Baby Essentials

Hope these last few HOT days have been treating you well :) Glad we all made it through the "rapture" yesterday - crazy people, huh!? Just makes me laugh.

Well, I had a doctor's appointment Thursday and my updates are that Blake's heartbeat was 156, he's constantly moving around it seems, and I'm up 13 pounds since the beginning of my pregnancy. Praying that I can keep it under 25 pounds all together with 15-16 weeks left. Might be wishful thinking, but it's my goal!

We've made a few purchases this past week that I am beyond excited to receive in the mail/pick up! Let me share a few of them for all the other mommies (and mommies to be) out there ...

1. Moby Wrap - I had been struggling with picking a somewhat fashionable, comfortable, and affordable baby carrier. For all you baby Bjorn lovers (including my awesome sister), I just cannot bring myself to spend $100 on something that doesn't even look that great. It's not UGLY or anything, I just don't love it. I've always seen these Moby Wraps (pictured below) and they look so cute and comfortable. Only thing that stinks about them is that you have to buy them directly from their online store or in specialty shops (not big name places that I could add one to my registry). Needless to say, I'm excited about trying the different options out when it gets here next week!

Of course I went with the black! It has to match everything :)
http://www.mobywrap.com/
Their website explains all the different options for different carrying options that can be done with the wrap - according to age.

2. Crib!
My mom and dad gifted us this beautiful crib! We will be using another bedding set, but this 4-in-1 crib can be converted into a toddler bed, and then a full sized bed later in life which makes us even happier to not have to make another bed purchase for a while.

Babies R Us should be calling us this week to go pick it up :) Thanks again, Mom and Dad!!!

3. His bedding :)
I was told to be patient and wait until showers to get his bedding set, but I am really impatient really want his nursery to be somewhat put together in the next couple weeks. I'm not entirely fond of room decorations/bedding that scream a baby or child lives here (i.e., primary colors, planes, trains, boats, ABCs, sport themes, cartoon characters, or gender specific colors). I want the room to look chic and remain a color that we will not be forced to change if we end up transitioning the nursery to an office or guest room someday.

Here is the set we decided on ...

We only purchased the 4 piece set, which includes the bumper, dust ruffle, fitted sheet, and quilt. I will sit on my hands and wait for any other accessories in the collection :)

4. Maternity scrubs
I had thought that I would make due with what I had, but wearing tops without pockets is really driving me crazy. I splurged on one set of scrubs by Cherokee called flex-i-bles which I hope will be really comfortable (I ordered them on Amazon).
http://www.scrubshopper.com/products/1809-flex-i-bles-maternity-wrap-top I'm sure I won't look as fabulous as the model in the picture does, but Blake is excited about not being squished in my Grey's anatomy tops anymore :)

That concludes my shopping spree for the week! Hope everyone has a blessed week!

22 Weeks :)

I was going to try to update every 4 weeks (so as to not bore my readers with weekly updates on the pregnancy), but there have been a few big changes already since the last update!
*How far along?: 22 Weeks 2 Days
*How big is baby?: Papaya
*Weight Gain: Haven't unloaded the scale from the moving box yet!
*Sex: Sweet baby boy!
*Maternity clothes: Still loving my maternity jean capris!
*Stretch marks: No new ones!
*Sleep: I really like to sleep on my back (I know I'm not supposed to) or my left side
*Symptoms: Sleepy still and let's just leave it at - Blake is definitely not going to go hungry when he gets here!
*Movement: He is moving quite a bit now, early in the morning or later in the evening I can get him to kick my hand back when I press on my tummy :)
*Food cravings: Really anything, still not digging the super sweet stuff!
*Labor signs: Nope
*Belly button in or out: In
*What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy!
*What I'm looking forward to: Decorating his nursery and getting everything unloaded and our house organized! And 4 months from now, he will be in our arms!!!

Almost Done Moving!

I just spent about 6 hours at our old place scrubbing tubs and packing the last boxes of random junk while David was at work. Have I mentioned how much I hate moving? I cannot tell you how we are going to get the storage unit and the apartment moved by Friday before our walk-through when David works every day this week. Looking forward to this all being in hind sight, so I can start organizing stuff and starting on Blake's nursery :)

On that note, I'm sore all over from all the physical activity today - so I'm gonna go relax in the tub! Have a great night everyone!

Brooke

Carrie Grier Lowe 08-02-1984 to 04-27-2011

Many of you saw my facebook post a few days ago when I found out that one of my classmates from Samford lost her life in the tornado a few days ago. Carrie and another classmate, Jennifer Long, were my two closest friends in nursing school - without a doubt. Those girls meant more to me than either one of them probably ever knew. Through the years and distance between states, we had lost touch since I left Samford in 2005 to come back to Atlanta.

I came across an article in the AJC (Atlanta Journal Constitution) on those that lost their lives in the twister. Although it is painfully descriptive, I believe that we should never forget how terrible that day must have been for her. Here is the portion of the article with her story ...

"Back in Pleasant Grove, Jonathan Ford watched from atop the cab of his pickup as his neighbors slowly climbed from the rubble in the silent landscape.

Then, from where Curt and Crystal Grier's house had once stood, two doors down, a voice pleaded: "Please help! Please help! We've got babies stuck!"

The Grier's and brother-in-law Josh Lowe had escaped from the crawl space under their collapsed porch. But the couple's two children, Curt's sister, Carrie Lowe, and her newborn baby, Tucker, remained trapped. All that was left of the house was the brick front steps. Slowly, the men extracted the screaming children from the rubble. But when Jonathan Ford went to help dig, and he reached for Carrie Lowe, hunched over her son's car seat, her body was cold to the touch. The baby was alive, in the seat.

Later, after the rescue crews had come to take away her body, friends marked the spot with a red rag tied to a splintered piece of wood and placed a Bible found in the wreckage on the steps."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42841063/ns/weather

I knew that she had lost her life and that a room collapsed on her, but to read the details about her clutching to her baby in her last moments brings me to tears each time I read it. Selfishly, I think about myself as a soon to be mother and only a month younger than Carrie. I cannot IMAGINE how scared Carrie must have been that day for herself, and her family.

My heart goes out to you, Josh (Carrie's husband), and almost 8 week old, Tucker. Carrie was an AMAZING woman and I am deeply sorry for your loss! May the Lord be with you and surround you and your family during this time. We love you :)

--------------

To look her up on facebook - her name is "Carrie Grier Lowe" from Birmingham, Alabama. Her profile picture is a beautiful black and white photo of her new family.

20 Weeks!

Just got back from the doctor's office and the final walk through of the house! Everything went great at both appointments! Since David was at work, my mom tagged along for both appointments, which was really fun :)

Blake's major organs are all functioning appropriately. All his organs are inside where there are supposed to be, the heart has four chambers, his stomach is visible - which means that he's been swallowing great for over 5 weeks now (you can also see his stomach - the little black spot in his abdomen - on his last ultrasound), kidneys - there are two, and brain looks great! All of those things are such a relief for a medical professional to hear :) Doctor said that little Blake is measuring a week ahead on size, which was no surprise to me at all! Might move my due date up at some point, but we will see!

Here is one of his profile pictures from today's visit!

His arms and legs are overlapping in the picture, so it's hard to distinguish his limbs. His little feet are not on the screen in this shot. Speaking of little limbs, I got to see him punching and kicking at the ultrasound probe for the first time today. I had been feeling it inside when he jumps up and down on my insides, but it was so neat to actually see his reaction when he was being prodded at. He already has so much force in his movements! He's gonna have some spunk like his mom, I think :)

Well on to the update!
*How far along?: 19 Weeks 5 Days
*How big is baby?: Small cantaloupe
*Weight Gain: 9 pounds
*Sex: Sweet baby boy!
*Maternity clothes: I need to buy some new scrub tops soon. My favorite article of clothing is my maternity jean capris!
*Stretch marks: Nope
*Sleep: I still can sleep like it's my job :)
*Symptoms: Just sleepy a lot, that’s about it!
*Movement: He moves the most right after I eat. He’s turned on his side, so when he kicks and moves his little hands my insides are the only thing that feel it!
*Food cravings: Really anything, I just really am not fond of cakes and other super sweet/sugary things right now. I’ll eat some chocolate no problem, but no really sweet stuff!
*Labor signs: Nope
*Belly button in or out: In
*What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy!
*What I'm looking forward to: Closing on our house Thursday so I can start decorating Blake’s nursery!

Student for LIFE!

Well, not really - but that's what it feels like! In a week, I will finally have my bachelor's degree from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama.

While I should have rightfully had my BSN 5 years ago (at 21, not 26), I'm honestly thankful for the "ride" that I've been on. Without the hiccups along the way, I would not have met all the amazing people that I know now, and I wouldn't be employed at the place that I'm at right now either. Which makes me sad to think that I would not know the people that are closest to me now. God definitely has a plan for each of us, far beyond what anyone could grasp on their own. No matter how much control we think we have on our lives, God constantly reminds us that he has a distinct plan for our lives.

Back to my nursing program ... The nursing program was entirely online, and truthfully - the easiest college courses I have taken thus far. I finished the program on the president's list for all three terms (I cannot say that about any other point in my college career). I would HIGHLY recommend JSU's STEP nursing program to any ASN nurse that seeks an online BSN program. There are no clinicals at all, and their is no out of state tuition (and it's a state school, so it's AFFORDABLE!). Strangely, my place of employment does not even give me a penny raise for this higher degree. However, my real intentions for getting a bachelor's degree was to continue on to my family/primary nurse practitioner career goals as many of you already know.

I was recently accepted into Auburn's Primary Nurse Practitioner online program for this summer (I thought I was applying for Summer 2012), but after many prayers I believe that starting a program before Blake is born would not be good timing. While finishing school BEFORE he was born would have been ideal, I didn't want to be a 30+ first time mom. Timing will never be right to have a family, so David and I prayed that ONLY if God wanted to bless us with a child that it would happen. And a few months later, it happened!

Many of you know that I always have a million things on my plate at a time, and honestly I love keeping myself busy (maybe I'm a little crazy!? ... don't answer that!). While many other mom's may not agree, I plan to start a nurse practitioner program in January 2012 (when Blake is 4+ months old). I know that it will be hard to be a new mom and in school, but if anyone can do it - I can, with a lot of prayer and support from my family :) I figure that it will be easier to juggle him and school when he's not involved in a ton of activities. Once I'm done with the 5 semester program (less than 2 years if I go full time), I'll be DONE with school. (Unless of course, someone pays for me to get my PhD later in life!?)

I am in the process of applying to Samford in Birmingham, Alabama (where I started my nursing school journey - so it would be pretty neat to finish there), Kennesaw State and Georgia State. All the programs are primarily online and allow you to do clinicals with an approved "preceptor" at virtually any hospital. I pray that it will be a fairly seamless process.

However, I'm looking forward to having the next two semesters off - the most time I've taken off of school in years!

Babies and Wedding Bells!

I think that 2011 is totally going to be the year for weddings and babies :)

Let me list the weddings so I don't lose track ...

Amanda - Dear friend of mine for about 6 years now, we were introduced by fate alone and our friendship has been life changing, for both of us!
Andrea - A sweet friend of mine in Florida is finally marrying her sweetheart at the end of this month!
Taryn - My bridesmaid, and friend from college, and now work, too!
Erin - From work, although I've only known her for about 5 months - we go together like peas and carrots :)

And now the babies ...

About 4 girls I know from college have already had their babies this year, so let's move on to the ones that are still due to pop :)
Chasity - Friend from work, is due with little Beckham at the beginning of May
Elizabeth - One of my highschool/church friend's little sister's is having her second baby boy in the middle of May with little Henry! Love keeping up with her cute little family on her blog!
Nicole - Friend from college, is finally adopting her precious baby Lily from China sometime before the end of May!
Jennifer - Met through a mutual friend, is due with little Liam at the beginning of June!
Heidi - Although we only met at work orientation, we keep up on FB :) Her little girl, Hunter is due in July!
Tracey - Friend from college, (I think we met in Physiology, how fabulous was that class girl!?) is due with her little one in the beginning of September!
Me - Due mid-September!
Andrea - Met through a mutual friend a couple years ago, is having her little one about a week after us!
Casey - Friend from work, is having her little one in the beginning of October!
And another friend that I've known since high school just found out she's due at the end of November!

If I missed you on the list, it surely wasn't intentional - I just cannot believe how lucky we all are to be starting and making families of our own :) God is SOO Good :) Can I get an AMEN!?

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I want to take a minute to share my favorite proposal story and my favorite baby story! My favorite proposal story for this year has to go with the couple that has been engaged the shortest (only a couple days!), miss Amanda and Aaron! I cannot just start with the story, have to give you some background! Amanda is my godliest friend, by far. She has taken two seven month mission trips overseas and even donated her 2004 accord (paid off completely by her, might I add!) to her fabulous sister, Steen! Needless to say, Amanda is so selfless! Well, I digress ... On one of her mission trips, she met a girl friend who happened to live in Canada, named CJ. After their return home from the mission trip, they kept in touch and Amanda even went up to visit CJ at one point. Cue Aaron :) Amanda met Aaron through this CJ's boyfriend at the time. Well, needless to say. The rest is history! Amanda and Aaron have maintained a Christ-centered relationship, across two countries. I truly am impressed by their dedication to each other an the Lord. They could not ask for a better spouse :) Well, on to the proposal story already!!!

Aaron came to visit for Amanda's birthday this last week, and while he didn't propose to her at her surprise birthday party like we all thought ... He went above and beyond any of our dreams for our sweet Amanda :) Amanda and her family took Aaron to the beach over the weekend. Aaron finagled a helicopter ride over a beach with "Amanda, Marry Me!?" written in the sand! Now, isn't that like only in the movies!?!? I cannot stop smiling just thinking about how my patient, amazing friend finally has her prince charming!

I think they are thinking about an August wedding, and I cannot wait to help her plan (if she will let me!)!!! God is going to bless this couple like crazy and I cannot wait to see what He has in store for their lives together!
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Now, onto my favorite baby story! Hands down, without competition - my friend from college Nicole, get's this award in my book! Nicole and I met at Jeff State's nursing school in Birmingham. Well, I have to give a little background on this amazing woman, too! ... Nicole was inspirational to me in a number of ways, but the three most prominent were her genuine, caring attitude, her wealth of knowledge (always the highest scores in the class!), and the fact that she has lost nearly 200 pounds with exercise and diet alone! I mean, WOW! Just to type those words alone it doesn't seem like one person could possibly lose that much weight on their own, but she did it!

Nicole and her husband Jeff have been married for a number of years, I'm thinking like 15+ maybe? [Correct me if I'm wrong Nicole :)] And they have never been able to successfully conceive. After years of trials in attempting to have a family, they decided that adoption would be the best option for them. They decided that they wanted adopt from China (which happens to be the most difficult country to adopt from). After nearly a 6 year wait, they were finally matched with their sweet, Lily Faith a little over a week ago! I cannot tell you how much paperwork they filled out, how much money they spent on the process, or the physicals, but I can tell you - it's a LOT OF WORK! I had no idea that adoptions were so complicated! Every time I talked to Nicole about her adoption on our study breaks (I miss those talks by the way - not the studying!), I always admired her courage and patience with the process. I always thought to myself - wow, I wish I could be like her! I'm the least patient person I know!

Nicole and Jeff are, by far, the most deserving parents I know! I cannot wait to see the pictures of when they finally get to meet their sweet baby girl for the first time in the next month or two! I am so excited and happy for you guys :)
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Well, I think that concludes my novel of a blog post - MAN, I wrote a lot! Have a great rest of your week!

Don't Blink!

Can you believe that three months ago our lot was only grass and today it looks like this?

It's hard to believe that in less than 3 weeks that we will be spending our first night in our house! As you can imagine, I am beyond excited to decorate Blake's nursery :) I have another appointment scheduled for Monday, April 25th for an ultrasound. That way we can see that Blake is still a boy and then I can get started with his nursery finally! It's been so hard to hold off on buying a ton of stuff for him, particularly since we would have to be moving it again in a few weeks. I did, however, buy him a three-pack of onesies with little froggies on them!

I decided to get 6 month ones, since I'm sure he will be a little porker like the rest of us! For those of you who don't remember, I was a whopping 12 lbs 2 ounces when I was born (no, mom wasn't a diabetic, yes, I was a c-section, and I was 17 days late). Well, my superwoman mom had three children, and her smallest was 9 lb 14 ounces - wow, I know! My sister managed to have two little girls in the arena of 8 lbs, but for some reason I think he's gonna be a big baby ... Maybe I should start saying prayers now, huh?

I got the title of this blog from a comment my sister made to me on facebook the other day, she's so right. I'm challenging myself to take each day at a time and enjoy it to the fullest. If any of you interact with me on a daily basis, my thoughts are constantly consumed with what I have to get finished and the future. I'm going to try my best to sit back, and enjoy life for a change - day by day. I have a feeling that this year is going to be a whirlwind of memories when it comes to the end of December :)

16 Weeks

*How far along?: 16 Weeks
*How big is baby?: Avocado

*Weight Gain: Holding steady at 5 pounds
*Sex: Precious little boy :)
*Maternity clothes: Still rocking my maternity jeans/pants, but I try to wear dresses as much as I can because they are so much more comfortable!
*Stretch marks: Nope
*Sleep: It’s hard to find a comfortable position already (no more tummy sleeping, boo!), but I still have no problems sleeping once I find the right position
*Symptoms: Definitely been having some lower abdominal stretching pains, I get nauseated if I don’t eat something every 4-ish hours, and he’s already moving :)
*Movement: I can feel him moving a every now and then when I’m driving and any other time I’m sitting up, it felt like bubbles or butterflies in my lower abdomen initially, but now I’m certain it’s Blake moving around!
*Food cravings: Taco Bell’s bean burritos, no onions :)
*Labor signs: Nope
*Belly button in or out: Super innie still
*What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach
*What I'm looking forward to: Graduating and closing on our house in a little over four weeks!

It's a BOY!

Yesterday, March 26, 2011, we had an ultrasound of our little one. Allow me to introduce you to our son, Blake David Augestad :)

It is so amazing how much we love him already! God's creation is so amazing.

We announced our little boy to our family yesterday evening (Mrs. Augestad was in Texas with her family, but everyone else made it). We passed out cupcakes and instructed each person to take a bite to reveal the color of the icing inside (blue = boy, pink = girl).

The guesses for boy or girl among the family were split right down the middle ... half of the crew thought boy, half thought girl. Most of the Augestad boys guessed boy (all of the children on the Augestad side have been boys for quite some time, so I should have figured the odds were against us!).

His aunt (my sister) and cousins (my two nieces) already got him his first toy ...

We are so thrilled to meet our little man in about 5 months :) He has a whole family waiting on him and praying for him! He has no idea how much love is coming for him :)

God is so good! Hope you all had an amazing weekend!

Welcome to the Second Trimester!

I just had my official "workup" this morning (pretty much means blood and a couple other tests) for all that genetic testing stuff. We had our ultrasound at our last appointment, so we only got to hear the heart beat with the doppler this morning. However, that little heart beating at 150 beats per minute sounded pretty amazing :)

It's amazing that a week from tomorrow that we will know if we are having a little boy or little girl! We are telling our family together that afternoon, so we will be sharing it with the rest of you that evening (3/26)! I really hope our little one cooperates so we can see what they are working with :)

*How far along?: 14 Weeks 2 Days
*How big is baby?: Lemon
*Weight Gain: I'm ashamed to announce ... Already 5 pounds :(
*Sex: We just want healthy! We eventually want one of each, so either would be great! (However, we still both have a feeling it's going to be a girl)
*Maternity clothes: I got a couple pairs of maternity jeans and they are so much more comfortable that regular pants (can I get away with wearing these things FOREVER!?)!! I'm still not showing, but in the last couple weeks I cannot handle direct pressure on my tummy from my clothes.
*Stretch marks: Nope
*Sleep: I still can sleep like it's my job :)
*Symptoms: The two biggest symptoms that I notice daily are my moodiness (sorry honey!) and nausea if I don't eat every 4 hours.
*Movement: I thought I felt flutters a few days ago, but I dunno yet
*Food cravings: Anything carbohydrate :) Some proteins really don't sit well with me, depending on the day
*Labor signs: Nope
*Belly button in or out: In
*What I miss: Nothing!
*What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the sex next Saturday 3/26, and sharing it with our family that afternoon! Closing on our house 4/28, and my graduation 4/29 are a couple other, non-pregnancy related things we are looking forward to!

Thank you to everyone in sharing our excitement with us!

Love, Brooke (and David)

Big News :)

We're not going to post this to the public until sometime in March, but we just found out that we're expecting yesterday! We have shared the news with a few close friends and all our family! David and I are a little scared, but beyond excited to start a family of our own :) As of right now (if my timing is right), the due date is October 7, 2011! So that makes my maternity leave all through the holidays :) Couldn't have planned that ANY better!!!

*How far along?: 4 Weeks and 3 Days
*How big is baby?: The size of a poppy seed :)
*Weight Gain: Just starting all this, so nothing!
*Sex: ??
*Maternity clothes: None
*Stretch marks: None
*Sleep: I randomly woke up at 5:45 this morning, hoping this is not a sign for the preceding future! I fell asleep about 30 minutes later, though!
*Symptoms: Dizzy when I watch David play video games or my iPod touch, and the "girls" are sore
*Movement: Nada
*Food cravings: Nada
*Labor signs: Lord no!
*Belly button in or out: In
*What I miss: Nothing yet :)
*What I'm looking forward to: Our first ultrasound/sonogram!
*Best moment of the week: Looking at these tests!

Update :)

So I haven't posted in a little over a week, so I figured I would update our family from afar on our status!

*How far along?: 5 Weeks and 5 Days
*How big is baby?: The size of an apple seed :)
*Weight Gain: Just starting all this, so nothing!
*Sex: We just want healthy! We eventually want one of each, so either would be great!
*Maternity clothes: None
*Stretch marks: None
*Sleep: I'm a sleeping machine!
*Symptoms: Still having some dizzy spells, nausea is the worst between 3 pm and bedtime
*Movement: Nada
*Food cravings: Nada
*Labor signs: Not for at least 30 more weeks, k?
*Belly button in or out: In
*What I miss: Not being dizzy or nauseated
*What I'm looking forward to: Our first ultrasound/sonogram next Monday on Valentines :)
*Best moment of the week: Completely unrelated to the pregnancy, we sent off all our loan documents and finished of the final home paperwork (we're getting an electric stove with a flat cook top, yay!) They are supposed to be breaking ground on our home within the next week or so!!!

7 Weeks!

*How far along?: 7 Weeks
*How big is baby?: The size of a blueberry
*Weight Gain: Still nothing
*Sex: We just want healthy! We eventually want one of each, so either would be great!
*Maternity clothes: None
*Stretch marks: None
*Sleep: I'm a sleeping machine!
*Symptoms: Seems like anytime after 9 pm is my prime time for nausea
*Movement: Nada
*Food cravings: Nada
*Labor signs: Not for at least 29 more weeks, k?
*Belly button in or out: In
*What I miss: Being able to fall asleep without feeling nauseated
*What I'm looking forward to: Our first ultrasound/sonogram next Monday 2/21 :) They decided to push it back a week so we could see our little one's heart beating (this week is the week the heart forms quite a bit so you can see it more clearly via ultrasound).

Moving on Up!

So, we had a big surprise at our ultrasound visit today. We were certain that we were 7 weeks and 3 days before our visit, but the ultrasound tech said, "and now how far along do you think you are? ... because this baby is measuring almost 11 weeks!"

Here is our little peanut's first picture :)

Needless to say, we were a little surprised (I had a little inkling that we might be further along since I was already feeling nauseated mid-January) but excited to have our little one in our arms even sooner!

*How far along?: Approximately 10 weeks and 5 days
*How big is baby?: The size of a prune
*Weight Gain: Still nothing
*Sex: We just want healthy! We eventually want one of each, so either would be great! (However, we both have a feeling it's going to be a girl)
*Maternity clothes: None
*Stretch marks: None
*Sleep: I still can sleep like it's my job :)
*Symptoms: Nausea from 3 pm to midnight, headaches, and I'm a little more moody than usual (just ask my poor husband and co-workers, ha ha!)
*Movement: Nada
*Food cravings: Nothing really, just starting to feel a little more picky when I'm eating
*Labor signs: Not for at least 26 more weeks, k? Let's at least get to term (36 weeks)
*Belly button in or out: In
*What I miss: Nothing!
*What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the sex in about 3 weeks at one of those 4D places :)

Not Having It!

Here is an update on how are dogs are liking the feeders ...

Spoiled Rotten

For the last few years I've always taunted my mom about purchasing automatic dog feeders for their golden retrievers.

With me working 12 hour shifts it's hard to make sure that my sweet dogs are getting fed twice a day. So, I recently splurged on some automatic pet feeders that are on their way in the mail as we speak :)

I'll let you know how they work! Here's a picture of them ...


They each carry 10 lbs of food which will mean that I MIGHT have to refill them once every other week :)

Happy Belated Birthdays Kiwi (June) and Mango (February)!!!

Early Birthday Gift to Myself!

Aren't those the best gifts!? My 26th birthday is a week from tomorrow and I finally decided to splurge and get me one of these



iPod Touch - 32g 3rd Generation
7,000 songs
40 hours of video
Faster performance
Earphones with Remote and Mic
Along with Many other Features :)

I had struggled with this decision for a long time (since I've never owned an MP3 player of any sort) about whether to suck it up and do the iPhone or the iPod Touch and the decision ultimately came down to that I don't want to pay an extra $15-30 a month. The iPod Touch does EVERYTHING except phone calls, pictures/videos, and text messages (which my current cell phone does very well without any extra fees a month). A few of our friends have the iPod Touch and love them, so I can't wait to get mine :)

So, Happy Early 26th Birthday to ME!!!

Light at the end of the tunnel!

I'm finally headed to day shift, yahoo! I can't wait to have enough energy to work out regularly, work at the salon more often, and spend time with family and friends when they are awake! An answer to my prayers :)

Happy Anniversary

We just celebrated our one year anniversary (5/23/10) this weekend in Helen, Georgia (a little over an hour away) in a beautiful cabin. We saw Anna Ruby Falls, went tubing down the Chattahoochee, played mini golf, and explored the small city of Helen. Please enjoy a few of our favorite pictures from the trip ....

Our Cabin - Bella Vista


Enjoying the Back Porch


Miniature Golf


Hot tub with a waterfall in our bedroom, need I say more? :)


Getting ready to leave


One last hike to Anna Ruby Falls


Melting Pot 5/23/2010

Man, how this year has flown by!

My New Love

So, I think I'm in LOVE ...

With IKEA, ha ha (got you worried, didn't I?)

I totally forgot how much I love that place .. here are the most recent purchases that we have added to our home ...

Hemnes - 3 Drawer Dresser $149

Hemnes - Nightstand x 2 $59.99 Each

Antonius Closet Storage - ~$40 Each (each drawer and stand purchased separately)
(We got two units that are 6 drawers tall, without the casters)

$29.99 for a set of two

Of course, I forgot to mention that all the furniture has to be assembled. It didn't bother me too much, but I'm pretty sure my neighbors didn't appreciate my hammering at 1 am, ha ha! I was motivated, and couldn't stop :) I'll post pictures of our new, organized place as soon as I get everything in it's place!

Next time you're in the Atlanta area, make sure to stop by IKEA .. or if you want to keep your money in your bank account .. maybe you shouldn't? Happy shopping!

Thirty-One

I decided to become a consultant for a company called Thirty-One. They do in-home parties for embroidered goodies like lunch bags, purses, totes, towels, makeup bags, backpacks, etc. I think the Christian company mission is fabulous ...


I'm excited about sharing these cute new products with my friends and family. They are reasonably priced, and we all know that I like to keep myself busy with random side jobs .. so this will suffice for now :)

Please check out the catalogs if you are interested http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/catalog.htm .. I am not going to pay for the personal website monthly fee, so contact me directly for any orders or parties!

RIP Sugar

Our family golden retriever, Sugar, passed away on her 10th birthday, 03/30/2010, while being rushed to the emergency animal clinic. She had pericardial effusion (fluid in the sac surrounding her heart). Soo happy she could enjoy her new, baby sister (Cupcake) for the last couple weeks of her life. I will miss you, Sugar! God, thank you for allowing me to enjoy your creation through Sugar. Please take care of her up there :)

Sugar (dog) and Cupcake (puppy) 03/2010

Off Orientation

I don't know whether to be nervous,


or to be excited .. I'm glad to be finally on my own .. but I hope I don't screw anything up too bad. Tonight is the first night of three in a row for me. So, stay tuned to see how it goes :)

Working on the night train ..

Sorry I haven't updated in a while... For the last few months I've been trying to adjust to night shift at the hospital, working at the salon, finishing moving, and celebrating grandma's 92nd birthday up in Young Harris, GA.

Now that life is starting to settle down for us, of course I have to throw in a wrench and start back to school this summer. So I'm going to be a slave to school until I have N.P. behind my name (nurse practitioner for all you non-medical people out there).

David and I are both enjoying our jobs, but I do have to say that not seeing him at all when I work night shift really puts a damper on things. He works 9-5 and I work 7p - 7:30a so most days we don't even see each other for five minutes :( Oh well, it's the sacrifices that we have to do to make that money!

Drum Roll Please!

I've made my decision on where I'm going to work :) I accepted the med/surg nights position at Northside -Forsyth in Cumming, GA.

It's located about 25 miles north of the main Atlanta campus ...

Now we just need to figure out a place to live that's convenient to everything :) David and I are currently considering Sandy Springs again so he can easily get to school, but we can also hike up to Cumming (for my job) and Roswell (for his job). We shall see! As usual, we will keep you updated!

It feels so great to finally have a plan! Now, I just need my GA nursing license to post online so that I can start orientation in January :)

Still Trying to Decide

So, I mailed off all of my GA board of nursing paperwork to get my RN license in GA. I found out on Thursday that it can take 5 weeks to get licensure, so even though I have not heard from Shelby about the L&D position, I figured it can't hurt to go ahead and get my license since we eventually want to move back anyways.

I have officially decided to make Wednesday (12/23/09) my cut off date in making my decision about what job to take. If Shelby has not communicated with me about the job by then, then I'm accepting Northside's offer! I really don't understand how Shelby thinks they can get away with having me wait almost a month to hear back about if I got the job or not. That's ridiculous. I mean, if they want me, then they wouldn't be taking their sweet time.

I hope I'm making the right decision :( God, please guide and bless the manager at Shelby and myself in this process ...

Decisions Decisions

Below is the predicament that I am currently in .. I have copy/pasted a few emails that were sent/received today about my job hunt...


Sent 9:37 AM to Shawn (nurse manager) from Me

Hey Shawn,

I hope you had a great weekend! Quick question, I was wondering if you have made your decision for your nights position(s)? I was offered a med-surg position over the weekend and I really do NOT want to accept their offer if you are going to offer me a position to work with your floor. I believe I have a week or two to respond to that job offer, is there any way you will be making your decision by then? Sorry to bother. Have a great week!

Brooke

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Received 12:20 PM from Shawn to Me

I am still conducting interviews so I can not promise I will have a decision in time for you to make your decision. I encourage you to evaluate what is best for you at this time. Because Women’s is a specialty area, my decisions are often long thought out due to past experiences. I do appreciate your eagerness and interest in working in the Women’s Center here at Shelby. Your impression from the interview process enables you to remain an applicant of consideration but again I have not reached a decision to date.

Thank you,

Shawn Yarbrough, R.N.

-----

Sent 12:41 PM from Me to Shawn

Shawn,

Thank you for such a quick response :)

I do need to tell that other offer by this Friday, but I will ask them to give me more time. I will wait however long that it is necessary for you to make your decision. I would rather work with you all than anywhere else, so however long I need to wait, I will wait :) Best of luck in the rest of your interviews!

Brooke

So the decision that I have to make is ... if I have not heard anything from Shelby (labor and delivery nights in Birmingham) by Friday, and I'm supposed to let Northside (med-surg nights in Atlanta) know by Friday .. what should I do? I'm considering accepting the offer in Atlanta, but what if I'm offered the L&D position a week after I tell Northside that I will accept their offer? I wish I could predict the future ...

Interview Central

I went on an interview last week for a Birmingham area hospital for Labor and Delivery Nights (my DREAM job, not shift though). I have another interview tomorrow at an Atlanta area hospital for Med/Surg Days (my DREAM shift, not job). I hope I get a job offer SOON!!! Hoping to post some amazing news next week :)

Our First Thanksgiving

This year we decided to spend our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple in Birmingham. Our niece was born last week, so we used last weekend for our vacation time. I (Brooke) had to work at Brookwood on Thanksgiving, but at least I got time and a half! We decided to celebrate today (Friday) instead :) The picture above is my first attempt at cooking a turkey on my own so I wanted to document it with a picture. It actually turned out really yummy! I made stuffing, rolls, mashed potatoes (from scratch), gravy (from scratch), and green bean casserole.

The only thing that would have made it better would have been being with family, but maybe next year! We can't wait to see everyone for Christmas. I guess that means we need to put up our decorations this weekend. Man, this year is flying by! Hope you all have a wonderful night!