Welcome to my fun chaotic life! It's been a rollercoaster ride these past few years or so. Although isn't ben crazy, I wouldn't change a second of it!

On May 18th, 2002 I married my high school sweetheart, Josh! It's funny to look back and know that I hated him back in the earlier years of high school too! He will tell you it all started in 7th grade when I slapped him...I'll tell you 10th grade when I absolutely despised him! Either way, for 7 years we have been happily married.

Since we got married, we had been trying to have a baby. I think sometimes me more than him, but he will never admit that! Many people do not understand what it is like, holding on to hope month after month, with no success. In a few short words, it is depressing, frustrating, and sad. Then in March 2006, we got the wonderful news we had been waiting for, we were pregnant!! But by May, we had miscarried that precious baby. I was heartbroken-no words can describe that feeling. For almost 4 years we tried getting pregnant with no sucess; test, medication, surgery...all done in hopes of getting pregnant.


Life has a funny way about it though, because 4 months later, we found out that we were pregnant again! All these emotions were running through my head. I couldn't go through what I did months prior. It seemed that it was all happening again, and I was losing it, both physically and emotionally. My doctor put my mind at ease when he let me see my little one for the first time! All was well, and I was indeed pregnant! This was the happiest day of my life! Life though loves to take many twists!


This little one gave me more scares than I could imagine. At 25 weeks I ended up in L&D due to lack of movement, but all was well...she just felt like being still! But, at 30 weeks, she decided she wanted nothing to do with being nice and cozy...she wanted out! On March 21, 2007 at 8:05a.m., my water broke! I was scared out of my mind. Josh was overseas and my family was 2000 miles away. I freaked out, then in a moment of clarity, drove myself to the hospital! (Although calm, I was driving 95 MPH!!) The hospital transferred me to the best hospital around, Thomason Hospital, where at 1:46 p.m, Abbie Grace was born via c-section 3lbs 13.8oz, and 16.5inches long. She was rushed to the NICU due to not breathing, so I only saw her little head for all of 5 seconds. Josh got there 3 days after her birth. Here is what Abbie looked like when we got to see her for the first time:
Abbie is now a rambunctious 2 year old now! Looking at her, you would never know that she was born 10 weeks early and only 3lbs! She is my life and my love! She makes me smile when I am having a bad day. I smile everytime I hear her sing her ABC's or fwinkle fwinkle (twinkle twinkle). Oh from the mouths of babes!

Now the story does not end here! After months of raising Abbie on my own, Josh finally came back from overseas. They sent him back after Abbie came home from the NICU. She gave many scares during the next 8 months of her life. She screamed non-stop from 2 1/2 months to 5 months of age...let's talk about pulling hair out! Then, one day, she looked up and smiled! That was the end of her fussy stage! She had moments with her breathing that scared us as well. She would stop breathing in the night, and her aweful apnea monitor would screech! By the time we got that off, life was good! Only, we weren't ready for the next chapter in our lives!

When Abbie turned 11 months old, I found out I was pregnant once again! We weren't really even trying! I knew something was up, when watching a rerun of Walker Texas Ranger, I cried like a baby! We were sooo excited, but at the same time very cautious. This pregnancy started out just like Abbie did! I believed I was miscarrying yet again, so off to the doctor I went. I went to the ER first, where they confirmed I was in the process of miscarrying. I followed up with my doctor the following Friday, and without hesitation, he did an internal sonogram..and to my surprise, my little bean was still in there, heart beating away! What made my body do what it did with my two pregnancies, I will never know!

This time around, I took progesterone shots every week, starting at 16 weeks, and had weekly monitoring of the baby starting at 28 weeks. Everything was looking really good! The baby was growing, and I wasn't having any contractions. What a relief! We were going to have a full term baby....or so we thought! At 30 weeks, I was noticing that I might be leaking fluid, so I told the doctor, and they did an exam....well, needless to say, I was once again rushed to L&D! I was already contracting, although my body wasn't feeling it! They then rushed me back to Thomason Hospital, where I was able to hold my little man in for another week and a half. On September 20, 2008, at 4:41 a.m., Austin Cole was born! He was 31weeks and 5 days, weighing in at 4lbs 3oz and 17.5 inches long! I was able to have him naturally...and when I say naturally, I mean NO DRUGS!!! I didn't plan it that way, but life happens, right?! He came out kicking, screaming, and peeing!!!! I was actually able to hold him for a few minutes before they carried him off to the NICU. Here is a picture of him only hours old in the NICU:

Austin was in the NICU for 3 weeks, and then was able to come home! We only had a little problem with his BP the first night in the NICU, and from then, it was just getting him to eat enough to gain the weight. I can tell you that he is a much fussier baby than Abbie, and is just now really getting out of his fussy stage...thank heavens for that! He is doing soo many new things now! He is really trying hard to crawl, and I think in the next week or so, he will be full on crawling! He also sat himself up twice! I don't call that really knowing how to do it, but it's a start! Let's not forget that he is starting to get his two bottom teach too! Here he is at 9 months old:

Now through all this hospital time, we have become stronger parents and stronger as a married couple! We have since moved to North Carolina from El Paso, and we are loving it here! Josh got out of the army and is now working as the head guy at work! It's stressful for him right now because they don't have enough people, but that is soon to change!

I am also in the process of finding another teaching job. I did not teach last year since Austin was so young. I acquired the North Carolina certificate, now making myself certified in 3 states! I had two interviews this week, and both schools want me! I have accepted one, and they are now in the process of getting me approved by the board....that will take some time. But needless to say, I will be teaching 4th grade!

Today of all days is a great day! I am surrounded by my family and I know I am loved today! My life may be chaotic, but I wouldn't have it any other way!