Is there anything sweeter?

Than a sleeping baby????
This is one of the only pictures I have of Trigger sleeping...all the other ones I have are from when he was a newborn.
I just love a sleeping baby!!!!

Do we have an Emeril?

Trigger loves to "cook". And, I sometimes wonder what he will be when he grows up...maybe he will be a chef like Emeril and he can come cook for his momma!
You will notice in one of the pictures that Trigger has a pan up to his mouth. He was actually trying to spit inside the pan and then he would stir his spit around...i don't think he actually got spit in it...or at least I hope not. That's the joys of having boys! :)

Sundays

Last Sunday, Trigger was in a fairly good mood after we got home from church so I took some pictures of him. I have become very bad about taking candid pictures of Trigger...shame on ME! Anyway, there is nothing special to post. Since these are pictures after church, I will tell you a little bit about Trigger and church. He attends Sunday school with children around his age. Apparently, he is the most "active" child...I know this only because I have been told by MANY workers :)! It's always nice when your child is THE active one...and I'm NOT naive...I know what "active" means because I have used that word as a teacher to describe a child that is OUT OF CONTROL!!!! I think he has a good time while he is there; however, dropoff isn't so pleasant. He cries as soon as he sees the door. Poor baby...he's so sheltered. I mean I would cry too if for once a week I was left with what he considers strangers...the rest of the week he is with me, Matt, his Izzy, or his Grammy....YEP...SHELTERED. I think the middle part of Sunday School goes okay. He loves Mr. Dan (one of his teachers). I've heard that Trigger is his helper when he gets snacks. However, somewhere around the end of hour 2, Trigger breaks down...he just can't make it for that long without his family ESPECIALLY without a nap. Anyway, on to pictures!
I know Trigger looks like Matt...we get told that ALL the time. HOWEVER, check out those toes....they could not look more like his Uncle Seth...IDENTICAL!!!

1, 2, 3...

Trigger loves my camera...and always tries to steal it off the counter or table. I finally broke down and gave him my old camera (35mm) because I will NEVER use it. He loves it.


Apparently, he likes to take pictures of himself...who can blame him...he is used to his momma pointing the camera toward him.
He has gotten to where if I ask him, "Trigger, can mommy take your picture". And he will shake his head and in his oh so sweet voice say, "no, no, no"...PRECIOUS!!!!
P.S. I only ask when I don't really care...the times that matter, I do NOT ask! As my professor in college would always say, "you never ask a child a question unless you are prepared for the answer to be NO! If you don't want them to say NO, don't ask. Instead, tell them "I need you to..." Seriously doubting this advice will help me with my child because he would probably tell me NO anyway...but good advice when teaching!

DENNNIISSSS.....

This picture below sooo reminds me of Denis the Menice. The blonde hair...not to mention he has the perfect sprout sticking up...AND he's in the corner. Matt and I are working on being a little more consistent with our discipline. Trigger is now familiar with THE corner. We started out by standing behind him because he wouldn't stay but now he will pretty much stay there by himself. He ONLY cried the first two times he had to stand there...doesn't care now. He thinks it's boring though because he lays his head on the wall and puts his hands up on each side of the wall and taps his fingers like, "haha, Mom. This is boring and i'm not gonna let you get to me"....which makes me want to yell, "ahhhhh...what am i going to do with this independent, stubborn child?" and he's only 19 months.

I have a feeling we have a loooonnnngggg road ahead of us...

Snow Day

Last week we had an unusualy occurance here in Ruston. IT SNOWED...and snowed alot. Soooo...Friday morning, before Matt went to work, we got Trigger up and bundled him in several layers of clothes. AND..we took him out to play in the snow. Before he got all wet and dirty, we took a few pictures with him



Then, Matt put Trigger down in the snow. This was his response....

.
He did not like the snow on his boots...
So...I tried....hahaha...that was worse...surely his sweet mama wouldn't put him down in that yucky white stuff!

Here's our house and yard covered in snow...


More of my sweet little boy...










Towards the end, Trigger fell down.

When he got up, he was UPSET that he had snow on his mittens.

Infertility

Okay...so I ran across this blog a few months ago. She posted about infertility last spring. I just read the post again and thought it was so good that I would copy and paste it to my blog. Matt and I do not have major infertility issues. However, we were told that we will always have to have a proceedure (IUI) to get pregnant. Most of our problems are after we actually get pregnant...but we did try for 18 months before we finally found out our problem and got pregnant with Trigger. Not being able to get pregnant (especially when it seems like everyone around you gets pregnant on the first month trying), is NOT FUN! It's stressful....However, Matt and I learned alot from our miscarriages, infertility, pregnancy troubles/hospitalization, and preemie baby! I really am thankful that God gave us those trials so that we could grow closer to him and closer to each other...and let me tell you, that precious baby (Trigger) that is asleep in his crib is LOVED...because we soooo tried hard and prayed hard to get him here!!! He's truly a miracle!
Some of the things we learned throughout our trials, were things to NEVER say to someone that has infertility. Here is what "The Land of Oz" says in her post:

This week is National Infertility Week. Did you know that 7.3 million Americans suffer from this disease........surprised? I was until we became one of those statistics. I hope you know that infertility is not an easy thing to go through or to talk about. It's not fair.......it's embarrassing......and it down right stinks! But, I'm glad that I know God's heart......and that He is good. He was good 3 years ago when we were slapped with the devastating label of infertile. He is good today as my precious, miracle twins are snuggled up together sleeping. And, He will be good tomorrow when I am faced with that oh-so-perfectly timed reminder that we are still one of those 7.3 million. Because I know that He is good, I believe our trial has a purpose. I am only now beginning to see glimpses of this purpose, but I know that someday it will all be clear. One of those glimpses is found in this verse:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
I want to share some things that God used to bring comfort to me and my hubby during our infertility journey. I hope you will be able to share these tips, resources and advice as you show compassion to a friend or family member who is still in the midst of their own struggle.
"A good person's mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp." Proverbs 10:31
Things NOT to say to someone suffering from infertility:
1. "You are just stressed. You need to go on a trip and stop trying".....and then add that it worked for your sister-in-law's cousin's friend. Stress does NOT cause infertility........EVER! Infertility causes stress!
2. "Just adopt"....and then add, "There are so many babies up for adoption that need good homes, and people who adopt always end up getting pregnant." Nope there aren't. Nope they don't. While adoption is a WONDERFUL way to become a parent, it is a God thing........something that must be bathed in much prayer (and only after couples are able to first cope with their infertility).......it is not an "easy fix." While there are lots of babies "who need good homes," that doesn't mean that they are "available for adoption." And, just because your roommate's old gym teacher adopted and then turned up pregnant, it is not the norm. Adoption does not cure blocked tubes, correct ovarian disease or give bad "swimmers'" lessons.
3. "Why don't you try.........." Don't give pointers about crazy positions, boxers, herbs/creams, relaxation techniques or old wives' tale remedies. Most couples have a REAL medical diagnosis and factual lab work from a reproductive specialist. Maybe you think the pillow propping worked for you, but I GUARANTEE that your infertile friend has already tried this and it didn't work!
4. "Well at least you have.........." The desire to have a baby with the man/woman you love is not overridden by the fact that you have a good job, a nice home, or a great spouse. This is not helpful. Remember, it is because they have a "great" spouse that they want to have a baby.
5. "You're lucky to have freedom.....my kids are driving me crazy!" Please realize that this person would gladly suffer any physical pain, grocery store toddler meltdowns and countless sleepless nights for just the chance to "enjoy" what you are complaining about. I remember being at Wal-Mart and hearing a lady scream at her little toddler, "You make me so mad...I could kill you!" I cried as I passed by the diaper isle and thought, "Lady, I'd give my right arm for a little girl like that.......temper-tantrum and all."
"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. "Romans 12:15
Some Compassionate Tips:
1. While it is super-hard for a person suffering with infertility to hear that another friend is pregnant, it is even harder to be surprised with the news at a party or in public. It is not that your suffering friend it not happy for you; they are just sad about their situation. The most loving thing to do if you are pregnant or know that another acquittance is pregnant is to share the news with your infertile friend in private before an event where the new will be shared. It is a lot easier to deal with when you can get over it at home rather than being bombarded with the news at a social function where there is no closet to cry in.
2. If you are hosting a baby shower, send your infertile friend an invitation. But, attach a loving note explaining that you completely understand if they choose not attend. You may even want to add that you would be happy to pick up a gift for them or go in together on a present. (Shopping for baby things is really difficult when you have been told that you may never your own baby to buy things for.)
3. Be sensitive. Watch out for word vomit! You would never discuss the latest selection of VS bra's with a mastectomy patient or trendiest hair styles with a chemo patient. So, don't talk about baby stuff with an infertility patient. Only discuss your children if he/she brings them up, and try not to complain about them.
4. Don't complain or joke about your amazing fertility. Quotes like: "If my hubby just looks at me I get prego!" "All of our kids are accidents." "We can't even share a bar of soap!" "I can't wait to get him fixed!" "The doctor says, I'm fertile Myrtle!" "We just always pick a birthday"................are extremely insensitive and hurtful to a person desperately wanting a child.
"A friend loves at all times" Proverbs 17:17

If you are having infertility problems or have a friend that is, I hope this helps. It really summed up how I felt/feel!!!

Udder Covers

Hey, expectant mommas! I just found THE best deal!!!! (Matt says that I say that often....haha) Seriously though...this is a good deal. If you are planning to nurse or pump, you will NEED one of these. I got a nursing cover after Trigger was born and used it everytime I pumped at school, in the car, or just around other people. I had already decided that I was going to need to buy another one because mine was so used. Well...tonight I was reading a blog and this girl posted something about this promo code. I really thought that I had probably missed the exp date but I DID NOT! See....it pays to read blogs, Matthew!!!! Anyway, if you are interested, you can go to www.uddercovers.com. Choose which cover you would like and enter the promo code: cranberry2 when checking out. The covers are $32 and shipping is $10. The code gives you a discount of the cost of the cover...therefore, you only have to pay the shipping....I THOUGHT THAT WAS AWESOME!!!! They would also be great gifts too....hmmm...
Here's the cover I ordered.
https://www.uddercovers.com/jones.html
VERY CUTE...hope someone gets to take advantage of this deal~

Pregnancy Update

Pregnancy update: I am doing good...scared to death every time I go to the dr that he's going to tell me to pack it up at school and go home (or to the hospital) for the duration! Since I haven't given you any kind of update on here since we announced we were pregnant, let me give a quick...quick update!
We went to Dr. Jones (at Schumpert) right before Christmas. WE LOVED, LOVED him...first of all, the facility can't even be compared to LSUS's. Sooooo much nicer. They don't over book their patients so you never have to wait more than 10 minutes...ahhhh...it's alll sooo nice. AND to top it off, Dr. Jones is so nice and VERY, VERY intelligent. annnnddd, he learned about my craziness at the first visit....but he went with it and even gave me printouts to read. He switched my shots to Lovenox instead of Heparin because it is more high powered and only once a day. The draw back is that the shot hurts...way worse than the heparin. We will switch back over to Heparin at 36 weeks (if we make it that far) because you can't be given an epidural when you are on Lovenox...WHAT? that can NOT happen! However, Dr. Harper still thinks I am probably looking at a C-Section anyway so that won't matter.
I have been seeing Dr. Harper either every week or every other week depending on how my bp looks. It's nice going to the dr. often bc it gives me that reassurance but it sure is time consuming! I did start having contractions around 16 weeks...as many as 4 a day...they have slowed down some but still have them every day. Dr. Harper said it's fine as long as they aren't regular...it's just scary for me...the other thing is that my bp has already started to go up. He just upped my bp medicine in hopes that it will stop going up. I'm checking it regularly and it's not going up but it is definitely higher than my normal. The good news is that we can still go up on my meds. and I'm trying to take it easy....hahahahaha...with an 19 month old that constantly needs to be in the corner..that's funny!
So..please pray that the bp medicine will work. My goal is to make it at work til the end of tax season (April 15th) because that would just make it a little easier on my sweet husband! I will 31 weeks by then. With Trigger, I was told to stay at home at 30 weeks (not strict bedrest though), put in the hospital at 32 and delivered at 34. However, I wasn't teaching and I didn't have a TRIGGER at home...so we will see! OF COURSE, we would love for me to be healthy enough to teach til the end of school but I'm trying to be realistic (and prepared)!
We are taking it day by day...so please pray for us!
And, I will leave you with an unflattering picture of my growing belly....I'm 23 weeks right now.

Oh and for those of you that don't know...we are having another BOY! I always knew God would give me boys....I am a boy momma through and through...maybe because I have spent most of my life surrounded by stinky boys! I just hope they always love and cherish their momma! And for those of you that have asked, YES, this is our last...We (and our doctors) think this should be it for my body!
I'll try to do better about updating...not promising though! :)

First Haircut

Trigger got his first haircut on January 29th. He was starting to develop quite a little rat tail...and we just can't have that...especially with a name like Trigger. HAHA! We took Trigger to Mr. Bobby Ledford. Matt gets his haircut by him and so does my dad (and my brother did too when he was little). Mr. Bobby did an AWESOME job with Trigger. I was worried that he would flip out but he was good the whole time!
Anyway, here are some before pictures. The last one is of Mr. Bobby holding Trigger before he got started cutting. Btw, Mr. Bobby has a grandson almost the same age as Trigger so he knew how to win him over!




And, during the haircut...

Christmas at Mamaws

We always go to my grandparent's (Mamaw and Papaw Hood) house on Christmas night. I don't think there has been a 25th night that I haven't spent with my sweet grandparents. We had a good time and got to meet Andrew Audi (my cousin, Kim's new baby). My cousin Jenny and family couldn't make it because she had a precious baby girl 4 days before Christmas...we missed them! Anyway, here are a few pictures of the Hood crew!








Okay..seriously, this is the LAST post about Christmas.