Tuesday, July 27, 2010

5 Months Old.........

I think that this migt have been Brayden's most successful developmental months...............
He started on "real" foods....
He started to actually like & enjoy tummy time......
He was sitting on his own so well.............
He started school & we began to get "diaper bag art" as I call it (I love when it is in his bag waiting for me when I pick him up).........
He started to work us & learned how to get what ever he wants.............
Sophie joined the family...............
He really became a daddy's boy & broke momma's heart.........
Watched the Colts make it to the playoffs & Superbowl.............
Knew mommy liked it when he would smile & cheese it up for the camera............
Showed us everyday just how precious he really is................

90 Day Budget Boot Camp - Challenge #3 Update

I’m Budget Boot Camp Challenger!
Think about what your family often purchases that puts a dent in your budget and try the store brand or generic version. Was it just as good? How much did it save you? Would you try more generics? Why or why do you not purchase generics? What things could your family buy in generic to save money?

I know that I am late posting this but I thankfully was able to complete this challenge before getting sick 2 weekends ago; this is actually something that I already do so this challenge was very easy for me!  I have always shopped like this because I am not one of those people that has a problem with the "generic" food brands however Lance is. He swears that the name brand foods taste 100% better than the generic but I buy the generics anyway.  I did our weeks shopping & did buy a few more things in the generic versions than normal & only spent $65 at the store!!

I have never really shopped any other way so I am not really sure of the saving aspect of doing this.  I do know that the generic brands are not always the cheapest & I am sure that if I collected & used coupons could even get the name brand stuff that Lance likes so thankfully we are about to get into the coupon aspect of this boot camp!!

JUST AN FYI.........
I went to the store on Saturday & then got sick on Sunday; Lance dropped me off at home & had to go get my prescriptions filled at Kroger so he looked in the pantry to see if we needed anything.............$150 later he came home with every brand named product that you could possible dream of.  I asked him why he bought all that stuff when I had just gone to the store & this was his answer: "We needed bread", I said "you bought a lot more than bread", He said " I had to wait for your medicine & was panic shopping until I could get home to you".

Sweet but boy did that panic shopping completely throw off my budget.........it actually just made this past weekends shopping list VERY short!!

Monday, July 26, 2010

4 Months Old.........

He caught his 1st really bad cold........
Found his feet.........
Realized he was a man & found the TV Remote.........
Tried out some more new toys (never really took to this one).........
Worked on tummy time & hated almost every minute of it............
Chilled w/Dad (Nap Nanny's have been recalled)...............
& celebrated our 1st Family Christmas.............
Can you guys guess what our favorite gift was???
Yep, you guessed right; it was & will always be this handsome little guy.........

M.I.A. - The Last Week of My Life.........

I was MIA until I started Brayden's pre-birthday posts for good reason I promise........this has been my hell!!

Sunday, July 18:
Wake up feeling perfectly fine until around 11 I fall down with excruciating pain in my right side!  Lance & I go to the emergent care facility down the street ($25); they say I have a kidney stone & send me home with pain meds.  This is after failing to listen to me & trying to get an IV in my right arm twice & failing (like I told them they would in the beginning) so I had to get 2 shots in that arm as well.  Got home & stayed doped up all day & night.

Monday, July 19:
Lance took B to school since I was still in an enormous amount of pain & still pumped full of Loratab & I stay home to try to pass the stone they said I had.  I stopped taking the pain medicine around 9 am so that I could pick B up from school & take care of him that evening.  I spent the whole day laying in bed waiting for the damn thing to pass & nothing.........still in pain I pick up B & we get home play, laugh, eat, bath, & down to bed.  Just seeing him took all my pain away (not really but you know what I mean); after he went down I was in even more pain from doing everything with him that I took a bath, a pain pill & I was out.

Tuesday, July 20:
Get up as normal (still in the same pain.....still no stone & couldn't take pain meds) get ready for work & then get B ready for school.  Drop B off, get to work, train the new guy taking over my job until around 11 when I can't take the pain anymore & head back to the doctor ($25) to see what the hell is wrong since there is NO STONE!!  Get there & they send me off to get a CT Scan.  Get to CT Scan place & there is a problem with our insurance; Lance left his employer & our COBRA was in the middle of being processed so I had to be personally responsibly for the payment ($450)!  Do the scan & wait 2 hours for the results & NOTHING!!!  Call the doctors office to find out the next step & they tell me to go home, drink plenty of fluids & rest......"you should be fine in a few days".  I cry my whole way home but smile when I see B; his JuJu picked him up from school for me & did his nightly routine as well since I just couldn't do it.  I lay down & try to rest but couldn't because I was still in the most horrible pain ever!!

Wednesday, July 21:
 I decided that I was just going to take myself to the ER ($150) & make them figure out what the hell was going on.............I checked myself in only to find out that I have "several cysts on each of my ovaries" as the ER doctor said & that I would now need to go see the OB.  I asked him if that what caused my severe pain on Sunday & he said that when they burst they can cause the type of pain that I am describing.  I asked him if this could prevent me from getting pregnant again & he said yes (more on that in another post). I was devastated & just wanted to get home & hug B.  JuJu had to pick him up again & I just felt horrible but had to at give him his night night bottle & rock him a bit before bed since I hadn't in what felt like a year but was only a few days!!

Thursday, July 22:
Head into work to train the new guy (training sucks) & call the OB to schedule an appointment before the weekend came & they tell me they can't schedule the appt. until they get everything from the hospital & they will call me when they do.............I don't hear from them at all Thursday.  I do however manage to pick up B from school & do the whole evening routine myself & I missed it so much!!  I put myself to bed & had to take a pain pill because of the pain but couldn't sleep at all.

Friday, July 23:
Get up & get ready for work, get B ready & dropped off at school & head to work.  I had to wait until 8:30 am to call the OB since that is when they open only for them to tell me that they don't need to see me for 6 weeks because "the cysts couldn't be causing that amount of pain that I am having"; I said OK, hung up the phone & called Lance & just lost it.  Why wouldn't anyone try harder to figure out what was wrong with me??  How was I going to live with this pain for the next 6 weeks??  I was at the end of my rope!!  Lance called the OB's office & called me back only to tell me to head back to the ER for more testing!!  I lost it again but left work to go there...........they check me in the ER ($150) & the same doctor is there & he said "I don't know what you want ME to do" so I lost it again on him.  He said he understood my frustration, asked me to calm down & he would do another CT scan but this time do it with contrast for a better look.  They do they test & at first thought that their was a abscess in one of my tubes but then later came back & said that there was "some type of infection or something"..........really an ER doctors words.....& tell me that I have to now go see the OB ASAP

Saturday & Sunday were spent trying to enjoy my family in between the pain so I wouldn't consider it quality time!

From all of this..........I have spent way to much money to know nothing, I have 3 horrible bruises on my arms from IV sticks; am still hurting & in pain, am exhausted, am way behind on B's birthday party planning & organizing, training the new guy, missing my husband & son & overall just want to know what the hell is going on with my body!!!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

3 Months Old


At 3 motnhs old we started to have more fun; we were able to play more with Brayden because he had more control of himself & didn't just need to lay & rest all of the time!!  He was sitting up better & loved his exersaucer........
He found his thumb..........
& we found the Nap Nanny to help with his colic & belly issues; we all started to get some rest from here on out!!
He had his first view of Virginia Beach (where mommy grew up)
& enjoyed his 1st Thanksgiving & then his 1st Black Friday shopping experience.......dressed for battle!
He smiled all the time & actually still does..........I am in tears again over these photos; at this rate I am going to be a swollen mess for his 1st birthday!!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

2 Months Old

Reminiscing & looking at all of these old photos is making me tear up........he wasn't really that little was he???  At two months old he was coming to work with me, colicky every night, smiling like crazy, hated to be on his belly, had his 1st Halloween & helped pass out candy & Lance & I love him so much!!

Friday, July 23, 2010

1 Month Old

How he changed in just a month; from September 3rd when he was one month old............

to the middle of the month............
to the end of the month.............
He grew & changed so much but each & every day he melted our hearts!!

13 Days of Brayden.........Newborn

Jeannie did this right before her little guy's 1st birthday & I loved it so I hope she doesn't mind but I am stealing her idea & am going to spend the next 13 days (12 actually (I will have to do 2 today) - I am behind but give me a break I haven't been feeling well....more on that in another post) looking back at the best & most amazing 1st year of Brayden Lance Goodson's life!!

Yesterday I should have posted this part yesterday.............

NEWBORN
Our little blue boy was born into the world & our lives would never be the same & that was day was PERFECTION!!
Joined our family on August 3, 2009 @ 6:57pm

8.04 Pounds
20.5 Inches Long

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Moving On Up.........

See this kid.........
this one here who smiles 95% of the time............
& walks with his arms up all the time so we call him Frankenstein...........do you see him???

He had a letter in his diaper bag from school on Tuesday letting Lance & I know that he is "at the appropriate age & has master certain skills" that mean he can move up to the NEXT LEVEL............huh????  What is this you are saying???  Our little boy is no longer going to be in the infant room???  Is he really ready for the 1st steps room??  Are you sure that he is ready to sleep on a mat & not in a crib??  REALLY??

Well maybe B is ready but I am in shock & not sure in I am ready!  Lance couldn't be more thrilled & I am too but this really means my baby is a full blown toddler & before his 1st birthday too.  I am going to go cry..........again...........

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Best Dessert Ever.........

& who knew that it could be made completely low fat &
still taste just a good as it did when I was a kid???
Banana Pudding
1 Box Large Instant Vanilla Pudding
2 Cups Milk
1 Large Container of Cool Whip
1 Box Nilla Wafers
6 Bananas

Mix the pudding & milk together until the pudding starts to thicken then add half the the cool whip & mix
Layer pudding, wafers, & then bananas until the pudding is gone
Top with remaining cool whip

It is so easy to  make & like I said before even if you all low fat ingredients it tastes just as good!!

Wordless Wednesday.........

Chewing on the alligator must have helped tooth #6 pop through; he now has 4 on top & 2 on the bottom.

Challenge #2 - Sweet Success!!

I’m Budget Boot Camp Challenger!

Challenge # 2 is all wrapped up;  the challenge was to make a grocery list & STICK to it & & I don't mean to toot my own horn but I kicked this ones behind!!  I made my list & checked it twice last Tuesday then decided to go to the grocery store Saturday on my way home from the airport!!  I was confident that I had everything on there when I left on Friday but started to feel like I was missing some stuff Saturday so I went over it all in my head & made some adjustments.

This is what my list actually ended up looking like:
Salmon Fillet
Beef Tips
lunch meat (chicken & turkey)
Pot Roast
Chicken Breasts
Eggs
Turkey Breast
Chicken Fingers
Bacon
BBQ Pork

Bread
Saffron Rice
White Rice
Biscuits

Milk
Yogurt
Shredded Cheese
Cheese Slices
Sour Cream
Cottage Cheese

Brayden's
Yogurt
Puffs
Cheerios
Mandarin Oranges
Bananas

Avocado
Mushrooms
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Carrots
Potatoes
Dried Cranberries
Almond Slivers

Creamed Corn
Peas
Black Beans
Chick Peas
Corn

Sausage Gravy

Plug Ins
Razor
Face Powder



I made he changes headed to the store & was only $3 over the $80 budget I set for myself so I was pretty proud & think that as the weeks pass I will get the budget down below the $80 budget I set.  Some of the changes I made because I remembered we had whatever it was & some of the things I crossed off because we could do without them or they were more expensive & I wanted to try to find a coupon for them!  I am very proud of myself for NOT buying the candy bar that I really wanted & for also sticking to my list!!

I actually found this trip to the grocery store to be a very quick one since I knew exactly what was needed & there was no question in my mind that making/having a list is a better way to shop & control my spending.  I am sure that there will be times when I spend more than I want to but I am alright with that.

Lance & I have decided to make one major adjustment to our food shopping though; I am going to start going to Costco once a month & getting all our meat/fishes, household product/cleaning supplies, & whatever else I have a coupon for in bulk.  We have had our membership for a while but I just started to pay attention when I received the coupon pack from them in the mail & I think that doing this could help our budget tremendously.  I am going to head there this weekend & then head to the regular store once I get unpacked & re organized in the pantry & fridge..............I'll let you know how it goes!!

Challenge #3 - Think about what your family often purchases that puts a dent in your budget and try the store brand or generic version. Was it just as good? How much did it save you? Would you try more generics? Why or why do you not purchase generics? What things could your family buy in generic to save money?

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

My Cousin's Wedding

I can't believe that my younger cousin Shellie Bellie got married this past Friday; July 9th (my mom's birthday)............it was a beautiful ceremony & reception & her new husband is such a wonderful addition to our family!!  I flew out on Friday & was back on Saturday so it was only a short trip but it was a fun trip!!

This is me with my family.........
Michelle is my youngest cousin on my mom's side of the family so she is the baby & she was an amazingly beautiful bride; when the doors open & my mom & I saw her we both cried!
First Kiss as Husband & Wife
Mother & Daughter
The car they took to the reception (I love it)
Place Cards
Their First Dance as Husband & Wife
Father Daughter Dance
Mother Son Dance
This is the brides brother & his wife
My Family ( I love the view from the reception site)
Centerpieces (BEAUTIFUL)
Yummy homemade chocolate
Their Cake
I had never seen a potato bar but they had one & I thought it was a great idea & such a pretty presentation!
Their get away.
The whole evening was special, wonderful & so romantic; I was sad to be with out Brayden & Lance  but was so happy to be able to there to watch my cousin get hitched!!
Isn't this thing amazing; it is all blown glass & is what was hanging above the room where they were married.