitting in the overflow and during the break, Beth and her daughter Melissa came over for a little question and answer time. I took this picture (along with all the others) with my cell. Of all the times, my zoom decided that it did not want to work!

After the conference, we were able to say hello to two bloggy friends Kelly and Jennifer. They were very sweet and so tiny in person! We had such a great time at the conference. Beth brought an amazing word as always! I pray that I, along with the 300,000 other women that heard this message can commit to what we learned and make a difference in our lives and the lives of others.

We had an important mission after the conference so we quickly made our way to the car. Mere and I were going to stop at a mall to go shop at H&M!

They had SO much cute stuff! Unfortunately, my pregnant belly hindered me from really shopping (perhaps that was actually a good thing). Thank goodness that we had just come from a conference about saying goodbye to insecurity. The clothes ran REALLY small. At least I had the excuse that I am pregnant so I didn't feel so bad! Just as I was about to give up, Mere found an adorable dress for me try on. It fit and I LOVE it! I'm now praying that I don't grow too much during this week so I can wear it to a wedding on Saturday! It was a great trip that ended with this:

I was glad to be home and very pleased to see that my wonderful hubby had cleaned and dinner was almost ready. I am a lucky girl!

Weekend Part 2

After the birthday party on Saturday, I stopped at the grocery store and then headed home. I took a quick nap because I can't seem to "go" as long as I could before getting pregnant. Then I started packing and cooking a few dishes that I was taking to Joseph's cousin's shower on Sunday. When he got home from work, we packed the car and headed to his aunt and uncle's house to spend the night. We wanted to be there early to help Angel get to the location and set up the room and food.
Bright and early on Sunday morning we got everything together and headed to Tannihill Historical State Park. They rented an old school house to have the shower in and it was perfect!

This room was across the corridor from the main room. It was later set up with all the gifts. As I walked through there, I imagined the boys and girls sitting in those little desks and how different things were 100 years ago.

Asha and Chase - The Happy Couple

Joseph (my hubby) and Aunt Sandy

Asha and Angel looking cute!

Desserts. Need I say more?

At one point, I found myself alone with the food before the party begin. As I arranged the platters, I may have been sampling everything. This is probably the only time in my life I could have gotten away with it! Ha!

They had a great turn out! The food was delicious! Trade days was also going on across the park. They have vendors selling tons of homemade items as well as plants, flowers, tools, and other consignment items. After we walked around for a while (surprisingly, I did not buy one thing), we took the kiddie train back to the other side of the park. I was exhausted and my back was killing me. We said our goodbyes (but not before getting another plate) and headed home. My sweet husband ran me a bath and unloaded the car. After soaking in the tub, I climbed in bed at 8:30. It was a long but wonderful weekend!

Weekend Part 1

I had a wonderfully exhausting weekend! On Friday, I left work a little early and headed up to Decatur to my mom's house. We had planned on meeting my aunt and then driving to Huntsville to see my cousin Julie's new baby boy. Unfortunately, when I got there, Mom had a terrible sinus headache. So I talked with her for a while, met my Aunt Joan and we headed to the hospital. Oh. My. Word. Garrett is SO precious!

We took turns handing him back and forth while visiting with Julie and Bryan. Before we left, I was holding Garrett against my tummy. He started fussing and I felt several small kicks in front. Someone was saying hello to his new cousin, not happy because of the noise or saying get off my mommy! I am hoping it was the first!

After we left the hospital, Joan and I had dinner and a great time catching up with each other. She dropped me off at my car and I went to spend the night with my Mom.

I got up early on Saturday and headed back to Birmingham to attend a very special little guy's birthday party. I first met Lane in my nursery class at church. I was instantly crazy about him! I then got to know his sweet parents through a small group. I love them and am so thrilled they have "claimed" me as family! LOL!

Here is the birthday boy:

The awesome cake Jessica made:

I had a great time with good food, good company and some great Lane Lovin'!

There was lots more in store for the weekend but I (or Joseph) will need to download the pictures and then I will post! Have a great day:)

Baby News

Joseph and I went to my sonogram appointment yesterday morning. We were both so excited that we could hardly stand it! They called us back and the technician got right to work. She wanted to do all the measuring and then show us. I couldn't see the screen so I watched Joseph's face. FINALLY, she turned the screen around and I got the first look at our sweet little babe growing inside of me. Surreal. Wonderful. Amazing.

She asked if we were ready to find out the sex. Of course we were ready!!! She pointed out one leg and then the other. She then asked, "see this right between the legs"? We both answered yes and she said "IT'S A BOY"!!! Even though I could clearly see between the legs, I still thought she was going to say that it was a girl! Denial? I'm not sure! Ha! Joseph said he had a feeling, although his "feeling" for the first several weeks was "girl". He was actually more excited that the baby is boy than if we were having a girl! I have nannied for several families with boys, so I know how precious that little boy love will be! Now that it has finally sunk in, I am SO EXCITED!!!

My sweet cousin Julie had her baby last night (after 14 hours of labor)! I am driving up after work today and cannot wait to get my hands on sweet Garrett! She and I are 7 months apart and our boys will be 5 months apart. We are both thrilled that they will have each other and hope that they will become great friends like their mothers.

This weekend is going to be insanely busy with baby visiting, a birthday party, cooking and a bridal shower. Hopefully, I will remember my camera so I can post some pictures.

Have a great weekend!

Shopping on Saturday

Joseph surprised me by taking Saturday off from work. My plans were to do some shopping and he agreed to come along. We have been talking FOREVER about getting a new mattress so that was our first stop. They had a great sale going on and I jotted down information on several that we liked. As soon as we got into the car, I called one of my BFFs, FJ, to discuss. He sales in mattresses in another state and he knows his stuff. We were on the right track so we continued on with our shopping.

After visiting several furniture stores, we decided to go to Rooms To Go. I have been looking for a chair, coffee and end tables and thinking about a new bedroom suit. We ended up with the bedroom suit. I am very excited and pleased with our purchase but also a little bummed that I still haven't found a chair that I love for the living room (as if anybody cares LOL). Here are some pictures (taken with cell so they are not the best).






When we went back to get the mattress, they were able to deliver the same day as the other store. It all worked out because J was off work yesterday and was able to be home for it to be delivered. Bless his heart, he moved all the furniture that was in our master to a guest room by himself! He definitely deserves a sheet of gold stars!

One of our other stops on Saturday was to a pet supply store. We were in search of a bark deterant. We have a neighbor who owns a german shepard. This dog literally barks from the time it steps outside until it goes back inside. This barking can sometimes last for HOURS. Appartently, the owner can block it out. We cannot. We found an Ultrasonic Outdoor Bark Control device that is completely safe.

It looks like a bird house and oddly enough, the same colors as our house. Joseph actually hung it while that particular neighbor watched from his deck. So far, we have not had the exact results we had hoped for but we are going to move it closer to their yard in hopes that will work (it has to be within 50 ft of animal). Wish us luck!

We ended our day with dinner at Outback. It was SO good! The best part of the day was that Joseph was there with me. I love him so much!

My 18 week check-up is on Thursday! We will be finding out the sex of the baby! I will post the results!!!

17 Weeks!

WOW! I cannot believe I am already 17 weeks pregnant! I had totally planned on posting pictures last week but came down with a nasty cold. The days I was home from work were filled with coughing, sneezing, napping and watching television. Getting up from the couch would have taken WAY too much energy. Since I actually thought about a belly picture today, I took one of myself in the bathroom at work. Please excuse the toilet stalls in the background! :)

There have been several times that I "thought" I felt the baby move. Yesterday, while sitting at my desk, a little movement in my tummy stopped me in my tracks! I can now say that I did feel the baby move!!! It happened again after a 3 am bathroom trip! It was wonderful and a little strange. I loved it and look forward to more movement.

At this point, I still haven't had a lot of cravings. If I crave something, it is usually something cold and slushy (i.e. an icee or fruit slush). If this continues, the employees at Chevron and Sonic will know me by name! I am trying to limit the icees since they have caffeine but I do allow myself one occasionally.

Another blogger was talking about pregnancy brain in a recent post. I thought I would share this story before I forget. LOL! Over the weekend, I got a much needed pedicure. After he was finished and sat me at the dryer, I pulled out my wallet and tipped him. I then stuck my wallet back into my purse and waited for my toes to dry. Once I was dry, I gathered my belongings and walked my happy self right out the door without paying! Eventually, he did catch me. Since his English wasn't very good, he just looked at me and smiled. I stood there wondering what in the world I had forgotten and then "the light came on" and I started apologizing and paid the man! Seriously, oh my word! Last week, I also stopped for some candy, paid for it and walked out without it! I am praying that I will get these brain cells back!

Have a great day!

15 Weeks!

I can hardly believe that I am already 15 weeks pregnant! These have been LONG days but fast weeks! I have been taking some belly pics but have no idea where the camera cord is so I have not been able to download them.

Last Thursday, I went to the doctor for a check-up. She told me I could change my prenatal vitamins because I believed they were making the nausea worse. I am so happy to say that I have felt SO much better this week. Praise you Jesus!!! So whether I was at the "turning point" or it was the vitamins, I don't know and don't care! I am just so relieved that I can take more than a teeny tiny sip of water without getting sick!

The only things that I have had an actual craving for is coke icees, life savers and lemonheads (which I have not eaten in YEARS). I did buy banana pops last week and they are HEAVENLY:).

This weekend is going to be busy but I do plan to locate the camera cord and get some pictures posted. I hope. Have a great weekend!!!

First things First

January 2010 was most definitely a month of firsts! It was the first month of a brand new year, the month we moved into our first new house together and we found out we are expecting our first child!

Whew...January was a very busy first month!


More to come soon...

Haiti

After hearing the news about the aftershock in Haiti this morning, I got online to get more information. I came across pictures of some children from the Love A Child orphanage in Port-au-Prince. I had this overwhelming need to scoop up each child and love on them. I want to kiss those sweet cheeks and wipe away tears. At one point, I had to reach up and touch their pictures on my computer screen while praying for them. I have heard others saying some of the same things but it wasn't until I saw those faces, that I truly understood. My husband and I moved this past weekend and I have been so busy that I haven't even watched the news. I have been keeping up with some of the stories online and through blogs. But this morning...the severity truly hit me. I want to do something. I want to help. I know that I cannot jump on plane and bring them all home so I will continue to PRAY and I am going to go the Compassion International (https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/disasterrelief.htm?referer=105120SocialSponsorshipBlitz) site and give a donation.

Keep praying for Haiti!!!

Happy New Year

Last night the hubby and I rang in the new year by packing our apartment. We were so tired that we were in the bed a few minutes before midnight. When the clock struck 12, we said happy new year, shared a smooch and went to bed! Exciting, I know.

What is exciting is that we will be moving into our new house one week from tomorrow! We have been so incredibly blessed! Not only with a new home but with friends who selflessly have helped us(some who we truly could not have done this without)! A HUGE thank you goes out to them and no matter how many times I say it, it will never be enough. We love each and every person that lended a hand and we pray that you will be blessed in return!

Joseph had to work a few hours today and I am home cooking and packing (as soon as I finish this post). I am very excited about our New Year's Day feast! This is the first year that I have actually cooked. We usually eat with others or once I just warmed up some canned peas and greens. Today I am going all out (for my standards).

The Menu:

Black Eyed Peas (seasoned with ham)
Greens
Potatoes & Onions
Ham
Corn Bread
BBQ Weenies (not sure why other than they were on sale and my man likes them)

It is starting to smell REALLY good in here!

Happy New Year!!!

Praying for Stellan

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Please keep praying!!!

Check MckMama's blog for updates

One Prayer

Our chuch kicked off One Prayer last weekend. I am so excited to be part of something so awesome! What is One Prayer, you ask? Go check out the website www.oneprayer.com or keep reading (below is info from the website)!!!

One Prayer 2009: One Prayer began in 2008 with a simple idea: We pray to Jesus asking Him to answer our prayers – what if we became the answer to His? He prayed that we would be one, and One Prayer is an opportunity to see what can be accomplished when the Church works together.
Last June, thousands of churches formed unprecedented partnerships across cities, continents, denominations, and cultures. More than two million believers stood together to learn, pray, fast, and love others. This year, we'll be joining forces once again as we go out into the world to share, serve and give during One Prayer 2009.

I just read that 1,847 churches are now a part of One Prayer. That is approximately 1,002,091 in attendance! Jesus, may we be a light in the dark world. Thank you Lord!!!

Prayer Request

I know there are so many people who need prayer. Today I want to ask you to focus on this family http://www.noahsroad.com/ . Check out their blog and read sweet Noah's story.

For more information on shaken baby syndrome, you can go to shakenbaby.org or check out the links on Noah's blog.

Have a blessed day!

Also check out http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-do-you-like-my-house.html (see previous blogs as well to learn more about this trip). This is from Melissa who is on the Compassion trip to Kolkata (Calcutta). Talk about breaking my heart...

The Laptop

My husband needed a laptop for school. I heard this many, many, many times. This was my year to choose how we spent the tax refund money. I decided to be sneaky and buy him a new laptop. I ordered one from Dell and the lead time was three weeks. In the meantime, he was dead-set on finding one. I finally decided to tell him about it but I wanted some element of surprise. So, I made a laptop out of cardboard and hid the receipt in it. He picked me up for a lunch date and we went to Logan's. As soon as we got there, he went to the restroom and I put it on the table (I have a REALLY big purse). At first glance, he thought the waitress had forgotten to clean off the table! I told him to open it and as he did, I told him I knew he really wanted a laptop but that was the best I could do right now. The rest went down like this:

Joseph: Awe, thanks babe!

Me: Why don't you read that paper stuck in there?

Me: Do you know what that is?

Joseph: It is the details of a laptop.

Me: Not just any laptop...YOUR laptop!!!

He was so excited that he truly did not know what to say. And that my friend, does not happen very often!

The actual computer came in on Tuesday...

I love him so much!!!

Easter Weekend

I just received some wonderfully exciting news...

This weekend at Church of the Highlands:

19,404 people attended one of our 19 weekend services and 2,310 people made decisions for Christ!!!

I have to give God some praise and thank Pastor Chris for bringing an awesome message! Oh, I cannot forget the praise team...they rocked!

a little etsy love: Monday Giveaway-Noodles & Milk

a little etsy love: Monday Giveaway-Noodles & Milk

This is such a cute shop! I am attending several baby showers over the next few months and I know where I will be shopping!!! Check it out:)

Also, if there is anyone out there, I am determined to become a better blogger. I read several almost everyday but actually blog...twice a year??? I'm working on it! God Bless:)

Sunday Night

OK, so I went with Martha to FBC Trussville last night to see/hear Travis Cottrell and part of his team in concert. It was fabulous (as if that needed to be stated)! After the concert, we chatted with a few people, all the while I kept my eye on the people lined up to meet Travis. I really wanted to say hi and get a pic with him to share with my Bible study girls tonight. I saw an opening and Martha & I flew up the aisle. I introduced myself (and completely forgot about Matha...whoops...sorry girl:O) Well, I went from 29 years old to 9 in 2.5 seconds flat...ok well who am I kidding, it was like 1.5 sec.! I totally went 5th grader standing on stage with T.C.! AND THEN, I made him pose with us while I took the photo...ahem...Travis will you be my bff? Check yes or no! I'm a dork. With all the excitment, I forgot to tell him that his coat was absolutely rockin'!
I get home and told my husband. His response, "I'm glad I wasn't with you. I definitely would have acted like I didn't know you and walked away." Thanks honey. Love you too.

Coming soon...

I cannot wait to blog about my Deeper Still Atlanta trip! However, I am still trying to process everything! As soon as I comb over my notes, I will post! In the meantime, IT WAS AMAZING! Kay, Beth and Priscilla taught with such an authority only the Lord Almighty can give! Many, many, many thanks to these wonderful women who allow God to work through them in such a mighty way! I love you each dearly:)