Grandparents

Brooksie,

I hope one day you will realize how wonderful your grandparents are. All of them. And all for different reasons.

Grandma & Grandpa Hudson have been trying to stimulate your mind since the day you were born. They brought you a stack of books up to the ceiling when they came to meet you for the first time. They want you to be smart and educated. Your Grandma Barb was a library director and Hud was a teacher. They both know how important it is to read to you and help you grown into a smart little man so you can be successful. Although they don't see you as often as the other two sets because they live so far away (Colorado) they love you very much and I know are looking forward to watching you grow into a young gentleman.

Grandpa & Grandma Garvin- You might think these two are nuts, and they are, but it's a WONDERFUL thing! They are SO much fun and are the most giving people you will ever meet... whether they are giving time, attention, or presents, they are always full of generosity! Grandma Janet has always been worried about your safety and health (that's the doctor coming out in her)... whether it's telling me not to let you fall off the coffee table, or and your Grandpa Daril is the complete opposite. He wants you to get dirty and do horribly dangerous things (like climb trees and wrestle with your daddy) because he wants you to learn to fall and get back up.

Grandpa & Grandma Sabedra- They raised me and I turned out okay. But other than that, two of the most wonderful and Christlike people you will ever meet. These two are concerned about your soul. Grandma Debbie is probably the most nurturing person you will ever meet and will spoil you rotten (probably as bad as Grandpa Daril), while your Grandpa Mike will want to teach you things (like Spanish) and make sure you are well prepared to be an adult. When he speaks, listen. You will find when you get older that he was usually right.

There are other people in this world who will treat you like their own grandchild. Like Ray & Lisha Collins, probably one of the most fun couples in the world to be around, Kent & Abby King, who helped (along with Ray & Lisha) to raise me and both of them are equally funny in their own way, and the Abbott's. When Kent Abbott tells you something, you should also listen, because although he is goofy sometimes, is probably the smartest business man I know and is willing to share that knowledge with you... so take it. Jalee Abbott is just like your Grandma Debbie, kind, fun, silly, and Christlike. Take advice from all of these wonderful people when they talk. Open doors for them. Give them lots of hugs and kisses. And let them tell you the same stories over and over again. Because at the end of the day, these people would probably give their life for you, so the LEAST you can do is be willing to listen to the same stories (that are probably NOT true because I was such a good child) about the terrible things your mommy did when I was younger.

With all that said, a few weeks ago (February 22-24, 2011)was the first time you stayed overnight by yourself with anyone other than me or your daddy. It was so hard to let you go (we met Grandma Debbie and Uncle Vincent in Chickasha to drop you off and have dinner). I cried in the restaurant for a few minutes and then cried the whole way home. You stayed two whole nights in a row... and I missed you more than words can ever say. But after one night of crying myself to sleep (which is ironic because the week you were born I also cried myself to sleep every night because I was scared to death I wouldn't like you) I soon realized that Grandma & Grandpa Sabedra raised me... and that you are in good hands. I missed you terribly, but with people like this in your life, you're gonna turn out alright too.

Love,
Mommy

I DO Have Readers!

Much to my surprise... I DO have readers! Well, reader. Singular. My precious little sister-like friend,Kendra , awarded me the honor of putting me on her "Blogs I Like to Read" list. Because of this, I must now write seven facts about myself and then tell blogs I like to read.

1. I never really liked babies/kids very much... and then my dang husband knocked me up (despite our attempts to avoid this) and now I can't get enough of my little six week old "Brooksie-Bear". (Don't worry... His real name is Brooks but I think the "ie-Bear" adds a nice touch. And he will probably hate me for it later, but I gave birth to him so I can call him whatever I want.)

2. I talk to my dogs like they are people, and then pretend like they talk back.

3. I am a total hypochondriac. Headache? It's probably a life-threatening illness.

4. I don't discriminate against ANY type of chocolate cake... I'm like the Cookie Monster, but with chocolate cake.

5. I am a workaholic. I was taking work calls while I was in labor. Seriously.

6. I don't drink anything except for water (and sometimes chocolate milk). But I drink too much water. Yes, this is possible. I drink so much my nutrients probably don't have time to absorb. Which means, I will probably die from some sort of nutrient deficiency (See Number 3).

7. If I invited you over for dinner and you showed up to a spotlessly clean house, wonderful dinner, and no piles of laundry... Chances are my husband did it... He even went to the store to buy the groceries to cook your dinner. Not that I don't LIKE to cook, clean, and do laundry... Stephen is just better at it. :)

Now, for the blogs I like to read other than Kendra's

Katy
Be envious of her humor.

Tracy
Because she always makes me want to be a better person after reading hers.

Suz
She hasn't updated in two months, but hers is great!

The Kohlbacher's
Their life-touching journey to parenthood and the adoption process. (This one is by invite only. If you are interested in having access to this one, let me know and I will ask if I can get you on the reading list.)

Amy Jo
She's just cute any way you look at it.

Last, but not least...

Marc Blackwell
World renown photographer, amazing stay at home dad, and married to one of my favorite people... Stacey (Gregg)


Now, I obviously read others... like Keisha, Rachel, Courtney, and many more... and I love those too, but these are the first ones I started keeping up with (except Tracy whom I forced into blogging because we got pregnant around the same time and I wanted her to blog it), so they have a special place in my heart.

Poop Fingers

So about two years ago, I was checking a little girl's diaper in the church nursery and pulled back the diaper with one finger... and got poop underneath my fingernail. I puked. No, really, I puked.

Last night, I was changing Brooksie and I got poop under my fingernail. I wanted to puke... but instead, I laughed.

I've been saying for YEARS that I never wanted kids. I have been told that me having kids is a terrible idea when people saw a reaction I made to a screamer or a stinky diaper... BUT people also always say "It's different with your own kids!"

They didn't lie. Brooksie's poop doesn't stink.

27 Seconds

My adorable friend Tracy was blogging a few days ago about what an AWESOME labor coach her husband Tanner is going to be... and after meeting him and hearing stories about his preparations for fatherhood, I have to agree. He is going to do GREAT! Her cute stories about his excitement are the kind that make my heart smile. ***On a side note, my friends always make fun of me for saying "make my heart smile", but when I say that, I mean it is one of those things that just lights up your whole heart... makes you smile from the inside out.*** Anyways, so her faith in her husband's ability to coach got me thinking about our labor experience all over again... and shortly afterwards I realized something... I got gypped.

Stephen had been saying from the first moment he knew we were pregnant that he was NOT going to cut the cord, he was NOT going to look at anything other than my face, and he didn't want to see Baby Garvin coming out. When we went to our birthing classes, he learned how to push, I watched a real birth on video while he covered his eyes, we did breathing exercises so that he could help me through breathing during labor, talked about the bodily fluids that come out during labor, we watched an episiotomy video (again while he covered his eyes), we talked about all of the other disgusting parts of the labor process... and the whole time, Stephen was COMPLETELY disinterested because he KNEW he wouldn't be taking part in ANY of the gross stuff. His parents were even preparing me for the worst: Needing a backup coach because they were SURE he would pass out.

All that said... if you read the story about the delivery itself, you know that after nine months of saying he would have no part in the process, he DID look and he DID cut the cord. BUT because I only pushed two times after Dr. Parker scrubbed in, he didn't HAVE to help me breathe. He didn't have to hold my hand. He didn't have to feed me ice chips. None of that. Nada. Zilch. Which is why next time (yes, me... the girl who doesn't like babies or small children... just admitted that I wouldn't mind a NEXT time) I want to be in labor for a little more than 27 seconds so I can have the full labor experience... Labor Coach and all.