Will's 2 year old school picture

I tried to get a 2 year picture when Will turned 2, but he would not pose for the photographer then. They took pictures at his Mother's-Day-Out, so thankfully I will have a 2 year picture now! He's getting so big!

Carissa is 1 month old!

The first month with Carissa in our lives has gone by really fast. We have had family here since we've been home and that has been a big help. We are on our own this week starting on Tuesday so we will see how it goes! Carissa will let me set her down now, so I am not as anxious about it as I was earlier this month. Here are some pics. You can also see more pictures from the week my sister was here on her blog. She gives some perspective on how it has been going with Will during this time of transistion. Go to the post "I need a vacation from my vacation."

Barney Update

Today I got a call from the family that took Barney in to foster him. They said that he has been adopted already.

A couple called Golden Beginnings rescue requesting to adopt a very active golden. Barney came to mind and a meeting was set up at the dog park for the couple to meet Barney. They wanted to see if he liked water, because they go boating a lot, and if he was energetic because they go jogging every morning. Barney loves water and ran to the water immediately at their meeting. The couple wanted to take him home for a week to try it out. They called Golden Beginnings the next day and said "we want him!" They didn't even want to wait a full week.

I just started crying. I am so happy for Barney. It sounds like a perfect fit for him. I didn't shed any tears the day he left. Like I said, the decision was years in the making and I shed A LOT of tears over the years each time we considered giving Barney back. Some of the girls from Sunday school even prayed for me and Barney at one of the first women's events I attended. They probably thought I was nuts going on and on about my dog. He was a part of our family and I loved him dearly.

Well, the news today is an answer to prayer for sure. I am very sad that I will probably never see Barney again, but I am thankful to know he was picked out by this family. That he was a perfect fit for them. How sweet of God to work it out this way.

She's Here!!

Well, I knew I couldn't get any bigger, so little girl just had to come out! I had a routine Dr.s appointment on Wednesday Feb 27th, and by the end of the visit I was told I would be having a baby that day. I did ask the doctor if we could wait one more day, but he said no, that I probably wouldn't make it to tomorrow. I had to give up trying to have our baby on a good, neat number day. 2-28-2008 would have been nice, but I will accept 2-27-2008 as God's will. :o)

We went to the hospital around 2pm. "We" meaning me and baby girl. We were a little caught off guard by the earlier date, so Brad had to be at home with Will until our friend Julie could get to the house. (Thanks again, Julie!!) So, I drove myself to the hospital while in labor. The parking lot was packed and people were racing around trying to get the next open spot. I found one pretty quickly, but I was afraid I might just have to be ruthless and steal a spot from someone. I figured I could use the "I'm pregnant, and I'm in labor" card. You only have so many chances to use that card, and I'm not sure I'll ever have another one.

Well, we were scheduled for a 5pm C-section, and we got pushed out a little bit. That helped our family make up some time on the road as they all were trying to get to Houston as fast as they could. at 6:50pm Carissa Kate came into the world. She weighed 7 pounds 13.7 ounces and was 20 inches long. She was bigger than Will, but she looked smaller to me. Her facial features are more petite and she has long elegant fingers.












Click here to see a slideshow of Carissa's arrival and first days with the family.