Baseball Fever

Kevin and I have such bad Baseball Fever. We cannot wait for opening day of our favorite team, the Colorado Rockies. Maybe part of our anticipation and excitement is because of what the Rox did last year as they made their run to the World Series. Maybe it's in part because we love the whole atmosphere of baseball games - the hot dogs, the scorecards, the cheers, the songs, the 7th inning stretch, the peanuts, the crowd, the wave. Maybe it's because we are both big fans of baseball as a sport, and because we both understand what's going on all the time (Kevin's an avid sports fan and I played competitive girls fast-pitch softball for 4+ years). We've even turned our little girl into a baseball fan. Whenever we drive by Coors Field, she sees something baseball related or we mention the Rockies, she'll raise her arms and scream "Go Rockies!"

We only have exactly one more week left until opening day festivities and to see our men in purple in action as we cheer from our seats, a row above the out-of-town scoreboard. This day marks the beginning of a busy weekend for us as we have the opening day game next Friday, our anniversary on Saturday, the second game on Sunday and a Wiggles concert on Monday. But, hey, we couldn't be more excited!!

As a sidenote: It probably doesn't help our anticipation any that we started playing a baseball video game last night. It was a re-match from the World Series .. the Sox against the Rox and the Sox won again. I was "controlling" the Rockies, and let's just say, I left a lot of bases loaded, but I did have one amazing home run thanks to Matt Holliday.

Isn't it time for a change?

Today marks the first day of Spring. Yea! Spring means warmer weather, rain showers, blooming flowers, grass turning green .. everything just springs back to life. The air feels fresher, the sun feels warmer and the days are longer.

Spring also brings a sense of renewal. And, a time for reflection. And, even a time to start things anew or change your way of thinking.

My family had quite a scare last night. My dad called me soon after I got home from work, as I was preparing dinner, to let me know my mom was in the hospital's ER and had been taken there from her job via ambulance. She was experiencing sharp, stabbing chest pains, on the left side, leading her to believe she was having a heart attack. When my dad called me, he didn't know anymore than that and that the doctors had done some testing (EKG, blood work, etc.) and that they were giving her nitro-glycerin (which would help her if she was indeed having a heart attack). After questioning him, searching for answers, I was on my way down to the hospital. On my way, I called family and close family friends to ask for prayers for my mom. My sister and I arrived at the same time, and walked in together, and embraced our mom with hugs the minute we saw her.

After waiting and waiting and waiting, I finally got her nurse to tell me what was going on since the test results were back - everything was negative meaning no heart attack. A couple hours later, a ER doctor stepped into the room to go into further detail. He said that with the test results coming back negative, chances are that it wasn't a heart attack, but indicated that those tests are 100 percent, and they'd need to do another round in six hours. He suggested admitting her overnight for observation and a possible stress test in the morning. He also said there was a 2-5 percent chance that this was a heart attack, or heart related, so he couldn't rule that out completely, just yet.

A couple hours later, all of us, but my dad who stayed with her, said our goodbyes to let her get some rest with a request if anything changes to call. As I crawled into bed last night, I was so worried about my mom, even though the doctor said chances are everything is fine. When I awoke this morning, I called for an update. The second round of test results showed negative again, and a couple hours later the doctor told my mom that her heart is healthy. And, that the pain she was having was most likely a combination of extreme stress related to her job and a major flare up of her fibromylagia. The doctor would like her to follow up with her doctor in the next couple months to get a stress test done.

My mom is now in the comfort of her home, and no longer on the ER gurney. Her doctor gave her a note saying she wasn't allowed to go to work today, even though that was her first thought - to go into work this afternoon. And, tomorrow, going to work is up to my mom and how she feels. My hope is she stays home, and has a nice long weekend to rest and not have to face the stress of her job again so soon allowing her body to heal and calm down some.

I need my mom around. My world just wouldn't function without her. My family wouldn't function without her. My mom is the kind of person to take on every task no matter what it is and fulfill it 4000 percent. She's really loving, gentle, caring, friendly, strong, sensitive, a giver not a taker ... just simply a wonderful woman inside and out. But, she doesn't always take care of herself, and I am praying very hard that with this experience, she will try something new and start taking care of herself. Because, like I said, I need her around, heck, everyone that knows my mom needs her around and not just for what she does for each and every one of us, but simply for who she is. Our world is so much better because we know her and have her in our lives, and because she loves us.

Grandpa, we'll love you forever..

Having an answer for every question
Understanding more than I ever knew,
Glad to help relieve any form of stress,
Happy no matter what there was to do.
Trying so hard to make everyone happy,
Regardless of an extra mile.
Intentions always on the good side,
Careful to always say the right thing,
Knowing more than we'll ever know,
He's above us with a pair of wings.
Unlimited love to us he gave,
Living life one day at a time,
Having difficulties to overcome
Oh, if life were as easy as rhyme.
Leaving us wasn't his choice at all
Loving us forever was,
And in our hearts he remains,
Never again to leave us.

Dearest Grandpa, you're always missed and are forever loved.

(My family lost a wonderful man seven years ago today, but what he taught us and his love will remain with us forever.)

Mmm... Strawberries

We just got home from our weekly grocery store run. While in the produce section, I always let Brooklyn pick out a berry of her choice that looks good to her. This week she choose strawberries. The strawberries were buy one get one free, and as I examined the strawberries through their plastic containers to make sure they all looked fresh, I noticed one that was huge toward the bottom. I showed it to Brooklyn right away and boy was she just so excited. She said, I have that when I go home, and I said absolutely! When we got home, I pulled out that strawberry, washed it and gave it to her whole. It is about the size of a lime! She sat down at the table with her strawberry and began munching on it. Pretty soon, she offered me a bite, and then the strawberry was gone. She told me it was "really yummy."

Now, you have to understand where we have been with Brooklyn and fruit. She has hated it for as long as I can remember. She didn't like the baby food to begin with, so I made her baby food with the help of a baby cookbook and my trusty food processor. I can't tell you how many times I steamed fruit and pureed it only to have her give me a look like yea right Mom! We kept trying though with no luck. She'll eat all the vegetables in the world, in fact they have always been more of a favorite to her than meat, but fruit, no way. It's only within the past six months or so, that she has really decided that fruit would be okay to try. First we started with bananas, and she ate a couple bites every once in a while. We eventually started mixing more and more fruits into the mix. Now, I'm proud to say that she'll eat oranges, apples, bananas, grapes, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and on occasion, peaches. We're still working on introducing her to all the rest of the fruit world, but this is a huge step for her. She will now ask for a specific fruit by name for a snack.

So, when we came home today and she sat down and pretty much divoured the strawberry, I felt so happy. And, the strawberry did taste pretty good too.

Those two little lines

It only takes two little lines to change your whole world. The first appears automatically, and as you wait those very long three minutes, you realize if the other line does appear, things are going to be different from here on out. Not only are you going to have an amazing, loving 2 year old running around your house, but you are going to be welcoming an infant into your family of three. This will change the dynamic of your family forever, but in a good way. As you are in the midst of your thoughts, you realize that three minutes have come and gone. You grab the test and look it over, realizing that yes, in fact, there are two lines. Your heart skips a beat, a smile washes over your face and you thank the Lord for this blessing.

Yes, you might have guessed it by now .. I am pregnant with our second child!!

I am now almost 10 weeks along, meaning that our baby is due October 3rd. We've been to the first pre-natal appointment where during the ultrasound Brooklyn was waving, blowing kisses and calling to her "brudder or siser" to come out and play. We plan to take her with us to every appointment because we want to share this journey with her. And, while she might not understand exactly what is going on, there's nothing to be ashamed about, or no reason why she can't be there. She's as much apart of our family as this baby will be, and if you know us, we love to do things together, as a family.

She is understanding and mimicking Mommy's every move though. Much like when I was pregnant with Brooklyn, I am once again very, very nauseous and have found I can't keep as much food down as I would like. If I cough, she looks at me with concerned eyes and says "you need to 'frow up' Mommy." Several times she has came to my aid when I get that sick, rubbing my back, flushing the toilet and offering to hold me. It's all very precious. And, then, there's those times, when we're playing and she runs to the sink on her play kitchen and says "oh I need to frow up."

Kevin has been very supportive and extremely helpful, especially with chores around the house. He insists on helping with laundry on weekends, so I won't have any to do during my days off. He also has taken an interest in cooking dinner from time to time, which I must admit is a huge help as I can get pretty sick at night too.

It's just such an amazing journey that we have embarked on once again. We are all so thrilled as our families. And, we cannot wait to meet this little one later this year!!