Life of a Toodlebug

A NEW SITE!!!!

2011-12-29T22:47:00.002-06:00

Please follow me to my NEW SITE! I have my new site up and running:

www.toodlebugfamily.wordpress.com

That's right, I made the move. I was tired of dealing with the complicated Blogger and its issues. So I created the site I was hoping to--switching from Life of a Toodlebug to Toodlebug Family. I hope that you will follow me over to WordPress and read my journey as my little family continues to grow.

Thank you.

merry christmas to all

2011-12-27T17:22:00.007-06:00

This Christmas has come and gone...and about 5 minutes ago I just finished pulling the ornaments off the tree and the stockings off the mantle. I love Christmas, but this year seemed different. And I was ready to get the Christmas decor put away since Baby W will be arriving at any time. All that remains of the holiday is a bare tree (Michael has been working 100+ hours in the past week, so that will just have to wait for another day) and a pile of Christmas candy. The candy is disappearing faster than anticipated. So far today I've had oreos, Skittles, mini Fastbreak bars, and a few Starbursts.

SO, a recap of the Wilkerson family Christmas is a little something like this:

Friday, December 23rd:

Michael got home from work around 6:30pm and played Santa, displaying gifts under the tree... We enjoyed having "our" Christmas together that evening complete with Pandora radio's Jingle Bell Rock station and a 5ft tall stuffed giraffe that Michael bought for Noah. (He did end up buying it from the hospital gift shop!) Michael out-does me with gift giving every year. It's not about money or quantity...it's about how every single thing he gets me is "me." He is so very thoughtful when it comes to gifts. This year I received a moms-to-be spa package and an embroidery machine to replace my ancient sewing machine!!! Now I can monogram like crazy. I got Michael manly things like garage lighting, grill supplies, and boxer shorts...again, I'm not the greatest at gift giving.

Riley and Lily got stockings filled with toys and treats. Our Christmas dinner consisted of stocking candies because this girl was horrible and hasn't been to the grocery in several weeks. By the time I really thought about it, the crowds scared me away. So we still only have Cheetohs and canned soups in our house. Also a pound of freezer burnt ground turkey.

December 24th: Christmas Eve!!!!

I love Christmas Eve...usually. This year, not so much. I was sad b/c Michael was working 24 hours and I was spending the majority of the day alone. I decided that a pregnant girl should sleep as much as possible, so that's what I did. That was daytime. Night time was quite wonderful on the contrary. The Lovell family (Ben and Ashley) invited us over to their new home for dinner!! It meant so much to have somewhere to go. We ate and ate (and ate) with Ben, Ashley, Ben's brothers and mom. Michael was able to join for a couple of hours before going back to the hospital! I then went home, turned on TBS' continuous Christmas Story movie, and cleaned the house until 2am. That's some energy I haven't seen in quite some time...

December 25th: Merry Christmas!

Michael called the house around 6:15am announcing he was on his way home to pick me up. We were to drive to Nashville to open presents with his family and then to Granny's for lunch/dinner. To be honest, I was NOT looking forward to driving to Nashville. I knew that riding that long in a car would make me uncomfortable, moody, and swollen. Also, I was scared I would go into labor and wouldn't be near Jackson-Madison hospital. But I prayed the night before for a better attitude, and sure enough, it worked. McDonald's was even open, which was my "small Christmas miracle" that helped change my attitude. ;) We enjoyed seeing the family. I did come home sore and swollen...but it was worth it. I don't think his family reads this, but if you do, it's not personal: it's about traveling while having the lung capacity of a 90 year old smoker. :)

It was overall such a great holiday. Yesterday I had the day off and lounged around while Michael worked another 24 hours. I saw him for a little bit today before he went to work this afternoon. HE SCRUBBED THE SHOWERS TODAY! And I don't mean "half-ass" cleaned them...our tub is shining like I've never seen it shine before. He has been spoiling me lately...and I love him for that.

I didn't take many pics, but I will leave you with a few from all of the celebrating!

blogger trouble

2011-12-21T19:41:00.008-06:00

Oh there have been so many blogger troubles...

First, trouble with pictures and the layouts and where I wanted pictures, in what order, and if I wanted the words on top or on bottom (because it is now impossible for me to post words-then a pic-then more words, etc.). The enter button doesn't even seem to work correctly.

I couldn't get the "publish post" button to work. After being frustrated for quite some time, I finally googled my issue and found a weird, but simple, solution. I must click "SAVE" then go to the homepage to "edit posts", click on the "edit" box, then "publish selected" at the bottom of the page. It's a roundabout way to get the job done. So there you are, if you are having the same problems as I am with blogger!

So :::sigh::: I'm finally back. But hopefully not for too long b/c Noah will be here SOON! :) I can't even think about what you need updated on! While in Indiana, we had a very nice baby shower and maternity pics done around Thanksgiving. Did I even get to post about this? I don't know because I'm really that far behind!

Then we made our way back to Jackson and had our 3rd and final baby shower hosted by the Lovell family. We've been to Dr.s appointments, work, work Christmas parties, friends' Christmas parties, etc. etc. etc. You know how December is! Busy, but a fun month. We've had a few snow showers, which are unusual for this time of year in Jackson...But no worries, the temp is back up into the upper 50s for Christmas.

Michael bought a used Toyota Sequoia from his boss, so his Volvo is empty and spit-shined with a price tag on it to sell. The Sequoia will allow more room for our growing family...not to mention that my husband is happy to have an SUV as opposed to a car again.

The nursery is completed and I will be posting pics soon... Michael is contemplating buying a 5 foot tall stuffed giraffe from his hospital's gift shop. :-D It makes me giddy when I think of him doing "Daddy things" and going into the gift shop on his break with his son in mind.

He touches my belly and asks about Noah every day. Although lately I've been more of a frightening encounter than a loving wife/mommy. I have constant heartburn, am never comfortable, constantly sore, tired, and verrrrrrry irritable. My moodiness is out of control and even I wish I could get away from myself sometimes. So that's when I just take another nap, because that way no one has to hear from me and I don't have to hear from me! HAHA (I laugh, but it's totally true.)

Our pets are ready for Christmas...they even got smaller versions of our monogrammed stockings. Our Christmas is a little different this year due to Michael's work schedule. We are planning on having our Christmas in Jackson on Friday night. On Christmas Eve, Michael will be working a 24h shift and getting home on Christmas morning. On Christmas morning we plan to drive to Nashville to see his dad, open gifts with the family, and head back to Jackson mid-day. I'm a little BAH-HUMBUG this year! Next year will be "the bomb.com" though---I'm looking forward to the many Christmas traditions with our little crew. (Riley, who is lying next to my feet as I type, concurs.)

Now I need to get off of here and pick up the house. I'm forever in fear of going into labor and having empty McD's cups and dirty clothes lying around the house. I'm also in fear of going into labor in my current state: A mess of a human being in a XXL Native American shirt, pants from the 8th grade, and unshaven legs. Maybe I should solve this problem?? Or maybe I should think about writing some baby shower thank yous.... Or better yet, maybe I should reclaim my spot on the couch and eat another spoonful of rainbow chip icing. :)

One more thought...WHY ARE ALL OF MY LITTLE PARAGRAPHS RUNNING TOGETHER?! It isn't allowing me to put spaces between them, even though they appear on my draft. If you have a better solution for blogger or a better website to use, PLEASE SHARE! :)

maternity pics and such

2011-12-09T10:29:00.005-06:00

Just thought I would share some maternity pics! As usual, I've been absent. Absent-minded, absent from blogger, absent from productivity. Just plain absent. But that's ok...I'm enjoying my time being tired (aka sleeping as much as I want) and hungry (aka eating as much as I want). Reality is that little Noah could arrive anytime through 7 weeks. Let's hope before 7 weeks...he's still measuring to be a big boy! Today I decided that I NEEDED to pick up the house, do some laundry, accomplish charts for work, run to the post office, and attend my work Christmas party. Who started the "employees get a turkey or ham for holidays" tradition anyway?

Nothing too much to report. I can't even eat a Christmas M&M without massive heartburn. And yeah, I kind of feel sorry for myself because red and green M&Ms are one of my holiday necessities.

Hope yall are having a nice holiday season and that your is as stress-free and uneventful as mine has been! :) I'm still "pinteresting" and will post some recipes/crafts very soon!

giving and receiving

2011-11-15T09:52:00.002-06:00

With Thanksgiving arriving soon, I have been thinking a lot about giving and receiving. Some days it's easy to think that there are no good people left in the world--that everyone is grumpy, selfish, and overly opinionated. (Atleast I think this sometimes!)

Then I am reminded. I have been reminded in so many ways lately.

One of my favorite "give and receive"s has been dinner with the Mays. They are always inviting us over for a home-cooked meal, then we return the gesture...and a great friendship has formed over something as simple as spaghetti. The Mays have had their share of heartache this year...so I am very grateful to God that he put this special couple into our lives. In fact, tonight we are headed over to their house for homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese. YUM. I will mention that her food is significantly tastier than the food I cook them!

I also love sharing things. My mom and I have always shared and swapped clothes with each visit. My friends and I also share a good bit...whether it's clothes, magazines, books, etc., it's a good way to have something "new" and rid of the "old." I have worn maternity clothes throughout my pregnancy that are borrowed...and through generous acts like these, I am learning to be a more sharing, giving person. And when I do give, the saying rings true, "It is better to give than to receive."

This past weekend my mom, aunt, and stepsister hosted a baby shower for Noah in Nashville. First of all, these ladies flew or drove in just for this shower. AND spent the weekend with me. Most of Michael's family attended the shower, as well as a few friends that I haven't seen in almost 2 years. Every one was so generous with their gifts, but I was more touched that people took their time to come. Hopefully I can return the favor to them one day! (I will share more on this shower later once I get the pics from my mom...My aunt and uncle got Noah the sweetest handmade quilt that I'm dying to share.) Nobody was forced to come and I didn't expect them to...they just did, and it meant a lot.

Last week Michael's car was not in good shape. After working on it for hours and changing several parts over the course of a week, a fellow resident (former engineer and professional "tinker-er") offered to spend a Friday night helping him diagnose the problem and get it running. I am so thankful that there are people like him that will extend a hand when needed. And because of his kindness, Michael was able to drive to Nashville to spend the weekend with his dad while I was doing the shower.

As you can see, I am mostly on the "receiving" end of this blog. I have been blessed beyond measure and sometimes feel overwhelmed by all of the good people Michael and I are surrounded by. The word grateful is quite the understatement. And with Thanksgiving approaching, I am reminded to GIVE THANKS but to also just to GIVE.