The Crouse House

9 Months & A Surprise

2012-01-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn bear turned 9 months old yesterday! I can't believe that in a few short months, we will actually be celebrating her 1st birthday! She went for her well-check and here are her stats along with a few other pieces of info about our growing girl:

-weighs 17lbs. 6oz. (30th %) and only 26 inches long. Dr. Smith says you are a petite girl and you are smaller than your sister was at this age.
-wearing 6/9 month clothing and size 3 diapers
-eating 3 good meals a day. You can easily eat stage 2 1/2 foods (which is something new since having Maddie) and can even slowly handle some stage 3 foods. You can self feed yourself a snack but only if it's something large, i.e. a cracker or cheetoh puff. You rely on my help if it's a smaller baby snack. You also still nurse but we are trying to wean you onto a sippy cup. This has not been a fun process!
-Your good sleeping habits have been interrupted as of late. We are blaming the weaning process and teething. You use to sleep through the night and take two great naps. Now, for about 2 weeks, you have been waking up every night atleast once and taking only semi good naps. Im a little worn out and ready for you to adjust back to sleeping well!
-You have 2 teeth coming through on the bottom and will probably have 2 on the top before we know it.
-You can officially crawl and pull up. We've lowered your bed all the way down now.
-learning to sign the word "more"
-will say "dada", "ma" and will sometimes imitate us if we clap our hands

You have, so far, been a very healthy girl. Other than the sniffles from time to time, you haven't been sick. Praise the Lord! Now knock on wood, that that lucky streak only continues!

It's become increasingly more difficult to get a good picture of you these days because you will not stay still. But here are a few:

A few days before Christmas, I began to have a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. That weird feeling progressed into me taking a home pregnancy test and much to my surprise, this is what I saw:

I almost fainted! We were very much not trying to get pregnant, but low and behold, pregnant we are! I remained in a state of shock for several days. My risk of miscarriages and hard pregnancies always puts such fear in me. Now what was I going to do?!?!? Could my body even handle another pregnancy right now?!?!?! I was really nervous. But after talking with Jaime, my parents, and a few close friends...the consensus was finally this: that this 100% has to be in the Lord's plan because it certainly wasn't in ours! Once again, He is reminding me that I am not the one in control and He can handle anything. We've since been to an early sonogram with my doctor to check for viability. We weren't able to see much because it's so early, but inside the gestational sac was a faint little flicker. We saw a heartbeat! That's always a good sign and I am praying that I can continue to make it through the first trimester, especially, with no signs of miscarriage. For now, we think that this baby is due sometime around the end of August. Between now and then, we are just taking it one day at a time at praying a lot! We would welcome any and all prayers that we can get for a smooth pregnancy and healthy baby!

A Year in Review-2011

2012-01-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

January was pretty un-eventful. We began working on Brooklyn's nursery and preparing for her arrival. We also got to see some snow!

By the first week in February, I was 28 weeks along and placed on bed rest at home because I was showing signs of pre-term labor. I spent a lot of time cross stitching and making bows! By the end of the month, I was admitted to ETMC for a possible kidney stone only to later go into "official pre-term labor". I was transported by ambulance to Mother Francis in case we needed the NICU. I spent two miserable weeks in the hospital fighting to keep Brooklyn inside. After 2 weeks, a thousand painful contractions, and being dilated to a three-I was finally released to go home and continue bedrest there. I got home two days before Maddie's 3rd birthday!

I was still pregnant at 37 weeks and considered full-term. I was able to finally get up and start moving around!

On April 11, I was induced back at ETMC and after only 4 hours of labor, our sweet Brooklyn Hope was born. She was beautiful and healthy! All of the pain and hard work was worth it. Praise God for our newest little girl!

In May, Maddie had her first accident ever and had to get stitches on her ear. This happened the day after I had my gall bladder removed and was still in the hospital. Brooklyn was only 6 weeks old. By the end of May, Maddie was playing soccer through the YMCA. It was so much fun to watch her!

During the summer, we did lots of activities! We went to San Antonio and visited Uncle Josh wwhile he was stanioned there for the Navy. We went to Sea World and the Riverwalk. Maddie also enjoyed her first VBS!

In September, went to the Hallsville vs. Chapel Hill game, celebrated daddy's birthday and had Brooklyn's baby dedication!

In October, we got ready for Fall! It was filled with pumpkins and all things Halloween. We hosted the 2nd annual Light the Night event at our home. Our family dressed up as Goldilocks and the Three Bears! We also went to Medievil Times and had a ball!

In November for Thanksgiving, we flew to Washington state to visit Jaime's family. It was fun to have everyone together. We had a great holiday and even managed the hectic adventure of flying with two little ones!

And of course, we just finished up Christmas and all it's fun activities! Jaime and I also celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Currently, we are beginning a new bible study called B90 (reading the whole Bible in 90 days), Jaime is starting a new soccer season, Brooklyn is crawling and pulling up, etc, etc.... Life just flys by and keeps getting better and better! 2012 is going to be full of great things!

5 Years

2011-12-30T05:50:00.000-08:00

THEN

AND NOW

It's been 5 years since we had the cutest little Christmas wedding, ever! A lot has changed. We both weigh more, sleep less and stress a lot more than we should. But we are both so very blessed in this life! It's been a great marriage and I look forward to many, many more years!

Last night, we celebrated by going to dinner at our special place-Julians. It is the BEST food ever and I love going any chance we get. Much to my surprise, Jaime handed me an anniversary gift while we were there. Now, you need to know...we had decided that we were going to buy a Keurig for our giftto each other. We both want one and I thought that was the plan. Apparently, it still is...HOWEVER, Jaime had found a great deal on a pair of new diamond earrings for me over a month ago! I was shocked! And they are so beautiful! It was a great night!

Happy anniversary Jaime. Love you!

A Very Merry Christmas

2011-12-29T07:22:00.000-08:00

This year was our first Christmas as a family of four and we have tried to make the most out of the whole month! This time of year is my absolute favorite and I have such fond memories of Christmas as a child. I go to great lengths to make sure my girls not only love the magic of Christmas, but also remember that ultimately, it's all about Jesus! This year was great in both regards. Maddie and I talked about Mary/Joseph/baby Jesus almost on a daily basis. JTB really helped her put things into perspective this year too! She was also super excited about Santa this time and was always asking about him. A few highlights from our month were:

looking at Christmas lights
watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate
Maddie helping mommy decorate the tree
shopping for our yearly Christmas ornament
going to the Cracker Barrel and getting Brooklyn's stocking
Tyler Christmas Parade
Journey Through Bethlehem
talking to Santa and later, writing him a letter
making cookies and other snacks
daddy's Christmas party in Longview
Maddie's Christmas party at church
young adult SS class scavenger hunt
Christmas stories

It was a busy month (always is) and I intentionally cram as much in as possible! There are so many fun and memorable things to do! On Christmas Eve, we went to my parent's house and ate some fabulous chicken and sausage gumbo. Then we stuck around long enough to listen to my dad read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas so that we could all sign the book. Then we scurried out the door and drove down the road back to our house so that we could do our own things before putting the girls to bed. We made some cookies for Santa, and while those cooked, we read How the Grinch Stole Christmas (a favorite of Jaime's from childhood) and the story of Jesus' birth from Luke. Maddie was then allowed to eat one cookie and watch a short Christmas movie before heading to bed. I told her that she HAD to stay in bed tonight and go to sleep as quickly as she could so that Santa would stop by. I think she listened because I didn't hear a peep and began wrapping gifts around 10 or so. I was able to get in bed at about midnight only to be woken up at 2! Maddie told me that she saw a shadow and thought it might be Santa!! I asked her if she looked at the tree yet and she hadn't so she ran into the living room. She was gone for several mintues and I just knew she was destroying all the presents, so I got out of bed. However, I found her quietly sitting in front of the tree, thumbing through a Christmas book that was propped in front (she gets a new one very year)! It was so cute. For a few minutes we sat in front of the tree, oohing and aahing. We then decided we better go back to sleep! Luckily, the family slept from that point till 7:30! Then we got up, opened presents, ate breakfast and headed to church for a worship service. After that, we headed back out to Nana and Papaw's house to spend the day doing Christmas with them. We opened more presents, took naps, played with new toys, and ate the greatest chicken and dressing meal ever. The green beans, sweet potato casserole, homemade monkey bread, and turkey weren't too bad either! ;) Yumm! By the end of the evening, Jaime and I were completely worn out but it was such a fun day!

Now, a new year is approaching us. Jaime and I are about to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and we are both very excited to see what the Lord has in store for us this next year as we reflect on the past year of 2011. We are already so blessed!

Family Picture Day

2011-12-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I called my good friend and photographer and asked him to take some new pictures of our little family! I enjoy doing pictures this time of year and now that Brooklyn is a little older (and mommy is a little thinner!!) I knew it was time to get some great shots! Of course, I dressed the girls a like and Jaime and I tried to match too. He did a fantastic job capturing our family of four and I couldn't be happier! Here are just a few samples!

8 months

2011-12-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that 8 months have passed since I delivered our beautiful little Brooklyn! What an amazing addition she is to our family! She is my sweet cuddler and a terrific baby!

At 8 months you:

-wear size 3 diapers
-6/9 month clothing
-you will have your next well child exam next month so I will know more about weight and length then
-are still a great eater! You enjoy cereal/fruit for breakfast, a veggie for lunch, and the same with maybe some fruit for dinner. You also are starting to enjoy little puffs and yogurt melts, though I break them up pretty small because you still don't have A SINGLE TOOTH! Nope....only gums!
-still love to nurse though we are coming down in feedings. You usually nurse for the last time at about 7 in the evening and go to bed at 8.
-sleep from 8 to about 6:30 or 7.You nurse as soon as you wake up. You usually take 2, two hour naps. Once around 9am and again at about 1 or 1:30 in the afternoon.
-you are still easily amused and love to laugh. Recently, you've started making grunting noises when you see something you want along with trying to make other noises with your mouth(usually to mimic sister).
-you lean over pretty far when you are sitting with toys, especially if you see a toy you would like, and almost make it to the crawling position. I think that you are close to crawling but still struggle with getting one leg stuck from underneath you.

I can hardly believe how great of a baby you are. I am just so blessed!!

Watching daddy's fire

Your ornament

JTB 2011

2011-12-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

When I tell you that I love Journey Through Bethlehem, I mean I really LOVE it! And this year was no different. Actually...it was maybe my favorite year in all the 14 years that I've been a part! I had the opportunity to witness some really neat things that still brings me tears when I think about it.

Since the beginning, we've always been known for the drive-thru portion of the town, but within the past few years we've also started offering a guided walk-thru. In a nutshell, you are led through the town by a shepherd and you stop at a few "key places" along the way(i.e. the census taker, the inn, the manger, etc...). Each night, for atleast and hour or so, Brooklyn was in the manger as baby Jesus and she did great! Maddie was also baby Jesus when she was little but we did not offer a walk-thru at that point so I didn't get to totally experience what I did this year! It was amazing! The neat thing about walking thru versus driving is that you can get a little closer to the manger. That is a pretty cool thing when there is a real baby there to interact with you! Oh, Brooklyn was such a big hit and I could not have been more proud! She wore a white gown and I covered her with an additional white blanket. Since we were in the manger, we were blocked mostly from the wind so she never really got too cold. Two of the four nights, Jaime was able to be my Joseph and it was such a fun time to see and hear people's different reactions. I can't always hear what people are saying from their car, but when they are standing right next to you, there's no question!

What stood out to me the most this year from my experience as Mary was:
-the oohs and aahs over Baby Jesus! It didn't matter if Brooklyn was flapping her arms and talking or letting out a cry from getting tired, the people loved it all!
-moms and dads kneeling before the manger and telling their own little ones that that baby was baby Jesus!
-one little girl sang a special song to Jesus and it was the cutest thing ever. Brooklyn simply smiled at her. Melted my heart!
-a mentally challenged guy came through and you could tell that he was so excited and stimulated by everything that was going on. He kept saying "Hi, my name is John" and "I like your baby" over and over again. What sweet innocence!
-a certain lady cried in front of the manger this year too. She was a first time visitor to JTB and loved every second of it. She just had to touch Brooklyn on the shoulder before she moved on, not believing that she was a real little baby!

It was wonderful and I already look forward to next year! Our feedback is always so positive and on Saturday night, we set a new record showing over 900 people the real meaning of Christmas! Wow! Many people also told us that it's just not Christmas until they load up their car and drive their family through JTB. What a blessing that is to us as a church to hear! It makes all the invested $, sick people (from the hay, cold, smoke), late nights and long work hours SO, SO very worth it!

All About Maddie

2011-12-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe, that come March, my first born will be 4 years old! My how the time has passed quickly! Now that Maddie is older, the posts documenting her progress, are few and far between. Things don't seem to change as quickly as they are right now for Brooklyn. However, I wanted to go ahead and write some things down that she does right now, so that I won't forget! Here goes nothing!

Maddie-

you are a strong willed girl and have been since the moment you were born. I truly fell like that attribute will work well for you in life, but for now, we are really having to control that stubborn streak in you! Now that you are a big girl, it often comes out in very sassy and bossy ways-especially since your vocabulary has always been above par. You are the epitomy of a little mama and I remind you many times during the day that you are afterall, only 3!
you are funny! Really funny! I don't know where you come up with some of the things you say and do, but if you aren't careful-it gets you in trouble too! Many times, you get sent to your room because of it. Then, once you are out of our sight, your daddy and I will often laugh about what you just did! Your a mess child!
the world hasn't encountered a better big sister. You adore Brooklyn! You are very patient with her and can get her to laugh better than anyone. You are a great helper (getting things for me, throwing things away, etc..) and it's so precious to watch your reltionship blossom with your little sister. You don't like to see her cry and have already informed us that you do not want another sibling, just Brooklyn, and certainly not a little brother...because they are "stinky" according to you. Ha! Guess, we will just have to see about that!
you have an amazing memory! You remember everything that is said to you, which is scary sometimes! You also still talk about the day that Brooklyn was born. You begin by saying that you were asleep in your room and when you walked out, Nana was on the couch. She asked you if you wanted to go to the hospital and you told her yes. Then you say that Brooklyn came out of my tummy. Same story, everytime. It's cute!
you are a really good eater! Some of your favorites are: spaghetti, tacos, chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly(which you call jelly bread), carrots with ranch, raisins, marshmellows, applesauce, yogurt, cheese, salad, grilled cheese, and so on. You love to drink milk, water, juice and occasionally are allowed to get a sprite if you've been good.
you are tall like your daddy but super skinny, probably only weighing between 33-35 pounds. You wear 4t pants for the length, but have to wear a belt around your waist and still are usually pulling your pants up!
as for movies/tv shows, you really enjoy: SuperWhy, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, or anything you can dance too. You love all Disney movies, especially anything that has to do with a princess!
your imagination has really kicked in within this past year and I can hear you talking to yourself constantly when you play. You enjoy: coloring, playing with your kitchen, taking care of your baby dolls, dressing up in your princess outfits, playing with your hand-held gaming system, or anything outside-especially driving your car or ppplaying with your basketball goal!
you follow commands easily and when yu aren't being bad, will also say yes mam and yes sir. Things you can do by yourself: get in and out of your carseat, fill up your cup with water, potty by yourself (unless there's been an accident, but that is rare), wash your hands, dress and undress yourself, put your shoes on, clean your room, and most other things too. Your understand everything but if it's something you struggle with doing, you'll say "Im not old enough yet."
you're a big helper and actually enjoy it. You can help me fold clothes, unload the dishwasher and dust!
some of your favorite things are: horses, puppies, the color blue, music, bedtime stories (we've made up a story each night about a Princess called Olivia!), Vacation bible School and Christmas (you are very excited this year)

You are an absolute joy, Maddie girl! I continue to pray that you will grow into a Godly young woman and that you will be a strong, confident person. I love you so much and thank God every day for allowing me to be your mom!

Tyler Christmas Parade and JTB

2011-12-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

Every year, our church puts on Journey Through Bethelehem; a drive through nativity scene. It's my favorite event of the year and we always have a huge turn out! The past few years, we've decided to enter a float in the Tyler Christmas Parade to spread the word even more. This year was my first opportunity to participate in the parade and it was a lot of fun! Since I have a litle baby again, I was given the honor of dressing up as Mary and showing off the most adorable baby Jesus (2nd only to her big sister)! Brooklyn did great as we rode through downtown. It was so cute to hear the crowd clap for her and take pictures of my precious little one! They really got a big kick out of seeing a "real baby Jesus"! Big sister was awesome too. She dressed up like a donkey and rode on the float as well, hollering "Merry Christmas" over and over again! This week, JTB begins. It will be Wed-Sat from 6-8:30 at Trinity Baptist Church and it's totally free! So if you're looking for something fun to do, feel free to take a step back in time with us and watch as we try to display what Christmas is really all about! Rumor is....there's going to be one cute baby Jesus in the manger this year..... :)

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year, we traveled to Washington state to visit my in-laws. It was an important trip for us to make since some of Jaime's family had never even met Maddie, let alone Brooklyn. So on Monday, we headed to Dallas and stayed at the Embassy Suites. We would be able to leave our car there for the week and take a free shuttle over to the airport the next morning so it was the perfect hotel for us. That night, we braved a torential downpour and went to the Rainforest cafe! It is such a fun atmosphere and I had not been there since after my wedding, almost 5 years ago! At first, Maddie thought it was "too loud" but then loved it!

The next morning, we got up extremely early and headed to the airport. It took a little more patience and a little extra time lugging all our stuff around (luggage, carry ons, kids, car seats, etc...) but luckily the process of getting through security and making it to our gate was relatively smooth! Now it was just time to wait on our flight. We ate breakfast, then I took Maddie to the restroom and made sure Brooklyn had a fresh diaper on. We finally boarded the plane. Now one thing you must know, is I absolutely HATE to fly. I don't enjoy it at all and usually feel bad due to me being so nervous. I was even more nervous this time since I would be traveling with my little girls. But as always, they did great! I nursed Brooklyn on take-off to help with her ears and she fell asleep instantly. Maddie also took a nap. Once the girls woke up, Maddie colored and Brooklyn played and talked. Luckily, we were surrounded by great people and a wonderful flight attendant. Jaime and I were very pleased! After about 4 hours, we landed in Seattle!!!

After landing, we rented a car and drove to Sumas (a town right on the Canadian border) where Jaime's sister and other family members live. We headed straight to his grandmother's house and met some family, while we waited on the rest of them to get off work. We stayed for several hours, then headed to a mountain lodge where we would be staying for the week. We were all exhausted, and even though Washington is 2 hours behind us, we still tried to get to bed at what would have been a "regular" time for us since we had been traveling all day.

Meeting our nephew for the first time!

We spent the next several days, cramming in as much family time as possible from both sides of the family. Jaime was able to get 2 different generation pictures in (his mom and dad's side) amongst many other pictures. We played games, took Maddie to see some horses (which she fed an apple to) and enjoyed each other's company. On Friday, we drove back to Seattle and stayed at a hotel across the street from the airport. We flew out Saturday morning and after a very bumpy flight, landed safely in Texas sometime Saturday afternoon. We had a great time, got some great pictures, and are now enjoying being home! Next up: Christmas!!!

Sweet 7 Month Old

2011-11-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Our Brooklyn is 7 months old today and such a joy! I can hardly believe how quickly the time is passing and wish some days that I could just freeze time. I can not even begin to describe how much I love this baby girl of mine. She is such an easy baby and I am just so blessed with her in my life!

At 7 months, you are:

-sitting up all by yourself
-eating 3 meals a day and still nursing as well
-sleeping from about 8-6
-taking 2 to 3 naps during the day
-wearing 6-9 month clothing
-wearing size 3 diaper
-becoming more interested in toys and sometimes, I'll catch you watching a cartoon on tv
-still no teeth but you have started messing around with your ear some. Maybe a sign of things to come.
-loves to cuddle and really enjoys bath time
-very ticklish still and you have the cutest little side-to-side rock when you hear music

I bought a new outfit last night that I thought was so cute. So along with our usual monthly photo, I decided to do a little mini photo shoot too!

I love you baby girl! :)

Cookie Makin'

2011-11-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

I often forget to spend a little time with my big girl. I stay so busy with Brooklyn, and Maddie is older and so independent, that I usually send her off to entertain herself. While I don't think this is necessarily bad, I need to do a better job at splitting my time and having some one-on-one time with my oldest daughter when I can get a moment! So, today while Brooklyn slept, I pulled out some cookie play-dough that was given to me a while back. We had played with it once before and I decided it was high-time to make some cookies once again! We washed our hands really well and got to work! Maddie loved it and we now have some yummy (and shall I say....interesting!) cookies to munch on!

Excuse my very old cookie sheet! But how about those cookies? I think they turned out great! I so enjoyed spending some quality time with my Maddie girl today!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

In an effort to reach our communities, Trinity hosted it's 2nd annual Light the Night. Host homes, across the area, are used in an effort to get to "know your neighbor" a litle bit better. Just like last year, we hosted a home, and several families joined us in lighting the night! We have games set up for trick-or-treaters, glow sticks and candy to pass out, and information about our church available. There are always plenty of people to help the host home so we were still able to take our own kids trick or treating in our neighborhood too!
I really wanted to do a theme for our family this year. Since Maddie is our little blondie and Brooklyn is often referred to as our little bear; I decided on none other than Goldilocks and the Three Bears! I ordered costumes for the girls and just made t-shirts for Jaime and I. Maddie was so excited. Brooklyn's costume was huge and she only wore it long enough for pictures, but I thought the idea turned out really cute! This was Maddie's first year to trick or treat and she was SO excited. She kept saying trick or treat" over and over again until they acknowledged her in some way. And once she got candy, she didn't quite understand that she was then suppose to back up and let the next child go. Nope, not my child! She proceeded to talk with each person, often asking them if they had any doggies and what there names were. Crazy girl!! Needless to say, she crashed by the end of the night!

Halloween Morning!

Goldilocks

Baby Bear

All of Us

Finally.....Medieval Times!

2011-10-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

For Christmas last year, Jaime's parents gave us a gift voucher for Medieval Times in Dallas. But after the first of the year, we started into the roller coaster ride of our pregnancy with Brooklyn and never got a chance to use it. Now, however; we have a perfect little 6 month old and decided to seize our opportunity! Since a nursing baby never goes far from it's mother, we packed Brooklyn and big sister into the car and headed to Dallas yesterday afternoon. Jaime had been once before (in Chicago) but I really wasn't sure what to expect and prayed that both the girls would make it through with as few tears as possible. We got there early and I was able to nurse Brooklyn in the car before the castle doors even opened. From the moment you walk in, everyone is in character and it's really cool! Jaime was called lord, I was called lady, and both the girls were called princess...of course! We checked out a bunch of different things before the dinner and tournament actually began. Finally, we were escorted to our seats where our wench (i know, awful right! also the equivalent of your waitress) introduced herself. We were in the blue section and would later cheer for the blue knight...naturally. The show is almost two hours long and includes a ton of food that you eat while watching. And yes, you eat with none other than your hands! :) It was fun! When the show started, it was very dark and scary. Someone came down through the audience and jumped into the arena, cracking a whip at the prince, who had been kidnapped on his way to another country to sign a peace treaty. Maddie completely lost it! She was screaming and crying. We finally talked her down, made her understand that it was all pretend and nothing was going to hurt her. After a few minutes, the mood changed and she LOVED every second of it. She was hollering and cheering. And of course, she adored all the many horses that the knights were riding. It really was a very family friendly atmosphere and I would recommend it to anyone! Our menu consisted of tomato bisque (dragons blood), a large chicken, a spare rib, a cooked potato, bread, pastry, and cake. Here are a few pictures of our amazing experience:

Maddie's 2 favorite things: the color blue and horses

Ready for the show to begin!

All the knights. Ours was the blue one. Admit it, he's cute! :)

He kissed a flower and threw it to my Maddie girl! She was so excited. She blew him a kiss in return...HAHA!

Fighting and jousting. It was cool!

I loved this experience!! It's EXTREMELY pricey but a ton of fun and I would really enjoy going back someday!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Rose Parade, Jaime didn't have a soccer game today, so we loaded up and headed out to Bullard so that we could go to the Pumpkin Patch. It was a first for us and we had a blast, especially Maddie girl! She loved every bit of it! We took pictures, pet the animals, played with some corn, and took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch where we picked out 3 of the best looking pumpkins you'll ever see! We will definetely make this a yearly Fall tradition!

Half a Year

2011-10-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that my sweet girl is 6 months old today! Happy half-birthday Brooklyn! You are growing and changing so quickly and it's such a priviledge to be your mom!

At 6 months you:

-weigh 16 pounds 6 ounces (60th percentile) and are 25 inches long (25th percentile)
-depending on the outfit, you wear either 3/6, 6, or some 6/9 month clothing
-roll both ways and will mostly sleep on your tummy now
-speaking of sleep, you get tired earlier these days. You will often go to bed at around 8:30 and won't wake up till 6 or 7. You take a nap from about 9-11 or 11:30am and again around 1:00 or 1:30. Sometimes you will take a quick 30 minute nap in the early evening.
-you are still a great nurser and I can manage to make you wait 3 hours between feedings these days (usually), especially if we are out or you are occupied. You eat cereal/fruit in the morning and a veggie at night. We will now start a lunch as well.
-you love spending time in your exersaucer and are still pretty enthralled with anything your sister is doing.
-you smile a lot and laugh out loud too. You are very ticklish and have the cutest giggle when someone gets just the right spot!
-we will be dropping your bed down to the next level this month along with taking off the bumper pad. We will also continue to practice sitting up.
-you got your normal vaccines today along with a flu shot. Here's to hopefully having a healthy winter!

My Crazy Girls

2011-10-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter has become very good at shaking her hips. It's so funny I can't help but laugh every time I see her do it! Usually she runs to me and says that she is "hupa-looping" (hula-hooping) and goes to town! Recently, anytime music is played, I noticed that Brooklyn was starting to rock from side to side. Oh my, am I in trouble! Here is what I caught the two of them doing today:

Baby Dedication

2011-09-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today was Brooklyn's baby dedication and it was perfect! We decided last night (ha!) that we needed to squeeze it in today while my brother Josh is home from the Navy. Next week, he leaves for Connecticut where he will spend the next 2 years. Luckily, we have a very flexible pastor! Thanks Bro. Mike!

Brooklyn was so well behaved, cooing and smiling the whole time! EVERYONE said how perfect and beautiful she was. And of course...they're right! :)

Brooklyn bear, you hold my heart! Your pregnancy was painful and hard, but you were worth ever moment of it. I feel so blessed and happy to say that you are a mama's girl!! My prayer is that your daddy and I can raise you to be a Godly young lady. We love you baby girl!

Zoo 2011

2011-09-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

I had promised Maddie, that once the weather was a little cooler, we would go to the Zoo. It is one of her favorite places to go and she was so excited! She loves, and I do mean LOVES, animals! It was a nice day with only a few visitors out and about! Here are some pictures from our trip:

Friday Football

2011-09-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

My two favorite girls with our favorite coach!

Though Chapel Hill (my alma mater) beat Hallsville Friday night, this picture is completely priceless and was worth it!

Beyond Blessed

2011-09-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I adore my two girls! I never pass up an opportunity to talk about them or post another cute picture. Of course Im slightly biased, but I think they are two of the sweetest and most beautiful little girls. Daddy and I are so blessed!

Maddie all packed and heading to Nana and Papaw's house for the night

Dinner time for the nugget

She wanted "Rapunzel" hair

Birthday cake for daddy

They have my heart!

5 Months

2011-09-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Sept 11th, 2001 was an earth shattering day. Many lives were lost and individuals, along with our country, will never be the same. Today, marks the 10 year anniversary, and I have never been more grateful or more prayerful for this country.

On a lighter note, today also marks 5 months of life for my sweet Brooklyn! My life has changed in many ways over the past 10 years. One of the best moments was becoming a mom again for the second time!

Brooklyn,
You are a doll! Everyone comments on how perfect your features are and how beautiful you look! You are a complete joy! Today, you have a pretty bad cough because of the weather change, but otherwise you are a happy and healthy 5 month old. Here are all your recent stats:

-wearing size 2 diapers
-wearing size 3-6 month clothing
-still nurse about every 3 hours.
-eat cereal in the morning and a vegetable at dinner. Apparently, this has made you plump up too! At your 4 month well check you weighed 13.8. On Friday I took you to the doctor because of your cough and you weigh 15.3. My growing girl! You still feel so small to me though and still look to be pretty short! You are pretty on target as far as clothes go too.
-sleeps from about 9-7 and takes two or three naps during the day.
-rolling both ways
-starting to mimic sounds that we make
-"talking" and laughing all the time
-adore your big sister
-starting to roll over while sleeping and finishing your nap on your tummy
-refuses to take a paci and would prefer not to have a bottle. You would much rather eat your baby food or nurse from mama!
-drooling a ton.....maybe teething....?

I can hardly believe 5 months have past! You are my precious angel and I love you more and more everyday!

Here you are napping! When you wake, I'll get your actual 5 month picture.

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

We all woke up this morning to some much cooler temperatures (thank you Lord) and decided to make the most of such a pretty day. Of course Jaime had the day off, so we loaded up the girls and headed into town. Jaime had some birthday money he had been dying to spend so we drove over to Lowes where he bought himself a new weed eater. Then we went to Walmart and did some much needed grocery shopping. When we got home, I quickly fed Brooklyn while Jaime packed up a picnic lunch for us all (sandwiches, cheese, grapes, carrots/ranch...YUM!). Then we loaded up the car again and drove to the park in town. We are only about 2 minutes away so it is very nice and convenient. We had a great time enjoying our picnic lunch, watching Maddie play, and sitting outside in the nice breeze!

After lunch, we headed back home. I put the girls down for a nap and started cleaning up while Jaime went outside. He mowed all our weeds (because of course our grass is beyond dead), used his new weed eater, and replaced a panel on our backyard fence that fell down because of recent winds.

It was so nice that I shut of my AC unit and opened up windows. I just love when I can do that!!

This evening Jaime had soccer practice after dinner, but my parents, who got back from Branson today, came over for a little bit to give the girls some presents. Brooklyn got some cute clothes and a stuffed horse, while Maddie got some horse things as well (she loves horses!!) and a new guitar. She has her Barbie guitar that she got last year for Christmas, but this guitar is the real deal...just a little smaller. A perfect size for a 3 year old!! She loves it and has played it all evening. Here is a little video of her performance:

Today has been so wonderful and I am one blessed wife and mother! My family is so very precious to me! Hope your Labor Day was just as special as mine!

Picture This

2011-08-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

My dear friend recently blogged using pictures from her phone. Great idea! I have well over a 100 pictures on my phone, and though I post many on facebook, none of them ever make my blog! So here goes:

A much younger Maddie and I, before church!

Playing with daddy on the soccer field

Reindeer antlers

Silly

That's my girl!

A favorite book

Cutie

With Uncle Monkey in Wisconsin

A Rangers fan!

Pregnant with Brooklyn...Super Bowl

Wearing mommy's shirt, watching a game

Meet Brooklyn Hope

Love this!

Sailor Josh Templin.

Yes, she's pretending to nurse her baby doll.

He takes care of the baby AND washes dishes!

Rock Star

My sweet girls! Love, love, love them!

Whew! That wasn't quite a 100+, but still a lot of pictures! Hope you enjoyed!

Memory Lane

2011-08-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

BEWARE, this is a lengthy but fun post!

I just LOVE looking back through old pictures and watching how mine and Jaime's relationship has grown over the years! I couldn't seem to access all the photos I wanted but was able to retrieve enough to have fun! Im starting in June of 2006. Jaime and I had been dating for over a year (we met in May of 2005) and we headed to Washington for his sister's wedding. This was the second time I had met his family (we spent the previous Christmas in Wisconsin). Back in Texas, we had already picked out my engagement ring and I was looking at wedding dresses, waiting for him to officially propose! Here is a look back:

The Seattle airport, where family and wedding party all met up.

Spent a day driving up to Mt. Baker.

We drove into Canada where we played putt-putt

A much skinnier US!

The Crouse family

Upon returning to Texas, Jaime proposed! It was July 7, 2006 to be exact and we quickly decided that we would get married on December 30th of that year! I always wanted a Christmas wedding so it was perfect. I picked out my dress and began making all the plans!

In October, I had my bridal pictures taken at the Rose Garden.

Two months later: our wedding

I was still in college when we got married. I was finishing up at ETBU and Jaime was a soccer coach and dorm director there, so we both had to get back. We took our official honymoon in March over Spring break.. We went to Oahu, Hawaii!

Waiting in line at Pearl Harbor

Sunset at Germaine's Luau

It didn't take long for me to get baby fever. By June of 2007, we were pregnant...roughly 6 months after getting married!

Baby Crouse @ 10 weeks

And our next sonogram....IT'S A GIRL!

Madison Elizabeth

There were baby showers (and a 40 pound weight gain...eek!)

The big day~3.13.08!!

After Maddie is born, we leave Marshall and move back to Whitehouse-renting a home from my dad. Here is chruch softball night!

Curtis and Erin's wedding

5 generations

1st Father's day

Jaime teaches and coaches in Hallsville, even though we live in Whitehouse. Here is a Friday night football game!

1st Halloween...a ladybug!

Our 1st Christmas with Maddie

In January of 2009, I started working for Smith County as an adult probation officer. Two months later, Maddie celebrated her 1st birthday!!

That same month, we were pregnant again, only to then have our first of three miscarriages.

In March of 2010, we bought or first home and moved in just in time for Maddie's 2nd birthday. We quickly learned we were pregnant again and as you all know, we now have our sweet Brooklyn Hope! We've been in our new house for over a year now and Im a stay-at-home mom again, spending my days with both my girls! Jaime and I are approaching our 5th wedding anniversary in December. What a great life we have had so far. I look forward to many, many more years!!

It's my party~

2011-08-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

and I'll cry if I want to!

Such a rare occurence by my sweet Brooklyn. Therefore, it HAD to be documented! :)

4th Month

2011-08-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Happy 4 months, Brooklyn bear!
You have had an active and fun time lately! Today, we went to see Dr. Smith for your well check and those dreaded shots. As always, you got nothing but a good report and were a champ! Here are all your recent stats:

-wear size 1 diapers
-in 3 month or some 3-6 month clothing
-weigh 13lbs. 5oz (about average percentile) and are 23 inches long (10th percentile)
-nurse every 2-3 hours
-started cereal
-sleep anywhere from 9:30pm to sometime between 6:30 and 8:00am
-roll from your back to your tummy
-grin and giggle constantly
-rarely spit up, unlike your sister when she was a baby
-trying to grab at and hold onto toys

You are a wonderful baby! I find myself being extremely patient with you (probably more so than I ever was with your sister as a baby). I don't have much to complain about to begin with. Im blessed with good babies. But even when you are fussy or I am tired, I remind myself of everything I went through to get you here and all the pregnancies I lost. That will usually change my outlook on things, quickly!

Here are some recent pictures:

I suppose she knows a pretty baby when she sees one!

Wished I could sleep that

Yummy cereal

Big bow, cute outfit, gorgeous baby girl!

My sweeties!

4 months old!! Time needs to stop for a little while...

Lately...

2011-08-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

We've been busy bees in the Crouse House, lately! Jaime has been in full swing with two-a-days for football. Bless his heart! I couldn't imagine coaching in this heat. I like highscool football but hate it as the wife of a coach. Im bracing myself for him being gone a lot, again. :(

We started the P90X dvd workout series. It is hard and I am so sore! I am convinced though that I will get healthy and will lose the rest of my baby weight. I dropped a lot of pounds right after having Brooklyn, thanks in part to my gall bladder surgery. Now Im ready to lose the rest and want working out to be the way I do it. I lost all my weight with Maddie at about the 6 month mark. That's when I stopped nursing which seemed to help me adjust the rest of my weight. But I always kept my little baby pooch! I don't worry about shedding the pounds. I've done it once, I'll do it again. And I know that when I stop nursing, that will help once again too. (Im wearing an insane bra size right now!) But I'd like to tone a little better this time. My philosophy is that you should always get down to a good size before you ever get pregnant again. And yes....I do want to be pregnant again someday. So I better get busy! Besides....I'll be 30 in about two years and I certainly want to be as fit as I can be as I get older!

Maddie ran into a wall today and got herself a pretty nice shiner. The saying "watch where you're going, not where you've been" gets said a lot these days!! Poor girl....

I suppose that's it for now. Hopefully next time I can share some more pictures and talk about something far more interesting!!!

First Hair-cut

2011-07-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the day for hair cuts in our family! I went to the salon early that morning and got my own hair done. Then I came back, picked up Jaime and Maddie, and headed to a new little place that had just opened to get their hair cut as well. This was Maddie's FIRST time to get her hair cut and she was nervous! I don't think she really understood what it meant. Truthfully, mommy was a little nervous too! :) She has such long, curly and gorgeous hair! But lately the ends have become very tangled and hard to manage so I knew we had to do something. So off we went! And there ended up being nothing to worry about! Maddie got her ends trimmed. It got rid of that tangled area and evened up her hair some. She still has long hair with her curls! Yay! I took a few pictures and even took home a few locks of her golden hair as a keepsake!

Thankful Thursday

2011-07-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today, (and everyday) I'm very thankful for these sweet sisters!!

3 months old!

2011-07-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

My sweet Brooklyn is 3 months old today! Each day with her is such a joy and she is a great baby! This morning we took our monthly picture in the recliner:

Oh, that smile melts my heart everytime!

Here are your 3 month stats:

~wearing size 1 diapers
~size 0-3, 3 month clothes
~smile all the time and you are even starting to giggle
~enjoy laying on a blanket on the floor kicking your feet. I even caught you trying to roll on your side once.
~have really great head control (just like your sister) and are very strong
~you are a great eater. You prefer breast milk by far and will take it in a bottle (the Dr. Brown kind) so that daddy can feed you. You eat about every two hours during the day to store up. Then you sleep through the night!! You usually go down between 9:30-10:30 and don't wake up again until somewhere between 5:30-7.
~bath time is one of your favorite things

We love you so much, sweet girl. I couldn't imagine life without you!

San Antonio Trip

2011-07-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we took my mom and the babies to go see my brother in San Antonio. He's currently at Ft. Sam Houston for schooling in the Navy. He's planning on being a Hospital Corpsman and I haven't seen him since Sunday April 10th...ONE day before Brooklyn was born. We decided to go for a mini-vacation and introduce him to his newest niece! Since I'm a blood relative, I had to pick him up on the base. It was very interesting to watch the routine of military life. His dorm is treated just like a ship. Before he walked out the door, he would turn and salute the other seamen in their dress-white uniforms. Then he would say "permission to go ashore?" to which they would either reply "go ashore" or "permission granted". When we would come back, he would then say "permission to come aboard?" and so on. I was his "battle-buddy" all weekend. You never leave the ship for any reason without your battle-buddy! He's also doing really well and is 3rd in his class with his GPA!

When we picked him up Saturday morning, we went back to the hotel where my mom and the girls had stayed behind. Maddie was so excited when she saw her Uncle Josh!

Then we packed up and headed to Sea World. Thank goodness for military discounts because he got all the adults in for FREE!!! We only paid for Maddie AND at a discounted price! It was hot, but breezy, and we had a really great time. Maddie and Josh riding a ride in the Bay of Play.

Waiting for the whale show to begin

The whales

Feeding the dolphins

We went to the River Walk later that evening. We are at a Mexican food restaurant and then took a boat ride on the river. We also made a stop by the Disney Store for a few souveneirs!

Mom, me and Brooklyn at the restaurant

My family of four

We had such a great time seeing Josh and vacationing for a few days! I hope that we can see him again soon!

My Week!

2011-07-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

I just finished up my first week as a stay at home mom! I was at home with Maddie for the first 10 months of her life before going to work. Now, I am SO grateful to be at home again with Maddie AND my sweet Brooklyn!!

I started off my week early by waking up and spending some one-on-one time with my baby girl. She absolutely loves bath-time so I got her little tub out and put her in. It wasn't long before she was grinning from ear to ear!

This week we were busy with VBS in the evenings. The theme was Sonsurf Beach Bash and it was Maddie's first year to join in. She had a blast!! I helped in the 3 year old class (when I wasn't busy with the baby) and LOVED watching her interact and learn. By far, her favorite part was music. She would sing, dance and jump around! I wished I had more pictures to show but my camera battery died this week. All I have are the pictures off my phone. Here is a picture of all the bows we put in her hair for Crazy Hair Night!

Jaime and I took the girls to the spray park this week as well. Maddie loved playing in the water and we stayed until two huge bus loads of kids showed up! Luckily, we went early!

During the day, we stayed in a lot because it's entirely TOO hot outside!! Maddie and Brooklyn are such sweet sisters and Maddie is a big help. She loves her baby sister and plays with her often (well, as much as she can!). Here are my two girls, dressed alike (of course), and looking cute as ever!

And have I ever mentioned how much I adore this baby girl? I waited so long for this sweet blessing and went through a lot of pain to get her here! She holds a VERY special place in my heart and couldn't be more precious! I am so grateful for another beautiful and healthy baby girl!

Soccer Season Wrap-Up

2011-06-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today was Maddie's final soccer game. What a fun time we had! Maddie's team was so cute and I loved watching each and every moment. After the game, we had a team party at Chuck E Cheese and we had a blast! Here are a few pictures from the day:

And just for fun.... :)

Another Soccer Saturday

2011-06-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Maddie did SO good today! She stayed on the field the whole time and we didn't have any of the issues we had last week. She ran hard and tried even harder. She even almost made a goal....TWICE! The Cheetahs won big today and my whole family looked cute in green to support our Maddie girl!

Maddie's 1st Soccer Game

2011-05-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Since last Saturday's game got rained out, today was Maddie's first attempt at soccer. She is playing on the 3-4 year old team through the local YMCA! There are 5 kids on the team and she is one of two girls. Isn't she beautiful?

I was so proud of her and we all enjoyed watching her run around!

She did great at the start of the game but then began to shut-down some towards the end. It was hot and she started saying her tummy hurt, but I really think she was upset at not getting the ball enough. (Yes, we have a ball hog on the team!) After a quick assesment, we decided her tummy was ok and told her she had to get back out there with her team and finish playing. After that, she was fine! How funny to see 3 year olds (like Maddie) that get discouraged and are already so critical of themselves and their performance! We kept pushing her though and reminding her that she was doing great! I only anticipate things to get better as the season goes on.

And before I wrap it up, here is a quick shot of Brooklyn Bear's little grin. What precious girls I have!

"B" is for Baby Brooklyn!!

2011-05-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, is this not the cutest outfit EVER....and being modeled by one of the cutest baby girls around?!?!? My cousin got this outfit for Brooklyn and I just love it. She wore it to church this morning and it was a big hit! Not only does it show the big B on her shirt but there is also one on her pants by the ankle and matching bow on her head-band! SO CUTE! Just another reason why Im loving my little girl right now!

My Girls

2011-05-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

Look who's 5 weeks old (as of yesterday) and completely precious!

Sisters, playing around on the floor!

Maddie, all decked out in her soccer gear, and heading to her first practice!

I must be the luckiest mommy in the world to have such beautiful and sweet girls!! Thank you God for blessing me in such a big way!!

Yellow Dress

2011-05-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn is starting to wear 0-3 month sized clothing now. The other day I was trying to find one outfit in particular that didn't seem to be too big. I spotted this pale yellow dress that Maddie wore as a baby. I remembered, that even though it was 0-3 month sized, it was made a little smaller, and would be perfect for Brooklyn right now. So, I pulled it out and put it on. My how the memories came flooding back! The great thing for Brooklyn is that she has an endless supply of clothes (being our 2nd girl and all) and I am so grateful to be able to use all the cute outfits I had for Maddie all over again. This, Im sure, is just the first of many times that Miss B is going to be sharing her sister's clothing!

Here is Maddie, 3 years ago, in the arms of my Papa:

And here is (a very hungry) Brooklyn, today:

Brooklyn-One Month

2011-05-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn~

One month ago, today, you entered this world. What a great day that was! Your daddy and I, along with big sister, completely adore you and love watching you grow. You are the 2nd most beautiful girl and have a very special place in our family of four. Here are a few things about you right now:

-weigh 8lbs and 14oz (birth weight was 7.2 and you dropped down to 6.9)
-you are a great eater and want to eat about every 2 hours (this kind of wears mommy out a little!)
-you had your days and nights mixed up but are slowly starting to turn a corner with that. you still sleep most of the day though and stay awake a little more in the evenings now. at about 3 weeks, you transitioned to sleeping in your crib.
-you like the sound of your sister singing to you
-you still have brown hair, dark blue eyes, and olive complexion
-you recently had to have the remaining portion of your umbilical cord treated since a small segment remained attached. hopefully it will finish falling off soon.
-wear newborn clothes and diapers. some 0-3 clothes fit ok and we are moving in that direction now.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

3 years ago I had just become a mom to my sweet Maddie:

And today Maddie is all grown up with a new little sister:

Jaime bought me a new mother's ring. I have one for Maddie (the stackable kind) and he got a new one to add to it for Brooklyn. It has her name, birthdate, and April birthstone...the whole works! Here is my gift from the girls:

Precious, right?!?!? And for all you other moms out there who like these kinds of things; I know exactly where you can get one. All you have to do is ask!
:)

Happy Mother's Day!

The greatest moment

2011-04-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

My apologies but for some reason I am unable to do videos the "correct way" on my laptop right now. So, I did a very quick (and probably poor) job of capturing some video from my camera and placing it onto my computer. Though its not the best, it still gives you a brief idea of the moment when Brooklyn arrived into this world. Its the best and I could re-live that one moment a hundred times a day. I love it so much (especially if that silly epidural is working) and am grateful that I get to experience it as a woman (even in the moments when that silly epidural is not working)!

Here she is:

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

I love Easter!

What a great time to reflect on the fact that we serve a Risen King and enjoy some Spring weather and activities. Both of my girls are Spring babies so it's extra special for me and Jaime. Brooklyn is now 2 weeks old and as cute as can be and perfect in every way! She was far too young for Easter service at church though so I stayed home with her while Jaime went with big sister. With Brooklyn's birth, it was hard to put a lot of effort into Easter this year. However, I did have matching dresses made for the girls for picture purposes. Of course, they looked adorable! As for the Easter bunny, he filled Maddie's basket with some of her favorites (chocolate and jelly beans) and brought Brooklyn a soft, pink bunny! Hope your Easter was just as special as ours was!

Birth Story

2011-04-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn Hope Crouse is finally here! Our sweet girl was born on Monday, April 11th @ 10:46 in the morning, weighing in at 7lbs 2oz and 18.5 inches long. Here is a little of what our day looked like:

Jaime and I woke up (though I never really slept) early that morning and headed over to ETMC while my mom stayed with Maddie. At about 6:10, we were in a room and I was hooked up to an IV. They had started the first dose of pitocin at about 6:15 and it didn't take long for my contractions to pick back up again to a more intense level. I requested my epidural and though Im not positive on the time, I believe I received it sometime around 8:30. I felt much better, except for some tightness at the top of my stomach, and was able to enjoy my visitors as they began to show up. My parents arrived around 9 with Maddie, shortly followed by my good friend Amy. We were all sitting in my room visiting when I suddenly began to feel a little uncomfortable, but only on my left side. It started out as a dull pain but quickly becamse much more than that. My nurse had me lay on my left side and pumped some extra medication into me in hopes of numbing that side again. However, it did not work. I then began shaking violently, got nauseated, and felt a ton of pressure. I told my nurse and she quickly checked me only to discover that I had rapidly jumped to 10 centimeters and wasready to push. I told my mom to get Maddie out and then layed on my left side moaning and shaking through the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. I was terrified that the only thing that was going to get rid of the pain was delivery and I knew I should not have felt that way with my epidural. However, my sweet nurse took great care of me. Not only did she call my doctor and tell her to get over to me quickly but she also called the anesthesiologist and had him run to the room as well. Thank goodness he was able to pump ome lidocaine through the port and that completely numbed me all over again. What a relief that was!

At this point, I could feel even more pressure but no pain. I knew I needed to push! Suddenly, (as I was later told) my doctor literally came running in the room and saying "I was not about to miss this delivery!" Jaime and Amy told me that she even had to catch her breath slightly!

Finally, the time had arrived and everything was set up for me to begin pushing. I don't know how long it took but it wasn't long at all before I heard my doctor tell me to look down and then I heard the most amazing cry ever! My baby girl was here and she looked perfect! She cried and cried until they layed that sweet girl on to of my stomach and she immediately stopped. For several minutes, Jaime and I just stared at this little miracle staring right back at us. It was an amazing moment! Brooklyn checked out to be completely normal in every way and I couldn't wait to show her off. I nursed her briefly and then everyone was allowed to come in and meet this little girl that we all prayed so hard for. The most special moment for me was seeing Maddie meet her little sister for the very first time!

My doctor didn't have to cut me this time but I did tear on my own. Healing has still been very painful but not quite as bad as it was with Maddie, so Im grateful for that atleast. Im praying that this next week I'll feel even more improved.

So, needless to say, the day was fast (only a little over 4 hours from beginning to end...wow!) but completely wonderful. Praise the Lord! I am so in love with my family of four and feel so blessed! Here are a few pictures of our new little one. A big THANKS to my friend Amy for filling in as the camera/video man and for sharing in a very special moment with me! I love you, friend!

Uncle Josh leaves and Brooklyn is ready to arrive!

2011-04-10T12:02:00.001-07:00

My brother left for Navy basic training today. We had a send-off lunch for him at Chili's and said our "see ya laters". He is traveling to Shreveport tonight but will then catch a plane tomorow for Chicago. His basic training is out of Great Lakes, IL and it lasts for about 8 weeks. He will then graduate and head off to school were he will receive medical training. His plan is to be a hospital corpman. Above is a cute picture I shot of Maddie and Uncle Josh before he left! Tomorrow is another big day. Jaime and I are suppose to be at the hospital at 5:15 in the morning to start our induction. I am excited and nervous. Im praying that it is as good of a day as it was with Maddie!

Rainy Days and Mondays

2011-04-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we all woke up to a nice little storm rolling through the Tyler/Whitehouse area. Maddie was scared a few times, especially when the lights went out, but quickly got over it. Jaime and I were so grateful because we all know how much we needed some rain! By the time we ventured out to our doctor's appointment, things had slowed down drastically and we managed to stay dry. I did my usual non-stress test, which checked out fine, and then got examined again by Dr. Harris. Can you believe it...I am still at a 3 and 75% effaced. Holy smokes! At our last visit, she told us that we would begin making plans to induce and that's just what we did. Specialists in Dallas had advised her not to let me go too far past 38 weeks and this next Monday I will be 38 weeks and 2 days. So she went ahead and reserved us a spot back over at ETMC for induction! I was a little discouraged, hoping that it would be set for this week, but at most I only have 6 days left. Like I've mentioned before, I really want the controlled environment of an induction with my doctor (so I hope I make it) but it's a little sad too, because Monday is one day after my brother leaves for basic. :( Bummer! At any rate, the most important thing is to get this baby here safely (whenever that may be). Please be praying for my little family over these next few days. Our world is about to change and we can't wait, but nerves (especially for me with delivery) have started to set in again. We've waited so long for this second baby and Im just praying that the outcome to a long road is wonderful!

Baby News

2011-04-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Jaime and I went to the doctor again on Thursday. We had anotgher non-stress test done, which went well, and then the doctor checked me. Im still dilated to a 3 but am now more like 75% effaced. She set me up an appointment for Monday morning. As always, IF I make it to the appointment, she said we would then make a plan that day for an induction. I am praying that I actually make it because I would much rather be induced. Pitocin hurts like crazy, but at this point, I would prefer the controlled environment that it provides versus guessing if my contractions are doing enough progress for me to go back in to the hospital. Im also really keeping my fingers crossed that she suggests us doing the induction the very next day, Tuesday. My brother ships out for Navy basic training the following Sunday and I really want there to be plenty of days before he leaves, for him to spend some time with his newest niece. So, keep your fingers crossed that after all the chaos, we can actually salvage a smooth and great ending!

Brooklyn's Room

2011-03-22T11:23:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn's room is finally complete! I don't have many pictures on the computer right now, so I can't show you everything I'd like. But here is just a small glimpse of what the nursery looks like. Now, we just need a baby!

Oh, and we ended up adjusting the N at the end of Brooklyn's name to a lower position. It looks better now! :)

35 weeks

2011-03-19T18:20:00.001-07:00

Who would of thought that I would still be pregnant at 35 weeks? NOT ME!

Three weeks ago, Brooklyn was coming.....fast and furious. We managed to fight off labor at that point, but it took extreme meausures and 2 weeks worth of time. Now, I sit at home, waiting for the next sign of labor again(I've seriously contracted and labored already more than any woman should ever have to!). Will the contractions pick back up? Will my water break? Or, of all things, will I hit the 38 week mark and be induced by my doctor? I couldn't even begin to tell you how I think this will all play out!!! Im just praying for smoothness and a great outcome! We've come so far with all our miscarriages and the roughness of this pregnancy that I'm just ready to hold our baby.

Until then, here's a picture of my ever growing belly (and whole body for that matter!)...... :)

Baby Update

2011-03-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Jaime and I went to see my doctor yesterday for the first time since being discharged from the hospital. She was on vacation last week so it was another doctor within the practice that actually made the call to release me. Needless to say, when she walked into the room, she was pretty surprised! She told us that she made her hospital rounds on Monday morning and looked everywhere for me. When she realized I was gone, she just knew it was because I had delivered so she then proceeded to look for Brooklyn in the NICU. At the time, she had not spoken with her partner doctor so was very confused. Finally, a nurse told her that I had been released STILL PREGNANT. I've never seen a doctor so pleased that her patient had made it to such a great place after such a battle. She told us that since I was now over 34 weeks, labor would no longer be stopped, and when things started to kick up again-she would allow me to deliver. She also said that she felt really great about Brooklyn since we got the steroid shots in and felt like we had bought ourself a lot of time and a huge reward by fighting off labor for those two weeks. It hasn't been uncommon for me to breathe through contractions that are 3 minutes apart, for maybe an hour or two. So we discussed other signs I should be watching for as indicators that it's time to head back to the hospital. Im still dilated to a 3 and couldn't imagine going too much longer, but I suppose crazier things have happened, so just in case.....she will induce at 38 weeks. I am so ready for this little girl to get here, and truthfully, sooner rather than later. Im praying for a smooth delivery and as pain free as possible (YES, I want my epidural!), especially since I've been through so much discomfort already.
Come on Baby Brooklyn! Let's finish this!

Maddie's 3rd Birthday!

2011-03-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

We weren't sure if we would be able to fit Maddie's birthday in or if it would need to be postponed. When the doctor discharged me from the hospital yesterday (after 2 weeks), I was so excited to be going home and just in time for her actual birthday today. At 1:18 on the 13th, Maddie turned 3 years old and we were able to put a small party together for her with friends, family and cupcakes with punch! Maddie got tons and tons of gifts and seemed to have a great time. Here are just a few pictures.
Happy birthday Maddie girl! You are the joy of our life!

What's going on?!?!?!?

2011-03-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

If you follow our other blog:
http://hopeforbrooklyn.blogspot.com/
or keep up on facebook, then you know that not only have I been on bedrest for 4 weeks now, but I've spent roughly the past week in the hospital. I started out at ETMC only to be moved to Mother Francis because preterm labor progressed and cervical change started. As of my last check, I was 50% effaced and dilated between a 1 and 2. The change in hospitals was necessary since ETMC does not have a NICU. We needed that option in case Brooklyn does in deed show up early. She has also been given steroids to help develop her lungs quicker, just in case. Please be praying for all of us during this chaotic time(Jaime, Me, Maddie, Brooklyn, and all the family and friends that are pitching in so faithfully to help us out).

Projects

2011-02-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Though I've spent almost 3 weeks on bed rest now, I've still been a busy bee. Daytime TV is horrible and I can only read for so long, so I've tried to find other things to occupy my time. My favorite projects are ones that benefit my girls. So here is what I've done lately: cross-stitched a baby bib and learned how to make some simple bows. I've enjoyed doing both of them and are still looking for more CHEAP projects to help pass the time. If you have any ideas, and the willingness to help me, please share your knowledge! Our hope is to keep Brooklyn in for several more weeks, so Im going to need something to occupy my time!

Brooklyn at 30 weeks

2011-02-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

We had a sonogram today and here are a few pictures of what we saw! Brooklyn looks just like her big sister and is growing well at roughly 3lbs. 8oz. right now! Our first goal is to keep her in atleast 4 more weeks.

Pregnancy Update #2

2011-02-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

I suppose I better get use to watching lots of movies, reading books, and working crossword puzzles because this pregnant mama is now officially on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. (can you sense the excitement?) I literally spent ALL DAY at the doctor yesterday and it was miserable. I failed my one hour glucose test so I had to spend all morning repeating it, this time for a three hour test. I thought I would die, but finally made it through, and was released to go eat lunch. Thank goodness because I was starving! After lunch, I met up with Jaime and headed straight back to the doctor for an actual visit. They hooked me up to the fetal monitors along with checking my cervical length. To make a long story short, I am having enough contractions that they are beginning to shorten my cervix to only about 1 cm. With that being said, I take medication every 4 hours to lessen my contractions and have been put on permanent bed rest to hold off labor as long as possible. I'll be 30 weeks on Saturday and my doctor would like to see me get to atleast the 36 week mark. Every day that Brooklyn can stay put and develop more is a good day. I get up to go to the restroom, take a quick shower, and that's it. I rely on other people to do things for me, which is awkward, but I am so grateful that people are willing to help. This poses a whole new set of stresses and concerns, but I try to remain relaxed and simply focus on the baby. God has been so good to us up to this point and I trust that He will take care of everything!

A Pregnancy Update

2011-02-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

I had a sonogram this week to take a peek at Brooklyn. This is, what is now considered, a routine follow-up based on the condition with her umbilical cord insertion. My doctor is watching us both very closely to ensure that everything goes well. Thankfully, the sonogram showed that she is putting on her much needed weight and is really looking great! However, in the process of checking in on Brooklyn, the tech noticed that my cervix was beginning to shorten. She asked me a lot of questions about any changes or contractions. Actually, for several days I had been having some pretty consistent Braxton Hicks and lower achiness in my back. It's obviously doing some things to my body and preparing myself for delivery a little sooner than it should. The doctor ordered a test done which will give them a better indication on if my body is tying to go into labor or not. Until we get those results back, she's put me on temporary bed rest to try and take it easy. Hopefully, the test comes back saying great things. As much as I enjoy not going to work, bed rest is actually pretty miserable. It's hard for me to limit myself so much and just lay around. However, if it keeps Brooklyn in just a little longer-then I'll 100% do it! I am extremely ready to meet her and really believe that she will probably come earlier than her due date. As long as she is healthy though and not in any danger, Im completely fine with that! Keep praying for this little girl. We have come so far!

New Bathroom for the Girls

2011-01-29T09:09:00.000-08:00

As soon as I found out that we were having another girl, I really wanted to re-do their bathroom AKA the guest bathroom. I wanted something fitting for a girl while being a theme they could grow with. I also wanted colors that would be appealing to any guest. I've recently fallen in love with zebra patterns accompanied with hot pink. I knew that's exactly what I wanted to do! I bought all the shower items at Target and then got some of the extra accesories at my all-time favorite store....Kirklands! I absolutely love how it turned out and am going to do the same colors for Maddie's 3rd birthday in March! What do you think?

Maddie/Mommy Morning!

2011-01-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

Since Jaime got to spend some one on one time with Maddie recently, I really wanted to do the same. Maddie loves having her nails painted so I wanted to take us both for an official pedicure along with me getting a set of acrylic nails. The timing is perfect really, since painting my toe nails is getting much more difficult due to my growing belly, and I go to church with a nail tech! So, this morning, we woke up and headed over to the salon. I didn't get many pictures, but here is a little snip-it of our morning:

Daddy-Daughter Dinner 2011

2011-01-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

Our church put together their annual Daddy-Daughter Dinner tonight and Jaime took Maddie out for a date, just the two of them. They worked on the cake (they were all suppose to decorate a cake and bring it-NO help from mom!) all day and Maddie was excited to be able to help out. Then they got all dresssed up in pink! I put some very light make-up on Maddie's eyelide, cheeks, and lips-to make her feel extra girlie and even sprayed her with some perfume! Daddy looked nice too and I snapped a few pictures of them before I took them up to the church and dropped them off for two hours worth of fun! Jaime said they had a great time and enjoyed dinner, games and pictures. I am so grateful that my husband is such a loving and involved father! Maddie adores him, as do I, and I can't wait for the day that he gets to take both of his girls out for some daddy-daughter time!

Snow Day

2011-01-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we barely made it home from church and lunch before the bottom fell out. And this time, we were wet from SNOW!
It's no secret....Im not a huge snow fan. I think it's gorgeous when it falls and it looks good for about day, but then Im totally done with it! It was a fun day though and Maddie had a great time, which always makes me happy! Here are a few pictures from our fun yesterday, along with some shots that Maddie and Daddy took of their day at home today.

25 weeks

2011-01-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

Look at Brooklyn grow!

I am officially 25 weeks along now and loving being pregnant! Brooklyn moves quite a bit these days and often shakes my entire belly. It's the cutest thing! I've gained somewhere between 17-20 lbs in 6 months, which is a much slower rate than I gained with Maddie. My goal is to just

not gain as much as I did with her ( a total of 40 pounds) though it's not my number one concern in the midst of it all. I really think Im doing pretty good! Besides....you're not fat, you're pregnant....right?!?!?! My stretch marks have turned pink again (never fun) and my feet will swell some days, though not near as bad as they did with my first pregnancy. I wear small-medium maternity clothes, depending on what it is. And did I mention....I love being pregnant?!?!? Why, yes, I think I did!

Our next OB appt is Monday morning and I beg you to be continually praying for Brooklyn over these last remaining months and weeks.

New Dress for the New Year

2011-01-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

Maddie's great-grandfather picked this dress out for her Christmas gift from him. Wow, was all I could think! If you knew my grandfather, you would understand how unexpected this was. I guess he sure loves this little girl and wants her to look OH SO CUTE! And of course...she did! I absolutely love it and had her wear it to church this morning! My little girl sure is growing up!

Rock Star

2010-12-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

If you asked Maddie what she wanted from Santa, she would always say "Barbie 'tar!" Needless to say, Santa delievered that special guitar in a big way and she has had a blast with it. Here she is practicing up on her skills!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, Christmas was not all that I had hoped for this year.

On Christmas Eve, we traveled to Carthage to visit my grandmother. On the car ride over, I felt weak and a little nauseated. I assumed that I would perk up after eating something. I struggled to get lunch down and immediately went to lie in the chair afterwards, while everyone else played games. An hour or so passed, and I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get home! Before we even pulled out of the drive, I got violently ill! It was awful but for a moment, I felt a little better. I tried to sleep the whole way home and then immediately went to my bed. I slept for about 2 hours before waking up feeling sick again. It was uncontrollable and I was miserable. My mom and Jaime kept trying to encourage me to go to the ER because I wasn't able to keep anything down. It was a tough decision to make though. Afterall, it was Christmas Eve (my favorite time of the year) and there were plans we had with Maddie. I was devastated but knew that I was dehydrated and needed a little IV help. So we drove to Tyler and sent Maddie to Nana and Papaw's house. They made cookies for Santa and read Christmas stories along with wrapping all of the "Santa" gifts, while we went to the hospital. I was sad but I know that Maddie really didn't know the difference yet. Thank goodness for her only being 2 1/2!!! It was a good thing that we went in. They immediately admitted me to labor and delivery for the night. I got set up in a room, hooked up to fetal monitors, and checked periodically. I was so dehydrated that my uterus was a little irritable. I went through 3 bags of fluid along with getting nausea medicine. The fluid helped quite a bit and by noon Christmas day, we were able to leave. I've been weak and tired, but better. We were able to do Santa with Maddie later that afternoon and she had a blast! I managed to make it through the day, carrying on with some yearly traditions, and crashed hard by the end of the night. Most importantly, Brooklyn's heart rate was great the whole time and Maddie has a super Christmas. As long as my girls are happy, right?!?!?!? :) Here are a few pictures:

Praise

2010-12-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

I really need to take the opportunity to not only share my fears and worries, but to also share the things that I am grateful for! This is an an effort to change my way of thinking...slowly...but surely...

So hear goes:

1. Praise the Lord that the sonographer and doctor discovered the issue with Brooklyn's umbilical cord insertion! If it had been overlooked and not treated accordingly, the end results would most certainly be very bad. As scared and uncertain as I am about how things are going to play out, I have to be thankful to God for not allowing me to be one of the "undetected cases".

2. Thank you God for allowing me to be off all this next week from work! This break could not have come at a better time. I am in huge need of some rest and relaxation! It feels so good as I sit here on Sunday evening, knowing I do NOT have to go to work in the morning!

3. Ahhhh, and as I sit here typing...little Miss Brooklyn is kicking away and beginning to move my whole belly! What a fun feeling. Thank you God that I get the unique opportunity as a woman to experience carrying a child. This child. It is wonderful!

4. My Maddie. She is the best and I just know that she is going to be a wonderful big sister! She already loves Brooklyn so much and I love when she comes up to me, lifts my shirt up, and starts looking for her little sister in my belly button (except if we are in public!). It really makes me laugh!

5. Last but not least-praise God for a great husband! My emotions and hormones get the best of me-often. Somedays, he really puts up with a lot from me. I don't know that any other man would have done all that he has. I should say Thank You for him, and to him, a lot more often!

The list could go on and on but these things are what's specifically on my heart right now.

Continue to pray for Brooklyn! Our next appt is on January 10th and Im already anxious. Im praying for continued answers (hopefully in the form of reasonably good news) and a plan being laid out.

Three Words

2010-12-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

I heard three words today.

The first set made me so happy: "It's a girl!" Of course, we already kind of knew that from our early sonogram at 16 weeks. We were simply glad that our doctor's visit at almost 22 weeks, confirmed that. Otherwise, our little boy was going to look strange in that Little Sister outfit I bought!

Then the next set of three words came.

Velamentous Cord Insertion

Now, if you google those words (if you dare) it paints a very messy picture. I should have NEVER looked up those words because when I did I saw these words: stillborn. That was the main word that stuck out to me and I cried when I saw it.

Im not an expert and my head is still sort of foggy, but the jist of what this all means is this: instead of the umbilical cord inserting correctly into the placenta, it sort of stopped early and only attached to the membranes. So far-this hasn't seemed to affect Brooklyn in a negative way. She's about 1 pound as she should be and measures correctly with the due date. Of course, she's as cute as can be too! However, this could affect things from here on out in a very dangerous way. It could prevent her from growing and putting on weight because of not getting the necessary nutrients. It could also cause, realistically, fetal death. The statistics I've read show that 95% of undetected cases end in stillborn. The upside is that our case is detected! My doctor knows and told me that she will be watching me very closely. I will have an ultrasound EVERY time and will probably start weekly stress tests at some point to make sure that no distress is going on with the baby. I'll have to be ever mindful of fetal movement as well. My doctor told me to try not to be overly-concerned (yea, right) and that many times this all turns out just fine. Some other possibilities were thrown around: scheduled early c-section, being one of them. I suppose we will see how this all plays out.

Im really trying to be optimistic and trust right now, but am really struggling. I've come so far after a lot of loss, and my worst fear is to have to deliver a baby that's not living. Im not sure how anyone would ever get through that.

Yes, I know....sort of a "gloom and doom" mentality, but that's where my mind always seems to go first.

I would just ask that you pray for this baby, mostly. Pray that she continues to grow and remains healthy. Pray that we are all able to hold her and enjoy her in a few months. Pray that we can watch her grow just as we are doing with Maddie.

Journey Through Bethlehem 2010

2010-12-11T05:41:00.000-08:00

JTB is here again and we are having a huge turn out! We've already beat several records from years past! Maddie spent 2 solid nights out on the town and absolutely loved it. Her favorite part is all the animals! There are 2 ponies this year that are a new additon. They are the cutest things and she really loved them! Maddie also helped her dad and I sell baskets in a booth one night. I must say-she is the cutest little girl to ever walk the streets of Bethlehem! Cameras aren't allowed out on the town so I have limited pictures. But this gives you an idea:

Christmas, thus far...

2010-12-05T17:03:00.001-08:00

So much has happened in the Crouse House, and all in a matter of roughly a week! For starters, my sweet great grandmother passed away about a week ago. She had lived 96 years on this Earth and we were all ready for her passing. (what a blessing....96 years!!) I can only imagine the welcome she received by her Heavenly Father along with a husband and son that she had been without for so many years. She will be missed but this Earthly good-bye is only temporary!

The same evening of grandmaw's passing, I spent the entire night in the ER. I had woken up with some pretty severe back pain that lasted all day and continued to get worse. It brought me to tears, it hurt so bad, and I really began to worry that something was wrong with the pregnancy. After a long night, they determined that I had kidney stones and sent me home with pain medication. It's a touchy thing during pregnancy and there is not always a lot that can be done. I've spent the next week is CONSTANT pain and could not even attend the funeral. Some times it is worse than others, but it's always there. I've even been to the ER one other time, because I just can't seem to get comfortable. The most likely story at the moment, is that I still have stone that I am unable to pass. I see my OB doctor on Tuesday and I am praying for more answers and some relief. Im not sure how this is all going to end at the moment, but I ask that you be in prayer for it too. I have several more months of my pregnancy and I would really, really like to go back to enjoying it.

Despite the intense pain I've been in, I've still had many things I not only wanted to do but HAD to do (like work...ugh). Christmas is my favorite time of year and Im trying to not let my discomfort ruin fun traditions that not only I enjoy-but Maddie as well. So on Saturday, Maddie and I headed to Hallsville with Jaime to help him and his varsity soccer team help out in a service project at the Hallsville Outreach Center. This is something that Jaime really wanted his boys to do and asked me if I wanted to help. I thought it was a great idea and a way for us to all be together. I helped Maddie rake some leaves for a little while at a local park. I was so very proud of her! She thinks that helping is fun (atleast for now!) and I really want to encourage that idea within her. She spent a lot of time hanging out with her dad and the boys too along with playing at the park; which allowed me to sit down and rest.

Later that night, we did our annual Cracker Barrel/Santa Land trip. I look forward to this every year! We went and ate some good food, shopped around in the store, and then headed over to see the lights. Maddie LOVED it! She is at such a fun age this year. Afterwards, we pulled over and let her see Santa. While we waited in line, she was literally jumping up and down from excitement! I wasn't sure how she would act when it was actually her turn but she did better than expected. She ran straight to him, hugged him, kissed his cheek and was still in his lap. But when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she shut down and acted shy. It was kind of cute! So far this is what she says she wants when we ask:

a reindeer (she loves Rudolph)
brown horse (horses are her new thing)

a "baby-tar" (Barbie guitar)

I can't wait till Christmas morning! We've got plenty of other things over these next few weeks and Im looking forward to them ALL!

Thanksgiving and A Sneak Peek

2010-11-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

The holidays are upon us!

Thanksgiving was wonderful and we have so much to be thankful for right now! A new home, great family and friends, good (even though stressful) jobs, and a healthy pregnancy just to name a few. I enjoyed the usual this year: eating all my favorite holiday foods! It doesn't get any better than chicken and dressing and sweet potato casserole! Yummy!

Now it's time for Christmas which is my absolute favorite! I have so many things to look forward too: Journey Thru Bethlehem, our annual Cracker Barrel/Santaland trip, Christmas day, wedding anniversary and SO much more. It's the best! We are working on getting our Christmas cards designed and sent out. I had my cousin come take some pictures for us like she has done in the past. Here is a sneak peek:

It's a.................GIRL!

2010-11-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

Looks like Maddie was right all along! She is going to have a "baby dister"!

Jaime, Maddie and I went to a place in Tyler today to have an early gender sonogram done and sure enough....it's another girl! I couldn't be happier and I think that daddy is pretty pleased himself! The experience was great and some other family members got to be there for the occasion. Meet our little girl:

Brooklyn Hope Crouse

I had calculated myself to be 16 weeks today and due around April 23rd, but Miss Brooklyn measured about 5 days larger with an estimated due date around April 18th. Either way, I can't wait for April to get here so I can hold her in my arms!

Pumpkins

2010-10-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

As always, Jaime cleaned out and carved a pumpkin for us to be displayed! It was a lot of fun and added that special touch to our front porch. Maddie enjoyed watching her daddy transform the pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern and even got to "decorate" a small pumpkin all by herself!

A little pumpkin for a little girl!

Stickers and Crayons!

The Front Porch The finished product!

Back Online

2010-10-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Christmas came early this year!! I am so grateful too, because now I can resume blogging. We lived in pre-historic times for quite a while in our house and only owned a desktop computer. (I can hear the shock in your voice now) BUT, we finally have upgraded to a lap-top which makes all our computer use so much easier. So, after a long absence, I'm back, and all thanks to this:

And it's PINK too! How perfect. Thank you Jaime!

Well, we've moved into Fall but since it's been so long since I've posted, I actually have some Summer pictures to still post. So here are a few pictures from our last trip to a Rangers' game (who I might add, are currently playing the Yanks in post-season!)

In other news, baby #2 is on it's way and doing well. I am currently 13 weeks along and have had all great reports! I worry constantly, considering my history, but am really trying to trust that God has everything under control. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Man-U Vs. MLS All-Stars

2010-08-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Jaime's favorite English Premier soccer team is, of course, Manchester United. For those of you that attended our wedding reception, you may even remember that his groom cake was fitting for the fan he is! His dream would be to travel to England and see Man-U play in their home stadium. However, that dream probably won't happen anytime soon. So we settled for the next best thing! Man-U came to America! They've been touring for roughly a month and recently played the MLS All-Stars at Reliant Stadium in Houston. Of course, we had tickets and Jaime was thriled to get the opportunity to see his favorite team. I, myself, am not the huge soccer fan that my husband is; however, even I realized that this event was a pretty big deal. I was sick with a stomah virus and sinus infection when we went, but I refused to lose money on the tickets and I really wanted to spend the evening with Jaime. So I put on a happy face and went along, despite feeling horrible. Im glad I did. We dropped Maddie off at Nana's house and hit the road. Man-U ended up winning, 5-2! We topped the evening off with a late dinner and then got a hotel for the night, before driving back home the following morning. Here are a few pictures of the evening:

Short and Sweet-Our Summer Vacation

2010-07-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

Recently, I took 3 days off of work and extended out my July 4th weekend so that we could make a trip up to Baraboo, WI. That's Jaime's hometown and we hadn't been there since we were dating! Jaime's brother and sister-in-law still live there (in the house that Jaime grew up in, of all things) along with lots of old friends. Though our trip was very short, we had a great time and really enjoyed some quality time together.

Maddie and "Monkey" (Uncle Jed)

Maddie and Aunt Traci

Train RideBaraboo is the home of the Circus World Museum and during the summer they have the big top show. It was a ton of fun to spend a whole day at the Circus and to just feel like a kid again. The ringmaster is the same guy from when Jaime was just a little boy. They don't allow pictures of all the acts-but here is a quick shot of Maddie. She climbed up into one of the wagons that they use to carry the lions in. And yes, she even growled for us!

We spent one day at a 4th of July parade. It's in a small town that only contains 14 houses, but thousand of people show up to this parade!

Decked out in our Texas attire!

We ate at a few of Jaime's favorite restaurants, enjoyed much cooler temperatures, and spent late nights playing Mario Kart-our favorite. We had an absolute blast! On our way home, we drove through the capital of Wisconsin-Madison. No, that's not why we named Maddie that, at all. But it's still neat!

Thanks to Aunt Traci and Uncle Monkey for helping make our trip so memorable. We can't wait to do it again!

The Girls

2010-06-10T17:15:00.000-07:00

Recently, Jaime and I got the opportunity to go visit some friends of ours in their new home. It was beautiful and we had a GREAT time! While we there, I took the chance to get a couple of quick pictures. The first one is of the two M&M's - Macy and Maddie. They are both such sweet little girls, sharing the 13th as a birthday, and growing like weeds! Maddie loves babies, especially "Macy baby", as she calls her! I enjoy watching them together! The next picture is of the moms with their little girls. Amy is such a great friend and Im so glad to share so many things in common-most of all, the wonderful experience of raising daughters as our first born! I look forward to watching our relationship continue to develop and enjoy what all God has in store for our families. I also look forward to watching Macy and Maddie grow into little girls. I know they are going to be the best of friends!

Madison Elizabeth

2010-05-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

It had been quite a while since I last had Maddie's pictures taken. So, a few weeks ago, I called a good friend of mine that does photography and asked him to set us up. He came and took photos of Maddie this morning and I think they turned out great. Here are just a few of my favorites:

I often ask Maddie if she is my big girl, to which she replies, "no, I da baby!" I suppose she's right about that to an extent. But looking at these pictures says something completely different! I can't believe she is over 2 years old now. I remember rocking her to sleep in her room, when she was only a few weeks old, and telling myself how I would never forget that exact moment. I never have either! Granted, it hasn't been a lifetime yet, but I can remember every detail from the moment she was born till now. So many things pop out in my mind when I reflect over the past 2 years. Mostly, Im just so very grateful that God chose to bless me with this gift. I always wanted to have lots of babies, and ALWAYS wanted a little girl first. I never expected it would be this fun, though! The "world of pink" is as good as it gets and through the disheartening times of pregnancy losses-Im particularly thankful that I do know what it's like to carry/deliver/and raise a sweet baby.

Maddie...you are the best! Daddy and I love you!

Hard Times

2010-05-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago today, I woke up in bed and could immediately tell that something was wrong. I knew, before I even made it to the restroom, that I was bleeding. I was right-and for the rest of the weekend-I experienced my third and hardest miscarriage. Three times....wow. I've spent a lot of time over the past 2 weeks wondering how I even got to this point. How could my first pregnancy be so great, and my body get pregnant so easily...to have then experienced what I have over this past year? It just doesn't make sense to me and I hate every second of it! Im frustrated, upset, discouraged, confused, angry, tired, and the list goes on and on. It's a horrible thing to go through. And yet...that desire is still there. Jaime and I, along with my doctor, have decided to go to the next step. All that means at this point is that we are going to have some further testing done. Those test are going to take place next Friday. The results (if any) will then show us what may or may not need to happen next. Be praying hard. Please.

In other news, my job is horrible and Im surrounded by un-Godly, un-caring people. I've made great relationships with a few of them. But there are others that are rude, and dramatic, and make me completely miserable. I wished I was better at having "tougher skin", but Im just not. And I don't know how to be either. I DO let people get to me. I worry what people think. And that is so unfortunate. With losing another pregnancy, and dealing with the stress at work-I have officially cried every day for the past 2 weeks.

I know this has been nothing but a depressing post-but it's raw and honest. I'm trying to figure out a lot of things right now. Mostly..."what is God trying to teach me through all of this" (i.e. our pregnancy struggles and my discouragement at work). Im praying for guidance, answers, peace and comfort, and strength-just to make it through each day.

Growth

2010-04-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to grow a lot of things at our new house and develop somewhat of a "green-thumb". It's safe to say that we have a long way to go, but have enjoyed spending the time planting a few flowers and some vegetables. Here are a few pictures of our latest projects:

We've got peppers!

And tomatoes!

There are potted flowers!

And even a few Azaleas! Our plan is to till up a section in our back-yard and create a TRUE garden. Keep in mind though,we've only been moved in for a little over a month, so for now, this is as good as it gets. Jaime has been spending a lot of time and energy on making the yard look nice. I think he's done a great job and we both hope that we see lots of growth and production out of the things we've planted!

BY THE WAY~

Our most recent and precious production is this:

Ah....two lines have never looked better!

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't equally as scared as I am excited. It's been a full year of trying for a second baby. And also a full year of losing two pregnancies. When that happens, it puts a fear in you that you never really knew before. Im only a little over 4 weeks along-very early-and am calculating this baby to be due sometime around December 25th or 26th. We decided to go ahead and make our news public that so people were aware and could be praying. Praying for GROWTH and development. Praying for peace versus anxiousness. Praying for a sweet and healthy bundle of joy, set to make his or her appearance at the msot perfect and special time...Christmas!

No Pictures, Just Words

2010-04-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

Our sweet 2 year old is growing more and more, everyday. Here is an update on all the things she currently does:

-Everynight we have story time, and then a prayer, followed by Maddie going to sleep in her big girl bed. She holds our hands during the prayer and it is completely precious.

-She holds mini-conversations with us. It shocks me how she uses words and forms sentences together.

-She loves to sing. Her favorites are "Veggie Tales", "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" and "Rock-a-bye-baby". She also enjoys dancing and has a VERY GIRLIE side to her. She has also been known to holler out "shake your booty" to a complete and total stranger, too! We can thank Papaw for that one!

-She's a big helper and actually enjoys cleaning like mommy or "helping" daddy in the yard. I suppose I should probably take full-advantage of this while I can!

-She's not too picky of an eater though she doesn't like things that are mushy-like green beans. She loves raw carrots and will dip anything (and I do mean ANTHING) in ranch dressing!

-No matter what time it is in the day, her new favorite things to say is "Good Morning".

-Her favorite things are animals, babies and anything she can play with outside. She has amazing coordination and I think she is going to be both "girlie" and "sporty"! She screams GOAL after kicking a soccer ball and inevitably throws her bat across the backyard if she misses the ball after she swings. I blame Jaime for her temper!

There is so much more that she says and does that I couldn't even begin to document it all. I love her more and more everyday and am so grateful for my time with her!

As for other news, Jaime is beginning to wrap up the end of his school year and looks forward to his summer. We've taken up a new love with gardening. We are amateurs-to say the least-but are willing to learn and try things out. It's taken a great deal of time just to get our flower beds cleaned out-let alone plant anything. We have done a little though. I planted peppers in a pot and will probably plant tomatoes as well. I have planted a banana tree and some lillies, too. We aren't done yet and we are learning as we go. It's been to experiment and hope that, with time, we actually know what it is we are doing!

As soon as I get a camera battery, I will update more. And this time with pictures!

Spring is Here

2010-03-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

We have started settling into our new home and absolutely love it! I was able to get un-packed, just enough, to celebrate Maddie's 2nd birthday-a week after we moved in. It was a simple party but fun and she had a blast! Here are a few pictures of what's been going on recently:

Moving Out

2010-02-28T11:33:00.001-08:00

It's official!
This past Friday, Jaime and I closed on our first house. We are so excited about this new phase in our life and are really looking forward to spending these next few days moving! I'll post again, as soon as I can, and hopefully...with pictures!

Stay tuned....

A Week In Review

2010-02-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I took time off from work to take Madison to the doctor. She had been having nose trouble all week. Other than getting tired in the evening, she was in a great mood and had no fever. Still I knew something was up and on Friday the doctor confirmed that she had a double ear infection. As an adult, I couldn't imagine what that must feel like. Poor girl. We got some good antibiotics though and I anticipate them clearing her right up.

It's hard for me to believe that it's time for Maddie's birthday. On March 13th, she will be 2 years old! Shocking! We should be in our new house by that point (we are set to close on February 19th) and will probably do something small with family and a few friends. I really want to spend the day grilling hamburgers and enjoying cake (cookie cake, I think). I will probably do something with a Minnie Mouse theme this year, since that's the most recent character she seems to love. That and Tinkerbell (still)!

Once we are in the new house, Im going to finally move Maddie out of her crib and into her big-girl bed. All I need to do is go to Babies R Us and purchase a side railing and she will be set. She has a really pretty day-bed with spring colored sheets and blanket that I found at Target several months ago. I also picked up some decorations while I was there, and I am anxious to see how it looks all put together in the new house. I'm sure I will paint her room too, probably a light pink color, and Im really excited about it.

Speaking of the new house, we are less than 2 weeks away! My current house is competely demolished at this point. I suppose that's all part of the moving process, but it really stresses me out some. Im trying to relax about it and just go with flow. But Im the type of person that likes things clean and in their place! I went to Ashley's Furniture yesterday and found alot of stuff I like. Nothing I necessarily HAVE to have, but certainly things I loved! We'll see how that goes...

Work is going well. I have been a probation officer for over a year now. I don't love it, because most days it can be extremely stressful, but it is a good job and I like it enough that I can stay there as long as I need to. I do like, though it's few and far between, seeing those people that truly change their life. That is rewarding no matter what! Long term, if I still need to work, I would enjoy going back to school and finishing what I started-nursing. I don't have time for that right now, but maybe someday after all my babies are grown, I'll go back. I always, always wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse.

I suppose that's all for now. I stayed home from church today since Maddie is sick, and should probably use this time to pack some more. I'll try to take pictures of the new house and post them soon! Keep praying for us over these next few weeks...for a number of different reasons! God is really doing a lot of things these days...

Better Late Than Never

2010-01-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a ton of fun with Maddie. She really enjoyed the whole "Santa Clause" concept this year, and I only anticipate that that will get more exciting as the years go by. We did all of our traditional things: Christmas movies, stories, cookies for Santa, Happy Birthday Jesus cake, and so on. Maddie got a ton of gifts (probably too many) and has yet to comprehend all that happened! Here are just a few pictures:

On December 30th, Jaime and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. We went to our special restaurant, Julians, and enjoyed a nice evening out-just the two of us. I still remember, back in May of 2005, seeing this cute guy stroll up to the softball fields to play with our men's church team. Who knew that I would later end up marrying that guy and having the most beautiful daughter with him! I really love our life and what we are building together. He is a great husband and father and I love him more than anything!

Jaime and I are really hopeful as to what this year could hold for us. We are still trying for another baby, and after 2 miscarriages, are praying that a new and successful pregnancy may be in the near future. We are also weeks away from purchasing our first home together and are really excited about that! Please be praying for my family as we move towards change and excitement, but also fear.

Christmas Tradition

2009-12-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

Since Jaime and I got married, there have been many traditions that we have started. One of them is our annual trip out to Lindale. Since I was pregnant with Maddie, we have made a point to take a special evening trip out and about during the Christmas season. We always go and eat at the Cracker Barrel, shop around in their "store", and then head over to see the lights at Santa Land. It's something that is so simple but so much fun. Maddie enjoyed it this year! She ate great (of course) and absolutely loved getting to sit in my lap as we drove through Santa Land! She would say "reindeer" and "where's Santa" the whole time. :) She's precious!

Halloween & Thanksgiving-2009

2009-11-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

A pink poodle.

Playing games at the Fall Block Party.

I absolutely adore her.

My family. A little blurry, but you get the idea.

I absolutely LOVE this time of year! October to January is the best, with Christmas being my favorite holiday. The smells, colors, food, Christmas movies, etc.... It just never gets old to me. I think Maddie is really going to enjoy Christmas this year. I am almost done with all her shopping and am really excited to see her expressions when she opens her gifts. Santa is bringing her a kitchen this year as her "big" gift and then she has a bunch of other small things...movies, clothes, baby dolls, blocks, etc... The girl is spoiled!

Jaime's family is coming in from Wisconsin and Washington state, to join us for the holidays. I know we will have a blast! Originally, the plan was to have everyone in for Christmas to see a newborn baby. Before having our first miscarriage, we were due on Christmas day. I was so excited about that. I have always, always wanted a Christmas baby. It broke my heart when we lost that pregnancy. I still pray, deep down, that before Im finished having all my children...that God chooses to bless me with a Christmas little one! It's just a special time of year for us. On the 30th, Jaime and I will have been married for 3 years. I can't believe how far we've come in such a short amount of time. I love him more and more everyday and couldn't have picked a better partner and daddy to our daughter!

I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season as much as the Crouse family is!

The News

2009-10-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

For weeks now, we've been hoping and praying that this pregnancy would be ok. I had weekly sonograms and blood work, which for a while-all looked promising. We were just never able to find a heartbeat, and slowly but surely, my blood work that had once contained such high numbers-began to drop. Experiencing a miscarriage is a really difficult thing. Experiencing two is mind boggling and has made me more angry than sad.

My pregnancy with Maddie was perfect in every way. For the most part, it was enjoyable and was a completely "textbook" experience. My delivery was great. My baby was happy and healthy. I've never experienced any problems and have, obviously, no issues with getting pregnant. Yet...for some reason I have now experienced back-to-back losses.

Realistically, I don't think it's anyting more than just a "normal and natural" thing, that just happened to happen twice for me. My doctor may run a few tests, but I don't expect any devastating news to come up (I hope) and she has told me that from what she can see...I look fine. She said that many times, there is no medical reason for it, even though she will still check. She also assured me that she wouldn't even begin to think that we couldn't have more children...so to not get discouraged. Like I said, I have had a PERFECT experience before, which completely works in my favor. And once, we've waited the necessary time...we will still try again. The desire to have more children is still very strong for us, and though I've gone through a loss 2 times now...I don't feel like I'm done.

It's very hard for me, right now, though Im trying to be strong. A D&C won't be necessary this time. My body is doing it all on it's on, which is uncomfortable emotionally and physically. I have good days and bad ones. There is pregnancy and babies everywhere it seems like; which always stings the heart a little. Then I remember that there is still hope and still a God that loves me more than I could have imagined. A God that knows my needs, knows my desires, and has a plan. When we do have another successful pregnancy, Im sure I will look back and see how God was at work the whole time-creating another new and perfect experience for me. Far better than I could have ever imagined or planned myself.

Please keep praying for us as we work through this & then look to the future again!

Joy and Fear

2009-10-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

"I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked...."

That prayer was prayed by Hannah in scripture. I love that prayer, particularly over these past few months. Going through a miscarriage was hard. Probably the hardest thing that Jaime and I have faced to date, in our marriage. Seeing a sonogram of your baby, with no heartbeat, makes a lasting impression on you.

And yet...you get through it. Just like anything else. You just don't forget.

We decided to start trying again pretty quickly, and low and behold...we are expecting! Thank you God! We've known for a week or two but chose not to say much. You see, we have this overwhelming since of JOY right now, that is shadowed by an equal amount of FEAR. It's a constant battle.

Once, it was confirmed(through pregnancy tests, blood work & an early sonogram) that we are indeed pregnant, we decided to go ahead and announce. And for no other reason than to simply ask people to pray. Pray that this pregnancy goes well, that this baby is healthy, and that we get to bring Maddie a little baby brother or sister home.

Yesterday, I had my early sonogram. It's procedure to have an early one after a miscarriage. They call it a "viability scan." The whole point is to make sure we can see a heartbeat. So far, the doctor hasn't. I went home yesterday and cried. But here is where the HOPE kicks in, and why I really feel good about things today:

The doctor thinks that maybe Im just not as far as long as I had thought; like maybe I just ovulated late in my cycle. She specifically told me that she is very optimistic because my blood work(all 3 rounds) has come back GREAT...showing that my HCG levels(the pregnancy hormone) continue to rise by about 60% every day! That's amazing news and I actually was told that today after my most recent results!

In the meantime, I wait until next Thursday. I have another sonogram on that day in the hopes of seeing a heartbeat at that point. The waiting is the worst, but I continue to pray daily that God will help me overcome my fears and get me through to this next week. And that, on that screen, we see a very tiny heartbeat for our baby. Please pray....

The Fair

2009-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Jaime and I went to the East Texas State Fair this year. It had been such a long time since I had been. As a matter of fact, Jaime and I had never been together. So we decided to meet up with our good friends, Nathan and Tiffany, and take Madison out for the day. It was a little more hot than I would have liked, but it wasn't crowded at all and we had a really great time! Here are a few pictures from the day:

The carousel was the only ride she was big enough to get on. She loved it...until it actually started moving! Poor Daddy, spent the next few minutes trying to get her to calm down and actually keep her on the horse!

We spent some time inside Harvey Hall at all the exhibits and soaking up the AC. Madison was still happy that daddy won her a Nemo fish while playing games!

This is my daughter's new way of taking a picture. She throws her self to one side and yells "cheese!" I think she feels like she is posing, but then the picture comes out looking like this! She's silly...

Hot and tired. Time to head home.

18 Months

2009-09-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hello, again!

2009-09-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got my I-phone, and considering that my internet is STILL dial-up, I've been really bad about posting. Let's see what I can catch my few readers up on:

I went to certification in Austin back in mid-August. It was a long, boring week but it's now behind me. I haven't received my scores yet but don't anticipate anything too bad! I also had my first evaluation by my director. I walked away still employed which is a good thing! To top things off, I got my first raise...and a pretty significant one. Very exciting!

Jaime and I have found a house we really love and are in the early stages of pursuing it. We don't know that this particular house will be the one we are meant to have yet; but we are certainly hoping so and praying a lot about it!

On the 13th, Madison Elizabeth will be 18 months old! That is shocking to me. I still remember this:

What a chunk and only crawling at that point. Wow, time sure has flown by! She runs around the house like crazy, kicks a soccer ball, and says the following words: daddy, mama, nana, papaw, alan, kitty, puppy, bye, hi, yay, where, why, no, eat, juice and the list goes on. She is even starting to form small sentences by combining a word or two. There is never a dull or quiet moment in our house anymore! She's amazing!

I suppose that's all for now. I'll try to post some current pictures of the girl, soon!

It's Been A While...

2009-06-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well, as most of you know, I had a miscarriage about a month ago. Jaime and I went in for our 10 week appointment. We were both so excited to see the baby's heartbeat and get some sonogram pictures; just like we did with Maddie! I was starting to finally feel better and was looking forward to moving into the second tri-mester. However, once the sonogram began, I immediately knew something was wrong. The baby was there but the heartbeat wasn't anymore. It only measured to be 8 weeks and I was almost 10.5 that day. We were devestated and it's been a hard month, but things are slowly starting to get better. We still have the desire to have more children and soon; but now that fear is there that never was before. I had my follow-up with my doctor yesterday and she said that thing look good. Please be praying for us as we contemplate when we want to try again for another baby. Also pray, that this time-we get to bring this baby home with us-happy and healthy!

In other news, Jaime is home for the summer and absolutely loving being with Madison every day. Im not sure what they do all day, but they seem to have a lot of fun! I'm jealous!

My job is busy and stressful as always. I'm set to go to certification in August. It's in Austin, which Im not looking forward to; but as long as I pass the test-I get to keep my job and get a raise!

We are saving up for a house. I am so excited that this is even a possibility! As much as I hate working right now, the extra income has really helped us be able to do a lot of things. My goal, is to within a year, have found a house. Though I wouldn't be opposed if it happened sooner than that! =)

I hope everyone is doing well. Sorry, it's been so long-it's just been crazy around the Crouse House.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my Mother's day gift:

It's hard to tell detail, but it's a mother's ring (with an aquamarine stone) that has "Madison" engraved on one side and her birthday on the other! I love it. It's just what I wanted. It's the "stackable" kind which means, that with each child, I will get a ring and stack one on top of the other. Jaime and I have a bet as to just how many rings my finger is going to hold! ;)

Excitement

2009-04-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

So as you've probably guessed, I am thrilled to be pregnant again! And as crazy as it sounds, we were actually trying for a Christmas baby. For now, the due date is estimated to be Christmas Day. Guess I got my wish, huh!
I don't go to the doctor until the end of May. My doctor won't see you until you are 10 weeks along. I hate the anticipation and waiting! I suppose though, that if anything unfortunate was going to happen, it would happen within these first few weeks-which is probably why she chooses to not see her patients until she does. I, however, will continue to pray that things are developing normally and that these next few weeks will fly by. I can't wait to see that little heartbeat on the screen!

A Little News

2009-04-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

Maddie's gonna be a big sister! :)

Tinkerbell Party

2009-03-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

Maddie had a great time at her 1st birthday party. We had lots of family and friends in attendance. The day was perfect!

One Year Ago, Today

2009-03-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Maddie!

I can't believe that a year has already passed. I'm so very happy and blessed to be your mom. I always wanted a little girl but never dreamed that it could be this fun. I love you!

Madison Elizabeth Crouse
3-13-08 @ 1:18pm
7lbs. 13oz. & 18.5 inches long

Baby #2

2009-03-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

It's almost that time!

No, I'm not pregnant. Well, atleast not yet that is! Jaime and I have begun to talk quite a bit about when we want to start trying for baby #2. Like I've said before, our original plan was to start trying again when Maddie turns 1, which happens to be next Friday. Since that discussion, I've started working and have been really afraid that the fact that I have a job now, might somehow alter my plans. I want to be fair to the people I work with and want to make sure that my job is secure. However, just because I work, doesn't mean that I am anywhere close to being finished with having children.

I took the liberty this past Friday to go and speak with a lady at work about my insurance. I'm currently on Jaime's plan at school, but once mine kicks in on May 1st, our whole family will switch over. My insurance is great and it's significantly cheaper than Jaime's. So I want to make sure that this next pregnancy is covered through my job so we can save a great deal of money by getting Jaime's FULL paycheck now. So I went and spoke to the lady and she answered my questions. I think we are ok on the medical insurance and short-term disability end of things. The only thing she told me was that the "family leave act" doesn't kick in for me until I've been at the job for a year(which would be in January). Once that kicks in, I can have my maternity leave and they are required by law to hold my job for me. Before that point, I suppose they could technically find a way to let me go, though she did assure me that they probably wouldn't. And I believe her. There are people at my work that don't do their job very well; yet still have one, so I'm not worried about getting fired. I still just want to pick the best time for everyone involved.

I said all that to say this: we are probably going to start trying soon. I'm thinking April-May. I ask that you pray for us as we make the decision once again to attempt at another baby. I need a sense of peace that God's in control, that His timing with this will be perfect, that my job will work out, and that when this baby is born-I can spend as much time with him or her as possible before I head back to work. I have so many things on my mind right now in regards to this. Please keep us in your prayers!

Walk, Maddie, Walk

2009-02-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

She finally did it!

Maddie let go and took some steps on her own this past week! She is still wobbly and doesn't do it much, but she can take up to 7 or 8 steps on her own. YAY! It is the cutest thing to watch. She doesn't like us to force her into doing it by any means. My strong-willed child only does something when she makes up her own mind to do it. But once she sees something she has to have, she's off and there's no stopping her! This has increased the bumps and bruises she receives (of course) but I'm sure that's only to be expected! This is just one more thing that proves that my baby is slowly turning into a little girl. And in just a few short weeks...Maddie will be 1! Wow.

Grandpa Jim Comes To Texas

2009-02-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Jaime's dad was able to fly in from Washington to visit us for a few days. This was only Jim's second time to see his grand-daughter, so it was a very special visit. They had a blast together!

Sick Baby Girl

2009-01-27T18:33:00.000-08:00

It was bound to happen someday. My poor girl has a double ear infection. I hate seeing her sick. She just looks so miserable...