Our rollar coaster ride

I have been MIA from this blog and my real life for a while. Thank goodness we are getting back to normal, and that everything is going to be alright. Since we have been on the move for the past month, we were looking forward to a couple of weekends at home. We were going to play on the new boat, and get the baby's room in order. The Powers That Be had other ideas. 2 Fridays ago Jason started complaining of some aches and thought he may be coming down with the flu or something. By early Saturday morning he was in bad pain, the worst of his life. We went to the emergency room. They gave him an IV and ran blood tests. They released him after hydrating and medicating him. We were to wait on the test results. He had spotted a tick on him a week earlier so the initial thought for everyone was that he had Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain. Monday he went to his regular doctor, who ran more blood tests. Tuesday, he was feeling very weak, so we went back to the ER. No one seemed to know what was wrong. Shortly after the 2nd trip to the ER his Dr. called with blood results. Jason had Rhabdomyolysis. Short version: Rhabdomyolysis is the rapid breakdown (lysis) of skeletal muscle tissue (rhabdomyo) due to injury to muscle tissue. The muscle damage may be caused by physical (e.g. crush injury), chemical, or biological factors. The destruction of the muscle leads to the release of the breakdown products of damaged muscle cells into the bloodstream; some of these, such as myoglobin, are harmful to the kidney and may lead to acute kidney failure. Treatment is with intravenous fluids, and dialysis or hemofiltration if necessary. His doctor tried to treat him as an out patient with I.V. treatment in his office but by Thursday, Jason was looking worse. Worried for his kidney's the Dr. had him admitted into the hospital. After a 2 day, 2 night stay, and lots of I.V. treatments they released him. He is back home and finally today is starting to feel like his normal self again. Thank goodness they found out what this was, and how to treat it, and BEFORE it damaged his kidneys. This was really stressful and so scary. (I am sorry, but I do not know how to break up my blogs into paragraphs unless I insert a picture!). We are soooo thankful that Jason is recovering well and is back home with us.

Of course Brighton did not really know anything was wrong and thought his daddy was working. This picture was taken the Friday that Jason 1st started to feel bad. This is a lesson for Jason and I not to take things and each other for granted. It gave us all a huge scare. Our whole family was worried sick about him and are so glad that he is feeling better!

It's hard to believe it

but Monday was little Jameson's 1st day of school. Kindergarten. I cannot believe how the time has flown. She will always be 2 and a half in my heart. Our sweet baby girl, my little niece. She is the closest thing to a daughter I will have and is growing up. It makes me sad.

She was a little nervous about her 1st day, but Lacey said when she picked her up afterwards, Jameson had a huge smile on her face and loved her 1st day!

Long weekend at Myrtle Beach

Jason, Brighton and I have just returned from a long weekend at the beach. We packed up and left late Friday morning. Jason had a trade show to work on Tuesday morning, so we decided to go early and have some fun before he had to work. We stayed at Jason's mom's beach place until about mid day Monday.

This was our 3rd trip to the beach this summer and the 1st time that we have had mostly decent weather. We stayed around the beach or the pool most of the time. Brighton liked the beach a lot but seemed to prefer the pool after he was on the beach for more than 30 minutes or so. I personally don't blame him but his father would prefer to be in the sand the whole time! We did a little of both but I think we found it was a little easier dealing with the pool for longer periods of time. Anyway, it was nice to have both options. It was also nice to have the golf cart option. We took rides whenever we thought Brighton was getting restless, and took it to dinner one night, as we went somewhere close by.

On Monday we checked into the Kingston Plantation Resort where Jason would be working on Tuesday morning. This was our view from the 10th floor.

The resort also had a water park. Brighton was more than thrilled to take his 1st water slide ride. Times 50! He wanted to do it over and over.

This was Brighton and I killing time on Tuesday morning.

We had a great time. It was a nice little break, to get away for a few days. It will most definitely be our last trip before the baby comes. As it should be! We have been on the go for weeks now it seems. I felt overall good while we were gone with some contractions at night, which seem to be the new normal for me. My biggest fear was us ending up in the Conway, SC hospital having this baby early. He has given false alarm scares lately. We made it home just fine though.

Lately I have been feeling very, very...um, pregnant! Yes, i am feeling it for sure. It has definitely been a little more challenging this time around. It seems that I will have a couple of weeks in a row where I am just feeling all around terrible, achy and weak, then I will get a surprise few days where I feel just fine. I have been waiting for those "fine" days to come back lately. I went to the Dr. yesterday and they told me that my blood pressure was very low. Maybe that has something to do with the way I have been feeling. While I was there, the nurse tried to get an accurate heart rate (as they do at every visit). This time, the baby was rolling and 'running' around so quickly under the dopplar that she could not get a count! We could see him racing around and bumping under my stomach. She finally had to give up. At least we knew he was okay in there! This baby moves like that ALL OF THE TIME! I finally got someone else to witness it. This is what he does every night when I get in bed to relax. Luckily my cravings in my 3rd trimester have gotten alot healthier than my previous ones. I am now wanting reduced fat triscuits and salads. I do not have room to eat alot at one time though :( I am 6 weeks away from his birthday!!!! OMG am I ready? Yes and no for different reasons. Mostly yes though. I am ready to see him, and to get myself feeling back to normal.

Charleston Visit

Last weekend we went to Charleston to visit our dear friends The Johnson's. Shayna, David, Remley and Rhett. We always enjoy our time with them. The last time that we were at their house and had Brighton with us, he was crawling. This time he was running around and getting into all of Rhett's toys. The older guys went fishing and Shayna, the kids and I enjoyed some golf cart rides and pool time.

Since Shayna and I are both pregnant, and at the same time for once, we decided to treat ourselves to a girls night on Saturday and went to dinner. It was a fun time. Oh and Shayna's mom Ginny had my bedding finished for the new baby's room! That was a surprise. It looks great but I am not posting pictures until I have done some more to that room. It is still coming together. I am having the glider recovered now, and my mom is going to start on the window treatment next week.

Baby Shower

Last Saturday, Lacey and my mom threw us a baby shower. It was beach themed, like the new baby's room is going to be. We loved seeing family, and such good friends!

We got a lot of essentials and some pretty cute room decor!!

It was such a fun time, and a great chance to see everyone. I am only sad that I did not get more good pictures, as it was decorated sooooooo cutely! Lacey and my mom went all out with the decor and food. I hope that someone will send me better pics and I can post them later.

Girl Cousins

My sister Kelley and her daughters Gracie and Emory are here this week for a visit. Brighton is so excited to see his cousins, ALL girl cousins. I guess it is only fair that I have another boy to even out this family some! Anyway, we are having alot of fun visiting with them. Brighton even participates in their tea parties.

We asked Brighton...

if he wanted a brother or a boat??? He said BOAT without hesitation. We decided that he could have both!

Not sure when we will find the time to enjoy it with a new one on the way but look forward to giving it lots of TLC so that we can enjoy it for years to come, and Brighton can enjoy both a new brother and a boat!

I am pretty sure that Jason is more excited than Brighton!

Last weekend was so nice and almost relaxing! It is Restaurant Week in Charlotte. Quite a few upscale places do a 3 course meal for a set price that is very reasonable. Jason and I decided to have a date night on Friday. We went to Alton's in Jetton Village. It was delicious! Prime rib stuffed mushrooms, pan seared filets and twice baked potatoes. Yum. Desert? Yes we had it but I can tell you I did not have more than 2 bites of it as I was so full already! It was a nice treat.

On Saturday, Jason's friend Jason Hooks and his family came over to visit. It was Jason, his wife Liz and their 3 boys, Bradley, Tyler and Dylan. Brighton played with the boys and we had some fun in the sun and then grilled cheeseburgers.

In other news, I am happy to report that we seem to be on the road to potty training! I have always heard that boys sometimes take a while to be ready for this, so I was not trying to force it to soon. We have been talking about it to Brighton since he turned 2, and he has had some interest and has actually gone a couple of random times on the potty but nothing consistant. This week he has gone 5 times on the potty! He is very proud of himself. Lets see if we can keep it up!

It has been a while since I have posted anything here. We are officially in the dog days of summer. Nothing major to report but I thought I would post a few pics of Brighton.

We have had a few low key weekends where we did not have any set plans, which was kind of nice. We are just trying to stay cool in the lake and the pool with a few good boat rides in between!

The next weekends of the summer are filled up with plans, visitors, and weekend getaways so I am sure they will go by fast. For my sake I hope so. I think I have mentioned before this heat is really bogging me down. It is hard being pregnant in the summer! This little one is quite active I may add. I need to get busy and get out the baby stuff that is just sitting in boxes and bins in the basement. It will be fun to go through it all again. For some odd reason though, I have not been experiencing "nesting" like I did last time. I need it to happen though so that I can get organized. We will be so busy during the next few weekends though. I don't think it will happen until after Labor Day weekend. Procrastination...

July 4th

With the 4th of July being on a Wednesday this year, it certainly did break up the week. Not sure if it will make it seem shorter or longer. I am thinking longer, as it was just a teaser for the weekend.

Wednesday or not, we celebrated the occasion. It was another super hot day. We have been having a lot of those lately. I am almost over this summer as it has been TO hot for me to enjoy. I am starting to think it may be best if I sit the rest of the summer out INSIDE in the AC! We did have a nice little rain storm later in the day to cool things off. We were able to make a full day of it, seeing lots of family and friends.

Now with that over with, we only have 2 more days until the weekend. It is back to work for now though. I have finally been able to pick out some stuff for the new baby's room! Some fabric and accessories have been purchased so I am feeling better about that. Now, if I could just get some better sleep at night...

Hobbies, Arts and Crafts

Hide your cameras when Brighton comes around! He has been taking pictures just as soon as he gets his hands on a camera or phone lately! My memory (camera and phone) cannot handle the overload! He has also tried his hand at painting and gardening. He painted this flower pot while at Lacey's house last week, and then Poppi showed him how to plant a flower in it. As for me, I am taking on a new project as well. I can remember when I was pregnant with Brighton, all the fun that I had designing his nursery and the bedding for his crib. I spent hours online and on weekends searching fabric stores for the perfect blends. It all finally came together and was exactly what I had envisioned. I remember thinking that I can always use it again if I am ever lucky enough to have a second child. So, of course now that time is here. My guest room is still sitting just as it was after we moved in. A guest room. I was planning on moving Brighton's baby crib and changing table, etc... to that room closer to the due date. I guess I thought Brighton would magically outgrow his stuff over night or something. The truth is that though he is interested in starting potty training, he is still not "there" yet, so we use his changing table. He is going to bed in his crib beautifully every night. It has never once occurred to him to climb out or ask for another bed. He loves his bed. He loves his stuff. I love him still sleeping in his crib, knowing he is not going to get out of bed in the night, I love his stuff. In HIS room. So what to do? I started to fret. Then my mom reminded me that she has a crib just sitting in her garage, unused. She redid it a few years ago for a family friend to use. It is distressed white with a mossaic of nautical china on the sides. She said I could use it. A huge relief washed over me! It was the solution!! So now, Brighton's room can stay as it is, and we can use the converter kit to transform his bed into different stages as he grows.It also means that I have to get BUSY. While a nautical theme is timeless and classic, it has been done, and done and done again. I have to stay in the perimeters of the motif on the bed so I am trying to put a modern spin on it. Of course I am so late in the game on this. I am not even going to try and have it all done by my September due date. I am now leaning towards a coastal theme. Not quite "surfer dude" but not all sailboats and light houses either. Of course I have started my fabric and bedding searches. I even ordered some stuff, only to cancel it shortly after. I am now waiting on fabric samples to be mailed and once I receive them I hope to have a more clear head about this and will be able to make a decision. I hope that this theme can be something that will be cute now and can also grow with baby Flowe #2 into his toddler years. I will keep you posted when it all comes together. Not any time soon though!

Father's Day Weekend

Father's Day weekend was mostly spend out on the lake. We had very nice weather for it! Saturday we were out all day on Max and Connie's boat. Sunday we went to my dad's and he floated around with the little ones in the lake. Jason, Brighton and I also made time for a little kayak ride. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful father, and husband who is a wonderful father to Brighton. Yum, boiled peanuts! Poppi's specialty.

"Chugga Chugga Nooga!!"

This is what Brighton calls Chattanooga. He came up with it on his own and I think it is fitting. We have just returned from out visit to Chattanooga TN. We stayed in the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and Gardens. When I was growing up, we went to Chattanooga a few times as it was only a 2 hour drive from Atlanta. Each time, we would visit the Choo Choo Hotel to visit their shops, gardens, restaurants and of course see the trains. I always wanted to actually stay there. Now I can say that I have. I planned this trip mainly for Brighton who like most 2 year old boys, has a love for trains. If you have a little boy, this is the place to take him! I wanted this to be a time when we could celebrate our family, something just for us and Brighton, as we prepare to be a family of 4. I would have liked to have done it closer to my due date but thought I may be to pregnant to enjoy anything like this in August or September. I am so sad that it is over as we had a wonderful time, but I am sure that we will be back to visit once we have another little train lover among us! Although no trains are still running here, the last one ran it's last run in 1970, the whole place is a tribute to that great train era. The lobby is the old train station (from the early 1900's) and on the grounds are many of the train cars that used to run back in the day. They are there to play on or look at. Some have even been converted to hotel rooms and restaurants. There is a trolly that runs through the gardens. There are also shops and restaurants. We had a reservation the 1st night at The Station House. It was in the former luggage room of the station. The servers are "singing servers" and entertain on stage in between trips to the table. We had a great meal here and Brighton was very entertained! We actually ended up eating dinner here our 2nd night as well. Hey, it is not often that you find a decent restaurant where your child can be loud and entertained through an entire meal! Our room conveniently walked out to one of the 3 pools on the property. We spent both of our late afternoons winding down there, before it was time for us to get ready for dinner. On Saturday morning we went to the Tennessee Valley Railroad so that we could actually ride a train. This was the perfect ride for Brighton's attention span, as the whole ride was only about 45 minutes. There was a break where we got off and saw the train being turned around on an old turntable. This was a fun excursion, but only took up part of our morning. With so much to do in Chattanooga, it was hard to decide what to pick from. With Brighton needing a nap in order to make it to dinner that night, we knew that realistically we should only pick one more activity. We chose to go to Rock City. If you grew up in the south, like me, you have probably seen at least 1 or 2 of these painted barns while driving through the countryside. It is how Rock City used to advertise before farmland was bought and replaced with modern day billboards! The 3 of us enjoyed walking atop of Lookout Mountain through the neat rock formations and gardens. Luckily it was a much nicer climate on top of the mountain and inside of the rock tunnels and caves. At one point, you can actually see 7 different states. I think that this was the perfect excursion choice for us. We got to see a lot and got some good exercise as well! I forgot to mention that we had perfect weather both Friday and Saturday, while we were there. The incline railray, Ruby Falls and TN aquarium will all have to wait until next time. We woke up on Sunday to a rainy day. This made it much easier to leave, although it did not mean anything to Brighton as he cried about wanting to "stay here!". We had reached the caboose of our trip, but promise to return in a few years to see what has changed, or what has hopefully stayed the same!