..TAKE A LOOK..

Take a moment & jump over to my art blog to see my student art show!! My kiddos are so amazing!!!

http://artwithmre.blogspot.com

The Art Teacher Art Show

The annual(or almost annual) Metro Nashville Art Teacher Art Show is here once again. I've had issues with the show over the years. Many pieces have been rejected(sometimes all pieces rejected...that's one of the issues...you're suppose to get at least one in!!). However, that's part of being an artist, and you have to learn how to deal with the rejection. To my surprise though...this year, all three of my pieces were accepted, and one of them...Dismal Sunset(featured here)...won a judge's award. WOW!!! I am very thankful & excited to know that others see value in what I create. Sometimes you start to wonder why you do what you do when no one else seems to get it. I've stuck it out though, and am glad to see the reward of never giving up...and always pushing myself to be better. Now...we'll see if I actually get to go to the opening & receive my award. Margaret may want to have her own show that will demand daddy's attention!! ha ha

...a dad's perspective...

A week from now I'll be able to hold my baby girl. The thought of her makes my heart flutter & my eyes well up. I've enjoyed feeling her(and at times seeing her)move around as she grows in the safety of Shana's womb, and every chance we've been given to see her through modern technology has brought me so much happiness. I can not wait to see her face to face. Holding her close. Her little hand gripping my finger. Finding rest on her daddy's shoulder or in my arms...all nestled in.

I truly miss my dad. It is the only sadness I feel in the mist of the excitement of Margaret's coming. He will never see her...he will never hold her...he will never have the joy of being a grandpa. I am sad that I'll not be able to ask him questions about what it was like for him when my sister and I were born. I can imagine his face if he were still alive... to see my daughter...the joy and the pride..the amazing smile! He will not see her...but I know I'll see him in her! My dad was too large of a personality to not leave a mark on all generations after him(if you've seen me...you've seen my father!!)

In all of this, I know that there is amazing parallel to our Heavenly Father!! The joy He must have as we grow. How excited He must get when we grab ahold of Him...or rest our head on Him finding our peace. Also, like my earthly father.....I pray that my daughter sees him in me....and HIM in me! I desire to be a reflection of the Lord to Margaret...and example of His love.

These are just the thoughts of a new dad......

Everything I Learned about Motherhood I Learned from Third Graders!

Friday was my last day of work in anticipation of Margie making her way into this world very soon. My wonderful teammates had the kids give me a few tips for being a good mama. They were too cute not to share...

The fatter they are the better they grow. ~ Joe

As a mom I think you should give your baby hugs and kisses before it goes to bed. If you don't it might think you don't like it. Another advice is you need to feed it and take it outside everyday. If you don't do any of that stuff than it will be mad! ~ Melissa

Have safety alarms around the house and live near the safety department. ~ Gabreil

When the baby cries she is hungry. ~ Alyssa

Don't let her sit too close to the TV. ~ Owen

My best advice would be to stay with your baby most of the day and just really really love it. ~ Nigel

Buy plenty of diapers. ~ Hannah

Feed her good food ~ Destinee

Give her a pacifier. ~ Yakira

Turn off the lights so she can sleep. ~ Michael

Save up money for Margie to go to college. ~ Heaven

Give Margie a good bath twice a day. ~ Donnie

When Margie grows up tell her no to talk back. ~ Haley

Teach her things. ~ DuJuantez

Teach her how to walk. ~ Krodel

Margie needs 1 nap a day (I think more) and take her for a walk 2 a day.

When you go shopping make sure you check the back of cans so she wont have a lot of sugar. ~ Dru

Rock her in the rocking. Not too hard or she might pit up. ~ Makayla

Love her like you would love your mama. ~ Kendricka

Make sure she gets plenty of calcium. ~ Shelby

Be a very good more and do your best! ~ Xyaire

Put some water in the milk so it wont be too strong. ~ Darian

Always keep an eye on her. ~ Alora

If the baby starts to cry and you get crazy, feed her, or give her to her dad. When babies are babies they like there dad pretty much. But don't worry. When she grows up she'll be all over you. Take it from an older sister of three. ~ Madyson

When she is 7 or 8 try to give her pink medicine so she can get better. ~ Jordan

Love her even when she grows up. ~ Edward

Brush her teeth. ~ Lynzie

You should bake her a great cake! And get her a plaid carrier. That would look nice. ~ Dalton

You can put them in time out if they do something bad. ~ Juaneisha

You should play with your baby. ~ Baileigh

Give her vitamins. ~ Alivia

You should sing to her when she is sick. ~ Mary

You should feed her apples, grapes, and strawberries. I think she likes them. ~ Gary

(That would be my usual morning snack)

Tick Tock Tick Tock!

I am done with work. The house is in order. The car is clean. The nursery is put together. My bag is packed. Margie's bag is packed. We are ready for sleeping, or not sleeping, bathing, changing, dressing, grooming, swaddling, feeding, playing, rocking, reading, and singing. We are ready to welcome our sweet baby girl into this world. Praise God for blessing us with this miracle. We pray that He sees her safely here. We ask that God equip us with tools we need to raise her as His child and to bring glory to his name. And now we wait...

...the short of it...

BUSY..BUSY..DREADFULLY BUSY!!!! Grad school...AHHH!!! Got my C-PAP machine...struggling with it(this is only my second night with it though)! Art Show....OH MY GOSH...YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH WORK IT TAKES!!!! zzzzz... I'M AWAKE..I'M AWAKE!!! Shana's last week of work.....then won't have to go back till Aug. Margaret is a big baby...and may come as early as the 9th or 10th. Birthing class...not so helpful...but we paid for it..so we're going!!(though told the class they could take a field trip to our room when Margaret comes...cause we're not gonna be able to make it to the end of that class!). We got all the "stuff"...now just need the girl! :) Ok..that's the short of it!

...Our Latest Check Up...

So today we went for the "big" check up! This is the one where they see how big the baby is & make sure everything is progressing for the upcoming delivery. As expected, Margaret is VERY healthy. She is about 6 lbs 11 oz presently. We still have around 4 weeks or so(give or take), and babies grow by about 6 oz a week at this stage. This means...yep...between 8 & 9 lbs by delivery time! A very healthy baby!! ha ha(that's my girl!) She is in the 80.9% size wise. This also moved her due date to March 10th (possibly). We started this adventure with her due date being March 19th...so she's a little ahead of schedule. The pictures below are not the greatest examples of how amazing Margaret looks. The ultrasound in motion gives you such a better picture of your baby...the stills just don't capture it. I love the one on the left...you see her little nose, lips, and chin!!! The one on the right looks like something as seen from Hubble Telescope!