Fly Duds: Making the world a cuter place!

Do yourself a gigantic favor and order some stuff from Christie at Etsy.com/shop/flyduds.
Hello cuteness and creativity all jumbled together in holy matrimony to make my life so simple and cute all in one single place.  Love. It.

As you know Hill has a birthday coming up.  And as you know I'm going with the Seuss theme.  And as you know I'm OCDish. So when Lauren posted about the sweet shirts she got for her little angels I knew exactly what I wanted to do for Hill's birthday shirt!

Unless you were locked in a closet throughout your childhood, which you may have been and that's ok, but you should all be familiar with Thing 1 & Thing 2

 

That's where the idea came from.  Hill is turning 1 and so how appropriate to make him a shirt......like this....

Thanks, Christie for working with me and making my ideas come to fruition!

Halloween - A Breath of Fresh Air

Chip and I decided to take advantage of the fact that Hill can't talk yet.  This means he has no say in what goes on - sorry little buddy, it's true.  He can hate us when he's older, but we just couldn't resist.

Happy Halloween

from my Little Tress

Air Freshener

(he even has the rope at the top to hang from the rearview mirror)

Hill (Air Freshener) , Swayze (Dorothy) & Pearce (Lion)

Pearce

Such a good sport about it all

Our first ever trick or treat stop
The Cheeks house

Hanging out wit Mr. Cheek

Hill loves Mr. & Mrs. Cheek

Papa & Nana
with the Litte Tree



Happy Birthday FOSTER!

Happy 9th birthday to my first born four legged son, Foster!

I love you sweet boy. 

Thanks for being the best big brother to Hill.

We love you!

Hill decided to write about the Top 12 reasons he loves his Bubba:


12. He let's him touch his gangly toenails
and Hill thinks it's funny.



11. He gives great advice on how to paint

10. He serves as a great wall to hold onto when
learning how to stand up

9.  He likes to hang out

8. He likes my hugs

7. We scratch each others back
and give each other a good pat every now and then.

6. He listens to deep thoughts.

5. Loves Hill's sweet kisses

4. Foster is such a good listener

3. Loves to get loving

2. Foster loves to hang out and drink
juice whenever.

The #1 Reason Hill Loves His Bubba
He's his best buddy ever.

Happy Birthday

Charles Foster Kane Hawkins

We love you so much!

(all 116 lbs of you...in my house...shedding like crazy...with your seafood dumpster breath...)

Chip & Foster
Throwing sticks in the lake.

My Two Favorite People

Colonel Reb & Jesus
(smoking a cigarette together)

Prayer Warriors

I do not know these people, but that doesn't matter.  I ran across this blog from a friend of a friend type deal.  They live in my home town.

Almost two weeks ago her son was feeling bad and next thing they know he's in Texas Childrens and has Lukemia.  It's a little more complicated than that and a lot more scary too.  Please keep Cory and his awesomely strong faith driven family in your prayers.

I have added them to my daily reads, but here is his mom's blog so you can share in their prayer requests as they come.

Baby steps are all we need...

Scary Stuff

Mama Lou and Uncle Jason are flying in tonight! (that's not the scary part)

So since Hill won't be at daycare tomorrow he wore his Mummy t-shirt today because he wanted to scare all the little girls and boys and teachers in his class.

Super Scary - RAAARRR!

Then day before yesterday I was driving down the road and saw something strange hanging from the back of an 18 wheelers mud flap.  I tried to get close enough to take a picture with my phone and ended up running a stop sign and almost got side swiped
(SIDE NOTE: for those of you panicing at my driving - no Hill was not in the car with me,)
but alas, I got the picture.....not a good picture, but at least a picture to prove I wasn't making this up. (You may have to click on the picture and zoom in)



A Bloody Foot on the Flap


You can imagine my confused face talking to myself in the car saying what the .... then silly gullible me started wondering if it was real, then I jumped into my CSI Kosciusko mode, ran the stop sign, then I almost got side swiped.  Only to prove in my evidence photos, it's not real. 
Another crime, another day of danger - debunked.

Restock on Aisle 5

When I do grocery shopping it's for the whole month.  If you are an old reader you know this already because you've read of how Chip and I play Showcase Showdown & Shop Til You Drop to cope with the dreaded grocery store.  I try to get everything I need in one trip.  I am 'that' person that has a full shopping cart (or buggy if you are from MS) that can barely see over or push it from aisle to aisle. 

People stare.  The surrounding consumers get out of the way.  The employees cast a glare at me hoping that they don't have to restock any of my goods.  There are no people waiting in line behind me when I go to check out - - my basket is so full.

When I first moved here seriously....NO LIE... had a lady ask me if I could afford all of those groceries in my basket.  I politely assured her that I hoped I could.  Really?  I mean have you ever thought about asking the people in any given store if they could afford something?  I have a feeling that I would offend someone especially the ones that I really am paying for their groceries if I asked that question.

Anyway, I've never showed you when I shop for Hill how that goes down.  I buy everything there is to eat and drink on the baby aisle.  Pretty much everything.  He eats toddler foods and he eats baby foods.  He drinks formula and he drinks juice. He eats everything and when I get home he has his own pantry, well I wouldn't say pantry - maybe aisle is a better word.  It's rediculous, seriously.  Yet, it's the only way I can get my monthly shopping done and not have to worry about running out of food for Hill and know what I have on hand or "in inventory" incase we were to run out.  Doesn't look like we will be running out for a while.  You tell me what you think...

Hill's Aisle of Food
(laundry room shelf)

(L-R) Snacks, jar dinners, fruits, breakfasts,
lunches, dinners, & drinks.

main courses
(OCD maybe?)

Snack Section
I have to buy the industrial sizes because
between Hill & Chip with the Cheerios & Goldfish
I can't keep them in stock!

That's how it happens.  That's the way it goes. 

This is what it looks like.  This is what Hill eats.

Now that you know....

 This is for your viewing pleasure.

My Sweet Boys
Foster & Hill





Rachel Time at 5,000 mph

After work Thursday I came home to a quiet house.  It was just me since the boys were still traveling back from the doctor in Memphis.  I thought to myself - I can either do laundry and put up the pile of clothes I have, sweep the floors and clean out the long overdue junk room I keep just throwing stuff in -OR- I could take a bubble bath, relax and enjoy this peace and quiet for a minute.

I opted for the bath.  I ran a hot bath, poured the smell good bubble bath that my sweet friend Gina gave me that I'd not had the opportunity to use yet, put some V05 hot oil treatment in some hot water to try to help tame my frizzy fro, and relaxed.  I even shaved my arm pits!  I know right, BONUS!

Then as I sat there in that nice bubbly bath for maybe 45 seconds...my mind didn't know how to relax.  I tried, but remembered I needed some stuff from Wal-Mart.  Then I thought about Hill and how nervous I was months before Hill's last surgery.  Then I thought about the afore mentioned laundry and cluttered room. Sigh,  Really?  Here is my opportunity to clear my head and I couldn't even take advantage of it. Maybe I need a chill pill?

So then I started writing this post (hence it's really Monday, October 25th but the post is dated Thursday.) I love to blog.  Blogging is an outlet for my 5,000 mile per hour brain.  It allows me to regurgitate my mostly pointless jib jab and some people sometimes read it.  I think. 

Anyway.

I started looking through old picture of Hill before his surgery.  So soon I forget how tiny he was and how he looked before his surgery.  Pre surgery I studied every square inch of his little face, his big ol' smile, his sweet little self and still I remember but forget all at the same time. 

I know babies change daily, but even after his reconstruction it's almost hard to believe looking back that his cleft had that big of a gap (see his 13 day old picture below,) and I just never really thought of it as a big deal.  You know what I mean, it's a big deal, but maybe I was blinded by him being perfectly perfect made for me by God, maybe I never noticed it as much as others, was I nieve?  It was obvious his lip wasn't right, but still at one point, even though I knew we were going to do it, I didn't want to have the surgery.  I mean really his big sweet smile below at 3 months...I miss that sometimes, it was unique and kissable.  Not that he isn't now.  I guess I'm just in reflecting mode and reflecting at 5,000 mph is sometimes scatter brained.

Here is a sweet reminder of my little big man and all he's been through in his little 9 month life so far.

Right before his surgery in April 2010
(4  months old)

Right after his surgery in the hospital

(4-21-10)



A month after his surgery
(May 20, 2010)

13 days old
New Orleans Doctors Office

3 months old
Big Ol' Sweet Smile
At the condo in Diamondhead



The day after he was born
(1-13-10)





9 months old

5 months after surgery
Ole Miss Game (9-25-10)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

Chip and I tried to make a pact to not think about or worry about Hill having to have surgery until it came time at the beginning of the year.  Three seconds after the idea came out of Chip's mouth, I pretty much knew I couldn't keep that promise.  I'm not as worried because I have a better idea of what to expect and the emotions that come with that - like when they take him back to the operating room, when they give him anesthesia, his anesthesia reaction, the procedure, the medical staff, pacing the hallways, feeding afterwards, medicines, follow up visits, which all of this is still overwhelming, but having done it before truly helps calm the nerve and heart strings a bit. 
 
Being that we've been through this before doesn't make it ok that my little boy has to endure this again, but it makes it more acceptable for me mentally because I can see the great progress he's made, especially now that he's trying to talk.  We have wonderful doctors by our side to help make my son look like the rest of the kids in his class and endure what awesome things await him throughtout his life.  It's amazing. Hill is amazing and for that reason I am not as nervous about the second procedure. I may talk your head off about it, but I have more of a sense of peace and not anxiety like before.  I'm sure my emotions will fluctuate as fast as the thoughts that run through my brain when it comes closer to time, and I know you will get an ear full then.  I don't think I'll be as big of a train wreck this go round, Lord I hope for my sanity I'm not.  We shall see.
 
In the mean time, I'm going to continue study every square inch of his face because he is constantly changing and growing.  Love you My Little Buddy.

Doctors Report

I just got off the phone with Chip and he said that Hill had a great check up.  Everyone at Dr. Shell's office was so happy to see our little man! 

Dr. Shell has given us a couple of options that Chip and I have to think about.  He will need a touch up surgery which is completely out patient and that can be done any time we are ready.  The flip side of the coin is that we also have the option to wait and see how things go.  Dr. Shell said it's a possibility that the cosmetics will heal on their own in the next 12-18 months.  He's seen the 'peak' of the lip come down and the 'fatness' of the underneath part of the lip tuck in - which is what Hill will need to have done.  His nose is symmetrical now that he's grown some, and that wouldn't be anything that needs to be touched.  The scar tissue is still soft, which is a good thing because once it hardens is pretty much what the scar will end up looking like.  Being that the tissue is still soft that means his scar is still healing and will hopefully fade out more.

Right now Chip and I are thinking about going ahead and having the surgery done.  We could wait to see and hope that it heals itself in the next year to year and a half, but if it doesn't correct then our thinking is Hill will be older and able to remember his surgery and understand the pain more, which we don't want.

If Hill has the surgery now then the touch up will potentially be an end all fix all, for lack of better words.  The touch up will align everything, will not affect his eating, is out patient and he would still be at such an early age we hope he won't remember.

What's the next step?  We've decided to reconvene in 3 months.  This will be the beginning of the year - we can plan better and Dr. Shell said there is absolutely no rush on the procedure.  In another 3 months we can tell more on how the healing is going and go from there.

Thank you for your prayers.  Please continue them because we do have decisions to make and we want to make the right one for our little guy. 

Love you all!

Say A Little Prayer

Please keep Hill in your prayers tonight because tomorrow is his follow up appointment with Dr. Shell in Memphis.  Pray that he gets a good report and that if further surgery is needed that we can be patient and understand Gods plan for our little man.  Also, pray for Chip, his step mom, Joyce, and Hill for safe travels to Memphis. 

I am a bit nervous
a) because he hasn't been to Dr. Shell since July and it's my understanding we will know more of how his healing is going and be able to tell more about further surgery at this appointment. 

b) I can't be there to ask the million questions that I don't know I have yet.
(It's a control issue I'm working on)

c) I interpret things that the doctors say a little different than Chip sometimes and I prod questions a little more than he does.
(again, a control issue I'm working on)

So, I guess in a nutshell since I can't be there pray for me too....please. 

I will keep you posted.

Boots

I've been putting shoes on Hill a little more often trying to get him use to them.  We've been barefooted for 9 months now so it's been really fun and funny watching me put on socks for him to pull them right off... the same goes for shoes.

I went into his closet this morning wondering about his little size 3 boots - I knew we'd tried them on before and they were big but maybe they would fit now that 'himz' big.

They did. 

They are adorable. 

Crack me up.

He has a new trick that he points at everything

Good Morning Outside World!
I have on my boots!

look at those little leg, tiny hiney and cute boots!

my boot

You wish you had my cute boots!

Hey, what's going on out there?

Foster! My Buddy!

It's hard to crawl in my boots

working in my boots
(gotta feed the dogs)

Yay!  My boots

Not too sure how they work

Kind of looks like he's dressed as a forester
or a hunter this morning.

My boots taste good