Our 1st Family Trip to Florida

1st family picture on the beach!

I felt like it was so important that we get away for a few days as a family and visit some family down in Florida. We were actually supposed to go during the summer but didn’t get to. I am happy to report that the ocean water in Destin is absolutely beautiful. We were able to spend about 2 hours at the beach each day. Although we were only there 2 days it was awesome. October is the perfect time to visit the area. One thing that really stood out were the swarms of monarch butterflies in the area. I have never before seen that many butterflies together; it was an awesome sight to see.

It was so amazing to watch Makayla play in the water and sand for the first time. I knew she would either love it or hate it, and luckily she loved it. I am a Florida born girl who loves the beach so I was hoping she would too. We got to spend some time with Granny, Aunt Joy, Aunt Jan, and Christopher on one day. I really wish we were able to spend more time with them; I just love the moments we have together and thank God for family. Our former Sunday school teachers, Bruce & Sherry Shields happen to be in Destin as well and graciously took us out to eat. I ate a huge (I mean huge) plate of delicious seafood. Oh just writing about it makes me crave more. There is just something absolutely fantastic about eating fresh seafood on the beach and watching the sunset. Amazing! We also got to visit with my brother and his girls for a little bit. I can’t believe how big Kaitlyn and Skylar are getting. It seems like just yesterday that they were here spending the summer with us, but that was actually several years ago.

The trip to Florida makes me excited to go back again, and next time we will go as a family of four which is an exciting thought.

A Night at the Hospital

As we sit here in bumper to bumper traffic right outside of Chattanooga I can’t help but think of the crazy events of this past week. Tuesday started out as a normal day, but ended with me in an ambulance headed to the hospital. It was around 6:30 when I started feeling really weird; sort of spaced out. This feeling quickly led to me feeling disoriented, unable to feel my right arm or the right side of my face, blurred vision, seeing zigzags, and unable to answer questions. It was a very scary experience. Needless to say Tim called my doctor, who then told us to call for an ambulance. Once at the hospital and after getting about 30 minutes of oxygen I started feeling better. I had to see a neurologist, get an MRI, and take a stroll over to my high risk OB to check on our little guy. So here’s the deal, I had an atypical migraine (aka: silent migraine).The type of migraine presents itself like a stroke, but is not a stroke. It was more than likely triggered by stress. The good news is that me and our little guy are okay and that’s all that matters. I was finally discharged Wednesday evening with the doctors ‘okay’ that we could still go on our trip to Florida. I just pray that the last 12 weeks of this pregnancy go smoothly. We feel so blessed to have so many wonderful family and friends that are praying for us! God has truly blessed us. It feels like a lot has been going on lately and the Lord has been so lovingly carrying us through.

Makayla’s 15th Month Checkup

Makayla’s 15^th month checkup went very well. Nana got to take her to the appointment since Tim and I had to work. Nana said she was never doing that again! Apparently MG screamed and screamed from the shots she received. My mom (Nana) just couldn’t stand seeing little Makayla cry like that….I bet she cried too. Other than the crying, the appointment went really well.

Weight: 25 pounds 12 ounces (75 percentile)

Height:  32 inches (90 percentile...she is tall for her age)

Favorite Foods: Gerber pick-ups, peaches, and cheese

Teeth: She has 9 teeth and 2 more molars coming in right now.

New words: JazzyRose, coco, beach, cat, Lexi, baby (She mimics words all the time)

Favorite TV show: She’s on strike! Haha. She hasn’t shown much interest in television lately which is fine with us.

Other New Stuff:

~ MG is learning colors right now at Nana’s house. She has worked on yellow, blue, red, orange, and brown.

~ She absolutely loves painting, coloring, and sticker art.

~ She climbs on everything.

~ She can throw a fit when she really wants something.

~ She knows that baby brother is in Mommy’s tummy.

~ She makes gestures with her hands all the time. She will hold out her hands when she wants a hug.

~ Uses a fork to eat (She has gotten really good too)

~ She is even more affectionate now; gives tons of hugs and kisses. MG is just such a sweetheart and we love her so much.