New Habits and Resolutions

Ok.. I have always thought about New Year's resolutions but sometimes I forget about them by January 15th. Isn't that what every body else does? I guess I am with all the other peeps who say, "This year I'm watching what I eat, blah blah blah.." This year, however, my husband and I have actually said we are going to set goals instead of setting up an actual weight loss number. We have a goal of running a half marathon and wanting to fit into some clothes that either need to go into our closets or go to the local Goodwill!

As for new habits.. our 2 year old has started lying down on the floor at bedtime and falling asleep. I know.. we travel so much and we have been kind of slack on bedtime routines, except for the bath, of course. We just let him fall asleep and we take him into his room for bed. I am probably setting up the worst habit ever and the Supernanny on tv would have a few things to say... but, I'm not one of her clients so I think I'm ok...hehehe!

I have had the very best holiday season and I am getting to spend New Years with my sweet husband who is right now playing w/ his toy helicopter.. yes, it's his toy...and we're watching Friends and we're just vedging until we ring in the New Year. I know its not glamorous but its just what we do... very low key..just like us!

So, from our home to yours.. we wish you the very best New Year, which ever way you celebrate!

Its already over?!

Its already the day after Christmas and I have just mailed out our Christmas cards. Every year I promise myself I will be more organized and send them the very next day after Thanksgiving.. only to disappoint myself and send them late?! Argghh... if I only made reasonable expectations of myself and didn't continually get frustrated!

This year we had two wonderful Christmas celebrations with both sides of the family and it was very special! I think this year was more special because we not only had one more child in our lives, thank you Mailey for making us smile! But we also had more intimate celebrations with our families. The Meenachs had a special lunch the week before because of work schedules, etc. The Drake family had a sweet lunch because my dad has been sick and we brought lunch to him and his lovely wife, Arlene. I think this year has been very special and I can't think of anything we would have done differently :) Ok, maybe send out the cards a little earlier!

I want to wish all of you a very special New Year and I hope its a happy and healthy one, too!

Christmas Already?!

I can't believe the year I have had! I am a mother to a new little girl, Mailey, and I just love my growing little boy, Drake. We had a wonderful Fall and now we're in the throws of December and the wonderful holiday is right around the corner!

Now.. I will admit that when I was young (like 12-18), I loved Christmas for several reasons.. outside of celebrating Jesus' birth, I loved being out of school, shopping, seeing friends, etc. I still love all of these things (ok, maybe minus the crazy shopping) but I have really been humbled this year to really focus on the reason of Christmas and not even WANTing to ask my family what they would like to receive this year as a gift. We've agreed to something around $10 but the main thing we're doing is just spending time together.. and that is something you can't put a price on.

As for our children.. my husband and I are really thinking about what to do as far as how many gifts does each one get (when they have too much already?!) and how we're going to transition in the future when they expect more. I still am in awe in how my parents raised three kids and still maintained their sanity (and humor!).. I can only hope I raise my kids in a similar way with as much love as they showed us!

Twas the first night...

Twas the first night my husband has both babies to himself.. with help from Nanna & Pappaw Meenach. Yes... my sweet and handsome husband has our two kids to himself. I know he is at my inlaws home but I do like to think of him being the sole (ultimate) responsible person who has them. I know my inlaws help quite a bit but tonight is kind of big for him, its his first with our newest member of the family.. Mailey.

I will admit to spoiling a wee bit.. but Mailey and I have bonded to the point of her sleeping next to me and I don't know how it is going to go over with my dear husband?! Some people call it "co-sleeping," but I call it, "mommy needs to sleep..so lay here for me" sleeping?! It works and everyone gets a good night of sleep! So.. lets pray for a good report tomorrow from the hubby!

I will post later this week as my little boy will be 2! I can't believe that time is flying by so fast!! I can only imagine what type of person he will grow into.. I pray he is strong, independent, and compassionate. I am sure I could think of more but I will talk about that at a later time :)

For now.. have a great week! DM

Ok, I'm still here.. and life is full!

Hi there.. yes I am still here and I have two healthy children, one of whom is 8 wks old! I know, the time is flying by so fast!!

Mailande Kay came into the world at 8lbs, 11oz and 20.5 inches long with 10 toes and 10 fingers! She is so beautiful and most importantly very healthy : )

Life is full for sure.. and so is our car! Everywhere we go it looks like we are going camping for weeks, but its slowly getting to a normal crazy these days. We are learning what we need and what is really not necessary.. lots of toys are surprisingly not needed to entertain them when we fly?! We have found that the airplane itself is quite entertaining for our 22mth old.. and our 8wk old just wants sleep, hehe!

I will keep my blog a little more active and I hope to have more followers, so keep up with me, I'm sure it'll be fun!

DM

Last night as a pregnant woman..

Yes, tonight is the last night that I will be pregnant.. that I know of for now?!

Tomorrow morning we go in and have our scheduled C-section and we will be a family of four! I am very excited, yet, at times I am a little scared..not sure of exactly what I'm scared of, but I just am.

The first thing I think of is this lovely miracle that God has intrusted me with and I get to be a mommy to a little girl.. so loving that part!! I also think of my own mother and the things she taught me while she was living. I hope to pass on several things I learned from her, add my own, and obviously learn from others because I know I'll need advice as I go along! Having lost my mother in my 20's and trying to raise my son (and soon-to-be daughter) without her advice has definitely had its tough days, but I am very proud to say that my husband and I have managed to take care of the one child we have so far without too much havoc.. so we're hoping that two will not be too hard. I hear some muffled laughing out in the internet world tonight.. yes, I know, its a funny thought?!

One of the last things I think of is that wonderful question I mentioned in my last post.. is this our last child? Will we adopt another one? Will we find that two is just the right number for us? I can only say that what brings me peace is knowing the Lord will answer all of these questions over time and I don't need to worry about it right now.

I have all kinds of hopes and dreams for my new little baby girl, and of course for my son, too. I am looking forward to the wonderful life of having two kids and the wild adventure we are sure to have.. I can only pray for health and happiness for all..and right now..to all a good nite!

Baby or Bust.. literally!

Hi there.. we are on the countdown to baby #2!

Seven days from now I will have a little girl, along with my son.. I think (not 100% sure) our family will be complete. My husband and I are still in deep prayer and thought over this magical question. I suppose its more of whether or not we will have the sanity to continue expanding our family, ask us in 6 months : )

I literally feel like the baby is pushing my skin to its limits.. I do recall from my first pregnancy this very same feeling and it is not all that fun. Anoteher feeling I am not a huge fan of is the swelling of my feet.. it feels like I have fuzzys in between my toes and actually..its just the next toe over, who knew?!

I just want my friends and family to know how grateful we are for all the prayers, gifts, babysitting of our little guy (and dog, btw) they have bestowed on us, these days will not be forgotten!! We feel truly blessed and loved!!

Lets all pray Miss M makes it safely and in a healthy way next week!! And for myself.. lets pray all goes well with surgery!!!

Last week of work B4 maternity

Well, I am going into my last day of work tomorrow before I leave for my couple of months of maternity. I have really enjoyed these last few weeks, but I know I am ready for some R & R before this little girl gets here!

I have a few things to do before I am completely ready, but then again.. when are you truly ready for baby to arrive? Good news is: I have PLENTY of pink to go around and then some! I have had family members, friends, coworkers, etc give me gives or gentle hand me downs... I have truly felt blessed during this time. I have a great family and in-laws who help with my little boy and now we have our second on the way and I can't even begin to know what a life without them would be like! It really does take a village to raise a child.. and now two children! How did my folks do it with three?

I just pray for health and a safe delivery! By the next time I post I may have a new baby or I may try and post before then..still trying to nail down the blog entries and keeping them coming..I'm so "I'll do it later" these days?!

Thanks for reading!
DM

T-Minus 7 weeks (we hope?!)

Well, its been almost a month since I last posted on my blog.. the blog that I have promised to keep updated. Well, better late than never, right?

We have managed to do some much needed work to our house (which is on the market) and I have been healthy enough to continue to work until a week or so before my due date. I am very excited about meeting our new little addition, however, I still feel there are things that need to be done. I guess in the whole scheme of things, it doesn't matter as long as baby girl arrives healthy and happy!

Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed at being a mommy to two little ones.. I don't know if I'm doing a good job to my little guy and now I'm supposed to be the mom for another little one?! How do mothers of more than two do it?! I'd love to know their secret!

I have to give a love shout out to my sweet hubby who has started a mini-mester June class in his quest for his accounting certificate.. he has worked so hard! I am SO proud of him..so here is to the love of my life..love you!!!

That is all I have for now.. more later, and hopefully sooner than a month!

DM

A Very Sweet Mother's Day

Today is my second Mother's Day and I couldn't ask for a sweeter son or husband! I got to cuddle with my sweet little boy all day and play with him. My husband was simply just the sweetest guy by getting me things while I sat and vedged around the house all day :)

I should explain that I lost my mother nine years ago this coming week.. I can't believe the time has flown by?! My mother at loved life and especially her family. I know that she would have loved to have been a grandmother to our Drake, and very soon Mailey Kay.

I wish all mothers a very Happy Mother's Day.. those that are about to be moms, those who are moms, and those moms and are now in Heaven.

Sugar baby : )

Today is my third day of overloading my system with carbs and sugar in order for me to take the three hour glucose screening test tomorrow. Lets just say it hasn't been hard for me to eat the sugar coated stuff, but man.. the scale does not like me these days!! I am raising my water bottle in a toast to a good day tomorrow!! (clink..or thunk b/c its plastic!)

This next week I will be in Orlando doing some work while my sweet little guy, Drake, stays with his Nonny (grandma Drake) and his Aunt Julie. I once again am humbled by all the sweet people in my family and life who love my little guy.. and my sister is so excited to take him around and show him off! I will only be an hour flight away, but far enough to want to call a couple of times a day, hehehe! Julie is cool, she knows that I trust her.. I just like knowing what he is doing and what he is saying. I miss little things like that because I'm a working mom right now. Maybe one day it won't be like this?! Who knows?!

One last thought.. I wanted to ask for prayers for my sweet husband, Dwayne, who will be taking his final exams while I am in Orlando and he is in Kentucky. He has worked really hard this semester.. only two more semesters and he gets to sit for the CPA exam. I don't know if thats a blessing or ???? He knows its tough..so he is prepared to work really hard! I just love him!

Thanks for reading thus far.. have a great day!
DM

Tuesdays are...

Tuesdays are one of my favorite days of the week. You get over the Monday and you kind of look forward to the rest of the week because you're closer to the end! I know.. dorky..but who cares?!

We are currently in the 27th week of our second pregnancy.. we know we are having a GIRL! We are naming her Mailande Kay.. Mailey for short. We have had nothing but good feedback from friends who love the name. Mailande is for my grandmother on my dad's side, Mailande Wright Drake (not sure if she dropped her maiden name) and Kay is for my mother-in-law's middle name. I have never met another Mailande so this shall be fun! I do, however, have a couple of friends who have little girls who are named Mayleigh, so she won't be alone in the nickname.

As for what I'm doing in my spare time.. I am still working..gasp! I know.. people don't usually see a lot of flight attendants who fly all over and who are knocking on the birthing room door. I am fortunate to be able to take a ground job and be with great people at my job who love being around pregnant women..well, because 90% of the people I work with are, in fact, women! So.. my parents, inlaws, sister, husband, and lovely neighbor Amanda are the people in my little world who also love my little boy, Drake, and help share in the childcare dept. I am not a big fan of Hilary Clinton, however, I think she was correct in the phrase, "It takes a village..." I don't think I could do what I do without my "village."

As for Baby Girl Meenach, or Mailey, she is kicking up a storm and I'm learning that the people who made Tums...ROCK! I'm just puting it out there that I love food, still watcing what I eat.. but man...it comes back to haunt you when you eat the wrong kind of foods?!

I also was recently informed by the Dr.'s office that I have to come back and do another glucose test..the 3-hour one. I'm sure I'm in for loads of fun! Lets hope this one goes better than the last?!

Thats all for now.. I wish I had more fun and enlightning things to share, but not today. I'm sure I will very soon : )

Today is five months...

Today is the beginning of my fifth month of pregnancy.. its been a great day, so no complaints so far!

I did a short trip today to NYC and back wearing the maternity flight attendant pants and my non-maternity shirt/vest combo. Lets just say that it was the silliest I have probably looked and felt. I think I woke up too early and tried dressing "down" the belly part... you really can't do that. Especially when you're flying and you really need to be comfy, so lesson learned for mom-to-be!

I miss my little boy, Drake, and my sweet hubby Dwayne..they are in Kentucky until Friday and I am working the rest of the week. Its amazing when you miss those you love! You honestly just crave to be near them.. simple and sweet. I just want to be in the same room.. how dorky is that?

I am going to try and keep this blog going.. I've been inspired by a few Facebook friends to start my own, more or less to try and remember these times while I am pregnant and growing my family. The time is flying by and I want to remember all of it!

God bless and have a good night!
DM