Hello all. Just a quick note to let you know that I'm good. Just TIRED and hormonal. I could write more about it but I'm just not. I should be answering my phone and leaving you all comments, but I'm just not. Do know that I will call soon. Also, there are many of you that I'm praying for, family and friends, alike. And there are also many of you that I need to thank for making laugh or touching my heart with your posts and comments. I'll get to all of that when I get back to myself. In the mean time, know that I love you!

Weekend before Mattie. It hailed, the only time Caden actually needed his snow boots...

Monday a.m., leaving for hospital...

Monday evening, Caden's visit...

Tuesday a.m., minutes old...

Tuesday evening...

Already a Daddy's girl...

I tried posting while Xanga was down...frustrating. Anyhow, I don't have much time to write, as there is so much to say. Thank you all for you kind comments, warm thoughts, and prayers. They were much needed. We are all doing good. I'm very, very happy. I find myself in love with my little family. Wesley has been amazing, Caden is a wonderful big brother, and little Mattie is a pretty easy baby. I feel complete, completely happy that our family is complete. There are moments that my heart aches from the love I feel for my kids and husband. My cup simply runneth over.

Love to all,

Whit

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement over the past 9 months. Thank you in advance for your continued prayers, it means more and is appreciated more than you can possibly imagine. Keep our little Mattie's safe arrival into this world in your prayers, too, please.

My Mom should be able to keep you updated - shellisland she'll be the first to have pics. My Aunt or BFF will probably have all of the little updates mlbncsga or mikka2979.

Okay, again, thank you ALL!

Love!

Whit

Yesterday, I had my last official doctor's appointment for this pregnancy. It's been a whirlwind. There have been points, when Wesley was working insane hours, that time seemed to draaaaaag. However, as a whole, the entire 9 months have gone by quickly. I'm trying to relish every punch to the bladder this little one gives me. I've enjoyed looking at my big pregnant belly in the mirror. I know someday I'll have baby fever again but were planning on this being the last one. So, I'm doing my very best to make the most out of these last few days of pregnancy. We go to Andrews, TX Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. to induce.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to have my hair highlighted and a few low-lights put in. I was a naturally blonde kid and have never really accepted that my hair has turned brown. Anyhow, it's been almost a year since I've highlighted my hair. I didn't want to do it early in the pregnancy. I thought about waiting until after Mattie is born to do it, but I figured it would be impossible to find the time. So, I was bound and determined to get it done this week. My sister-in-law has moved to Oklahoma so she was out of the question to do it. Then I called my old hair dresser from Lovington and she has gone to work at a bank. I called a friend in Lovington for a referral. And in the end, I decided that I should accept the fact that I don't live in Lovington and just use someone locally. I called a friend from here and she referred her girl to me, but said she has only used her to get her hair cut. I decided to try her anyhow. I was very specific with her - I wanted to be blonde, to add a few low-lights but mostly BLONDE. My appointment began yesterday at 1:30 and I did not leave the effing salon until 9:30. At about 7:15 or so she started to blow dry my hair and kept me turned away from the mirror...not a good sign. Anyhow, before she turned me around she said "I can put more blonde in it, if you want me to." I was horrified to see my hair a combination of black and brown, with very, very, few, itty-bitty streaks of blonde. After a few minutes of discussion, I decided to stay and let her put more blonde in. Her boss came in and helped her put blonde  on the top portion of my head. It took 2 hours and I now have skanky-skunky hair. *sigh* I had planned to get a lot accomplished yesterday evening, instead I was stuck in a chair for 8 hours. Eight long hours with only one DP to drink the entire time and have skanky-skunky hair to show for it. Plus I had to pay the girl $95...she used a lot of product, no doubt, but damn...I think that was a little much.

Anyhow, I got home and ate dinner. I swept and mopped the kitchen, living room, and hall floors. Cleaned the kitchen up and went to bed around 1:00 a.m. I had to mop before the pest man came this a.m. to spray. It was a miserable afternoon/evening.

This a.m. the pest man came and Caden and I left to run errands. Then a girl from MOPS called and we had lunch at McDonald's with our kids and she gave me a HUGE basket full of breakfast goodies and home made goodies from all of the MOPS girls. It's been a good day. I've got to get off of here now and get to work on that to-do list!

Ya'll have a good one!

Yesterday, I had my last official doctor's appointment for this pregnancy. It's been a whirlwind. There have been points, when Wesley was working insane hours, that time seemed to draaaaaag. However, as a whole, the entire 9 months have gone by quickly. I'm trying to relish every punch to the bladder this little one gives me. I've enjoyed looking at my big pregnant belly in the mirror. I know someday I'll have baby fever again but were planning on this being the last one. So, I'm doing my very best to make the most out of these last few days of pregnancy. We go to Andrews, TX Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. to induce.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to have my hair highlighted and a few low-lights put in. I was a naturally blonde kid and have never really accepted that my hair has turned brown. Anyhow, it's been almost a year since I've highlighted my hair. I didn't want to do it early in the pregnancy. I thought about waiting until after Mattie is born to do it, but I figured it would be impossible to find the time. So, I was bound and determined to get it done this week. My sister-in-law has moved to Oklahoma so she was out of the question to do it. Then I called my old hair dresser from Lovington and she has gone to work at a bank. I called a friend in Lovington for a referral. And in the end, I decided that I should accept the fact that I don't live in Lovington and just use someone locally. I called a friend from here and she referred her girl to me, but said she has only used her to get her hair cut. I decided to try her anyhow. I was very specific with her - I wanted to be blonde, to add a few low-lights but mostly BLONDE. My appointment began yesterday at 1:30 and I did not leave the effing salon until 9:30. At about 7:15 or so she started to blow dry my hair and kept me turned away from the mirror...not a good sign. Anyhow, before she turned me around she said "I can put more blonde in it, if you want me to." I was horrified to see my hair a combination of black and brown, with very, very, few, itty-bitty streaks of blonde. After a few minutes of discussion, I decided to stay and let her put more blonde in. Her boss came in and helped her put blonde  on the top portion of my head. It took 2 hours and I now have skanky-skunky hair. *sigh* I had planned to get a lot accomplished yesterday evening, instead I was stuck in a chair for 8 hours. Eight long hours with only one DP to drink the entire time and have skanky-skunky hair to show for it. Plus I had to pay the girl $95...she used a lot of product, no doubt, but damn...I think that was a little much.

Anyhow, I got home and ate dinner. I swept and mopped the kitchen, living room, and hall floors. Cleaned the kitchen up and went to bed around 1:00 a.m. I had to mop before the pest man came this a.m. to spray. It was a miserable afternoon/evening.

This a.m. the pest man came and Caden and I left to run errands. Then a girl from MOPS called and we had lunch at McDonald's with our kids and she gave me a HUGE basket full of breakfast goodies and home made goodies from all of the MOPS girls. It's been a good day. I've got to get off of here now and get to work on that to-do list!

Ya'll have a good one!

You should see my "to do list" it's very long. Yet, here I sit doing nothing about it. As soon as I finish this, I'm going to get something knocked off of it. Exactly what, I'm not sure, but something.

I've been thinking about all sorts of things these days. I've wanted to blog about them individually, but just don't have the time. Here are just a few mini-blogs:

1. How I can't wait to have a cold beer or a Red Bull...and how I'll probably wait until I stop breastfeeding to do so. I never drank a sip while pregnant or breastfeeding with Caden. Wouldn't be fair to do that with Mattie.

2. How I dread having to kindly tell people with children that unless they have childcare lined up, they'll have to wait to visit until Mattie is 3 - 4 weeks old. And to please wash their hands before holding her. I know it sounds crazy, but it's how I am. I've had healthcare professionals tell me it's okay to expose infants to lots of folks and others suggest waiting. Personally, I prefer to wait. I just don't want to test their immune system right off the bat, I just don't. And in return I don't bring my kid around new born babies, either. Even if he is perfectly healthy, I just don't. Most all of my friends think I'm silly for this, but that's okay. They assure me they love me anyhow. What can I say it's only three weeks. I'm fairly certain it pisses my inlaws off, but I've become a pro at that without even trying to. It's three weeks, I can be a little paranoid for three weeks, I say. Of course, Caden, will be the only exception...but he'll be here at the house exposed to the same things we are.

3. How some two year olds have changed the way I pronounce things forever. For example when my brother was two he said "drain-us" for dangerous. To this day, I refer to dangerous things as "drain-us." Also, my little twin cousins called earrings "ear-rahs" and I often refer to them as such. They also said "a-ya" for yeah, and sometimes I do that, too. Caden loves to say "nagy" for nasty and Wesley and I have started to refer to things as "nagy." I bet it sticks...just like Caden's pronounciation of Oklahoma - "moka moka" has started to stick.

4. Extremely pious people. Divorce. How the prior should sometimes get over themselves. Which weighed very heavy on my heart for a few days. That the other night after thinking about all of it, I had a dream about one of my great-grandfathers. One that I never met. He was a very religous man, he was a Southern Baptist preacher and preached huge revivals and was from everything I've gathered a fine, fine man. A devout Christian who had children that were all very faithful Christians. I dreamt about him preaching, but I couldn't tell you what he was saying in my dream. I just saw him. Then, in my dream, I saw some genealogical paperwork that noted he was divorced. If my memory serves me correctly, I do believe he was divorced from my great grandmother. I could write more on the entire subject. But all I have to say is sometimes divorce is necessary. And reiterate that just because people divorce doesn't mean they didn't try. I simply don't believe God wants us to live in misery "till death do us part" because of mistakes we made in character judgement.

5. How happy I am. I'm just a naturally happy person, for the most part. And how I dread the potential baby blues that might come with Mattie. I hate feeling sad, especially for no reason. That always makes me remember how I was depressed once, when I was 13. I remember when the depression hit and when it left. It lasted about 4 months. As I look back on it, I'm sure it was hormone related. Anyhow, I've thought about how awful it made the year 1993 for me. Then how ironic that exactly 10 years later, 2003 was by far the most awful year of my life. How I was sad and depressed but for very good reason...so I don't really classify it as being in depression. And one of these days I need write about that year, but certainly not today.

I guess that's it. Less than one week until I go to the hospital to be induced. WooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Love ya'll!

Where to begin?

Let's start with last Saturday. Wesley was in the backyard working on my flowerbeds (God bless his heart) when he bumped into a faucet and broke the pipe. Water went everywhere. It didn't take him long to get the water off. All of the hardware stores in town were closed but a friend at an oilfield supply business had what he needed and dropped it off for us.

Wesley had just gotten the pipe fixed when my Mom called and told me that my family in Wheeler had been evacuated because of a raging wildfire. My cousin Bret, his wife, Tammy, and their two children lost their home. Gone, nothing was saved, the house is GONE. It just upsets me and makes me sick to think about it. I dreamt about fires all night Saturday. More damage was done - livestock lost, land charred, feelings hurt. Thank God everyone is alive. I can't begin to imagine the devastation my family feels when they drive around and see the country side. I can't imagine how my cousin Bret, who is a volunteer fire fighter feels...to have his worst nightmare realized. I just pray for them ALL. If you're reading this say a prayer for them, too. Wesley was ready to go as soon as he heard about it. He just knew he would be able to make a hand with cleanup and repair efforts. As much as I wanted to say "YES, GO, PLEASE." I selfishly couldn't, I'm too far along in this pregnancy to feel comfortable being that far from my husband. I still feel guilty for asking him to stay here with me.

Monday night, I got a call to do a cake for Tatum's prom. They needed it done by today. It was really late notice, but I think they might have gotten the impression from my inlaws that I would do it. I figured it would be good advertisement for future business and agreed to do it. I don't think they could've gotten anyone else to do it. Anyhow, the Prom theme is Casino Night. I took these pics at the house. Caden was making it really hard to concentrate. It's 100% edible - cards, chips, and cake.

 On my way to deliver the cakes, I saw a few things that I needed to do to make the cake look better...BUT, I didn't fix them. You wanna know why? When I pulled up to the gym, I scooted my big butt out of the truck and went around to get the cake. Before I could open the back door, Caden had locked the doors. The keys were inside. He would not unlock the door. I wanted to cry. I managed to keep it together, though. I told Caden, "I'm calling your Daddy!" And Caden just picked up my phone and smiled at me. He started to think the whole thing was funny. One of the ladies called the police department and said "there is a lady here who brought the prom cake and her baby is locked in her truck." Do you know what the worthless, piece-of-poo police department said? They said, "Sorry, we don't unlock vehicles under any circumstances." What the hell?!!!! Isn't it an emergency type situation when your kid is locked in a vehicle without food or drink or potty? Anyhow, we called the tire guy and he came and unlocked my truck for $20. There went any profit I might have made off the cake. POOF! I really didn't care at that point, I was just glad to have my boy. So, by the time I looked at the cake I was so distracted that I just said "Here you go!" I couldn't remember what it was I wanted to fix. Oh well. I did go by the police department...just so they could see me in all of my pregnant glory with Caden on my hip and told them I wanted an apology. I got a halfhearted "sorry" and they told me "we can't unlock vehicles anymore." I told them I couldn't wait to write letters of complaint and stormed out. I've had two other run-in's with the law other than this that make me feel like police have forgotten about "serving" and "protecting" and are only concerned with enforcing the law. It's a good thing I have two dear friends in law enforcement or I would just despise the police.

Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment. Mom was able to come with me and help me with Caden. I'm not dilated at all, probably a good thing...today could have sent me into labor. I did gain 3 damn pounds last week, but I'm not really concerned about it at this point. I just can't wait for my girl to get here. I want to hold her more than you know. I wonder what she looks like. I just want her here. I am nervous about all of the work that will come with her. I remember how crazy life was when Caden was little. Now, I'll have to do it with Mr. Busy Body in tow. It'll be interesting for a while! Anyhow, after the doctor's appointment Mom stayed at the house and tended to Caden and helped me finish the cake...I couldn't have finished without her help. I'm so blessed to have her close by! On that note, I'm very excited to know that my Dad will be coming home from "Moka Moka" for the summer. He left in August and I've only seen him twice.

It's good Friday. I've thought about how lucky I am that the Lord sent his Son to die for me. What a sacrifice, what a gift. I am thankful. Today should be the day we celebrate Thanksgiving. You all have a Happy Easter. We'll do the same.

Love...

I had a Dr. appointment yesterday.

I am 36 1/2 weeks.

I have gained 57 pounds. (Insert any expletive you like here, I have used them all.

Mattie is around 6 - 6 1/2 pounds right now.

She is very long.

She has a strong heartbeat.

Doc estimated an 8 1/2 - 9 pound baby...but that was before I reminded him that he will be out of town right before my due date. So, maybe she'll be 8 - 8 1/2 pounds.

I'm not dilated.

Plans are to induce on the 20th.

I'm so ready for her to be here! I have so many things to do still, but I'm slowly making progress.

Wesley works 10 days on and gets 4 days off. His work has been so slammed that since two weeks before Thanksgiving he has only had 1 four day weekend, and he used two of those days to go hunting. He's had long hours, too. I can count only a few times that he has been home before 7:00. It's been extremely taxing on both of us, but how can a person complain when there are so many without work? Finally, this weekend he will be home for four straight days. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself, maybe breathe a sigh of relief.

Love to all.

Dusty's surgery went well. It took a REALLY long time. He said that his hip hurts more than his knee/leg. They are aiming to go home on Friday. Please continue to keep Mikka & Dusty in your prayers.

Thanks!

Whit