The Gill Family

Sheep and Goats

2012-01-08T05:54:00.000-08:00

Matthew 25:31-46

New International Version (NIV)

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

I have read and prayed over this scripture multiple times this week. I keep getting pulled back to it. Again and Again and Again. Am I a sheep? A goat? How do I want the Father to look at me on judgment day? Is He going to say congratulations on winning Champion's Club in 2011? Congrats on being elected to the Chamber board of directors? NO! All of my many accomplishments that I am so proud of this year mean nothing in eternity. What I should be most proud of is the opportunity to just love and hug on people in China. And the meansy God gave me to donate thousands of dollars of chicken after the tornado. Those were lasting.... This year, my New Years resolution. To live this scripture. To slow down long enough to see Jesus in "the least of these." To invite someone into my home, clothe someone, offer the shoes off my feet and the coat off my back. Give a Father to the fatherless and hope to the hopeless. How will the Lord use me? I won't know until I surrender. I surrender Lord. I know that getting closer to God's heart is going to be uncomfortable and inconvient. It will be messy and dirty. Not once in the scripture have a found anything that promises a comfortable life. Jesus promises his followers a lot of things, but I have to find where he warns us to be safe and comfortable.
I am far more afraid of living a comfortable life and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or loss of time and money.

Christ"mas"

2012-01-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

I always feel a little let down when Christmas is over. We get hyped up for Christmas for over a month and then its over! I admit that we left our decorations up longer than is "socially exceptable." My darling and wonderful husband took all the decor down and put it in the attic while I was at work one day this week. What a nice surprise to come home to!
As I look at Gracie's 4 Christmas presents that she still hasn't unwrapped I started to ponder all that is Christmas. Sweet Gracie is so loved that she had plenty of presents from Gigi and Poppi, Ashley and Jason, Nana and Papa. Mimi and Granddaddy, Amy and Maw Maw and Paw PAw. There simply wasn't time to open presents from me and Blake. (No worries, we are going to send her with little gifts while we are away and these are perfect)
I didn't study Spanish is school but I believe the term "mas" means more. "Christ" "mas" time. "More time with Christ." I believe that it is possible that the "mas" part of Christmas should be focused on Christ, and not on the abundance of Christmas. I am speaking purely of adults, because I believe Gracie deserves mounds of gifts and Santa visits. But I also believe that she needs to play with her little people nativity scene and understand the gift of "Jesus." Gracie's favorite song right now is:
"Jesus is a gift from God
gift from God
gift from God.
Jesus is a gift from God
born on CHristmas day."
I read her the Charlie Brown Christmas book and one of my favorite parts is when Charlie Brown sees that Snoopy has decorated his dog house in lots of lights and he throws back his head and yells, "Even my dog has gone commercial!" Everytime I read that page G asks me, "Why is he crying?" I respond every time with, "He believes there is more to Christmas than lights and big trees."
I have totally gone commercial. Have you seen all the lights at Chick-fil-A? It puts Snoopy to shame! And I am not going to stop decorating, and buying gifts and making reindeer food with G. But I am going to be intentional about spending an equal amount of time in the word and in prayer as I spend shopping, decorating and making reindeer food. We will read scripture as much as we read "Twas the Night before Christmas." Next year.... I may need reminding

Cousins

2011-12-10T18:24:00.001-08:00

Aren't these the sweetest girls? I must remember all the things Gracie says about Sydney so that I can remind them when they are older and fighting. Gracie LOVES Sydney. Maybe more than she loves me. No really. She thinks that S hung the moon.
Of course they can fight and push and snatch toys and hit and cry just like two sisters that are only 16 months apart. But I believe they have a love almost closer than sisters. Let's take this morning for instance.....

Today we got up early and got ready to go to Breakfast with Santa at Bryant Denny Stadium. I have been talking up Santa for days now.
All morning I ask G, "Are you ready to go see Santa?"
G replys, "And Sydney?"
"Yes, Sydney too."

In the car I ask- "Gracie, you ready to go see Santa?"
"And Sydney, mommy?"
"Yes, baby. And Sydney."
"I so excited to see Sydney."
"And Santa?"
"Yes. Ho ho ho."

The kid was more excited about going to Syd than freaking Santa Claus! We enjoyed seeing Santa, however, G would not get within arm's reach of him. I ended up having to sit on the floor next to Santa with G in my lap. He was a very Santa but G wanted no part. She would have rather sat in Sydney's lap. Then we had breakfast and had templates to write letters to Santa.
I asked G," Do you want to write a letter to Santa?"
"No, I write a letter to Sydney."

Really??? She is sitting right here! I'm sorry that I don't have any pics but we took Ash 2 camera because mine was at CFA for breakfast with Santa Cow. We went there after and that was more G's cup of tea.

These girls are so special. I love watching them grow up together. They are best friends. I really hope J&A don't move too far away so that these girls can stay close. I am praying for close opportunities.

Fall Tree

2011-12-09T19:09:00.001-08:00

Gracie loves going on walks. During the fall we discovered lots of pretty leaves, and G would make mommy carry them until she could secretly discard them. So Mommy thought we could put these pretty leaves to good use! So we took the fallen leaves and put them back on a tree.

THis was such a fun project!

We used Gracie's Step 2 car to gather up the leaves.

Check out my leaves!

While mommy and G hunted leaves, we sent Daddy on a quest for a good branch.

Doesn't he look proud?

Um...Daddy, this is Gracie's project......

There she goes. We taped contact paper with the sticky side out so that she can stick the leaves up really easy.

We used our big window in the playroom.

Isn't it a lovely tree? There are also lots of leaves on the ground because Gracie lost interest when she saw her baby dolls.

Pirate Night at Chick-fil-A

2011-12-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

Ahoy! The Gill Crew got all decked out for Pirate Night at Chick-fil-A. Blake and I even practiced making balloon swords for the little pirates.

Capt. Jack Sparrow

Blake and I made a full bag of 100 balloon animals (all we could do was swords)

Arrg...Me like ice cream!

My matey Alison brought her swashbuckling kids looking for some chicken treasure.

On a side note: Gracie was just walking around with her video monitor showing me and Blake her bed. I suggested she go sit on her bed and see herself. So she did and then she came out yelling, "Where Gracie going? Where Gracie going?" I don't think she totally got it. haha

Halloween 2011

2011-12-06T17:36:00.001-08:00

Princesses Rapunzel and Cinderella went on a quest on Hallow's Eve. They were on a quest for candy. And suckers....lots of suckers. And mommy brought coffee for her and Poppi!

We had a wonderful Halloween!

Zoo Trip 2011

2011-12-06T17:17:00.001-08:00

Blake had a bike race in Birmingham and he dropped me & G off at the zoo for a fun day! Gracie loved wearing her backpack around and looking at the animals. She was such a joy.

Look! Like on my shirt! Giraffe

My family met me there and Sydney wore the same outfit. Ashley and I never discussed what we were dressing the girls in. Great Ashleys think alike.

Gracie turned Two in July

2011-12-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Gracie! Isn't she a beautiful birthday princess? Gracie soaked up all the attention she could handle during the week of her birthday. Since my birthday is the week before she insisted for a while that it was "Mommy's birthday." She got a little confused. We love this little girl.

That;s right, we bought her a big water slide that she never went down all summer. Maybe next year she will work up the nerve. No worries- mommy and Sydney loved it!Mimi and Granddaddy got G a balance bike and "hat"

Mommy and Daddy gave her a "Baby Yang" doll that G loves more than any doll ever. She has renamed her "Baby Sage" (named after mommy's birthday gift- a little Chinese Orphan Blake sponsored for me).Elmo Splash Party!

Auburn vs. Miss State

2011-12-05T20:34:00.001-08:00

Mommy was excited that Gracie was going to her very first Auburn game! G was expereincing sensory overload.

Sydney Claire went too!

I admit I love owls. Gracie was a little cautious

Girl got some "crackcorn"

Do you see the eagle?

Our Condo

2011-12-05T20:12:00.001-08:00

Master bedroom with a balcony overlooking the gulf and pools

Beautiful updated kitchen

Cute second room

We are so excited about our new condo! We hope to spend many family vacations there.
Its so awesome!

Beach 2011

2011-12-05T20:04:00.001-08:00

We all had many exfoliations from Gracie! My skin thanks her.

We took a few trips down to the beach this summer. They were all short but fun! We spent all of our time in Gulf Shores Plantation. So we bought a condo! Pictures on the next blog.

The night view from our new condo!

We spent some time with Nana and Papa down there in October! They were celebrating their anniversary and it was a blast to vacation with them.

Gracie likes showing Nana the fountain at Lulu's

Blake thought he was pretty funny with this picture.

First Hair Cut

2011-12-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

Gracie got her first haircut this summer! I took her to Mary Catherine who does my hair at Divine Appointments. She was great with Gracie, and Gracie was great with her. G would not sit in her seat alone so I sat with her.

China Part 1

2011-06-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

My China trip was so amazing and so life changing- that I don't know how to blog about it. I cannot explain into words the impact that this trip had on me. In fact, I am not even sure that I know to what extent it has changed me. So let me walk you through our adventure as best I can, and show you this country that I love.

We travelled for 24 hours and I didn't sleep the night before we left because my mind was so full of the thoughts and fears of leaving my family and store after that tornado. So I was pretty tired, but you can't just go to sleep when you get to China!
So what do you do? You find coffee!!! Most of you know I can drink some coffee, but I found my match here with Steve. We always backed each other up on "its time for some coffee."
This little place is called Maan Coffee and it had the neatest atmosphere. After you place your order, instead of a number or name, they give you a different color teddy bear to sit on your table. Poor dad misinterpreted and thought the cute little cashier was giving the loud foreigner a gift. That was an awkward moment for everyone. It also had wifi, so I could check for Blake's emails which always made me laugh.
The hotel we stayed at during our first leg in Beijing, was the Rosedale. It was a very nice hotel with a delicious breakfast buffet. We could have anything from eggs(boiled) and fruit to a "make your own noodle bowl bar." You pick what all you want to go in your noodles and then he boils it. I miss good noodles.
There was a beautiful park across the street from our hotel where we would go walk in the morning (hence the foggy atmosphere). Although, air quality is not comparable to Tuscaloosa. You would see people walking, doing tai chi with their pet birds hanging in cages in the trees, and one particular lady caught my attention as she walked in circles screaming one note at the top of her lungs. I am tempted to try that here because it seems like a good way to let out some negative energy, but I'm afraid I would be carted off to the loony bin.
I also saw this sign that caught my attention: Children's Pleasure Ground. It did look quite pleasurable.
Our first adventure was the very next day speaking to the Fast Food Association of China. We went to a deliciously famous Peking duck restaurant for lunch. It was very kind of our hosts to take us there. I fumbled throught the meal, messing up some of the customs, and choked down duck feet and duck tongue like a champ. It was a great learning experience for me, and I hope that if they ever let me go again, I will be far more polished.

This is our meal. Notice the fancy chopsticks. Good stuff! And kiwi juice.

Now it is time to speak! My topic was on how to "Engage and Develop Others." I struggled my first presentation because I wasn't comfortable working with a translator yet. That takes time to learn and find a rhythm. I think I was doing much better by my last one. Plus I'm a freak, and enjoy speaking to large audiences. These days were so fun!

They allowed us to walk through their Restaurant Association Expo that they were finishing setting up for the next day. It was quite impressive and would have thrilled most of my Chick-fil-A friends.

I must close with a picture of the toilets that they use. Our hotels had western syle toilets, however this is what we came across in public. Our first leg of the trip was a short stay in Beijing and then we were off to Anshan. I hope to post Part 2 very soon!

Sunny Sunday

2011-04-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today was the most fabulous day with that Gill family! We just basked in the sun and enjoyed one another's company. It all started off with yummy omelets made by my yummy husband! He is such a blessing in the kitchen. Then we headed out to Lake Tuscaloosa for a boat ride. This was the first boating experience this summer. Gracie was great. She wanted to walk around on the boat, or course, but always came when she was called. She loved watching the wake and looking for ducks.

After the lake, we headed over to the river to eat at Wintzell's. We sat outside and it was a little too hot in the sun, but Gracie had her hat and sunglasses! Sadly, I forgot the camera when we went in. Just trust me...she was precious.

After nap time, Blake grilled some of his famous burgers. Seriously, if you tried one of these you would wonder why we are in the chicken business! Then Blake headed to the chick to do a little pressure washing, while Gracie and I got out the ELMO sprinkler!

As most of you know, this little girl is obsessed with Elmo! She loves him as much as she loves me. So if Elmo is on a mat surrounded by ice cold water, she will make it to him! Let me tell you, that was some freezing cold water. She didn't care!

After she stood there shivering, I turned the water off so I could give her a nice warm bath. She did not want to part from Elmo!

Our night ended by skyping with Nana and Papa and off to la-la land! Here is hoping we are free from night terrors tonight (although we wore her out pretty good.) Night terrors are a whole different post. Sweet dreams bloggers!

Two Daughters

2011-03-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

http://newdayfosterhome.blogspot.com/2011/03/two-daughters.html

I encourage you to follow the link above to a post of one of the former staffers at New Day Foster Home. She had a sweet baby girl in January. At the same time, a Chinese mother was having a baby girl. The Chinese baby ended up in the foster home...which is better than so many unwanted baby's fates there.
I am considering reading a book about the stories of Chinese mothers whose baby girls were taken from them at birth. I praise Jesus that I live in a country where my desires are important to my family and my baby girl is considered priceless, not disposable!
I know that cultures are all different and I am fascinated by China. I know they have such a rich history, however, they are also faced with so many problems I do not understand.

Hot Mama

2011-03-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

So I have embarked on a weight loss journey for the first time- maybe ever. I have never spent much time concerned with what I weigh, or what I eat. And I have certainly never exercised regularly. Well, I'm a grown up now. A grown up who has not lost her baby weight but her baby is 20 months old.
Chick-fil-A's Wellness Department offers free One-to-One coaching for Operators and Spouses. Blake was their "poster child" at seminar so I decided to sign up. I did a body age assessment while I was there, and it turns out I'm 30 (just my body....and I don't think that will be good enough for the Chinese government to give me a baby yet.) The ONLY thing that I did well on was flexibility and my blood test. They also tested my strength, body composition, resting heart rate and VO2 max, and some other things I think I blocked out.
Now I get a phone call from a fitness expert and nutritionalist once a month. They have told me what to eat and how to exercise. Just because you own a Chick-fil-A, doesn't mean you should eat a Chicken biscuit with cheese for every breakfast and a Spicy Sandwich with a Banana Pudding Milkshake every day. However, I can continue to eat breakfast and lunch there and still lose 15 lbs by summer.
I am suppose to eat within the 1 st hour I am awake and every 3 hours through out the day. My meals should be 5 handfuls. 2 handfuls of fruit or veggies, 2 handfuls of grain and 1 handful of protein. My snacks should be a handful of protein. I will let you know how this goes. So far, I am trying to remember that this is a lifestyle change...not a diet. If I want to indulge in something small (like a banana pudding milkshake) I should be able to. I just have to keep portions smaller.

Exercise- I am doing Street Jams 3 times a week at Northridge Fitness. It is so much fun and I suffer afterwards. Street Jams is a dance-type group class with hip hop and latin songs. Just call me Beyonce. Gracie thinks it is hilarious when I try out a dance at home. Maybe I'll upload a video one day. Tonight I went on a bike ride while Blake ran pushing G in her stroller. Sadly, I had trouble keeping up.
Blake is doing a big tri this weekend!!! In TTOWN!! We are excited to cheer him on.

Cold Season

2011-03-12T06:48:00.000-08:00

I am getting a little tired of this cold and flu season. I have seriously never been sick so much in my life. Gracie and I just got done doing our breathing treatments, and Sydney just came over to hang for the day. She has a runny nose and cough too, so I figure they will be fine swapping germs. When we started preschool, I knew she would get sick more than before. I just wanted prepared to get every illness too! What kills me is that Blake stays healthy as a horse. Is it because of my asthma? Is my immune system just weaker? Is it because he gets so much exercise? I wonder....
As I am typing this blog, Gracie keeps running over and wiping her snotty nose on my sleeve. hmmm.....no wonder I get sick!

I am so sad for the Japanese. This earthquake and tsunami has done some serious damage. I can't stop watching the news though. It is like a car wreck, you don't want to see but you can stop looking.

BUBBLES

2011-02-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

Gracie LOVES bubbles. She loves to blow bubbles in the water and she loves bubbles in the air. She is not a huge bubble bath fan yet but we will get there. Everytime she sees water she wants to blow bubbles....which explains why I have had to stop her blowing bubbles in the dog's water bowl and a big puddle on the back porch.

Christmas Program

2010-12-21T18:49:00.001-08:00

I love, love LOVE Gracie's school! They are so wonderful to her and to us. She has sweet sweet teachers and is directly across from my Chick-fil-A. Here are some pictures and a video from her program....

Leaving on a Jet Plane..hoping I'll be back again

2010-10-24T01:11:00.000-07:00

Blake and I leave for Colorado in an hour. (It's 3am) I have been awake since 1:30am after four hours of restless sleep. For some reason I am really struggling with leaving Gracie this time. Is it possible that my love for her is stronger than last time we went away? Is it because I know that she will notice we are gone? I know Gracie is in great hands and will have a great time while we are gone. However, I think she will miss us a little.
My greatest fear is that we won't see each other again.
It is what kept me up all night. I had a dream that our plane was hijacked. Then I realized all the things that I haven't prepared for. We don't have life insurance. I have a little I think but not enough. It is something we start to do but never finish. We get too busy. This should be a priority.
We also don't have a will. I don't know who should make our will. The main reason I haven't done a will is because I don't know how to decide who cares for my daughter if I can't. How do you decide something like this?
I think that the greatest importance is for her to be with someone who has a little bit of Blake and me in them. I want her to have a life close to what we would provide her. Siblings, dogs, a swing set, good schools, precious outfits, and lots of hugs and laughter. I also want her to see all her grandparents and great grandparents as much as possible. She loves to go stay a week or weekend. That means, she can't live too far away.
Once I make a will and assign a caretaker, I am giving someone else the authority to make decisions for her when I am gone. Being a complete control freak- this frightens me. it could be the longest and most Type-A will ever written.
I better get ready for this flight. Say a little prayer for me. Although, no one will read this before our 6am flight....

15 Month Check up

2010-10-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Gracie had her 15 month check up. She was amazing! The doctor is extremely impressed at how much she can say, suggesting that she is a social genius. I know that! When she said "Thank you" to him, he almost fell on the floor. She is growing great. 50th percentile for weight and the 95th percentile in height! Tall like her daddy. I hope she is ok with that.
I tried to give her a sucker when she got her shots to take her mind off of it...but it was not successful. She went to school after and had a great day regardless of the shots!
She is such a joyful baby and has been my bright spot at the end of each day. The past few weeks at work have been very stressful and disappointing. I have watched my store suffer and I have battled with the consequences. I won't allow that to happen again.

Furniture time

2010-10-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

Blake and I got a new mad awesome TV. It's a 55 inch 3D LED TV. We felt a little funny buying something so pricey, but after some soul searching we decided that it is ok to splurge here and there. "As long as you can pay cash for it," Dave Ramsey was whispering in our ears.

Blake's original plan was to hang it on the wall but all the components would hang below it in open shelves. I can see Gracie trying to climb the shelves- there is no doubt in my mind that this would be a daily battle with any toddler in our home. (And I hope there are several more) ;-)

So I suggested we get a nice entertainment center that would have the components in a cabinet that closes. (Right now Gracie loves to push the buttons on the cable box which is usually during Grey's Anatomy) So we went shopping!!! We hit up Ashley Furniture, Spiller Furniture, and Havertys. If we got the entertainment center, we might as well go ahead and get a sectional sofa. Are we getting out of hand?

Blake and I have been married for 4 years. During this time we have not bought ANY furniture together. Well....we bought a recliner. But that was from Big Lots. My parents gave us most of our furniture and I bought a few pieces before we were married. It is time to make this house presentable.

Pictured above is the entertainment center we selected. Now we just have to bite the bullet on the sofa. Ashley's Furniture said it will take 4-6 weeks to get our furniture in. That is bogus.

Side note: We are getting Direct TV because they have the 3D channels. We called Charter and asked them to disconnect on Tuesday when we get our other cable installed. They went ahead and disconnected on Friday. I suppose we will be bloggin a bit more until we have cable!

An attitude of gratitude?

2010-10-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

When I started discussing the opportunity of adoption, someone said to me, "I bet an orphan from another country would be very grateful to you for adopting them." WHAT!?!?! That got me really thinking.....
Have you ever met a child who was simply grateful for a comfortable lifestyle? I sure haven't. And I will not be disillusioned in thinking that my adopted child will one day express her gratitude. Mostly because I do not think any gratitude is owed. Every child is deserving of a stable home, people to call family, consistent meals and clothing on their backs. They deserve to sleep in a plush bed with as many stuffed animals that will fit. They deserve to have someone come running when they wake up from a bad dream or fall off their bike. Someone to kiss their boo boos and cut the crust off their sandwiches.
It is my experience with children, that they feel entitled to these rights. Generally, very little gratitude is expressed when we meet these needs. I'm sure I rarely thanked my mother for putting me in clean pajamas before bed or reading me a bedtime story. On the contrary, I probably demanded one more story be read and that she bring me a glass of milk. At which, I'm sure, she let me pick out one more book while I drank my milk. Why? Because she loved me.
I will never expect a birth child or adopted child to feel grateful for these things. I do, however, pray that I will provide my children with a childhood worthy of repeating. A childhood that they will look back on when they have their own children, and hope to supply them with the same sense of belonging and security. I hope my children have a childhood that teaches them unconditional love, self-confidence, stewardship, leadership and compassion.
Whether I birth a child or choose a child, I will know that God hand selected that child for me. And I should give them all that is within my power because that is what they deserve.

Video from June

2010-10-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

China Doll

2010-10-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

The Lord has been working pretty hard on me the past several months. Actually, I felt this tug back when I was pregnant with Gracie, as the Lord began preparing me for motherhood.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faithless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

There is no substitute for having a family. Not an orphange, foster home, nor a government agency can give a child the true assurance of belonging as a forever home can. What is God's purpose in telling me all this? He has blessed our family richly in so many ways. We live in a comfortable home full of love and laughter. We have secure careers that give us so much joy and sense of accomplishment. All that we have is His. We are not worthy.

"A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his Holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing." Psalm 68:5-6

Last night we watched a documentary called National Geographic: China's Lost Girls. If you have Netflix, I encourage you to watch it tonight. These sweet girls were discarded in the street, parks, government buildings, hospitals because of their gender. It is considered preferable to have a boy traditionally, and since China's "One-Child Policy" is controlling the family size, women are forced many times by their husbands to give up their precious baby girls immediately after birth. It is illegal to discover the sex of the baby during an ultrasound, so most of the pre-natal care given to these babies (whether they keep them after birth or not) is excellent.
The orphanges are over run with children. Rooms with 20 or more cribs full of babies. These children do not know they were abandoned. They do not know they live in a desperate situation that they have no control over. They are stuck until someone comes along and rescues them. The lucky ones are adopted around age one. For the first year of life they do not know the feel of a mother's arms or the sound of a father's voice.
How can, with all we have been given, deny that right to a precious child? How can I read about children left in "dying rooms" in orphanges to die of pure neglect and not feel the need to act?

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one." Mother Teresa

Blake and I must both be 30 before applying for adoption in China. That gives us two years of waiting. Currently, the wait for a referral is about 30-40 months once China has given you a "log in date." After you receive the picture of your daughter, you wait about another 2 months. That is a whole lot of waiting. The positive side is, Gracie will be old enough to go on a China vacation!

What can I do in the meantime? Originally, my heart was set on fostering children here at home. I am still very interested. Although, I have my fears. What if I can't let go? What if I don't know how to deal with issues from their past? What is God calling me to do? What if I don't have the time?

These questions plague me all day and night. I go to sleep thinking about it and wake up thinking about it. Right now I am just trying to listen. I like to jump into action, so sitting back can be very out of character.

Stupefy!

2010-10-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

What an amazing experience we had in Orlando! We went down for a family trip. First we hit Universal Studios so I could visit Hogwarts!! An absolute dream come true,,,I'm ready for my next trip! Universal Studios was amazing, definitely easier than Magic Kingdom with a little one. We drove through the night on Wednesday night and arrived in the parking lot of the Royal Pacific Resort at 5am. While the men who drove the whole way slept, Ashley 2, mom and I went to the hotel lobby bathroom and freshened up. My I add that driving through the night was awesome. Gracie slept the whole way and there was no traffic. We cut serious time off the drive! The breakfast and coffee shop opened at 6am where I bought $5 cups of coffee and a $2 banana for Gracie....it was worth it to see her smile and say,"Nana!" These prices set the pace for the rest of our purchases at the happiest place on earth.

Since we stayed at the resort, we got to go into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter before anyone else! This was lucky because there was a two hour wait to just get into that section of the park......crazy! We sampled butterbeer, visited Professor Sprouts greenhouse, had a family style lunch of English proportions at the Three Broomsticks, visited Ollivander's wand shop where I got a wand that resembled a Death Stick..I hope I'm not a dark wizard. We saw the frog choir, bowed to Buckbeak, ate chocolate frogs, waved to the Hogwarts Express conductor, and visited with Dumbledore in his office. If you understood all of this, you deserve a magical trip too! If you don't, READ THE BOOKS!

Gracie was an amazing travel buddy! She slept in her pimped out stroller whenever she needed a nap, and slept well in her crib provided by the hotel. All of this with a terrible head cold! She was so sick those first days that I had her doctor call in a RX. Her stroller was the mack daddy of strollers....people stopped and stared and other children slapped their mommas when they saw it. It fully reclines, had an umbrella that clipped on so that she was always in the shade, and a fan that clipped on for a constant breeze. Amazing!
After two days at Universal and living out my wizarding fantasies, we headed an hour and half to the coast of Vero Beach to visit with Mimi and Grandpop. It was Gracie's first time to meet her great-grandparents and she was a doll. Although, I was afraid that she was going to break something at their house with every move she made. She first went after ceramic keepsakes. While I am moving those, she hits up the silk flowers, as I pull those away she is crawling around with the remote control in her mouth. Poor Mimi was not happy about the remote one bit. It is very stressful to try and control a one year old who is desperate to get down and explore after being strapped in a car seat or stroller for days, but at the same time improvise with what is appropriate to touch. In this particular situation....not much.

We had a great visit though and stayed in an amazing resort on the beach where we had a few hours of beach time before we headed BACK to Orlando!

We made it to Disney where we stayed at the Swan and Dolphin resort so we could have one day at Magic Kingdom before my meetings started. Magic Kingdom was great because Gracie was able to ride a lot of rides. She love Winnie the Pooh's ride the best. And then she met him at lunch! God was with us, because we had our character lunch during the only thunderstorm we encountered. It never rained on us! Praise Him! However, it was very very crowded! Too crowded. and the express pass system was useless. No point! The next two days of our trip, Dad and I were at a Regional Growth Summit where we really learned alot. Blake and Gracie enjoyed time at the hotel, pool and Disney Boardwalk. He was tired of themeparks and she was happy to hang with daddy! Mom, Jason, Ashley and Sydney spent one day at Animal Kingdom. I have never been there and hate I missed out. All in all, it was a trip of a lifetime that I can't wait to do again and again and again!

Gracie even made a friend in the playground at Toon Town while Sydney rode a fast roller coaster!

If you want to see more pictures of the fabulous trip you can view my facebook page.

Gracie's Baby Dedication

2010-08-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

Gracie had her baby dedication finally! We did it at the Church at Tuscaloosa where we have been attending for several months now. I am very happy with this church and can't wait to get involved. She was a perfect angel.

Gracie wore the dress I wore for my christening. My Nana made the dress. It was so so special. Then we all went to eat at Cypress Inn!

Gracie Update

2010-06-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

I need to get better about my blog! So sorry! Here is an update of where Gracie is and what she loves!
She is 11 months old TODAY! We are only 1 month from her first birthday. I can NOT believe this! She is an infant..a helpless baby that needs her mommy for everything. Or is she.......?

Gracie can show me where my nose and mouth are.
Do the motions for the Itsy Bitsy Spider.....sort of.....
Clap
Blow Kisses
Wave
Shake her head
Say five words (mama, dada, byebye, night night, uh oh...her fav!)
Follow simple commands (Gracie, go get your blanket)
Crawl, unless mama is watching
feed herself
Pull up on anything
Stand briefly without holding on to anything
She knows what the dog (woof Woof) and the cow (moo) say but they both sound like boooo when she says them.

I am shocked everyday at what she knows. She is an absolute joy to be around.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh

2010-03-18T18:50:00.001-07:00

There is no greater feeling after a long day, than to have a sweet angel sleep on your shoulder. Gracie no longer wants to be rocked to sleep. We are very blessed that we can just put her in her bed with her blankie and tell her night night. Then she sleeps 12 hours at night...Praise the Lord! He heard my prayers and saw my exhausted tears.

On a rare occasion, Gracie will fall asleep nursing at bedtime. On those special nights I will rock her for as long as I can...sometimes hours. I want to savor every second. Blake and I have gotten more joy out of this child than we could have possibly imagined. Every moment with her is filled with love and laughter...maybe a song and a little wacky dancing.

8 Months

2010-03-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

Here are Gracie's 8 month pics with the cow...

I absolutely adore her in a headband but she adores taking them off and chewing on them. Maybe she will learn to love the.m.

Bath time and more!

2010-03-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

We love, love, LOVE bath time! She doesn't get a bath every night because I am afraid it will dry out her skin but she is a huge fan of baths. Gigi got her the coolest rubber duckies ever because they light up different colors. She plays with them and her Finding Nemo bath book. You can dump a cup of water on her head and let it run all over her face and she doesn;t care. She will gasp for a second and then go back to the fun!

Gracie is getting so big! She is sitting up like a big kid now. She is showing no interest in crawling but I can't complain. I will enjoy her stationary for as long as possible. We are weaning now and have cut back to only one nursing session a day. I wasn't necessarily ready to stop nursing, however, I have been so sick with bronchitis and sinus infections that I just can't shake. The medicine I need for my asthma and congestion is not possible as long as I am nursing. I just remind myself that my goal was to nurse for 6 months and I should be thrilled at going 9 months!

2010-03-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

Sweet Gracie is growing by leaps and bounds. She has been the sweetest and easiest baby over the last several months. She is now 8 months old. She had one cold that last about 2 days and she was the best patient ever. Still so happy and sweet. I got her cold and have been sick on and off (mostly on) since January. My doctor thinks Gracie is sucking the immunity out of me and it is about time to wean her. I plan on having her strictly on formula and baby food at 9 months. She had her first taste of formula at 8 months and it didn't faze her. She will eat anything we present to her.
Gracie is so gentle. She doesn't grab my hair, but she will rub it and watch it flow through her fingers. She pets the dogs but doesn't pull on their hair or tails. I am very impressed with what a gentle girl she is. Becky is now keeping 3 other babies with Gracie. She will touch and hold their hands but she is so sweet and patient with them. She is sharing the attention better than you could ever hope. The other babies are younger and are getting adjusted to their surroundings so they take up a lot of Becky's time.

She has not figured out how to crawl yet but she can push up on her hands very well. She may never crawl...we will see. Her legs are very strong and once she gets her balance figured out she will be a great walker.

Gracie made her first trip to Auburn and I loved taking her to our favorite spots to show her off. She doesn;t meet a stranger.

Tacky Christmas Eve

2010-01-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas! Santa caught Gracie out of bed on Christmas Eve! It didn't bother her. Santa looked alot like Uncle Jason..... Maybe that is why Sydney wanted nothing to do with that bearded man!

Sydney and Gracie took a good picture together under the tree. It wasn't easy keeping them both still and facing forward. I feel pretty sure they are both laughing at the way the two Ashleys are dressed.

Gracie was very uninterested in unwrapping gifts. In fact, on Christmas day she slept through the entire event! One of her best naps ever.

Ashley, Blake and I wore tacky Christmas sweaters. Mine is from elementary school and Ashley made hers. I found Blake's in the woman's section of Dollar General. Who knew Ashley had such a tacky talent?

5months!!!

2010-01-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

Nursing Strike

2010-01-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

Gracie seems to be going through a nursing strike. If I even think about nursing her, she starts to cry. Her eyes open wide in panic and she screams for help. I'm not real sure what to think, but it hurts my feelings. I made a commitment to nurse for 6 months because I felt like it was best for her, and relieved some guilt about going to work so soon. At this point I have had no interest in weaning her. Even with Seminar coming up in February...Gracie will be staying with her grandparents for several days. But now...

announcements

2009-11-21T13:58:00.001-08:00

I am trying to send out baby announcements but cant find my excel spreadsheet of addresses!

Our Favorite Book

2009-11-16T19:38:00.000-08:00

Our Favorite Book in the house is Little Lamb finger puppet book. I found 3 other books just like it on Amazon. I may have to get them for Sydney and Gracie. Sydney thinks that book is the funniest thing she has ever seen!! If you have a little one at home, I recommend these paper books.
I LOVE BOOKS! I just finished reading The Time Travelers Wife and I have just started the Blind Side. I seem to be on a kick of "on screen" books for now. I also just finished my audio book New Moon. Can't to see all these movies!!

4 Months!

2009-11-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

Gracie is 4 months! Here is how much she has grown!

The Quad

2009-11-14T10:28:00.000-08:00

We took a picnic to the Quad on Sunday and had a nice quiet family time! Chipotle (lots like Moes) in hand we fubbled our way to join the other families in the middle of UA campus. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful spot. I love being around college students...makes me feel young. They were coming in and out of the library, sitting on blankets with laptops, riding by on bikes, and cleaning up their tailgates. Gracie even enjoyed relaxing on a blanket. My book was hardly read, but my time with my daughter was precious.

Sleepy Wrap and Cycling

2009-11-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with my Sleepy Wrap on Sunday. I am not neccessarily a "baby-wearing" kind of mom, but I needed some help holding Gracie at Blake's bike race and at Chick-fil-A afterward. My car has been in the shop for over a week and I left the little Front-Rider in the car. She loves to look around in that thing. I was so frustrated thinking that I would be walking all over Sokol Park carrying Gracie and getting all tired. I loaded her up and all her luggage to head down to the park when I remembered the Sleepy Wrap I ordered but could never figure out how to use.

I grabbed it and headed to the race determined to figure out the sleepy wrap.

I met Blake there and he helped me strap on the baby-carrying contraption and shove her in it. She loved it! THere was a moment as she tried to fall asleep that she wailed as usual, but she slept comfortably all snugggled against mommy. I was very comfortable too and want to carry her in it always. There is no greater feeling than a tiny baby sleeping on you.

Jason, Ashley, Sydney and Becky met up with me at the park so I had some cheering companions. Blake's biggest cheerleader was Sydney Claire. "Go Blake!" Is what every cyclist heard as they road past.

Gracie's Wish List

2009-11-02T06:04:00.000-08:00

Grandparents and Great-Grandparents have been asking already what Gracie wants for Christmas, so she and I have been shopping online and found a few items she is just dying to have for Christmas! If you are a mom and think of anything else a 6 month (She'll be 6 months at Christmas!) old might want....please comment and let me know.

We really need an Exercauser and I may end up buying this before Christmas...yeah pretty sure I will.
Learn and Groove Musical Table ....CLAIMED BY GIGI

Ball Popper

Melissa and Doug toys and puzzles. I love the wooden stuff that will help her learn shapes, etc. IT is best if the puzzles don't make sounds please :-) I have a puzzle in my guest room closet that moos at me everytime I walk past it. Freaky.

Stacking and Nesting toys are great for her age, as well as teething toys!

Baby einstein octoplush

Or anything Baby Einstein!

Gracie LOVES Bathtime so here are some tools to get us in the big tub!

Boon Frog Pod. I have heard that it doesn't always stick to the wall. **Claimed by NANA
Safety 1st Tubside bathseat
Safety 1st Tubside Kneeler (a must have for mom and dad)

Monkey Around

2009-10-31T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a video we took of Gracie in her Monkey Suit! We wanted to get her to smile for a picture but she was protesting. I think maybe we needed to potty :-)

She was a good girl for us when we went to Alison's Halloween Party! She enjoyed watching all of the children that she thought were dressed very strangely...as animals, super heros, sailors, ect.

Tonight we are going to Trick or Treat with Sydney Claire. She is a beautiful lamb.

On a side note...and I hope this doesn't jinx us...Gracie is sleeping through the night again! 6 nights in a row of 7 hours or more. YAY! The trick is putting her in bed awake. Sometimes she gets really angry with us and we go pick her up, sing some songs, and put her back down. I was surprised that I had the resolve to let her cry a little. She seems so much happier during the day because she is well-rested! What a difference it makes for her day as well as mine!

War Tide! Roll Eagle! I'm confused....

2009-10-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Auburn gave me the best years of my life to date and for that I am grateful. There is no other town like Auburn. I appreciate better shoopping in TTown but I miss my AU restaurants...Amsterdam Cafe, Niffer's and Laredo's mostly.
With that being said, I can already tell that my best years will be here in Northport. We are profiting nicely off Alabama football....which makes us cheer VERY loudly for the #1 rated team. Imagine....we are the only FSU in the town with the #1 ranked college football team. That sells a bunch of chicken biscuits!
We got season tickets to the basketball and baseball games. I am so thrilled that Gracie can grow up enjoying the atmosphere surrounding a college town....just so long as that doesn't include any fraternity houses! We have already made good friends (not that I have managed my time well enough to be a good friend!)

The Secret to being a great parent....

2009-10-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

The secret to being a great parent, is being a great spouse! I hope that I have lived up to this #1 rule of parenting over the past few months. I know that at first, Blake and I were not big fans of one another. I had WAY too much on my plate so he took a back seat. He had so much on his plate that he really needed a little TLC from me. It was an ugly cycle with both of us needing so much, but neither of us having anything left to give.
We are FINALLY ourselves again! Our store is sustaining without us being there 24/7 which is more than I hoped for at this point! What a great team we have there. Gracie is falling into a bit of a routine. We still have a little of the "all thumbs, no instincts" feelings from time to time.
The best way for me to really serve Gracie as a parent, is for her to witness how completely and absolutely in love with her father I am. It is important for her to see us have meaningful conversations, kiss one another, and serve one another with our actions.

UNITED FRONT- Blake and I have started having a united front as parents already. If we decide to let her cry it out, we both stand behind the decision. Making decisions together is something we are practicing now. We are very different individuals and we grew up in different homes, so many times our backgrounds conflict. There is give and take.
PRAY TOGETHER- I think it is important for Gracie to see her parents hold hands and pray together. I would love to start a bedtime ritual where we say our night night prayers as a family. Right now I read her a book titled Goodnight Prayer while I feed her.
MANAGING FINANCES- Blake and I NEVER argue about money. We really never have, even when things were super super tight. I am a born saver though so I think that helps. We agree on big purchases, and sometimes even small ones.
PLAY TOGETHER- Gracie needs to know that mommy and daddy have fun, and we need to cut loose sometimes. This may be going to watch a football game somewhere, getting on the boat, going for a walk, or taking a trip. We will be a family that plays together!
POSITIVE COMMUNICATION- Our conversations need to be uplifting and positive. It is easy to take your spouse for granted, but we should treat eachother with the good manners we would show others. I refuse to live in a negative home with a Debbie Downer. Leave that stinking thinking at the door! It isn't good for children.

When I was about 5 months pregnant I started to get really really nervous about how a baby would change our relationship. I remember laying in bed and praying to God that we would be as happy as we were at that moment. It is strange to think about how protective I became when I thought of a "stranger" coming into the home and rocking the boat. I was so afraid that the added stress would affect our amazing friendship. It definately threatened to. But watching Blake grow into an amazing father has given me a love for him that I didn't know was possible. I was certain that I loved him as much as one person could love another.

Disclaimer- Gracie was planned and prayed for and I was so thrilled every step of the pregnancy. She is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and my single greatest accomplishment.

CIO Bootcamp

2009-10-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/11/cio-bootcamp.html

This is a link to the blog "Chronicles of a Babywise mom." I have enjoyed reading it. I am still not totally convicted to try it out but this link is to the post "Cry it Out Bootcamp." My observations from Gracie so far are as follows:

If she cries it out, she sleeps through the night. 9-10 hours. My concern is that it is because she has exhausted herself. Or it might be that she knows she is in bed to sleep and does just that.
If she falls asleep in my arms and I put her down, she wakes at 2am. It doesn't seem to matter what time I put her to bed.
She sleeps better at night with PJs that have footies. Don;t ask me why, but this seems to be true.
She absolutely does not want to take an evening nap but is tired enough to need one. I believe it could be because she wants to hang out with me and Blake.

Sit down, You're rocking the boat

2009-10-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

We took a boat ride today! What awesome weather to enjoy after a short work day! The sky was completely clear, the air wasn't cool, or hot, or humid. IT was just PERFECT. Blake wanted to take Hayden, Brooke's son, fishing with him. Hayden is the most adorable thing and remembers everyone. He was so excited to come. Jason, Ashley and Sydney came along too! I think Sydney just enjoyed being with a cute boy. We have to watch out.

I remembered Hayden asking me several weeks ago if he could come over and see Gracie's nursery one day, and sure enough, the first thing he asked his mommy when he walked in was could he see the nursery. What a smart little 4 year old. Sydney was so interested in him and would rub his face and he was so sweet to both of them. He told Sydney that if she fell into the water, he would jump in and save her.

We didn't catch any fish, but we enjoyed being around each other. Gracie was well past naptime but couldn't sleep with all that activity. I was very glad that she didn't get cranky until we were on the way home. She would normally sleep really well on the boat.

Blake let Hayden and Sydney drive the boat. That was a trip. Hayden did not want to go to fast because he was afraid someone would fall out! Sydney on the other hand, jerked the wheel around and we almost got swamped! She got a little jealous of Uncle Blake letting Hayden sit in his lap.

When we were leaving, Hayden asked if he could come stay at our house. Then he said, "Can I sleep in Gracie's bed?" And Blake got all fatherly from the other side of the boat and hollared, "What did you just say son?" We all died laughing! It was too funny watching these kids who were all about 2 years apart. It;s amazing how much they grow in 2 years!

Gracie Sleep Update-

Last night she cried for 45 minutes and then slept from 9:15pm to 6:45am. That;s crazy!! Tonight we did our routine again and she fell asleep nursing. YAY! No crying!! I tried to burp her for about 10 minutes and got nothing! I am a little worried she will wake soon screaming! She absolutely will not burp if she is asleep.

I am trying to learn when the exact right moment is to swaddle her and put her down for naps. We seem to have about a 3 minute window that is between wide awake and getting cranky. I am just going to really study her and try to understand these sleep cues. We are trying to eliminate sleeping in the swing, which is one of the only ways Becky can get her to sleep. Even when I have her during the day, she just takes naps on my chest while I watch TV or read. Napping in her crib is very irritating to her! A Princess prefers to be catered to. I have decided to not cry it out during naptime just yet. I hate to think she is spending so much of her day crying!

Blake's hidden talent

2009-10-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

I thought I would blog for a moment on what a sweet husband and father Blake is. He likes to try to get Gracie to sleep...bless him! He knows it stresses me out! So tonight I really felt like she needed a good nap and he was laying on the couch with her on his chest singing to her. I say singing....but he has a special singing voice just for Gracie and she LOVES it! It is way too loud for me and I can't imagine it being peaceful or helpful going to sleep. But Gracie quiets down. Tonight he did a free-style reggae song. Let me see if I remember some of the words.
"Let's go afishin in the river. Let's go a fishin in the sea. Let's go afishing in the lakes. Who want to go a fishin with me?"
Then he sang a song asking Gracie to please go to sleep on her daddy. Some of it was sweet. Some of it was silly.

Self soothing>?

2009-10-18T12:59:00.001-07:00

My miserable Friday night included me rocking, bouncing, swinging, walking, and nursing Gracie from 9:00 p.m. until midnight to get her to sleep. That's right...she will fight me to the death. I'll admit, she has an endurance that many a man would envy. I was beat. My body was sore from the combined bounce/sway/walk/pat her on the back manuever that seemed to pacify her. My throat was sore from the countless verses of "Hush little baby." And she was still going strong. Her lungs are great, meanwhile, I was puffing away on my inhaler. I'm telling you, this kid is made of some tough stuff. I think I have met my match.
How can someone so little invoke such fear in me? Anyways, after that little nightmare, I decided we needed a change. I am now trying the self-soothe method. This has been miserable for all of us, but I am hoping it will allow her to get better naps and better nighttime sleep.
Like I said earlier in this blog, she was sleeping through the night like a champ! Our real trouble was getting her to sleep. So last night we decided to put her on a routine and help her cry it out!
This is a controversial issue apparently, but I can only do what I think is best for Gracie.
We gave her a bath, read her a book, fed her, and then swaddled her and put her in her crib awake. The idea is to let her self-soothe and check on her every 10 mins.It took her an hour and 20 mins to finally go to sleep. I had decided that if she was still crying at an hour and a half I would just rock her to sleep again! This was the longest hour and 20 mins of my life! I really thought I was the worst mother ever during this process, however, my friend Summer had great success and we facebook messaged each other the whole time. She said it took her daughter 3 days and then she never cried when put down to sleep after that. That is my hope!
I just put Gracie down for a nap (her first nap was at church today) and it only took her about 15 minutes to fall asleep this time. YAY!!! She is used to being held all the time and is seriously protesting. I worry too much that she won't feel loved if I don't give her all of my attention but I feel certain that she knows she is a loved baby. When I got her up this morning, she was smiling and cooing. My what short memories babies have!
By the way, she slept 9 hours last night.

So long Robin Williams...hello fussy baby!

2009-10-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas I got Blake tickets to see Robin Williams live at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The show was set for March, but Robin Williams had a heart valve replacement the week of the show. It was postponed to tonight! We were pretty excited about this show because Blake and I need a good laugh right now! Not to mention some alone time. Well, Blake has gone alone.

Gracie had been doing a great job sleeping 9-10 hours a night for the past 2-3 weeks until Tuesday night. The past 3 nights, she has woken up screaming at 11:00pm, 2am and 5 am. This is very unusual behavior, especially because her cry turns into a scream like she is in severe pain! Last night it got so bad that I thought she must have a tooth coming in, an ear infection or something.

The Dr. couldn't work me in until 3:45pm and we really needed to leave by 2pm for the show. Ashley and Jason were going to watch Gracie but had to take her with them to Birmingham to meet her parents at 4. Ashley graciously said she would postpone leaving until after the doctor. I think Becky had plans to leave at 4pm, but Ashley didn't want Sydney going to the doctor and catching anything. I knew I wouldn't have fun if I was worried the whole time. So I sent Blake on alone and I stayed behind. I think it was the right decision, but she isn't sick!

The doctor thinks it is something I ate this week...probably my homemade chili. I didn;t make it spicy, but it has beans and onions. I ate it Tuesday and THursday and Blake's spicy burgers on Wednesday. I'll admit that my stomach has been uneasy for days too.

So I have ultimately created my own hell.

We have so much going on at the store, and so much work to be done that I absolutely can not seem to finish it all by 5pm everyday. I am afraid that I am dropping the ball on things. I am running the minute I walk into work and leaving in a hurry before I am able to complete everything. I know that things will get easier, but for now I am doing all that I can. If only I could get out the door by 9 everyday....

3 Months old!

2009-10-15T19:13:00.001-07:00

I stayed home with Gracie today! What a blessing. We had a blast. She has got the cutest little personality. She tries so hard to talk to me and is starting to make a wet raspy noise. I felt so lucky to get to just enjoy her all day! We played with her octopus on her play mat alot because she loves his smile. Tummy time was attempted 3 times but always ended in tears. We walked, and coo-ed, and I gave her a full body massage. We took pictures with her cow too. She is a little over 3 months now...about 3.5. If we could just get her to fall asleep easier we would be in business. She just fights it with all her might. I have a feeling I was the same way. We don't want to miss anything. Her daddy thinks he heard her laugh today. She sure is getting close to it. Right now the most I get is a squeal.

Gracie Milestones:

2009-10-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Has slept through the night 9 out of the last 10 nights! The longest run was 10 hours! Last night she slept 9 hours, but I failed as a mother. I woke up at 7am and looked at our video monitor to see if she was stirring....and it was dead! There is no way to hear her in our room without a monitor. I was mortified. This is only her 2nd night to sleep in her room for that exact reason...fear I won't know when she needs me! She was still in the same spot in the crib so I don't think she woke up and needed me...I hope!
Holds herself up on her elbows when on her tummy...and is tolerant of tummy time now!
Plays forever on her play gym and loves to grasp the octopus and coo at it.
Tries to laugh but it comes out as an audible gasp.
Went to her first bike race and had a blast! She loved being outside with all that activity. She did, however, make a stinky that reached between her sholder blades during the race. It took a pack of wipes, 3 diapers, and a towel to clean up! Boy was she happy after!
Went to Hooter's to watch the Auburn game last night....we figured it is a safe place to wear orange here. She loved all the attention! And the abundence of milk options I guess.
Bath time is no longer a chore! She loves it best when daddy bathes her.

The Beach!

2009-10-03T14:17:00.001-07:00

Gracie enjoyed her first beach trip! This is a picture of her putting her feet in the sand for the first time. I have a feeling she will be like her mama when it comes to hanging on the beach....no sand please! I prefer to hang out on a towel or in a chair. She even got some lovely naps.

On our way down to Gulf Shores, we typed our condo on "Fort Morgan Road" into our GPS. Having never gone to the beach from Tuscaloosa, we didn't bat an eyelash at going through Mississippi to Mobile. We blindly followed the GPS until the next direction was "Board the Ferry." The WHAT?!?!?! Thank goodness the ferry was still open when we arrived! We had to wait an hour, but we got some yummy icecream and sat by the bay.

You might wonder, how did Blake and Ashley enjoy the vacation? Well, Blake spent the entire time with my dad fishing! One night...they didn't get in until after 4am! Here is the fish they caught that night. Blake caught 2 sharks, blue fish, spanish mackrel, red fish, and 2 sting rays over the course of a week. These were caught from the pier.

Jason, Ashley and Sydney came Wednesday night, and we saw Sydney enjoy the beach and sand for the first time. She was nuts about it! I have never seen a child bolt towards the ocean, fall in and get up sputtering and laughing like she did! I love her attitude!

Link to Gracie's pics

2009-09-26T07:26:00.001-07:00

http://ahphoto.zenfolio.com/p389177802

Happy Days are Here Again

2009-09-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Gracie is finally starting to entertain herself more. She loves her bouncy seat and her mobile in her crib. Of course, nothing makes her more happy than being talked or sang to.

Don't count your chickens....

2009-09-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

Just when you start to think that you have it all together.....it crashes down around you. Gracie has thrown her schedule out the window, and is not happy about it. On the bright side, I have someone marvelous cleaning my house now! What a blessing. She even cleaned out Blake's closet today. Bless her heart, she has her work cut out for her.
At work, we have 10 team members who have gotten the flu so far. Most of them have gotten it from their children or from school. Everyday I come to work, I count how many of my chickens are out for the day. Luckily we have been very diligent about telling everyone they can't come back to work until their fever has been gone for 24 hours. It is important to me that we keep the flu away because I have little Gracie at home. I took her rectal temp earlier but she was good. :-) Not going to let it sneak up on us! I am terribly afraid that I will get sick. If I do, she will be shipped off to stay with someone some where so I can't get her sick!
So I want to take a bath now but it storming badly....I think Blake would panic if I got electricuted. Since the baby and new store, he seems to value my safety much more.

GiGi and Poppi

2009-09-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

Gigi and Poppi came to visit yesterday and spent the night so they could watch the girls today. They offered to sleep in our room with Gracie so we could get a good nights sleep. We worked hard to give her a pretty good bedtime ritual...eat, play, bath, fall asleep on Poppi. I thought she might wake again at 10pm to nurse but she didn't and I was sleepy. I figured they had a long night ahead of them. The night before she woke up every 2 hours!! Well...she slept till 4 a.m. for Gigi and Poppi!! That is 8.5 hours between feedings. What's the deal???
Now they think we are being a bit overdramatic about our lack of sleep. :-) THEY SAID SHE ATE AN OUNCE AND FELL BACK TO SLEEP! I was up longer than her in the middle of the night to pump. I am hoping tonight is similar.
Sydney loves her Poppi more than anything in the world. She was kind enough to share him with Gracie this weekend. I think that Gracie is favoring Gigi at this point. She gave her the biggest smiles and would quiet down as soon as mom picked her up.
We have scheduled portrait sessions for Thursday morning. I really wish I had some taken when she was a newborn. This will just have to do. I was running on empty when she was a newborn.
I have been trying to decide if I think it is ok to let her cry herself to sleep. I am starting to think that it is. I have been rocking her for 20 minutes tonight and she just kept sucking on my shoulder and whimpering. So I decided to put her in the bassionette to see what will happen. She cried a bit but was asleep in less than 5 minutes. Do you think self-soothing is the right way to go? Will it make her a better sleeper in the long run?

Poopsie daisy and more!

2009-09-13T11:46:00.001-07:00

Gracie is finally getting the hang of tummy time! I am definately not trying it often enough but she is already holding her head up steadily and rolled over 3 times several weeks ago. This is a picture of ChaCha showing her how to roll over. I thought it was so precious. ChaCha LOVES tummy time!

Nana and Papa came to keep the girls this weekend because Miss Becky got her tonsils taken out...bless her heart! They had a great time with Gracie and Sydney! And I was looking forward to their help all week. Nana brought casseroles, did my laundry and straightened the house. Papa unloaded the dishwasher and was the baby whisperer. It is amazing how the little ordinary things mean so much when you have a new baby. I would much rather spend my little free-time, holding and loving on Gracie...and an occasional hot bath for momma!

I had to capture her pitiful face. We see this face several times a day when she is being a little drama queen! I really love how she pokes out that lip. She already knows how to work her parents over.

I was excited when she started smiling and cooing for me a couple of weeks ago and wanted to get a picture! This has become a regular thing now, but this was one of her first real smiling moments. It was after I took the picture that I saw she had an explosion come out of her diaper and all over her bouncy seat. Oh well! I guess I'd be smiling too.

This is Gracie at 10 weeks (2 Months) with her Cow Growth Chart. Man has she grown! Here is a newborn picture so you can appreciate how much she grows in 10 weeks! This is her with Dr. Meyers.

War Eagle in T-Town

2009-09-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

We experienced College Kickoff in T-Town. Next week will be the first home game. I am pretty excited. Blake and I agree that College Towns are the best places to live. The excitment in the air is contagious. We were certainly alone in our Auburn allegiance but we enjoyed it all the same. Gracie donned her "War Eagle" apparel and looked great in Orange! We shall see what next weekend brings.
Labor Day was our Chicken Sandwich promo. It was so fun here because EVERYONE came in wearing Crimson and White. If we were holding on sandwiches (which we were alot), we could just lead the crowd in a "Rooooooooooooollllllllllll Tide Roll." Then we would throw out little footballs and mini moos to the crowd. These Bama fans ate it up! Yell Roll Tide and they forget they are hungry. I stayed until 15 mins till close. Blake was Mr. Mom for 3 hours with Gracie and he said she was wonderful. Of course, as soon as I walk in the door she starts screaming for food. Long day, then a long night. She woke up at 1:45am to eat and then 3 more times before 6am. I think we are experiencing a growth spurt of sorts. Have considered weaning her after my 3rd infection but just can't make a decision. She loves to nurse, but I can't get sick every other week. I have never been able to give her a bottle myself...she rejects it with a fierce passion. Please say a prayer for guidance.
I will post pictures of our Gracie later. Heading back to the store.

The Many faces of Gracie Gill

2009-08-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

Gracie is already learning facial expressions will say everything. She is quite the Princess.

Her Highness in her throne.

Her "ohh" face that Sydney mocks. She throws her head back with a pitiful howl.

Her "you crazy lady" face

serious face

Pure Bliss!! lots of smiley faces

Three's Company

2009-08-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

My house is so quiet these days. Do I love it? I'm not totally sure :-) Jason, Ashley and Sydney Claire have moved into an aparetment this week and we are now a family of 3. This is the first time we have all been alone together. Blake and I are still adjusting to little Gracie Gill. She is a very sweet baby when she feels well. She smiles the biggest smiles...her whole face lights up! She will be a charmer like her little cousin. We had an awesome night with Gracie Monday. She was so content all afternoon. We took her to a mexican restaurant and she didn't fuss when we put her in her seat and sat quietly during the entire dinner. That night she went 7 hours between feedings. I think she was happy because she had taken 3 nice poos that afternoon. She has seriously tummy issues. I am hoping her digestive system works out the kinks soon. She gets stiff as a board and screams like she is in great pain. I feel so bad for her.
Blake gets very frustrated with a crying baby. He is always in such a hurry that it has been an adjustment for him to work on her schedule. When we are going somewhere and I am nursing (which can take from 30 mins-1.5hr) he stresses and tries to rush me. There is nothing I can do! Then when she is crying and he can't make her stop he gets so stressed and thinks she doesn't like him. I can take her and quiet her down. She senses his tension. Over the past 3 days he has really worked on it and now she is doing GREAT for him. He has become the sweetest and most gentle father. He even took her out of bed at 6:30 yesterday and let me sleep another 2 hours. He said they watched the sunrise together and she just smiled and talked to him.
Now that he knows he doesn't have to "fix" whatever is wrong with her, he is much happier. He is a man of action and having a baby is requiring him to take it easy. There is nothing sexier than Blake smiling down at his sweet daughter!

K Y?

2009-08-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

When we were sick over the weekend, I had to give Gracie a prob in the butt (Rectal temp) This was new to me and she acted like it was an old trick for her. They took her rectal temp lots in the hospital when her temp was so low. The Doctor said to lubricate the thermometer and then put it in her butt about a quarter inch or so. Gracie didn't even cry when I took off her diaper and flipped her on her belly. Then, I could not find the Vaseline ANYWHERE! I know I bought some but can't find the Target bag it was in. I'm desperate. I am running a fever and feel like crying, Gracie is on my bed diaperless and all I can find is some KY Warming Gel. That poor KY hasn't been put to use in a while and still probably has a few neglected weeks ahead. So I slapped some on the thermometer and check her temp. I hope the fact that it was a warming gel didn't affect the reading of 99.2. Gracie was amazing and didn't fuss at me at all! Maybe she didn't mind the warming sensation. Maybe I shouldn't share this story. I think it is a great illustration of how mothers will do what it takes to get the job done even if it wasn't exactly how they planned. I have discovered in my short tenure as a mother, that I can't do things just right. I was a smug little thing- all big and pregnant a few months ago thinking that I could do it all....breastfeed, work fulltime, keep a clean house, dress Gracie up like a China Doll everyday and still have time for bubble baths.
This is so not how it turned out!

Illnesses and Boob Milk

2009-08-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

On the bright side (I like to start with the bright side) I got to spend 4 days of bliss with my Gracie girl. We were attached all weekend, except for maybe 2 trips to the store for an hour each. On the down side, I was sick as a dog and Gracie wasn't feeling 100% either.
This was my second time with Mastitis, a breast infection. It is one of the worst illnesses I have encountered in my 27 years. It hits you all of a sudden like a ton of bricks. You feel like you have the flu, fever, chills, achiness all over, fatigue, and your boobs are tender and feel like they are on fire. And you still have to breastfeed as usual to keep it from getting worse.
I called my doctor Friday morning even though it really hit me on Thursday. They called in a RX and I started to feel better around Saturday. My parents, GOD BLESS THEM, came up on Friday night to help me with Gracie while everyone else was working on Saturday. Mom stayed in my room and gave Blake the couch. (He was thrilled to sleep in a room without a baby!) She got up with Gracie and me. I would feed and then mom would rock her to sleep. It was a real blessing.
Gracie was running a low-grade fever most of the weekend but was a perfect angel! She was never fussy...just a little sleepy. She didn;t want to eat much which was unfortunate because I needed to drain my milk.
This is all caused because of breastfeeding. Apparently I had too much milk and clogged some ducts. I gave quitting alot of thought over the weekend but really don't think I will yet. It takes up so much time! And I don't have an easy schedule down yet. If people want to go out to eat, they have to wait for her to finish eatting. Timing is a problem and I am tethered to a pump or child every 3 hours. However, I want to do this. I do believe the milk is the best for her. I know that she loves being that close to me.
I also feel guily for going back to work when she was only 2 weeks old. I somehow think that by breastfeeding I am doing my part for her well-being while I'm at work. Like it makes me a better mom or something.I will take it one day at a time and follow my heart. But I will probably post more about my experiences on here. If you are uncomfortable reading about boobs, Reader Beware.

I'm One Month Old!

2009-08-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist throwing Gracie a one-month birthday party. We had it at Chick-fil-A and it was a sweet moment. Ashley, Jason, Sydney, Amy G, Becky, and even BJ Stabler came. Apparently he was an awesome player at Alabama and asked if he could hold Gracie. She LOVED him. Just stared at him the whole time while he talked to her.

Meredith gave me the idea to take a picture each month with the same stuffed animal so we can see how much she has grown. I didn;t take it until about 6 weeks, but we will call it Month 1! It is amazong how much bigger she is already. She is eatting well and really filling out. Cutest cheeks I have ever seen.

As you can see, she is not a very patient child. Her temper is quick.

Some firsts!

2009-08-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

I have been a very busy newborn! I have been to dinners, ribbon cuttings, and more! Here are some special moments. I am smiling a lot now too but the picture won't upload.

My first gentleman caller...Carr Calvert came to visit. I wore my ballerina outfit. I think he liked it.

The first bath my daddy gave me (and last) I don't like baths yet and daddy doesn't like being screamed at.

My first dining experience was at 2 weeks old. We went to Iguana Grill. I slept until every one got their food and I decided I wanted to eat too! Why should they eat without me?

Gracie is here!

2009-07-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

I realize that I have not posted in sometime. And I really don't have time because I should be feeding Gracie....again. This girl is very dainty and does not want to take down her meals too fast. Therefore, she also doesn't ever burp or spit up which I think is so ladylike....doesn't mean it will last. So her feedings take me close to an hour right now. She also gets so sleepy while eatting so it is a job to keep her awake. I unswaddle her, take her clothes off, tickle her, rub her down with a baby wipe, rub her feet, change positions, change her diaper, try to burp her, sing fun songs, all in one feeding. How exhausting!
And even still she may not wake up until I lay her on the bed and walk away for a moment...then she is all ready for mealtime!
Her 2 week apointment was Friday and the doctor said she is as alert as a one month old. She follows you with her eyes and everything. Our house is very loud right now and she can sleep through almost anything...with a few exceptions. I am grateful for that.
Well my images won't upload and I must feed this baby and then head to Chick-fil-A. I'll post them later!

Our First Week

2009-06-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe we have only lived here one week. This is a great place and we are very happy. I am particularly happy when I'm in my jacquzzi tub every night. The dogs love their backyard and are pretty exhausted after running crazy looking for other neighboring dogs. The flooring guy is coming this morning to measure our floors. We are getting rid of all the carpet in the house. Crazy I know! But it is better for my allergies (which I'm sure Gracie will inherit) and no staining by dogs or kids.
Blake has been amazing! He hasn't sat down and rested for more than an hour from 5a.m.-9p.m. everyday. He can't stop getting things done. It is so helpful because my body feels like it is turning on me. My knees feel like they won't support me when I stand up and I now have stretch marks on my ankles. I'm trying not to complain but there is a lot to do and I am not very productive.
We are working out of a Hiring trailer everyday from 11-5. This is one busy trailer. Apparently there are not very many job opportunites in the area (even though I have seen some Now Hiring signs) Yesterday was less hectic than usual. We had more quality candidates coming in and we were able to accomplish more. It is tough to be in the middle of a phone call or working on something and then someone comes in interrupting you. Then I usually forget what I was in the middle of and it takes me 10 more mins to remember what I was doing and by then 2 more people have come in!
I had some extreme anxiety last night as the reality of everything hit me. Gracie is due in 21 days and I have a lot to do to prepare for the opening before she gets here. We have not hired any leadership other than Jason and Blake and I admit to feeling a little funny about leaving my store in the care of someone I don't know. So that means they will be there 5:30am-11pm everyday? And we will be sleep-deprived with a 2 week old in the house.
How will i make this work? I have no clue! At least I have a great support system!

Neighbors

2009-06-13T05:46:00.001-07:00

This morning we woke up in our new house for the first time! It already feels like home...except the mess and boxes everywhere. ChaCha doesn't seem quite ready to accept this as home but Winston has embraced his new home and seems very happy here. My dad drove them up yesterday and they were confused as to why all of their stuff was up here. They smelled the couch and chair and beds and tv and couldn't seem to understand why they were here. It was entertaining. They also love the backyard. They have spent so much time back there. A big black dog next door has become to object of Winston's attention (barking).
When we came by the house on Thursday we met several of the neighbors. They all seem so nice and walked over to our driveway to introduce themselves. They are very excited about the Chick-fil-A opening so we have become very popular.
MawMaw and PawPaw set up the kitchen for me and Blake moved almost everything in by himself until my dad got here. Dad helped him with the biggest items. They both worked really really hard. We were exhausted and hungry last night. I slept ...uh oh MawMaw and PawPaw are here and I don't have on a bra yet! Gotta run. Need to put up a shower curtain before I can shower.,

Northport here we come!

2009-06-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

So I was up at 4am with intense allergies from all the packing, moving and cleaning! So I will be nap ready about the time we drive up to Northport. I can't sleep since I'm now driving the Rodeo up there. I am nervous about driving only because I get so uncomfortable and distracted (which is why Big Gare doesn't have a right side view mirror.) But it is an easy drive up 280 to 459 to I20. Then to my new crib!
Blake and I hit Starbucks around 6:30am and then drove all over campus to tell it goodbye for now. We are excited about the new opportunities in Northport and the new campus to get to know!
I am so very pumped to get moved in and finally settled. Thanks to everyone who is coming to help us unload and unpack! I need you badly.

Moving out...crashing and burning

2009-06-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

So today was an exhausting day. We had to move everything out of our house and our storage unit and then clean the house! WOW...it didn't take as long as it would have if Blake hadn't prepared so far ahead, but it was long enough.
Blake got up at 5:30am and went to Starbucks to get our day jump started while I showered and got ready for the day. At 7am a repair man came to make the final repairs the home inspector requested. We picked up the UHaul at 7:30am. It is the biggest freakin UHaul I have ever seen. I feel like Blake should have a special license.
I drove Dad's F150 behind Blake's UHaul. I don;t know what happened...I wasn't on the phone or listening to the radio..I guess I just have a pregnant brain. ANywho, I think I took the turn onto our street too wide and hit the "Yes We Can" mailbox. It is a hard-core brick mailbox (obviously a little too close to the road) covered in Obama posters. So i heard a loud crash and shatter and saw the side mirror smash into the side of the truck. I was horrified! I have never wrecked or anything before (Knock on Wood). I lost control and couldnt stop crying. Blake, Mom, and Dad were all very nice about it. They were glad that I didn't get hurt. It ruined my day until I was too tired to remember that this happened only today.
So Blake, Jason, Dad and ZA (a team member from Village Mall) worked until about 2:30 loading up the beast. You couldnt fit a piece of paper in that UHaul now. They even unloaded that whole thing and reloaded it to make room. They worked so hard in 100 degree weather!
In fact, Blake fell asleep before 6pm.
At 2:30 I started cleaning the house with help from 2 more team members, June and Inez. We cleaned that beast top to bottom. It took about 2.5 hours but it is over. Blake had to ride with the computer in his lap but we got everything out!
As we were leaving, he asked me if I was going to cry (I cried when we left Chick-fil-A) but I was seriously too tired to care one way or the other. I just wanted to put my feet and ankles in ice.
By the way, I tried that and it tickles really bad. My feet are like 20 degrees hotter than the rest of my body, purple (as #2 pointed out today) and fatter than my belly! If it wasn't for my feet and ankles, I would feel perfect. Albeit slightly uncomfortable.
We are staying at Jason and Ashley's house tonight. Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!! We close on the house in the morning and then drive up to Northport.
I sure do hope that moving in isn't as exhasuting as moving out....we shall see. First thing I will tell Pooh Bear is move my recliner in!

The Lake or Old Row?

2009-06-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

So Blake and I decided to hit the lake for 4 nights while we still can. This is really our last chance until we move on Friday and then I'm not allowed to travel after that. Then we will have a baby and open the unit. I am thinking we will travel straight from the hospital back to work when we are discharged. It should be an interesting experience.
We got to the lake on Thursday and we were the only ones around, It was so very peaceful. We slept really well that night. I have been very uncomfortable lately and it makes sleeping a bit more difficult. Not to mention I am so swollen it aches everywhere. Anywho, it was a gloomy day yesterday and I loved it! Blake went fishing for hours and I read my books in a rocking chair on the porch. Then we took a nap after lunch and started over: fishing, reading, a boat ride at dusk. Blake grilled the fish he caught (and me 2 hotdogs...I wasn't sure if I trusted his fish with my baby) and we ate on the porch. We watched 3 episodes of 24 and got some work done for the opening. Chick-fil-A gave me a laptop with Verizon Wireless Access and I can be on the internet anywhere! Even in the car!
We went outside again to read in the rocking chairs and then the rednecks started to arrive next door. The don't talk to eachother...they YELL! They yell and consume more beer than an entire fraternity party. They got started as we were going to bed (about 9) and they were at it until almost 4am. There had to be 20 of them and they are our age or older. It is just plain weird to me. Blake and I were up alot when it got particularly loud. We formed a plan for revenge.
We got up around 7am and Blake immediately started cutting the grass. He started right near their house. I let the dogs outside and showed them things to bark at. They acted like angels.
Two of the neighbors who were probably kept up all night also have taken on cutting the grass and weedeatting. So we have been relieved of our revengeful duties. And I was just about to take a hammer to the deck and knock all the nailheads in. It is a nice loud job but must be done!
We also discovered that ChaCha is deathly afraid of lawn mowers. Winston likes to follow Blake as he cuts the grass.
Blake's family will be here to grill out this afternoon and so will Jason and Ashley and Sydney.
Should be good times. I might need a nap.

Chick-fil-A at Northport FSU

2009-05-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

Blake took a trip to Northport and got pictures of our unit. It is coming along pretty fast! Here we go....

Time Invested

2009-05-28T05:51:00.000-07:00

This is my last week at Village Mall. There was a time when I thought it would be easy to leave with such an amazing opportunity ahead. Don't get me wrong, I do not regret this decision at all. However, Blake and I have invested so much time and energy in this unit and in these team members. I don't know if I can "turn off" my feeling of responsibility to the crew and the unit itself. It is amazing to think that we will be starting all over.
It doesn't help that I have so many loose ends to still tie up and the Interim Manager won't be here until a week after my contract is officially terminated. This store runs so smoothly that they really don't need us. I regret that I didn't take more time off while I wasn't needed because now I feel like our lives are about to be taken over. I am excited about having a baby and I am excited about opening a new unit. But I admit that I am worried about "Blake and me" time. Is it selfish to feel protective of that? Neither one of us are all that love able when we are sleep-deprived. And sleep-deprived we will be! We should have traveled more (but we couldn't afford it) ha. Now we need to pray that God will send us Chick-fil-A team members with a serving spirit and hopefully some CFA experience! This will make life all the easier.

What is my body saying....

2009-05-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not usually one to overreact to medical things. I actually probably wait too long sometimes to take action. But I have called the doctor everyday for the past 3 days. I'm sure I have become very annoying. I am constantly having cramps like menstrual cramps. I have had several contractions, but not close together for an extended period of time. Although, I did have 3 in 20 minutes one time. And I have some spotting going on, which makes me wonder if little Gracie is trying to break out.
I am due in 6 weeks and 5 days and really need to hold out for another 3 weeks at least. I would love to see Gracie and have my body back, but I would feel much better if she could just hang in there a good bit longer.
Not to mention, we have now packed up her whole nursery and it is in a storage unit or my garage. Now my concerns about where I will deliver is a whole different story! I am going to be at my OB up through my 36th week. Then I will be moving and visiting another doctor starting at 37 weeks. I admit that this increases some of my apprehensions about labor. Health Insurance adds a bit of a problem to the situation as well. I just hope we can figure everything out.
Don't get me wrong, I am super excited about moving and opening a new unit! And I am super excited about having a baby. I am a little curious as to how it will play out. Opening this new unit will require Blake to work close to 60 hours a week, and me to work more than I am use to at the moment. I am want to breastfeed and I don't know how I'll make that work. I am praying God will bless us with a really capable nanny to make this transition all the easier. I just don't want Gracie to think anyone else is her mommy.

Overwhelming

2009-05-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

We have quite a bit to do these next few weeks. We have to have the whole house packed loaded into a UHaul in 2 weeks and 4 days. Normally, this would seem pretty doable, however, Blake and I are still working full-time and I am not that useful. Yesterday I had all sorts of pains, cramps, and contractions. I rested a lot more than usual but it is impossible to ask me to rest when there is so much to do. Blake is doing it all on his own. My parents have come and helped me pack twice now, and they are super helpful. I come from a family of hard workers!! Although, no one can get as much done in a day as my Blake can. He has been absolutely amazing! He has handled the purchasing of a house, selling of a house, acquiring a ridiculously good loan, arranged for a flooring specialist to get into the house we are buying, home inspections, home repairs, and so much more! Meanwhile, I have been working on the opening of our new restaurant and preparing to leave Village Mall. This has been tough. I am sad to leave my crew.
Of the 2 weeks and 4 days, we are also being pulled out a bit. Blake has to travel with me because I'm so far along in my pregnancy. Jun 2, we have a meeting in Northport about the Grand Opening. I am excited about this! Then we will spend 2-3 days that week with an Operator Coach to talk about the difference in a mall and FSU. I would also love to take a couple of days to go to the lake and relax. This may be our last chance for a getaway for a long long time!
We also have to get Ashley and Jason's house sold, packed, a new one bought, and them moved up there to help! We are so lucky that they have decided to move with us! They will both be such a blessing to us. They are our best friends and such awesome representatives of Chick-fil-A.

Courtney Lane

2009-05-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

We made an offer on this adorable house in Northport and it was accepted! Now we just have to close on the 2 houses and make the big move. I am really excited about this house. It is 4 bedroom, 2.5 baths, and 2286 square feet. I am super excited about the massive...I mean MASSIVE master bedroom and whirlpool tub!

Blake's biggest priority was finding a house with a yard that is big enough for a workshop. He loves to have a place to disappear and build things. This yard is big and has a great covered back porch. Winston and ChaCha wont know what to do with all of the room back there! Now I need to upgrade our furniture. We will certainly wait a while but our crappy stuff will make this pretty home so sad. Until then we will make due with the couch with the hole in covered by a slip cover :-)

Odd Sight

2009-05-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and saw a step ladder on my front porch. That is strange because it wasn't there last night. Blake was up at 5:45am and gone by 6:00am this morning. Was someone stealing my light bulb and leaving behind a ladder? I wish I had a camera here for my blogging, but its in Blake's Car. I am hoping to get a nice one of my own for my bithday but we shall see!

Why I might kill my husband....

2009-05-15T04:40:00.000-07:00

So I have threatened to take Blake's bike away from him for many reasons. (or should I say his 5 bikes) The main reason is because he never answers the phone while he rides....for hours...and I told him that I will have a baby soon and he would feel really bad if he missed it. I actually had a dream that after Gracie was born, I had to put a bike outfit on her to go meet her daddy.

Anywho, he got hit by a car while riding his bike yesterday. He now thinks he broke a rib. Let me explain why I want to kill him. In the next 3 weeks, we will close on our house, try and buy another one, pack and move, and start working on setting up our new unit. Have I mentioned that I am large and can barely bend over to pack? Not to mention I'm not allowed to lift a box. Then we will be having a baby and opening a new busy free-standing unit. Freak me out! I think it takes about 2 months to heal a broken rib and this will be our busiest 2 months in history! Does anyone have a garage I can hide his bikes in?

Gracie Susan Gill

2009-05-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Gracie has nice long legs. According to my book, she should be about 4 pounds now.

I just realized that I never posted any of Gracie's ultrasound pictures. These were taken when I was 26 weeks, which was about 6 weeks ago. She has my nose! And some big lips. haha Hopefully a big smile like her daddy.

This is her cute little hand up by her face.

Sausage Fingers

2009-05-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Just a note...my fingers are like little fat sausages. I cant even type or text well because they are so tough to control. Not to mention, they hurt when I bend them. My feet look like I broke them because they are so massive! None of my shoes fit...even my flip-flops are tight. WHAT in the world? Do not fear, my black slip-resistent shoes for crews still fit. Joy. Black tennis shoes go with everything.
What to do? Cut back sodium...I'm not sure what has more sodium. Drink more water. Put my feet up...yeah right.
Blake and I are heading to Montgomery today to spend some time in dad's EastChase unit. This will be good for us to learn how to do a big breakfast, a busy drive-thru, massive prep. It has been 4.5 years since I was a manager there so I need a refresher. I am excited and Blake is already in uniform. I guess I better go shower!

We are Moving!

2009-05-09T04:41:00.000-07:00

We received a phone call less than 4 weeks ago that a Chick-fil-A Free-Standing Unit was being built in Northport, AL (just north of Tuscaloosa) and they had not selected an Operator. I overnighted my application to the Home Office and the circus began! We had several scheduled visits from Business Consultants to taste all of our food and meet our team and ask me loads of questions. Then we also had some unannounced visits (some while I was there and some while I wasn't.) Blake was awesome throughout the process, making sure that the team was working as hard as ever. He kept everyone happy and on task. They really love him.

We got a phone call Thursday night that we had been selected!! Thank goodness, because I don't think my nerves could go through that again.

This new unit opens July 23, just a couple of weeks after Gracie is born! It will be an exhausting couple of weeks but at least Blake and I make a perfect team. We can juggle work, home, and fun pretty nicely. We will certainly need all the support we can get.

Grand Opening our own Free-Stander in Alabama is our dream come true! We will be able to truly spread our wings and operate a family business. Now we just need to hire between 70-80 employees in time to train and open in July!

On the road...alone

2009-05-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

So I'm heading to Peachtree City today for an IT Advisory Panel Meeting for the next 2 days. I must admit that I find IT very boring and Blake did my homework for me only Computer Class in college. Hopefully they need input from someone like me because I'm sure a few other Operators out there feel the same way.
My friend Courtney's water broke this morning and she is 23 weeks pregnant. It has totally turned things upside down and I can't stop crying and praying about it. Please keep Baby Nate and Courtney in your prayers this week. I believe they are in God's hands but the feeling of helplessness is overwhelming I'm sure. She has had a tough pregnancy and it makes you wonder why? Why are some so hard? And then you watch these shows like "I didn't know I was pregnant." What idiots! I mean are you kidding me???
I better go get ready. My toes need painting but I don't think I can reach them.

Gracie Update

2009-05-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

We went to the Doctor today for our checkup. We are going every other week these days. He said that she is measuring perfectly and that I seem to be doing great. Her heartbeat was 142 beats per mintue and she kicked lady who was listening to the heart. Fiesty one already!
I am going out of town for an Operator IT Advisory Panel for 2 days this week, and then in 2 weeks I'll be in Atlanta for a Recipe for Service Workshop. He said there was no problem with me traveling right now. That made me feel good.
Hopefully I'll have some super exciting news later this week. Until then, please pray for my nerves. :-) They will be affected no matter the outcome!

Old Snow Pics

2009-04-30T05:28:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post our pictures from the snow day in February. It was also the day of Sydney's birthday party so we drove to Montgomery to celebrate! IT was a birthday to remember.

Busy Tuesday

2009-04-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

We worked hard yesterday after our 7am Team Leader Meeting. It was a good day at Chick-fil-A but we were a tad too slow. At least we have gotten lots of organizing and deep cleaning done. I helped out front more than usual because someone called out and my legs were killing me later that afternoon!
Then Jason brought Sydney for me to take home when he got to work. Sydney, Blake and I went to the pool! Dont worry- she wore 50 SPF. She loved the pool! We sat on the stairs and she liked splashing and was dying to get out of my arms and explore the pool on her own. We should have gotten the floating deal mom got her for Easter (it has a little shade built in too) More than anything, she wanted to just watch the other rambunctious children yelling and screaming, jumping and climbing on each others shoulders. She was so curious about them.
Last night we had a Financial Peace class on Credit Sharks in Suits. It was very interesting. We will need to review our credit report this week!
Gracie is very active. She is practically acrobatic in my belly. I am talking constant flips and kicks (esp in the rib) She will be as busy as our Sydney I suppose :-)

Lake Day!!

2009-04-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

Winston and Cha Cha are worn slap out after all the fun!

Thursday morning Blake seemed kind of down and out. I had been feeling kind of restless too and we decided that it was time to do something fun together. Sure, we get to spend most of the day, every day together but it is generally doing obligatory things (work, meetings, house chores). So we left Auburn about 4pm on Thursday and headed to the lake!

The minute we got there, Blake was on the boat with Winston begging me to hurry up. I didn't even get to unpack the cooler! We took a slow cruise around the lake and it felt so good. We dropped the dogs off and headed to Sinclairs for dinner. The food was amazing (I had Shrimp and Grits, Blake had Pecan Crusted Trout) Then we headed home and watched 24 after dark.

Yesterday morning we got up early as usual and the day seemed to last forever! IT was my favorite kind of day at the lake. Blake and Winston went fishing while ChaCha and I sat on the deck on rocking chairs and I read my book. Blake made coffee and pancakes for breakfast and the weather was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky.

The best part was taking the dogs to an island with a big sandbar. I had to put their lifevests on them because Winston LOVES to swim!! It is so funny. Winston gets out in the water and splashes around like a maniac. ChaCha wants nothing to do with the water but likes exploring the woods. Her and Blake went climbed on this huge rock and a goose came flying out honking at them. Another goose came flying at them flapping his wings and hinking like crazy. ChaCha got off the rock and found their eggs! They went to attack her. Luckily, she didn't touch the eggs and Blake got her out of there pretty quick.

Last time we were on this island, ChaCha got attacked by two pitbulls. She has bad luck.

We came back around 4:00pm and headed up to the store to check on our 50s Sockhop.

It was not all fun and games- I cleaned out the microwave and fridge and Blake cut the grass. It is time to get the lake house ready for the summer! Come visit!

I'm sorry!

2009-04-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

So I have left this blog hanging for quite some time! I suppose I mostly forgot, but it is no excuse. I promise to do better. A lot has been happening in the Gill household the past few weeks. It is no secret that our ambition is to operate a Free-Standing Unit before this year is over. We have an opportunity (details to come) and the decision will be made within the next 3-4 weeks. We have a visit today and next Tuesday from the home office to discuss our candidacy and the competition might be stiff. We believe that we are centered in God's will to take this store and we must find peace that His will be done. Please pray for us as we begin this process.

BABY SHOWER!

I had my first baby shower Sunday April 5 and it was so very fun! My friends outdid themselves and Ashley #2 house looks great! I have had so much fun going through the stuff and as Blake has finished the nursery (pictures to come soon) I can begin to set it up! Hopefully, Gracie will never even see her beautiful nursery because we will be selected for this new unit haha. Here are some pics:

My girls: Meredith (Baby Carr), Kelly, April and Jacquie

Little Girl's clothes are so fun!

Sydney enjoyed entertaining everyone.

My ridiculously cute cake!

Camping at 22 weeks pregnant

2009-03-11T05:27:00.000-07:00

So I went camping this weekend with Blake and my dad. Blake was doing three bike races in Albany, GA over the weekend and didn't want to pay for a hotel room. I decided about noon on Friday that I would go too! On our way home to pack I called my dad and he decided to come too! What a group.
So Blake and I got home around 3pm Friday and started packing like crazy. We arrived at our campsite after dark and had a time putting up the tent in darkness. We were the only tent in the whole campsite (everyone else had RVs) Little did we know, the campsite backed up to a dragstrip that raced late into the night Friday. By the time dad arrived we did not want to set up another tent and invited him to join ours. So the three of us shared a tent to the peaceful signs of street-illegal cars racing near by....ahhhhh....camping.
Jason and Ashley kept ChaCha and we brought Winston with us. He loves Bike Races and I thought he would love camping....I was right! What an awesome little camping buddy. He slept perfectly in tent and never disturbed anyone. We would tie his leash to a rope to the tent while we sat around the campfire or worked on bikes and he just laid down and enjoyed watching all of the excitment around him.
Blake did awesome in his races. This was his first of all 3 road races. These people were a lot more hard-core than the typical mountain-biker. Blake was the only one racing with hair on his legs. He finished both races middle of the pack. One guy on his team wrecked and broke his scapula in two places and got stitches on his knee.
We grilled, built an awesome campfire, made hot chocolate, and even watched some of the drag racing. It was a great trip and I'd do it again in a heart beat! Even with my growing belly and sore back.
We are planning on camping again soon for a mountain bike race. If you are interested, let us know!

California Dreamin'

2009-02-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

Blake and I spent a week in California and had a great time. We went Sunday-Thursday to Long Beach for the Chick-fil-A Operator Seminar. We had great speakers like Jim Collins, Dave Ramsey, Rick Warren, Tommy Tubberville and Frank Beamer. It was awesome!

Then we rented a car and just drove up the coast with no reservations. We visited Malibu, Santa Monica and stayed 2 nights in Santa Barbara. Then we went to Solvang for the Tour of California. Blake got to see Lance make his comeback in cycling. He got Lance Armstrong's autograph and had a front row view of the finish line. I have included a few pics of our trip.

We got a Dancer!

2009-02-12T04:50:00.000-08:00

So Gracie is definately a mover and a shaker. I am not quite 20 weeks and I can feel her moving like crazy! Even Blake got the chance to feel her Sunday Morning. She must be pretty strong.
I barely have a belly (more of one than #2 had at 19 weeks). So I went to get a massage yesterday and decided I was perfectly comfortable laying on my belly for the massage. Well Gracie was wide awake for that. It felt like I had swallowed a live rattlesnake. But I think she got really relaxed because I didn't feel her for a long time after that.
If I want to get Gracie excited, all I have to do it sit in the recliner and turn on 24. It worked last night! She got to karate-chopping me again. In fact, as I sit her with my cereal and coffee, she has woken up and is punching me.
It is very comforting to start feeling her but now gives me something new to freak out about. If I don't feel her for several hours I can now go into panic mode!

This is the Day that the Lord Has Made!

2009-02-09T05:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous day! Blake and I couldn't get outside fast enough. His legs were sore from his "Crank your Heart Ride" 2nd Place win so lucky for me, he wasn't planning on riding his bike! We watched some more 24 and then packed up the dogs, went to Subway, and had a picnic at Keisel. Then we waited around for Jason, Ashley and Sydney to meet us! Sydney had a blast! She loved running in the field and seeing all of the "Bullies."

I have decided that taking more than 2 dogs to the park at a time is dangerous (at least in the fenced in exercise area) because they begin to act as a pack. If Winston growls at one dog, all four of ours would attack it. Of course our four are tiny (except Bully) and wouldnt actually injure an animal, it still was a bit embarassing. So we ended up hanging out at our picnic, leving the dogs of the leash and they did great....even Cha Cha!

We then went in search of a ice cream maker....the kind where you use rock salt but couldntfind one! Must be a seasonal item. I am craving the homemade icecream taste, so please help!

I ate my words and got heartburn!

2009-02-05T05:40:00.000-08:00

So I have been bragging about how I haven't had morning sickness or heartburn or anything really. Except some bad allergies that would enjoy a decongestant oh well!
So last night I had heartburn for the first time ever. Unfortunately it happened when I got up on the hall for Standards. I was in a tiny room with 4 Alpha Chi girls who didn't know I was pregnant and i was desperately trying not to burp. I felt like I kept making grimaces on my face and frightening the girls coming in for grades. Hopefully that won't happen again. AWKWARD!

I took the day off yesterday and hated every minute of it. Days off without Blake are BORING. I needed to do taxes, laundry, banking, ect. I also craved some Subway so I ate that for lunch and dinner YUM! And of course I visited Blake at work during lunch to see if they needed me...they didn't. My biggest Nightmare is bed rest.

I am afraid that if I stay home for very long after having the baby I will go completely stir crazy. I guess we shall see. Speaking of Chick-fil-A, we had another outstanding increase on Tuesday of 68.5% Symbol, here we come!

Hooray for Chick-fil-A!!

2009-02-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

I am blogging at Chick-fil-A for the first time! I just had to share our amazing sales results with everyone. Last month we had a sales increase of 18.6% YAY!!! We are gunning to win Chick-fil-A's Symbol of Success Award. In order to win, we need a sales increase of 17% for 2009 over 2008. The tricky thing is that we loose a day in 2009 because last year was leap year.

Yesterday on my way to work I was not feeling like myself at all. I was extremely anxious and couldn't pin down why. When I got to work I realized that it was because we were starting February and I just am very nervous about hitting our goal this month. Our team was very excited about our success in January and I hate getting my hopes up. So all of my worrying was for nothing because we had a sales increase yesterday of over 40%!!! How insane is that?

God is truly working through our team. Tonight we are having a "Spirit Night" to help Cornerstone's Relay for Life Team. Blake plans on joining the team and thought this would be a great way to help them raise part of their goal of $15,000. I am excited to see our Community Group here and maybe hit another sales goal!

Remember...Every Tuesday in February is Free Breakfast at Chick-fil-A. This offer is good in Montgomery and Auburn! Boy did we give away a lot of Chicken Biscuits this morning.

Pregnancy Pics

2009-02-02T06:15:00.000-08:00

15 weeks pregnant

I think friends far away are wondering how I look pregnant. Not much different yet but I am in maternity pants or using a Bella Band everyday. It is certainly Different not fitting into anything within a matter of days.

18 weeks pregnant

This picture was taken last night at our Super Bowl Party with our Chick-fil-A team. About 30 people came to the party and we had a great time! We still have some burgers left so come on down for dinner! I am going to post some more pics from the party down below.

When Jason and Ashley walked in last night they said, "Gosh, you've grown a lot since Thursday." And it is true. Thanks to Meredith and Ashley for some clothes! Otherwise I might be walking around in sweats all day.

Seminar in Long Beach is in 2 weeks and I know I need to go and get some dress pants and dresses but I am not sure what size I will be in 2 weeks.....crazy.

It's a Girl!! What is her name?

2009-02-02T06:09:00.001-08:00

Blake and I are so excited that it is a girl! We went to the ultrasound at 8am Wednesday morning, Blake wearing blue and me in bright pink! Team Pink won! I was shocked actually because I kind of thought it would be a boy. Ever since I was a kid I have wanted a girl first because I knew a little girl would be a good helper. I am also thrilled because I know that Sydney Claire will have a good friend.. Now names..... I love the name Grace and have always wanted to use that name. However, Grace Gill does not sound good. So now I am thinking Gracie Gill. Maybe Gracie Susan Gill. My mom and my first name is Susan. Since i have kind of dropped Susan since I added Gill, I thought it would be nice to pass it along again. Gracie Ann Gill or Gracie Kay Gill. What do you think??

Boy or Girl??

2009-01-28T04:56:00.000-08:00

We leave in about an hour to see our baby. Hopefully, we will also be able to call Baby Gill a boy or girl from now on. I have taken predicitions this morning and we are currently 9-3 Boy. Blake is thrilled! I will post pictures later. I think Team Pink may be going down.

16 weeks and counting....

2009-01-16T15:02:00.000-08:00

We found out we were pregnant when we were only 5 weeks!!! That just lets you know how crazy different my body already felt. I was making a delivery, carrying coolers of 50 sandwiches each, and thought I would pass out. I got back to work, ran into the freezer and waited to finally cool off. It never happened. One of the ladies at work said, "You're pregnant." Blake got really excited and ran off to get 2 pregnancy tests. He made me take them right then. We of course argued about whether it was a line or wasn't a line, Obviously it was a couple of lines!

I am now 16 weeks and my jeans cut into my waist. It is the most awkward experience in my life. Luckily my work pants are still really comfy, but my jeans kill. I think I just look like I have let myself go and gotten chubby. If you didn;t know I was pregnant, you would think I was just thick. I bought some maternity jeans but they feel like they will fall off. So instead, I walk around with my jeans unbuttoned or I just wear sweat pants. I think my clothes should still fit at 16 weeks but my cravings dont help. Why is it the food you want is the food you should avoid? I want pizza and icecream all the time! And lots of Chick-fil-A chicken biscuits!

So today I went to get my hair cut and decided to do something totally different and drastic (for me) hoping that people will notice my hair and not my waistline! "Is something different about Ashley? Oh it is the hair!" NOT "She's fat."