Tuesday, December 9, 2008

What's Happening????

So Erin took our boy to the doctor yesterday for his 1 year check-up. She ran into Greer (one of my oldest friends) while there so I got to catch up with her (through Erin) a little bit. She has 3 little girls now and had the youngest (very new...just a couple of months) in to see Dr. Soapes as the little cutie was not feeling to well. O-daddy's appointment went pretty well. He looks healthy and got some more shots....which he did not appreciate one bit. He is still cranking out the inches as he is still in the 97th% but is way behind my weight at this age. Mom told me today that he is 4 lbs lighter than I was (sorry...can't give you the numbers as Erin could not remember the actual measurements)....but that could certainly be a good thing....as you really didn't know if I even had a neck at that age. There was just this chubby head sitting on a body. O-dawg does have a neck....and you can even see it.
We celebrated Big Boy's birthday on Saturday with all of our family...or as much as could come. We had a great time and he has lots of new toys. I must admit that my Black and Decker work station is his favorite at this point. It makes lots of noises and has tools that he can carry around (trying to keep them out of his mouth) and stuff. Dranny gave him a really nice horse to ride but he is too scared of it at this point to enjoy it. He got lots of blocks and loves to stack them already....and he has started looking at some of the books too (finally). Mom and Dad gave him a cool UGA jacket as well. I hope it snows sometime this break so we can get him all bundled up in it play outside. This first year went really fast. Guess what everyone says is true....I'll turn around tomorrow and be taking him to kindergarten...the next day he'll graduate from high school....and before long I'll be a granddad wondering where all the time went. Kinda scary. No, very scary.
Sooooo....on another note. Erin continues to be a bit sick....which is different than last time....which makes her suspect that there might be a little girl in her belly. I am scared to death of having girls.....but did always want to have one (if I must) in between two boys. I guess my feelings kind of changed when I found out how close our first two will be....as having two boys so close would be just great. They could be best buds and play on the same teams and all that stuff. I don't know anything about girls though (just ask Erin) so I might be raising a tom-boy.....although Erin will probably scoff at that possibility. The real issue is that girls are just so dang expensive. But I can't worry about all of that.....God will take care of us.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Thanksgiving Blues

So Erin wrote a pretty nice post on her blog about missing Israel during this time of year....and that is true for me all the time. That place is great....and if I thought I could scratch out a living over there I just might move my family there. It would be significanlty more dangerous, obviously, but nothing the Lord could not handle for us. He hasn't called me there yet, so staying put is what's on that agenda. So Thanksgiving was a bit of a downer this year as AJ has been sick pretty much the whole time. Erin's family was all over the place so we did not spend that time on Thursday with them that we normally do....and then Friday saw another break in tradition as my side of the family did not get together at my grandparent's house. If that was not a bummer enough.....the rains came in full force Friday night and continued through most of the UGA game on Saturday. That (and the temperature) kept Erin at home even though she was going to try to go with me for the first time this year. Turns out she didn't miss anything good....as the UGA defense really disappointed. Needing someone to blame, I found out that Erin did not put O-daddy's Knowshon jersey on for the game.....she failed with that for the Florida game as well.....so I will blame it all on her. It should not happen again. My dad has chosen to blame Coach Fabris and has stated that if he is not gone for next year.....Will and I will be paying for the season tickets if we want to keep them. I am not exactly sure where my part will come from....but its gonna happen one way or another. We can't give up those tickets at this point....not with all the issues that starting over would cause. $10,000 to get started on season tickets???? There is no way that could ever happen for Willie and I.....but it is about time we started paying for the tickets anyway....as we use 90% of them anyway. It stinks that Sat's game might be the last time I get to see Stafford and Moreno play live in Samford Stadium......but you never know what kind of decision they might make. I'd be suprised if they both stay....but if one does....I think its more likely they both will. Next year could be tough without those two......especially since we already are losing MoMass. Enough of this depressing info.....but I have nothing else to say today.
Editors note- I failed to mention that we did have a nice Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday night at my parent's house with a good number of folks from my side of the family. It was a good 3 hours and O-daddy actually acted pretty normal during that time. Uncle Stephen and his kids were there...so that was really nice too.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Tough Times at Home

OK...so my wife is pregnant again and is feeling under the weather pretty much nonstop. So that should not be too big of a deal, right? Right...and its not that big of a deal. She has been having some wierd cravings or no appetite at all which has caused us to restructure our normal dinner routine. Mainly.....I now fix my own dinner. Also not too big of a deal, considering I did so for myself for years while a bachelor. I am trying to loose weight, however, and my diet of 10 years ago is not appropriate for such a plan. I could certainly cook better meals for myself, but I enjoy feeding my son dinner, and that is when Erin used to cook. I can't do both....and I want to give Erin a break from O-daddy....so I choose to feed him....and eat "whatever" each night. This is also a choice that I am willing to make and not complain about. Here is the real issue though- Big Boy got his first real runny nose a few days ago. Apparenlty my wife and I have both picked up whatever he is carrying and it has hit us with a vengence. I don't normally get sick....so its an adjustment for me....but manageable. Poor Erin however, is already nauseous from the pregnancy and stayed up most of the night last night coughing and blowing her nose. I feel so bad for her. She is feeling pretty bad overall though too, indicated by the fact that she told me (last night) we would likely have to adopt a 3rd child if we decide we want one.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Round 2

I am guessing that no one is checking this blog anymore....so it is safe for me to post that we are officially pregnant again. And of course, by "we" I mean "Erin" and that I have very little else to do with the process for the next 7 months or so. The baby is due June 10 and we have told a handfull of folks including our immediate family, some friends who we have recently spent time with, my baseball guys......OK so we've told quite a few people and some of you were left out. Sorry. Really, I am. Erin is kinda reluctant to let the world know that we are expecting again just yet....as we are not quite out of the 1st trimester. She is doing OK....but feeling very much the same as she did the first time around. She went back and checked her journals and said she is feeling exaclty the same...eating the same stuff (anyone ever heard of someone eating carrots and peanut butter together?....that's just wierd), etc.....so I'm hoping that means boy #2. Of course....if we have a girl at all....I want it in the middle....so I am a bit torn if I am being honest. However, if we can guarantee #2 boy will be as great as #1 boy was/is.....I am all for it. O-daddy is the greatest kid ever. Makes me kinda scared about what #2 will be like. Anyway, I am thinking about "Knowshon" being the name this time....for obvious reasons....but it is a worthless battle at this point.....as I ended up losing the battle for "Orantes" last time. Anyway....Just thought I'd let everyone know what was going on.....or let no one know...since no one is reading this but me. Either way....I am taking over this site again as Erin has her own to play with. Check back occasionally to get random updates and postings.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

here we go

my new blogspot is www.ourabchome.blogspot.com. it is in the works, but take a peek and change your links.

Monday, March 10, 2008

new blog

so, i am working on setting up my own blog. i do not feel like i can be very expressive on "adam's" boyish page that he does not want me to change in any way. (he is a very sentimental man, and i do love that about him.) tonight i am too tired and do not have a name, yet.
i got so frustrated with blogging last week when i had three great posts written on three different nights and lost them all each time i went to publish due to goggle error. so, i almost quit it all together. but then i realized how much i love connecting with all my friends. stinks that google can make me so mad.
i will post the link on here when i get it all set up.
erin

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Sunday, February 24, 2008

my wild sleeper

Adam has been a sweetheart from the very begining of baby Aj's life in that he does as many of the daily doings that he can for me and Aj. one thing Adam has done is take the morning feedings on saturday and sunday so i can "sleep in". the past few times, Aj is always in some weird position in bed after Adam has put him back after the feeding.
he rolls over and gets his hands down under,
hides his face and laughs at me,
punches out the arm cushions,
and slides all the way down!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

ride along little cowboy

adam loves to sing this song with Aj on his knee. today, Adam started singing the song and then decided to make up some more verses, but Aj thought they were boring. he fell asleep in a few seconds. i would have too!
babe, i do love all your other songs you sing to ME everday. so, do not ever stop singing.

Friday, February 22, 2008

okay okay!

i know i keep saying that i will get better at this posting stuff, but i just get worse.
i am still not the normal "Erin"(though i am not even considered normal by loved ones prior to baby hormones entering body). we just keep waiting!
no, my baby is not off to college (very funny tays), but he is learning about dogs these days. or just dog. josie has been up with Aj. charlie's brain is still too small to be running around baby Aj. here are a few pictures.
sweet (smelly) josie!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

change

the big joke around this house is that i love to move things (furniture, pictures, rugs, etc.) and my husband does not like change. there is a new feel to the house when you rearrange some furniture or move a picture frame. i love that feeling. he will just have to contiunue to deal with it, b/c i love house decorating.
last week, Adam left me alone too long one day, and Aj and i rearranged his entire room. we also moved some things in two bathrooms, kitchen, and master bedroom. the day began with a trip to Ikea which resulted in a few new items to play with in the house. ending the day, was me hearing Adam in different rooms saying "you got to be kidding me" and then telling me how much he liked things. i am thankful for a husband respecting the wife's role of making a home a home even though he wishes some things stayed the same longer.
just thought i would share. Aj loves it (and his hair)!

Monday, February 4, 2008

p.s.

i am feeling bad about having written "post partum deprssion" in explaining my emotions yesterday. there are people that trully SUFFER from this illness and i am not one of them. i just felt how easily it would have been to dip into such an illness. i have faith in Jesus Christ and feel that alot of those mental illnesses are spiritual warfare.
when i had to visit psych facilities in my undergrad and grad programs, those where miserable days. interesting days, but i was sick to my stomach the entire time visiting. i would sit next to the door during group sessions with the trash can beside me. just in case i had this stuff actually come up. and i was continually praying for protection and strength to make it through the day. the spiritual warfare in those places is so intense. yes, i think some people trully have chemical imbalances, but some need to find Jesus.
all that to say, that i do not want to take any credit in having to work through such issues. more power to the women that do struggle after a baby with chemical imbalances and come out on top.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

8 weeks






time has flown and i still do not know what to think of all this mommyhood stuff. here are a few things i do know to be true: i am more and more in love with my son (and husband). i feel more and more like a mom. i think i have the cutest baby. my body does not feel as much like it was hit by a car. and i am going to survive mommyhood.
so much has happened in the past few weeks. greener pastures are in my view. i think i may have had a touch of the post-partum depression that you hear about. i did not dip deeply into it, but there were days my head was not clear. as if i was in a daze and did not know what to do next but feed, burp, pump, and sleep. my sweet husband has gone above and beyond his role for this household. he is my jewel. i could talk more and more about my emotions, but this post is for Aj being 8 weeks old.
please forgive me for taking forever to post updates. i told you i was going to work on that, and i did not do well. i will keep trying. so many of you have asked for pictures. this is a big picture update for you. i hope you enjoy them all.
we are making huge progress in the baby growing area. he is so much more alert. which allows us to actually interact! there is so much joy when your baby responds to you. Aj loves his baths and waking up in the morning. i think he is going to be a morning person taking after the Lightfoot family (not the Cantrell family!). every morning we talk and smile for several minutes before feeding begins. he is staying in his bed from the last feeding around 10pm till 5 or 6am. he stirs through the night, but always goes back to sleep. we take walks and sing tons of songs completely made up. i just love each day more and more.
God is so good all the time and in everything.
i have a few more things i could tell you about, but i will save them for later posts this week.
much lovin.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

meltdown


these meltdowns can be so cute to the eyes, but not always to the ears.

Monday, January 21, 2008

a simple prayer


aj had his biggest "blow out" today. the poop was coming out of his diaper near the belly button, both legs, and the back. i did not know such was possible in a 6 1/2 week old baby. a precious baby. i have always been known to have a strong stomach and be able to talk about and see anything at anytime. not recently.

my prayers during this cleanup where hard core. stuff was in my throat, but aj no longer has poopie on him. there are tons of prayers that i whisper with aj everyday from"get me through this poopie" to "i pray he be such a Godly man". never has my prayer life been more different than with aj's birth, and i have a feeling it is going to continue to change. just thought i would share this simple prayer with you today.

(the picture above is aj praising Jesus in his sleep. my prayers are already working.)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

i know. i know. i am terrible at this blogging stuff. i remember when adam mentioned starting the blog for the delivery. my first thought was "oh, no, then i will have to keep it up". i love looking at other people's blog, but did not want to become one of "them". who would want to read our blog?
here we are with a blog and i loved the blog in the beginning when adam wrote. i still love the blog, just a little less. i just do not know what to do in writing. my friends come up with these great stories. my day is the same. feed, pump, nap, and repeat. i know things will get more interesting as aj ages. each day does include aj doing something new; focusing longer on my face, smiling more on cue, bigger poopie diaper, etc. so, all this to say, i am sorry at being bad at the blogging. i will try harder.


aj has been great this week. his little personality is already coming out in his grunting and hand motions when he is trying to get his point across. there is this feeling in me that he might have his dad's strong willed personality. oh fun!
aj had his first playdate with little dylan (almost 10 months) on wednesday. he was struck by her beauty that all he did was stare at her the whole time. i enjoyed having tays and dylan here, b/c i was able to talk in something other than baby babble and drill tays on her baby knowledge.

then, i was out of the house on thursday morning and friday morning without aj. i feel like i was in a daze the entire time thinking about my baby at home, but enjoying some freedom. will i ever feel like i did not just leave my heart at home when aj is not with me. ( i do miss my husband when not together. though, it is not the same.)

all day saturday, i kept thinking about how much differently the day with snow would have been if aj was just a little older. we would have been out there in the snow making memories. that is the kind of mom i want to be everyday. i want to be the kind of mom that goes off the beaten path to make memories with my kids. i feel like i had a very blessed childhood with a mom and dad that took the extra moment to make a memory with me and my sisters. pray that adam and i will be the same. great memories.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

please tell me other new moms do these things. i am still not wanting to leave aj out of my site during the day when he is awake. it is like i just know he is going to get up and walk into some trouble when i am not looking. so, i come up with these crazy things and places to put aj. the above is one of them (yes, that is his playpen in the background. it was not good enough b/c i could not see his face from where i was.).
on to the moment of truth... i did it. good thing i wrote on the blog last night that i wanted aj to try his room(or me to try his room). aj would not have been in his room had it not been for me to keep my word. he went to his bed after bottle and falling asleep on daddy. then he stayed all night in that room far away or 20 feet. so, i do not know if i slept better with him at the foot of my bed or in his room. i do know that i felt very accomplished this morning.

the sun needs to shine and the cold wind needs to stop blowing. aj and i can not wait to go outside and take some more walks. maybe in a few days.
much love

Monday, January 14, 2008

psalm139:13

sunday is the day of official napping at the cantrell's household. adam was forced to take a nap every sunday when he was a kid, and his body expects one every week. the tradition has moved into our marrriage. the only problem with this these days is that it looks like my place in adam's arms has been taken by sweet aj. i will have to do something about this...
aj discovered his hands today. he has been trying for weeks to get them in his mouth, and today he did it a few times. i know b/c i heard and saw the sucking for several seconds. it is so cute. i love him more and more everyday and feel more and more like a mom everyday. thank you jesus.

i found this verse, psalm 139:13, on the cfhusband website. it was just the verse i have been needing to hold onto. "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb." as many of you know, i have been having a hard time letting go of my sweet baby and trusting the Lord with him. trusting in everything from how my baby will get his food, to what if he gets sick, to how do i pray for this boy's life and myself as his mom, to what if this and that... I know i have to let go and trust that my baby is not mine, but the Lord's first. and only the Lord knows the best for aj, especially, what each day will bring. i need his strength to chill out.

today has been the first day that i have trully been able to release a bit of all that i am holding onto to the Lord. it is freeing! (so freeing, that aj will be starting his nightime in his real bedroom. i can not say how i will do overnight, therefore, i write"starting") i know that i have so much to learn in this area, as i am just touching the surface in all the Lord wants to teach me. today was a good start at relaxing with the motherhood thing. i just pray my husband can be patient with me as i discover this out. and all you sweet friends. and aj.

for the prayer warriors out there... Rock(my dad) is in Korea for working matters.pray for productivity and safety. thank you

Thursday, January 10, 2008

a precious blogspot

last night i was searching blogspots of friends of friends, and found this amazing man. his wife has Cystic Fibrosis, and just delivered a baby girl at 24 weeks as she is fighting for her life. their journey has touched my heart and i will be praying for them. just thought you might want to take a look and pray with them as well. i was challenged in my faith by reading their story and i know you will be too! go to www.cfhusband.blogspot.com
(today was good as i am learning that Aj DOES have a fussy period around 7pm, and just in time for Adam's arrival. my friend Tay's encouraged me to simply love on him and let it run it's course. who knows how long this will last.)

Wednesday, January 9, 2008


i have the most advanced baby ever! he is very much into pushing up and holding his head up. it keeps catching us off guard, b/c he used to just lay there and head stayed in one place. this active baby is so fun and keeps us jumping to catch him moving in our arms. i caught Aj hanging out on Adam's chest tonight after a full belly and had to share.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

one month and one day

this is picture of mommy trying to capture first smile. mommy was a little slow. but you can see the end of a smile.

today was such a blessing to my sweet soul. today was a day to celebrate my new motherhood (rather than yesterday). sweet Aj smiled at me two times for a long time. yes, they were real smiles to my face. he was not sleeping or dreaming. i was simply changing Aj and talking really close to his face, and then he broke into a smile as i began to cry. Aj (and the Lord) knew i needed a smile. love.
more blessings today came with visits to the house... Aunt Cayce, Ms. Heather, and Aunt tt. their visits were heart warming. a million questions were asked by myself and Aj to these beautiful mothers with such experience. ( i also drilled Wanda Stidham and Crazy Deb from work when they visited the day before)they all made me feel very normal and greatly encouraged me in ways they will never know. thank you girls.
Ms. Heather brought her girly girl, Annie. Annie made Aj blush by sharing her dollie, blankie, and another blanket. she laid them ALL on Aj while he was in the swing. so precious. i love Annie so much.
thank you so much to all those praying for my new family. i trully felt the Lord's presence today (as i should every day) in everything i did (even when i got up at 4 am to feed Aj after an "interesting" discussion with my husband). i do have to say that the great weather has helped my hormones. who knows what will come tomorrow.

this is one of my future babysitters, Meagan. she was a natural with Aj and he took very well to her. she held him so well that Aj was dreaming in her arms. mommy Wanda did a good job too!
(i am new to blogging and forgot to turn picture before posting. sorry)look closely and find Annie, dollie, blankie, and pink blanket. Aj would have made a beautiful girl, but Orantes Grant would definately not have worked for the name.

one more note...everyone needs to go to Heather's blogspot to read about her morning as a mom. Annie gave her mom a story to tell. www.hheaton.blogspot.com just picture that innocent face above.

Monday, January 7, 2008

one month



today is my sweet baby's one month birthday. Aj is so precious and
gorgeous and... i just want to stare at him and kiss his little
cheeks all day long. this month has flown by, and i only hear the
years go faster and faster. sad. how do i remember all these
moments?
i feel like i can not even put into words all my thoughts and feelings
on this whole motherhood thing. maybe i still have hormone
levels out of whack, but i can not grasp my emotions.
people ask me "isn't it just the greatest thing", and "aren't
you just so happy". yes and yes, but no and no. this stuff is
hard. and it is even harder when you get started off by
having to put your baby into the NICU. your self-confidence
goes into the toilet. all the knowledge from those great books
you read make no sense.
my entire life has changed for the better and i would not want
anything different. i am just filled with this new love that takes
my breath away and knocks me down. trying to get back up
is the part where i need to make sense of the thoughts and
feelings. and that is where i am trying to run to my heavenly
father and ask Him to pick me back up and give me the
confidence I need in Him to be the best mother and wife i can
be.
this is the summary of my first month. pray next month comes
with hormone levels back to normal.
happy birthday sweet Aj.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

my turn

My sweet husband has been great at managing the blog of our precious baby boy's first days of life. But, I do have to say that it has been very "boyish" and I am ready to "girlify" it a bit. You may not see me calling him Little O and O daddy for a while, b/c I did win the poll and must take advantage of my win. AJ is a beautiful name and must be used. (Orantes Grant, you do have a beautiful name as well. It is just not my baby's REAL name. Sorry)
I also have to say that you will be seeing more pictures. I have to admit that I go look at other people's blog's and just look for pictures (not you tays or heather. i do care what your thoughts are.)Others must do the same thing. So, to start, I have added some pictures my friend tays took the other day. We needed something on this blog without AJ being in a UGA something or other and these bring my "girlifyness" to the site.
Many have asked how the feeding is going, as my sweet husband asked for prayers a few weeks ago. I do not have much to say, but that it is at a standstill. AJ is obviously eating, pooping, and peeing. But,not eating the way I would wish for him. At the moment, he drinks formula and expressed milk from a bottle. We will leave the comments to that for the moment. I keep working with him everyday, and I feel that one day he will just latch on and everything will be great. Keep praying till then. Thank God I do have a healthy boy that is thriving.
Thank you Adam for keeping this blog the way you have been over the past four weeks. (MY BABY IS 4 WEEKS OLD TOMORROW. WOW.) You have done a marvelous job at telling the world about our journey with AJ so far. I love you so much more than I ever have and thank God it is with YOU I can share this journey.
You all will have to be patient with me as I learn which direction to take this blog. I do not want people to get tired of me bragging about my sweet baby or something to that effect. Maybe, I will use this as a reflective place for me to release all my different thoughts and feelings as a new mom or as a get to know the Cantrells site. I have no idea. We will see what happens.Bye Bye for tonight.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Passing the Torch



I have obviously not done a lot on the blog lately and (for any of you who are still keeping up) I apologize. I am passing the torch to my wife after this post...so you can blame her if it does not stay updated...although I might be adding to it from time to time. I am going back to work tomorrow and neither Erin nor I are real happy about it. We have gotten the little man onto a bit of a schedule though, as O-daddy is going down around 9:30....crying for about 45 minutes...and then sleeping until about 5. I will continue to get up with him at 5ish and then just stay up for school....and let Erin begin the life of being a stay-at-home mom.

We had a good time last night getting O-Dawg all dressed up for the game (see pics above) and then watching the game with him for a bit before it was bedtime. Erin went to sleep shortly after he did...although she felt bad leaving me to watch the game by myself...so she slept in the chair with me while the game finished up. It was a long game....but if you are a Dawg fan...it was very enjoyable. It will be fun to tell Little O about the game as he grows up...and I have it on DVR to show him sometime when he is old enough to know what is going on. Anyway, pray for us as we transition into school mode tomorrow and the next day. At least its a short week before another break. Next week will likely be the real test.
You might also notice that the "name poll" is no longer available to be seen. Based on Rock's recommendation I ran it again...but the results were not much better...although it was closer to 50/50 this time. Thanks to all of you who voted the second time.