Halloween

Here is Hunter in his Halloween Costume. He was a Saint Bernard. Look at those puppy dog eyes. He looks miserable in the outfit, but it didn't seem to bother him.

Here is Aubrey giving Hunter a kiss. She dressed up as a gnome and was so adorable!

Here is Aubrey, Hunter and Gavin

This is a picture of Hunter's new hobby. He likes to clean out my cabinets so he can sit in them.

We were playing around and put a laundry basket over Hunter when he was sitting in his high chair. He loved it! Andy continued to feed him through the holes like a caged monkey.

MJ at the Bank!

Today me and my co-workers dressed up at Michael Jackson. Here are a few of the pictures we took! Happy Halloween!

The Circus was in Town!

Wednesday evening I took Hunter to the Circus that came in town. The Vienna Senior has sponsored the circus coming to Vienna for many years now, but this was the first time I had gone. Both Hunter and I had a great time. I paid an extra $2 so we could sit front row. It was well worth it! We were close enough where we could of slapped an elephant's butt if we wanted to. I was afraid Hunter wouldn't be entertained enough to sit still for the 2 hour show...but he LOVED it! There was enough lights, music and action to keep his attention. The only thing he did not like was the clowns!! He hated them! He would cry every time one would come around. I tried to keep him from watching them by turning him around so he couldn't see them and would stop crying. But he was fascinated enough where he had to keep his eye on them but cry at the same time. I heard of people being afraid of clowns, but I didn't think a 1yr old would know any different! Anyway, it was a wonderful show and I can guarantee we will be back the next time it comes to town!

The Tent

Tigers

This guy had amazing balancing abilities!

Dog pushing a baby carriage

Hunter crying because of the clowns.

Ladies swinging on ropes

Hunter and I watching the Trapeze

The Elephants

20 Years Ago Today!

It was October 15, 1989 (20 years ago today). I was 6 years old and had woke up that morning and began to wonder around the house. My mom had gone out with a friend the night before and her son was babysitting my brother and I. They had done this before, but this time it was different….my mom hadn’t come home. I remember pacing the house wondering why my mom wasn’t there. I went and woke my brother and the babysitter up and told them I think there is something wrong. It wasn’t minutes later and there was a knock on the door….it was the parent’s of my mom’s friend coming to tell us that they had been in a terrible car accident. There wasn’t time to comprehend what had happened, we had to pack our bags and leave with them. The next days and weeks were like a whirlwind. Since we lived in Rockport, MO (top North-West corner of Missouri) at the time, we didn’t have our family there to help watch my brother and I since they all lived in Mid-Mo. I did have the support of my Dad who lived in Nebraska and my grandparents who lived in Iowa. Ryan and I were bounced from house to house. We stayed with my grandparents, friends, teachers, etc. Everyone in the community was reaching out to help us.

In the mean time, my mom was in a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska fighting for her life. The accident happened as they were heading home that evening. Mom was asleep in the passenger seat and her friend was driving the car. Her friend fell asleep at the wheel and failed to stop at an intersection. They went thru a fence, struck a tree, and rolled the vehicle multiple times. And that is where they laid for 4.5 hours before they were found. My mom suffered a severe head injury and was in a coma for 4 days. Many people said she was unrecognizable because of all the swelling. Because of the trauma, mom had to re-learn a lot of everyday things. She was almost in a child-like state of mind before she was rehabilitated. I don’t know how long it was before Ryan and I got to see her in the hospital, but it was quite awhile. The first time we saw her they actually wheeled her out into the waiting room, all I could do was cry. Seeing my mom in a helpless state with tubes coming out of her was frightening. I was afraid to hug her…touch her…and even look at her. It wasn’t the same woman I remembered.

My mom was in the Omaha Hospital for over a month before she was approved to be transferred to Rusk Rehabilitation Center in Columbia, MO. Rusk has an excellent reputation for rehab, plus it was closer to our family. Mom worked for a Company called Excel at the time. Excel was kind enough to let us use their private jet to fly us from Omaha to Columbia because mom wasn’t able to handle a long car ride. When mom was transferred to Columbia, Ryan and I moved in with my Grandma Hollis in Vienna. Mom spent over another month in Rusk hospital before she was released just before Christmas to move in with my Grandma as well.

We lived at my Grandma’s house for over a year while my mom continued to recover before we moved back to our home in Rockport. Eight months later, my mom decided that we would move back closer to the family so we bought a house in Jefferson City. Mom said if it wasn’t for the accident, we probably would have never moved from Rockport. It is crazy how life works. One day you’re traveling down a path and then a life changing event happens that causes you to veer in a different direction. I hate that my mom had to go thru such a tragic accident but I am grateful that it has lead me to where I am today.

Mom says she knows she isn’t the same woman she was before the accident, but to me she is no different because she has always been a wonderful mom and I think she did a damn good job raising me. I am grateful she is alive.

Weekend Recap!

Friday Evening: Andy, Hunter and I headed to Columbia. We first went to Bass Pro where Andy went on a shopping spree. He should now be fully stocked for hunting season. I hope anyway! Afterwards we went over to HuHots for some supper. It was excellent as always.

Saturday: I had to work again. Which ended up being exciting when a customer’s truck caught on fire in our parking lot and we had to call 911 to have it put out. After work I went to a local craft sale in town. Believe it or not, but I didn’t buy anything. I don’t know if it was because I was so depressed on how much money Andy spent the night before, but I walked away empty handed. I then went over to Kevin and Kelly’s new house because they were moving in and Andy and Hunter were over there helping. By the time I got there they already had everything moved. I ended up taking Hunter home because he was due for a nap.

That evening we had a fish fry with some friends and family. It was a small get together where Andy could catch up with some old friends he worked with at ABB. The food was good as always and Hunter enjoyed playing in all the dirt.

On Sunday Hunter and I went with the Hollis family on a hayride to Brinktown for their fall supper. Hunter was very calm on the hayride there and was close enough to fall asleep, but wouldn’t give in. By the time we got there he was ready to get down and explore. We waited in the food line for awhile, but by the time we got some food Hunter was hungry and letting everyone know it. I couldn’t feed him fast enough. After eating we wondered around and visited with people then hoped back on the hayride for our trip home. Hunter slept the whole way! We got back to my uncle’s lake house where we drank warm cider and took family pictures.

Hunter on a saddle

My Brother Ryan and Hunter

Hunter sitting on some hay bales

Me, Ryan, Hunter and my mom

Monday was Columbus day so I had the day off. I went on a shopping trip at the lake to get me some new winter clothes. Needless to say, 90% of the clothes I bought were for Hunter. I couldn’t resist! I even bought him his Halloween costume, and it wasn’t any of the previous ones I was considering. I ended up getting him a St. Bernard costume. I couldn’t resist. Andy wants a St. Bernard so bad, so this is the closest he is going to get to it. We tried it on him last night, and it is so cute!

Another HuHot Lover!

While Hunter has been to HuHot's before (when he was about 2 months old), this was the first time he actually got to eat the food. He seems to enjoy it....especially the crab rangoon!

Costumes

I am having a really hard time finding Hunter's Halloween costume. He is at the age where he is too old for the animal costumes because they make him look like a baby and then I don't care for many of the older costumes. I have found three that I am debating on. Help me out here, which one do you like!

Weekend Recap!

Friday after work Hunter and I headed home in hopes that Andy would want to go to HuHots for supper. Well we waited and waited....at about 8 o'clock I decided it was to late the make the trip. So when Andy finally got home we warmed up left over chicken pot pie. Not nearly as good as HuHots, but it will do!

Saturday I had to work until noon. Afterwards we headed to a wedding in Vienna. It was very beautiful and I loved the bride's dress. I can't wait to see how their pictures turn out! We then went to the reception where we visited with friends, had an excellent dinner and then danced the night away.

Sunday we had the Fall Social for our church. I was an official dishwasher! Ohhh....Ahhhh! I know, but someone had to do it. As soon as my shift was ending, Andy's was beginning so he handed Hunter off to me. By the time we made it home, Hunter was asleep. He took quite a long nap. When he finally woke, I fed him some food from the social and then we headed down to Kevin and Kelly's new house. Wow, has it turned out beautiful! I can't wait to see the completed project which should be this weekend!

That evening Andy and his brother went hunting on the farm. One of them walked away with a big buck....and it wasn't Andy! Congrats Kevin, you were long over due!

Hunter's 12 Month Appointment

Yesterday Hunter had his one year check up appointment. He weighed in at 24lbs 3oz (70%), he was 29.5 inches long (40%) and I can't remember how big his head was, but it was at 97%. They first priked his toe to get some blood to check his iron. This didn't bother him one bit, and he was fasinatied with the Scooby Do band-aid they put on his toe afterwards. The doctor check him over and thought he looked great. The nurses then came back in to give him his shots. Boy did he ever scream. Poor thing! The cure seemed to be giving him his sippy cup and gold fish crackers. He goes back in another 3 months to get some more shots.

1yr Pictures!

Party Pics!

Happy Birthday Hunter!

I can’t believe my baby turned one today! He is no longer my baby, he is a little man. His birthday brings so many mixed emotions for me. I am ecstatic that we have made it a whole year and Hunter is happy and healthy, but I am sad that this day has come so fast and that I feel it went by like a blur. I love that I have been there for many of his “first” but sad to think that he has already experienced some of his “last”.

He has developed so much. When he was born he was under the growth chart but now he has exceeded that and is above the charts! I see so much of myself in him…especially his attitude. This may not be a good thing! He LOVES to be outdoors and usually throws himself when it is time to come back inside! He has started to push little trucks around the house and make motor sounds. He is all boy! He is crawling all over the place. He alternates between an army crawl and the traditional crawl. He walks all along furniture and even walks along with you if you hold his hand, but he hasn’t quite got the nerve to try it on his own yet. He will in time. He loves to eat and will eat anything! I don’t think there is anything he has tried that he doesn’t like, just like his daddy!

In the last year I have been transformed from a woman to a mother. A transformation that I feel went pretty smoothly and naturally. It makes me wonder what I did with all the free time I had before becoming a mother. Good Question!

When I woke Hunter up this morning I started singing him Happy Birthday…He looked at me like I was an idiot. But I didn’t care; I hugged him tighter and sang louder. Hunter was featured on KRCG this morning for his birthday and we plan and traveling to Cold Stone Creamery tonight to get his free birthday cake! Yummy!

Tomorrow we plan on celebrating his birthday with family and friends. I am anxious to see how he does with eating the cake. I am predicting that he only takes a couple bites and plays with the rest and then throws it on the floor. Any bets?

Here is a picture of Hunter and I this morning with our birthday hats on. The picture is terrible because I took it with my cell phone. Quite a difference from yesterday’s photo of us a year ago!

I will post pictures next week of this weekend’s festivities!

A Year Ago Today!

You know I never posted about the events of Hunter’s arrival since it came so unexpected. So here you go.

One year ago today…..I was in complete denial! I was scheduled for my weekly doctor’s appt, but this one was different. I needed to have another ultrasound because at the last appointment I started measuring too small for my stage of pregnancy. I remember leaving work at noon that day telling everyone I would see them tomorrow. The appointment was so surreal at the time and I am so glad Andy took off of work to go with me. The ultrasound was taking place at the OB/GYN office, while in there the technician confirmed that I was 3 weeks smaller than I should be. They went to go call/contact my doctor who was on call over at the hospital to see what she thought. Before I knew it the technician and nurse came in to tell us we needed to immediately get to the hospital for a more invasive ultrasound. We didn’t know what was going on, but we did as they said. I was extremely glad at that point that Andy was there. I would have been a hysterical mess if he wasn’t there to calm me down.

We made it to the hospital to have another ultrasound done. There they were checking the umbilical cord and the flow of blood thru it. After seeing the results, they called my doctor to tell her. She then got on the phone with me and told me she wanted to go over everything with the radiologist before she made any decisions. She told us to stay in town and that she would call our cell phone. Andy and I headed to McDonald’s so I could get something to eat. Shortly after, the phone rang. It was my doctor telling me that my placenta is not functioning property and that I needed to report to the hospital for an induction. I was in complete shock!

I was excited and terrified all at the same time. I was excited to finally meet my baby but terrified that there may be something wrong with him. When we got to the hospital I got changed and was hooked up to all the monitors. I was already having regular contracts according to the monitors, so they decided to go ahead and put me straight on Potocin. This is where things got ruff; Hunter was not dealing well with the contractions. His heart rate kept dropping really low. Every time that would happen all of the nurses would come running in telling me to roll on my right side…then my left… and then get on all fours. Being on all fours seemed to be the position that Hunter tolerated most, while not very attactive his heart rate would always go back to normal. With Hunter’s heart rate dropping pretty often, the nurses and doctor kept warning of a c-section. No Thank You!

Later on that evening I decided I had enough of the contractions (plus they warned that if I didn’t have an epidural in and I had to have an emergency c-section then they would have to knock me out, as opposed to upping the epidural) I decided to get the epidural. It worked wonderfully…a little too well. I guess it relaxed my body so much that my heart rate dropped really low and they had to inject me with some other meds to get me back on track. After getting the epidural I took a much needed nap, and shortly after I was fully dilated and ready to push. During the contractions and pushing Hunter’s heart rate was dipping dangerously low that they called another doctor to be on call for a c-section and have a pedestrian on stand-by for Hunter. Within 15 minutes of me pushing and them pulling, Hunter was born! I was so excited to hear his cry! I didn’t get to hold him until about 30-40 minutes after he was born because they were evaluating and monitor him because of his eventful labor.

In the end he was born on 9/25/08 at 1:25am at a healthy 5lbs 7oz.

Way to go Ryan!

My brother works for Pepsi in Columbia. He is the mechanic that works on the trucks. A couple weekends ago Ryan attended a Pepsi truck driving contest at Worlds of Fun. He had to maneuver the delivery truck around multiple obstacle courses. Ryan decided to go because it was a free ticket into Worlds of Fun so what could it hurt? He Won!!! That’s right, he competed against guys who drive these pickup trucks everyday to make deliveries and he just works on him. He won $600. Plus, his boss was so proud of him that he told Ryan to go buy $500 worth of tools and charge it to Pepsi. There was another competition in St. Louis this weekend that Ryan was waiting for the results of to see if he would get to go to Nationals. For whatever reason, no one was able to compete so Ryan automatically gets to go to the National competition in Chicago, all expenses paid!!! How awesome is that! If he wins there he will get $5,000!!!! I am so proud of him!