Wednesday, December 13, 2006
A Long Overdue Update
It is amazing just how busy life can get when you have a mobile infant, an energetic dog and a new kitten cooped up in an 1100 square foot apartment. Not to mention two full grown adults who are still somewhat living out of boxes because said apartment doesn't have near the storage space that our last apartment did. Still, it is better than when we were living in Ocala and had half our things in storage, then some things stored across town at Brad's grandmother's house and the few things we kept available at the Martins. That is why it is so thrilling to finally say- we have a closing date!!! YAY! We have a final walk through/New Home Orientation on March 6 and then we close on March 16th. There is an end in sight! Only 3 more months of apartment life, of boxes stacked in our living room, on our patio. 3 more months of plain white walls and all our pictures under the dresser because we don't want to hang more than is necessary (basically the only room with things hanging on the walls is Savannah's room) We took Savannah to Sears for a portrait session the week of Thanksgiving and when we got back I ended up having to pack a few things away to make room for the new frames I wanted to display with Savannah's pictures. It is so nice to know exactly when we will be moving.
Of course, we have a lease on our apartment through the end of May so either we are going to have to pay out our lease on our apartment or pray that they can get it rented out at the beginning of April. I am not going to hold my breath, though, because there is an apartment across from us that has been sitting empty for almost 2 months now.
Savannah is.... well, what can I say about Savannah? She is beautiful. She is so smart. She has a very serious side- she will study new objects and people for hours. I can never win a staring contest with her. She is tiny- I swear she is going to be a ballerina or a gymnast because- at nine months old- she is wearing 3-6 month clothes and can still fit into a lot of her 0-3 month clothes. She is the same size as her cousin Caleb who is just now 3 months old. She is into everything. Brad and I broke down and bought baby gates because she wants to play in Peyton's water dish all the time. She has the cutest laugh and she lights up each night when her daddy walks through the door. She likes to wrinkle her nose and smiles when you laugh at her. She has an absolute love for her dog and is somewhat interested in the kitten. She takes after her dad and is obsessed with cords of all kinds. She has recently discovered the blinds over the slider and loves to bat at them. She loves to stare at the lights on the Christmas tree. She pulls herself into a standing position on anything that is in her path- including Peyton, as long as he sits still long enough. She just started cruising along the couch and adamantly refuses to take a step without something to hold onto. She used to try to walk (before she could crawl) and now she has discovered that she can get there so much faster by crawling. She might be the most vain child in the world- she absolutely LOVES to look at herself. Whether it be in the mirror or just looking at pictures of herself- even on the computer- it never fails to get a smile out of her. In fact, when we were at Sears we tried everything to get her to smile at the photographer and finally I got out a picture of her and she hammed it up the rest of the session. She is the light of my life, the best part of my day every day. She absolutely HATES her crib. You have never heard a child scream like Savannah does when you go near her crib. I had never planned on co-sleeping with her but when you are in an apartment with paper thin walls and neighbors who have to ask, "What is wrong with that baby?!" it is easier to let her sleep with me than deal with the fall out from our neighbors. I know that once we are in the house I will have some long nights ahead of me but at least there is a good 10 feet between her room and the neighbors. She loves to be held, almost to a fault. I would like nothing more than to sit and hold her all day but there are some days when we have to get things donw around the house and she does not like to be told no. She loves looking at babies. She even loves the word 'baby'. She has said it once or twice, very quietly, but when I repeat it over and over she sits and watches my mouth and you can see her thinking it over in her head. She is an absolute blessing and a gift from God. She is stubborn, even at 9 months. She is so stinking cute. She has discovered the DVD racks and loves to pull them off their shelves. We saw that one coming. She loves food. My sweet girl, the toothless wonder, has a sweet tooth already. I try not to indulge it except for a small sampling from time to time. She loves to watch people eat and I wish so badly for her sake that she had teeth so that I could give her more than the soft fooods she has been sampling. She is so sweet it breaks my heart. She loves to pull my hair. Every time I tell her that one day she, too, will have hair and will realize how bad it hurts when it is pulled. She pulls it again.
I could go on and on and on about her. She is my favorite thing to think about and talk about and write about. I wish I could take every moment of every day and package it up and tie it with a bow and store it for later but instead o have to settle for trying to remember everything for blogland.
In other news, my sister is engaged!! Shawn proposed last Saturday and so now I have a soon-to-be new brother. I am so excited. Shawn is everything I ever hoped that Jaime would find in a man and he is going to be a wonderful addition to our family.
Brad and I went to Atlanta two weekends ago for the SEC Championship game- and left Savannah at home with my mom and sister. For an overnight. It was the first time that I have been away from Savannah for more than just a few hours and it was horrible to leave her behind but so wonderful when I got home- and then held Savannah for the next 12 hours because she did not want to be put down. She screamed when I passed her to Brad so that I could go to the bathroom. It is nice to be missed. But it was a nice break for Brad and I, and a really fun trip with Larry and Janice and Kevin and of course it was wonderful to see the Gators beat Arkansas!
We got home on Sunday night and watched full of anticipation to see them announce that the Gators are going to play Ohio State for the National Championship- and then spent the next few hours looking or affordable flights to Arizona. I am so excited about our trip out West. We fly out on Saturday early morning and get to Arizona at 2:30 local time and get back to Tampa at midnight our time Tuesday night. So we have a few days out there which should be a lot of fun. And Savannah is coming with us this time. So she is going on her first plane trip- lets pray it is a good one!
I will upload some pictures later on today. Somebody is starting to get fussy because Mama has been blogging for a long time. I need to figure out how to upload a slideshow from Flickr because it seems so much easier than even putting together the slideshow like I did last time. Maybe while Savannah is sleeping....
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Thankful
Getting ready for dinner tomorrow with the Martin and Hill families, I realize that I have a lot to be thankful for this year. This year started with three major blessings- Brad took and passed the bar exam on his first try, proving that hard work and dedication really do pay off in the end, and because of this he was offered a job at a firm where he has been working for the last 4 months with two people that he genuinely enjoys spending his days with. And, of course, on the first day of March this year, we were blessed more magnificently than ever imaginable with a beautiful light of life, our sweet Savannah Belle. She is eight months and three weeks old and those days have been filled with the presence of one of God's own angels. Savannah truly is a gift from the heavens that we are oh, so humbled to have in our life. Each day is filled with new discovery and until becoming a parent I had no idea that such miracles really existed in life.
These are the obvious blessings, though. There are a few more, but they have to be mentioned. I am oh so thankful for my parents today. I cannot believe that I would be the person that I am today without their ever present love and support. They have stood behind me and let me become my own person, but never stayed more than a step behind just in case I needed a helping hand. I am eternally grateful for you both and also eternally indebted to you. My only chance of repaying everything you have done for me is to pay it forward, and hopefully I will leave such a lasting impression on my children that you have left for me.
My sister has a special place in my heart. I can't write too much more than that because such things only truly exist in spirit but my big sister really is my closest friend. We have shared more things together than most people ever hope to and this legacy keeps right on going- we will be old ladies with grey hair and cats on our laps in rocking chairs still lauughing over a million of our adventures together. I am more thrilled than anything that she is entering this beautiful stage of life called motherhood because it is one more thing that we can experience together and be an incredible support system for each other.
Next I have to mention my wonderful inlaws. Most people in this country, it seems, enter into a marriage with animosity towards their inlaws and I am one of the lucky few who not only gets along with my husbands parents but I can say that I really love them. Brad would not be the man that he is today without his parents and I am so thankful to them for raising such a wonderful son. I have embraced his family as my own and feel like a real member of their family. This last year has brought us all a lot closer and I am so excited to see how much more our relationship can grow over the years.
Last but certainly not least- Brad. What can I say, really, to the man whom God chose for me to spend my life with? There is no doubt in my mind that our relationship was destined to be. This path we are on right now is definitely a part of the bigger plan. We have been through so much over the last 6 years and have come so far from the college senior/high school senior that we once were. You are my husband, my partner in love and life, but most of all my best friend. I thank God daily for bringing you into my life and what a life it has become. Seeing you become a father has made my love for you grow more than I even thought possible. Watching you with our daughter still brings a tear to my eye and reminds me that I am blessed. So blessed. I love you.
So to you all out there, have a happy Thanksgiving. Remember your families today, and be thankful for everything in your life. I know that I am.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Meet Tebow!!
Meet the newest member of our family- Tebow! She is about 8 weeks old and Savannah absolutely loves her. It is fun having a mischevious kitten in the house! 
Monday, October 23, 2006
Week 8
Not too many changes this week. We have shingles on the roof now, they've added our pretty lamp post in the front yard and covered all the plywood for the duration. They've also pulled up all the plumbing on the inside.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Halloween 2006
Savannah the cow is so excited to share her Halloween pictures with you all! Happy Halloween!
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Monday, October 09, 2006
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Adventures in Breastfeeding
Let me preface this post by saying that I absolutely have to record these moments- every graphic detail- so that twenty-odd years down the line when Savannah has a child (oh, Lord!) I can relay these events to her and we can share a laugh over them like only mother and daughter are able.
Last Thursday was Brad's 28th birthday. Since we were heading to Ocala on Friday for the Gator game, I met Brad at his office so we could just jump right onto the interstate and be in Ocala for dinner time so that we could go to eat with his parents. We decided to stop at Panther Trace and see the progress on our house (we have walls! I will add the photos later) and then we got back on the interstate. We then got stuck in insane Tampa traffic and it took us over an hour to drive what usually takes about 20 minutes. Savannah fell asleep while we were sitting in traffic and then woke up after we had been driving for a while. We were already far behind schedule and everyone was getting hungry- including Savannah- but Brad and I really didn't want to stop for me to feed her. So I pulled down the window shade, unstrapped my seatbelt and precariously balanced on one knee leaning over Savannah's car seat to feed my hungry child. Luckily the sun was starting to set and there wasn't much traffic anymore because it was very difficult to cover myself very well while breastfeeding in a moving vehicle. I figured this feat alone should earn me points toward Mother of the Year. But these acrobatics served their purpose and Savannah was able to fill her little tummy enough to finish the rest of the car ride with a smile on her face, leaving me to wonder, Why on earth didn't I think of this before?!
On Saturday we headed up to Gainesville to watch the Gators play Kentucky. I am very lucky that Brad's parents have seats up in the Champions Club and that I am able to sit up there with Savannah. There is a whole concourse inside- in the air conditioning- with comfortable leather chairs and televisions throughout so I can be at the game without sitting in the heat and humidity with Savannah being spooked everytime the Gators make an offensive play. We get there when everyone is going down to their seats, fins a chair in front of a television and stay there until the end of the game. Yesterday, Brad was sitting with his cousin and friend Ace, so Ace's girlfriend Jen sat up with me in the club seats. At half time, Jen came in from the regular seats in the stadium so I asked her to sit in my chair with my diaper bag so that I could go to the bathroom. I walked down the concourse toward the family bathroom- a single stall with a changing table and a little more room than a handicapped stall. There was someone inside when I got there, so I waited patiently for an older woman (with no family) to exit the restroom. I got inside and locked the door, and decided that while I was in here, I ought to try to get Savannah to eat a little bit because there really isn't anywhere else private enough to breastfeed on the concourse. It was then that I thought of the wonderful product that Julie had told me about just that morning, called a Hooter Hider- essentially a poncho that goes around your neck and covers a wide area so that you can breastfeed discreetly in public. How it would have come in handy this evening!
But there I sat, on the toilet, with my panties around my ankles and Savannah eating when someone came and jiggled the handle on the bathroom door. I tried to call out that the restroom was occupied but it was loud out there and figured that the locked door would speak for itself. Obviously the person on the other side of the door didn't get this, however, because she started banging violently on the door and jiggling the handle relentlessly, trying to get into the bathroom. This added to the stress I was already feeling, trying to collect myself and caused me to get a bloody nose. Great. So now I am still in a very precarious situation only now I have blood trickling out of my nose, making a beeline for my nice, WHITE, sleevless Gator polo. Did I mention it was white? And I was bleeding? Needless to say, the shirt is now in ruins (though Brad's mom is going to attempt to get the blood out)
So I shove some toilet paper up my nose, wriggle back into my panties while holding Savannah like a football under one arm, cover myself up- all while this woman is still banging on the bathroom door. I fling the door open and see a woman in her mid-thirties standing there with a little girl who looked to be about 4 or 5. Our dialogue follows:
Me: "Excuse me, there is somebody in here."
Rude Lady (RL): "My daughter has to go to the bathroom. You have been in there forever."
Me: "I have a bloody nose!"
RL: "You don't need to be in the family bathroom for that!"
Me: "Look, lady, I am trying to breastfeed my six month old daughter here. Your daughter can go in the regular stalls. But you are welcome to come in here while I clean up, but I cannot leave with blood dripping out of my nose!"
So she is standing there staring at me, now not saying anything because, really, what else is a family bathroom for than breastfeeding, and changing diapers and all? Her daughter is obviously potty trained and the only difference between this stall and the other 30+ restroom stalls in the place is the size.... not to mention the other family restroom at the other end of the concourse. While she stood there, dumbfounded, I just shut the door, locked it and went about cleaning myself up. If her daughter really had to go that bad she would have taken me up on my VERY polite offer to join me in the bathroom.... but I was not about to go out in public with blood dripping out of my nose! I made such a mess, too- Savannah ended up with blood on her hands and it was an awful mess... not to mention that, when all was said and done, I had to go and buy a new shirt!
I was just absolutely flabbergasted that someone would ever stand there and bang on a bathroom door. If it was that much of an emergency, why are you wasting so much time harassing me? I was literally shaking when I finally emerged. When Brad's mom came down, I was relaying the story to her and there was a man who was sitting in the chairs beside us, who looked to be an EMT or something and when I was finished he said, "I don't mean to eavesdrop, but I have to tell this to my wife when I get home!"
I guess this is one of those experiences that will be funny, one day, so here it goes into the world of bloggers. Maybe I'll laugh, one day...
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
On the Road Again
Right after we moved to Bradenton the air conditioner in Brad's car broke. The entire compressor broke down which ended up making it so that his car wouldn't even turn on. For some reason the closest compressor for his car that the mechanic could locate was in New Jersey and would cost $1100 just for the part, then close to another $1000 for the installation, so we decided that Brad would just drive my car for a while. Our mechanic rerouted one of the belts to bypass the compressor so that the car was drivable, but anyone who lives in Florida knows it is not comfortable to drive in the summer without air conditioning... especially when you don't have power windows!!
My dad was able to locate a part for us so two weeks ago we had a friend install it and it ended up saving us around $1400. So now Brad is back to driving his car and Savannah and I are back on the road again. It was difficult for me, basically being stuck at the apartment all day because the car sitting outside raised the internal temperature of the car so high that I hated to put Savannah in the car unless it was absolutely necessary- basically for emergency's only. Luckily we didn't have any emergencies and we managed to sustain ourselves in the apartment, but it is a wonderful feeling to be able to go run errands if need be.
So today Savannah had her 6 month check-up. We had to reschedule because her original appointment ended up being scheduled for the week we had Brad's car fixed so Savannah and I had no way of getting to the appointment so she was two weeks behind schedule. In the last two and a half months, Savannah has been busy growing... she weighed 13 pounds, 4.5 ounces! I couldn't believe it- she has almost doubled her birth weight. She measured 24 1/2 inches long, too, our long and skinny girl did. She is still a little small for her age but is growing proportinately for herself so everything looks great. Dr Logan was so thrilled with her physical development and couldn't believe that she has already said 'ma ma' and 'da da' and her new favorite, 'ya ya'. Too bad we aren't Greek, or else she would be calling her grandma!
The past few weeks have been full of adventure for Savannah. She is thoroughly enjoying trying out new foods and has spent the last week or so scooting around on the floor quite successfully. She's still not quite figured out how to crawl but when she wants to get somewhere she can definitely make it happen. Peyton has become her best friend and the two of them are too cute together. Peyton loves to lay on Savannah's blankets on the floor with or without her and he is so good with her. She has become very interested in the tags on his collar and pulls at them and his ears and Peyton takes it all in stride. Savannah loves it when he gives her kisses- she closes her eyes, opens her mouth and sticks her tongue out. We have yet to get a picture of it but it will definitely be one for the album if we can ever time it right!
Monday, September 11, 2006
Under Construction
It didn't take as long as we had expected it to, but on September 1, Brad and I got the call that the builder had received our permit from Hillsborough County to start construction on our house! On our way back to Bradenton after the first football game we stopped to see if they had posted the permit in our yard yet. Even better, they had cleared the lot and laid the planks outlining our house! We stopped again yesterday and they have pulled all the water lines up and it looks like they are getting ready to pour the foundation in the next week or so! Brad and I are so excited to see something actually taking place on our house- now I know the next few months are going to fly by and before we know it we will be moving in!
Caleb Has Arrived!
A big congratulations to Chris, Julie and Grace Martin on the arrival of their beautiful baby boy! Caleb Dale Martin was born on September 9, 2006 at 8:29 pm weighing 8 pounds and measuring 20 3/4 inches long. He is just as sweet as can be with a head full of dark, thick hair. We love you so much, sweet boy!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Six Months
Dear Savannah,
Tomorrow you are six months old.
It is almost impossible for me to really accept that it was six months ago today that we knew you were coming tomorrow. I remember in such specific detail how I felt when Dr Bruner told us he was going to induce labor and that they had an opening first thing the next day. It was such a mixture of nerves and excitement- I had butterflies in my stomach for 24 hours straight. I felt so unprepared- your Daddy and I ran around town all day, making sure we had everything that we would need for when you came home from the hospital. We got into bed that night and I spent the next 8 hours lying awake in bed, so excited that I couldn’t get a minute’s sleep. I lay there, imagining what your face would look like, what you would smell like and feel like in my arms after so many months of feeling you from within. I felt your strong kicks for the last time and just held my hands pressed against my swollen belly feeling those movements, the movements that had me so excited the first time I felt them and sustained me throughout my entire pregnancy. It was a connection between the two of us, something I could never share with anyone else, now matter how hard I tried. There are no words to describe how a little movement could make me fall so in love with a little person who I had never even met, but for in my dreams.
Little girl, you are every dream come true.
And now you are six months old. I can hardly put my mind around that thought. Oh, how you have grown in just half of a year. Still so tiny, so petite that strangers are awed when we reveal your age. Such a dainty little girl, the way little girls should be. How I treasure the ability to still hold you close to me, as close as I can possibly get to you. You bring tears to my eyes just watching you grow up- I am trying to drink it all in, to remember each and every moment for the rest of my life but I know that it will pass so quickly and I will only have photographs to remember your sweetness by.
You are trying so hard every day to crawl. You have become proficient in scooting around the living room in circles, sometimes resorting to moving backwards to get where you want to be. You’ve gone so far as to get up on all fours (with a little help from mama and daddy) and rock back and forth but you are not quite brave enough to maneuver your little body forward. Just this week you uttered your first word- “dada”- a sound that filled your Daddy’s heart with so much love and excitement. He will never tire of hearing you say his name- whether you whisper it, as you have delighted in doing today- or yell it out when he walks through the door after a long day at work. At night when we are getting you ready for bed, you repeat it over and over and over, as if you are trying not to forget this new trick you learned, and then it is the first thing on your lips when you wake in the morning. It is as if you think about it, dream about it all night and have to try it out just to make sure it didn’t slip away in your slumber, never to be remembered again.
You bring such joy to my life, Savannah Belle, and I can only pray that you will live your life in the way the Lord has set forth for you, that you will forever cherish your family and God above all else in your life. I don’t even want to think of you growing up but I pray that when you do, you don’t ever change your sweet temper and disposition. I love you more than words can describe, no matter how many different ways I try to tell you. You are my love, my life, my firstborn angel sent directly from heaven to my life and I cherish you in a way I never knew possible.
All My Love,
Mama.
