Extend your hand and I will lick it, throw the stick I'll run and get it, for just a bone I'll be forever in your favor...

So, Savannah's biggest fan, other than her parents, would have to be Bowser. Sure, he still has moments where he is jealous of the attention she gets, but we try hard to make sure he still gets some too. He has really taken to her though, and is so cute with her. When she cries, he goes to check on her. He is always coming up and giving her kisses, and he lays on the floor next to her while she is on her mat or in her chair. We have moved her into her crib now, and just this morning he has pushed her door open twice to go in and make sure she is ok. I think my favorite thing he does is when we are playing fetch with him, he will come and drop the toy next to her or in her lap and wait for her to throw it for him. They are going to have so much fun when they get bigger! Here are some pictures of the dynamic duo - my two little ones :)

She actually likes it when he kisses her...we don't let it happen for to long though!


He's protecting us - he heard a noise from the driveway.

Smile and maybe tomorrow, you'll see the sun come shining through, for you...

I have so many updates to do! I'm going to start with a series of my favorite pictures of Savannah. One day while I was holding her, she made these adorable faces while she was waking up, and I'm so glad my camera has a phone. I was able to get shots of them all. I think these were taken when she was one month old. (Can you believe she's 2.5 months already?! I can't!)

Welcome to the real world she said to me...

Oh my goodness - I'm a terrible blogger!! So much has happened on top of the holidays, we have just been going and going! Since my last post, a lot has changed. The month of November was a blur for me. That last month pf pregnancy was a lot harder than I anticipated. I also didn't realize how huge I was! I saw a picture of me from the day before the little one was born and holy crap! Oh well, it happens.

Anyways!

So, I guess I should introduce the newest addition to our family!

Savannah Lea
December 2, 2010

My due date was December 10, so she arrived a little early, but I was very much ok with that. Here's the story (it's not that exciting...) I went to my 39 week appointment knowing that they thought my baby was big. We were scheduled to do an ultrasound that day to see about how big she was, and decide what the course of action should be. Well, based on the ultrasound, they thought she was about 10.1 pounds. My doctor was very open and upfront with us about our different options. Given all of the circumstances, we decided that going in for a scheduled c section was out best option. There were multiple reasons for that, and it's what we felt good about. Plus, if my delivery was going to end in a c section anyways (chances are it would) I didn't want to labor all day first. I trust my doctor (he's one of the best doctors I have ever been to...and I usually don't like or trust doctors) and so we scheduled the procedure for December 2 at 10 a.m. I won't lie - I was terrified. I did not want a c-section, but I knew it was the best option for my circumstances and what was overall safest for Savannah to have a healthy delivery. I have only been to the hospital one time in my life (when I passed some kidney stones a few years ago) so I had no idea what to expect. Overall, everything went great and she came and was healthy! I had some issues when they were giving me the epidural (oh my goodness it was awful...) but once I was drugged up things were fine and I felt no pain until I was recovering! Jacob was a rock star through the whole thing too - I'm so grateful for him. I really don't know how I would have done it without him. He kept me calm through all my anxiety and freak outs, and once Savannah arrived he was a rock star dad! Other than feeding her, I was pretty useless and he jumped right in and changed diapers, held her, swaddled her, and really took care of anything else she or I needed. Amazing!

Savannah delieverd at 8.9 pounds and 20 inches. Not as big as they feared, but still fairly large. She screamed so loud for a while after she came out, very reassuring and overwhelming at the same time! I was so glad to hear that cry, and then it hit me that I will be hearing that cry for a long time to come and I get to figure out what each of her cries mean! Once she was cleaned up, they brought her over to me for a bit to see her before Jacob and Savannah left to go get her set up while I recovered for a bit. It was so cute to be wheeled into the baby recovery area and to see Jacob sitting there holding our pretty girl. I was scared to hold her at first because I still had some bad shakes from the epidural. But I held her and it was crazy weird to know she was my little girl! But it was very awesome moment that I got to share with Jacob.

We had lots of family and friends come and see us at the hospital - we are blessed to have so many amazing people who live so close to us! Everyone has been so helpful and wonderful while we were at the hospital and since we have been home. I don't know how we will ever be able to thank every one enough, but I will keep trying to think of something!

Here are some shots from the hospital - so many proud grandparents, great grandparents and my brother is one heck of a proud uncle :)

And here are some more shots of our sweet girl over her first month with us! I can't believe she's already a month old. She's been a great little addition to our family! Even Bowser is taking to her pretty well (other than some mild depression over the fact that he's no longer the center of attention, he does so well with her!! It's adorable!!)

Oh, and the professional pictures are all courtesy of my amazing best friend Heather!! They are all mixed in together, so I apologize for that... She got more cute ones of her that I will post later, along with some pretty family pictures of us too. I'm so blessed.

That's enough for now... hopefully I can get on the ball and blog more! I have more pictures to share of some of Savannah's other "Aunt's and Uncle's" too! She's so blessed. I guess we will see if that happens or not though, . I don't know how you mothers keep up with a blog - especially ones with multiple kids! You are amazing :)

Happy 2011!!

And I said Lord I'm happy 'cause I'm just a walkin' my dog, Singin' my song, Strollin' along - It's just me and my dog

Lord Horatio Nelson Williams
April 28, 1996 - November 8, 2010

Can you tell it was my mom's turn to name our pet?? She was a history major in school, and an avid history buff most of her life, so Nelson got one mouthful of a name. But he handled it quite well really :)

Nelson was the best dog ever. He lived for 14 1/2 years, and brought so much joy and love into our lives and our homes. Monday was really hard, and so have the last few months leading up to his passing. His health has been rough, and he was losing a lot of weight and his hips would give out...I won't go into any more of his issues, but the time came where a decision had to be made, and to do what is best for him, we put him down. That was not an easy decision to come to, but he was really suffering and that isn't fair to keep him alive because of selfish reasons. Especially with the cold weather coming in - it made his arthritis so much more painful.

I don't want to be all mushy and sappy and emotional, but I since he lived for 14 wonderful years, I was to share 14 of my favorite memories/lessons that I learned from him. I know it's cheesy, but this dog saved me in many ways through some hard times and I can't ever repay him for all the love and compassion he showed me.

1) Going to get a dog - I was getting ready to go into high school, and we were going to get a dog! I was so excited. We went to visit this family that had a litter of boxer puppies and it wasn't for sure we would get one, but it was a possibility. When we got there, it didn't take long for Nelson to attach himself to us. We have always said he picked us out, not that we picked him out. He followed us everywhere! It was so cute. And if we stopped walking, he would sit on our feet and when he looked up at you with those sweet puppy eyes, you couldn't help but know he was meant to be with us. It was the cutest and sweetest thing I had ever seen up to that point. I remember picking him up for the first time and him just licking my face and I was sold. Thank goodness the rest of my family was too! He came home with us that day.

2) One of the most amazing things that Nelson did for me was to be there for me. It sounds cheesy, but Nelson got me through some really hard times. My parents got divorced a year after we got him, and it was really hard on me and my brother. I remember sitting on the floor of my room in the basement crying, and Nelson would come and curl up in my lap and lick my tears and stay with me until I calmed down. He didn't just do this once or twice - he did it all the time for me. When I would come home from college and visit and was sad or upset about something (something trival and silly I'm sure) he did the same thing. Even last November when I had a miscarriage, I went to my mom's house to visit him and I sat down with him and started crying. He was so old and his hips hurt him, but he came and sat in my lap and licked my tears and let me cry, showing me nothing but the purest and sweetest love. I know it hurt him to sit like that, but he didn't budge until I was ready. I treasure those memories and that love he showed. I know he did similar things for my brother - we were his top priority and he took care of us. He loved us, and we sure love him right back.

3) I was really lucky to have a basement bedroom in high school. It had a door that went straight out into the back yard, which is where Nelson spent most of his time. Well, I loved my dog a lot, so I used to sneak him into the basement to sleep in my room. I'm pretty sure my mom always knew, but as long as she didn't catch him on the furniture, she never said too much about it... I, of course, had to push the limits though. I loved having him jump up on the little twin bed with me and fall asleep. It wasn't super comfy for him, but he did it (He was a big dog and it was a small bed). He would jump up and sleep in the bed with me until I was asleep, then jump down and sleep right next to the bed on the floor. I could reach down and pet him at any time. Then in the mornings, when I would start to wake up, he would jump back up on the bed and snuggle with me. I remember a few times my mom would come down to make sure I was awake, and she caught him up on the bed. Boy did we get in trouble...but he never stopped doing that for me. I was selfish, letting him get in trouble because I wanted things my way, but he never disappointed me!

4) He hated getting baths. My favorite bath time incident happened about a month after we brought him home - I had on a poncho and was bathing him on the kitchen sink. He was not happy to be getting so fresh and so clean, and wiggled right out of my hands, jumped over my shoulder ripping the poncho, and ran off in the house covered in soap. HA! We finally caught him and got him washed off, and we no longer bathed him in the sink.

5) Cropping his ears. This is not something I will ever do with another dog, but we did it to poor Nelson. The surgery isn't fun for them, and he had to have it twice, because one of his ears fell after the first surgery. Now, having this done to him isn't what I loved - but seeing his ears all wrapped up with a little bowl.cone around his neck - it's pathetically adorable! See for yourself - it's not the best picture, but you can see the general idea. Poor little guy!!! Isn't he the cutest thing??

6) Nelson hated his crate. We tried to crate train him, but I think since it was also used for punishment, it didn't really work for him. Trying to get him in there was the biggest ordeal ever - it involved blocking off all doors from the kitchen, trying to corner him and bribing him with meat! Even then, he still put up a fight. On the one hand, it was amusing to watch him do this to other people (my mom or brother) but then when he would do it to me it was so maddening! But he looked at you with that sweet puppy face, and all was forgiven. I'm pretty sure this is part of the reason he ended up being kept out in the yard instead of inside....

7) I will warn you - this is a gross one! But Nelson had, well, awful gas. Like, he could clear a room in 10 seconds flat (I say 10 seconds because there was always a delay between him passing the gas and then the deathly stench.) He even did this at the vet's on his last day. I have some funny stories about this, but I will spare you :)

8) Nelson loved to chase animals - especially squirrels. And he was a fast little guy - he caught them too! I remember the first time he brought his prize up on the porch to show us through the kitchen door windows - we were eating breakfast. EW! However, he was really proud of himself. He was a great runner though, and looked great chasing animals around!

9) Nelson didn't get to go on a ton of walks as he got older. I remember taking him on a walk when he was about 7 or so, when my mom lived off Holly Springs Road. I used to walk from her house to the intersection of Post Oak Tritt and Holly Springs. It was about a 3 mile walk, and it was a nice little stretch. Well, one day I decided it would be nice for Nelson to get to take a walk with me! He loved to run spurts around the yard and stuff, so I thought he was in great shape. Well, it turns out I was wrong. We got to the Post Oak Tritt and Holly Springs, and he was spent. We still had a mile and half to go! It took over and hour just to get home because he kept stopping and laying down every few feet. Poor kid - I felt bad for him!! But it was also hilarious to see this big old dog so tuckered out and me dragging him along (at one point I tried to carry him...but he was over 70 pounds at that point...so that didn't work out as well as I had hoped.)

10) This one is sort of embarrassing for my brother....but my brother would get him to chase him around the kitchen/den areas and they would go in laps. Nelson was fast so he would catch my brother and then he would end up pantsing my brother. HA! Nelson always beat him, too.

11) One of my favorite things about the boxer breed is the personality that boxers have! Nelson had a ton of personality - including letting you know when he was mad and having a special relationship with you and winking at you (I'm totally serious too!) My mom got the brunt of his attitude, especially his angry attitude. He would do things that would make her mad, because he was mad. Like if he didn't want to be left alone, but my mom had brought him down to the basement because of the weather, he would leave her little "presents" (aka poop) on the floor (it wasn't a cement floor, so it wasn't the worst scenario....but it still had to be cleaned up). When Gordon and I would come to see him, he would give us the cold shoulder for a while when we first got there. He would of course let us pet him, but his boxer kisses weren't around for a good while! He sure told us :)

12) My mom and step-dad's house has a great backyard and Nelson loved it. There is a nice big hill that he would love to walk to the top of and sit and look out over his territory. He would sit up there in the sun and just be. Even as he got older and his arthritis was really tough on him, he would take at least a few walks a day up to the top of that hill and sit there. It was sweet to see him up there looking over everything, including my mom and step-dad.

13) The hill also served as an amazing burial ground for ham bones!! At holidays, we always save the ham bone for him and we would take them to him outside and he would get so excited and run up on the hill and bury his bone. Then dig it up and bury it again. The process was limitless! He couldn't handle leaving it just one spot, and it is so cute to see him digging and then filling the hole by moving the dirt back in the hole by pushing it with his nose. We always loved watching him bury and move his ham bones around :)

14) Lastly, I love Nelson because he was truly a best friend to me. I love dogs and the compassion and companionship they give. Nelson was the most loyal dog I have ever had and he loved us so much. I hope he knows how much we love him. It was hard since both my brother and I moved away from home, and he stayed, but we made sure to visit him and spoil him when we did see him. I can never thank him enough for all the joy he brought into my and my brothers life. There are so many other stories I could tell, but I will stop now. The most important thing I can say is that I love Nelson and he came into our lives at the perfect time! I'm so grateful he picked us, because life without him would not have been as happy, as loving or as special. We are all better off for having him in our lives!

That's enough of my ramblings. Here are a few more pics from the last few years...

Oh, Mexico, It sounds so sweet with the sun sinking low. Moon's so bright like to light up the night, and make everything all right..

Things have been pretty busy around here lately...The biggest change that has happened was that I ended my job. It's been a big adjustment for me, but it's also been really nice too. I'm able to get a lot more done around the house and getting ready for the baby's arrival, as well as able to rest when I need to. It's been really helpful. It's weird to not be working, since I have worked for so long, and I miss my co-workers a lot. Overall, I worked with some amazing people and made some wonderful friends and it's been weird not seeing them every day! But it's for the best and I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to be home for a little bit before the baby comes. Bowser has loved it too - he's my little shadow and is just so sweet. I can tell he's happier too.

We also got around to knocking a big task off our to do list - we finally had our fireplace knocked out and had some french doors put in instead. I loved having a fireplace, but it did not work. It was going to cost a lot to fix it and we did not have any access to our back yard from within the house. Knocking it out and putting in doors was a perfect option. I will upload some before and after pictures later, once we get Jacobs computer set back up, because it looks awesome! The den looks better too - so much more light and it feels more comfortable. Bower loves it too because now he can run around the backyard and come back in when he wants. Before we would have to wait outside with him and that was a pain. This will make life much easier once the baby comes too, to let Bowser out and such. I love sitting in the den with all the light and looking at the fall colors start to come out. AWESOME!

Other than that, I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention lots of exciting things that have gone on, but for now I think that will work. I will do a more detailed doors, pumpkin patch, amazing baby shower post soon. But for now, I will wrap up with where I'm at in the pregnancy...just for kicks.

How far along: 32.5 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 7 lbs
Gender: Our little girl is continuing to grow and kick more and more every day.

Maternity clothes?: Maternity clothes, especially pants, have been the best thing ever. I am glad that I finally gave in and got some! Thanks to oldnavy.com, I have gotten some for some great prices!

Sleep: Sleep continues to be difficult. If I make myself stay up late, and get REALLY tired, I sleep through the night fairly well, only getting up to pee lots of times. But I'm not getting enough sleep, because I still am constantly tired, but at least I'm sleeping through the night. I know it will only get worse, and once she gets here it will be even more crazy, so I'm trying to appreciate it what I do get as much as I can.

Best moment this week: This weeks best moment would have to be finally getting stuff int he baby's room set up, as well as my amazing friends throwing me a sweet baby shower!! It was so cute and thoughtful!! I love it. I will put pictures up later.

Movement: She kicks a lot these days. She definitely has her favorite times of day to be active, including in the middle of the night, but it's reassuring to feel her moving around, and it's impressive she's such a hard kicker! I think her favorite target is my bladder....

Food cravings: French fries (or potatoes in any form!), ice cream and milk, and red meat. Those are the strongest and most consistent cravings I have.

What I'll miss: Umm, that's kinda of tough! I'm not sure what I will miss at this point. I'm just looking forward to her arrival.

Milestones: We've been taking childbirth classes at Northside, and that's been super helpful. I am glad we decided to do that. I'm also calling to find a pediatrician for us. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to go to the same one I went to when I was a kid - the 2 doctors who where there when my brother and I were born back in the day are still there! I loved going there, so I think I will stick with what I know to be good. It's weird to think I will be taking my kids there now...
Theme: I don't know what the theme of the last week would be...probably just getting stuff together and in order. It's a relief and exciting and slightly overwhelming all at the same time.
Extra: There have been lots of changes going on in our house and lives....since I just talked about it all, I will leave it at that for now :)

I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it; Collapse into me, tired with joy...

So, I thought I would post some ultrasound pics on here. I went to the doctor Monday, and since it was at Northside instead of my regular OB, they ultrasound is much clearer! They got some great shots and said she's growing really well and looks very healthy! WAHOO! They also said they won't need to see me back there unless my regular doc sends me back because of problems, but I think we should be fine. The reason that they are concerned and have done so many ultrasounds on me is because of my vasculitis. Since they don't know what causes it, and I have had 2 outbreaks of it (the first one which stuck around for like a year and then I had all the prednisone issues.... and then in February when I got super sick and had a viral infection, I broke out again. This time I went to the doctor the day it broke out and he started me on a 2 week round of prednisone and it went away. Have I ever mentioned how I hate that stuff?) So to make sure that everything is going well and that the baby is healthy, they have done more ultrasounds. She's a rock star and they said she looks great! Wahoo! I'm so relieved.

Here is her blog debut :)

Rainbow's are visions, they're only illusions and rainbows have nothing to hide...

I haven't really talked to much about my pregnancy so far, and I thought it would be interesting to see where I am at and track it a little more. The first half of the journey has been good, and I'm glad to be over the halfway point. Lots of changes are ahead, and I'm trying to get ready for them the best I can. It's exciting, fun and scary to me all at once. Jacob has been great in keeping me calm, being excited too and just being a great husband. I'm pretty lucky to have him!!

How far along: 24 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 3 lbs
Gender: It's a GIRL! I don't think I've said anything on here about it, so there ya go. She will be here on December 10th, and we are so excited. So is our family! I may have already bought some adorable clothes...I couldn't help myself! Now to start planning everything... We decided to not mess with anything until we knew the gender, and now that we do, a whole new reality has set in - yikes! But a good yikes. There is a lot to do before she gets here! Bowser will be so excited to have a little girl to play with :)

Maternity clothes?: I finally bought some and it was the best decision ever. I'm so much more comfy now, and I don't look like I'm just trying to fit in my normal clothes.

Sleep: Sleep is awful these days. I consistently wake up between 3 and 5 in the morning and can't fall back asleep until about 20 minutes before the alarm goes off. I look exhausted and I feel exhausted! Plus, I get either really hot or really cold and my nose is so stuffy that I can't breathe well. So, between all of that...sleep and I are apparently taking a break. I hope we get back together soon...I really miss it.

Best moment this week: Hmm...this week's best moment would probably be the realization that I will be parting ways with my job at the end of September. I've known and talked to them about it back in July, but the reality is finally starting to sink it. While it's sad and weird to think about not working, I'm grateful for the 2 months before the little one comes that I will have to "myself" to get things done that really need it. Plus, then I can reunite with sleep, because if my body will let me sleep - I don't care what time it is, I'm gonna do it!

Movement: I am feeling her move around a lot more these days - it's crazy! I didn't really know what to expect when you read about feeling the baby, but it's kinda cool. She isn't doing any ninja kicks yet, but I can feel light little kicks and lots of flutters. I can't wait for Jacob to be able to feel it too.

Food cravings: My cravings have been kind of weird. Nothing has been consistent, but when something hits, I really want it! One of my favorite ones is the Philly cheese-steak sandwich from Philly Connection....oh man, so good. Crap, now I want one!!

What I'll miss: As of right now, I can't really think of anything I will miss about being pregnant. Maybe feeling her moving around...

Milestones: I don't really feel like this is a milestone exactly, but I've started with the heartburn. It makes me feel officially pregnant and it's not my favorite. Luckily, I'm enjoying tropical flavored Tums, so that makes it a little better...but I'd rather not deal with it at all. I guess I need to make sure to stay away from tomato sauce and onions...at least those are a few of the triggers I have noticed so far.
Theme: The theme of the week would have to be lack of sleep and heartburn. I won't repeat what I've already said...but gosh, I miss my sleep.
Extra: One of my favorite things that has been happening over the last few months has to do with Bowser. I'm not really sure how he knows, but it has become a normal thing for me to sit on the floor with him and for him to rub his head on my tummy. I feel like he knows something is going on, but he doesn't know what. It might sound super silly, but I love that he does that! He is also super protective too. We had a friend come over last week to see us for a bit, and he laid at my feet the whole time, wouldn't go near the guy and when he came over to shake my hand before he left - Bowser stood up and watched his every move. It was adorable! I feel bad for the guy though...he just wanted to pet Bowser, but that wasn't gonna happen. I like the non aggressive approach Bowser uses. Typically, he warms right up to people after he hesitates for a minute, so this was interesting to see. Bowser is already taking care of the little one!