Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Tornadoes....OH MY!

It has been a crazy week!  First the most important part, Emily rolled over for the first time this week!  Yay!  Second most important part is Ryne and I have found a house and we are working towards buying it and starting the next chapter of our lives.  More on that later.

While this week was very exciting for our little family it was even more exciting for our area.  We had our first earthquake, or so I'm told.  Most people probably are thinking "or so your told?  wouldnt you know you had an earthquake?"  I used to think that sure I would know what an earthquake felt like but alas we had a 5.9 earthquake and I didn't feel a damn thing.  I thought my upstairs neighbor was losing her mind when she came knocking on my door asking me if I felt the apartment move.  I was thoroughly confused when my mom called asking if we were all OK.  I have to admit I'm a tad disappointed in the fact I didn't feel it.

Fast forward to the weekend and we got hit with your favorite hurricane and mine, Irene.  I was never this scared of a storm before and I think a lot of it has to do with Emily.   I filled bottles of water to make sure we could feed her and I filled our bath tub to be sure we could flush our toilet.  I made sure we had candles and flashlights.  Had it been just me and the hubby I probably wouldn't have done any of this.  And as if the hurricane wasn't exciting enough we also got a few tornado warnings last night.  Nothing is scarier than getting tornado warnings at night knowing that 1) you can't see it and that 2) you are on the second floor where the hell are you going to go? 

I am happy to report that the LeCompte clan is still standing.  We had a down tree in our complex and a lot of branches down.  We lost electricity for a little bit but not for long.  While the experience was very scary it was a little anticlimatic.  I have to admit I as looking forward to seeing 100 mph winds just to say I had.  That's not to say that I want a hurricane to come anytime soon but it would have been interesting.

Now that all is said and done the only thing I am worried about is that CBS airs Big Brother on schedule.

Ryne's Tattoo

Yesterday Ryne got a tattoo to symbolize his baby girl who was concieved in Disney.  Not too much to write today so I will just post his tattoo.

The Love of a Mother

Nothing can prepare you for being a mother.  You can read all the books, talk to friends and even join a message board with other mothers like The Bump but nothing can prepare you for taking care of a little creature.  Knowing that you are in charge of their every happiness.  Knowing that you are in charge of their well being.  Knowing that your life will forever be changed by this tiny little baby that you hold in you arms. 

For this reason (along with many others) I can't imagine what my friend Cheryl is going through.  I have to admit that Cheryl is not someone that I know IRL (in real life) but that doesn't make her any less of a friend to me.  I met Cheryl through The Bump, more specifically the April 2011 board.  We "walked" through our pregnancies together.   We celebrated in each others milestones and sympatized with each others struggles.  Our pregnancies were very different yet very similar.  For all tense and purposes I had a fairly easy pregnancy where as Cheryl was on bed rest.  But for both of us everything we went through was well worth it.  Cheryl gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Charlotte Juniper on March 30th, 2011.   Charlotte was born beautiful, healthy and happy. 

Cheryl's vision of a "normal" motherhood took a turn for her on May 28th.   This is when Charlotte at almost 2 months old was taken to the ER for for diarrhea, vomiting, and a bloated belly.   This sweet little girl has been in the hospital ever since.  She is in constant pain and is undergoing so many tests that a grown adult would cringe.  She was finally diagnosed with congenital lymphangiomatosis, which means she has cysts touching major organs.  One of which is only 1 mm from her aorta.    Cheryl announced yesterday that Charlotte will have surgery tomorrow to try and help her.  This is a dangerous surgery.  Cheryl wrote this on her page, "We truly cannot imagine how difficult this is going to be after surgery.....and the possibility of losing her in less than 36 hours is absolutely ripping us to shreds. I sit her staring at my precious baby girl, hands clasped, rocking away in her swing resting peacefully to her favorite music video. I am going crazy thinking that in less than 36 hours she may not be with us any longer.... I don't want to think like that, but the possibility is very real and incredibly scary."  She is begging for prayers for her sweet daugther and I ask you what mother wouldn't? 

I have only known Cheryl for a year and like I said I have never met her in person but she is a role model for all mothers.  I could never imagine going through what she is going through and know she would never wish it on anyone else.  She still manages to go through her day to day life even with her sick baby.   She still continues to share her friendship, support and humor with all of her fellow "bumpies" and we continue to share it with her.  She is truly one of the strongest woman I know and I truly look up to her. 

Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.  Tomorrow the girls from The Bump are wearing pink or red to show our support for Charlotte.  We invite everyone to join us as we all unite to help save this precious angel.    If you would like to keep up to date on Charlotte visit their page at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/charlotte2011/journal.  

We love you Charlotte and are keeping you in our thoughts!

Emily says Get well soon Baby Charlotte!!!

What A Difference A Year Makes

1 year ago today I decided I should pee on a stick.  Why?  Well the most obvious reason is to say because I thought I was pregnant but the honest reason is because I was trying to prove to Ryne that I wasn't pregnant.  I was so convinced that I wasn't pregnant that after I took the test I didnt even wait for the results.  I walked into the kitchen and had breakfast.  About 15 minutes later I walked back into the bathroom sure I was going to find a negative result and sure enough I saw two pink lines starring back at me.  We had been trying to get pregnant for a few months but nothing could have prepared me to see those lines.  I was happy and scared all at the same time.  I woke Ryne up out of a very sound sleep only to say "I'm pregnant." I remember he made me show him the test to prove it.  The rest of that day was kind of a blur but I can specifically remember making the decision to tell our families.  Kevin, as with many things, got the phone call first saying he was going to be an uncle.  Kevin and I have a very unique relationship and I say that as a good thing.  We grew up as he said in his speech "your typical brother and sister relationship" but he is now my best friend.  It was a no brainer to me that Kevin would be the first person to know my happy news.  Later in the pregnancy it was one of the hardest things for me to keep the secret of the gender from Kevin for 3 days but I managed to do it :-)  Anyway back to last year.  We went to Ryne's parents first simply because they got home from work first, we don't play favorites.  We watched our recent vacation pictures and videos on the TV and then told them we bought them souveniors from Disney.  We gave them their presents, his mom's was the pee stick in a box (we didnt expect anyone to pick it up).  I remember she thought it was a thermometer and I like to tease her and tell her it would have been hilarious and a great story if she stuck it in her mouth.  They were excited to say the least.  Next was off to my parents.  We did the same thing and told them they had a souvenior.  My mom cried and my dad couldn't wipe the smile off his face.  It was on this day that our baby was dubbed Baby Bob.  Now a year later my life has been turned upside down and I hardly recognize it.  Most days I take time to stare at Emily and just take in her beauty and how much this time is precious with her.  Yesterday she giggled for the first time and it was great.  I can't wait until she is giggling more often.  She is my everything!   I never knew I could love someone so much!  It's scary to think how much she will grow in the next year and how many milestones she will hit.  I don't want my baby to grow up but I'm excited to watch it!

Oh Those Wildwood Days!

This past weekend was Emmy's first vacation and where else should she go but Wildwood.  The shore, this point specifically, has so many wonderful childhood memories for me and Ryne that it was a no brainer that she would go here.  And thanks to my wonderful parents, we were able to have an extended weekend.  This weekend was filled with lots of firsts for our little girl.  Her first vacation, first fireworks, first time sleeping in a hotel and first time night swimming.  Let's start with the fireworks.  She could have cared less!  The fireworks were going off on the beach and she was much more interested in playing with her monkey then she was in watching the pretty lights.  However she was very fascinated by the lights on the boardwalk.  She loved watching the new right "IT" when the lights were on.  It was funny watching her little head move back and forth as the ride swung.  It's so neat to see her see things for the first time.  As we get older we forget how amazing some things actually are and only when we look at it through the eyes of a baby do we remember just how great some of the sites in this world really are.  As far as the pool went she wasnt too happy in the pool because of the sun and all the layers we had on her but she loved night swimming.  We stuck her in a diaper and put her in the pool.  She was screaming and kicking, she loved it!  I can honestly say this was a vacation none of us wanted to end.  I would have loved to stay longer.  But on the bright side now we can look forward to our trip to DC in August.

Me Time

So when does this happen?  When am I "allowed" to have me time?  I guess the better question is when do I stop feeling guilty for even just wanting me time?  Since the day Emily was born, in reality since the day she was concieved, we have spent practicaly every minute of every day together.  Now don't get me wrong I love my daugther more than anything but I need some time for me.  Sure Ryne and I go bowling and we get some date nights but I wish there was more.  Just the simple act of going to the pool and "relaxing" is a big production.  I have to get out the stroller, pack the diaper bag, make sure we have bottles, put her swimsuit on, put her hat on, put her swim shirt on and then make sure her poor face isnt in the sun at all.   I thought going to the pool was supposed to be relaxing.  Not to mention our vacation scheduled for next weekend.  I already have about 15 things on a "must bring" list and that is just for Emily.  How can someone so little need so much stuff!  So to be honest I have to admit that I know the answer to my questions.  I know I can have me time whenever I want I just have to 1) stop feeling guilty for wanting it and 2) call a babysitter.  Number 2 is the easy part it's number 1 I seem to be struggling with at the moment

Bless The Broken Road

OK so besides turning into the world's worst blogger I have been doing a lot of thinking just not posting.  Today the subject is relationships.  More specifically mine and Ryne's.  So Ryne and I hit the 6 and a half year mark on July 11th, I forget he didnt.  Anyway it got me thinking of these past 6 years and all the milestones we hit.  It's funny but most of our milestones come in 2 year incrementes.  We met in 2005, got engaged in 2007, got married in 2009 and Emmy was born in 2011.   So does that mean the next baby is due in 2013, well only time will tell I guess.  I love Ryne with all my heart and he is the perfect dad for Emmy.  Sure we have our tiffs (I use the term loosely) but more often than not you will find us sitting on the couch watching one of our favorite reality shows with him rubbing my feet or me rubbing his back.  Him and Emmy are my world (and Hershey too we can't forget her!) and I don't know what I would do without any of them.  Becoming parents has been a much bigger adjustment in our marriage than either one of us could have ever anticipated.  But I'm happy to report we are still here and still going strong.  One of my favorite songs that describes mine and Ryne's relationship is "Bless The Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts.  Before Ryne and I met we both had our share of "love" and our share of heartbreaks but when we found each other it was like no love either of us had ever felt before.  I'd be lying if I said that I feel our "road" still isn't broken at times.  We come to intersections and we come to forks in the road and we have to pick a direction.  We always pick the direction that points directly to back to us, to our road leading us to our happily ever after.  I am certain of a few things in life and one of those is my relationship with Ryne.  I know we can make it through anything.  We would travel to the moon and back again for each other.  If this blog still exists in 50 years I will be here typing about how we made it for so long together with our children and grandchilden.