1 Month September 3, 2010

So, I have come to realize I should have done these posts a little sooner because it is true what everyone says!!  YOU WILL forget the days of her being so small!!   It is sad for me to look back at pictures and think that I have forgotton what it was like when she was so tiny.  As I LOVE the new stages that she goes through from day to day, I miss my sweet tiny baby!! One of the most memorable things that happened this month was her eyelashes.  Jenna was born with tiny blond eyelashes and as I thought they were beautiful I had no idea she was going to have to use lots of mascara when she turned a teenager!   I don’t know if it was because she was 3 weeks early and didn’t have time to develop some of these last minute features or what, but one morning as I was feeding her I looked down and saw these BEAUTIFUL dark, long, lashes!  Lashes I have always longed for.  She is very blessed to beautiful long eyelashes to go with her beautiful blue eyes (so far they are still blue)!!   She is doing all sorts of things that I never thought she would get to when she was so young.  At 1 month old, I remember not sleeping all that much (she was a great sleeper at night) but it’s still just not the same sleep.  I felt like all I was every doing was feeding her and it became more of a chore than anything.  Tucker and I would fight over who was going to feed her when we heard the assigned wail!  Jenna LOVED bathes at this age.  Her umbilical cord fell off sometime within her 1st month and we were able to give her full bathes.  It did fall off rather unusually giving her a slight hernia which Dr. Walker said would turn into an innie as soon as she started sitting on her own.  We took our first walk on the beach in her Bob this month.  She continued to make lots of friends this month as she met more and more of mom and dad’s friends and family.  The Saints won the Super Bowl and she attended a Super Bowl party at Eddie Spence’s House!  She slept most of the time even while everyone was cheering.  She is so strong, holding her head up great.  We still take way too many pictures!!  She is still so tiny, still fitting into NB clothes.  She LOVES the Moby.  I am able to put her in the Moby and take her to the grocery store and spend as much time as I like because she goes straight to sleep.  I am also able to take walks on the beach which she loves with the Moby.  I highly recommend the Moby to any mom out there!!

At Jenna’s Month appointment she weighed 7lbs, 14oz and was 20.75 inches long.  She is the prettiest baby I have ever seen and she gets prettier and prettier as each day passes!!

Elaborating.. May 26, 2010

So after reading my last post, I felt like I should elaborate a little on the whole, us training Jenna to adapt to our lifestyle instead of us adapting to hers.  Tucker and I are ALWAYS on the go, we like to pick up and go if something fun comes our way.  As I said in the earlier post, we didn’t want to be prisoners in our own home and as I do believe in a routine/schedule, I didn’t believe that an hour by hour schedule was going to work for us like it does for so many others!   Jenna came to our couple’s shower a few days after she was brought home from the hospital.  She also went to restaurants and doctor’s appointments and even Target in the first few weeks she was alive!  *NOTE: For some reason, I didn’t take her to Wal-Mart until she was at least two months old maybe even older. I know I took her to Target, but for some reason Wal-Mart seems a little dirtier to me!!

With this being said,  the on the go baby works great with our family.  Jenna actually loves going to restaurants, bars, clubs, you name it! haha….. JUST KIDDING!!!  No really, she does love being out and about, much better than being at home all day.  It seems like everywhere we went early on people were asking us or rather telling us that Jenna must be our second baby.   The answer is obviously NO, as I am VERY protective over her, she is our first.  It just works for us to have her on our schedule!

One thing Jenna DOESN’T like is the car seat!  She hates being in the back seat all by herself.  She is a social baby (I have no clue where she gets that from) and loves to be entertained!  I think once we are able to let her ride facing forward she will like it better, but for now we have a cranky baby in the car unless she is WORN SLAP OUT!

And it begins…… May 25, 2010

I want to do at least one post a month on Jenna and what she is doing and how she is growing.  I also want to share my favorite pictures of each month.  Since Jenna is now 4 1/2 months, I have some catching up to do.  I am going to start with day 1 to 4 weeks and do a month every week for 4 to 5  weeks and then I should be caught up.

So here we go:  Up to 4 weeks

I can’t express the emotions and changes that you will have after you have your first child.  You have to adjust to a new way of living and you slowly wonder how you ever survived without this beautiful bundle of joy that is your child.  You will go through many trials of how to handle parent your child.  If you are anything like me you will read books, read the internet, consult your mother, consult friends that just had babies,  consult doctors and nurses, but in the end you will come up with your own unique way of parenting that works for you and your child/children.  I always say, take all the advice you can get, but when it comes down to it you know your child the best and what will work best for you and your family.  Becoming a parent is such a wonderful experience, but no two parents are alike and no two babies are alike so you will do a lot of learning as you go!

Tucker and I decided early on that we were not going to let Jenna train us, but rather we would train her   We didn’t want to be prisoners of our own home so we decided that Jenna wouldn’t slow us down too much.  She would go where we went, learn our routine, and sleep when we slept.  HAHA, okay, I know the last one was a stretch, but I threw it in there anyway.  Jenna came home from the hospital on a Thursday, and as many of you already know, she was born 3 weeks early.  Well, we had some friends at the beach that were throwing us a couples shower that was supposed to be 2 weeks before Jenna made her arrival, well since she came 3 weeks early we weren’t quite sure what to do, but we decided to go to the shower with Jenna in tow!  Now, don’t judge me just yet.  Jenna slept just about the whole time while everyone ohhhed and ahhhhed.   Jenna didn’t stay more than a couple of hours before my mother took her home.  This was probably the hardest part for me so we left soon after!

Jenna has been a GREAT sleeper since the day we brought her home.  She only woke up once a night to eat and went straight back to sleep.  We were lucky, my mom stayed with us for the first few nights and since we weren’t breast feeding we were able to sleep as my gracious mother fed Jenna.  Seeing my mom go was probably the hardest part for Tucker!

Jenna’s first few weeks, she didn’t do all that much, she ate, she slept, she did what babies do!!  She did however, have LOTS of visitors.  Within weeks she met her Aunt Nini and Uncle John, Uncle Wilbur,  Aunt Jen and Uncle Mo, her 1st cousins and some of her second, her Great Aunt Suzie and many friends of her parents!  Of course she already met her Grandpa Stickney, Mimi,  Hollywood and Flash.

During her first 4 weeks, our biggest issue was finding the right formula.  We tried Enfamil and Similac and finally decided that Simalac Sensitive mixed with Similac Advance was the way to go.   She weighed 6lbs, 7oz at birth, but when she came home she was 6lbs, 1oz.  She didn’t gain above this until she was 2 weeks old.  Since then she has been growing like a WEED!!  Below are some of my favorite pictures of Jenna in her first 4 weeks:

First Day Home!!

Her first bath.

She has the Stickney crooked pinky!

Being Breech, she loved her feet up.

Her favorite bear that is almost as big as her!

Bad Blogger! May 10, 2010

So, I know, I have been a TERRIBLE blogger!!   I can’t believe it has been so long since I last blogged!  SO much has been going on, I don’t even know where to start.  I guess I can start with Jenna:

• Jenna is now 4 months, yes, 4 MONTHS OLD!! (May 4, 2010)  I still can’t believe she is getting so big so fast!  She is the highlight of our lives and we often wonder how we ever survived without her.  I am going to have to do an update on all of her milestones and of course pictures!!

• Tucker and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on April 5, 2010.  My brother Will was so sweet to come and babysit for us so we could have a nice dinner out.  We have also been working like crazy and moving ( I will elaborate later on this) and of course enjoying every minute we have with our Sweet Jenna!

• I have my 10 year high school reunion coming up and I am still trying to fathom being old enough to be out of high school for 10 years.

• My best friend and also the God Mother of Jenna is getting married in August and I am having a BALL planning all of her showers and parties!  I swear sometimes I think I should have been some sort of planner I couldn’t be happier for Jessica Schober.  She has found her match, someone that couldn’t be more perfect for her,  Michael Reed.  She deserves all the happiness in the world!!  Jessica and I have been friends for a VERY long time (16 years give or take) and we understand each other probably better than anyone else because we are A LOT alike (of course I am the nicer one:) ).  I am honored to be her Matron of Honor and can’t wait to call her a Reed!! Congratulations Jessica, I LOVE YOU!

• I am enjoying photography even more now that I have a cute little subject to take pictures of all day every day!!  Photography is my passion even though it took me 25 years or so to figure it out!!

• I celebrated my FIRST Mother’s Day yesterday (May 9, 2010) and I couldn’t have asked for a better day!  I have a very loving, supportive, caring husband that never lets me forget that I am a wonderful wife and mother, and yesterday was no exception.  I woke up to wheat pancakes and Nassau Grits (my favorite breakfast) and flowers!  This really wasn’t much different than any other Sunday (my favorite day of the week), but this Sunday I was definitely not counting calories!!   Usually, Tucker makes me a relatively healthy breakfast, but Mother’s Day was the exception.  After breakfast, Jenna and I took a nap together and then we ate a very late lunch/dinner at Sunset Grill in Perdido Key!  My new FAVORITE place!!  I will have to show you my gift a little later, I am so excited to share it with everyone!!

• Happy Mother’s Day to my mother as well!  I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her!!  She is the BEST mom a daughter could ever dream of.  They say you will never know how much your mother loves you until you become a mother and that is SO true!!  I just want to thank her for always being my best friend, my confidant, my supporter, for letting me know I can achieve anything that I want if I want it bad enough,  for giving me that kick in the butt when I needed it the most,  for always being there when I need to talk, for raising me to be the woman that I have become!  Thank you MOM, I love you more than you will EVER know!

• So, I don’t know if anyone has heard, haha, but there is something in the Gulf that resembles oil.  Oh wait, it is OIL!!!!  The BP catastrophe is affecting everyone on the Gulf Coast.  Fortunately, God is looking out for us and providing us with weather that is keeping it away longer and longer.  I now think that the worst part of the oil is going to hit the Louisiana and Mississippi Coast.  Please keep them in your prayers as well as us because we won’t know the extent of the damage until it hits!  One of the worst things you can do is cancel your vacations!! WE need you!  As of now, our beaches are white and beautiful waiting for tourists to play on them.

• This has become more of a random post, but I didn’t know how else to do it!!   I will post more about each random thought later.  I can’t wait to share pictures of Jenna!  She is our angel!!

• I hope all the mothers out there had a GREAT Mother’s Day!

Jenna’s Birth Story! February 17, 2010

I’ll start with January 3, 2010, Sunday night.  Call it a gut feeling, mother’s instinct, or just luck, but I somehow knew that Monday, the 4th of January would be Jenna’s birthday.  Around 9:00 p.m. as usual, I started to try and get some sleep which was becoming harder

Last Belly Picture

and harder as I got BIGGER and BIGGER.  Instead of sleeping in my bed with Tucker, I resorted to the guest bedroom as I often did while pregnant.  I would sleep in the guest room because I had the bed ALL TO MYSELF which was much needed, but I also felt the need to let Tucker get as much sleep as he could and with me tossing and turning and getting up and down 50 MILLION times to empty my bladder I knew he couldn’t get a good nights sleep.   On this night though things were a little different, not only could I not sleep because of comfort, I also couldn’t sleep because of the excitement and the unknown about the next day.  Apparently, I had rubbed off on Tucker a bit as well because down the hall in our bedroom, he didn’t sleep a wink either.  So instead of being awake together, we both struggled for that minute of rest alone in separate rooms.

Fast forward to the next morning, Monday, January 4, 2010….. Tucker left for the pool to swim off some anxiety around 5:30 and by the time he came home (around 6:45) he KNEW that I was serious when I said TODAY is the day because I was already in the shower and my bags were packed and by the door and our appointment wasn’t until 9:00.  *Just a little side note, I was NEVER on time for an appointment in the morning because I was always trying to get that extra minute of sleep. We arrived at Dr. Evans’ office EARLY and as we were waiting to be called back, I informed my mom that today was the day.  Both Tucker and my mom told me I was wrong and to just wait and see what Dr. Evans’ had to say.  Shortly after this conversation we were called back and sure enough my blood pressure was super high (150/105).  Dr. Evans was not comfortable with me waiting any longer.  I was 37 weeks that day and Jenna was considered full term.  The chances of me waiting any longer would do nothing but cause me to have preeclampsia.  When Dr. Evans said that today was the day, Tucker about fell over and turned as white as a ghost with a million questions and my mom was frantic with shock.  I quickly looked over at both of them and said “I told you so”!!!!!!!

Now that we knew for sure that today was the day, there were a few more issues that we had to go over.  First of all, Jenna was still breech.  She was what you call frank breech, which is where her head and feet were up by my ribs and her butt was low. In other words instead of head down, Jenna was butt down.  After an ultrasound confirming that she was still in the same position we discussed a few different options.  First option was to go over to the hospital and go directly into a c-section.  Second option was to go to the hospital and try an ECV (External Cephalic Version) which is basically trying to turn Jenna in the right direction so that we could then be induced to have a normal vaginal delivery.  The problem with option two was that even if we were able to turn Jenna it could make for a LONG labor and in the end she may still have to be delivered via c-section.  I had already thought and talked about both options to EVERYONE and I knew going in that I would like to try the ECV for the hopes of having a normal delivery.  The operating room was already booked for noon so we were not going to be able to check into the hospital until 4:00 p.m.  We had to have the operating room open in case something went wrong during the ECV or in case the ECV didn’t work.

From the doctor’s appointment, we went to my mom’s house to get a little work done and from there we went to lunch, oh wait, Tucker went to lunch and I watched him.  I was not allowed to have anything to eat which was PURE TORTURE!!! I was so hungry I wanted to punch someone in the face for their food, no really, I was STARVING!  I don’t do well when I am hungry and can’t eat! Just ask my family or my poor husband.  So anyway, from Moe’s Southwest Grill we decided to go to Barnes and Noble.  This whole time I was having contractions, none that were painful, but they were a little uncomfortable.   Anyone that asked, “What in the world are you doing shopping and walking around when about to have a baby in a matter of hours?” my answer was, “What else am I supposed to do, I am not going to be comfortable no matter what I do so why not do something that might help take my mind off things”.  In the meantime at Mimi’s house the vacuum cleaner was going and the monogramming machine was humming.  Since Jenna was 3 weeks early Mimi had to move fast to get her outfit and hat to come home in ready.  Don’t ask me about the vacuum cleaner, I think she was working off some nervous energy.  After Barnes and Noble we went back to my parents house and Tucker actually got in a 45 minute nap while I chatted with Will and watched my mom continue to clean and burn energy.  At 3:30 p.m. my mom, Tucker and myself  decided to head towards Thomas Hospital.  Around 4:00 we were checked in and ready to go.  Here is where it gets good!

Approximately 4:30 p.m. my IV was in place and an epidural was put in.  They didn’t dose my epidural because we didn’t know what route we were going to take, but it was there for whatever we decided to do.  At this time we were also checking my blood pressure every few minutes.  It was getting higher and higher so it was the right call to have Jenna that day! (I believe the highest it got was 160/108) I also had some protein in my urine which is another sign that preeclampsia was on it’s way.

Approximately 4:45 p.m. my mom had to leave the room, Tucker was the only one allowed in during the ECV.  Dr. Evans was starting the turning process and let’s just say this, it is NOT fun.  At first, it’s a little push here, a little push there and then it’s like “WHAT?”.  Keep in mind Tucker is watching all of this.  At first I see his eyes get real big and he is saying “Whoa” until the nurse tells him that we don’t need his comments. haha!  When the pain is getting bad and I am actually going in and out of consciousness I hear the nurse say “Are you okay?, Sit down!”.  The whole time she is saying this I am thinking, I am sitting, I am actually laying down, what do you want me to do?

Then I realize, she isn’t talking to me, she is talking to Tucker.  Apparently, Tucker is having sympathy pains because before I knew it he was on the ground with his head between his knees as the nurses put alcohol under his nose and force orange juice down his throat.  Now, I wasn’t able to see all of this because I am still being worked on, but I notice all the commotion.  Tucker is no longer allowed to stand and he is now in charge of the volume control of Jenna’s heartbeat.  *Quick Note about Tucker, he DOES NOT do well in medical situations. At the site of needles he hits the ground.  The nurses and doctors knew this and every time they had to do ANYTHING that involved a needle they asked him to go behind the curtain. Dr. Evans has now tried to turn Jenna for about 20-30 minutes and there is NO such luck.  She moved a tiny bit but was just not having it.  We tried one more time even though pain wise I was ready to say STOP!  I was still holding on to the dream of having a normal vaginal birth with Tucker and my mom in the room with tears of joy and excitement while holding my baby girl the minute she was delivered.  Well, that plan was out of sight because due to Jenna not turning (we actually lost her heartbeat for a few seconds) and my blood pressure rising, c-section was going to be the way of delivery.

Approximately 5:20 p.m. we just waited and waited for the anesthesiologist to  come back and administer my medicine through the epidural.  During this time, Tucker went and informed my mom to call my dad, Will and the rest of the family to come on because we are having this baby tonight!  Tucker called his family and from there we just waited for my medicine.  While Tucker was informing everyone, I was introduced to Dr. Roh.  He was going to assist Dr. Evans with the c-section.  The neat thing about Dr. Roh is that he delivered me 27 years ago.

Approximately 5:45 p.m. I was taken across the hall to the operating room and was set up for my c-section.  This was a VERY emotional time for me.  I wasn’t having the delivery I imagined and among all the nurses and doctors I had no idea where Tucker was.  Dr.Evans was GREAT about making sure I felt safe and reassured me that I was in good hands.

Approximately 6:00 p.m. they brought Tucker in and sat him on the stool beside me and gave him strict instructions to stay put.   He took a picture of his view (a.k.a the sheet in front of him).  I wanted to see the whole thing so the nice nurse that was in charge of staying by my head to make sure I was okay shot a few pictures for me.  He got a few good ones of Jenna when she first came out.  I had NO idea what to expect with a c-section.  I always thought, they just cut you open grabbed the baby and sewed you up.  Boy was I wrong.  They actually have to push the baby out and being that she was breech they had to push a little harder.  Tucker said that he would see Dr. Roh jump above the sheet onto my chest as he was pushing her out and you CAN feel this.  The epidural is only from about half of your stomach and down so I felt every push.  I kept thinking the whole operation would be a matter of seconds, but it wasn’t.  I would hear okay we have a hip, now we have another hip, now we have a shoulder, now another, all the while I am thinking how long does it take!   Now I say this and it really didn’t take a very long time, but in my mind it was taking an eternity.  I remember when they said she was out and all I could think about was why can’t I hear her crying.  It only took a matter of seconds and the sweet sound of her wail came and will forever be in my mind.  The emotions that I had at this moment were indescribable!

On January 4, 2010, 6:37 p.m. Jenna Hughes Shaver was born.  She was 6lbs 7oz and was 19.5 inches long.  She was absolutely beautiful and healthy and more than I could have ever asked for.  She was PERFECT!  I have never loved Tucker as much as I did when I saw the tears of joy in his eyes.  As he was looking at Jenna he looked back at me with a smile that said it all.  From that moment I knew that she had her daddy wrapped around her little fingers.  After she was born and wrapped up they let me see her for what seemed like a split second before they took her to the nursery.  Tucker followed.  As they stapled me together and made sure I was stable, all I could think about was seeing baby Jenna again.  (*Tucker, my mom, and I all guessed how big Jenna would be and Tucker nailed it right on the head. Mom and I both guessed 6lbs 4oz or less)

I could write a book about what they don’t tell you about giving birth.  I had the shakes so bad after giving birth that I thought I would shake right through the bed and to the ground.  Naturally I kept asking for Jenna, but until I was stable and able to hold her (obviously I wouldn’t be able to while shaking as much as I was) and until they were able to get all of her tests done as well as cleaning her up a bit I had to WAIT and that might have been the hardest part so far.  It was about an hour, maybe longer before Tucker walked through the door with Jenna in his arms and with the BIGGEST smile I have EVER seen.  He was so proud to bring me our daughter, he didn’t want to let her go.  He was a Jenna hog for sure!  Meeting my daughter was the best feeling I’ve ever had.  I felt like I should pinch myself over and over to make sure this wasn’t a dream.  Like I said before she was beautiful and so perfect.  Soon after, they allowed my family and Tucker’s family to come in and see her.  It’s amazing how much Jenna was already loved before she was even aware she was in this world.  Everyone was so proud.

Our family was only allowed to stay for a little while (20 minutes or so) before they shipped them out.  They had to monitor my blood pressure before they decided on whether or not I would be put in an after birth room.  Within hours my blood pressure was in an “out of danger” range and I was able to go into a normal room.  As my doctor says, I just had to get rid of the parasite (a.k.a. Jenna) growing inside of me!

With a c-section you have to stay in the hospital a little longer than with a normal vaginal birth.  Being at Thomas Hospital (a.k.a Eastern Shore Spa and Wellness Center as Tucker called it) was awesome, we didn’t mind the extra days we had to stay for they treated us like royalty and made us feel completely comfortable.  What’s not to love when they give you medicine to sleep at night along with pain killers to take any pain you might have away and they take care of the baby while you sleep.  This was GREAT.  We also had so many visitors that at one time my nurse told me I had to get some rest.  It meant so much to us to see everyone that came by.  Thank you for those of you that were able to come and visit.

Giving birth to a child is one of the greatest things in this world.  They are truly one of God’s sweet miracles.  I don’t know how anyone that has children could not believe in God because having a baby is pure proof that he exists.  God is GREAT!  Jenna is the love or our life and we couldn’t be happier to have her here with us.

We look forward as we start this journey as parents to the prettiest baby girl I’ve ever laid eyes on!  WE LOVE YOU JENNA!!

A few more pictures of that day:

Hearing Jenna cry for the first time!

Trying to stretch out her legs since she was breech.

In the nursery with our favorite nursery nurse, Pat.

An excited family! We have NO idea who the lady in the background is.

WELL……. January 25, 2010

WOW, so where do I start!  I feel like I have so much to blog about.  I am so behind!  I guess I could start with the biggest news…..

Jenna Hughes Shaver made her arrival into the world on January 4, 2010.  She was 3 weeks early, today was actually her original due date, but she and mom are healthy and happy!  She was 6lbs, 7oz and 19.5 inches long at birth.  I can’t wait to share her birth story and share all kinds of fun things that have been going on.  In the mean time I will leave you with a picture of her the day she was brought home from the hospital.

Jenna was brought home the day that Alabama played Texas for the National Championship so she had to support her mommy’s favorite team by wearing Crimson and White.  (She didn’t wear this home from the hospital, I wouldn’t do that to Dad, but she did change before the game began!) Jenna was definitely a good luck charm for UofA!!  This was the year for the TIDE! ROLL TIDE!!

I can’t wait to post more soon and blog about everything that has happened since I last blogged!  I hope you check back soon for updates.

Pictures from the last few weeks November 23, 2009

October 24th, I made it to the Alabama v.s. Tennessee game.  What an exciting game to watch live.  We were a little nervous towards the end, but the Tide pulled through again! Tucker didn’t go to the game with me so my mom, brother and his friend made the trip and we had a GREAT time!  I just love the feeling of being in Tuscaloosa for a game. I was almost 27 weeks at the game and following are some pictures.

ROLL TIDE!! Jenna was pretty quiet (not moving much) throughout the game, she was probably wondering “WHERE in the world have you taken me?”.  She did seem to perk up a little once we were in the car on the way home, almost as to say “Hey I’m still in here!!”.

I absolutely LOVE feeling Jenna move all around and we are really getting to see her as she adjusts to get comfortable.  It so weird to see my stomach poke up and down from side to side.  It really is “Weird” as Tucker says! Following is a picture of me 30 1/2 weeks.  I am definitely growing!!

30 weeks down, 10 weeks to go! November 20, 2009

Monday, I was 30 weeks and I went to the doctor for a check-up and an ultrasound.  We got to see little Jenna and she is doing GREAT!  She is weighing in at approximately 3lbs 4 oz and her heart rate was 148 bpm.  It was harder to see her in the ultrasound because she is growing so much and apparently the bigger the baby gets the harder it is to see them in ultrasound, but we did get a few good pictures of her!

Jenna is looking at us in this picture.  She was moving her mouth the whole ultrasound!  She is bound to be a talker with Tucker and me as the parents.

The bad news is that I have been having some borderline high blood pressure.  I went back to the doctor on Wednesday and will be going back again today, Friday.  I am hoping it settles down some because I am not good at this whole modified bed rest they are talking about!

In the picture to the right, Jenna is still looking at us, but look at the size of those cheeks and lips!! The cheeks definitely came from the Stickney side but the lips?

We are getting so anxious to meet our little Jenna.  I feel like 10 weeks doesn’t sound that far away but it’s still 2 1/2 months!! I will say we aren’t quite ready yet, considering we have no nursery set up.  We have the furniture, but none of it is put together.  We need to get started on that.

Sadie – Missed and Loved by Many November 4, 2009

It all started one day while I was working at the Chicken Store.

Note about the Chicken Store a.k.a. DayBreak – The Chicken Store was my dad’s gas station in Loxley.  My dad told me that if I came home from a college that was paying for my school and my living by tennis scholarship, that I was going to work.  So here I was working at his gas station from 6 a.m. – 3p.m.  Yes, this was a bright and early morning for a college student especially since I was driving from Mobile to Loxley to get there!  At the time I dreaded starting this job because of the hours, but ended up having a good time.  I learned all kinds of pick up lines that I had never heard before, made some cool friends that at first thought I was going to be a spoiled daddy’s girl that wasn’t going to work, but once they got to know me they realized that I worked with the best of them!!  My dad didn’t find the humor in some of the pick up lines and eventually told me that I couldn’t wear shorts anymore (mind you this is the middle of the summer in South Alabama) but I understood and granted his wishes.  I am thankful for the lessons my parents taught me throughout life.  “You have to work hard to get what you want in life.”  Some people say NEVER to work with family, but I enjoyed working with my dad everyday, there were many laughs and memories made!!  Learning how hard he worked (which is harder than ANYONE I know) all my life made me appreciate him even more than I already did.

Okay so back to the story.  So I had been toying with the idea of getting a puppy for a while, even though my mother told me it was the worst thing a college student could do (she was probably right).  There was a local classifieds paper called “The Shopper” that we sold at the station so I decided to look at the puppy section just to see what was out there.  I found the perfect ad.  “Peek-a-poo puppies all ready with their first shots,  $25 to a good home.”  I was SOLD immediately.  I went home that day and told my roommate at the time that we had to go get these puppies.  She agreed and so we drove out to God knows where and found these so called peek-a-poo puppies.  Let me just tell you these were anything but peek-a-poo puppies!! There was a black and white one and a blond brindle one.  As soon as I picked the brindle one up I knew I had to have her!  They both had these terrible names that I can’t even remember and they looked like they weren’t really “living the life” if you know what I mean, so we took them both.  Once we got them home I decided on the name SADIE!!!

Sadie was the best dog in the world from the moment she came home.  She has always been a little timid and I believe she might have been hit a lot as a small puppy because she would run and hide if you raised your hand or your voice.  My mom wasn’t too thrilled with the thought that I just bought a dog, but my dad loved her from the start.  Even when people would say she wasn’t the prettiest puppy, my dad and I both thought she was beautiful.  Sadie went everywhere with me.   It took her a little while to get used to the car, getting sick every time we went anywhere, but that soon wore off.  She was like my shadow.  She would nap when I napped, eat when I ate,  etc.  She would wait until I woke up in the morning to go out (as a college student this could sometimes be noon) and sometimes she would eat whatever I could find in the kitchen to feed her.  Do you know how EXPENSIVE dog food is for a college student?

Every time I went home Sadie came with me and she eventually won over my mom’s heart.  Now, if you know my mom, she doesn’t LOVE any dog unless it’s stuffed so this was quite the accomplishment! Who couldn’t love Sadie she was only the BEST dog in the whole world.

I EVENTUALLY graduated college, I was having such a good time, I decided to prolong the process a little! Don’t judge me, it’s hard to graduate in 4 years when you transfer twice!! Haha!  Anyway, so I finally graduated December 2005, yes that means I was in college for 5 ½ years, but hey, I graduated!!  After graduation I moved in with my sister in Atlanta.  Sadie of course went with me there and would stay in my room until I came home from work.  My sister would even say sometimes she forgot she was there.  Sadie was loved by the Fauteux family too.

After Atlanta, I moved back to Daphne and Sadie loved us having our own place.  It was just the two of us and we LOVED it.  Then one day I met Tucker and lets just say Sadie wasn’t too keen of him and vice versa.  Poor Sadie just wouldn’t adjust to Tucker (I think it’s because she knew that he was going to be around for good and didn’t want any of the attention taken away from her, she is pretty smart!)  She would hide under the bed the minute he came over and wouldn’t come out until he was gone!! Smart, I told you!!

After Tucker and I married, we moved to the Turks and Caicos Islands and Sadie made the trip in the U-haul with us all the way to Miami and even got to sleep on a “heavenly” bed at the Westin. I can still remember putting Sadie on the plane.  She was like, “MOM, Really!! Are you really going to put me on this giant thing that flies?”.  Seeing her in the airport when we landed in TCI, in the middle of the floor with “LIVE ANIMAL” stickers all over her cage was the funniest site.  She handled the transition well, loving the lizards she chased all day and night and LOVING the beach even more.  Sadie couldn’t get enough of the beach!!

By this time Sadie and Tucker were beginning to bond.  They both weren’t ready to admit it yet, but they loved each other and I would catch them talking and loving on each other when they didn’t think I was watching.

Just recently when we would let Sadie in bed with us at night she would snuggle right up next to Tucker instead of me. Tucker would say she loved him more than me, but I think she knew that I had Jenna growing in my tummy and that she better start making her bond with Tucker even stronger so that she wouldn’t be left out.  Little did she know that I would NEVER leave her out.

Sadie just went with the flow, when we moved she moved with us with no adjusting or fighting.  She just wanted to be with us, she didn’t care where.  Now, Sadie and my dad had a special bond as well.  She loved going to mimi’s and grandpa’s when Tucker and I had to go out of town.  Mimi would give her the best walks and Grandpa would love on her like no one else.  Uncle Will would always try to toughen her up by picking on her and she even loved him too.

October 24, 2009, Sadie decided to go on an adventure.  She was at a friend’s house with Tucker and she ran off.  She liked to explore from time to time, but NEVER went to the road.  For some reason or another, only God knows, Sadie ventured towards the road and was hit by a car.  Tucker looked for Sadie all night long and as soon as I made it home from Tuscaloosa I too, searched for Sadie. Tucker finally found her the next morning on the side of the road.  She was less than a block from where Tucker was and we think she was on her way back.  We don’t think she suffered, but the thought of her being hit still makes me cry.  It was the hardest thing in the world for me to see her so lifeless and stiff.  I just kept thinking she would get up and start smiling like “I fooled you, Mom, I’m fine, now lets go home!”  Poor Sadie didn’t get up that day.   I am sure the trip to doggie heaven is a great one, but what I would give to have her back here with us.  I had so many future plans with Sadie and never imagined that she wouldn’t be here to fulfill them.  Being 7 months pregnant, I couldn’t wait for Sadie to meet little Jenna.  I knew they would be the best of friends. It is still so hard to imagine the future without Sadie.  She was only 6 almost 7 and still had so much life left in her.  I can still see her smiling at me wondering what’s next.

Sadie was my first baby and she has been there through the good times, the bad times and every time in between.  She loved me more than her life itself!  She is missed by many.  I know she is running around on the beach in heaven with all the dog treats she can imagine.

We miss her like crazy and she will NEVER be forgotten.  No matter what dog we may have in the future, no dog will ever compare to Sadie.  Still the best $25 I ever spent! We love you Sadie!

26 Weeks Yesterday! October 20, 2009

I went to the doctor yesterday for our 26 week check up and everything is looking good!  Jenna has been measuring on the big side of normal for the last two appointments, which doesn’t mean anything really, just that she is growing consistently.  My next appointment in a month at 30 weeks, we will get an ultrasound!! I am SO excited we get to see her again!  After that appointment we will be going every 2 weeks.  I can’t believe that we only have 14 more weeks before we get to meet Little Jenna!!

I am feeling pretty good, still getting sick from time to time and the heartburn,  OH the HEARTBURN!!  My right thigh has been numb for about 2 weeks now and there is really nothing I can do about it, but all and all a small price to pay for the miracle of a daughter we will have in not too much longer!

Tucker is really starting to see and feel her kick.  Jenna already loves her daddy! Every time Tucker talks to her or puts his ear to my belly to listen for her she kicks him.  He doesn’t think it’s so funny, but Jenna and I do!  We laugh all the time thinking about her in there just chillin’ ,  it’s almost alien like.

We have a lot going on within the next couple of months!  We will be moving starting next week, just right down the street, but still moving nonetheless!  We have friends throwing us 2 showers that I am super excited about!  We have the holidays which everyone says will make the time pass that much faster so I am looking forward to that!  Oh yeah and we have a baby on the way!! We are so thankful for everything that we are blessed with.  We really couldn’t ask for anything more!