Rest in Love

Hello, everyone and happy Monday! Sorry that I missed you all last week. It has certainly been an eventful two weeks. Also a bit rough. And this may be a tad short. 

My EDS is something I don't commonly talk about, especially on here, in detail. But it certainly can, and does make life difficult, especially with an 8 month old who gets bigger by the day. 

Last time you heard from me, things were going well. Then, the next morning, I woke up, rolled over, and reached across my body with my right arm, with the intention of scratching the left. Suddenly, there was a very loud pop - louder than usual - a burning sensation, followed by numbness and terrible pain all at the same time. I thought, "crap, that hurts a bit more than usual". And then I got out of bed, grabbed Baby C and brought him back into bed with me for some snuggles and to rest my arm for a minute. It didn't really help, but I tried to get around. I just couldn't. I got C changed and dressed, but that was all I could manage. Then I looked in the mirror, and there was my shoulder, dangling, stretching my arm far beyond the length it should normally go. Crap... It's out. And it's out good. I proceeded to text MH and tell him what had happened, accompanied by a pretty picture of the mangled thing. I hadn't expected it - I was just going to "deal" - but he was able to work from home that day. And it was a good thing. As the day went on, my pain got worse and worse. I used ice and heat and Tylenol as I was able and MH took over most of the duties with Baby C.

When MH did get home, I was able to attempt a shower, and decided to try and get my shoulder back in. I tried, and something popped for sure, but it hurt. A lot. MH tried to help me and by the end of the day, it was starting to move a lot better and it felt like things had really gone back. Don't get me wrong though, I was still in a lot of pain, but it seemed a lot less severe. By the next morning, however, it seemed like things had slid back out. It looked like my arm was still dangling. I just tried to push through the week as well as I could, using my left arm to lift C and do almost everything else I could. But by Friday, I couldn't take it anymore. Although, I knew my shoulder wasn't all the way out, I knew something wasn't right. I'll make a long story short. After being turned away by three doctors, I ended up in the ER, and three hours later I was finally being seen (though not really heard... This doc was totally not "buying" my story, don't get me started), and being told that I would need surgery to correct things long term due to a lot of tearing and scarring. And this used to be my "good" shoulder! 

For now, though, I have kinesiology tape all over. It's really helping, thank god. I'm hoping to delay any surgery as long as possible, but at the same time, just want to get it over with. Haha... It's a conundrum! 

Anyhow, due to all of the stress that this pain has been putting on my body, my POTS has been a lot worse. My POTS is something I talk about even less, because when it's good for me, it's really good. When it's bad... Well... We're talkin black out moments every time I stand, no matter how slow, headaches, constant nausea, problems with appetite, and tight chest with lots of heightened heart rate and super low blood pressure. This all leads to severe blood pooling, which leads to swollen, and burning feet and the sensation that someone is holding a curling iron to the muscle in my calves. It's hard to explain, but it feels like a shocking burning that comes from inside my bone, working its way out to the surface of my skin. So, it's been a bit rough physically these last few weeks. 

To top it off, last week I lost a family member. My uncle. He wasn't a well man, and he definitely wasn't all there anymore. He remembered me a lot longer than I thought he would, but by my cousin's Wedding in May, he didn't remember me at all. We "met" roughly 5 times that weekend, though he did call me by my mother's and younger sister's names in one conversation. Lol He was a sweet man. I remember that even when he seemed confused and lost, he was somewhere else, almost rewatching beautiful parts of the past and retelling them to me, as if he might project them on a screen. He told me countless stories about my own past that I had no recollection of whatsoever until he mentioned them. He had so much kindness in his eyes. MH was his buddy, though. My uncle always remembered MH. Even in a weekend when I "met" my own uncle several times, he would say "oh yeah!!! [MH]... I like him. He's my buddy!". :)

I could go on, but I'll end with this: Uncle D, you will be missed. Rest in peace; rest in love. 

Zebra hugs and love, 

Ashley 

 

Random facts of Kailly and N!

Hey everyone. Kailly here. It's been a bit quiet here lately. Please keep my blog buds in prayers. Ashley has been having a lot of pain with a dislocated shoulder. Shannon's daddy has been in and out of the hospital this week with stroke related problems. So, if you're the praying type, pray for them and their families.

I don't have much I feel like posting on, so I thought I'd let you all get to know me a little better with some random facts!

- I drive a Kia Sorento.

- N is seriously addicted to cheese.

- I don't really like cheese.

- My husband and I have completely different parenting styles. This has led to a few headaches.

- I love Disney movies. Faves? Little Mermaid, Beauty And the Beast, Finding Nemo.

- We are unsure if we will have another baby. Though, I think we will. Names are already chosen!

- L and I honeymooned in Mexico!

-N has 6 teeth and molars are almost in.

- I am considering opening a home business of tutus, bows, and bow holders.

- I like to shop for N, probably way too much. But, with how my mom raised me, I just can't help wanting to always give her the best.

- I'm close to my Dad, step mom and step dad.

- I have dreams that tend to come true within days. I've always felt it was a curse, but I'm learning how to find it as more of a gift.

- I pray before meals, and over my family before bed every day. I can't sleep until I pray.

- N loves to swim.

- N talks really well for her age. She is 14 months now. She shakes her head "yes" or "no" when I ask questions. She also is starting to put words together such as "hi mama." "I love you," "bye dada," etc.

- Currently, her favorite words are Lylla (our dog), and mama. My favorite thing is when she tosses her hands in the air, as In a duh statement.

- I worry that I may not be the best mom, but I give 1 million percent to my daughter daily.

- My best friend will be flying to CO in less than 2 weeks! My Daddy will be here 2 weeks after that!

- it takes me 30 minutes to get ready. That includes showering, blow drying my hair, straightening it, makeup and getting dressed. I hate taking time to primp so I've learned to do it quickly.

- N was born on the same day as her best friend! They are 10 hours apart :)

- N still picks out her outfits everyday! And, we still tend to match, unplanned!

Any way, N is wrapping up breakfast as I type beside her. She slept in late since she has a summer cold. Though, today she seems much better!!!! I'm doing a happy dance!


Today, we will be doing a quick grocery store run, as well as a play date with a bestie and her kids! Other than that some rest and relaxation to make sure my princess continues to get all better!

See y'all later!

Love,
Kailly

Update and Gift Idea With Kailly

Hey all. This is Kailly posting. Long time no post. We have been so busy, I just haven't had time to post. Sorry!!

Anywho, things are good here. N is 14 months and the biggest blessing ever. She is super happy all the time, energetic, smiley, and loves to explore everything! She really is the reason I breathe! She is incredible.

So, a few weeks ago, my cousin had a bridal shower. She is so special to me, so I wanted to do a fun gift for her, and not the normal gift card or quick pick up gift! I really wanted to put a good amount of thought, and love and fun into something.

I looked on the web and Pinterest for an idea. I remembered a while back, my friend N had a sweet idea for the bride of the wedding we were in recently for her bridal shower. So, I started searching online for some ideas. N gave N a basket of candles with poems for life events during the first year of marriage. Well, I decided to spice it up a bit.

I chose to do wine instead of candles. I chose four life events in their first year of marriage for the basket. I chose their wedding night, first fight, first valentines day, and their one year anniversary. Then, I found a long basket, and two wine glasses. I got tons of tissue paper, silver ribbon, white ribbon, and cute paper to write poems on. I chose a burgandy pen, since it is one of her wedding colors, and handwrote them all to be more personal.

Picking out the wine was the best part. I wanted to make sure they had a good selection of white, red, etc. For their wedding night, I chose CupCake. For their first fight I chose Bitch. For their first Valentine's Day, I chose Little Black Dress, and for their one year anniversary, I chose Bliss.

For the poems, I googled wine poems. Now that I look pinterest has them too.

Just to give an example, the wedding night poem is,

 

"The night you have dreamt of is finally here,

The future surrounds you with hope and yet fear.

You've been to the chapel and married your soulmate,

So sip this wine and toast this date.

The night is meant for you each to share,

(Brides name) and (Grooms name)- a perfect pair."

The first fight is a cute poem too.

"Love as you might,

You'll have your first fight.

Drink this wine,

While you make up all night."

I tied all the poems on to the bottle necks with white sheer ribbon. Then I tied a silver sheer ribbon bow around each of the bottles. I also used the silver around each of the wine glasses, and stuffed the basket with tissue paper. Once I liked the layout, I used cardboard wrapped in tissue paper between the bottles to prevent them from shattering on the drive.

Here is a final photo.













Chat with you all soon.
Kailly

Bouncing Baby Bumpdate

Well hey yall I am so excited to share our latest baby Bumpdate!!!

Pink or Blue, Pink or Blue????

Well I am thrilled to announce we are definitely team blue in our house!!

We are so happy and proud to introduce you to our third son Baby M! :)

So yes friends our home is very blue with my three sons :) we have the three Musketeers now or as my funny hubby said, "Now we will have a linebacker, quarterback, AND a runningback!" Haha we shall see Honey!  As for me I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing another baby boy into our home! :)

A few people asked me if I was disappointed that we arent having a girl this time and I laughed, "heck no I am pleased as punch because while I think baby girls are beautiful and precious and it would be fun to experience having a daughter.  I really get boys I have done this before and I know what to expect. Raising my boys is a wonderful and messy and chaotic process and so I am already prepared for that! I just love my boys and adding our precious Baby boy M to the troop just fits :) We are absolutely blessed and truly couldn't be happier!! :) yes, my house will continue to be loud and crazy and always a bit messy but that's because we are raising imaginative, smart, creative, rowdy, ever busy busy boys and that is just perfect for me :) I love my boys to the moon and back, and wouldn't trade our silly, messy, crazy days for all the pink in the world! :) so to my rowdy troop of boys I love you more than chocolate, higher than the sky, and will treasure you always because you are my boys and you are the best most wonderful blessings of my entire life!

Anyhow yall thank you for sharing our wonderful news and for celebrating with us! Welcome to our troop Baby M we love you already!! Three cheers for our three little Musketeers! :)

Wishing you some bright sunshine and a day full of little hugs and smiles ... from me and my three sons snuggles and hugs and some extra BLUE preggo polkadot love
... Shannon:)

The day after that Sunday Funday...

Hello, all! Sorry that I'm posting a little late. I will be honest... I almost completely forgot. In any case... here I am! I have been considering what to post all day and it has been hard to decide. So much is going on! 

Let's start with the fact that as of today, I have an 8 month old! I can't even believe it! He will be 1 year old way too soon! Baby C scoots around really well on his tummy, and employs a combo of rolling, scooting and army crawling to get himself around. He is getting fast, too! I really have to watch him! He is also fearless! I find this to be both good and bad. He gets really excited to try new things and is very willing, but sometimes tries things before he is ready. Example: He loves to stand... he has since he was teeny tiny. But now, he will hold onto our fingers until he spots something that he would like to go get. Then, he tries to let go. Problem: he only walks backwards while holding onto our hands, and he has no balance on his own yet! Haha! He can hold himself up while holding onto a piece of furniture, but he's not so good at moving the top and bottom of his body at the same time. In any case, it is still just so amazing watching him explore and learn about his environment and how he fits into it. He's also learning a lot of cause and effect. C can now say "momma", and enjoys making "b" sounds. His favorite food is still bananas, but he does like carrots and mangos a lot as well. 

I didn't get to do his pictures today, as I usually do on each "new" month of Connor's life. We had a busy weekend and last night was a rough one. On Saturday, we made a day trip up to see my family, about 3 hours away. Long story short, my parents had a washer to give to us... a front loader! Woohoo! I love it so far! It's incredible what a difference it has made! Our old washer still works, but it doesn't spin very well. So, I was pulling clothes out soaking wet, and was having to dry a single load of laundry (even a relatively medium-small size) for at least two hours. This washer is already making the biggest difference with our cloth diapers! I washed a load, and while the liners were in the dryer, I put the shells on the line to dry and they were just about done by the time the liners were! 

While we were up visiting my family, we celebrated my older sister's birthday and went swimming! C had fun, though it was a tad bit chilly outside. I have a big goal of not allowing him to be afraid of water. I never really got to take swimming lessons when  I was little, so I still sometimes have a quick surge of fear that I have to overcome when on a lake or (much less frequently, when I'm near the ocean). So, I took the opportunity to dunk him a few times, and he reacted really well! I don't know if any of you has ever heard of Infant Self Rescue Swimming lessons, but it's pretty awesome, and I wish that they were held nearby, but also, not so expensive! If you haven't heard of ISR, you should look it up! It's pretty incredible. Anyway, after my sister's birthday, we got the washer loaded and headed back home. Baby C slept the whole way, even when we hit some really hard rain and could barely see. It really was pretty crazy conditions! But we got home without event, got C to bed and passed out. But he didn't sleep well. He was up 4 times that night, making Sunday exhausting.

Sunday we celebrated MH's dad's birthday, but most of the day, just caught up around the house. MH got the new washer set up and we enjoyed the speed of the loads and how much more easily each load dried! It was fun celebrating another birthday in the family, but C had had enough. He only wanted me or MH or his Great-Nani the whole time. That night, he just was not ready to let mommy and daddy "go". He was up 2 hours late, and kept screaming every time we tried to put him down, get him to sleep, or put him in his crib. After a while, he finally fell asleep in my arms while I held him, and once I got him into his own bed, he only technically woke up once at 3:40, and then again at around 6:45 this morning. I nursed him and then he passed out again around 7:15 and slept in a bit. His schedule was just off all day today, so he did end up going to bed a little early. Im just hoping tonight goes better. He is signalling that he could be cutting another tooth that we don't see, but I just don't know. The poor kid could really use a break with the whole teething thing. Have I said how much I hate teeth? 

Well, this is going to be a bit short and more of an update of our weekend. Thanks to my EDS, I've been having a lot of problems with my hands lately. And last night when C and I fell asleep, I did so in a very bad position that had me almost screaming in pain when I woke up. So, I'm just a little bit of a sore mess tonight. But I'll share some pictures of my big 8-month-old on our Facebook page when I take them! Hoping to get them done tomorrow! :) 

If you haven't found us yet, check us out on Facebook. Search: Just ASK Always. Hope to see you there! 

Zebra Hugs and love,

Ashley 

Oh Baby!

Hey friends! Shannon here :) how was your day? I hope it was excellent! Our day was pretty nice and relaxing. A very laid back day with my kiddos we played and rested today no crazy stories unless you count my MnMs kidnapping the peanut butter jar and snacking in their closet haha. Other than that though a pretty laid back kinda day. Which is awesome because I have been waking up around 2am for the past two weeks unable to go back to sleep so I have been rising before the sun and powering through my to do list before the boys are awake so im pretty tired these days and oh yea im still growing a tiny human inside me so that's sleepy business too haha

  Back to today made some phone calls and got to chat with some pretty wonderful people including my lovely lady cohorts, Kailly and Ashley! The boys and I ran a few errands with another great friend and then got back and played and watched brother bear I dont know how many times! :) I got some good snuggles in today too! Then my MnMs decided to ambush attack me with a tickle fight they sure are some sneaky little ninjas sometimes haha... but they thought that was pretty funny and Big M went for my belly and asked "am I tickling baby mom" that made me grin ear to ear today! Then Little M wanted to talk all about Baby which just melted my heart :) and I asked him the million dollar question everyone has been asking me lately and got the most beautifully honest answer possible. I asked him as so many people have been asking me whether he wanted us to have a baby boy or a baby girl and he paused for a moment and looked up at me and smiled the most adorable smile and patted my tummy and said, "I just want a baby mama... just a baby" at first I thought maybe he didnt understand the question so I tried a different question, "Matthew do you want a baby brother or baby sister?" He looked at me and said, "mama I just want that baby" as he gestured to my ever growin baby bump. And it hit me he honestly doesn't care boy or girl he just wants this baby, our baby that is growing in mamas tummy. It was such a beautifully honest moment and amidst all the wonderful chaos of making way for a new bundle of joy my 3 year old son was able to be content and not cast his vote pink OR blue but just see the beautiful truth that this baby is OUR baby no matter if we are having a boy or girl this is our blessing God has chosen to give to our family! I've been asked a hundred times what I want a boy or girl and my answer is this, "I feel like another boy would just fit right in and be perfect and of course I would like to have a girl and add some pink in our house but the truth is like Matthew I just want THIS baby I am so incredibly in love with our little precious bundle already! And dont get me wrong it is fun to imagine who this little one will be but the purest joy in my pregnancy that I have found is simply loving THIS baby, our precious amazing miracle! My friend Mallory said something to me today that just touched my heart and resonated with absolute truth, she said, "God will give you whatever is meant to be. :) He or she will be the perfect fit to your family! God will bless you abundantly" I love that and it is the truth God has already blessed us and when we have our baby we will be abundantly blessed by our third child because God chose THIS baby growing right now for our family! And God doesnt make mistakes so I cant wait to see our baby and meet him or her but more importantly to welcome Baby into our family knowing with absolute certainty that our baby is the perfect addition to our family!

  Well yall I hope you have a wonderful night and get some good snuggles in with the loved ones in your life! Goodnight to you all I'm off to bed. :)

Wishing you very pleasant dreams and beautifully happy families... smiles and snuggles from my house to yours... Shannon :)

I'm still me!

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope that I find you all well after a fantastic weekend! 

We had a fairly low-key weekend, which tends to be a rare occurrence for us. However, Baby C was in a parade with his Mia and Poppo (MH's parents) on Saturday. He was the cutest cowboy in the whole parade too! ;) He did get pretty sleepy, because it was during his nap time, but he was such a good sport and we were able to catch up on sleep later that day. 

Before the parade with mommy -

During the parade... hangin' in there and watching all of the people just adoring him :) -

I want to talk a little bit about smething that came to my attention today: the assumptions that people make about me because I am a stay at home mom. Namely, that I am uneducated or unintelligent. 

I got into a bit of what I thought was going to be a friendly debate with a girl on a chat forum that I am a part of. I have conversed with this specific group of women for years back when Facebook still hosted forums such as The Knot, The Nest, and Mommyhood. I had been a part of The Knot when MH and I got engaged and were planning our Wedding, and then moved over to The Nest when we got married. When Facebook stopped hosting these forums, we all got together and created our own and expanded into a chat group on Facebook. I have "known" many of these women through planning our Weddings, going through our first years of marriage, and even our pregnancies and now as mommies. I have also seen them go through losses, celebrations, graduations, moves, and new jobs. We have all changed a lot in the last 4 years, but our core values have stayed the same and we generally know each other pretty well. Still, it seems that as some of us have gone from very determined career women to stay-at-home-moms, those who remain career-driven, have sort of begun to suddenly converse with us as though we are suddenly not educated. And I've been wondering why this is. It's not as though these "non-moms" are suddenly super rude. And it's certainly not as though the SAHMs are suddenly stupid. So what is it? 

I think it's a stereotype that my generation grew up hearing a lot about without actually seeing: that women "belong at home... in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant". Yes, we've all heard the jokes. But really, they aren't funny. Women really did have to suffer that type of male oppression, and fought hard so that we don't have to live up to those expectations in the 21st century. "Back then", it wasn't that women weren't educated. It was simply that their education and intellect was not valued - at least not how it is now - and women weren't expected (or really asked) to participate in any sort of intelligent convesation. Now, before anyone jumps down my throat, I'm flashing back to the days of poodle skirts and white gloves, here. Women were basically expected to go to school until they were of marrying age or ready to settle down and give their husbands children. But now... Now women are seen in very high-powered careers, as doctors, lawyers, CEOs, teachers... you name it. 

Still, these women with whom I have conversed on a wide array of topics, suddenly talk to me as though I'm an idiot. It's not all of them, but even one is a little offenive to me. So, I ask again, why? Get ready to gasp in unison... I sincerely believe it's because we are the "Pinterest" generation. With things like Pinterest, women are feeling the pressure to "do-it-yourself", and hand make everything for her kid's birthday party, and become a professional seamstress who makes her own clothes... the list goes on and on. Please don't misunderstand me here, because I do my fair share of "Pinning", especially in the DIY section, because I like to daydream that I have "crafting" abilities. But I simply don't. And I don't plan to force myself to be good at something that doesn't really bring me as much joy as so many other things. I love music, photography, science, technolgy, and more than anything, I enjoy learning. MH and I both agree whole-heartedly that we want to raise Baby C in a household where education is not just a priority, but valued, and where learning is encouraged on a daily basis and in every possible situation. But today... today a girl I spoke with online, made me to feel as though I am in no position to be "teaching" my son, all because I am a SAHM. The way she spoke to me, made me feel as though my opinion held less value because I don't have a career. She chose to intentionally talk down to me, so I chose to disengage. But it sincerely "bummed" me out, because it was a topic on which I actually am quite knowledgeable and for which I have a passion. Nonetheless, I felt muted. For a split second, I actually did feel stupid. I felt like I had no leg to stand on. 

Suddenly, I realized that the assumptions this girl was making about me (despite knowing me prior to my SAHM status), were identical to those that I had fleetingly allowed to cross my mind about women who I knew that became SAHMs before I did. I was shocked at myself. Seriously, what is it about me that made me suddenly view women who I once found so intelligent, with these glasses of judgement and assumption? Well, I think that when it comes to SAHMs, it becomes easy to forget what and who they (we) used to be. But in any case, now knowing how it feels, I can only hope that I have never made any of the women in my life feel this way. If there is any chance that I have and you are reading this, please consider this my apology from one SAHM to another. I believe we make assumptions based on what we don't know, and motherhood is simply not something you can explain to someone who is not a mother. 

Alright, well, I hope that wasn't all too jumbled. Those are just my frustrated thoughts from today.

But I wanted to share some more fun pictures of Baby C that I took while getting him used to his cowboy hat. I have been "re-branding" myself as a photographer and put together a new logo for myself and have scheduled several upcoming photo shoots that I am so excited about! Here are some shots of C with my new logo:

Alright, well, that's all from me for today! Sorry this is so late, but it was just "one of those days". ;)

Zebra hugs and love! 

Ashley