Accepted

Funny how the word "accepted" is so readily used in the world today. It is used on Tv and in written words. What does "Accepted" mean though? Too many times to be "accepted" you have to "do" something to prove yourself, right? In school, kids have to "do" something to be accepted. In the workplace you have to "do" things to be accepted. Where do you not have to "do" anything to be accepted? I will tell you where....

Church.

I belong to a wonderful church where I am "accepted" without having to "do" anything. People with special needs are highly regarded in my church. Children are taught from a very young age to treat those with special needs with the utmost respect. Special Needs individuals do not have to worry about being seen as different. They are treated just like everyone else and it will bring tears to your eyes to see a small child jump up and offer to give another child with special needs their seat in the pew. This is done without thought. I know that when we adopt a special needs child, that they will be seen as just another person and treated as such. They will not be made fun of or singled out in church. I know that Cody will learn life lessons not just from his family, but from his church family. I believe our Heavenly Father has made all of this possible. Without him, there would not be a Cody.
I have not been going to church on a regular basis here lately. It was not that I did not want to go, but things just kept happening that kept me from going. When I walked into church this morning (without Kevin as he had to work) I was greeted by more than 15 people who were happy to see me and wanted to know how Kevin, Cody & I were doing. Our Bishop asked if he could see me after our Sacrament meeting in his office. Do you want to know why? He wanted to be sure that we were okay. He wanted to be sure that Cody was fine, he wanted to be sure that our finances were okay. He offered to help with anything that we needed. That was enough to bring tears to my eyes because I KNOW that I am loved in my church. Even when I do not make it there to worship with them, they are thinking of me. They pray over my child, my husband, my finances, my health & my marriage. It was offered to have the Elders come to my home and give me a blessing. My church family has been there for us every step of the way. Through ever surgery, they were there. Through every financial crisis, they were there. When I could not clean my home, the sister's came out and cleaned my home. They brought food every week so that I would not have to cook. Our missionaries came out and cleaned our back yard. I have 3.5 acres and we have about 1/2 an acre fenced in behind the house for some of the dog's to run. They raked, scooped and cleaned the whole area. Did I ask for any of this? No, it was offered and accepted. When I was very sick after my last 2 surgeries, the Elders came out at different times to give me a Blessing. When I could not drive, other member's drove me to Dr appointments and to the pharmacy. I was taken to the grocery store and at different times people came out to have lunch with me. I live in the country, way away from them and yet, they still brought lunch for me and them just to sit and talk. I am blessed beyond words to belong to my church. I will not push my religion on anyone but will tell you that I belong to the Church Of Latter Day Saints. I am LDS (Mormon) I did not grow up in the church, Kevin and I joined as adults and my life has been made better because of it.

You should never have to "do" anything to be accepted. The Lord "accepts" you as you are.

~29 Weeks Today~

Today I am 29 absolutely beautiful, fantastic weeks pregnant. Bug has a more "regular" schedule now. He sleeps for small amounts of time and then is up moving all over the place the rest of the time. He is still a dream and we love him more than anything. We are still working on getting his room together. We have used it as the storage room for so long, that we are having to box things up and move them out of his room. I also have to get him a dresser for his room as we have a ton of clothes and they are just sitting in a huge garbage bag waiting to be put in a dresser. Things are going great and we are all happy & healthy. Last weight for Cody was approx 3 pounds, so he is growing strong.

Happy 29 Weeks Cody, we love you bug!

Appointment Update

I had an appt with my OB today. I had to get an antibody screening (due to having a negative blood type and Kevin having a positive) Result was negative, which is good and then got another Rhogam shot. Bug was very active at the appointment and when Dr tried to listen to his heartbeat he tried to dodge him, lol. His heartbeat was very strong as usual. My uterus is measuring right on target and Ob is very happy with his growth and activity level. Such a strong little boy that we have :O). Haven't gained any more weight. Have gained 4 pounds total so far. So, all is well with Bug and mom.

*Thank you Lord*

Christy

Blessed, Lucky or More?

I have talked many times about what a wonderful husband I have. I truly do have a wonderful husband. Am I saying that he is perfect? Of course not. He just amazes me every single day. He works hard both at work and at home, he is loving, he is faithful, he is considerate and a whole lot more. He has always been very protective of me and now is the same with Cody. He calls me many times a day to see how we both are doing. He wants to hear about every move, kick & punch that Cody makes. He talks and sings to Cody. He rubs my back, feet, legs and stomach even before I ask. The stomach part is about 50 times a day *literally* He truly loves his son. Sometimes at night I will wake up and he is talking to Cody and rubbing my stomach. Of course he is not just waking up to do that, but will do it before going to the restroom or getting a drink of whatever he woke up to do. We sing "twinkle, twinkle little star" to Cody every night before bed and he must really love it because he definitely responds. Kevin likes when Cody kicks him in the face,lol. Kevin will kiss my stomach or just lay his head on it and talk to Cody and he will get a little kick or punch to the face :o) I cannot wait to see how he will be as a dad.

My family. I also have a wonderful, supportive family. Everyone is so excited about Cody's upcoming arrival. My mom tells all of her friends about every antic that Cody does and delights in talking about him. My sister is so excited for me and talks all the time about how Cody will be stubborn and hardheaded like his parents,lol. My niece is totally & completely in love with her little cousin. She always talks about how when he gets here, how she is going to carry him around and what they are going to do together. The males in my family are excited as well, but of course being male do not really talk that much about him. Just that they will be excited to meet him.

I haven't always felt that I had a blessed life. I am just happy that I feel that way now. God does know what he is doing. That I truly believe

~~**~~28 Weeks Today~~**~~ **3rd Trimester**

Today I am 28 Weeks pregnant! **WOW** I am in the 3rd trimester as of today. Another week has flown by. Bug is getting a lot stronger and a lot more active as well. My sister was able to feel him for the first time last night moving around and kicking. (She lives a bit away so I rarely get to see her, we do however talk on the phone every day) I say this all the time, but the time is just flying by :o) Soon, I will get to meet my little bug face to face and cannot wait to see who he looks like. I am sure that he will have black hair like I did when I was born (Kevin had blonde) So, until the day he is born, I will keep wondering what he looks like. Will post a 28 wk picture tonight when I get home. See the headband I have on? It was made by Julia who is still making crocheted items as a fund raiser. You can order your own if you look to the right of my blog. It fits my head wonderfully! I have a lot of them that I will probably be wearing in my weekly pictures. Wondering about my curly, frizzy hair?? That is what happens when my hair gets wet in the rain and dries on it's own. Pretty scary, I know.

More Easter Pictures

Julia showing how old she is (3)

My sister & Her Fiance, Tim (she was just released from the hospital)

Kevin feeling Cody kick

Me & Kevin

Kevin

More pictures from Easter. I was trying to keep Julia entertained while her mom did her hair. She kept on making faces at me anytime I got the camera out,lol. My sister and her fiance Tim showed up for just a little bit. My sister had just left the hospital after having a stint surgically placed in her kidney. Kevin is always feeling Bug kick and move around and was feeling him when my mom took a picture of him doing it. There are many more pictures, but do not know if I will post them or not. We had a wonderful Easter with family. It was nice to just all get together and be with each other for the day. Jenny's parents came as well but I didn't get any pictures of them this time. Not quite sure how they avoided my camera, usually no one is able to get away,lol. Everyone was shocked at how big my stomach has gotten. I went to the Dr today and all is well with my little bug.

More Easter Pictures

More pictures from Easter (these came from my mom's camera and I do not know how to make them bigger) These are my mom, my step dad Mike, my niece Julia, my nephew Robert, My brother Bobby & sister in law Jenny. My brother and Jenny are Robert & Julia's parents. My mom and Mike have been married since 1994 and dated for quite a while before then. Mike is my "2Nd" dad. All of us love him like he is our dad. He is kind, considerate and a wonderful husband to my mom.

Easter Pictures

Me & Julia

My brother, Julia, My dad, Kevin, Me, My sil Jenny & Robert

Me & Julia

Me & Kevin

My brother, Me & My sister (who came straight from the hospital)

Easter Pictures

Me & Kevin

Julia unloading her basket

Robert & Julia before egg hunt

Julia getting her hair done

Me & Kevin

Some pictures from today. Me & Kevin and My niece Julia & Nephew Robert. More pictures to come either today or tomorrow. Unfortunately, I over slept this morning and Kevin and I missed church. We felt horrible about it because that is what Easter is about, Jesus's resurrection. So, we prayed and then went to my brother & sister in law's house for Easter. Most of my immediate family was there. My sister had emergency surgery yesterday. She had a huge 10 mm or cm (not sure which) kidney stone and she had to have a stint put into her kidney. So, she looks awful (will post a pic of her in the next blog post) The hospital wanted to keep her another couple of days but she didn't want to stay and checked herself out. (though my mom being in the medical profession tried to talk her into staying) All in all we had a wonderful day. Will post more pics in a few minutes.

Pictures & More

Here are more pictures of my handsome husband and my kid's names on my ankles. The top Picture is of Kevin & Alyssa. Alyssa is a little girl that Kevin and I helped raise (a friend's little girl)We are at Fiesta Texas in that picture. Next is Kevin & His brother Walter (also known as Skeeter) We are at the coast and they are fishing off of the fishing pier at our Hotel. Next are Me & Kevin at our reception after our wedding. Next are Charity & Gage's names & Dob's that are tattooed on my ankles. I plan on adding Cody's name & dob as well. I think while I am getting Cody's name added I will add a little angel by Charity & Gage's name while I am there. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about my Angels. I love them with all of my heart and I know that they know that. There is nothing worse in the world than losing a child. NOTHING. When I lost them I thought that I would die. I wanted to die.... Charity was hard, real hard. Then 2 years later her little brother Gage as well. I wondered why... I know that they are safe with our Heavenly Father. I also know that without my current OB that Cody would not be here either. He sent me to every specialist and had every test run that you can think of to find out why I kept losing my children. I am very thankful to him for this. The tests were all painful and uncomfortable, but I was willing to do anything to have a live child. I am very thankful for my Ob, he is wonderful and I truly love him. Not in a romantic way of course, but just love him.

~~~~27 Wonderful Weeks Today~~~~

Today I am 27 weeks pregnant! *WOW* My bug continues to grow and I love being able to feel him move all the time. He amazes us each and every day with his activity. It is so fun to just sit and watch my abdomen move when he is rolling around and kicking and punching and whatever else he does. I continue to thank God every day for the blessing that he has bestowed on me and Kevin. There is no better gift that I could have received than the one that I am now carrying. I am now actually "feeling" pregnant though. My back, pelvis, abdomen and everything in between hurts all the time. Bug has been using my cervix as his own personal trampoline and my back as his personal springboard. When I try to dislodge him by lying down and moving around he must "stiff" leg me because I cannot get him to move. When I am able to get him to move a bit, he moves right back into place and continues his assault with more force. I tell Kevin all the time that he is just like him, Hard headed. It also doesn't help that I had 3 surgeries last year (all abdominal) and I have a lot of scar tissue that is being stretched as well. I wouldn't give my bug up for anything- but I have to say that I will be glad when July gets here and he is born :o) Will post a 27 week picture tonight when Kevin and I get home and he can take one of me. My face continues to get more round & my belly a tiny bit bigger but that is the only difference so far. (that I notice anyway)*I have come to the conclusion that Kevin cannot take a good picture either, doesn't focus or take time*

Very Pretty

These are beautiful Texas wildflowers. I love Bluebonnets!!

Please Help

I love animals. ALL of them. I am very passionate about anything to do with helping/saving them. At the right of my blog you will see a button with Polar Bears on it. I ask that you please click on that button where you will go to a website where you can add your name to a petition to help save their environment. You will not be asked for money, just a couple minutes of your time to help these bears. (and all other creatures that will be affected) The goal is 300,000 signatures and we are approx 35,000 short at this time. If you care about animals and our environment at all, please sign this petition.

***for some reason, the link was not working last night or this morning, but it is now back up and running... Please sign the petition, Thanks***
Christy

26 Weeks!

Where has the time gone? I am 26 weeks pregnant today! Before too long my little bug will be here in his mommy's arms. I will be so happy the day that he is placed in my arms. My Dr has told me that the latest that they will let me carry is July 3rd. So, I know that at the latest by July 3rd I will be holding my baby boy in my arms and crying like a baby myself. I treasure every moment that I am pregnant with my little bug. I thank God every day for him. Cody is truly a miracle, a gift straight from our Heavenly Father.

My niece Julia has decided that she is not going to change Cody's diaper now. Before she kept telling me that she was going to hold him and change his diapers. Well, I am guessing that seeing a friend's little boy's diaper being changed has changed her mind,lol. She is still going to hold him, but the diaper is now out. She says that I am now going to have to change his diaper :o)

Happy 26 Weeks Bug, We LOVE You!!

*For those wondering why I always look tired & red in the face. These pics are always taken late in the evening. I wake up between 5:30 - 6:00 am every morning and then do not go to bed until at least 11:00pm. So, in the evening I AM tired... Exhausted is more like it :o) *

Received My Doppler Today

My mom ordered a fetal doppler for me and Kevin. I received it today and have already used it at lunch! This will definitely calm our nerves. Cody is a very active baby pretty much all the time (especially at night) so, when I cannot feel him moving for hours at a time (especially right before bed time when he usually gets cranked up) Worry goes into overdrive. Of course this has to do with having 2 pregnancies before where one day the baby is moving and then the next the baby is not and I end up with children that have passed away. So, to ease my fears my mom ordered us a very nice, top of the line fetal doppler. That way I can listen to Bug's heart beat anytime I want. He did not seem to like it at lunch though. He moved and I found him again and then he kicked it,lol. I sure do love my little Bug!!