Fangs
Landry is cutting all four of her 'fang' teeth at one time and she had been a grumpapotomous lately. Not all of the time but when she is....she really is! It's been going on for a few weeks now but the last few days have been oh, so fun. Eating has been the biggest challenge. I have made her all small, soft food but she's still a little disagreeable sometimes. The funny thing is that she loves a pretzel! Go figure.
On a happier note, I picked up her bedding and drapes I had made for her new big girl room! It is going to be so cute. I cannot wait to put it all together and see her reaction the first time we let her sleep in there. It will be a big transition for all of us because she has never been able to get out of her crib by herself. She's going to think it's jailbreak time the first time she wakes up and she doesn't have to wait for someone to come get her. I am a little afraid if you want to know the truth of the matter.....really afraid. I will have to say though, her room is going to be great! I am so happy that I am able to give her the room I always wished for. The only sad part is that she probably won't ever know there was another option. I hope I instill in her many different forms of gratitude because it is important to me for her appreciate all of the things that she is privileged to have or experience. I know I sure do.

FEVER
Mike has been out of town since early Monday morning and since I am a germ-o-phobe these days, Landry and I haven't been anywhere but Moms Morning Out and a quick trip to Walmart(both germ magnets, I know). Today, I had big plans to make Mike dinner and do a quick clean-up before he got home. However, Landry had other plans for her Mama today. She was taking a nap and I suddenly looked up and realized that she had been down for over 2.5 hours. I went to go get her up and she was burning up. I mean on fire. I immediately gave her some Tylenol, took her temp and called her pediatrician. They told me to bring her in immediately so in a mad dash I was out the door in less than 3 minutes. The funny thing about my girl is that she was in the best mood ever. I was in a panic trying to get her there and she was singing 'wwweeeeee!' as we went over the road ways we call a roller coaster here in Mississippi. She called out every car, truck, lake and boat she saw. She giggled and laughed and talked to me all while having a 102.2 degree fever. By the time we got to the doctors office she settled down and realized where she was. Bless her heart. They swabbed every hole in her head and she was not very happy about it. She tested negative for strep, the flu and RSV and she only read a fever of 99 degrees. When I got home, she didn't have a fever at all. Go figure. Other than the swabbing incident, she never got out of sorts. She is such a great child. She is so go with the flow. It has been since last December that she's even had a fever and for that I feel very blessed. She was sitting in her high chair eating a big supper when her Daddy finally poked his head in the door. She was so excited. She missed him while he gone and asked for him quite a few times but it seems like she always knew he was coming home to her. He gave her a bath and got her ready for bed. We threw the ball and played kick for a while and she was beaming the whole time. She especially loved story time. The best memories are made from nights like these and I feel so blessed that we have such a happy, resilient little girl. I hope she always has such a wonderful spirit. It will serve her well in so many of life's circumstances if she can hang on to it.

A Round Table
Last night I hosted Bunko with a group of friends from church. I cooked for everyone, cleaned(a little) and got the Bunko prizes ready. I was really excited to serve a meal in my dining room and at my beautiful dining room table. Like most formal dining rooms it rarely ever gets used. I hate that too because I really do love that room. Landry's Christening gown portrait hangs as a centerpiece in the room and I love lighting it up and looking at it. The one thing I love about my dining room table is that it is round. It makes for great conversation and no one ever seems to be left out. I love that. I love that when eight women get together after a hard day of work, worrying, thinking, carpooling, running or the hardest of all, mothering that we can get together and give each other the attention that we deserve. I cherish the camaraderie that a fun night of Bunko provides and more importantly, I appreciate knowing that I have such great friends to spend an evening with.

Riches
There are days in your life that you look around and just feel incredibly blessed. Today was one of those for me. I have come to really appreciate the simple things in my life that make me so full and complete. Here are a few...
*getting homemade french toast on a random Saturday morning*not ever having to unload the dishwasher*a husband that loves his family...and shows it*my health*a kick in the ribs-thanks to my baby boy*a cabinet full of groceries and nothing to eat :)*a closet full of clothes---and nothing to wear because my pregnant belly is too big :) :)*my daughters unsolicited kisses & 'tight' hugs*homemade vegetable soup on a brisk fall day*digging out my favorite fuzzy socks when it gets too cold to go barefooted*selling pumpkins at my church to raise money for Blair E. Batson Hospital*Bella's constant nudging me to sit just a little closer*friends that love me*cornbread cooked in my mama's old skillet*bedtime prayers with Landry*a few minutes to myself*Dora--because she makes my girl sooo happy*my camera*Alabama football RTR!*my 5 senses*Mom's morning out ;)*my computer*The FATHER, SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT*Life*

Mother
Today would have been my mothers 72nd birthday but she left us 7 1/2 years ago. I missed her when I lost Sophie in such a heart wrenching way that I began to question how I would handle motherhood when I finally got to experience it. Fortunately, the arrival of Landry created in me a clean heart and I was renewed. That verse comes from a song we sing at VBS and it is so true. The birth of Landry healed me more in a matter of minutes than a lifetime without her would have in regard to Sophie but on the flip side, my pain where my mother was concerned was magnified. It wasn't something I ever expected but it was real and unavoidable. I tried to put it behind me and pretend that her lack of presence didn't bother me but it really does. I miss not having a mother to share my life's blessings with. She was responsible for so many of my other blessings that it only seems natural that I want to share with her the people that I love so much. It makes me sad that she didn't get to know most of her grandchildren. Since she's been gone there have been 7 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren born. I can't imagine how full her life would have been had she been able to experience these beautiful children. Mother, I know that God created in you a clean heart and that you were supremely renewed. I couldn't ask for a better birthday than that for you. I pray that you are complete and that your heart is whole again. I miss you as a mother, a friend, a child and a child's mother. May you Rest in Peace.

BM3
I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to find out what we were having because I had not found out with either one of my girls and it led to an exciting arrival. When we were headed to have our second sonogram I asked Mike what he wanted to do. He had been adament the entire time that it was my decision. I asked him one last time before we went in and he said he would like to know but that it was my decision. He has never asked for much and has done so much to help me get through all of my pregnancies that it was an easy decision to make. We went in and found out that we were going to have a son. You could have knocked us both over with a feather. We were convinced that we were having another girl. We have been blessed with good results on the AFP(alphafetal protein test). It is the one that indicates early signs of Down Syndrome and other birth defects. Tomorrow we will have a visit with Dr. Jennifer Shores and check out his little heart. There is no reason other than it will make me feel better and it will be one more way I can see the little guy. I will have to say that this pregnancy has been very different. I know they all are but with this one, the nausea has been less but the fatigue has lingered. It could be because I am chasing around a toddler. I can't complain because for the most part I am doing great.
I have started to really feel him kicking around and moving more and more. It makes me so happy to have that connection with him knowing that he is in there growing and thriving. :)
I just finished up a lemon sorbet and he is doing the happy dance right now. I am much more relaxed with this pregnancy than I was with Landry but I still carry quite a bit of anxiety. I know that I will until he arrives safe and sound. Now, on to naming him......

Did you miss me?
I know, I know. I have been MIA for almost 2 months now and that is just downright pathetic. I have been keeping a list of all the things that have been going on in Maderville so I am going to attempt to briefly touch on them, catch up and forgive myself for not keeping up. Today is a new day and I will get back on track from now on. I gotta apologize to my SON first and foremost for not documenting his fetal growth the way I should have. That's right...we are going to have a boy!! I am getting a little ahead of my posts but I wanted to give my apologies to him first because he deserves to be documented like his big sister has been and Mama will do a better job from now on little man. I promise. There! Moving on from the guilt train....
Where oh where do I start? I have been so busy, not still and loving life. I am finally over the hump of the bad nausea and I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am. I will never have to do that again!! Since I know that this is my last pregnancy, I have really embraced it. It is totally different than my pregnancies with my girls. I think running after a toddler may have something to do with it but it has been pretty uneventful so far.
Landry...wow what a kid! She has just grown by leaps and bounds in the every area. She is incredibly verbal and thoughtful. She has a great sense of humor and timing and is truly loved by everyone. She has the charm I only dream of having. I feel so blessed to be her mama. When we started Mothers Morning Out this fall she has gone through a little separation anxiety. I don't know where it came from but she did not want to go in to the toddler room. She was very happy with the babies. I indulged for a few days and let them move her gradually into the 'big girl' room but finally had to leave her crying in her permanent room. It killed me but when I looked at her through the window...2 minutes later...she was fine. Little faker!!! She sure can bring on the crocodile tears...lesson learned for mama!
This summer our little girl became quite the swimmer. She is not afraid of the water at all. She loves jumping to her Daddy and going all the way under. She has learned to paddle to the side and grab on. I pray for her safety and her love of water to continue.
DORA and ELMO live in Maderville. FULL TIME! All she wants to do is watch Dora over and over and over and over. Does it ever end?! I hope that there aren't subliminal messages in those shows because she is the prime candidate for a Dora brainwashing. She is really learning so much from it though so I can't complain. She started counting in Spanish the other day and I had no idea where she got it from. She is a sponge. She can count to 5 by herself and to 20 with help. She knows all of the numbers but she gets the order confused after 6. She can also say her entire alphabet with help too. She knows most of her shapes, many colors and any animal and their sound you can think of. She loves to please and she is constantly in a learning mode. I am diligent in her learning something new every day. I try to make it fun and she seems to just love it. I hope her thirst for learning is something that she always has in her heart.
We went to visit Granddaddy and Grandma and had a great time! I got to visit with my oldest brother Russ and spend some quality time with him. Landry just loved him and I love seeing that. She got to swim in Granddaddy's newly finished pool and he was even able to get in there with her and swim. I just got teary thinking about him spending time with her. I thought back to the pictures that I have with him while we were in Vietnam. He has a few more gray hairs and a few more wrinkles but that baby in the pool looked just like her mama did when she was her age. It just amazes me how the cycle of life repeats itself. My start was very, very different from hers but being loved is something that neither one of us will ever have to be without. The trip through the airport was quite an experience being pregnant and chasing after a toddler. She is quite a ball of energy and her mama...is NOT these days. I was absolutely beat by the time I got through the airport on the way in so they ended up wheeling me through the airport on the way home. Even though I thought it was a little ridiculous it ended up being a lifesaver and I swear for a moment that Landry was going to start waving at the crowd as we rolled on by.
We took her to see Elmo Live and she loved it. I was hoping it wasn't a wast of time and money since she is still so young but it ended up being worth every dime. Seeing her watch and absorb that show was so much fun for us. I think Mommy and Daddy enjoyed it more than she did!
All in all, little Miss Landry is way beyond the mark developmentally, socially, cognitively and physically. She has an incredible vocabulary and like her mother....she knows how to use it. She also knows that something is about to change. I can see subtle changes in her when we talk about babies and brothers. She knows that the only child gig is just about UP!
Tomorrow, I am going to finish up this post with little man Mader. I think he deserves a post of his own so I will try to post some pics and another post in the next 24! PEACE!