Another early pregnancy symptom that is occuring right now is pure exhuastion. I am talking barely keeping my eyes open. One day (or a few days) after work when I come home I go straight to the couch. Nash watches a movie and I fall asleep for a good hour or longer. Normally, I am constantly going when I get home. Straighten up, doing laundry, making lunches, paying bills, playing with the boy. I hardly ever sit down for long periods of time. Not so much anymore. It has become the norm where before that would only occur if I was sick. The worst time recently was a day after work where I fell asleep like I said before while Nash was watching a movie. I woke up a hour later. My mom kept Nash for the night because I had to be up early and at Vilonia early to volunteer. So about 7 or 7:30 after he left. I fell back asleep until about 10:30. Got up for maybe 30 minutes and went back to sleep and slept all night.
This was one symptom I remember to a certian extent from last time but when you go through it again it brings it all back and even more real if that make sense. There are a few days or a few hours that I have some spurts of energy and I take full advantage of those times and be as productive as I can. Ready for the exhuastion to lift.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tornado damage in Vilonia
As a lot of you know, I work at the Vilonia Middle School and Vilonia got hit really hard last night by the tornadoes. There were 4 fatalities and so far names have not been released. I have gotten ahold of a lot of my families who are all physically safe. Several families have lots of damage. One of my kids completely lost their house while they were in it. I am still concerned for the ones that I haven't been able to reach.
Vilonia is a very small and friendly town. The people there are very friendly and help each other out. There has been an out pour of help there. No one else has been able to go into the town because of all the damage. Please keep Vilonia in your prayers in the upcoming days and months and pray that they don't get more damage tonight in the storms that are coming.
Stay safe everyone!
Vilonia is a very small and friendly town. The people there are very friendly and help each other out. There has been an out pour of help there. No one else has been able to go into the town because of all the damage. Please keep Vilonia in your prayers in the upcoming days and months and pray that they don't get more damage tonight in the storms that are coming.
Stay safe everyone!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Irritability
I have been very irritable lately. I think and hope it's the hormones going crazy and not me going crazy. Some days are worse than others. I had a talk with a friend of mine who is also pregnant and she told me some funny stories about her going off on people due to the pregnancy irritability/hormones. We laughed so a hard together and totally understood each other's situations. What's funny is as we were talking we agreed that the things we were getting irritable about were things that would probably irritate us anyways but since we have the hormones and all going on it just sends us over the edge. I notice physically just boiling inside and wanting to go off but I try my best to just not say anything because I know whatever I say is not going to come out nice and will probably just make things worse and that would make me even more mad.
Here are a couple of situations (that I feel I can post about because there are several others that I better not) that have made me irritated lately. The first one being our lovely puppy Rufus. I do really love Rufus. He's sweet and is like a lap dog. He is also very playful and fun. Not to mention, he's super cute. However, he is still not house broken and it is DRIVING ME CRAZY. Especially, when he's been outside all day and comes inside and poops or even worse pees. I don't know how long it takes them to get the going outside thing down but I am running out of patience. I know I don't work with him as hard as I should and I wish I would've crate trained from the beginning but didn't. So now I just keep him outside as much as I can when he is going to be unsupervised and take him out often when he is in.
The other thing is how Nash is with his toys. Ever since he could, he throws his toys. He has gotten some better with that as he has gotten older but still from time to time throws his toys and that DRIVES ME CRAZY. I tell him all the time to not throw his toys. I talked to him about taking care of his toys. He will do okay after I prompt him that first time but it's like I have to tell him it at least once everyday. I know at his age kids don't probably "value" their toys and may not get the concept of caring for them but I wish he would. He does have a lot of toys and I don't want him to be the bratty kid that thinks he can do whatever with his toys and he will get a new one. Tonight, he had his new fishing game on the floor playing with it and then went off and left it. When I saw it later, it had three fish missing from it. I don't know if the dogs took them somewhere or if he did and doesn't know where he put them but we haven't been able to find them anywhere. So, anyways I used my usual tactic after getting him to look for it. I lectured him about taking care of his toys so he can have them to play with later. If he acts like he doesn't care, I say "do you want me to give that game to another boy or girl who likes it and will take care of it?". (and by the way I totally would and think it would teach him a good lesson real quick) Normally that works and he says "no" and says he will take care of it. Tonight he said "yeah. you give it away and I will go to Toys R US and get one". Nice. Of course I tell him that if he gets it taken away he won't get another one. Then he decides he doesn't want me to give it away.
I could post about many other things that have made me mad but one you don't want to hear them all and two probably not the best idea to put all my stuff out there but you get my point. Today is one of my irritable days so I getting some of it out, sort of. :)
Here are a couple of situations (that I feel I can post about because there are several others that I better not) that have made me irritated lately. The first one being our lovely puppy Rufus. I do really love Rufus. He's sweet and is like a lap dog. He is also very playful and fun. Not to mention, he's super cute. However, he is still not house broken and it is DRIVING ME CRAZY. Especially, when he's been outside all day and comes inside and poops or even worse pees. I don't know how long it takes them to get the going outside thing down but I am running out of patience. I know I don't work with him as hard as I should and I wish I would've crate trained from the beginning but didn't. So now I just keep him outside as much as I can when he is going to be unsupervised and take him out often when he is in.
The other thing is how Nash is with his toys. Ever since he could, he throws his toys. He has gotten some better with that as he has gotten older but still from time to time throws his toys and that DRIVES ME CRAZY. I tell him all the time to not throw his toys. I talked to him about taking care of his toys. He will do okay after I prompt him that first time but it's like I have to tell him it at least once everyday. I know at his age kids don't probably "value" their toys and may not get the concept of caring for them but I wish he would. He does have a lot of toys and I don't want him to be the bratty kid that thinks he can do whatever with his toys and he will get a new one. Tonight, he had his new fishing game on the floor playing with it and then went off and left it. When I saw it later, it had three fish missing from it. I don't know if the dogs took them somewhere or if he did and doesn't know where he put them but we haven't been able to find them anywhere. So, anyways I used my usual tactic after getting him to look for it. I lectured him about taking care of his toys so he can have them to play with later. If he acts like he doesn't care, I say "do you want me to give that game to another boy or girl who likes it and will take care of it?". (and by the way I totally would and think it would teach him a good lesson real quick) Normally that works and he says "no" and says he will take care of it. Tonight he said "yeah. you give it away and I will go to Toys R US and get one". Nice. Of course I tell him that if he gets it taken away he won't get another one. Then he decides he doesn't want me to give it away.
I could post about many other things that have made me mad but one you don't want to hear them all and two probably not the best idea to put all my stuff out there but you get my point. Today is one of my irritable days so I getting some of it out, sort of. :)
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter
Nash really got into Easter this year. I don't know if it his is age or the fact that he had a total of 5 Easter egg hunts this year! (Debbie's, school, Mawmaw and Pawpaw's, Sunday School class, and Mimi and Poppy's). However, he is a master egg hunter and loves looking in his eggs to see what's in there. Here are some pics from this Easter.
Nash with his cousins and extended family.
Nash seeing what the Easter Bunny brought him.
This was his favorite thing he got from the Easter Bunny. The boy loves to fish and Chris and I don't so we thought we could at least do this game with him and leave the real fishing up to his grandpa's.
Nash hunting eggs at Mimi and Poppy's
Our family photo on Easter
I am super exited about these two things Nash made me for Easter. A new Easter basket with his footprints for the chicks.
and an Easter egg with his handprints.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
a WONDERFUL weekend
My weekend started off by me and my sister going to the Beth Moore conference at Verizon Arena. I can't begin to do it justice by writing about it but I will tell you what I can. There were over 85 hundred women there (maybe a few men) from 22 states across the United States singing praises to God led by the awesome praise team and pouring over the word of God through Beth Moore which is amazing at her gift. We studied 2 Timothy 4 where Paul was at the end of his life and was looking back over it. From that, she talked about how we all have a ministry and talked about what we all should be doing in fulfilling it or filling it to the full. I throughly enjoyed it and enjoyed spending time with my 15 year old sister who was saved recently. It was awesome to be able to share that experience with her.
Tonight we had Easter at my other family's house. My best friend Misty and her family is like family to me and they always invite us to their family things. Their Easter thing is awesome and how it "should be". Lots of little kids running around a huge yard with eggs everywhere. Nash kept saying "Mommy, there are eggs EVERYWHERE!". He literally filled up two buckets full of eggs that were filled with money and candy.
Lilly, Sarah, Braydi, and Nash with the bunny cake we all helped decorate
Nash's Easter Basket
Cash, Nash, Braydi, and Lilly with their marshmellow suckers
Nash with his first bucket full
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Utter Insanity
Well, I was going to write this post about how I started this new work out called Insanity that I was doing. If you don't know what that is, it's basically the hardest workout ever that you do for six days a week that progressively gets harder for 60 days and you are supposed to have this awesome body that would probably take you a year to get working out normally. I was very interested in this for several reasons. One I have always wanted and awesome body (muscle wise) but my normal workouts weren't getting me anywhere close and I would kind of give up. I see advertisements all the time about take this pill or do this pretty easy exercise tape and you will have an awesome body in two weeks. Even though that sounds great and many people fall for it we obviously know this isn't realistic. However, working out super hard six days a week for 60 days I could see how that might work. So, I started it. I loved it. It was the hardest workout I ever have done. Sweat was pouring in the first 10 mins. I thought this is great. I am gonna stick this out because the big 3 0 is coming around the corner and how awesome would it be to be in the best shape of my life at that big milestone in my life...
Well, another insanity insued that caught me by total surprise. I had completed my first week of insanity and was pumped about being able to stick it out and motivated to continue. I was full of energy and feeling great about myself. However, that month my charting of my cycle had been off as it had been consistently the same the last four months. I thought well maybe it's because I have been sick with bronchitis and I started this insane work out. When I was two or three days late I still was thinking it was the reasons stated above but thought I would take a pregnancy test to ease my mind. I get Nash to nap, pee on stick, let the dogs out, come back in to look at my negative pregnancy test and it was not negative it was indeed very much positive.
Yep. We are pregnant. I am still in shock but getting excited. I am very much so feeling it i.e. crampy, bloated, tired, nauseated, very sensitive to smells. The whole nine.
I wanted to wait to tell everyone until our first appointment but I figured with how I was feeling it would be pretty evident early and because I am feeling it constantly it is always on my mind. So we told Nash who was ecstatic. He has been wanting a baby sister that he named "Penny" for a long time. He wanted to hug the baby so he hugged my stomach. We let him call and tell our family that he was a "big brother". I realize that it is still early on. I am only 5 weeks. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for when I am 8 weeks to make sure everything is okay. I know there is a lot people who don't want to tell in case they miscarry and I do have that fear and know of several people who have miscarried early on. However, I figure even it that does happen I don't want to be alone in it and pretend that it didn't happen. So, here's is wishing and praying for the best. God has blessed us with another member of our family and we greatly appreciate your prayers and support during this time.
Well, another insanity insued that caught me by total surprise. I had completed my first week of insanity and was pumped about being able to stick it out and motivated to continue. I was full of energy and feeling great about myself. However, that month my charting of my cycle had been off as it had been consistently the same the last four months. I thought well maybe it's because I have been sick with bronchitis and I started this insane work out. When I was two or three days late I still was thinking it was the reasons stated above but thought I would take a pregnancy test to ease my mind. I get Nash to nap, pee on stick, let the dogs out, come back in to look at my negative pregnancy test and it was not negative it was indeed very much positive.
Yep. We are pregnant. I am still in shock but getting excited. I am very much so feeling it i.e. crampy, bloated, tired, nauseated, very sensitive to smells. The whole nine.
I wanted to wait to tell everyone until our first appointment but I figured with how I was feeling it would be pretty evident early and because I am feeling it constantly it is always on my mind. So we told Nash who was ecstatic. He has been wanting a baby sister that he named "Penny" for a long time. He wanted to hug the baby so he hugged my stomach. We let him call and tell our family that he was a "big brother". I realize that it is still early on. I am only 5 weeks. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for when I am 8 weeks to make sure everything is okay. I know there is a lot people who don't want to tell in case they miscarry and I do have that fear and know of several people who have miscarried early on. However, I figure even it that does happen I don't want to be alone in it and pretend that it didn't happen. So, here's is wishing and praying for the best. God has blessed us with another member of our family and we greatly appreciate your prayers and support during this time.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Power of Positive Thinking
As most know I am a therapist and a believer that our thoughts do greatly effect our emotions. I also do not like to talk to people who seem to be always negative, talk about negative things, and think the worst in situations. I am not going to lie. I am a worrier by nature. I think I come from a family of worriers. I married into a family who are much the opposite. Not that they don't worry at all but they are much more patient and calm about things than I am. I can't tell you how many times my husband's said "it'll all work out" or the times my mother-in-law has said "whatever is meant to be will be" and the few times that I have talked with my father-in-law and his response is something to the fact of "don't worry about it. it will be okay". Where my natural tendency would be to stress and say I need to fix it or come up with a plan NOW. I don't know if they are rubbing off on me or if I am doing some cognitive behavioral therapy with myself or what but I have been trying to consciously work on not worrying so much and thinking positive.
I know some people disagree with the whole power of positive thinking philosophy. I do agree that you can take it to an extreme. Just because you tell yourself you are going to have a good day or be wealthy or be successful doesn't mean that you will. However, you can chose to think positive or negative about any circumstance in your life. Some situations obviously would be harder than others. Some ways I have started implementing them are things that are struggles for me. Like unexpected bills I have to pay, I normally freak out over it and stress and worry and obsess over it until I come up with some plan that eases my worry. Also wanting something that probably I could have if I pursued it but I know it's not the best decision right now. I choose to think differently about both those things and it really has helped. I have to catch my impulsive or anxious thoughts and reframe them into accurate helpful positive thoughts. This is what I teach client's to do all the time but it's much easier to teach than it is to practice some times. I can practice it on issues that don't really bother me but those that are my weak spots I have trouble with like the ones I mentioned above. The two big ones that I have had recently really have worked out without me doing anything drastic or stressing over. The thing is for us worriers things hardly ever turn out as bad as we think they are going to so why stress over it in the first place right.
What's got me on this psychobabble kick today you ask? Well I really have been consciously working on it lately and seeing the benefits and today I went to and will go tomorrow on a all day Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy conference which deals with these issues. The presenter was a therapist through and through (kind of like I believe I am obviously he is much more knowledgeable than I am). His microphone went off in the afternoon session and instead of saying "Aw..crap the microphone quit working! It'll take some time to get me up and running. We are going to run late now". Instead he said "the battery must of given out...It lasted a long time though.. all most all day". Both of those statements are equally true and accurate. If you think the first one you are going to feel mad/frustrated/irritated. If you think the second one you are going to feel appreciative/be understanding/patient. So why not think positive? Makes sense right?!?! However, too most of us or people like me that doesn't always come naturally so you have to work on it but it will be well worth it. (That will be $150 please. Just kidding)
Seriously and on a spiritual note, I think the power of positive thinking is biblical too. Man didn't come up with psychology. God created man and knows how our mind works. The Bible warns against negative thoughts and to cast our cares on Him because he cares for us. We as Christians should be the least of worriers because we know we serve a God who loves us more than we can ever imagine and even though life is hard He is there for us no matter what. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother and our ever present help in time of need. He is our provider and nothing is impossible with God.
Two things that made my heart smile today:
1. I saw a very cute elderly man at UAMS eating lunch with his elderly wife which was sweet enough and then the man was wearing an "I heart Jesus" hat. As my pastor says when he talks about older people who are still faithfully loving and serving God. That it gives him (and me) encouragement that God is good and faithful or why would people that age still be willing to serve Him. :)
2. I was eating lunch by an area of the hospital that patients come in an out of. First there was this woman looked in bad health and looked like it even hurt to even walk or move. Those situations freak me out and I don't know what to do so I often freeze and the woman looked at me and gave me a huge sincere smile. It almost brought tears to my eyes as I was thinking this poor old lady. If I were her how grumpy I would be and probably be envious of younger able bodied people and for her to be so seemingly happy. I made my heart smile. So two seconds later another very similar lady came out so I gave her a big smile and she gave one right back. :)
GO BE POSITIVE PEOPLE!
I know some people disagree with the whole power of positive thinking philosophy. I do agree that you can take it to an extreme. Just because you tell yourself you are going to have a good day or be wealthy or be successful doesn't mean that you will. However, you can chose to think positive or negative about any circumstance in your life. Some situations obviously would be harder than others. Some ways I have started implementing them are things that are struggles for me. Like unexpected bills I have to pay, I normally freak out over it and stress and worry and obsess over it until I come up with some plan that eases my worry. Also wanting something that probably I could have if I pursued it but I know it's not the best decision right now. I choose to think differently about both those things and it really has helped. I have to catch my impulsive or anxious thoughts and reframe them into accurate helpful positive thoughts. This is what I teach client's to do all the time but it's much easier to teach than it is to practice some times. I can practice it on issues that don't really bother me but those that are my weak spots I have trouble with like the ones I mentioned above. The two big ones that I have had recently really have worked out without me doing anything drastic or stressing over. The thing is for us worriers things hardly ever turn out as bad as we think they are going to so why stress over it in the first place right.
What's got me on this psychobabble kick today you ask? Well I really have been consciously working on it lately and seeing the benefits and today I went to and will go tomorrow on a all day Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy conference which deals with these issues. The presenter was a therapist through and through (kind of like I believe I am obviously he is much more knowledgeable than I am). His microphone went off in the afternoon session and instead of saying "Aw..crap the microphone quit working! It'll take some time to get me up and running. We are going to run late now". Instead he said "the battery must of given out...It lasted a long time though.. all most all day". Both of those statements are equally true and accurate. If you think the first one you are going to feel mad/frustrated/irritated. If you think the second one you are going to feel appreciative/be understanding/patient. So why not think positive? Makes sense right?!?! However, too most of us or people like me that doesn't always come naturally so you have to work on it but it will be well worth it. (That will be $150 please. Just kidding)
Seriously and on a spiritual note, I think the power of positive thinking is biblical too. Man didn't come up with psychology. God created man and knows how our mind works. The Bible warns against negative thoughts and to cast our cares on Him because he cares for us. We as Christians should be the least of worriers because we know we serve a God who loves us more than we can ever imagine and even though life is hard He is there for us no matter what. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother and our ever present help in time of need. He is our provider and nothing is impossible with God.
Two things that made my heart smile today:
1. I saw a very cute elderly man at UAMS eating lunch with his elderly wife which was sweet enough and then the man was wearing an "I heart Jesus" hat. As my pastor says when he talks about older people who are still faithfully loving and serving God. That it gives him (and me) encouragement that God is good and faithful or why would people that age still be willing to serve Him. :)
2. I was eating lunch by an area of the hospital that patients come in an out of. First there was this woman looked in bad health and looked like it even hurt to even walk or move. Those situations freak me out and I don't know what to do so I often freeze and the woman looked at me and gave me a huge sincere smile. It almost brought tears to my eyes as I was thinking this poor old lady. If I were her how grumpy I would be and probably be envious of younger able bodied people and for her to be so seemingly happy. I made my heart smile. So two seconds later another very similar lady came out so I gave her a big smile and she gave one right back. :)
GO BE POSITIVE PEOPLE!
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