Bottoms Up!

Glucose testing in t-minus 50 minutes... And my RH negative shot. Bleh....

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jig!

... were the words my dad would always say as we came home from a Howard trip. Didn't matter where we were coming home from: California, Simpsonville, Europe, Fountain Inn... Those were always the words that ended a trip. So I thought they were only fitting for the end of this little "TRIP" we've been on with ol' Sadie!

Sadie is home, and we are SO happy to have her here!

It is taking some getting used to - on both Sadie's end and our end to take care of a 3-legged-hyper-active puppy dog, but we are gladly adjusting well.

I picked her up Thursday afternoon around 5:00 p.m. (I was flying solo since Jimmers was still in Charlotte - yes, it is busy season -- things always happen during the "perfect time" don't they?) When I was pulling up I had butterflies in my stomach - I was so excited to love on my four... or three :) legged love bug.

Of course I get there and I have to talk to the nurse, the vet, everybody and their mamma, until they FINALLY bring in Sadie. We were so excited to see each other, and as everyone could have expected -- this has still not slowed Sadie down! She was bee-bopping all around on three legs with her cone just bouncing in the air. She jumped up on me and gave me tons of kisses and did her moaning when it sounds like she is trying to tell you something. (Mom came over to check on her and she seems to think it is Sadie's way of trying to tell us everything that has happened -- I tend to agree :)

After I paid our bill, signed our stuff, it was time to hit the road, and Sadie was ready! This picture was actually the first I got of the rascal - doesn't she look excited??

Of course when we got home Sadie kept running to the backdoor crying, wanting to go out... but unfortunately, we can't let her. She has to be "kept still" for AT LEAST four weeks (ha, yeah right). So every time she goes outside we have to put her on the leash and the only exercise she is allowed to have is when she goes out to potty (this is going to be a long, hard, four weeks - but well worth it!).

Friday AM I took her back to the vet to have her bandage changed (although the bandage looks like a cast - it is actually a soft bandage... It is almost like a colored ACE bandage). Pay close attention to her little leg - they put "cast graffiti" on it as I like to call it.

Day one was a heart and a smiley face:

 

Day two was a puppy paw and a construction sign that said, "Under Repair" - hahaha:

To say the least Sadie is a little trooper and she is getting around just fine. I'm pretty amazed with how easily she is hopping around. We keep the cone on for most of the time, but while we are snuggled on the couch together I take it off. She seems to really appreciate that :)

Here's to a speedy recovery little puppy girl!

Some more pics of our patient:

Night # 1 (testing out her new bed):

Night #1 (worn out and glad to be home with her toys):

Night # 1 (a little cone-break):

Day #2 ("Mom, can I PLEASE go and chase the squirrels outside? Please? Please?"):

Day # 2 ("Okay.. maybe I'll just snuggle in your lap"):

Day # 2 (Together at last!):

Day # 2 (with her baby brother - ha!):

Sadie's Coming HOME!

Well, it has been a LONG seven days... but Sadie-kens is finally ready to come home!

As I mentioned in my previous post - Sadie was hit by a car Friday morning right at the top of our driveway. Immediately after Jimmy found her hiding under a deck down the road, we took her in to the Animal Emergency Clinic in Greenville, where they have been taking PHENOMENAL care of our little rascal. They call at least twice a day with updates (and it isn't just some receptionist calling, it's the vet that is taking my sweet puppy into surgery making the two calls!).

Most of my friends advised me not to go and see her while she was recuperating because it can have a negative impact on her recovery (it gets the animals really excited and then they think they are coming home) -- but I needed to hear it from "the horse's mouth." So I did ask the vet a couple days ago if I could just go and see her. He also told me it would not be best. He told me that she had her routine down, and she was really doing great... but I think he could tell that I really just wanted to go and give her some loving... So then he reassured me that, "Sadie is getting plenty of TLC." Apparently while we were on the phone Sadie was sitting in some one's lap getting petted while the person was administering her antibiotic... Needless to say it made me feel much better. 

So now it is still a waiting game... We will take her home today and have to take her in either every day or every other day to have her bandages removed and her wounds cleaned. As long as everything continues to progress as it has as of late -- there will be no more surgeries! (Fingers crossed!)

The doc joked with me on the phone today saying, "Your toughest job now is keeping Sadie still... because she definitely has two buttons - ON and OFF." Hahaha... you don't have to tell me that doc!

Can't wait to get the little rascal home! Will post a picture of my little patient later...

Again, thanks for the kind words and support... I know Sadie is just a dog, but she is a part of our family and we'd do anything for her.

Wedding Weekend Extravaganza!

CONGRATS & BEST WISHES TO THE KIRCHER'S! :)

It is official... My mother-in-law, Jimmy's mom, my baby boy's grammy is a newly married lady! Cheryl married Chuck Kircher on Saturday, January 22, 2011 in Aiken, SC at the Rosehill Estate. To say the weekend was wonderful is an understatement. There was so much joy, happiness, excitement, etc -- it was definitely a weekend for the books!

We were supposed to start the weekend off Thursday night, but since Jimmy didn't get home from Greensboro, NC until really late, we decided to hold off and leave bright and early Friday morning.. Unfortunately the weekend got off to a rocky start... while we were putting the very last load in the car, little Miss Sadie snuck out of the door, and went flying up our driveway and was immediately hit by a car... but our sweet little girl is a lucky thing and survived the hit with no breaks! She did have several lacerations on her front right paw, and is still in recovery -- more updates to come, but she is doing wonderful and the vet told me today that she is "in GREAT spirits." Of course she would be -- she is the best dog in the world! :)

So although the weekend got off to a rocky start, the rest of the weekend more than made up for the start. We arrived to Aiken a little after lunch time and ate lunch at Cheryl's house. Then the ladies packed it up and went to pamper ourselves over pedicures (Cheryl, Lindsay - Chuck's daughter, and I). Although a sweet little girl that goes by the name of Destiny tried to persuade our bride to be into a "cool design" of interlocked rings and rhinestones, we kept it simple and traditional.

After a little pampering we met back up with the boys (Jimmy & Chuck) and headed to dinner in downtown Aiken at Casa Bella, which was AAAAMAZING! We enjoyed a homemade Italian feast in a beautiful old house and great company. We also all enjoyed desert, which I highly recommend getting if ever dinning at Casa Bella (Cheryl had the tiramasu, Chuck and Lindsay the chocolate cake and Jimmy and I split a cannoli - oh boy was it good!).

That evening we (Cheryl, Jimmy and I) headed home and Cheryl and Chuck said their goodbyes until they would see each other the next day at the alter. We did a few last minute wedding to do's, and then called it an early evening...

That morning we got up and just relaxed for the majority of the day. The ladies caravanned over to Rosehill around 3:00 p.m. to do a little make-up, a little hair, and take some pics. Before we knew it -- it was show time!

Jimmy walked Cheryl down the aisle, and the ceremony was just perfect... it ended with the Beatles' classic song... "All you need is love." Ain't that the truth?

We toasted, celebrated and cheered on the happy couple, and wished them years and years of happiness. I can't wait to spend more joyous occasions with our newly expanded family. The next morning Cheryl and Chuck came "home" :) and we enjoyed some breakfast casserole and reminised on the evening. We also got to watch the bride and groom open a few gifts!

Here are some favorite pics from the weekend (WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD!)... ENJOY!

CHERYL'S BEST FRIENDS (aka her sisters) CAME TO DROP OFF AN AWESOME WEDDING GIFT...

.... A GRILL!

ONLY GRAMMY CHERYL WOULD THINK TO GIVE BABY BOY A GIFT FOR BEING "IN" THE WEDDING :) -- LOTS OF CUTE WINTER CLOTHES FOR 2011!

LINDSAY DOING CHERYL'S MAKE-UP FOR "THE DAY!"

 LINDSAY HELPING JIMBO GET ALL DOLLED UP:

BEFORE THE CEREMONY WE TOOK SEVERAL PICTURES - HERE IS A BEAUTIFUL ONE OF THE BRIDE!

THE BEST HUBBY EVER & I RIGHT AFTER THE CEREMONY:

CHUCK AND CHERYL AND HER "SISTERS" AT THE RECEPTION :)

THE BRIDE AND GROOM ENJOYING SOME FABULOUS FOOD:

THE YUMMY FOOD -- FRIED CHICKEN, BEEF TENDERLOIN, GREEN BEANS, SCALLOPED POTATOES, PEAS & CARROTS, ETC - yummmmm:

  

 MY AWESOME PARENTS AND US -- DINNING

 SUNDAY MORNING: THE GIFTS!

DO THEY LOOK HAPPY, OR WHAT? :)

CHERYL SUGGESTED WE START TAKING SOME BABY BUMP PICS... HERE GOES NOTHING - EXACTLY 6 MONTHS (1-23-11):

Bells will be ringing this weekend!

This weekend is the big weekend! Cheryl and Chuck are saying their "I do's" in A-town, and we are getting things packed up and ready to go!

Although we were supposed to leave today, since this has been a week from you know where, we decided to take our time, get a good night's rest tonight and get up super duper early in the AM and make our trip for the festivies.

I'm so happy for Cheryl and Chuck, and can't wait to celebrate them this weekend. By the time of my next blog post Cheryl will be a married lady and we'll have two more in the fam -- Chuck and his daughter Lindsay!

Cheers for family fun! :)

"Don't leave any food out!!!"

.... was the warning I just gave to two co-workers (Peggy and Janet) in the break room this morning.

MAN, is my appetite increasing! This morning I've already eaten two bananas and a thing of oatmeal and I still feel famished, and it is only 9:20 a.m. Saturday night I made taco soup for dinner, and I definitely ate DOUBLE what Jimmy ate. Now I feel like I know how Jimmy feels all the time - hungry... but I think I'm more so than he is (since I'm eating more than he is now a days!).

I have a feeling my belly is about to start kicking it in high gear and getting bigger and bigger before our very eyes. To say the least I think this baby boy has inherited his daddy's appetite... Let's just hope he also inherits his metabolism too!

95 days to go my little man... Can't wait to love on you !

100

Only 100 days left until we meet our little man! Can't wait to see what he looks like, who he acts like and how much love we can give him!! :)

Come ON April 23! :-)

Tardy Christmas Post

Alright, it is January 11, 2011 and I have yet to post anything about Christmas! So here goes...

This Christmas, aka our "last quiet Christmas as we know it" was... quiet! :) We did our thing, but the whole time I felt like it was more of a waiting period. With my pregnancy, Cheryl's upcoming nuptials, etc... I just felt like we were all looking ahead to next Christmas.... but none-the-less... it was a great one!

Christmas Eve morning we had brunch at Gigi's house for a little Howard get together, which was yummy. Then Jimmy and I came home, and before you knew it, it was time to go to church. Last year we went to my parents' church, so this year we decided to give our own church a try. Well... we choose the wrong service for this year. (Might be the right one for next year though!).

We made two mistakes: (1) we went to the children's service and (2) we sat in the balcony.

Now I kind of already knew it was the children's service, but didn't realize just how.... "kiddie" it was. Don't get me wrong, the kids were really cute and once our little bundle of joy is big enough he will be participating too... but as a couple's last Christmas Eve service, before a baby... it was all wrong. Secondly -- we sat in the balcony. Now being one of four children, you would think I would have known better... We always sat in the balcony in the very back row. As a child I didn't know why, but as an adult I do -- THAT'S WHERE THE BAD KIDS SIT! Man there were children yelling, talking, screaming, etc. During the service I turned and looked at Jimmy and said, "Are we really ready for that?!" :) hahaha....

So once the service was over, Jimmy and I came home to fix our Christmas Eve feast - consisting of lobsters, scalloped potatoes and a salad yummm...

After dinner we half way cleaned up and then put on the classic Christmas movie -- Christmas Vacation, starring my fav - cousin Eddie! :) I of course zonked out early and we went on to bed...

We woke up the next morning to find that Santa did find us "grown kids" and had a great morning! After we wrapped up our Christmas Cheryl came in from Aiken. We had a yummy brunch of breakfast casserole, southern grits, fruit salad and of course some pigs in a blanket (it wouldn't be Christmas morning without them!).

After we gobbled up brunch we then opened presents, one of the presents being a new snazzy dazzy camera from Grammy Cheryl so we can make sure we document Baby Boy Larson upon his arrival in April. :)

Then we chillaxed for a bit (Sadie was worn out from trying to decide which of her million toys to play with - she is quite spoiled), and then got ready for Christmas Day Round Three -- at my parent's loft in Simpsonville.

To say things were crazy is an understatement... and I loved every minute of it. The Howard household is starting to sound and feel a lot more and more like the house I grew up in - loud, crazy and full of kids! It was great!

We opened presents first since that's what you do when you have four kids who can only see the Christmas tree full of presents. After that craziness subsided, we ate a Christmas Day feast prepared by my mom, aka Nana. Once dinner was over the "big kids" (aka my siblings and spouses) headed downstairs to see what Santa brought us from Atlanta. (A few years ago mom and dad stopped buying lots of little gifts and started gifting furniture, something we desperately needed, considering we've only bought a few pieces of furniture since buying our first home in 2006.)

The other exciting event of Christmas 2010 -- we had a WHITE Christmas! Right before we drove to the loft, a little snow started to fall, and by the end of the evening, we had a pretty decent amount of snow! Our first one that I can remember!

It was a great Christmas, and I'm so thankful for my amazing family who makes it special each and every year! Here's to next year when Jimmy and I can start spoiling our own little boy! :)

Here are some fav pics from the day (sorry for picture overload):

 Tricia and her sweet boys:

 Hamilton & Gracie, BFF for Life:

The Hostesses with the Mostest - the greatest parents ever, Mom & Dad aka Nana & Pop:

My snazzy grandmothers staying warm by the fire:

Joy and... who is that? Oh my.. Adeline is no longer a baby! So cute:

 Gigi & Ma:

Frannie & her (GROWING) baby, Grizz:

Jimmers & I:

IMG00025-20110107-1049.jpg

IMG00023-20110107-0804.jpg

Best friends -- Sadie and Max :)

Mom-mobile, check.

Since Jimmers and I have been down to one car since before Thanksgiving 2009, and sweet little bambino will be here before we know, we decided it was time to put our savings into action and purchase our family vehicle, or as I like to call it... the mom-mobile!

On January 1, 2011 Jimmy and I purchased our 2nd car together -- a Toyota Highlander (pictured to the right). I love the car, it is awesome. It handles well, had everything we were looking for, and was within budget (check, check and CHECK!).

Here's to hoping our patience, Jimmy's research and our luck will be much better with the Highlander than with our Volvo we purchased in September 2007... Fingers crossed!

Office Personalities

Although the personalities on the sitcom, The Office, are quite extreme.... every now and then I realize we have some quite extreme personalities in my place of work. I seem to have at least one weekly... sometimes daily.... story about one particular co-worker, who shall rename nameless...

I thought I'd share a story from this week...

Being the mother of zero children, having birthed all zero of them, this particular co-worker proceeded to tell me that I needed to... HAD to put cream on my belly to prevent stretch marks. And lately, I haven't felt like listening to this particular person so I told her how that is all "marketing." I was in the midst of explaining that I've been told by other moms that it doesn't really work for preventing stretch marks, but it does help with the itching, when she straight up cut me off, and told me I was wrong. Then, she also told me how much larger I looked now (with great big ol' bug eyes) than in the beginning of December when she last saw me. She also told me, "I'm not trying to be ugly, BUTTTT...."

Thanks... I appreciate that :)

PS-When Jimmy read this post this was his comment, "You forgot the part about how she emailed the entire office asking if they have gone to this Indian Dr. because she is concerned he can't speak English."

True, that did JUST happen. So this is one of those weeks with a daily story vs. weekly. :)

No Joints in the Belly, aye Larson?

So I wasn't very good about posting while on a 2.5 week vacation from work, but I'm prepared to make up for lost time. I'll post some pics and details from Christmas later this week, but I did want to document Jimbo's response to feeling our baby boy move.

We were going to bed one night the week of Christmas and I think we were both reading (or Jimmy was reading and I was dozing off, because I'm not lasting as long as I usually do now-a-days), when baby boy started really moving around...

Jimmy hadn't felt anything yet, so I grabbed his hand and put it on my belly... We waited and then, THUMP, a big kick! I immediately asked him if he felt that, and he said, "... well I think so... but I don't know...." So of course I ask, "What do you mean you don't know?! I felt him kick and you felt something, so you felt him kick!" ... his response, "Well... it didn't feel like a kick... It felt more like if I were to put my hand on my knee and feel the joint pop...."

Well Larsonia... there ain't no joints to be popping in my belly. That was sweet baby boy saying hello! :) Just wanted to make sure I remembered that in later years because I thought it was too funny.