4 Years Ago Today....

Four years ago today I got the best surprise of my life!  After less than four months of dating, Matthew asked me to marry him!  (Hey, when you know you just know!)  He got down on one knee in a restaurant filled with people, including both of our parents, and asked me to be his wife.  It was so sweet and such a wonderful surprise!  A little over a year later, in April of 2008, I had my fairytale dream wedding.  It's hard to believe it's already been 4 years since he proposed, and coming up on 3 years since our wedding.  We have come so far and have been SO BLESSED in those few short years!  I went back and found some of our engagement pictures just to see how much we have changed in the past few years.  Here are some of my favorites.....



My Most Personal Post

This will probably be my most personal blog post, EVER.  Yet, I have no hesitation at all in writing it.  Why?  Because it very well could save someone's life.  Chances are, someone reading this blog post has been or will be affected by cancer sometime in their life.

Most of you are probably very aware that in early 2006 I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease/Ulcerative Colitis.  The past 5 years have been an uphill battle for me and I have struggled to maintain my health, as well as my quality of life.  Crohn's Disease is an auto-immune disease which affects the digestive tract by causing severe inflammation.  This in turn causes a whole host of health problems---from constant, severe pain... to fatigue... to serious malnourishment and significant weight loss, just to name a few.  This terrible disease has controlled my life (literally) since the moment I was diagnosed.  It has kept me from working at times, caused me to miss out on many of my favorite activities, and it almost kept me from being able to live out my life-long dream of being a Mother.  Because my auto-immune issues are so severe, it has also began to affect my liver.  Although that doesn't cause me the daily pain that the Crohn's does, it's still something that the doctors are very concerned about.  In a way, I'm sort of a medical mystery.  I've been a case study at Shands, and now I'm practically a walking wonder here at the Medical University of South Carolina.  Nobody can seem to figure out what's causing all of this inflammation in my body, why it came on so suddenly, or how to stop it.  I've tried a variety of medications and treatments, some as drastic as chemotherapy.  Nothing has seemed to work for me.  So....all of this to say that even though I'm only 28 years old, I'm required to get YEARLY colonoscopy screenings to check for cancer.  Patients with IBD, Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis are twice as likely to develop colon cancer in their lifetime.  Pretty scary statistics if you ask me!  So I gladly allow my doctor to do my yearly exam!  At 28 years old, the thought of cancer is something I wish I didn't have to even think about, but I do.  It's just part of my life and probably always will be.  I'm definitely not complaining.  I know that I could have been dealt something MUCH worse and whenever I start feeling sorry for myself I always remind myself that there are people out there suffering much more than I am.  However, I do wish I hadn't taken my health for granted when I had it!  You really never know how lucky you are to be healthy and feeling good until it's suddenly taken from you. 

So today was my big day---Colonoscopy day---woo hoo!  This is my 4th or 5th one, so by this point it's like second nature to me.  Honestly, it's not bad at all!!!  And coming from me, that's saying a lot because I am a major whimp!  Getting my blood drawn this morning and having them get an IV in my wrist was the most terrible part of the whole day, if that tells you anything!  They give you a wonderfulllll drug called Propofol (yes, the Michael Jackson drug!) which makes you feel goooooddd!  You don't remember a thing and in my case, I always wake up talking crazy out of my head and asking the same questions over and over and over again!  It gives you temporary amnesia, which for me is the weirdest feeling ever.  I like to be in control and I certainly like to remember what I said and did (possibly why I've never been a drinker!).  But this particular drug causes you to have very short term memory as you wake up and causes you to be in la-la land for about 20 minutes post-procedure.  The procedure itself only takes about 30 minutes and you are completely sedated and "asleep" for all practical purposes.  The exam's primary purpose is to examine the large intestine and check for polyps, or pre-cancerous lesions.  Often they will take several biopsies and remove any suspicious lesions that they see while doing the exam.  They took several biopsies from me today and sent them off to a pathologist who will read them and report back to my doctor.  The next few days we just play the waiting game and hope for the best on the biopsies!

Here are a few pictures that Matthew took to document my fun-filled day at the hospital!....

I know I said the worst part is the IV, but really the worst part is the prep!  They practically starve you to death!  I couldn't have anything to eat from Sunday at dinner until lunch today (Tuesday).  In addition, they require you to drink 64 ounces of this "special juice" within two hours, the night before your procedure.  So here's what my liquid dinner looked like last night....

Here I am waiting for my SECOND attempt at an IV stick.  Yes, this is after being stuck twice that morning for blood work, plus once for the first attempt at an IV.  They finally called in someone who could handle my tiny veins!

Woo-hoo!!  Success!!!  I'm finally hooked up and starting to feel goooooood!

Feeling a little loopy....

Here we go....getting wheeled into the operating room!

And this one I don't even remember....!  Obviously, post-op and coming down off my "high" and asking a million crazy questions.  Thanks, Matthew for tolerating my craziness!

Sorry for those of you who are offended by this picture....but here's what my intestines looked like today!  Not exactly the picture of health!  Be thankful for your healthy guts! =)

Finally!!!  After almost two days I was finally able to chow down!  My meal of choice?  Pure grease, of course!!

Coming home to this sweet face made the whole day worth it!!!

Once I was semi-conscious and not talking out of my head anymore, my doctor came in and talked to me and Matthew about his findings.  Not the best news, but I guess it could be worse.  He's very concerned about the condition of my intestines and is putting me on yet another medication to see if he can get the inflammation under control.  I won't know for several days (or weeks) about the possibility of cancerous lesions.  Whatever the outcome, having this procedure could very well save my life!  Early detection is the key when it comes to cancer.

Did you know that March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month?  Colorectal cancer screening saves lives.  If everyone aged 50 years old or older were screened regularly, as many as 60% of deaths from this cancer could be avoided.  Normally, by the time you have symptoms, it's too late for treatment and there's not a whole lot that can be done.

I hope this post didn't offend anyone or give you "TMI", but I just felt that I had to share it.  It's a part of my life, and as I said, it could someday be a part of yours.  Here's hoping it's not!  

What Does $100 Look Like?

I think we would all agree that these days $100 is a pretty big chunk of change.  What would YOU spend $100 on if you had the choice?  Well not that I really have a choice, but here's what I just dropped $100 on......

Yep, that should last us about....hmmm.....3 weeks!!!  Actually, I have to confess I didn't really pay $100 for these 4 cans.  Thanks to my amazing couponing skills and a wonderful store called Publix who allows you to double coupons as well as use competitors' coupons, I got these four cans for $75.  Without the coupons they would have been $100.  So technically you're still looking at $100 worth of powdered gold!! =)

In other, more interesting news, my Mom arrived here on Saturday and we are absolutely loving having her here!  She came up to help out with a medical procedure that I will be having tomorrow (blog to come on that one) and she's been a big help since the minute she arrived!  The weather has been less than cooperative---cold and rainy--so we've spend the past few days just hanging out at the house in our PJ's! 

Saturday night we finally let Kyndall use her high chair for the first time.  Until now we've been feeding her either in her bouncy seat or her Bumbo.  I don't really know what we've been waiting for, because she seemed to enjoy sitting up like a big girl!



Exciting Stuff!

There is sooo much that I'm looking forward to in the next few weeks that I just have to share it!  Here's what I'm excited about:

1.  My Mom is coming to town this Saturday and staying through Wednesday!  She's coming up to help out with Kyndall while I have a medical procedure done.  Despite that, I'm excited that she's coming!!

2.  On Wednesday, the 30th, when my Mom leaves from here she'll be taking me and Kyndall with her!!!  We'll be spending about a week and a half in Tallahassee! 

3.  While in Tallahassee, I plan to take Kyndall to her very first Springtime Tallahassee!  This is something I remember doing every year as a kid.  I can't wait to take her to the parade next Saturday morning!

4.  I'm also excited about helping host a baby shower for my BFF Betsy while I'm in town!  I LOVE baby showers, and especially when I'm involved with planning them!

5.  Easter is my absolute favorite holiday and I am even more excited about it this year since it will be Kyndall's first!  I'm looking forward to dressing her up in her gorgeous Easter dress and taking her to church with Nonie and Poppie, and then heading over to Two Egg for my family's annual cook out and Easter egg hunt.  All of the Grandchildren are adults now, but we still love to dye and hunt the eggs!  I guess pretty soon we'll need to give that tradition up and let our own kids do the hunting!  Since I missed my very first Easter in 28 years last year due to being in the hospital, I'm even MORE excited about getting back to it this year!

6.  On April 26th, Matthew and I will celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary!  I'm a little bummed that we won't be taking our annual anniversary cruise, but Kyndall is worth it!  We'll get back on track with it next year when she's a little older and Mommy can bare being away from her for a whole week!

7.  May 8th will be my very first Mother's Day!  Not only that, but Kyndall is also being dedicated to the church that Sunday.  We'll be having her baby dedication at Morningside Baptist in Tallahassee, which is the church I grew up in and that my parents still attend.  It's also where Matthew and I were married.  It will be a very special day for our family!

Ok, I think that about sums up my exciting agenda for the next two months!  =)  So much to look forward to!  So many things to be thankful for!!!

Tu-Tu Tuesday

Yesterday was Tu-Tu Tuesday!  Kyndall dressed for the occasion by wearing one of her many tu-tus!  This tradition was started by my sweet friend Leigh, whom I used to Nanny for.  Every Tuesday when I would arrive at her house, sweet baby Ava was wearing her tu-tu!  So I decided to continue the tradition with my own baby girl!  Here are a few pictures from this week's Tu-Tu Tuesday!

Hope everyone had a fantastic Tu-Tu Tuesday!!



6 Months Old!!

I can hardly believe it, but yesterday, 3/20/11, marked Kyndall's 6 month birthday!  That's half a year!!  I know it sounds cheesy, but it truly does seem like just yesterday that I was leaving the hospital with her.  And now we're halfway to her first birthday!  I've always been one to celebrate half birthdays.  I don't know why, but I like to recognize them just like a real birthday.  So yesterday we celebrated by going out and buying Kyndall a birthday gift! 

Kyndall's 6 month birthday gift

We also made cupcakes!



This may seem a little over the top to some, but we are trying to enjoy each and every milestone as they come--no matter how big or how small it may be!  Although Kyndall didn't actually get to partake in the cupcake party, we ate a few in her honor.  She did, however, get to enjoy her new birthday gift!...

Hopefully it won't be long before her feet can actually touch and she can bounce!!



Today, 3/21/11, I took Kyndall to her 6 month check up with her wonderful pediatrician.  I always go in there with my list of questions (literally, a list!) and he is so gracious to take his time and answer each and every one of them for me.  Not only that, but he makes me feel like I'm a great mother and always tells me what a good job I'm doing.  Every mom out there knows how much it means to hear those words coming from your child's doctor!  Anyway, here are Kyndall's stats as of today:

Weight: 13 pounds 11 oz.  (13th percentile)

Height:  25 and 1/4 inches (30th percentile)

Head Circumference:  16 and 3/4 inches (65th percentile)

Ok, ok I know what you're thinking....I have a tiny baby with a BIG ole noggin!  I realize it looks like that on paper, but the doctor says Kyndall is perfectly proportionate and he's very pleased with her stats.  (Especially considering that she was 4 weeks early!)  She is maintaining her weight nicely and hitting all of her developmental milestones. 

Kyndall, here are a few things you've been up to lately:

*You continue to be a wonderful sleeper, which makes Mommy very happy!  You normally take your last bottle around 11:00 pm and don't wake up until about 9:00 am. The only time you wake during the night is if your paci falls out.

*You are drinking about 4 bottles a day, with 6 ounces each.  Sometimes you get 5, but always at least 4 a day.

*You are still the swaddle queen and absolutely cannot sleep without being wrapped up like a little mummy!  We call it your magic blanket, because it's the only thing that will calm you down when you're fussy and tired.  People are amazed by its magical powers when they witness it for themselves!  You go from screaming to snoring in about 3 minutes flat!  Amazing! 

*You have been eating rice cereal for two months now, which you LOVE!  We recently introduced you to baby oatmeal as well, but you seem to prefer the rice cereal.  (Can't blame you there--I'm not an oatmeal fan either!)

*We haven't started fruits and veggies yet, but I think we'll try that this week!  I think you'll love them!
*You've started trying to hold your own bottle which is a BIG help to Mommy and Daddy!
*You aren't sitting up completely by yourself yet, but you're doing pretty good with a little bit of help from the boppy.  My goal is to have you sitting up by Easter so that we can get some adorable pictures of you in your Easter dress!  We've been practicing everyday, so hopefully we'll reach our goal!

*You are a non-stop talker!  (Can't imagine where you get that from!) You babble and coo all day long and it makes me and Daddy so happy to hear you talking!

*You love to smile and cheese it up for the camera.  I guess this is a good thing, considering you have me for a Mommy and you will have a camera in your face for the next 18+ years!

*Just this past weekend you moved from a size 1 diaper to a size 2 and you are still able to wear some 3 month clothes, although you're starting to fit into some of the 3-6 month outfits now as well.

*You absolutely love to laugh and giggle!  We can't help but laugh along with you when you do it! 

*You're starting to notice things around you more---the dogs, your toys, people, etc.  You're very aware of your surroundings and really seem to want to take it all in.

*You enjoy being outside in this beautiful Spring weather, so we try to spend an hour or two outside in the backyard each day. 
*You love to Skype with Grammy, G-Daddy, Nonie and Poppie!  You look at the computer and really listen to what they're saying.  They love this!

*You definitely know who Mommy and Daddy are and you always get a big smile on your face when Daddy comes home from work in the afternoons.  Nothing could make him happier than seeing your sweet face light up at the sight of him!

*We love taking you to church, but pretty soon we'll need to leave you in the nursery.  You are mesmerized by the music and the people around you, but as soon as the Pastor starts talking and things get quiet, you start chattering! 

*Everyday I check your little mouth for the sign of a pearly white tooth, but so far there's no sign of one.  I know you're close though because you drool constantly and everything goes in your mouth!

*Your favorite form of entertainment is watching Baby Einstein DVDs. 

*You made your first trip to Tallahassee with just Mommy last month and you did GREAT on the 6.5 hour drive!  You didn't make a peep the entire time!  We are very happy that you enjoy being in the car, since we make the long trip to FL quite frequently!

*You are rarely seen without a bow on your head and you have Mommy to thank for this!  I've taken up bow making as my new hobby and you're my very own baby model!

*You are so happy all of the time and everywhere we go people comment on your sweet smile and beautiful blue eyes!

*You love to cross your feet!  Looking back at all of your pictures, I noticed how often you do it.  Although it's adorable, Mommy was concerned so I talked to the doctor about it today.  He said not to worry, you're just a proper lady!

You are such a blessing in our lives and we are so proud of you already!

And now for a few pictures from her 6 month check-up today....

Dressed and ready to go see Dr. Traynham (3/21/11)

Entertaining all of the kids and parents in the waiting room!

Waiting patiently for her 6 month check-up and shots...



And now, for her official 6 month pictures....



Happy 6 month birthday, Kyndall!!!!  You are loved!

My Own Baby Einstein

Before Kyndall was even born, my Mom bought a couple of the "Baby Einstein" DVDs for her to eventually watch.  We started playing them for her when she was just a couple of weeks old.  To our surprise, she was very interested in them and would watch them closely.  For those of you not familiar with the Baby Einstien DVDs, it's basically a bunch of colors, shapes and simple pictures which are set to music.  They also (supposedly) teach them various languages---from French to Japanese and everything in between.  Completely boring if you ask me, but babies seem to love the simplicity of it!  Kyndall is no exception.  She loves them so much that my Dad has now given her the nick-name Baby Einstein.  Here she is watching her language lab Baby Einstein DVD earlier today....



Who Was St. Patrick Anyway??

I never really understood the true meaning of St. Patrick's Day until recently.  I always thought to myself "As far as I know, I'm not Irish....and I don't drink....so what's the point?"  Until now I thought that St. Patrick's Day was just an annoying holiday where people get drunk and pinch you if you don't wear green....neither of which I enjoy!  I started doing some research and realized that although it has been turned into these things, it originally started as a Christian holiday!

St. Patrick was actually the son of a Christian deacon who originally considered himself a pagan.  At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.  During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian.  After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped.  Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. St. Patrick died on March 17th, and thus we celebrate him on this day!

One more interesting bit of history.  Do you know the real significance behind the "lucky shamrock"? 

Supposedly, it was used by St. Patrick to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the trinity.  Pretty interesting, huh? 

Ok, enough with the history....on to some pictures and video of my own little leprechaun on her first St. Patrick's Day....