Our new way of riding

We made the switch to forward facing!  This tall boy (still 95% for height) couldn't move his legs around facing backwards, and wasn't able to look around as much.  He is definitely happier this way.  Now I just have to learn to not play peek a boo with him in traffic...

Here is a picture I got with my phone this morning as we were headed to drop him off at my Mom's so I could go to school.  Just ANOTHER small milestone that I can not believe we are hitting.  A post on his birthday is on the way now that the beginning of the school year has calmed down and stress levels are lowering :)

drumroll please....

Ok that was a bit dramatic.  I have been waiting all summer to find out where my internship is going to be, and I am THRILLED to be able to finally say.......

LABOR & DELIVERY

I have a renewed excitement for the semester to begin.  It is an honor and a privilege to be able to work in this area.  I feel so blessed to be chosen for something that I feel passionate about.  Praise the Lord!

Playing

So I have been told that some people can not see videos that I post on the blog.  I am not sure what else to do because it is working on my computer.  Any ideas?  Hope this one works!

This is a great example of our evenings.  After bathtime...before bedtime...we have a very active boy on our hands.  He is either awake and going 100mph or asleep.  Rarely is there a middle ground.  He sure does keep us on our toes!



Vacation Week: Part Two

Usually where there is a part one, a part two follows.  Sorry for the delay!  For the second half of our week we headed to north Georgia to Sky Valley.  It is almost in North Carolina.  We actually drive through North Carolina for a little while in order to reach Sky Valley.  Ben's aunt and uncle have a beautiful cabin (for sale if you are interested...) with perfect views.  I could live on their back porch.  We had a fun time hiking, exploring, eating wonderful food and spending time with family.  It also did not hurt that is was at least 10 - 15 degrees cooler in Sky Valley than in Huntsville.  It felt wonderful!  We did so many things that I am just going to have to explain picture by picture.  

Ma-Maw and GrandBob with the grandkids and great-grandson at the waterfall

Parker and GrandBob - so cute!

The Hikers (minus Mike and Uncle John)

This warning sign should have been a huge red flag for me...saying it wasn't easy is an understatement.    Going down into the gorge was not difficult.  It was the climbing out that was so painful.

This picture does not do it justice.  It was a straight drop!  And a long way down!

Once we made it down, it was beautiful.  The climb down was really fun.  We had to climb from rock to rock over the river, use a few ropes, and go on some swinging bridges so get down there.  It reminded me of hiking in Auburn's state park, Chewacla, but this was just more strenuous.  The hike down was easily my favorite part of the hike.

There was a natural rock slide at the bottom.  It was fun to watch the guys slide down.   

This is for the people from church who read this blog...your pastor  courageously went down the slide.  Please also note that he is wearing an Auburn shirt...people kept on saying War Eagle to him on the trail and he just smiled.  That is evidence of the love you have for your children for a Bama fan to wear an Auburn shirt.

Some of us just rested once we got to the bottom.  It was fun to watch everyone go down the slide.    There was a wide variety of people, and it was endlessly entertaining.  Brooke actually fell asleep!

Even though the rock slide looked fun, the prospect of climbing back up in wet clothes did not appeal to us.    It sure did feel good to stick our feet in the water though!

I regret not getting pictures of Uncle John and Joe, but they went exploring behind the "Do Not Enter" sign which was far away from my camera.  Of course that is where Joe went...They have a history of this behavior.

I wish this picture did justice to the steepness of of climb up.  I am currently in the worst shape of my life (started running to turn that around...ugh) so I had to stop several times to catch my breath.  It was like doing lunges up a mountain.  If you got too close to the person in front of you, you would get kicked in the face.  That. Is. Steep.

Back at the cabin it was time to rest.  This was the view from the back porch in the mornings.

And this was the view at night.

It was such a wonderful trip.  We are blessed to have so much family that we love spending time with.

Vacation Week: Part One

We were away on vacation all of last week.  For the first half of the week, we celebrated the 4th of July with my side of the family at the Barnsley Gardens in GA.  19 people in one house might sound crazy, but it was wonderful!  It was one of the nicest places I have ever been.  The homes were beautiful, the gardens were beautiful and there was no shortage of fun with the pool and lawn games.  Even more beautiful than the landscape was the reason we were there...to celebrate and thank my GiGi and Grandad for the many (countless) ways they have blessed us.  I love them both more than I can say.  

 

The Big 5-0

 My dad turned 50 in June, so we had a surprise party for him at our house.  I can't take credit for the idea...or the planning.  I just cleaned the house and opened the door for my sisters and mom to bring the food and the guests to arrive.  We actually pulled off the surprise (even though all the cars were parked in the church parking lot right in front of the house and I thought there was no way he would miss it!)  It was fun to celebrate with our family and friends, and I know it was special for my dad.

 No birthday is complete without a cookie cake!

You would think that all of these wonderful people would be looking at the birthday boy....

...but this little guy was the entertainment for the night.  He is turning into quite the performer.  Thankfully he did not pick up an ounce of his mother's shyness.

I am so thankful for my sweet Dad.  I already knew that he was a great father, husband, and friend but now we get to add being an awesome Pops to his resume!

My Little Fish

Parker went from being terrified of the water to being a little fish.  He loves to kick, splash, and lay in his float.  I see summer swim team in our future.  We went to the Hampton Cove pool with the Calverts one evening and as you can see Parker was having a great time.  He also knows that he is getting his picture taken when he sees a phone so he always pauses what he is doing for a big cheesy smile.  He obviously did not get that from me...much more like his daddy.  ;)

Pictures for family

We have many family members and friends that read this blog who don't have Facebook.  Gasp!  No Facebook??  A lot of the time I think I should join them.  Since they don't have Facebook they miss out on some of the more random pictures we post so I want to share a few extras.  

This is when Parker was able to meet Aubie at an Auburn baseball game.  Ben was so excited about this moment and it was very cute to watch.  We are shamelessly grooming Parker to be a huge Auburn fan.

One of Parker's favorite foods is avocados.  I can just cut one into tiny pieces and he will sit there and eat it all until it is gone.  The problem with avocados (and his other favorite:  bananas) is that a large portion of it ends up in his hair.  After this particular dinner there was so much in his hair I was able to use is like hair gel and give him a nice new hair style.  

These next two pictures are from Kelsey and Blake's wedding.  It was uncharacteristically cold for May so we used whatever we brought for this outdoor wedding to keep warm...including body heat.  This was not just a pose for a picture, it was us warding off the cold!

Of course we had to get a pictures of all the handsome men with bowties.  It was a fun wedding with lots of dancing.  Congrats to Kelsey and Blake!

Beach Trip

My family loves the beach.  I mean LOOOOVES the beach.  So I expected Parker to immediately love the beach.  After all, it is in his genes.  It was much more of a process than I had expected.  Thankfully we captured some of the process on camera.  

First day at the pool:  not a fan of the water.  The moment his feet hit the water there was a lot of crying and pitiful faces.  

It was only better when he was being held and there was no part of him touching the water.  

We went to the beach to take a nap.  We had to be careful not to touch the sand though...not a fan of that either.

Day two:  he magically loves the water!  Ben took him in there first and he was loving it.  I am not sure what changed but I was not about to question it!

He was taking it easy and loving life in his float.  

Day 3:  He had a blast with his dad in the ocean!  Parker is much braver than his mom because he went out farther than I did.  I am going to try my best not to let my overwhelming fear of jellyfish rub off on my son :)

We had such a great time as a family on this trip.  We all enjoyed introducing Parker to the many exciting things that come with a Martin beach trip including lunch on the way in to town at Sea-n-Suds, lots of fun times in the sand, plenty of good food and most importantly quality time with family.  Only problem with this trip is that it ended.

Ben and Jamie with McGuire's famous root beer

Parker, Gami, and Pops

Jen and Joe looking good as always ;)

Our handsome beach boy

Shoes

My boys are PREPPY in their boat shoes.  I need to start dressing nicer to keep up with those two.

Happy Easter!

We celebrated Easter with the Calverts, Hobbs and Fohrells.  With all of that good food I think I will be full until sometime next week.  We were also able to stop by my side of the family's celebration for a few minutes on the way home (another perk of living in Huntsville).  Parker was so worn out by the festivities that he has been asleep for 2 hours since we got home.  

Happy Easter everyone!

"There in the ground his body lay

Light of the world in darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as he stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ."

Croup is a 4 letter word

Well technically it has 5 letters, but I think it belongs with all the other terrible 4 letter words.  Our family has been functioning on minimal sleep and much stress.  Thankfully Parker can make up for this lack of sleep during the day but Ben and I are out of luck at work/school/the hospital.  Looking at the pictures we took from Easter I realized how a lack on sleep can take a physical toll on you...major swollen eyes.  I was around family all day, someone could have warned me ;)

A few weekends ago we had put Parker down to sleep just like any other night around 8:00pm.  At 10:30 Ben heard a strange noise coming from his room so he went to check it out.  He brought Parker out to the living room and I saw that he was having a lot of trouble breathing.  I can't even fully describe what it sounded like.  It was almost like he was gasping for a breath but the air wouldn't pass through his throat.  Let me tell you what, that puts BIG TIME fear in a mom and dad's heart.  I told Ben to call 911, and the ambulance was here in just a few short minutes.  I was able to ride in the ambulance with him but Ben had to follow in the car.  Once they gave him some oxygen he started coughing (the only time that sound is music to my ears).  Once he started coughing I immediately knew it was croup because of the characteristic barking cough.  At the hospital they gave him oral steroids and a breathing treatment that helped him immediately.  30 seconds after the breathing treatment he was smiling at the nurses, respiratory tech and doctor.  We had to stay for 2 hours of observation after the treatment.  His breathing slowly started getting worse.  When the doctor came back to check on him he told us he was ready to be discharged.  Once the nurse came back in I pointed out several things that were going on with him that means he was NOT ready to go home.  Parker's chest was sinking in with each breath and the skin in between his ribs was doing the same.  Those are called retractions which indicate respiratory distress...he was just not ready to go home.  So the doctor came back in and decided he needed another breathing treatment.  We left the ER after about 8 hours.

The next few days at home were not easy.  His breathing would get worse at night so we stayed awake to monitor him.  After 2-3 nights of that it just turned into a nasty cough.  It had been over 2 weeks since this has happened and he still wakes himself up coughing at least 4 times a night starting around 11:30.  It is difficult to watch your sweet baby be so sick.  In the meantime I have learned how to survive on a few hours of sleep at night.  It includes pots of coffee.

During this time we have had so much help from family.  There was a full week he needed to be closely watched and could not go to the daycare and everyone took turns watching him for us while I was at the hospital and in class.  I will never take living in Huntsville for granted and having Parker's grandparents and greatgrandparents surrounding us, ready and willing to help.  We love you all!

6 months

At 6 months old Parker weighs 19 lbs 11 ounces (75th percentile)

and is 28.25 inches long (95th percentile).

He wears some 9 month clothes but mostly 12 month clothes.  Yikes!

He eats any baby food you put in front of his face,

Loves being passed around and getting lots of attention,

Thinks it is funny when people cough,

Loves his daycare teachers,

Is a good sleeper most nights,

Is happiest when he is outside,

Enjoys car rides,

Loves to cuddle,

And has a special smile reserved for his daddy.

We can't get enough!  Love you Parker.

Prioritization

Nursing school puts a heavy emphasis on prioritization.  Many of our test questions tell us to put the patients in the order that they need to be seen.  During clinicals we have to prioritize our actions to provide safe and effective patient care.  For example, if a patient is having trouble breathing I should know that it is more important to administer oxygen than to give them a bed bath.  It makes sense...but it is not always that easy.  I am finding prioritization even more difficult outside of nursing school.  Nursing school is demanding.  Our teachers are aware of this and their advice to to devote all your time and energy to surviving the program.  Well...they don't have a 6 month old. 

I know what my priorities should be.  Sorry teachers but school is not my number one priority in life.  It should look more like this:  Christ, my husband, my son, family, and then school.  Unfortunately I am bad at multitasking and the list often looks out of order.  And by often I mean almost always.  The worst part is that a few things often creep in the list...like tv (Thursday nights are my weakness.  Community, 30 Rock, The Office and Parks and Recreation all in one night??), planning to exercise but not following through (apparently you have to work to get the baby weight off...who knew?), and sometimes I even find myself looking at houses to buy online even though we are not in a place to buy one!  Another thing that is slipping is the house work.  It's embarrassing to admit but there has been a pile of dirty laundry I sorted in our bedroom that has been on the floor for a week.  A week. 

So why am I admitting all of this on a blog that I barely keep up with??  Asking for your prayers that I can prioritize properly and get rid of the distractions.  When I focus on school work I feel guilty for not being with Ben and Parker.  When I focus on my boys I feel like I am not getting enough school work accomplished.  Maybe the answer really is to do what I can to survive until school is over but I do know this...my survival and success is not possible without the Lord.  End of story.  Working on making Him the priority and resting in the fact He is over everything in my life. 

Just for fun, here is a list of the things I am looking forward to once I am out of school:
- Joining the ladies bible study.  Man I NEED the fellowship, and it's a great way to get to know people better and for people to know me better. 
-Not having to study for a test. 
-Learning how to use my camera better.  And taking tons of pictures.
-Learning how to sew.
-Spending more time outside.
-The ability (time) to be more intentional and invest in people's lives. 
-Keeping the house cleaner.
-Working out/getting in shape.  Muscleworks at the UAH fitness center rocks my world. 
-Having more time to love on my husband and son.
-HOPEFULLY having a job that I love and feel passionate about (e.g.  labor and delivery, fingers crossed!)

Quick

Quick update with no pictures.  Soooorrryyy...our camera is visiting the Canon hospital because of some type of lens disfunction.  Unfortunately that means we only captured our son on his 6 month birthday with our camera phones.  If you missed that let me repeat:

Our son is 6 months old!

Oh my goodness.  This is the strangest combination of feeling like the time flew by and feeling like he has always been here.  He has his 6 month check up on Wednesday and I will report his height/weight/all that good stuff.  Here was his face when I told him we were going back to the Dr...."SHOTS??"

Guess I lied about no pictures, I forgot I could use the ones from my camera phone.  Everyone have a wonderful week!  I promise to write some good blog posts after my Pediatric state boards test that is coming up. 

Brainwashing

The moment we found out we were having a boy, the debate began.  Ben thinks he will play lacrosse, but I think he will play baseball.  (Heaven forbid the kid makes the choice for himself, ha!)  Little does Ben know that I have started the brainwashing process already.  Atlanta Braves 2030, be on the lookout for my rookie of the year!

*Please don't judge me for letting him watch tv.  I was studying for a test the next day.  At least it was an educational program ;)

It's about that time

The snow can only delay this for so long.  It's time to go back to school.  I have been thinking about (dreading) this day since Parker was born.  I could not imagine leaving that sweet face in the hands of anyone else.  Sometimes when I thought about my return to class and clinicals my chest would actually ache.  Thankfully God is in control and allowed me to ease into this process.  An opening was available for Parker for daycare in the middle of November.  In order to keep the spot we had to start paying then (yikes).  I have worked at this daycare off and on for a few years so I started working there part time again.  It was the perfect way to ease into leaving him.  I was able to work down the hall, or sometimes even in his room, and I could check on him all I wanted :)  Don't get me wrong...there is no other place I would rather him be than this daycare.  I know Parker is so loved.  They were very excited for him to be born.  They got to see me when I was super pregnant because I worked there over the summer up until 2 weeks before Parker was born.  They even gave me extra breaks and wouldn't let me spend much time in the sun.  I love this place and the people that work there. 

That being said...this is still a dreaded day.  Any type of school keeps you busy, but nursing school is ridiculous.  The hardest part is knowing that when I pick him up to go home my work isn't over.  There will always be chapters to read, clinical paperwork to fill out and tests to study for.  Ben is ready to have some extra quality time with our little guy, but selfishly I want that quality time. 

Here is where is gets less depressing ;)  I am so very thankful to have the opportunity to go back and get my degree.  It has been a loooong road filled with many unforeseen obstacles.  I should have graduated in May '08.  I am trying not to dwell on the fact that my little sister is graduating before me.  Let's just hope I finish before my youngest sister (kidding, kidding).  To be honest, I am a little excited about getting back into classes.  I love nursing.  I love human anatomy, I love compassion, I love my blue scrubs.  I was made to be a nurse.  I am a little nervous about how rusty I will be at clinicals.  If you are headed to the hospital please don't be scared.  I promise to practice all invasive procedures before performing them on you, ha.  I am especially excited about 2 of the 3 classes I have this semester:  Peds and OB.  Honestly I should get extra credit for just having gone through labor. 

Moral of this story:  please pray for me.  Putting him to bed tonight was difficult.  There may or may not have been some tears.  Pray for my attitude, my lack of time management skills and for my relationships with Ben and Parker.  I also am going into a new class.  I like familiar things, and I like my comfort zone.  I already had my nursing school friends.  I have a hard enough time putting myself out there and now I have to do it all over again...great...ha.  Tomorrow is a big day for me. 

...or maybe the roads can be extra icy and they decide to close after all.  either way ;)

Rice Cereal

This will only be interesting to a handful of people, but not everyone is around to witness the "firsts" so here is Parker's first attempt at rice cereal.  He did great for the first time!  

Christmas

Christmas for the Calvert Family is a busy time.  We celebrated with family from the 23rd to the 26th with EVERY side of the family.  We are fortunate to have our family live so close but that can make for a busy holiday trying to get to every event.  We wouldn't trade it for the world though.

We were so excited to wake up to a white Christmas on the 25th!  Technically I did not wake up to snow.  Parker decided he was ready to be up for the day at 4:00 am (too excited about presents??  further proof he is like his daddy!).  It started snowing around 5:00 am so we watched it all from our living room couch.  I am the worst morning person you will possibly ever meet but his sweet smile makes it not as painful :)

My favorite part of the holidays this year was Christmas Eve night.  Christmas Eve was a busy day for us.  Ben took me and Parker to breakfast at Another Broken Egg (yum!) and then we had lunch at my parents house with my dad's side of the family.  Right after that we went to the Christmas Eve service at Southwood with my family and headed to our annual Martin/Ware Christmas Eve dinner.  Caylen and David, we missed you terribly!  Even though I look forward to all of those things all year here comes my favorite part.  Ben, Parker and I got in our pajamas and settled on the couch to hear the Christmas story.  This year Ben read from the Jesus Storybook Bible since we received that as a gift at Parker's baptism.  I really enjoy the way it is phrased for children, but I also realize it is no substitute for God's Word.  Here is one of my favorite parts...

And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in 

the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift.  The

baby that would change the world was born.  This baby Son.

Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm.  They made a soft

bed of straw and used to animals' feeding trough as his cradle.  

And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes,

and lying in a manger.

Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel"-which means

"God had come to live with us."

Because, of course, he had.

The Calvert House after a few hours of snow

Maggie loved it.  She ran in it, rolled around in it, and tried to eat all of the snow.

The drive over the mountain on Christmas morning was not the safest decision, but the trees were gorgeous. 

Parker's first Christmas was a white Christmas!  How special!

Parker didn't really get the unwrapping gifts part of the day.   Apparently he was too busy losing his socks.

Merry Christmas!