This post is Part Three of a true story. A story about Adam and I getting pregnant before marriage and how it has made our life together complicated, painful, wonderful and FULL of surprises. A story of how love can grow in even the most unlikely situations. If you haven’t already, you can read Part One here and Part Two here.

In Part two I talked about how Adam and I were dealing with our unexpected pregnancy and I think I left off at the part where his parents came up from Atlanta to offer their support and meet my parents.  I guess you can imagine that the mood wasn’t exactly celebratory.  No one was slapping Adam on the back, and no one was saying congratulations.  Adam was a full time student, I had just dropped out of college and I was working at a clothing store.  We weren’t ready to define our relationship let alone become parents together.

I guess it this had happened back in like 1955 I would have been shipped off to some convent and forced to give the baby up for adoption.  Actually my mom did tell me just last year that she thought she was going to have to raise Addison.  That should give you an idea of just how hard I was working to make my mom and dad proud. (dripping with sarcasm)

So anyway when Adam’s parents got to my parents house we all sat down in the living room to talk.  My mom and dad were upset, but I remember my dad saying he hoped that everything worked out and they welcomed Adam as a part of our family.  However, my parents also were  pretty adamant that they didn’t think we should rush into marriage.  His parents originally thought getting married would be the best thing for us, but I think that they quickly began to see that we could make this work and they agreed that we should take things slow.

So after we all began to feel more comfortable we started to allow ourselves to get excited.  We were going to have a baby and married or not babies are a blessing from God.  I still believe that today.

I know now that because I was the one with the baby growing inside of me it was easier for me to cope.  I was able to feel her move and kick and I could feel her little hiccups.  It has been easier for me from the very first day.  I immediately loved this baby who would one day become my long legged Addison who loves to have her hair straightened and her toes painted.  I felt like I was finally doing what I had been put on this earth to do.  I had direction, and I had a purpose.  I believe that although the timing felt wrong to us at the time, Addison was a gift from God in His perfect time.

I decided to move back into my parents house so I could take better care of myself. They has a nice big clean house that actually had food in the pantry and milk and veggies in the fridge.  My pregnancy went by pretty fast because I was almost into my 2nd trimester when we found out.

We spent Thanksgiving with Adam’s family in Georgia and I met his extended family.  That was fun and I fit in pretty well, but it was awkward for me at first.  I was all “Hey ya’ll I’m Adam’s knocked up girlfriend from Tennessee”.  Hehehe not really.  Actually they welcomed me with open arms and my family did the same for Adam.  Their were no harsh words and it was awesome to have all of the support.

Support has been a recurring theme in our lives from the very beginning.  My aunts and coworkers gave me baby showers and Adam’s parents threw an awesome shower for us in Atlanta.  No amount of thank you notes could suffice for the outpouring of generosity we experienced from both sides.  We had all of the baby things and all we needed was our baby girl.

She finally graced us with her presence on April 27th, 2001.  She gave us a scare and spent 6 days in the NICU, but we finally brought her home and started actually being someone’s parents.  Adam had moved into my parents house while I was pregnant so he could finish school and so we could all be together.  Because no matter what was happening, we knew that it was better when we were together.

I think I will wrap up Part 3 on that note.  Check back for Part 4 soon!  The picture I chose for this post makes me laugh at myself.  If you look at the date it was the day before I gave birth.  I was swollen and miserable by then and so ready to have Addison.  My nose had grown to 3 times it’s normal size and I am pretty sure that is a forced smile.  It’s hard to smile when your face feels tight from being so swollen.  I look thrilled!

Yesterday was busy, and I was having laptop issues.  So here it is…what should have been posted yesterday.  I am also working on Fro’ me to you Thursday.  I am thinking it might be The Truth Is…Part 3.  I have a hair appointment at 1, so it will have to be later.

One of the reasons I love the summer so much is all of the fresh produce.  My grandmother has a huge garden and my parents and my brother both have small gardens in their backyards.  So we get to eat all sorts of yummy veggies!  However….living in the south has taught me how to make these farm fresh healthy vegetables not very good for us, but VERY tasty.  I guess this explains why according to the CDC, Tennessee was ranked a big FAT number 3 in the nation for adult obesity.  We like our butter and mayonnaise ya’ll.  Which leads me to my “Wordless Wednesday on Thursday”  (wordless my foot).  By the way…the squash in the skillet wasn’t quite finished.  I also sprinkle it with shredded cheese to make it even more unhealthily delicious!

1.  I have serious lighting concept issues.  I never use the “big light” because I hate the way it makes the room feel.  Instead I am constantly turning off lights and I always use lamps.  I also hate dark corners. Yeah I know…I am in counseling so don’t you worry

2.  Ironically I can never remember to turn off the bathroom and closet lights.  Adam wised up and installed a “magic” bathroom switch that is powered by a motion sensor.  When people come over to our house for the first time it’s really funny to watch them trying to figure that one out!

3.  I have always been infuriated by “shanking”.  If you ever think it might be funny to pull down my pants as a joke…I might be forced to get violent and get all redneck on yer arse.  Just sayin.

4.  The same thing goes for spanking.  Addison has learned this one the hard way.  Do. Not. Spank. Me. unless you wouldn’t mind being known for having a nub.

5. Have I mentioned I HATE clutter, which means mail (including bills and other important documents) gets put into drawers and lost forever.  Some of ya’ll might remember my  extreme dislike for clutter and my cute little nickname UberMom….read this post if you don’t.

6.  All of my tops have to be a certain length.  It’s called they have to be long enough to cover the wonderful little pouch of skin in my midsection I carry around now that I have had 2 babies.  It’s like a little purse, only it’s not cute or fashionable.  Those of you who do not have this wonderful belly purse and therefore don’t know what the fack I am talking about….well yall can just suck a stinky walrus toe. Yeah….I said it.

7.  I am obsessed with my vacuum cleaner.  If I wasn’t married to Adam and it was appropriate to be in a relationship with a vacuum, I would probably ask it out for cocktails.

8.  I am an extreme over apologizer…when we go to the movies and we have to slide by people to get to our seats I say over and over…”Ya’ll I am so sorry…excuse me, sorry…so sorry” and so on and so on until I get to my seat.

9.  The same goes for thank you’s.  I have been known to send a thank you note thanking someone for a thank you gift that they sent me.  Adam thinks I am crazy for doing that, but my mom scarred me for life because I refused to write my graduation gift thank you cards in a timely fashion.  I actually said these words “I don’t know why I need to send them a thank you note….they WANTED to send me money…I didn’t ask them to”.  Note to my 18 year old self:  You are about to have objects hurled at you from the bottom of the stairs…just say yes ma’am and write the friggin’ thank you notes!.  Sorry mom…I am pretty sure I would’ve done the same thing  now that I have a mom’s point of view.

10.  There is no number 10….yep. that’s just how I roll

I have never really talked about my political views on my blog, and I probably won’t be doing it very often.  But I have been reading a lot of articles lately about who might be our next President and I take the subject very seriously. So this post is just my opinion and although I chose not to go into great detail, I feel like I could back up everything I wrote , otherwise I would not have written it.

I know that I will probably get lots of crap from all of the big Obama fans out there, but I will take it.  I will take it because the thought of this man becoming the President keeps me awake at night.  It makes me frightened for my children.  I can’t be afraid to speak my mind and maybe change someone’s point of view.  Please don’t play the race card if you decide to message me.  I am far from racist and I am certainly proud that our country is forward thinking enough and colorblind enough to support an African American for President with such enthusiasm.  I just don’t happen to identify with him politically.

There are people out there from all political affiliations and from all walks of life who are starting to see through the “hype”.  Please don’t make an uninformed choice.

If you TRULY want to see huge tax increases, BIG government  socialism and partial birth abortions become the norm in this country then go ahead and  vote for Obama.  I am not completely thrilled with the alternative, but at least I am doing my homework before making such an important vote.  Take it seriously…it impacts everyone and it impacts American history and our global fate.  Don’t be seduced by the left wing media.  I will admit that it’s hard to find unbiased news sources, but it is possible.

Now before you email me and say ugly things check this stuff out and remember that I am just like you.  An American trying not to bury my head in the sand, but instead actually be informed.

http://www.hypemovie.com/index.html

http://www.americanthinker.com/ ( you should spend some time on this website….it’s is really good reading)

Ok…now I guess I’ll step down from the soapbox!  Happy learning!

This is one of the BEST things I have ever read.  I have read every blog Angie has posted and they are all wonderfully written, but this one is absolutely exceptional.  I urge you to read it and open your heart to what it can do for you.  It has truly inspired me.

http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2008/07/blink.html

It’s Friday night.  I might have had some Sauvignon Blanc and I am feeling extra introspective.

This past week I have been reading all my regular blogs.  And I have also been reading some not so regular blogs.  Bloggers have been linking to other blogs and they have been linking to other blogs and so on and so on and so on.  I am fairly new to this whole bloggy community.  A lot of people were able to go to the BlogHer conference, and although I am a little envious of these people, I don’t feel like I would have been ready to go even if our finances had allowed.  As I read every one’s account of how it went, I can’t help but to be drawn to the plethora of brilliant blogs out there on the big ol’ INTERNET.

I am subscribed to 59 blogs in my Google Reader and I am truly having a hard time keeping up.  I am obviously balancing it all pretty well because the house is clean and the laundry is caught up, BUT, I feel like I am just one decent blog among a thousand really great blogs.  It’s hard to keep writing when I think like that.

I try really hard to just write for me.  I try to just make this website about how I feel about myself and not think about the people reading. But I have to admit it is really hard to do that.  I think it’s because I DO care who is reading and I DO care how they perceive me.  Blogging really does fulfill a deep desire of mine to write, but it also unleashes many of my insecurities as well.

I know that I am a good mother and an exceptional wife.  Trust me….I am not just tooting my own horn.  And it really does help to be a part of a community of bloggers who  just seem to “get it” like I get it.

I blog for many reasons.  I do it because it makes me feel good about myself (and don’t hate me, but I like reading my OWN freaking blog).  I do it because it’s a record of what’s going on and I am not very good at keeping up with it in a baby book or a scrapbook.  Also i do it because some of our family live out of town and I want them to feel connected to us every day even if it’s just on the Internet.  But also i do it because I love the feeling of putting it all out there and “keeping it real” so to speak.  It’s hard not to live in my own head and be narrow-minded.  But I strive to be the kind of person who can truly be objective and genuinely think outside of my comfort zone.

I want to reach out to all different kinds of people and try to identify with how they live their lives everyday.  I feel like we as bloggers have been given a gift.  We are not only reading about these “strangers”, we are putting ourselves out there in some way or another to connect to one another.  I feel blessed to be a part of this community and I look forward to meeting some of you one of these days.  Until then….happy reading!

I have often wondered about the meaning of life.  I have struggled with my spirituality for years and questioned the reason why things happen how they happen.  I used to go back and forth between believing that Jesus was crucified so that I could be forgiven and spend eternity in heaven and questioning whether it was all made up because the human race needed some defining code of ethics to keep ourselves in line.

All of that going back and forth stopped 7 years ago.  Some people say that they need to see proof to believe that God exists.  I think that the proof for me was becoming a mother and bearing witness to how life begins.  It completely changed my perception.  It didn’t happen overnight.  I didn’t have some epiphany and decide to live my life for Christ in one moment.  It has been a gradual process that has been years in the making.  However, I do know that in the last seven years I have never had one doubt that God exists and has a plan for me and for everyone else.

Even though it has taken me years to get to where I am today spiritually, I believe that the path I am on will lead me to a far deeper understanding.  I am not a Bible scholar, and of course I still have questions (and I think it’s ok to ask them), but my faith has been absolutely solid for a very long time.

It all started with a void inside me that in the past I would attempt to fill with all kinds of the wrong things.  I finally realized that God’s voice was very hard to ignore or push to the side.  For a long while I never asked Him what He thought, or sought Him out for council on how to live my life.  But guess what?  He wanted me to know anyway.  So at some point I made the choice to listen…really listen to God’s voice.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I have screwed up once or twice (or more like a thousand times!) since I made that choice.  I have disregarded and I have disobeyed.  I am totally unworthy of all of God’s promises.  BUT, the beautiful thing is….when I come to my senses He is always ready to forgive me for my ignorance.  I chose the word ignorant carefully.  I feel very strongly that I am only allowed to see what God desires me to see in each moment.  So, in a sense I am ignorant until He chooses for me to know what I need to know.

I wish I possessed all of the answers and I certainly wish that  I could help other people understand how and why I feel the way I do about Jesus Christ.  I only can quote a few scriptures, I don’t pray out loud well and I get all stuttery and self conscious when I try to explain my faith to other people (especially non-believers).  The only thing I know to do is to explain that if you just look around you can see all different kinds of God’s miracles.  If you truly open yourself up and seek Him with all your heart and soul….your life will be changed forever.

For more Wordless Wednesday’s go here

There are so MANY reasons I love being a parent. If you would like to read about some of those mushy gushy wonderful parent child/sentiments go here because this isn’t the post for you.

This is a list of some of the horrors joys of parenthood. I can say that I have experienced all of these things at least once in the last 7 years or seven hours.

• I change a lot of dirty diapers, and it’s fine and I am used to it. But I do NOT like when I stick my finger in a diaper to peek in and check it and I pull it out only to discover that it is covered in poo. Then, I have baby poop on my finger and under my nail and that is just so not cool. I sometimes wonder how I became this person covered in pee, poop and spit-up. When did it become normal for me to find crusted baby food on my clothes and know that it has been there a pretty long while?
• I am thinking about buying some adult diapers just to keep around the house. Why, you ask? Because there are days when I will realize that I haven’t peed yet and it is like 3 pm. I don’t normally keep up with my bathroom visits, but sometimes I will be all…didn’t I have to pee like 4 hours ago? Where does all the unpeed pee go?
• On that same note, I notice that many times I have to eat cold food because I get side tracked after I warm it up. This happens with coffee too. I will have a steaming hot cup of coffee and I will find it hours later either in the microwave, or in the bathroom closet. Yeah…I guess that might be weird in some people’s houses….but not mine.
• What about the phantom poopy diaper? I have wasted many a diaper when I think the baby is stinky and when I take it off of her it’s empty. I have also taken out 3 or 4 wipes in preparation for a really big pooper and then…NO POOPY! Then I try to put the wipes back in the tub and it just causes a big freaking back-up the next time I try to take out a wipe for a legitimate poop.

• This one is kind of TMI but jeez I have said the word poop in some form or another about 7 times, so I figure what the heck. Saggy Boobs ya’ll. Yeah I said it. Sadly, breastfeeding two babies has left my breasts practically unrecognizable. I heard someone once compare their own drooping daisies to a softball in a tube sock. Haha! Well, maybe mine aren’t quite that bad, but I do wish that breastfeeding didn’t alter them so drastically.

We are in Atlanta visiting Adam’s parents and sister.  Addison has been here for the past 2 weeks and we came to take her home and attend a family reunion.

This is how it will go down.

Tomorrow we will wake up and wait too long to take showers in a timely manner and too long to decide what to eat for breakfast.

Then we will all decide at the same time that it’s our turn to shower.  Then we will rush around getting food ready and fixing our hair until it’s time to get in the car and drive for an hour and a half to a cute little country church in a town in rural Georgia.

Then we will set all of the wonderful mayonnaise laden southern food  out on a great big table in the social hall.  We’ll fix our plates, eat fried chicken, drink sweet tea and laugh and laugh some more. Then we will sit around and talk about who we are related to and how uncomfortably full we are.  This will be because we ate two plates of food and 3 different desserts because we just couldn’t decide between Grandma’s chocolate cake, Aunt Regina’s cobbler or the unidentified but undeniably delicious pecan( PEE-CAN) pie.

Then the women will clean up while the men sit around and talk about SEC football or the usual getting old physical ailments or whatever.  Side note:  I don’t actually know what the men talk about because I am usually chasing around a kid or rinsing off spoons.

It will be a hundred and sixteen degrees outside and the kids will start to smell like …well…stinky kids.  Then we’ll pack our cars and go back to Adam’s parents house weighing approximately 10 pounds heavier.

When we get back we will pack the car and drive 4 1/2 hours home with a gut full of family reunion food.  We are also bringing a kitten home with us.( more on that later)  Feel sorry for me please.

‘nother side note:  Have I mentioned that I have the BEST in-laws EVER!!!? I feel like I have been a member of this family my entire life.  Thank goodness I haven’t though because that would be incest.  Hopefully I won’t someday find out that Adam and I are cousins.  Ok that’s officially crossing the line!

You’re welcome.