Baby Buswell- part 2

It's a GIRL! And she has a name, but I'm keeping it a secret in case Kristi and Chad aren't ready to tell. Kristi came over today and raided my closet of all the pink Juicy Couture baby outfits I had bought for my first pregnancy. It felt good giving them to her. It's hard for me to look at those outfits because it reminds me what was taken away from us. This was our 3rd month of trying to get pregnant. We're going to our new doctor in January, just to talk to her, and make sure everything is okay.
Here is a video of baby girl Buswell. She is a thumb sucker already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI2UYGjyGzY

Click on the above link

Merry Christmas

Belated I know, but I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas. And Happy Birthday to my Papa today, December 26.
I can't believe it's almost 2009. I'm a little sad because I thought I would be pregnant by now. This month was only our 3rd try since my miscarriage, and I know on average it takes 5-6 months. We hit the jackpot the first time, so I know the odds are slim that was going to happen again. I've been worrying lately that my progesterone levels are too slow. I have a border-line too short luteal phase (the time from ovulation till your next period). Progesterone is the hormone that takes over during this time, and if your levels are too low, it can keep you from getting pregnant because your uterus sheds it's lining before an egg has time to implant. Or if you do get pregnant like I did in June, and your progesterone is low or drops, you will have a miscarriage. So right now I am using an all natural progesterone cream. I plan to see my doctor asap to have blood work done to see if I even need it. But this could be the reason for my previous miscarriage and the reason I haven't gotten pregnant yet. If I do get pregnant, I have to continue to use the cream till the end of my first trimester because a sudden drop in progesterone could cause another miscarriage. I am 8 days past ovulation today, and haven't tested yet. Will update as soon as I do. Fingers crossed:)

bikes for tikes

The Brazoria County Harley Davidson group raised money to help a few local needy families. Two weekends ago (yes I am behind) we had a Christmas party for the families and their kiddos. All the kids got gifts and a brand new bike! They even got to meet Santa Claus (my uncle Thomas)! The party was a hit and it felt wonderful to do something for those in need. Here are some pictures I took of the families we fed and gave gifts to.










And my dad, the chef for the evening

Secret Santa???

We had a secret Santa gift exchange on a message board I have been a member of for 5 years :insert shocked smiley face here: Wow, I can not believe how the time flies. When I first joined, I hadn't even met Brice yet. How cool is that? So anyways, I joined the gift exchange this year. We had to make list of items we wanted. My SS got me the two items off my list I wanted the most. Here are some pictures...


I LOVE Woodwick candles. Brice tells me they sound like a fireplace crackling. I just love the smell, and they burn forever!
Sophia and Raven even got some homemade dog treats

House

So does anyone love this Fox hit TV show as much as I do? My mom comes over every Tuesday night and we watch it together at my house. My sister is the one who told me about it when it first came out in 2004. She knew I could relate to House. He lives in a lot of pain due to a leg injury and sadly seems to be addicted to vicodin and percocet. But yet he is the smartest doctor at the hospital, the one everyone looks up to and respects the most.
I've been on Vicodin every day for the past 2 years. And recently started on percocet as well. My doctor at MD Anderson gives me both. I don't think a lot of people realize what it's like to live in pain. Like real pain. Like honest to goodness somebody shoot me pain. I see how easy it is to become addicted to these pain medications, espically the percocet. But those tumors are always going to be in my brain attached to nerves. We don't want them to grow and have to be removed. Let them sit there and cause me pain I guess, but in the meantime I have to be strong and have a lot of faith I won't become a pill popping junkie like House. It's only 10am, but I am so ready for 7pm to roll around!

Ladies Night Out

The Angleton chamber of commerce sponsored the first annual ladies night out party last weekend. The price of each ticket included dinner, a tote bag full of goodies, a ticket for a free bar drink, and one free pamper pass for a massage or hair cut. The massages were given right there at the party by the same lady I pay to do my massages monthly. So I was excited to get a free massage! There were also lots of really cool vendors. I managed not to buy too much stuff. The guest of honor was a "sexy" Santa Claus. I think the "sexy" part was meant to be a joke. Donna and I had a good laugh sitting on his lap...

Here is a picture of my mom and me. I am framing this picture and giving it to her for Christmas. She hasn't seen it yet, and since she doesn't know how to work a computer, I don't have to worry about her seeing it on my blog:)

Is that SNOW?

Yes, that's right- SNOW! It snowed here today which had every cowboy and cowgirl asking "Is that snow?" Us Texans don't even know what snow looks like! Last time it snowed here was Christmas eve 2004 which was a miracle of course. We drove down to the beach the next day and there was 10 inches of snow on top of sand. And of course someone had built a snowman with a bikini on! Anyways, today was only snow flurries, but it was a lot and continued all day. It's been melting as it hits the ground, but very exciting for us down here on the gulf.
I'll leave you all with my favorite Christmas song....

When its christmas time in texas
Its a very special time for me
In texas well go swingin round the christmas tree
Dancin to a christmas melody
When its christmas time in texas
It might look just like a summer day
There may not be snow in san antonio
But its a texas christmas to me

[chorus]
When santa claus slips over the border
Itll sound a little different when he sings
cause hell hear those twin fiddles playin
Christmas songs with a touch of western swing
There may not be snow in san antonio
But its a texas christmas to me

When its christmas time in texas
I love to hear those christmas carolers sing
People on the go childrens faces all aglow
Grandpas been chasin grandma around
Tryin to catch her neath the mistletoe
Everything is right the lone star shinin bright
But its a texas christmas to me

Frosty the snowman knew the snow was hot that day
So he said lets run and have some fun before I melt away
Down to the village with a broom stick in his hand
Runnin here and there all around the square
Sayin catch me if you can

[chorus]

And heres wishin you all a merry christmas
Merry christmas from texas and me

gobble gobble

:sigh: I love weddings!

Capree and Kyle's wedding turned out beautiful. The rehearsal dinner was western themed- so cute! We even had little name tags for the table where we were suppose to sit. As Brice and I were sitting there eating dinner I asked him "doesn't that make you feel good seeing Fief behind my name?" He promptly answered "No, it makes me feel broke!" Thanks babe.

I love this picture of me and the bride-to-be

Thank heaven for little girls- the lovely flower girls and junior bridesmaids

Capree getting her hair and makeup done by Kayla

Soon-to-be Mrs. Young an hour before the wedding started

Same picture but in color to see makeup details

The hubby and I- groomsmen and bridesmaid

As soon as Capree gets back from Jamaica, I'm sure she will have more pictures to post from the wedding. I didn't get any of her dress, and the picture I took of the cake didn't turn out very good. We had a fun weekend with lots of memories. One funny thing that did happen (well not funny at the time) during the ceremony, Brice's brother Cole who was a groomsmen almost passed out while standing with all the other groomsmen. Cole whispered to Brice that he was feeling hot and light-headed. Right about that time Cole started wobbling and couldn't stand straight. The brides dad not realizing what was going on, stood up and walked over to Cole (all while the minister is in the middle of talking) and grabbed him by the arm and led him outside. The ceremony continued like nothing had happened. He was fine after he went outside to cool off and came back in and stood in his spot. I'm just glad he didn't pass out and knock the bride over, ha ha!
Have a great Sunday everyone:)

capree & kyle...

Are getting married tomorrow! Holy shit!! Where has the time gone? It seems just like yesterday she was calling me at 1 in the morning from San Antonio announcing she was engaged. Tonight is the rehearsal dinner which I am really looking forward to. I have no idea what to wear. Check back Sunday for pictures of our fabulous weekend.

Baby Buswell

Due to make his/her debut May 30, 2009. Congratulations Chad & Kristi!! I've been wanting to write this blog for a few weeks now, but this little baby is already causing major drama. Kristi was first told at 5 weeks that there was a possibility her pregnancy was nonviable. There was no baby or heartbeat. Just an empty sac. So Chad and Kristi did what any couple would do, they prepared theirself for the worst. Kristi returned for another ultrasound at 6 weeks hoping to see at least a baby and a flicker of the heartbeat. Imagine their surprise when the ultrasound technician announced she could see not one, but two heartbeats flickering away on the computer screen. Kristi's first reaction was "two what?" Which appeared to be in one sac making them identical twins. During all this craziness, Kristi switched doctors. That's a whole other blog! Her new doctor wanted another ultrasound at 8 weeks to confirm the twins. It was then they were only able to see one baby. Her doctor thought maybe the other twin was hiding behind the other. So if this hasn't been crazy enough, Kristi's new doctor asked her to come back at 11 weeks. Not for an ultrasound, she's had way too many already, but so they can listen with the doppler to see how many heartbeats there actually are. Yes Kristi it's called a doppler, not a dinglehopper! So at 11 weeks, it was confirmed there was only one healthy baby with a very strong heartbeat. All is good. We are happy and blessed to have at least one baby Buswell on the way.

Now where did that other twin go? Or was there ever one to begin with? Only God knows for sure. My theory is Kristi had what they call The Vanishing Twin Syndrome. This is the result of a miscarriage of one of the twins that either absorbs back into the other twin, or back into the placenta. Kristi's doctor mentioned the second heartbeat could have been a mirror-image bouncing back off the other, but I personally haven't been able to find much research on this.

Here is a picture of Kristi and me on her wedding day....

why does it rain?

Today we layed to rest Miranda Ann Raymond. Why does it always rain during funerals? It didn't just sprinkle, it poured hard and never stopped. It was nice seeing old friends I haven't seen in years. I'm sad it had to be the death of a close friend to bring everyone together, but I suppose that's the way it's meant to be. I guess now we just take one day at a time and remember we got a really good angel working with God looking over us now. Miranda once told me that I can have her children for her because she feared she would never have her own. I'm not sure what she meant by that. Maybe she thought she would never get married, or maybe she knew she wouldn't live a long life? Either way, I promised myself today that's exactly what I'm going to do. I will get pregnant and know she played a part in helping us achieve that. So I prayed to Miranda today and asked her as soon as she's settled down in heaven and has the time, to please add me and Brice to her "miracle" to-do list:)

That's all for now.

Brides Lunch

Sunday afternoon we had a brides lunch for soon-to-be Mrs. Capree Young. It turned out really nice and was like a miniature Thanksgiving dinner. Here are some pictures I took and played around with in Paint Shop Pro.

R.I.P Miranda Raymond

God called home a very good friend of mine this week. Why did He need her so soon? I hope He has a good reason for it because I know I'm not the only one wondering. The bible says we should trust Him in everything we do, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. And just let it be, and know there was a reason for it.

Miranda- I will miss your comments on my blog that always made me smile. You were always there for me when I needed you the most. Thank you for all the late night emails on myspace when I had my miscarriage. You wrote me every day till you knew I was better. Thank you for always coming to sit with me at lunch when I would be sitting alone. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I wish you had been giving a chance to fight it. We will miss you and never forget that smile on your face.

cheers....

To a new cycle. Aunt Flo' came for a visit today. I didn't think I was pregnant, but I thought we had a good chance this month. Oh well, we get to try again in two weeks. I remind myself how lucky we are that we were able to get pregnant on the first try. That doesn't happen with most couples. I know it will happen- soon! Not one day, but soon..

Oh, and somebody (probably some kids) stole the pumpkin Brice carved for me out of our yard on Halloween night. I didn't even get a chance to take some pictures of it. It looked soooo good, too!

BOO!

A few weeks ago I saw a really cool scary clown in a Halloween shop. It was overpriced at $90 and I knew it was something Brice could make for me. So he's been working on it for a few days now and finally finished it last night. It actually turned out pretty awesome! I need to fix the knife, it would look better pointing up instead of down. Hopefully it scares the crap out of the trick-or-treaters, hehe!!

Halloween 2008

Last night was the costume party at Christy's Bar. I didn't dress up this year, but still had a great time. I was surprised to see my uncle Robert (my moms brother) who I haven't seen in a very long time. We had fun catching up and talking about all sorts of stuff. Brice and I have been decorating the yard with spookie Halloween decorations. I'll post pics as soon as we are done.

Fun with Paint Shop Pro

Yesterday I bought Paint Shop Pro PHOTO x2. I haven't actually read the instruction booklet yet. I would prefer to teach myself and play around with it instead of giving myself a headache reading the hard to understand "instructions". So bare with me, I'm sure you may find a few mistakes on the following photos.
On this picture I just did some simple one click editing...

This picture actually turned out pretty good...

Blast from the past!

I had a hard time with this picture of Nathan, but it still looks pretty cool...

tres chic

Or "very stylish", my husband has officially been married to yours truly way too long. He recently spent $250 (on sale) for two pairs of 7 For All Mankind jeans at Saks. Isn't he cute?

kayla & kylie

Today I had the opportunity to photograph mother and daughter- Kayla and Kylie. What a beautiful pair they are!! It was hot and sunny so not my best work, but we still managed to get a few great shots.
I am in the process of purchasing Adobe PhotoShop so I can edit pictures better with black & white and also a brown effect that looks really cool with brick. But for now, here are the untouched versions, and a few I put in B&W. Please click on each picture to see better quality.






The following photo of Kayla would look awesome in brown & white. My next project!