Wordless Wednesday {My Loves}

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We wish you many more to come.

Mikey is 28 years young today.  He loves to remind me that I will always be older than him.  We love you Daddy.

Happy Birthday!

Baby Factory Closed

I know this is a rambling hot mess, but it's been on my mind, and I wanted to get it out.

Throughout my pregnancy with Corrin, once we found out she was a girl, people would say, "Oh, that's nice.  A boy and a girl.  Now you're done!"  If not those exact words, then some variation of that statement.  I would always do the smile and nod in response.  The problem is that I never felt like my family would be complete with only two children.  I always envisioned at least three babies, and wanted more than that.

Right now, it looks like that vision is over.  Hearing from my doctor the way my body healed after my first c-section caused Mikey and I some concern.  {Read about it HERE.}  While my doctor did all that she could do to insure that my body heals better from this c-section, she can't guarantee that everything will be okay if we do decide to have another baby.  She also reiterated how happy she was that it wasn't an emergency c-section.  If that had been the case, she says she probably would have sliced right through my bladder trying to get to Corrin.  I know that the Lord was guiding her hand as she did this surgery.  She could have still sliced through my bladder even though it wasn't an emergency situation.

The question that Mikey and I asked ourselves was, "Are we willing to risk my health to have a larger family?"  For the record, Mikey has said since we found out we were pregnant that if this was a girl, we were done.  I am the one who held out hope for a larger family.   The answer was a resounding NO.  We are not willing to risk that I won't be here to help raise our children or that he will have to raise them alone.  We are also not willing to risk another surgery with the chance that my organs will have attached themselves to each other again.  The next time could be so much worse.  {I also know that I could be worried about nothing.}  So it looks like the Giles family baby factory is closed for business.

Most days, the thought that I will never carry another little life within myself make me want to cry.  Other days, I try not to think about it at all.  Corrin's pregnancy was more difficult than Micah's, but there were still things that I love about being pregnant.  I love the bond with baby.  I love feeling the first fluttering kicks, and figuring out baby's schedule.  I love my big round belly.  My belly is always the first thing that I miss about pregnancy.  While I do not like the uncomfortableness, the aches, and the insomnia, I feel like the good outweighed the bad.

Okay.  Enough with the self-pity.  I'll try to post something happy later today.

They Look Like Who?

I was talking to my grandmother on the phone, and she told me that she thought Corrin looked like me as an infant.  That made me wonder, so I pulled out pictures of myself and Mikey as babies.  What do you think?

Mikey

Tasha

Micah

Corrin

I'm not sure, but I think Mikey wins.  I have accepted that I was only the carrier.  These babies look just like their father.

My New Yard Men

Sunday, Micah and I napped, while Mikey worked in the yard.  I was quite surprised, because I had no idea that was in his plans.  He made a lot of progress with the flower beds.  Before they were a hot mess.  Grass had grown up.  The bushes looked like trees.  Just a hot mess.  Here are the in progress photos.   

Adorable Yardman

The flower beds still are nowhere near completed, but we've made progress.  The right side is ready for the weed blocker and mulch.  The left side still needs work.  We {read Mikey} still need to finish clearing it out, and level it before the weed blocker and mulch is placed. Thanks to rain forecasted for the rest of the week from Hurricane Isaac, however, we're on hold for a while.

Right side.

Left side.

Hardworking Yardman

And here are what the shutters look like on Micah's windows.  Luckily, the neighbor said he would come over and help Mikey put them back up later this week.  We also need to paint them.  It seems like the To Do List keeps growing.

Pointing out the sad state of the shutters.

Falling shutters.

On another note...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIMI!!!!!

Giles Family Photos

We took family and maternity pictures today.  It was an eventful outing.  First, Micah refused to cooperate at all.  Then, he refused to smile.  Then he refused to take any pictures with me.  Then he started crying about everything.  We only ended up with one picture of Micah by himself, and one picture of Mikey by himself.  In both cases because the Mike in question didn't really want to take pictures.  I left the picture taking session so frustrated that I wanted to cry.  We did get way more smiles than I anticipated from Micah.  I was actually surprised with the pictures. Prepare for picture overload.

I'm happy with the final results for the most part.  There were a few other shots that I wanted, but you win some and you lose some.

Look out for changes to the blog.  At least the header.

3 Down, 77 To Go

** Catching Up **

Mikey and I are celebrating three years of marriage today.  I couldn't even imagine eleven years ago {Yes, that's right.  Eleven years.} when we started dating that we would be here today.  We've had our share of ups and downs, but no matter how low we go, I always know that he is my best friend.

Typical Mikey

{Pictures from engagement photoshoot in 2009}

Happy Da's Day

Micah calls Mikey, Da.  So here's to you on your day Da.  We love you more than words can say.  You are such a great father to Micah.  I can't wait to see you as the father of a little girl.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Happy Father's Day to all the other wonderful fathers in our lives as well.

A Day In Our Lives

I've seen lots of bloggers who document a day in their lives with pictures/Instagrams.  I decided to join to bandwagon.  So from the time I woke up this morning until 12 hours later, I took a picture every hour (minus the two hours that I napped), and posted it to Instagram.  Here's our day via Instagrams.

1. I woke at 8:45 am for the day.  Micah was already awake in his crib, so I changed his diaper, and we lounged in my bed for a while.  He's finishing his morning cup.
2. An hour later (9:45 am), we're still lounging.  Here's my clown with my robe draped over his head like a turban.
3.  By 10:45 am, we had gotten up, gotten dressed, and headed out for the morning.  A quick run to Wal-Mart and the bank.
4.  11:45 am. Micah playing ball. This is shortly before he and I took naps.
5. 2:45 pm.  I am awake from my nap, though Micah's continues. During our naps, Mikey has fired up the grill.  He grilled corn, hot dogs, sausages, and chicken wings. Delicious!
6.  3:45 pm.  Mikey took a nap after working so hard over the grill. 
7.  4:45 pm. Micah's nap has come to an end.  Here he is enjoying a post nap cup.
8.  5:45 pm.  I washed and conditioned my hair.
9. 6:45 pm. Micah ate dinner, and enjoyed yet another cup.
10.  7:45 pm.  Play time with Daddy.  Micah is riding his dad's legs like he's a horse.  
11.  8:45 pm.  Returning home from our daily walk. 

Today was a very relaxing day.  We didn't do much of anything, but we enjoyed our day nonetheless.  What are your days like?

Dream A Little Dream

I hardly ever do posts specifically about Mikey.  Let's just face the fact that Micah is the star of this blog.  Of course, you get the occasional post about myself or something that I'm interested in, but we know that's because I write the blog.  That means I get to feature myself on occasion.  Mikey, however, works while Micah and I are at home.  He also just isn't as entertaining as Micah, so he doesn't show up as much on the blog.  It's funny because we wouldn't be growing up as Giles' without him. 

Anyway, on to the point of this blog post.  Mikey has been having dreams of lately.  He's been dreaming of his mother for the last couple of weeks.  She died two years ago today after a long battle with cancer.  I'm convinced that he's dreaming about her because it is around the time of the anniversary of her death.  Mikey is not convinced.  That could probably be because of his last dream.

In that dream, Mikey is standing, and his mom walks up to him and hands him something.  He has no idea what the something is.  His mom walks away.  He yells out after her, "What is this?"  She glances back and laughs, but continues to walk away.  Mikey is left standing there holding the item.  Then he wakes up.  We don't know what she gave him, but we're hoping for a financial windfall.

Mikey and his mom were very close.  They were two peas in a pod.  She was such a strong influence on his life.  I realize that she shaped the man that he is today.  She helped to build the wonderful man that I get to share this life with.  She was a wonderful woman, and we miss her everyday. 

Have you ever dreamed about someone who is deceased?  What do you think Mikey's dream means?

This post is written with Mikey's permission.  I asked his permission because it's a very personal subject for him.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband, and Micah's awesome father.  We wish you many more!