Climb out of the Darkness...

I don't usually post things like this, but I think it is important and I just recently got involved.  Postpartum depression, and all the associated things that can go along with it, is real but often not talked about or even acknowledged.  As a woman(a pregnant one), a mother, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, I feel that I should help spread the word to help other women who may suffer needlessly because they are scared, ashamed, or just don't know where to turn for help.  I have never had full blown PPD, but I have definitely suffered from my share of the "baby blues" after birth. Luckily, I had the support of my family and Dr and knew this was a normal thing and it would pass. But for many new moms, things can be much worse and I feel the need to do more to help them.

I am joining the "climb" on June 20th and will walk with other women to help raise awareness and fundraise for this worthy cause. If you can, please join a local team and walk(run, bike, hike) or donate to the fundraising effort.  And if you know a new mom, please help support her in anyway you can, people don't always ask for help, but I don't think anyone would ever refuse a kind word or gesture.  I know many of you are moms and grandmas yourselves, you know how hard the first few months can be. Now imagine that with PPD, anxiety, or just the baby blues. And if you have been through it yourself, please share your story and how you got through it with them, you can help others!

If you would like to donate, please follow the link...

https://www.crowdrise.com/cotdmaine-cotd2015/fundraiser/tiffaneycupps

Thank you so much and I truly appreciate your support :)

Tiff

28 weeks 3 days...

So the first thing we are Not going to do, is make fun of my poor selfie skills!  I always try a million shots in the mirror for these belly pics and I always look stupid in them, LOL! But oh well, this is for prosterity's sake, right ?!?

I had my 28 week check up today, which also meant the glucose test :(  The drink itself isn't too bad,  but boy oh boy the feeling that hits you about an hour after you drink it is NOT fun.  Hopefully I passed it, but won't find out until tomorrow morning.  Everything else was fine.

Asher stats...

: measuring pefectly in the exact 50% range for his age

:weighs 2lbs 11oz

: practicing his breathing muscles like a champ(as seen on the U/S)

: is extrememly active(like ninja baby active!)

: and already has hair!!(the U/S tech showed me on the ultrasound, apparantly he has quite a bit)

Mommy stats...

:BP good

:recovering from a bad head cold(but the worst is over)

: major acid reflux(will try pepcid instead of tums)

: told I can stop the daily baby aspirin

: gained 8 lbs in 2 months, so 18 lbs total so far

: csection is officially scheduled for August 7th at 1:30 pm

: was told that everything is perfect and go back in 4 weeks

what a look? haha~

Now, I really need to get to work on this house! and baby stuff, I haven't sewn hardly anything for him.

Have a lovely day,

Tiff

Outside Spring 2015....

I will admit... I'm not a gardener.  I try, I really do. I know how I want things to look and I dream of having beautiful English gardens and lush green grass...but I just never seem to get there.  But I keep plugging along, and maybe one day, after much trial and error, my yard will look how I envision it :)

I thought today I would share pictures of outside that I took the other day, and every few weeks I'll take more and then I can see how things change....might give me some encouragement.

Here is the front porch... brought back the white wicker this year from the back deck and added a splash of color with the cushions.

Everyone else's lilac bushes are in full bloom right now, but mine is always a week or two behind, I'm assuming it is because it is in a mostly shaded spot.

We put the picket fence back up last fall, just in a straight line across the front of the house, and I really like it.  Along the front of the fence are a row of buried pots tha have yellow wax beans in them and I'm hoping they will grow up on the fence. I didn't do a vegetable garden this year, but I at least wanted to have some beans and we really like this variety.

My lovely cement cow that hubby got for me last year. She is in a new spot this year which is just perfect because I can see her right when we pull in the driveway.

On the other side of the walkway...

My cement bunnies... I need to find a bunch more babies!

Front of the house...  yes, the grass is patchy. It really needs more loam.

My lilly of the valley is slowly multiplying :)

The elementary school where I volunteer at dropped off this lovely rose plant for me! After I took this picture I moved it to a different spot and planted it, I just hope it survives.

Along the far side of the fence, not much going on... but I have two big tubs of strawberries that came back from last year, that was a very pleasant surprise!

This is a spot  in the side yard... it had a small crab apple tree in it, but the tree died :(  I was going to let it just go back to grass but then I decided to plant 7 different cut flower seeds that I had in it. It will be my first cut flower garden.  We are currently working on a wattle fence to go around it.

And this area is beside the garage... it was where we parked the camper, but now that the camper is sold, I need to do something with it.  I will be working on it all summer. So far, it has two elephant ear hostas and I'm going to plant a couple rhubarb plants.  And I already got a big petunia plant for the wood chair on the right. This area is definitely a work in progress, well... the whole yard is!!

I'm hoping the morning glories I planted come up and the clematis I planted by the mailbox thrives... I guess we will see what happens in a few weeks!

Have a lovely long weekend!

Tiff

Happy Birthday Zach!!

So I'm a bit behind in my blogging, but better late than never!

My second youngest turned 9 years old last Friday, the 15th :)  Zach is my sensitive child. He is sweet and kind, never holds a grudge, and for the most part...gets along with his brothers;)  The poor little guy is suffering from seasonal allergies this year though(after a long hard winter, the trees are really putting out the pollen) and you can see it in his eyes.

He's not a fan of smiling with his teeth showing lately,  he has lost three of them in the last month!

He requested homemade lasagna for his birthday dinner and an icecream sandwhich cake for dessert.

Those allergies were really getting to him in this picture, his eyes were itching and watering like mad!

We then went to the movies and saw The Avengers and he recieved the google play card and big lego set he wanted :)

Happy Birthday Zach!!! We love you very much :)

Mommy and Daddy XOXOXOXOXO

Kiss to Heaven...

Happy 7th Angel Birthday Nathan, you are forever loved.

And yet another reminder of how Blessed I am, dear sweet hubby gave me this necklace this morning in rememberance of Nathan... "A Mother Holds Her Child's Heart Forever" with a heart birthstone.  I love it and I love him for being so sweet and thoughtful.

Sending a Kiss to Heaven for you Nathan, I love you.

Mommy

Memorable Mother's Day...

Happy belated Mother's Day my dear friends!  I hope you all had a lovely day.  I know I said I was going to post about our trip to Ohio, but the past week or so has been crazy busy. Teacher appreciation week was this past week and it kept me very occupied and wore me completely out.  Which probably contributed to my problems on Mother's day.

So, I went to bed on Saturday, after a day of all of us working in the yard and setting up the deck for summer, very tired.... all night long I was awakend by horrible waves of nausea and shortness of breath.  By morning, it was getting worse. Hubby made me call the Dr and we headed in to labor and delivery to get checked out... not a great way to start off Mother's day.  The symptoms seemed to subside while we were at the hospital(of course!) and it was definitely determined it was not preterm labor(Thank God). A bunch of tests later and we were sent home.  While we were gone, the kids had picked up the house, started putting down the new mulch in the flower beds(which hubby then helped them complete), and decorated the family room for me... 

This is what I found... they know I love cows and the family room has recently become home to my cow collection, so they decided to add to it...

Written by Mason...

Apparantly this cow started out as a card drawn by Noah, and they all thought it was hilarious, so they made many more!

And my oldest daughter had stopped by on her way to work to drop off this beautiful picture she painted for me...I LOVE it!!

And my sweet hubby gave me the present he ordered for me... a beautiful bracelet with all the kids names on it(something I have been wanting for a long time)...including Asher's! so there is no way we are changing his name now :) Thank you my Love!!

Everything was wonderful.... except for the fact that within hours of leaving the hospital, my symptoms hit with a vengeance! Full blown nausea followed by throwing up... I couldn't keep anything down for almost 24 hours. It was aweful. By Monday morning I was completely miserable.  I called the Dr again, and they had me come in for IV hydration.  I ended up getting 4 bags of fluid plus Zofran, and then Benedryl. The Benedryl was the best thing ever, because it completely knocked me out and I was able to sleep.  Yesterday, I felt much better, but had to pace myself from doing too much, the virus has really weakened me.  Today is better, but I'm still taking it easy... I have to remember I'm not 20 anymore and I'm pregnant...so I don't bounce back so quickly.   Now I'm just praying no one else in the family gets it.

But it all made for a very memorable Mother's Day and I am very THANKFUL for my wonderful family and how very BLESSED I am.  We often get caught up in the negatives of our lives...responsibilities, unfullfilled dreams, unrealistic expectations, grass is always greener syndrome... But when we take the time to really sit back and look at what we have, the greater picture can be seen... My life may not be totally what I expected or thought it would be, but it is what God has given me and I am eternally grateful for it. My life is good. I have a loving and caring husband, beautiful and awesome children, a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, creative abilities in my mind, and overall good health.  There is no reason not to be happy :)

Have a lovely day!

Tiff