Amy and Luke's Blog

Since it's been over a year...

2011-02-01T09:49:00.002-06:00

It's about time for an update.

Luke is doing really well. He's growing like a weed and has a huge vocabulary. He's learning his letters; saying our meal blessing and night-night prayers; sings Jesus Loves Me, Jingle Bells, and numerous songs from VeggieTales; he got drums, a saxophone and guitar for Christmas and loves music; he learned the story of Jonah and the Whale on the 16th of January and even though we missed church on the 23rd, was able to re-tell it to his teachers on the 30th. He's off the bottle and sleeps through the night at home.

He's about 39" tall and weighs around 35 lbs.

I'm updating some of our pictures on the site.

On other news, Mom retired from DHR yesterday! Congratulations on a job well done!

So, it's been a while

2010-04-19T16:09:00.002-05:00

I know that I haven't posted since September, but being a single mom to an 18-month-old is challenging.

Today, Luke saw a pediatric opthamologist for the first time. He was diagnosed with Accomodative Esotropia. We ordered our first pair of glasses today. When the glasses come in, we have to use Atropine eye drops to make the stronger eye (Luke's right) blur and force him to use the weaker eye. This is much better than the patches I had to wear. I can't imagine how my parents kept those patches on me!

Luke has remained off the top of the growth charts for height. At his 18 month check-up, he was 35 1/2 inches tall and weighed 27 lbs 4 oz.

I'll try to get a new picture up soon.

The new game...What's making Luke sick now?

2009-09-14T20:05:00.003-05:00

Luke started running a fever (101.7) Sunday afternoon. He was super congested and had a cough. He was also super fussy. Mommy started thinking maybe he had the flu. Well, I called the after hours number and at 3:00 that afternoon, Children's South was already booked solid. But, we could go to the ER if I thought he really needed to be seen. Knowing that if we did go to the ER he probably wouldn't get seen until this morning anyway, I decided to fight the fever and call the doctor first thing Monday morning.

Monday morning arrives and you'd think the doctor's office was giving away Jonas Brothers tickets or something. You guessed it. Busy. Again. And Again. And Again. After 25 minutes straight of dialing, I managed to leave a message for the nurse (no, they won't give you an appointment without talking with the nurse first.)

So she calls back around 9am and after our 2 minute assessment, she decides that we do need to come in. Can we be here at 11:30? Of course.

So, I load-up my precious baby boy who's eyes are so very tired and we head down to Redmont Pediatrics. We get there a few minutes before 11:00 (so we don't miss our appointment time). There are big signs on each door stating which entry (sick vs. well) we should use. Which, if you've ever been to the new office, doesn't make much sense since the rooms are open! Along with the traffic signs are signs saying "The flu arrived early this year, please be patient as your appointment may take longer than usual."

We finally get called-back around 12:10. My 'little' baby weighs 23 lbs 7 oz today's visit. After being shown into a room and waiting another 20 minutes, Dr. Walley comes in and comments that of all the babies he's seen today, you can look at Luke and tell he doesn't feel well. Dr. Walley checked his ears, listened to his chest, and makes the same conclusion that I do that its probably the flu.

We head to the lab waiting room for another 20 minute wait before it's Luke's turn to be poked and prodded. We have to move back to the main 'sick' waiting room to give the lab time to work. For the next ten minutes, I'm trying to calm my screaming baby who's just had a flu test (you KNOW the one!) and a finger stick.

Another 15 minute wait and we get called back to find-out that Luke doesn't have the flu (YEAH!), but he is running a fever. His white blood cell count was higher than would be indicated with the flu. Apparently, the flu is presenting with a low white blood cell count even when the flu test is negative in infants.

----
Tuesday morning, here. I got called away by a crying baby last night when I started the post.

Last night, Luke was up and down throughout the night with screaming pain. I checked his gums, but don't feel any new teeth trying to come through. Dr. Walley suggested that I watch his ears for any sign of drainage in the next few days. The congestion and fever, coupled with these screaming sessions are usually a sign of an imminent ear infection.

This morning Luke has been his happy, normal self. It's almost like nothing was ever wrong! I guess it was just a virus. We do have to take another day off because daycare won't accept him back until he's gone 24 hours without a fever.

Hopefully, he'll feel great next week when he turns ONE!!!!

Forgot to update

2009-07-27T11:11:00.007-05:00

I've forgotten to update the blog in a few months. It has been a very busy summer for Luke. His 9-month check-up went really well on June 24. He was 31 1/2 inches tall and weighed in at 20 lbs 4 oz. Luke has mastered crawling and is now cruising around everything that's tall enough. I swear he's going to have back problems later on after leaning over so much to cruise - all of the furniture in the baby room at school is lower than his standing height!

I took this picture and the video this morning (July 29) and wanted to post it before I left for work.

While working on this post, Luke crawled into the bottom of his baby Einstein exersizer...

Luke finished his latest round of antibiotics for an ear infection last Friday, July 24. That's the 4th ear infection since the tubes were placed in April. At that doctor's appointment, he weighed 21 lbs 14.5 oz, so I'm guessing he's over 22 lbs now...that was three weeks ago.

ANOTHER ear infection

2009-05-27T13:20:00.002-05:00

So the good news I got from the doctor today was that Luke does NOT have thrush as the daycare suggested. Unfortunately she confirmed that he does indeed have another ear infection. That is number 4 since the tubes on April 9.

Luke has begun his forward mobility - yes, he's started to crawl! He's only managing about 2 feet forward at a time, so far, but has that backward action going. He gives up after about 2 feet and decides that rolling is a much faster way to travel.

Here's a picture from Luke's 6-month photo shoot with my cousin, Andrea Young. Yes, I bought the 'rights' to it, so we're cool to use it here. If you're interested in seeing more of her work, I have a link to the right.

Please keep 12-year-old Megan Brittian in your prayers...she's nearing the end of her time in this life. Please visit her Caring Bridge site for more information: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/meganbrittain. She'll soon be with her mom and her Lord.

Tubes went okay, but now fighting an upper resp. infection

2009-04-15T12:29:00.003-05:00

Luke's tubes took about 30 minutes total from the time I turned him over in the hallway (want to talk about hard!) until I got him back. The procedure went without incident and he slept most of the day.

That night, we went and watched 2 innings of the Birmingham Barons season opener. He was mesmerized by the sights and sounds of the game.

The next day, Luke started developing a cough. He got worse through the weekend and our trip to Gadsden and Rome for Easter.

Monday, I spent the day waiting for call-backs from his pediatrician, then the ENT, and then the pediatrician again to get an 8:45 am appointment on Tuesday. The pediatrician ran a blood test to make sure that he wasn't developing pneumonia from being under general anesthesia for the tubes. Turns out that he's just picked-up a virus at daycare. It seems he's passed that along to Mom...isn't he sweet to share!

Tonight will be his first night with a non-family member babysitter - thanks, Kit! - as I my Mom and I will go to see "Wicked" for an early Mother's Day treat.

New Pictures and We're getting Tubes

2009-04-07T15:26:00.003-05:00

Posted 4/8 @ 12:30 PM - it's official, Children's South at 5:45 AM!

You can see the new pictures online *until April 18* at http://www.georgialane.com/Luke. Still trying to figure out which ones to buy. They're wonderful!

I took Luke for his ENT appt. today and the doctor said "Tubes!" They go in on Thursday! I'll find-out a time in the morning. It's supposed to be outpatient at Children's South but I won't know for certain until tomorrow. Because of his age and his initial stay in the NICU, they may make us go to Children's.

One final note...he wieghed in at 19 lbs this morning!

6 month check-up

2009-03-30T10:50:00.002-05:00

This is a quick post, but here are Luke's stats from his 6-month checkup:

Length: 29 1/4 inches
Weight: 17 lbs 13.5 oz
Head circumfrence: 17 1/2 inches

We're officially out of the infant baby carrier and on to a rear-facing car seat. Luke is rolling over both ways, babbling non-stop, and working on sitting up.

Mommy, I'm too big for the bassinet!

2009-02-22T07:49:00.006-06:00

Okay, so as you can see, Luke has outgrown his bassinet. I guess I'm becoming one of 'those' mommies... One who doesn't want to give in and realize that her baby is growing up! You see, my 'little' almost-5-month-old baby is wearing a 9-month sleeper and weighs in at 17 lbs (as of Wednesday's doctor's visit). Mommy hasn't had a chance to move the pack-and-play upstairs and the bassinet somewhere else. Doing that means that my baby isn't a tiny baby any more!

Give it up, Mommy! It's time! So, guess what I'm doing this afternoon. That's right; moving the bassinet and getting the pack-and-play set-up.

Note that I mentioned a doctor's visit above. The first round of antibiotics didn't work so Luke now has double ear-infections! Everyone say together now, "Mommy needs some sleep!" I guess I'll get that after he's married; I know that I won't stop worrying about him before then.

He is feeling better, as this beautiful smile indicates.

Below is a picture of him trying rice cereal. He's still not too fond of it, but we haven't been trying too hard due to the ear infections.

Time for an update

2009-02-06T16:35:00.003-06:00

Sorry that I've neglected the blog for so long. I've been super busy at work, so getting time to update has been a real challenge. Here's a new picture of my Baby Bird. That's the name of the class he's in at daycare. This picture was emailed to me from the daycare!

Luke has his first ear infection and has been quite fussy for the last couple of days. His fussiness comes mostly in the middle of the night, so Mommy hasn't gotten much sleep. Working and being the lead on a high profile project isn't any fun when you're not getting any sleep.

On Jan. 26, Luke went for his 4-month check-up. He officially weighed 15 lbs 9 oz, was 27" long, and has a 16 1/2" head circumference. Yesterday, when he was getting his ears checked-out, he weighed 16 lbs 4 oz. So, my little man is growing! the 27" remains off the charts for length. He's in the 75th-90th percentiles for weight and the 75th percentile for head circumference.

He's starting to giggle for Mommy, when he's feeling okay. No signs of rolling-over or teeth, yet. The doctor said that because of his size he might roll-over around the same time he sits by himself. We did get the green-light to start rice cereal, but he's not liking it too well. Hopefully he won't be as picky as his mom when it comes to food!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T10:13:00.004-06:00

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Roll Tide!

A little (okay, big) health scare

2008-12-09T16:53:00.002-06:00

I got a call yesterday morning from my mom. The gas company had just left their home and the carbon monoxide level had been 500 parts-per-million. That's enough to kill a healthy adult in about 8 hours. The scare - other than the fact that my parents, brother, and 2 1/2 year old niece were all subjected to this level - was that Luke and I had been at their home this weekend.

Mom helped me out and kept Luke on Saturday so that I could drive Miss Trussville's Outstanding Teen in the Trussville Christmas parade. She met me in Springville and took Luke back to her house. Other than going to church Sunday morning, Luke was there from Saturday around one until 2PM Sunday afternoon. In hindsight, we can see that his irritability and lethargy were probably caused by the carbon monoxide exposure. As were my severe headache and nausea, my mom's dizzyness and fall, my father's severe heart pain, and my brother's flu-like symptoms. We can only pray that Charli and Luke don't suffer any long-term effects of the exposure.

I called Luke's pediatrician as soon as I found-out and we ended-up getting checked-out at Children's. His blood gases revealed that he had a signifigant exposure, but was recovered to the point that they didn't need to treat him.

The only thing I can tell anyone is that a carbon monoxide detector is a wise investment. None of us even thought to link our symptoms until after we found-out about the exposure. If you live in an older home its also a good idea to have the furnace flue cleaned regularly. That was the root of the problem.

Here's a link to some information about carbon monoxide poisoning:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/carbon_monoxide_poisoning/article_em.htm

During our trip to Children's, I found-out that Luke's weight is up to 13 lbs 10 oz! No wonder my back has been hurting!

Overalls and generations

2008-12-05T08:37:00.008-06:00

Here are some pictures of Luke from this week and a couple from Thanksgiving. Luke is wearing his overalls in the first picture. They were a gift from his Granny, my mom's mom. She's also the one in the generations pictures.

Four Generations

Me, Luke, Granny and Mom

Pam, Julia, Granny, Sam and Mom

Matt, Charli, Granny and Mom

Pictures from Halloween

2008-12-03T13:24:00.003-06:00

A friend from church emailed me some pictures from Halloween. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Luke with his MeMe.

Luke and Mommy at College Heights Trunk or Treat

My big little man

2008-11-26T13:43:00.002-06:00

According to his pediatrician, Luke is the longest baby he's seen at 2 months! Luke measured in at 25 1/2 inches long. He lost a few ounces due to his tummy bug and weighed in at 12 lbs 5 oz yesterday. He received his first big set of immunizations and wasn't feeling well last night. Thank goodness for Infants Tylenol!

Today, he's been to the grocery store with MeMe and when I checked-in with them, he was napping on G-Daddy. I'm headed to Gadsden again after work.

Thankful

2008-11-25T10:44:00.002-06:00

Thursday will be Luke's very first Thanksgiving. I was holding him last night, after my first day back at work, thinking that this time last year, I had no idea if I would ever have a child. Here he is - beautiful, strong and (mostly) healthy. I wanted to take a minute and count my blessings...first, my wonderful Lord and Savior who shows me daily that He is in charge and will meet my every need. (Including free samples of Isomeal formula that came in handy at 9PM Sunday night when my little man needed to be lactose free to give his tummy time to heal!) Next, of course, is my wonderful little baby and love of my life - Luke! I can't believe that he's here and growing so quickly. The smiles I'm getting daily make this all worthwhile.

Of course I'm so ever grateful for my wonderful, supportive family! Without Mom and Dad, Luke's MeMe and G-Daddy, I wouldn't have gotten through my pregnancy and these first few months with 'Baby Uke'. My mom has patiently taken over when my nerves were at their most taunt and shows me what being a mom is all about. My dad loves my little man and eases my fears about Luke not having his own father in the house. My sister and brother-in-law have been so supportive and love Luke like one of their own. My brother can't get enough of my little man. Luke and I are blessed to have them!

Julia, Charli, and Sam are amazing little people. I can't believe how much I love and adore them and how they bring such joy to our lives. They adore their new cousin and I know he'll return their affection as soon as he's old enough! Charli calls him her baby and will argue with me about who he belongs to; Julia wants to help in each and every way, except maybe changing the poopie diapers; Sam can't wait until Luke is old enough to 'wrastle'!

I'm so grateful for my friends who have shown me unconditional love and support during my pregnancy and now with Luke. I've had so many offers of help and have been overwhelmed by the generous outpouring of gifts.

I have an amazing, loving church home in College Heights Baptist in Glencoe. I was nervous about how we would be accepted, but know how supportive they've been in the past and am awed by their love and support for Luke and me.

I came back, yesterday, to a wonderful job where I have so many additional friends and have received such support! I received many, many hugs and "Welcome Backs" during my first day back. Everyone wanted to know about Luke and how he's doing and made it so easy for me to come back.

There are so many more people I need to mention, but its time for me to go to lunch! I'll post more tomorrow after Luke's doctors appointment this afternoon!

Last week off!

2008-11-17T13:19:00.002-06:00

I go back to work next Monday and it looks like Mom and Dad will be spending time at my house taking care of Luke. We're in a daycare starting January 5, but until then I have to work!

Update on Luke - we're both sick now with the upper respiratory crud! I brought Luke to my parents and we're enjoying some extra help while we try to recover from this icky stuff. My poor little man can't take anything - at least I get an antibiotic. He's not running any fever, but is sleeping a lot more than he had been. Plus he's so super congested he's gagging. He slept a long time, but fretted during his sleep which caused me to wake-up every few minutes.

Keep us in your prayers!

First visit to Children's ER

2008-11-13T09:23:00.002-06:00

I'm certain that it won't be his last visit, as much as I hope, but Luke had his first visit to Children's Hospital's ER last night. We're going to his regular pediatrician, Ryan Walley, today at noon, but apparently Luke is suffering from an upper respiratory infection. Poor baby - he so doesn't feel well. He's congested, coughing and has an obvious sore throat. This morning, the drainage was causing him to gag.

It scared me half-to-death when the pediatrician's office told me to take him to Children's. I was expecting a "Give him some Tylenol and call us tomorrow if he's not better." response to my call. Instead, I got a "Take him to the ER."

Fortunately, we were seen immediately when we arrived. Our total visit time was about an hour and ten minutes from the time we walked into the ER until the time we left. My mom and dad, Luke's MeMe and G-Daddy, made the trip up from Gadsden because I was in a near panic not knowing what they would do or say. We'll see what Dr. Walley has to say and I'll try to update afterward.

On another note, Luke has a spot in my work daycare...starting Jan. 5. I'm still trying to figure out what to do until then, as I was released to return to work on Nov. 24.

Update on Bam-Bam - aka Luke!

2008-11-05T09:32:00.007-06:00

On Monday, Luke had his 6-week check-up. He now weighs in at 11 lbs 8 1/2 oz and is 23 3/4 inches long. That puts him in the 85% for weight and >95% for length. Dr. Walley said that he was going to be a big boy! He laughed about Luke ever having gone to the NICU - he's growing like he never had any problems.

Yesterday, he went with me to vote...do you realize the next time we'll vote for President, Luke will be 4 years old! Here are a couple of new pictures for you. The first few were taken at MeMe and G-Daddy's house. The last one, wiith his pacifier, was on Monday night and I think he was wondering if the political ads would ever end - I know that I was!

Luke's First Halloween Party

2008-10-30T11:35:00.005-05:00

Last night, Oct. 29, Luke went to his first Halloween party...Trunk or Treat at College Heights Baptist Church in Glencoe. He wore his Halloween outfit and eventually put on his horsey costume. It was the first time I had let more than a couple of people hold him - and apparently it didn't work really well for him. By the time we got back to my mom & dad's house, he was NOT happy! For about 30 minutes, he cried at the top of his lungs. It stressed me out so much that I had to pass him along to his MeMe.

That made me double-think my decision to go back home today. I think I'll come back Sunday afternoon instead. Its just too good having an extra pair of hands around when I get completely stressed - or need to take a shower!

Here's a couple of pictures of Luke from last night...

Tinkerbell and Luke...

And on the 16th, I celebrated my birthday...

Luke's Birth

2008-10-06T07:29:00.001-05:00

I woke-up Tuesday morning, Sept. 23, thinking that I wasn't feeling quite right. I had slept fitfully, with a lot of discomfort, but thought it was because I was anxious about being induced on the 24th. Wrong! I was having contractions. They started about every 7-8 minutes and would last 30-45 seconds. I had a doctors appt. that afternoon and decided to wait them out at home.
I got to the doctors office and had my regular ultrasound and NST. Mom met me there. The NST showed that I was having regular contractions about 5 minutes apart, lasting 45 seconds-2 minutes. After the NST, I went around the corner to the waiting room and signed in. When the nutritionist brought my glucose meter back, she noticed that I was visably uncomfortable. She went and told the nurses and I got into an exam room immediately. After a few minutes, the doctor came in for my exam and confirmed what I already knew - I was in labor! The doctors office is on the 5th floor of the women & children's center and she sent me straight down to L&D on 3rd! So, I officially drove myself to the hospital!

I got checked-in around 3:30pm, changed into my gown, got my IV and settled in to wait. I was dialated to a 3, but my cervix was still pretty thick. The on-call doctor came in a few hours later and checked again...I was between a 3-4 and she said that I probably wouldn't have a baby until Wednesday morning. By that time, my sister and my dad had gotten there and decided to go and get some sleep at my house until the next morning.

Around midnight, the nurse was coming in to check on me pretty regularly. I didn't know it at the time, but Luke had started having decels with every contraction. I got my Epi around 1:30 am - let me tell you, the first shot of Nubane is magic, but the 2nd and 3rd don't do much to take the edge off of the pain! Around 2am, the nurse was pretty much in my room full-time. I could tell that something wasn't quite right, but I didn't know what it was. Around 4am, I suddenly had an army of nurses in the room - and they weren't playing around. They tilted the head of the bed down so that my head was lower than my feet and the 4 of them were rolling me from my left to my right side and back with every contraction! The doctor had been called and was on her way down from the on-call room. When she arrived, they gave me a shot that stopped my contractions for about 20 minutes. Apparently, they lost Luke's heartbeat all-together! The doctor decided to break my water to try to ease the pressure on him, get an internal monitor in place, and hopefully speed my labor along. I was dialated to between 5-6 at that time. From then on, I kept my eyes glued to the fetal monitor (when I was on my right side, that is!). You'll never imagine how scary it was to see that heartrate dip to 12 with one contraction and 16 with another. I was terrified that I was going to lose my baby. The nurses kept discussing among themselves that it wasn't like the on-call doctor to allow a labor like this to continue without calling for a c-section.

At 7:45am, my doctor arrived to do her morning rounds. She took one look at the graphs and immediately sent me to the OR. The fact that they were running with me on the gurney didn't get past me - I was almost in a full-blown panic, but my mom said you would've never known it. They suited mom up and she chased us down to the OR. At 8:01am, Luke was in the world.
The cleaned him up, let me see him, and then the neonatal nurse took him back to my room. Mom followed Luke and surprised his G-daddy and Aunt Pam by getting in there before news of his arrival! I got back in the room around 8:40 - they had already given him a bath and the pediatrician had just made the call that he needed to go to the NICU. I got to see him for about 10 minutes before they wisked him away. His respiratory rate was just too high. Later on, we found-out that about the meconium and his lung problems. Then his sugar wouldn't stay up and he had trouble learning to swallow.

I had to stay in bed for a full 12 hours following the c-section, so I didn't get to see him again until around 10pm. Then the nurse wouldn't let me touch him for fear it would aggrevate his lung problem. Needless to say, it was a long, difficult time not knowing, not being able to help him, wondering if I was being punished for the path I'd chosen.

This past Wednesday, mom and I took Luke for his 1-week check-up and his pediatrician was amazed. When we left the hospital Monday morning, Luke was down to 7 lbs 15 1/2 oz. On Wed. he was up to 8 lbs, 7 oz! My little man has learned to eat! Unfortunately, he's not drinking from the tap - I'm having to pump every 3 hours.

The c-section wasn't as bad as I thought - even getting 17 staples removed. We're still at Mom & Dad's, but I hope to be home later this week.

We're Home...kinda

2008-09-29T20:29:00.002-05:00

After 25 hours of labor, an emergency C-section, and 5 days in NICU, Luke and I came home to my parents' home this morning. We're settling in and I'll post more as I have time and energy. He weighed-in at 8 lbs 4 oz at birth and came home today at 7 lbs 15 1/2 oz. He's 21 inches long and has the longest fingers and toes! He loves to stretch those toes out, too!

Luke update - 38/39 weeks

2008-09-17T10:13:00.002-05:00

Within a week, Luke will be here - one way or another!

I had my weekly tests and doctor's visit yesterday. Luke measured 8 lbs 3 oz as of yesterday. With my gestational diabetes diagnosis, 39 weeks is the latest they want me to go so that he doesn't get too big. So, we're scheduled to induce next Wednesday, Sept. 24, if he doesn't appear before then. I'm dilated 1 cm (sorry if that's TMI), so the chances of him coming before next week are possible, but not likely. I'll go back for more tests next Tuesday and depending on the results I'll either be admitted Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

One other happy note, the doctor did give me an antibiotic for my bronchitis! I should be feeling much better by the time Luke's scheduled to arrive. Since I'd had a Z-pack about 3 weeks ago that didn't knock this out, she put me on something stronger this time.

I'm going to plan on taking vacation/sick time Monday and Tuesday so that I can get some much-needed rest before Luke arrives to change my world forever. So, Friday should be my last day in the office until my maternity leave is up.

Update on Luke - 37/38 week check-up

2008-09-10T10:29:00.002-05:00

So, I'm still at work - well, physically at least. Mentally, I'm about ½ here.

I went for my latest NST (non-stress test) and AFI yesterday along with my regular doctors appt. Everything looks "okay" so far. I do have a sinus infection, but she doesn't think it will clear up until after I deliver, so she's opting not to treat it...so I have another reason to be miserable!

Originally, she'd given me next week as an induction probability, but figured-out yesterday that it conflicts with her vacation to Disney World, so IF I've made some progress at next week's visit, she'll allow whichever of her colleges I see to talk about inducing the following week. I wasn't examined for dilation, etc. yesterday so we don't know if there's been any progress from last week. Otherwise, "we'll just wait for something exciting to happen" (Her words, not mine).

Obviously this wasn't what I wanted to hear, so I was pretty let-down from the appt. yesterday. Keep me in your prayers and hope that I don't develop pneumonia, which I tend to do if I let a sinus infection go untreated. She didn't seem to think I was serious when I mentioned this (and even pointed out that she had my history from our BeHealthy.com site to verify), but she was in a hurry and had more patients to see...it was around 4:45 when I finally got to see her after being there at 2 for my tests.

Needless to say that IF (and that's a big IF at this point!) I decide to have another baby later on, I doubt that the baby factory of Henderson-Walton will have the opportunity to deliver!

36/37 weeks

2008-09-02T15:55:00.003-05:00

Everything looked okay on today's non-stress test (NST) and AFI (I don't know what the acronym stands for, but its an ultrasound where they measure the amniotic fluid level). I'm not dilated or effaced, but according to the NST, I am having small contractions, so the doctor seems to think these contractions will start the dilation process soon.

I go back on Tuesday 9/9 for another NST and AFI at 2PM. This time, hopefully Luke will cooperate and get to moving. The NST this morning took about an hour because he wouldn't move. I attributed it to the time of day - I was hungry and he was lulled to sleep by the rumbling of my tummy! Because that test was at 11:30 and I didn't get through until 12:30, I had to wait until the doctors got back from rounds at 2PM to see one! Fortunately, they let me go get something to eat - yum, hospital food in the cafeteria! Maybe next week, I won't be there 4 ½ hours!
This past Friday, Charli and Mom came down and spent the night so that Mom could help me out by painting the nursery closet. Dad and Matt arrived first thing Saturday morning. Dad mowed my grass and Matt put the closet organizer in Luke's room. When I laid down with Charli to get her to sleep, the guys up and left! Mom and I spent some time later that day, with Charli's help, going through all of the presents I've gotten at baby showers. I'll start washing Luke's clothes tonight and get things put away. Maybe I'll get to post a picture of his real nursery sometime soon instead of the picture from the web catalog!

Update from the 35/36 week check-up

2008-08-27T10:00:00.002-05:00

So, I got to see my regular doctor yesterday and had a much better check-up. Luke is doing great and measuring right on target for 35/36 weeks. His heartbeat was steady and still pretty low, so they think he's in a good, head-down position. My blood pressure was 112/80.

Next week, I'll have a Non-Stress Test and they'll check the amniotic fluid level plus I'll have my Group B Strep test and an exam to see if/how things are progressing. I should know a lot more at that next Tuesday appointment.

As I'm now limited to traveling within an hour of the hospital, I had to tell my family to get rid of my ticket to the JSU vs. Georgia Tech game in Atlanta on Thursday. Boo-Hoo!!! I wanted to go so badly! It will be a great time for my family though...everyone but me is going -> G-Daddy, MeMe, Pam, Jud, Julia, Sam, Matt and Charli! Wouldn't it be great if JSU could pull an Appalachian St-type upset! Go Gamecocks!

Mom (aka MeMe) says that she's coming up Friday night so that she can get Luke's closet painted for me. Then, Dad and Matt will be able to clean-up my yard, get the organizer installed in the closet, and do some other minor stuff around the house that I can't seem to accomplish. I've got to remember to make a list!

I had a wonderful baby shower (my third!) on Sunday at my home church - College Heights Baptist! I am about 2/3 of the way through with my Thank You notes from that one and then I can move everything up into Luke's room.

Jud gave me a lead on a pediatrician, so I'm going to try and get an appointment for next Tuesday to meet with him. His office is in St. Vincents and since I'll be there for my appointment, I hope things work-out.

I've contacted a few more daycares to see if they have availability, but haven't heard back from them. We'll see! I met with my Medical Leave coordinator this morning and have to get the paperwork to the doctor's office and back to Comp & Benefits before the 12th of September. Hopefully, that won't be a big deal. They're saying if I delivered on the 25th, my return date to work would be November 6th. That seems awfully quick! I'll have to see!

TOBP

2008-08-21T15:31:00.002-05:00

TOBP = Tired of Being Pregnant

At least that's what the doctor I saw on Tuesday said.

Yes, a real doctor in the practice was complaining about the women between 34-36 weeks who were TOBP and decided to go to Labor & Delivery. She was complaining because she was the on-call doctor and was making multiple trips to L&D between seeing patients.

Now, here I am at 35 weeks in for my regular appt. and all she does is measure me and glance over my chart! Her nurse took my BP - normal - and checked Luke's heart rate - 146. She hadn't even met with the nutriotionist yet to see if I was going on insulin. I had to wait in the nutritionist's office until they could talk.

They did decide to put me on insulin and the nutritionist says, "Go straight to the pharmacy. I'm calling this in right now." So over I head to the pharmacy, once I make it out of the parking deck. And then I wait. And wait. And ask about the prescription. At 4:30 PM, I called the doctor's office back to see if they've called it in. No live people on the phones. I call back at 5:00 PM and get the message that the office is closed. Still no prescription. After waiting for almost 2 hours at the pharmacy to realize they're not calling it in that day, I head home...in the middle of rush hour. It takes me over an hour to go the 15 miles to home! I didn't make it to the Season ticket holder picnic or one of the last regular season home Baron's games. I was NOT happy!

I woke-up Wednesday morning feeling lousy. Guess what? I get an upper respiratory infection on top of Luke pushing against my lungs/diaphram and limiting my breathing. I stayed-home from work and got a lot of sleep. I finally get a message around 11:00 AM on Wed. that they've finally called-in my insulin. So, I'll be heading back to the pharmacy after work. I've also got my Breastfeeding Basics class tonight at 6PM, so its back to St. Vincents for that!

Anyway, I go back to the doctor on Tuesday, Aug. 26. Maybe they'll have time to answer a few questions! I am looking forward to my final baby shower on Sunday!

The latest with Luke

2008-08-12T17:14:00.002-05:00

I saw the doctor today. My glucose levels are running higher than the thresholds, but not too high. She suggested wait to start insulin until I've had another week to monitor the numbers. She also was a little concerned that I had not gained any weight in the last two weeks. Luke is measuring between 32-33 weeks, which would match my original due date. That does mean, however, that I'm not showing the growth they expected in the last two weeks as we measured 32 weeks on the 29th of July.

She ran some labs to check my liver function and thyroid levels, just to make sure everything was okay. I have been having dizzy spells that she thinks may be linked to my sugar levels, but wanted to make sure everything else was working okay. My extreme exhaustion is contributed to the fact that Luke is getting everything right now.

On a funny note, apparently the people in charge of my shower at church gave Mom a stack of invitations where there were old invitations mixed in. All of my relatives seem to have gotten the old invitations! They didn't know why they were being invited to a shower that was held in 2004 for someone they didn't know. And she had a girl! Mom will re-do all of the shower invitations tonight!

I've had two wonderful showers so far - one by my coworkers and another by my Miss Alabama friends. I have one set of thank you's done and delivered and will be working on the latest tonight. I'll post more after my next doctors appt. which is scheduled for August 19.

What is Gestational Diabetes anyway?

2008-08-07T10:12:00.002-05:00

So, I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes last week. I went to 'class' on Tuesday and picked-up my new constant companion, my glucose testing kit. Here's what I'm learning about GD - Doctor's aren't certain about what causes it. They do know that hormones from the placenta block the action of insulin in the mother's body, causing insulin resistance. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed into energy. This causes glucose to build up in the bloodstream.

Right now, they're monitoring my blood sugar levels (sticking myself 4 times per day - YUCK!) and making me watch my diet. Some of you may remember that Luke is sitting pretty low, causing me pain and one-day of spotting. The doctor said I might experience more. They're going to monitor me more closely now. I'll probably have Non-Stress Tests and possibly another ultrasound if they think Luke is getting too big. I probably won't go past the 38-week mark before they induce, just to ensure that he doesn't get too big.

Gestational diabetes can cause high weight babies and that raises the possibility of having a c-section. It can also cause low-sugar and raise the risk of breathing problems in the baby. I want to avoid all of that if possible.

Right now, I'm feeling incredibly exhausted!

I still need to paint Luke's closet, buy a door for the closet, along with replacing the baseboards in his room. I have my "Preparing for Parenthood" class on Saturday and a baby shower on Sunday given by my Miss Alabama friends. Mom's coming to class with me and will stay that night. Pam and Julia are coming to the shower on Sunday. I can't wait!

Wonder of technology

2008-07-18T13:34:00.003-05:00

Through a wonder of technology, I got baby pictures of Luke yesterday!

Here he is sucking on a finger...

Enjoy!

Doctor's appt today

2008-07-15T11:26:00.002-05:00

I had my regular doctor's appt. today along with my Glucose Screening Test. Because I spotted a little last Thursday, they went ahead and did a full exam. (Normally, they would've just listened to the heartbeat, measured my tummy, and checked my blood pressure along with my finger stick and urine check.) I do have a bacterial infection and they gave me a prescription for that, but my cervix is still closed! She told me to rest as much as possible and come back if I started spotting again. For the pain she recommended Tylenol and a pregnancy girdle/belt.

I'm not gaining weight like they think I should. Mom did this as well, for those of you who didn't know it already. Her OB told her that her metabolism just sped up while she was pregnant and if she stayed pregnant, she would be skinny! I'm still not back to the weight I was at my first appt. in February!

My blood pressure was good. I assume that my finger stick and urine test were okay, since they didn't say otherwise. If I fail my GST, they'll let me know tomorrow and I'll have to go in for the 3-hour test. Luke's heart rate was in the 130's, which is normal for a baby boy. My 3D/4D ultrasound is Thursday afternoon. I go back for my next check-up on Tuesday, July 29. Keep us in your prayers!

I'm really going to have to watch and make sure that I don't over-do at Miss Trussville this Saturday.

As of yesterday evening...

2008-07-09T13:57:00.002-05:00

So, my concerns and fears about the Miss Trussville pageants is almost gone. We have received 4 Teen applications and 6 Miss applications as of July 8. Our deadline is July 12, so I'm sure more will come in this week.

I spent over an hour this morning checking and double-checking paperwork. I'll be talking with Yvonne later this evening to see where we are toward everything else concerning the pageant. The location changed to ClearBranch United Methodist Church just off of I-59 at the Argo exit.

I'll have to meet Joy next Wednesday to hand-over the paperwork that the judges see. She's our judges' chairperson and does a wonderful job getting the books together, holding novice orientation, regular orientation, etc.

This year is my last 'easy' year. Yvonne is doing a lot of the production work so that she can 'go out with a bang!' Congratulations to her oldest daughter, Katie, in winning her first Outstanding Teen title at Point Mallard on Thursday!

Keep my sanity in your thoughts and prayers as I'd forgotten how much work goes into an Open pageant. My JSU pageant is MUCH easier with all of the support that I get on campus.

What I'm thinking

2008-07-02T11:44:00.004-05:00

Okay, I'm not going to get too upset (ha! ha!) about the responses I've gotten anonymously from my previous post. I spend hundreds of hours a year as a VOLUNTEER within the Miss Alabama system. As such, I feel like I'm entitled to an OPINION (as the title of this blog clearly states) concerning the system. No where in my post concerning the outcome of Miss Alabama nor in my commented reply did I question Miss Tapley's win as Miss Alabama 2009.

I merely stated that I would've chosen differently from a BUSINESS standpoint. Obviously, this year's judges chose someone intelligent, talented and well-spoken in a closed-group setting. That's the only venue they've seen any of the contestants and where they're all called-upon to win the competition. In recent years, the young woman with the highest points in individual portions did not win the overall pageant (Overall talent, interview, etc.). This year, she did. Congratulations! Bravo! No where did I question Miss Tapley's fitness for the title of Miss Alabama; I questioned her understanding of the JOB of Miss Alabama.

Now, those who know me - and its quite obvious by your remarks that you don't - know that I am fully dedicated to supporting Miss Tapley during her year of service; as I do whomever is chosen as Miss Alabama. I wish her the best of luck this year.

As for me, I'm busy preparing for my upcoming preliminary pageants and supporting those young women who choose to compete in the Miss Alabama program! You see, I spend countless hours preparing current event questions, mentoring these beautiful young women, working on their chosen community service issues, raising scholarship and prize donations, securing donations, writing scripts, putting together information packets, fielding questions at all hours of the day and night from anxious contestants and their parents, attending planning sessions and meetings, along with GROWING A PERSON, working full-time in a demanding position, enjoying time with friends and family, actively participating in church and maintaining hobbies like reading and watching Double-A baseball games (GO BARONS!).

So, for those who choose to critique my OPINION, I invite you to write me directly and we can discuss it. If you choose to hide behind the anonymity of a post, so be it. Its your conscious that you have to live with.

Preliminary season underway

2008-06-27T13:21:00.004-05:00

My last post was about the 2008 Miss Alabama pageant. Now, a few weeks later and we're in full-swing for the 2009 preliminary season. Last Friday, one of my former Miss JSU's, Jessica Andrews, won the first local title of the year, Miss Shelby County. Congratulations, Jessica! I'm so proud of you! My current Miss JSU, Lauren Moon, was the 2nd alternate at this pageant!

For those wondering about how Miss Alabama turned-out, I'll admit it was a surprise to me that Amanda Tapley, a first-time Miss Alabama contestant, walked away with the crown. You can see some pictures of Amanda on the Miss Alabama website at http://www.missalabama.com/. I wish her the best of luck on a successful year.

Personally, I felt like any of the others in the Top 5 would've been a smarter choice, from a business standpoint, but I wasn't asked for my opinion. You see, its been a long time since a first-year contestant won the title of Miss Alabama. Why? Because we tend to pick well-educated, well-spoken young women who have a true understanding of the job that's required of Miss Alabama. "Job?" would be your next question...yes, its a full-time job! Or at least it has been in the past. Miss Alabama spends her year speaking to various groups, age, socio-economic, etc. concerning her personal platform, the National Platform of the Children's Miracle Network, the Miss America system, and other motivational topics. She may have an appearance at an elementary school that morning, speak at a civic luncheon, perform at a nursing home that afternoon, and attend a black-tie political affair that evening. All of this while preparing herself to compete in the upcoming Miss America pageant!

Now, I'm not saying that Amanda isn't ready for the job, but I have to wonder if she fully understood it. Those young women who have 2, 3, 6 or 7 years invested in the program, understand what the obligations and responsibilities of the job of Miss Alabama tend to be.

Not only that, but many of those appearances are linked directly to the woman chosen as Miss Alabama. Let's say a young woman has competed at Miss Alabama for 4-years. That young woman has represented 4 local preliminaries and made ties and connections to 4 separate communities. Those communities want that young woman back now that she's serving as Miss Alabama and will book appearances appropriately. That young woman will be booked numerous times by numerous groups in those communities. Each school that she spoke to when she was "Miss Local" will want to pay to have her back now that she's Miss Alabama. Each civic organization that proudly supported her local pageant will host an event where she can entertain. Does a first-year girl have the same booking potential? Probably not.

Coupled with the number of paid appearances is the amount of money brought-in by that local winner's supporters. Think about this (as it was pointed out to me by a Dad of a 'veteran'), how many season ticket orders did this first-year girl have? 10-15? Many 'veterans' are bringing with them 50+ supporters each night. Couple this with the yearly golf teams, program ads, gala tickets, fashion show luncheons, etc. and you'll see that the 'veterans' are the ones bringing the vast majority of scholarship fundraising to the party!

If the current trend continues next year and another 'newby' is crowned, will the 'veterans' stay? Well, I don't know if this volunteer will!

Best of luck to those competing this weekend in the Miss Tombigbee pageant and on July 4 at Miss Point Mallard!

On with the show...

2008-06-18T10:28:00.004-05:00

Well, we have a new Miss Alabama. I'm not certain about what to say about Amanda Tapley other than she sure improved tenfold over the last time I saw her at Miss Leeds last year and really impressed the judges. At least, I hope that's what caused her to win the title of Miss Alabama 2008. Honestly, there were other young women who I feel are more qualified and better suited for the crown, but none of the judges asked for my opinion.

About the baby: I had a good check-up yesterday and Luke appears to be growing right on schedule. I have my next appointment on July 15. That will include the Glucose Screening Test where I have to drink 5 oz of a high-sugar drink and wait an hour for them to see how my body is handling sugar during my pregnancy. During that hour I'll have my regular 4-week check-up. The doctor said yesterday that after that check-up, I'll come back in 3-weeks then in 2-weeks until the last month when I come in weekly.

Luke is pretty low right now which is causing me some pain. The doctor had to try and shift him a little yesterday to get to my pelvic bone to do the latest measurement. Add that to the dogs hogging the bed - they won't be coming in tonight! - and I have some serious hip and back pain today.

I'm still 1 lb shy of the weight I was at in Feb. at my initial visit. The doctor said yesterday that I still should gain between 15-20 lbs, but that Luke appears to be growing so they aren't concerned.

Time for Miss Alabama 2008!

2008-06-02T16:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was extremely busy for me as the 2008 Miss Alabama pageant festivities kicked-off with move-in at Samford University starting at 7:30 a.m. I arrived at 8:00 with the first day's gifts in-tow. I met Lauren, Miss JSU 2008, around 8:15 at the ADPi house and helped (okay, watched) her get settled into her room.

The contestants (see http://www.missalabama.com for details) were all checked-in and headed to rehearsals by 8:45! From there, many directors and parents traveled down Lakeshore to IHOP for a nice breakfast before going to Colonial Brookwood Village for the 12:30 pm "Press Party."

The girls looked wonderful - its always interesting to see what they've chosen to wear to the press party - and everyone had a wonderful time mingling for the last time with the contestants prior to Wednesday's competition.

Today, the Miss Alabama Golf Classic was held - but as a non-golfer and a diligent (okay, mostly diligent) employee of BCBS of Alabama, I came to work instead of going golfing. That was after I delivered 'gifts' to the 50 contestants (not much - just some water, Hershey's Hugs, Smarties, snack crackers, gum, and mints), Haley Ates - our 2008 Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen, and Jamie Langley, Miss Alabama 2007! Taking the 52 gift bags from the car to the dorm wore me out! But I had to do it before work so the Hugs wouldn't melt!

Tomorrow, the competition begins with Private Interview for the Mu and Alpha groups. Wednesday morning will bring on the Sigma group in interviews followed by the first full night of on-stage competition. I know some will think its silly, but keep these young women in your prayers. A lot of hard work and preparation has gone into getting this far and only one of the 50 will stay in Birmingham after Saturday as Miss Alabama 2008.

Some people may think that the Miss America program is out-dated and has lost its relevance, but I see our future doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, and mommies among the young women competing each year. They learn what it takes to work hard, set goals, and accomplish their dreams at a young age and it doesn't stop when the week ends! A perfect example is the reason I got involved to begin with - my little sister, Pam! Last week, she was named Teacher of the Year for Johnson Elementary in Rome, Georgia! She only went to Miss Alabama once as Miss JSU 1997, but earned enough scholarship to pay for that Masters degree in Special Education that helped her get that Teacher of the Year award!

I'm so proud to say that I'm involved in this program!

Answered Prayer

2008-05-23T15:58:00.000-05:00

My dad's heart cath came back extremely good yesterday! When the doctor came-out to talk to us, we fully expected him to say that the blockages were worse and a double-bypass was the only option. Instead, the doctor said that if he didn't see the original bypass and the stints in the same location, he would've thought the October cath results were the 'after' and yesterdays were the 'before'...Dad's blockages have DECREASED instead of blocked more! Prayers work! Where in October there was a 70% blockage in the Circumflex Coronary Artery, there is now a 40% blockage; where there was a 55% blockage in the left anterior descending coronary artery there is now a less than 30% blockage. His stints and bypass are still open!

The cardiologist increased on medication to 1-dose 2 times/day instead of once/day. He said that should help with the chest pain.

Thank you all for remembering us in your prayers!

Luke and I are doing well. My Tuesday appointment was normal. I go back on June 17 and won't have to do the glucose test until July.

Prayers, please...

2008-05-19T11:00:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, my dad will have his 17th heart cath. We're pretty sure that this time will require bypass. In October, the doctor chose not to stint a 70% blockage and a 50% blockage, thinking that it could affect the success of bypass in the future. Last week, Dad had an abnormal stress test, so we're back to the cath lab.

Mom's doctor found a cyst (or cysts) on her thyroid that she wants to biopsy. Not sure when that will happen. Plus, mom's asthma is really giving her fits right now.

My $%^# brother went-ahead and got his $200 tattoo - with a $1500 bill from his divorce lawyer sitting on the table. I guess he figures that Mom and Dad will come-up with a way to pay it, just like they've been doing, so he can do whatever the heck he wants with HIS money. That was after he did NOTHING all weekend toward helping my parents (with whom he and my niece live and who are having medical issues of their own - see above!) around the house. He 'went fishing' and played ball, instead of cutting grass, painting my dad's workshop, cleaning up his room, bathroom, or my niece's room, all while my niece is with her mother.

I'm so frustrated at the bad choices/decisions that my brother CONTINUALLY makes and then apologizes for later! Does anyone have any idea on WHEN he'll figure-out that being a parent SHOULD mean being RESPONSIBLE?

On a brighter note, my niece Julia celebrated her kindergarten graduation and her 6th birthday on Friday! Mom, Dad and I were there with bells on to see her get her awards and diploma and then we went back to her house for ice-cream cake!

My baby will be...

2008-05-08T17:57:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I got online to day to ANOTHER baby website. This one told not only how many weeks along I was and how old the baby will be this time next year, but the years little Lucas will hit some major milestones...

Luke will start kindergarten in 2014 (and I'll be 44).

Luke be old enough to drive a car in 2024 (and I'll be 54).

Luke will finish high school in 2027 (and I'll be 57).

Luke will graduate from college with the class of 2031, give or take a year.

Okay, so I've known through the doctor's use of the term "Advanced Maternal Age" that I'm an older mom, but I guess no-one sat me down with the actual numbers! Hey, maybe Luke will be a prodigy and graduate from college when he's 15 or so! Wishful thinking!

My next doctor's appt is May 20 and they'll be measuring my ever-growing tummy. (Yes, tummy - not belly, Pam!)

Its a....BOY!!!!

2008-04-21T08:03:00.004-05:00

I went for my Level II ultrasound (due to Advanced Maternal Age) on Thursday and the tech was pretty confident that Lucas McLeod Robertson will be joining the Robertson clan this fall! Mom went with me and she's beyond excited about her new grandson. She didn't get to see any of the first three prior to their arrivals, so this was special for her. I hope that she continues to feel excited in September when I'm panicking in labor!

The doctor said that everything looks normal, so I opted to skip the amnio. I would never terminate, so I didn't see any point if there weren't any visible defects. He has none of the markers that present in Downs babies, but I do understand that ultrasounds are only 50% accurate for Downs. I'm going to trust and pray that God won't give me more than I can handle - and see, there's still only one baby, so God looks to know what He's doing so far.

Now, most everyone in the family is pleased that there will be another boy joining us. All, that is, except my Granny. She dreamt this baby was a girl and until I deliver it will be a girl to her. I expect to get some frilly, pink items from her, but I'll put the away with all of Charli's left-over baby clothes and hope that sometime I'll be able to give Luke a little sister. Granny also hates the fact that I'm using "McLeod", which was my Granddaddy Robertson's middle name (and also his mom's maiden name - Annie Laura McLeod). Granny says that none of us has honored her and used her maiden name of "Dean." Well, I'm not touching that one, but my baby boy will be Lucas McLeod.

It was a bit of a surprise to me how sentimental I got over the weekend packing-up all of Charli's baby clothes and blankets that I still had here. I didn't see any point when they moved to Mom & Dad's to send anything that she'd already outgrown. So I have a plethora of newborn thru 9-months clothes, plus blankets, towels, washclothes, bibs, etc. in the prettiest pinks that will go into storage.

When I found-out in January that I was having a baby, I somehow expected the baby to be a boy. I guess its one of those mother's intuition things. But, somewhere in the back of my mind, I think I secretly longed for a girl. If you've shopped for a boy lately, you can understand some of my dilemma...there are not that many 'cute' things for a boy.

I'm coming around, though, and did buy some onesies and sleepers on Thursday in blues and greens. I just don't know how I'm going to get around my 'no characters' rule when I look at anything over 9-months and it all seems to be Thomas, Cars, Spiderman or Deigo. At least there's a lot of 'baseball' options - as long as it doesn't say "Daddy's Team" like the one sleeper my mom picked-up on Thursday!

Since its been a few weeks...

2008-04-07T11:38:00.002-05:00

I thought I would update the blog.

First, I had an blessingly uneventful doctors appointment on March 25. The nurse using the doppler to find the baby's hearbeat was telling me that because I was only 13 weeks, she might have a hard time finding it. Well, she put the ultrasound gel on the doppler and touched it to my tummy - BINGO - a nice strong heartbeat! She didn't tell me the beats-per-minute, so no guessing yet on the sex!

I go to UAB's Dept. of Genetics on April 17 for a level II ultrasound and genetic screening. I'll have the option of an amnio should either screening test indicate a problem. I'm going there due to my 'advanced maternal age'...Makes me sound like I'm Sarah (you know, wife of Abraham!). I then have my regular monthly appt. on April 22.

Yesterday Mom, Dad and I went to Rome for Sam's second birthday! I'll post some pictures here soon, but haven't been home to unload them yet. The birthday party was a Baseball party at the Rome Braves (Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves) game. The Braves beat the bad-guys (aka Charleston Riverdogs - single A affiliate of the New York Yankees) 4-1. Of course, with 15 or so kids running around on "Home Run Hill" along with parents, grandparents, aunts and uncle, you don't get to see much of the ballgame!

My dad did catch the only foul ball to come in the area as a souvienier for Sam! Today is Sam's actual birthday and the Rutlands have another trip to the Rome Braves planned for tonight. One of Julia's friends will be singing the national anthem for the game! Way to go, Abby!

My brother did a lot for me this weekend around my house, for which I am eternally grateful. He had to miss Sam's party so that he could pick Charli up from her mom. We tried to get her to sleep in her 'big girl' bed last night. She fell-off the bed (a toddler bed, so don't panic) around 11PM. After that, she wanted her daddy...so he held her and rocked her, trying every-so-often to get her back down. Around 4AM, he was finally able to get her down in her crib. Maybe she'll transition better after her Spring Break. She'll spend the whole week with her mother. Keep them in your prayers! We're all worried about how she'll cope going for a whole week.

Almost human again

2008-03-18T11:40:00.002-05:00

Today I woke-up feeling much better. My allergies didn't seem to be bothering me as much. And then I drove to work. There is something in this building that is driving my allergies crazy and therefore, driving me crazy. I sneeze every 15 minutes or so. What am I supposed to do?

My manager knows that I'm allergic to something in my environment, but she's said that I need to talk with my doctor about it when I go next week! Oh, well. I guess that's what I'll have to do. The good news is that I'm saving the 'Box Tops for Education' for my sister from each Kleenex box that I use. Her school should have quite a donation, just because of my allergies.

I had a wonderful, if somewhat stressful, time at my niece's 2nd birthday party. The party wasn't until 3PM on Saturday, which was forturnate in that the tornados were out of the area by that time. The storms did wake us all up at 4AM; only the birthday girl got a nap that day. We also went to dinner to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday (Happy Borned Day, Jud!), but were almost too tired to enjoy it.

My mom's computer crashed that morning after the storms. I believe that lightning struck her ethernet card, but what do I know. She spent an hour on the phone with the DSL provider on Saturday and probably another hour on Sunday to find-out the computer wasn't recognizing the ethernet card. I don't think that her security software would've uninstalled the driver (which seemed to be the prevaling thought on Sunday); its my opinion that the massive storm we had Saturday morning got the card through the telephone line.

On Sunday, I missed church trying to catch-up on some rest. If you know me at all, you know how unlikely I was to actually rest the whole time...especially after a 2-yr-old's birthday party. I straightened, put gifts away, and swept while my parents, brother, and niece were at services. I did try and take it easy, though. I'll be honest here - and Pam, don't tell Mom!!! - that I was having some mild cramping on Sunday, but I think I just over worked on Saturday.

Yesterday, I left work a little early, went straight home, cooked dinner, ate, and went to bed. I hope that I'm catching-up on sleep enough that I'll be able to enjoy my dinner plans with Shannon, Laura, and Katie tomorrow night! They want me to pick the place and I can't decide!

My Miss Alabama obligations are getting into full-swing. Next Sunday, March 30, is the day when several of the upcoming Miss Alabama contestants are coming to my home church in Gadsden, so that will be another trip to Gadsden following this weekend's Easter trip.

The weekend after that, we get to go to Rome, GA to celebrate Sam-man's 2nd Birthday! That's going to be a blast! Go Rome Braves!

No rest for the weary...

2008-03-12T17:38:00.002-05:00

Okay, to say that I'm continually tired would be a huge understatement. On top of the usual tiredness that the first trimester is supposed to bring, I stopped taking my antidepressants and sleep aid when I found out that I was pregnant.

Last night I woke-up around 2:30 and finally, in despiration, took a Benadryl at 4:15. I was finally able to drift off (and it seemed only momentary) when the alarm went off, followed by my puppy letting me know it was time to go out! My brain seems to be in overdrive thinking of the things that could go wrong - not only with my pregnancy, but with my family, work and the world in general.

Now add onto that an unwavering craving for Krispy Kreme donuts, then you have a mixed-up, sugar-high, phycho chick ready to burst. Oh, yeah - I realized after looking at a calendar today that my Brother-in-law's birthday was on Monday and I forgot to call! Sorry, Jud!

I almost had a complete come-apart in the bathroom a few minutes ago after finding-out that a friend's husband's custody battle didn't turn-out well today - and finding out that said husband didn't tell the friend about the court hearing which was scheduled for today until last night! At first, I was furious for them, then at him for her, then finally went into complete panic mode that the judge might give my niece back to her mother! I guess the hormones are raging without anything to dampen my already overactive imagination!

Oh, and go ahead and add-in the fact that I have some relatives who (live in Alabama, Texas, and Colorado) are discussing via email the NY Gov. situation and turning it into a political I'm-smarter-than-you-are all-out email-war!

Can you say PSYCHO PREGNANT CHICK ready to hatch???

They also announced a re-org at work this afternoon, a week-and-a-half after retiring (can you say 'forced-out') the two Vice Presidents for my division!

Just how many Krispy Kreme Original Glazed donuts can a pregnant woman eat?

I'm having a baby!

2008-03-07T10:48:00.003-06:00

I had an artificial insemination procedure (IUI) on January 4. On the 16th, I took my home pregnancy test and confirmed that my life was about to change forever!

The ultrasound above is from my doctor's appointment on the 4th of February.

My due date is Sept. 30, but we all know that babies come when they want!

Hers's the HPT result:

Baby daddy?

2008-03-06T17:39:00.001-06:00

I know that some of you have had questions about how the donor selection process worked for my 'Baby Daddy' and I thought I would write it out and save myself some time. If you don't want to know in the interest of too-much-information, delete this email now!

My fertility specialist (a Reproductive Endocrinologist) recommended 3 different Cryobanks (Sperm Banks) for me to choose from. I went with one in Virginia for the first 3 attempts (doctor assistated) and one in California for the 4th attempt.

The way the Selection process works:
First, you have to establish an account with the Cryobank - this requires a lot of paperwork completed by me and an additional form by the doctor. Next, there are several ways to go about choosing the donor. I came up with a list of qualities that were important to me and searched the donor catalog for those qualities. Some would be more important to me than others - race, height, religious background, educational background, hair color, eye color, hobbies & interests, etc.

I chose to then have a picture match as well as limiting on important qualities. I sent-in a picture of me from my early 20's (most of the donors are in their early 20's). The company looks through their donors that match the qualities I specified as important and then compares my picture to the pictures of the donors. (Keep in mind, that I have to take their word for it that we match!) They called me with a list of donors, based on how we matched on an 8.0 scale and how attractive the donors were on a 7.5 scale. Now, I don't know what they're criteria was for how attractive the donors are, I just have to take the points as they give them.

After they called me back with the list with the best matches ranked highest, I had to go and look at the donor profiles in detail and pick my top 3 choices. When I had the top 3, I asked for a complete donor profile of the three from the bank. With the complete medical history, a long questionnaire, personality profile, and a voice recording of one of them, I made my selection.

So basically, here's what I can tell you about the "Baby Daddy":
He was born in 1981 somewhere in the United States. He is a Caucasian; his mother is Irish and father is German. He was raised Catholic and his mother is Catholic as well. His father is a Christian Scientist. He's 6'2" tall and at the time he applied weighed 170 lbs. He has deep blue eyes and thick, straight, brown hair. His blood type is O+ and he wears glasses or contacts. He's got a medium build and is predominately right-handed. He also has dimples and a defined cheekbone and jaw line. He does have some freckles and is fair skinned.

Educationally, he was working on a graduate degree and had completed a B.A. in English and had a 3.7 GPA. In high school, he had a 5.1 GPA. He took through AP Calculus in high school, so is fairly proficient mathematically. Athletically, he runs for endurance, and works out 3-5 times per week. He played basketball, baseball, and tennis, but his favorite sport is Baseball. (Okay, so this was marginally important to me and broke a tie!) He scored a 1430 on the SAT (720 Verbal and 710 in Math) and a 1450 on the GRE.

He says that he is a zealous reader, so I'm sure that I'll never get this child's nose out of a book! He likes robust foods (his words) like Southern Italian cuisines and whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and breads. (I'm trying to get the kid some good habits!)

His family is very important to him...he has two older ½ sisters and 2 younger brothers. He thinks that his imagination is what makes him unique. Medically, there was no one in his family with a history of heart disease, so I'm giving the baby at least ½ a set of good genes when it comes to that. There's no cancer or other major diseases listed for him or any family member.

Okay, I don't know what other information people want to know, but these should cover the basics.

Happy Birthday!

2007-11-26T11:18:00.000-06:00

Today is Pam's Birthday and I wanted all of cyberspace to know. We went over on Saturday and celebrated by eating dinner at Sumo in Rome with Pam, Jud, Julia, Sam and the McElhaneys. I hope that Pam has a wonderful birthday. I'll try to post a couple of photos from our "Hannah Montana" celebration later today.

Until then - I'm having a root canal at 2:15 CST and not looking forward to the procedure. I am, however, looking forward to being able to eat without pain. It makes for an interesting Thanksgiving holiday when you can't chew due to a cracked molar!

Continued...again

2007-11-19T11:10:00.000-06:00

I just spoke with Matt and today's deposition had to be continued. It seems Jessie's on-top-of-it lawyer forgot to schedule a stenographer for today's depositions, after he arrived 20 minutes late. While waiting in the beautiful Chilton County, Alabama courthouse would appeal to some, Matt declined the 3-4 hour delay and requested that the depositions be rescheduled. He and Dad are on thier way back to Gadsden right now. He did find-out that Jessie is indeed living in a new place in Jemison. Here's a link to a map to her new house, just in case you get lost off of I-65 near Hwy 231...http://maps.google.com/maps?q=76+Darryl+St,+Jemison,+AL+35085,+USA&ie=UTF8&ll=32.94811,-86.731524&spn=0.007725,0.014462&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1.

Anyway I hope that you have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving holiday. I am truly thankful for my family, although they may have trouble seeing it at times.

Charli Horse

2007-11-07T07:34:00.001-06:00

Last night, my dad pulled an old toy out of the workshop. Charli LOVED it. Please note that I'm the only one allowed to call it 'old' as I got this spring horse when I was two. I'm excited that Charli loves to ride!

Busy weekend

2007-11-04T08:22:00.001-06:00

About a week and a half ago, my sister asked if she, Julia and Sam could spend the night at my house the night before Christmas Village. "Of course!" I said with no hesitation. "That's great," she replied because she said that she'd also invited a few friends of her's from the Rome, Georgia area and their kids, too!

Well. The weekend adventure at Amy's Bed and Breakfast has come and gone and everyone survived! Now, if you know me at all - I'm 37 years old, single, and have lived alone for about 15 years. (That's if you don't really count the year I spent with Mom & Dad when I moved back from Georgia before I bought my house plus the year my brother lived here while going through his divorce.) I've basically had family, plus my darling Ericka (Miss Gadsden Area 2004) who is just like another little sister to me, visit me as an overnight guest in all of that time.

I was both anxious and excited about the prospect of hosting my sister's friends for the weekend. Overall, I do think that everyone enjoyed it - well, except Mom who didn't get much sleep and woke-up pretty grouchy. I really think that if I'd had a little more warning then I could've relaxed more.

So, Karen, Tanya and Dawn - if you're reading this and would like to go ahead and plan on this for next year, let me know!!! I'm even up for a repeat for Cottontails village in the spring. Although you'd have to do without me some of that morning. That weekend generally coincides with the Miss Alabama Orientation where we turn-in our initial ticket orders and find-out about the 2008 Miss Alabama pageant production and expecations!

So Mom, Karen, Tanya, Dawn, Pam, Hannah, Alli, Abby, Lauren, Julia, John Aaron, and Sam - it was a pleasure having you visit me and I hope to see you again soon!
Love,
Aunt Amy

General thoughts

2007-10-31T15:31:00.000-05:00

Just wanted everyone to know that my brother has to go and give a deposition on Nov. 19 in his ex-wife's latest attempt to get custody of Charli.

I've had an interesting month, beginning with the flu and a cruise. I've since had a birthday, celebrated JSU's homecoming (Miss Alabama, Jamie Langley, and Julia at JSU's Homecoming), and judged the Miss Tennessee Valley pageant. Now my Mustang is having fuel gague issues and the check engine light is on. Today is Halloween and also Alyssa's 10th birthday. We've not spoken to her since Oct. 26, 2006. I miss her.

I went to make hot chocolate a couple of weeks ago and realized that I hadn't made any since I made it for her last year. Its been a year since this nightmare with DHR started and two since Matt and Jessie separated. I just know that there's a special place in eternity for Jessie and I don't believe its on 'our' side.

Hopefully the judge will see through her as easily as the divorce judge did!

Happy Halloween.

"From the Heart"- Making Miracles Come True for Alabama's Children

2007-10-10T15:36:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, the Miss America organization has partnered with the Children's Miracle Network as their national philanthropy. In honor of this partnership, Jamie Langley, Miss Alabama 2007, is hosting a benefit concert to raise money and awareness for this great organization. Do you think you could help Jamie by sponsoring an ad for the souvenir program book that will be presented to each person that buys a ticket for the event?

The concert is set for December 2 from 2-4 p.m. CST at Homewood High School in Homewood, Alabama. The tickets will sell for $20.00 per person. We have a great variety of talent from church choirs, dance studios, former Miss Alabama's, JSU's Encore Show Choir, and other show choirs, etc. This is really going to be a great event and Jamie's goal is to raise $20,000 for CMN. Ken Brewer, a great Miss Alabama Director and volunteer, has graciously volunteered his graphic design talents in creating the program book for the event. The quality of the program book will be very similar to the slick pages of the Miss Alabama program book. The book will have a color cover front and back and will consist of 24 pages. This program will be VERY nice.

All money raised will go through Miss Alabama to the Children's Miracle Network. Sponsor levels are as follows:

Bronze- $100.00-$199- 1/8 page ad
Diamond- $200-$299- ¼ page ad
Silver- $300-$399- ½ page ad
Gold -$400-$499- ¾ page ad
Platinum- $500 and greater- 1 full page ad

In the program book, we will provide an ad for the sponsorship and mention the sponsors' names and their level of sponsorship in the script to be read during the show.

Please make checks payable to Miss Alabama Pageant Inc. and in the memo line of the check note CMN sponsorship donation. Please mail the check to: Bart Sorrell; PO Box 735; Lanett, AL 36863.

Bart will make sure all of the funds are sent to Sherri Harbison, Treasurer of Miss Alabama, to be receipted and credited to Children's Miracle Network.

Bart will need the copy for your ad. This can be emailed to him at Bart.Sorrell@knology.com or it can be mailed to him with your check.

If you prefer to be invoiced, please email him your contact information (name, phone number and mailing address) so he may invoice you for the ad.

I truly thank you for whatever you can do to help. If you can think of another person that could help us seek out sponsorship, please get them on board or let me know who they are and I will contact them. The more money we raise, the more we help the children.

Again, thank you for helping Jamie make miracles come true for Alabama's Children.

Round 873: Matt

2007-08-24T11:46:00.001-05:00

Okay, so maybe 873 is a little of an exaggeration, but I'm convinced we'll get there sometime before Charli turns 18. The judge (a new one!) in Chilton county decided that Jessie's 7-weeks with the girls earlier this summer (compliments of Jefferson County DHR) fulfills her 2-week summer visitation set-down in the divorce decree.

For those who've come by my desk and asked for news, apparently the 9:00 hearing meant 11:15 to her attorney, who showed-up to court wearing khaki shorts and a polo. I'm impressed!

We don't know exactly when the other motion will be heard. Matt's lawyer is writing his counter-motion right now and has 30-days from her first petition (sometime the end of July or early August) to file it. Then the judge will read everything and set a date for the new hearing. We'll see!

The good, the bad and the ugly

2007-08-20T10:32:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I won't talk badly about Jessie - we'll stick to the good and the bad...

First, Matt interviewed this morning with the Rainbow City Police Dept. Following interviews with both the Chief and Asst. Chief, he interviewed with the Public Safety Committee. He said that he feels good about this interview, so please keep him in your prayers - specifically that he get this job!

Now to the bad. We knew it was coming, but found-out on this past Friday that Jessie has filed motions to get Charli back, claiming that it would be in the 'best interest' of the girls to be together and raised by her. Now, all of those with a brain know that it would be in the 'best interest' of all of these children, and yes, I'm including her newborn son in this mix, for Jessie to be out of their lives. (I'm leaving it in God's hands to take care of these children, so don't think that I, or anyone I know, is going to pro-actively try to ensure that situation happens!)

Jessie has filed two separate motions. One to try and get two-weeks of 'summer vacation' with Charli. Our argument is that she had Charli for 7-weeks compliments of the Jefferson County courts during which the child lost 2 pounds and went without proper medical treatment, to the point that her doctor said another two days would've allowed the MRSA to enter her bloodstream and probably kill her! Jessie's not entitled to additional time with her!

Also, she's claiming that because Matt's now living with my parents, somehow that makes him unable to be a proper parent to Charli. Keep in mind that when the judge gave Matt custody, the agreement was that he would be living with me. Ask yourselves this, what would make ME a better 'parental figure' than my own parents? Its just CRAZY.

There is a court hearing on Friday at 9AM in Clanton about the 2-weeks. We're not sure about the other part, yet. Matt has yet to speak with his attorney, so I'll let you know what the plans are when I know more.

In the meantime, please keep all involved in your prayers!

Family status

2007-06-26T18:10:00.000-05:00

Hi, all! Just wanted to fill everyone in at once about how things went concerning my niece last week.

First, Jessie didn't show-up to turn-over custody of Charli on Wednesday as ordered. Matt had to go to Jemison and get the police involved. They (the police) threatened to arrest her for Interference with Custody of a Minor - a felony - along with her boyfriend before she would agree to turn the baby over.

Charli was running a fever when Matt finally got her. Mom and Matt took her to the doctor the next day and she'd lost almost 2 lbs, was very lethargic, and was running a fever. The doctor found a large abscess on her rear-end and determined that it was probably a staph infection. She recommended immediate hospitalization so that she could be treated with I.V. antibiotics. Matt and Mom brought her back to Gadsden and she was admitted into Gadsden Regional on Thursday.

Per the divorce decree, Matt notified Jessie Friday morning that Charli had been hospitalized. By the time she drove from Jemison with Patrick's mom, whom we ended-up having much in-common with, she was livid. (Of course, I can't tell her 'livid' from her 'normal' because I think she's just plain CRAZY!) Anyway, Jessie carried-on, alternating between crying and being furious with Matt. Finally that night, after the baby had a surgical procedure to remove the infected tissue, Jessie demanded that she be allowed to stay the night. Matt agreed, but with the stipulation that my mom stay as well. He said he didn't want to be alone in a room with her. She refused to stay if my mom stayed, so she left!

I was so proud of Matt for finally seeing that he's not responsible for keeping Jessie happy! His #1 concern has to be Charli and what's best for her. Obviously Jessie wasn't doing a good job taking care of her or she wouldn't have dropped from 23.6 lbs to 21.9 lbs in a months time. You see, Jessie decided when Charli threw her bottle in the trash can, that she was ready to go full-time to a sippy-cup. I mean, doesn't everyone know that a 15-month-old has the reasoning skills to say "I'm ready for a sippy, so I'll throw my bottle away!" LOL! Also, Charli had been running a fever for 4-5 days according to Jessie's future mother-in-law.

Charli was released from the hospital on Sunday. Dad and I did a once-over on the house with Clorox to try and wipe-out the MRSA. Unfortunately, I think it was already too late for me! I had a blister come-up on my index finger on my right hand and by Monday morning it looked bad. I went to the Dr. and am being treated for an MRSA, but we won't have the results back to know for sure until sometime this week.

Charli is happy to be home with her Daddy, G-Daddy, and MeMe! Keep us in your prayers for a little while longer!

Almost over!

2007-06-20T16:02:00.000-05:00

For some months now, I have felt your prayers and concerns over my brother's custody situation. Today, all allegations were dismissed and custody of his 1-year-old, Charli, was returned to him. The baby's mom is supposed to meet him at 4:30 at the Pelham police dept. to exchange custody.

Because his adoption of the oldest was set-aside, custody of Alyssa was returned to her mother. Both cases were closed!

Thank you so much for your love, support, and encouragement during this time in my life!

Amy

Family Update

2007-05-24T10:58:00.000-05:00

As you may know, there was a hearing today in Chilton County about Matt's adoption of his ex-wife's daughter.

The judge today decided to set-aside Matt's adoption of Alyssa. She will be going home with her birth-father and his wife to Texas for 3 weeks. Following that, there will be a hearing in front of the divorce judge, Judge John Bush, in Chilton County and at that time, if all are in agreement, the judge will most likely award custody of Alyssa to her birth father.

At the same time, regardless of what Jefferson County decides June 21-25, Judge Bush will most likely return custody of Charli to Matt.

Matt is resigned to the fact that he would never have a good relationship with Alyssa based on what has transpired in the last months due to her mother's manipulation. We agree that its in Alyssa's best interest to have her birth father regain his parental authority in her life. Hopefully, with time and love, Alyssa will be able to trust her father as a Daddy and know all that the word 'Daddy' is supposed to entail.

Continue to keep us in your prayers.

Amy

Update

2007-05-17T11:17:00.001-05:00

Okay, here's where we stand. On May 8, Judge Jill Ganus gave temporary custody of the girls to their mom. This is despite the fact that the judge in Chilton County ruled that she should NOT be the primary custodian of the girls. So, they've been back with her since that time.

Matt got to visit the baby - he still has no visitation with Alyssa - on May 5, was able to take her to the family reunion on May 6, and visited with her again on May 9. Now, you need to be aware that the baby has been sick for a while. When we saw her on May 6, she did NOT have a diaper rash and her staff infection had almost healed. On May 9, her mom took her to the doctor and she has ear infections, the staff infection has flared and she has a bad diaper rash. That's in 3 days with her mom!!!

On Thursday, May 24, there is a hearing scheduled in Chilton County about Matt's adoption of the oldest. He doesn't want to give-up on her, but he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to have a healthy father-daughter relationship with her now that she's been poisoned for months by her mom and the 'system'. Why can't the powers-that-be see that this child has been used and manipulated by a mother who lost custody of her kids? Hello! Have they heard of Parental Alienation Syndrome??? They are supposed to be the 'experts' but they've been manipulated and coerced into believing this woman is a saint! What is the deal? Maybe that's why they're in the 'system'...They lack the intelligence to get a job elsewhere!

On a happier note, Julia celebrated her 5th Birthday yesterday! She had a "Princess" party in Georgia over the weekend. Yes, everyone was required to dress-up! I came to the party as 'Aurora' (aka Sleeping Beauty). It did confuse some of the little ones - as you know Aurora is blonde and thin, of which I'm neither! When I called Julia yesterday to wish her a Happy Birthday, her reply was "Don't you want to sing it?!" So of course, I serenaded her with the "Happy Birthday" song as best I could. She went on to explain that she was taking pink cupcakes to school for her class to celebrate with her. MeMe and G-Daddy went over last night and took an extra present from me. I got her a Leap Frog wooden puzzle that's a map of the United States. She could already recognize and point out Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Texas.

Sam and Charli are toddling around now. It's so cute to watch them with their arms outstretched for balance, reminding me of ET! Now, they're much, much cuter than ET, but that's how they walk! Anyway.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Remember Matt as they courts decide if he will be the oldest's daddy next week. We just pray that God's will for her is done.

Another quick update

2007-04-30T17:45:00.000-05:00

Since it's been about a month since I last posted, I thought I would share some brief news. Matt has a new attorney (the previous one felt he wasn't qualified to fight this battle any longer) and the new attorney has filed 2 motions in Jefferson County. The first is to get the baby completely out of foster care. The second is to allow Matt visitation with the oldest. We will go to court on Thursday, May 3 concerning this motions, if nothing changes between now and then.

Secondly, in answer to prayers, my mom will begin a new position with DHR in Etowah County on June 1. She will be handling adoptions! I think this is great news for us as it will get Mom away from the trials and tribulations of child abuse investigations. I'm not certain if Mom has accepted that this move will be good for her, yet. I think that part of her will miss being able to directly protect children in abusive situations. It has to be hard to give-up what you've known for so long and have been so passionate about. Mom - if you're reading this, know that you've made a difference protecting the lives of children! You will be just as effective in your new role in adoptions. As the grandmother of an adopted child, you'll be able to be a loving, nurturing guide to parents going through the adoption process and children as they struggle with the challenges of adjusting to an adoptive family.

I'll try to post again after court...

Quick update

2007-04-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

There's no news - well, no real news - on the family situation. The only thing to report is that the 'referee' passed the case along to the 'real' judge, which moved our court date. Instead of April 9, we're now having to wait until June 20 for Matt to have his day in court.

We've decided that this is a personal issue with Jefferson County DHR instead of a legal one. They apparently decided at the beginning to dislike Matt and like Jessie. Since the Chilton County court awarded custody to Matt (aka "The Bad Guy"), Jefferson Co. seems to think that they need to give custody back to this poor, deprived mother (aka "The Witch") .

Last Thursday while on my way to work, I happened to listen in to a few minutes of "The Attack Machine" on 101.1 FM The Source http://www.thesourcefm.com. The caller was trying to tell the hosts about how bad Jefferson Co. was in regard to child protection. The hosts blew-off the caller with the response, "People makes mistakes." Here's the response I sent - and note that all quotes and ratings can be found on the State DHR website at http://www.dhr.state.al.us.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Jackson and Hobbs:

The Attack Machine host on this morning’s broadcast responded to a caller voicing legitimate concerns with DHR with "People make mistakes." I agree; people do make mistakes. However, when children’s lives are damaged and families destroyed by 'mistakes', more needs to be done! They seem to have blown-off the caller and subsequent concerns of other callers, indicating that they were really not on-topic.

Concerning the topic, I agree that it's ludicrous that the government feels like they should intervene with how a company advertises to the public – but they already are intervening. When was the last time you saw nudity in a commercial? What about showing someone consuming alcohol on live TV? The Archbishop of Ireland said, “Law is order in liberty, and without order liberty is social chaos.” We must have some government regulation. Many protest seat-belt laws, public smoking bans, and similar measures, but there does come a point when the government must protect people from themselves in order to prevent harm to the whole.

George Bernard Shaw said that “Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” As a society we are responsible for holding those in power accountable. Currently, I see no accountability with regard to Child Protective Services in Jefferson County. In Jefferson County, the lack of tenure on the part of most protective custody workers leads them to make decisions based on personal bias instead of the law and best interest of children. In Jefferson County, recent college graduates and workers with less than one year’s experience are making life-altering decisions concerning children – and carrying up to 25 children in caseloads! This is well beyond the federal recommendation and that set-out in the R.C. consent degree.

Ms. Caro Shanahan, former Director of Jefferson County DHR declared in an affidavit concerning the R.C. case that “We are constantly hiring workers so that we will have new workers ready to step in when other workers leave the agency.” (See Attachment I of the Motion for termination of R.C. Consent Decree) Ms. Shanahan herself had only been with Jefferson County DHR since 2001 and took control of Child Protective Services in 2003. Tricia Moscilino is currently serving as Interim Director of Jefferson County DHR, which leads me to believe that there isn’t much tenure in Jefferson County at any level. Without tenure and the experience that comes with it, workers cannot effectively make decisions and the whole system falls into disrepair!

Of the 67 Counties in Alabama, Autauga, Butler, Coffee, Cullman, Greene, Jefferson, Lawrence, Madison, Marengo, Montgomery, and Pike counties earned a AAA rating, with the South and Bessemer districts in Jefferson earning only a AA; Shelby earned an A rating, and St. Clair wasn’t available. All other counties were rated AAAA, the highest rating Alabama gives. The state has intervened in Shelby County, but serious problems continue in the South and Bessemer districts in Jefferson County.

Who is responsible? How can the public force change? When will a legislator seize the opportunity to impose more strict legislation on these agencies? Most appear to be more concerned about the size of a paycheck rather than the well-being of our state’s children and families.

Alabama should immediately intervene in all counties where the highest ratings are not received. Have they? No. Only in the lowest-rated county, Shelby, have they put state staff in place to correct problems.

The rating system needs review to more accurately identify problem areas. How about raising social workers pay so that experienced workers are retained, instead of watching them flee to private sector jobs to earn more money with fewer responsibilities? Shouldn’t DHR hire additional staff to lower the caseload of individual workers? Why don’t we insist that they put more stringent training requirements in place before allowing new workers to hold any cases?

The worst thing that has happened to DHR is release from the federal court’s guidance through the R.C. consent degree.

Maybe you can address this topic since so many lives are affected by it!

A quick update

2007-02-26T16:28:00.000-06:00

For those who are concerened and wondering what's going on, Matt's girls are still in foster care. The adoption hearing that was set for Feb. 22 was postponed again. On Friday, the foster care worker came out and did an assessment on my home to see if I can be considered to be a temporary relative resource and get the girls out of foster care. We don't know how long that part will take.

Matt did get the girls birth certificates changed and now they're officially Robertsons. That's one blessing. We just wish this nightmare would end.

I'm in the process of having 10 pine trees cut down at my house and will try to post a picture soon. I left soon after the tree crew arrived this morning. Hopefully, there are no trees on my house right now!

FYI - National Wear Red Day 2/2 (read at your leisure)

2007-02-01T10:25:00.000-06:00

Everyone (men too!) can support the fight against heart disease in women by wearing red on February 2, 2007 — National Wear Red Day^SM. It's a simple, powerful way to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke. By joining together with thousands of women, companies and organizations, and cities across America, you'll help the American Heart association support ongoing research and education about women and heart disease.

What To Wear
Go Red For Women Day has its own dress code. Wear your favorite red clothes or accessory—a red blouse, a red dress pin, a fabulous red handbag —put on red lipstick, or sport a red tie and red socks. Go red in your own fashion to show your support for women and the fight against heart disease.

Why You Should Participate
Too few people realize that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women (and men), but the good news is heart disease largely can be prevented. Spreading the Go Red For Women message Love Your Heart raises awareness of heart disease and empowers women to reduce their risk.

http://www.goredforwomen.com/go_red_in_your_own_fashion/participate_in_national_wear_red_day.html

I'm sending this to you because you're important to me. Because of the numbers, I'm sure that there is a woman in your life who will experience heart disease or stroke in her lifetime! Support her (and yourself, ladies!) by wearing red on February 2!

Weary...

2007-01-31T14:33:00.000-06:00

That's the word a friend gave me to describe how I'm feeling. Weary. This whole mess with my brother is driving me bananas! I know, that's not a long trip, but it's killing me. Our entire family is consumed by this - and its not fair!

Anyway. I did have a visit from the minister of music and another member of the church I visited on Sunday. They came by Monday night as I was preparing to watch Miss America! I ended-up missing the first 10 minutes of the show, but it was no big deal.

Congrats to Melinda Toole, Miss Alabama 2007, on her Top 5 placement, selection as Miss Congeniality, and 2nd runner-up in the Quality of Life award.

I'll be going to Gadsden this weekend to judge a high school beauty pageant. Those aren't my favorite things, but it brings in a little extra cash!

Until next time.

Home again

2007-01-28T17:04:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here at my computer, where I've spent most of the past days. I did go to the new church this morning that I wanted to visit. It, too, has the video screen for the hymns, but at least theyr'e singing hymns! It was a pretty church and well maintained. I think it says a lot about a church's spiritual health when one allows their santuary - the place they gather to worship - to fall into disrepair. I've visited two recently that showed lack of maintenance. Today, though, Caanan Baptist was beautiful and I was made to feel very welcome.

They are currently in a building program - I think building a children's facility. We'll see if anyone comes from there this week to visit me! It's always interesting to see if and how a new church chooses to contact visitors.

I know that at my home church, College Heights, every visitor can expect a letter from the pastor. Many receive personal visits from him as well. Most every visitor will receive a contact from someone.

Our visit with Charli on Friday was the best ever. I'll try to add a picture or two with my next post. It had to be one of the hardest things I've done - allowing DHR to leave here with that baby! It seemed easier when I was the one to walk out of the building and leave. When they took her from my perfectly safe, stocked home, it broke my heart all over again. She did seem to remember being here, though, which made me feel a little better about things.

I just wish this nightmare would end and our lives could return to some semblance of normalcy.

Anyway, all in God's perfect time...

A Test of Faith

2007-01-22T13:20:00.000-06:00

I understand that what my family is going through - I.e. "The Case" - is being used as a test of our faith. I can't help, though, that I'm angry about it! I'm angry at God for allowing this to happen. I'm angry about watching my parents' health degenerate due to the daily stress and anxiety. I'm angry about the relationships being put through the ringer - my brother with his girls and our entire family.

I know that everyone has problems. I understand that the cause of these problems stemmed from my brother's decision to date and marry Jessie. I just want to know how long we're expected to suffer because of that decision.

In a recent hearing, mom got her visitation with Charli back. Matt's allowed to visit her from 1:00-2:30 PM once per week. Yes, the court actually put the wall-clock time Matt's allowed to see his daughter! Starting this Friday, the visitation will take place at my home. Last week, they had to pick the baby up and ended-up taking her to a fast food restaurant to visit so that they wouldn't lose so much time traveling.

The next hearing is set for April 9. We don't understand what the problem is. DHR and the sherif's office both cleared Matt of any wrongdoing, but the judge has decided that he's the one who now has to decide if any abuse happened.

DHR has moved the baby into the same home as Alyssa. The foster mother appears to be cut from the same cloth as Jessie, so we're not looking for much support from her.

Yesterday, I had every intention of visiting a new church here in Birmingham. But the longer the rainy morning went-on, the angrier and more alone I felt. I ended-up laying on my couch most of the day.

Pray that this ends soon.

Good news, but still no kids

2006-12-28T08:57:00.000-06:00

Well, I have several Praises to report, but want everyone to know we still don't have Matt's girls.

First, Matt got a letter on Friday from DHR saying that they were 'not indicating' any abuse. This means that all allegations have proven to be unfounded and there are no outstanding charges against him. He was able to fax a copy to the party that leads to the second Praise...

Matt accepted a position with the Ohatchee Police Department and will begin working as an officer again on January 8!!! We are all so excited about him getting back into law enformcent.

When we get the girls back, all will be well.

Jefferson Co. DHR says that they can't do anything to return the girls until the next court hearing - currently scheduled for May 27, 2007.

Matt's lawyer in Birmingham filed a motion for an immediate hearing, but we haven't heard back from Bessemer, yet. Hopefully that will come soon and our nightmare will be over.

Another update

2006-12-15T07:52:00.000-06:00

There was another court hearing yesterday. This time, in Chilton County, to address motions concerning custody filed by Jessie. Basically, the judge denied all of her motions and told her not to file this 'nonsense' in his court again. We're now just waiting on Jefferson County and the mess she instigated here.

On one hand, it does make us feel a little better that all of these people have been fooled by her as well. It lends more credibility and confidence to Matt! If all of these 'educated, upstanding' citizens can be fooled by her, then we can't really criticize Matt's decision making skills. At least he finally saw through her and got away!

Now please keep praying that the wisdom of God will be granted to the people handling this in Jefferson County. We are also asking for intercession from several other areas. Pray that this comes through as well.

Jessie needs more prayer than anyone. I truly don't understand how a person's heart can be this black. She personifies evil.

Keep praying for Matt, Mom, and Dad as we go through this holiday season. Facing your child and grandchild's first Christmas without any hope of celebrating with her must be almost impossible.

God bless you!
Amy

The latest

2006-12-13T11:58:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know some of you were curious and many of you have been praying. I wanted to update you all at once, since I'm not sure if I could talk about it, yet.

First, the only good thing that came-out of today - The sexual abuse allegations have been dropped. Apparently, law enforcement (Jeff Co. Sheriffs) investigated the fall and determined that she COULD have been bruised falling from whatever apparatus she was playing on and Alyssa's story has not changed.

Now, for the bad.

There is now an allegation of "physical abuse" because Matt has been "rough" with Alyssa in the past. We don't know what exactly has been said because none of the lawyers got the report until this morning just before the hearing. Because of this new allegation, the children will remain in foster care. DHR in Jefferson County recommended that Jessie get them, but the referee hearing the case said that they would stay in care. The next hearing is scheduled for MAY 25, 2007.

Jessie is to have the girls on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Also, Jessie's attorney alleged that my mom "intercepted" some photos that were meant for Jessie and has interfered by calling the baby's foster mother. Therefore, my parents no longer have visitation with either child.

The visit that we were supposed to have with the baby today has been canceled, as has the ISP meeting.

The lawyers representing my brother and my parents all agree that Matt is being railroaded, but don't know what to do about it.

Dad had to use his nitro spray 3 times while we were standing there listening to the lawyers and Matt explain what was happening.

What it appears to us is that now that Jessie has gotten Matt out of law enforcement, she's working to get Mom fired.

I don't know what tomorrow's hearing in Chilton County will bring. Keep praying for us, as this seems that it will never end, and that God is ignoring us and the welfare of these girls. We just don't know what to do. To say that no one is looking forward to Christmas would be an understatement.

Matt's lawyer seems to think that DHR will recommend that Matt get 'anger management' counseling and then they'll close the case. We're really concerned that because they dropped the initial charge and have now come-up with something else, this will never end.

Thanks for caring and for showing your support through this difficult time.
Amy

Family update

2006-11-01T09:35:00.000-06:00

November 4, 2006 - Okay, so it's been a while since I posted. I wanted to take some time to get the situation settled in my mind before I posted about it for all to see.

Last week, DHR decided that they needed to intervene to 'protect' Alyssa and yesterday they removed Charli from our custody and placed her in a foster home, after removing Alyssa last week.

Alyssa fell at afterschool care on her first day of school, Oct. 10. That afternoon when I picked her up, the workers told me she'd fallen after she told me. They said that they didn't call because she seemed okay and was back playing a few minutes after the fall.

She was complaining that her leg, back, and arm hurt. She also told me that she thought that she had started her period after she fell because there was a little blood in the potty when she went to the bathroom. Then she said that it hurt to go to the bathroom.

After we picked-up the baby and got to my house, I called my mom and asked her what we should do - Matt wasn't home from work yet, so I had the girls by myself. Mom told me what to ask and to call Matt to see how far he was from coming home. I proceeded to make dinner, talk more with Alyssa while she did her homework, and feed the baby. All while fielding calls from my mom and my brother.

Well, I asked Alyssa to go and use the bathroom, but not to flush the potty. (Okay, kinda graphic and gross, but I wanted you to know how we decided to take her to the doctor.) There were a few drops of blood on the seat. I recommended and Matt and Mom agreed that it would be best to take her down to Children's ER to have her checked-out. I was thinking that she might've bruised her kidney or something. Per the custody order, Matt called and left a message for Jessie that he was taking her down to Children's.

Alyssa's description of the fall was that she was playing on the "triangle thing" and wasn't being careful. Her foot slipped and she fell.

At Children's, they ran several tests to see if she had blood in her urine. They did some scans, x-rays, and physical exams. When Jessie arrived, they asked, and all of us agreed that they do a pelvic exam to see if there were any other injuries.

During the pelvic, the doctors saw a small tear and some bruising. Two different doctors and a nurse asked the child if anyone had touched her privates. She emphatically said "No." and that no one was allowed to touch her there.

They determined that this was most likely a straddle injury and recommended a pedicatric gynocologist for her to see on Wednesday to make sure there weren't any other injuries. Matt brought her home and we put her to bed around 4AM.

The next day, Matt made an appointment with the doctor recommended by Children's. He called Jessie (or she called before he could call her) and he told her the time and place of the appointment so that she could be there. The doctor said at the time of his exam that it was most likely a straddle injury but that he would need the report from the aftercare program and to do a more thourough exam with Alyssa under anesthesia to rule out sexual abuse. Of course, mentioning that inflamed Jessie and she demanded that DHR be called. DHR met them at the doctor's office, interviewed both the doctor and Alyssa, where she said again that no one had touched her. Alyssa had already told the doctor and his nurse that no one had touched her. So now, we have an 8-year-old child who's told two doctors and a nurse at Children's, another doctor and a nurse, and a social worker that no one touched her.

However, after Alyssa talked with her mom at Children's on Tuesday night, while no one else was in the room, her story of how the fall happened changed. She wasn't playing on the "monkey bars" anymore because she's not allowed to play on them. She first told the ped. gyno the same story she told me, Matt, mom, and the doctors at Children's. Then she changed her story.

The social worker allowed her to go home with Matt. Jessie followed Matt home, with Alyssa in the car with her, where she, Jessie, asked my mom to talk with her and Matt about what could've happened. Jessie insisted at the time that she knew no one in our family could've hurt Alyssa.

On Friday, Oct. 13, the doctor performed an extensive exam while Alyssa was under anesthesia. He said that the bruising and tear were consistent with a 'straddle injury' but that he couldn't rule out sexual abuse. Once again, Alyssa went home with Matt.

On Monday, Oct. 16, the social worker came out to my house and interviewed Alyssa, Matt, me, and my mom. (Happy Birthday, Amy!) She asked Alyssa repeatedly "Did anyone touch you? Did your Daddy touch you?" and Alyssa insisted that no one had touched her. The social worker told my mom that she would get back in-touch with us if she needed anything else. We didn't hear from her all of that week.

On Tuesday, Oct. 24, I get a call from Matt saying that DHR will be at my house at 7PM to sign a "safetly plan" so that Alyssa is protected. Alyssa is to have no alone time with ANY male, including Matt. He wasn't even allowed to take her down the block to the bus stop. I was to be the primary caretaker for both girls. She informed us that on Thursday, Oct. 26 Alyssa would have to go through an "Advocacy Center" interview for possible sexual abuse.

It turns out that the aftercare report indicated that Alyssa fell from a sitting position.

The doctor couldn't figure out how she would've gotten a straddle injury if she fell from a sitting position. Mom took off of work to take her to the Advocacy Center because Matt wasn't alllowed to transport Alyssa. Once there, my mom was excluded from everything. Now, remember, my mom is a 17-year veteran of DHR and is currently an investigator for child protective services. Jessie was allowed to witness the interview and consult with the social worker, DA, and the sherriff's deputy. After several hours of consultation, DHR decided to take custody.

DHR asked Matt, as the primary custodial parent, if he was willing to send Alyssa home with her mom. He said "NO." as we're all afraid that in her desparation to get custody of the children back, she will coach Alyssa to say that Matt did something to her - when we all know that he didn't because of the timeline (which I'll explain later). DHR, in their infinate wisdom, decided to send her with Jessie anyway.

On Friday, Oct. 27 there was what's called a 72-hour hearing and the judge decided to put Alyssa in protective custody...which means foster care. Now, in all of this time, no mention has been made of the baby.

Yesterday, Nov. 2, when I arrived at daycare to pick-up Charli, the director met me at the door and told me that "She's not here." I felt like I'd been gut-punched. She said that DHR had arrived at 5:15 with a Sheriff's deputy and a court order and taken her into custody. I've never been more devestated in my life.

If they had decided last week, when they picked-up Alyssa, that they needed to take Charli, I would've been hurt. But my mom has worked for DHR for 17 years - I know policy! When you decided to remove a child, you remove all the children in the home.

My heart is breaking in a million pieces for these girls. And all we did was to take a hurt child to the doctor.

Now for the timeline and you can judge for yourself.

Matt obtained custody of the girls on Oct. 6. My mom and dad went with him to pick them up. I was there and Mom and Dad spent the night that Friday night.

On Saturday, Oct 7, the whole Robertson crew had planned to come to my house to celebrate my birthday. Matt, Dad, and Jud put together a wooden swing-set that I bought while Mom, Pam, and I took all four kids to a birthday party in Trussville and then to Target to buy Alyssa some school clothes. My uncle Mark came over as well. We grilled-out hamburger and hotdogs. Everyone was pretty well worn out and went to bed as soon as the house cleared.

On Sunday, Oct 8, Matt and I got the girls ready and headed to Gadsden to church. Alyssa's Sunday School teacher is a female and was my best friend in high school. After church, we went back to Mom and Dad's where Charli and I napped. Aylssa and Mom played on the computer and Alyssa asked to spend the night. She wanted to go back to church that night and see her new friends.

On Monday, Oct 9. Mom brought Alyssa back to Birmingham. The three of them went to Alyssa's new school and were given a tour. They met her new teacher! After getting home, they called me and I headed back to the house. I passed Mom on the road and when I got home Alyssa was playing outside and Matt was feeding the baby. We all called it an early night because Alyssa was starting school the next day.

The next morning, I got up and got the baby ready while Alyssa was getting ready for school. Matt left with both girls around 7:15. He called a few minutes after 8 to let me know he'd just dropped off both girls.

Please, keep us in your prayers as we try and keep our heads on straight from this attack straight from the devil! I'm holding onto Psalm 35 right now as several people have presented me with this chapter.

First Weekend visit to happen

2006-10-20T10:33:00.001-05:00

The girls' first weekend visit with their mom starts tonight. We're all a little anxious about it, not knowing how the transfer will go. Our family would all prefer that we meet at a neutral site, but the court ordered that she pick them up at my house tonight and Matt pick them up at her's on Sunday. Pray that Sunday night, we don't have to have an Amber Alert issued!

On other news, Matt is working to get his route adjusted or changed so that he's home every night with the girls. This week, he's had two days where he had to work late. Last night, Alyssa didn't like the fact that he wasn't there and decided it was time to test me. She argued about getting a shower. Then argued about how long I was giving her to get a shower. Then she argued about arguing. You get the picture.

I understand how difficult all of this must be for her. I want to help her adjust, but don't know how. Hopefully next week we'll begin to settle down.

For those who may be reading this from Alabama's 3rd Congressional District, please vote for my Uncle Greg - Greg Pierce (www.gregpierce.us) for Congress on Nov. 7.

This weekend is JSU's homecoming and I hope that it will be fun for all. I'm looking forward to driving Miss JSU, Jamie Langley, in the Homecoming parade at 11. Wave at us if you see us and maybe we'll throw you some candy!

When will it get easier???

2006-10-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

Wow - what a night!

Yesterday, Oct. 10, was Alyssa's first day at her new school and at after school care. Apparently she took a bit of a tumble on the playground at afterschool care. When I picked her up, she was still complaining of hurting of her back, arm, and leg. I called Matt, who was finishing up at work. After talking to him and my mom, we all agreed that it would be best to take her down to Children's ER to get her checked-out. Matt called and left a message on Jessie's home answering machine, but didn't at that time have her cell phone number.

My mom and dad drove from Gadsden and met Matt and Alyssa at Childrens while I stayed home with the baby. Around 11PM, I finally heard from Mom. Jessie had gotten to the hospital with Patrick (her now fiance), his dad, and his grandmother.

Alyssa will be fine, but had to go to a specialist this afternoon for a double check. She missed her second day of school! Poor thing!

I keep thinking that things will get easier, but so far, they haven't. The baby is doing great! I think that she was just overly tired on Sunday, which is why she was fussy. She's now sitting up by herself! This morning, I had her sitting up in the floor and I heard a noise. Glancing over, I saw that she was now on her hands and knees rocking. I guess she'll be crawling soon!!!

I truly have a greater respect now for every working mother I know!!!
Have a blessed day!
Amy

Weekend Update

2006-10-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

This weekend was expectantly busy and unexpectedly easy with the girls.

Friday night, when I got home from work, Alyssa was talking on the phone with her mom (Jessie). Mom, Dad, and Matt had already agreed on a Mexican restaurant close to the house to eat because Alyssa wanted Mexican. After talking with her mom, Alyssa went upstairs to get ready to leave. We gave her a few minutes to change and when she didn't come down and wouldn't answer, I went-up to check on her. I found her hiding under the desk in her room. She let me know quickly that she wasn't going - she wanted to eat with her mom. I explained that eating with her mom wasn't an option and that I would get her dad to talk with her.

Matt went upstairs and she'd changed hiding spots. Now she was under the bed in Charli's room. After Matt coaxed her out and told her softly and gently that eating with her mom wasn't an option right now and to get changed. He also explained that this type of reaction would limit
the amount of time she could talk to her mom if it continued. She settled down. Five minutes later, a smiling happy Alyssa came down announcing that she wanted a taco! That was our only problem all weekend.

The baby is now teething and getting up several times during the night. So far, Infants Tylenol every 4-6 hours (as needed for those concerned) has done the trick.

Because we couldn't get all of the school registration done on Friday, we had to go back this morning. Alyssa asked to spend the night in Gadsden last night. Since we were there and she couldn't go to school today anyway, Matt let her stay at her MeMe's.

We do believe that her mom was planning to run with the kids today.

She had already told Alyssa that she wouldn't be in school today and it's not a school holiday in Chilton County. She and her boyfriend have now become engaged and are planning to get married as soon as the 60-day waiting period is up.

One more thing...My mom received an email from Alyssa's biological father on Saturday. He's filed a petition to have the adoption set aside. I don't have any clue what this is going to do to Matt's custody. One thing I do know is that they will try to make him pay back child-support to Jessie for the 7 years leading up to the adoption. If they figure that amount based on the amount Matt's been paying, then he'll have to pay $330/month for 7 years - or around $28,000 plus 12% imposed in the state of Alabama on back child-support.

The Waiting Game

2006-10-04T17:13:00.000-05:00

You may have checked-back to see what the outcome of my brother's divorce hearings were. Well, we're waiting for the judge's decision. On Thursday, Sept. 28 we went back to court in Chilton County for the rest of the hearing. Matt, Mom, and I all testified on Matt's behalf while Jessie's dad, Patrick's mom and another of Jessie's friends were called as rebuttal witnesses.

I was pretty nervous about testifying and initially couldn't figure out which was my right hand! That broke the tension for me and I was able to answer the questions in what I hope was a professional and competent matter.

I'll be able to elaborate more about the proceedings after we find-out the ruling. Hopefully, Matt will get custody of both of his girls. I have rooms all ready for them!

In the mean time, my family is coming to celebrate my birthday this weekend. The celebration is a little early, but I'm serving at a wedding on the 14th, plus Pam's family needed to come to town anyway for another birthday party. I've purchased a wooden swing-set and the guys will be doing some construction for me so that all of my nieces and my nephew will be able to play.

Last night we had the 2007 Miss JSU interest meeting on campus in Jacksonville. I was able to leave work around 5:30 and make a mad-dash to campus. This morning I overslept, so I'll be working late tonight!!!

Congrats go out to Kelly Hawkins for making the Top 10 at Miss Alabama USA on Saturday!

To Be Continued...

2006-09-10T08:43:00.000-05:00

Many of you are waiting for news from my brother, Matt's, divorce hearing. Well, after his soon-to-be ex-wife testified for almost 5 hours, the judge continued the case until Sept. 28. So, I will once again go to Chilton County to sit outside the courtroom door until I'm called to testify. I'm probably going to be testifying about where he lives, etc.

We got the baby for visitation this weekend. She is such a great baby! She goes to sleep with no fuss and gets-up in the morning in a great mood. She's not rolling over yet, but she loves to play in her exersauscer!

Matt's doing a great job learning all about taking care of baby! With his hurt foot, he has a hard time getting up and down out of the floor with her, but enjoys every moment he has with her. His nickname for her is 'Scooter Bug' which drives her mom crazy.

I'm taking a much needed break this weekend and haven't gone anywhere! I sent Matt and Charli home to my parents yesterday and have had a lot of quiet time mixed in with yesterday's college football! Roll Tide! I was worried, like most of Alabama's fans, with the offense in yesterday's game against Vandy. Are we really that bad or is Vandy's defense that good?

Next weekend is Jax St's first home game. It's also preview day and Miss JSU, Jamie Langley, will be at the tailgate tent meeting fans and signing autographs. I'm looking forward to the game. I can't wait to hear the Southerners play the Fight Song! Well, I guess I'd better try and do something productive today - like cleaning my house!
Amy

Going through the Big D...

2006-09-06T10:21:00.000-05:00

First, I want to send-out a big Woo-Hoo to Katie Boyd, who placed 1st runner-up at the 2006 National Sweetheart Pageant this past weekend in Hoopeston, IL! Katie had a marvelous time and really enjoyed meeting the other state runners-up. Katie was also the preliminary talent
winner on Saturday.

Now, tomorrow morning at 9AM we should be in court in Clanton, Alabama for my brother's divorce hearing. Keep us all in your prayers. Most importantly, two little girls who didn't ask for this are smack-dab in the middle and their futures will be the most effected by tomorrows
decisions. Pray that the judge and attorneys will make the best decisions for these precious children.

More to come tomorrow...

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Wonderful Young ladies...

2006-09-01T15:57:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm a volunteer in the Miss America organization. I've had the opportunity to know and work directly with many fantastic young women in this system. I'm going to drop some names here and list the titles they held recently...

Pamela Robertson Rutland ~ Miss JSU 1997
I got involved in the system because of my sister, Pam. I watched her compete and turn from a silly sorority girl to a purpose minded, articulate, young woman who paid for her Master's degree with scholarships she earned through competing.

Jana Sanderson McEachern ~ Miss Alabama 2000
My first (and only) trip to Miss America was in support of Jana. Jana and I went to the same church in Gadsden, College Heights Baptist. My brother, Matt, and Jana's older sister, Jill, were the same age. Our parents socialized together and I even had the opportunity to babysit
Jana on occasion. I won't ever forget Jana as a 17-year-old playing church softball for the first time! Jana made the Top 10 at Miss America that year and I met Kim Jolley, who turned my name over to the Miss Atlanta folks (I was living in Georgia at the time).

Brooke Anderson ~ Miss Atlanta 2001
Brooke was the winner of the Miss Atlanta pageant the year I was named to the board of directors. Brooke is now the entertainment correspondent for CNN.

Amy Mulkey ~ Miss Georgia 2002, Miss Atlanta 2002
Amy was a huge Georgia Bulldog fan and a wonderful representative of both Atlanta and the state of Georgia.

Shannon Camper Gryska ~ Miss Alabama 2004, Miss Colonial Mall Gadsden 2002
Shannon is one of my best friends in the world. Besides being a phenomenal singer and entertainer, she epitomizes what this system is about. She is dedicated, hard working, intelligent, and cares about the people around her. She will always be my Miss Alabama.

Jessica Wheeler ~ Miss Colonial Mall Gadsden 2003
Jessica is a beautiful, talented and intelligent young woman. Through her Operation Smile platform, she has helped numerous young people around the world obtain reconstructive facial surgery. Jessica was 1st RU to Miss Tennessee two years ago and last year made the Top Ten at the Miss Arkansas pageant. We're proud to have her back in Alabama.

Ericka Bennett ~ Miss Gadsden Area 2004
Ericka is another example of what the Miss America system should be about. She is a talented singer and cares most about her relationship with God. She is a living testament to her faith!

Kelly Hawkins ~ Miss Gadsden Area 2005
I probably learned the most about Miss America during my year with Kelly. Kelly and I came from different backgrounds - and I'm not talking about the rivalry between JSU and Troy - and were able to work together pretty well. Kelly is in law school right now and I can tell all of you politicians out there to watch out! This is one lady who knows what she wants and is willing to work to make it happen. Kelly was 1st RU to Miss Alabama 2005 and won the community service award. It would not surprise me in the least for Kelly to be elected Senator or
end-up in national politics.

Kristian Crowe ~ Miss Gadsden Area 2006
Kristian is another wonderful vocalist and really took control of her platform during our year. She is a student at Jacksonville State and hopes to pursue a career as a music educator.

Jamie Langley ~ Miss JSU 2006, Miss Painted Rock 2007
Jamie is a wonderful woman of faith and lives her testimony daily. She is part of a gospel group, The Langleys, consisting of her mom, dad, and family friend Tyson Hall. Jamie made the Top Ten at Miss Alabama and was a community service finalist for her work with the American Heart Association.

Others I know but haven't worked with directly
Katie Boyd ~ Miss Tombigbee 2007
Katie is an awesome young woman! She was 1st RU to Miss Alabama 2006 and is currently (and I mean today) competing in the National Sweetheart pageant. Katie is a working on a double major in Dance and Communicative Disorders at the University of Alabama. As a sophomore,
she was named a USA All-American. She's a member of numerous honor societies and has contributed more to her platform than any other local winner I've ever known. Katie's platform is to banish underage smoking!

Sunday Vanderver
Sunday is another young woman that I'm amazed to know. Like Kelly, Sunday is in law school and hopes for a career in politics. She is one of the most intelligent people I know! She's also talented, beautiful, and funny. I'm so grateful to be able to call her a friend. I expect her to one-day be the governor of Alabama!

There are many other wonderful, talented, young women dedicated to a cause and to better themselves. You can find out more at Miss America's Website.

Trying a new way to post...

2006-08-31T11:34:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I read that I could just send an email to a specialized address and it would post on the blog. So I'm trying this method of updating!

I am involved in the Miss America system as a local volunteer, judge and fan. I co-direct the Miss Jacksonville State University pageant. As part of the Miss America system, each young woman competing has to choose an issue that's close to her heart to promote. Diedre Downs, Miss America 2005, chose to support Pediatric Cancer awareness. Since I've met Diedre, I'm not sure if I'm more aware of childhood cancers or actually know more children getting cancer. The son of one of my co-workers has been recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Nueroblastoma. He is receiving treatment at St. Jude's in Memphis, TN. One of his family friends, is running the St. Jude Memphis Marathon on Dec. 2 in honor of him. Please keep Evan Thomason in your prayers. If you would like to make a contribution to St. Jude's through the St. Jude's heroes marathon, please follow the link St. Jude's Heroes.

Psalm 139:17-18 says, "How precious concerning me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand." Can you imagine all of the grains of sand in the WORLD??? This verse says that God has more thoughts about you than there are grains of sand! WOW!

Hope you have a blessed day!

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Keeping up with...

2006-08-29T07:13:00.000-05:00

The Rutlands...

Well, since Pam's blogged twice since my last message, its probably time for me to post again. This weekend we had Charli again. She is growing so big and loves to eat! She thinks her Aunt Amy is funny - or at least she laughs at me each time she sees me!

I'd love to post what's going on with the divorce things, but it will have to wait until the judge hears everything on September 7! Keep us all in your prayers and include the judge and lawyers in that. Pray that they will all do the right thing by these children. In my opinion, Matt and Jessie got themselves into this mess and dragged these babies along with them. Whatever the judge decides to do with Matt & Jessie is good for them; these babies (okay, so Alyssa at age 8 isn't a baby anymore but she is a precious child who needs someone to protect her!) didn't ask for this and need someone looking out for them. Praise God that the judge appointed them a guardian.

In other news, my friend Katie left Birmingham yesterday morning heading to the 2006 National Sweetheart pageant. For those who don't know, its an independantly run sub-pageant of the Miss America system (not in any way affiliated with Miss America). The 1st runner-up from each state pageant in the Miss America program is invited to compete. Since Katie was Alabama's 1st RU, she was invited to go. Her parents footed the bill themselves and the Miss AL board didn't help her prepare - that's just an FYI to any nosey pageant people out there who might cry foul next year if she wins Miss AL!

This past Saturday, I had a little fall in my neighbor's yard and busted my tail bone! I'm sitting somewhat gingerly to my left side. The right side is quite achy. On Sunday, I could hardly move! I forgot how jarring it is to stop that suddenly on a hard surface - like I've said in the past, the fall doesn't hurt you - it's that sudden stop at the end!

Moving right along, the Barons are out of contention for the playoffs. This weekend's games (Labor Day) will be the last of the year. We (The Section E Fans) got a little too into the game last Thursday, making a series of posters to harrass the umpire after Wednesday night's calling was the worst I'd seen since the replacement umps left earlier this season (google Minor League Umpire Strike for more info on that!). There was one call that was beyond belief...The Lookouts had runners on 2nd and 3rd when the batter hit a line drive up the 3rd base line. The umpire, #5 Jason Millsap, called the ball FOUL, waited about 3 seconds - in which time the runners came back to their bases and the Barons stopped fielding the ball as it rolled into the Lookouts bullpen - and then reversed his decision and decided the ball was FAIR! I don't mind the umpire changing his mind, but his late-minded change allowed the runners on 2nd and 3rd to score and gave the batter a triple on what should've been a single!

What should the umpire have done??? Opinions?

Football season starts this week with my JSU Gamecocks traveling to South Carolina for an afternoon game. Alabama and Auburn both play home openers. Plus high school football begins this week. In this South, it doesn't get much better than this!

I must go to work, now, since I've been blogging for a while. Below is a picture of my sister, Pam, and her beautiful children, Julia and Sam. The picture was taken at a baby shower for Sam. You can read more about that on the Rutlands blog (link to the right!).

Later...

Once again...Here's Amy

2006-08-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I've once again tackled the mound of smelly clothes my brother calls his. I've decided that I can no longer live with the odor emanating from my basement and have voluntarily sorted and have begun to wash his clothes. I keep saying that I won't do it again, but he's figured out that if he leaves them, every 3 or 4 months, I'll wash.

I hope that his divorce ends as scheduled on Sept. 7! We all need closure in this case and I think he's ready to move on with his life. I know that I'm ready. I just hope that he's learned a thing or two about relationships before he moves on too far.

My niece, Julia, will start 4-year-old kindergarten tomorrow. I can't believe how quickly it's going! Just this past Sunday, our home church gave baby Sam a shower. Julia wasn't feeling very well. Turns-out that she has Hand, Foot and Mouth disease - which is actually just a virus.

I was watching TV earlier (Grey's Anatomy, yes it was a re-run, yes I've seen it before!) and it got me to thinking. If I knew today was my last day to live, what would I do? The only thing that I would really want to do would be to spend it with Julia. She's the brightest star in my life! I know that the babies will be up there soon, but for now, Julia rocks!

She is a beautiful, intelligent, loving child who wants to do the right thing and who I will always treat like the princess that I think she is! I try, now that there are other nieces and a nephew in the family, to spoil them equally, but I tend to spoil Julia the most. It's just so easy to do!

Anyway, last night I went to the B'ham Barons vs. Jacksonville Suns game. It was the 2nd in this series and B'ham is out of the race for the league playoffs. J'ville's best pitcher, Spike Lunsberg, was pitching - he's pretty good! It was the middle of the 9th inning and the Barons were down 6-1. (My seats are just behind the Barons dugout, so I have a pretty good view of the game.) I heard something I couldn't believe...Baron's manager, Chris Kron, was, I guess, attempting to pep the guys up before they picked-up the bats. His words of encouragement? "Let's load 'em up. You never know what could happen." Encouragement? More like - "Do we really have to go back out there?" The last time the Barons took the field at home against J'ville and Spike was pitching, a series of brawls broke-out that ended when the Barons walked off of the field in the 7th inning. Of course, they were fined, but I almost think that would've been better than "You never know what could happen."

Tonight was "Thirsty Thursday" at the ballpark. For those non-Minor league fans out there, the Barons are among the teams that do a $1 beverage night promotion - including fountain soft drinks and beer. They do limit purchases to 4 at a time, so by the 7th inning when they stop sales, the crowd can get pretty wild. It's just not my kind of thing to go to a party and have a ballgame break out, so I stay home. Tomorrow night, I'll be back out there to get my free Barons gym bag (the first 1,500 fans!!!) - woo, hoo! Saturday, I'll either go back for Skyfest 2006 (i.e. a whole lot of fireworks!) or attend the 2007 Miss Birmingham Pageant at Shades Mountain High.

I went to the Miss West Central pageant last weekend. I'm telling you, those folks know how to 'get're done!' Congrats to Kimberly Kirby, Miss West Central 2007.

Later! Its almost 11PM and way past my bedtime!

Here's Sam...

2006-08-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

Yes, this is Samuel David Rutland. He's the only boy so far in our brood. Can anyone say, spoiled??? Remember, you can't really spoil them until they're - what, Pam, 4??? That's my #1 job as the aunt - spoil them and send them home. I don't know if Pam will ever want to take a whole-family vacation again!!!

Promised pictures...

2006-08-09T21:45:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of my neices...Julia has the big pink bow and is Pam and Jud's 4-year-old. Alyssa is holding Charlise. They're Matt's girls.

Picture of Sam, Pam & Jud's son is coming up next.

Okay, okay...

2006-08-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight I have spoken with Mom and think my brother is coming in from work. (For anyone reading a random blog - he's living with me while going through a divorce and is out-of-town with work a lot.) In my oh-so-exciting life, I had subteranian termite treatment at my house this morning which cost me 2 hours of personal time along with the $375 fee. Nice, huh? Then I went and beat my head against the brick wall that I call work for six hours before coming home, cooking dinner, playing with the dogs and cat, and watching Blue Collar TV followed by One Tree Hill. (Spoiler - so DAN shot Keith???) See what I get from missing one episode during the regular season!

Now, I'm on yet another computer - as if I didn't have enough time on one earlier today - and writing an update.

My life is pretty darn boring, if you ask me, so I won't blame you if you don't check-in very often.

I've left messages with two of my pageant girls - Jamie and Ericka, call me back! Okay, so I think that I remember that Jamie was going to Florida to visit her sister, but school starts soon and she should be getting back.

I don't know what this weekend holds. Matt is supposed to get his girls. We're fairly confident that his soon-to-be-ex will let us have the baby, but she's pretty well brainwashed her 8-yr-old, who my brother adopted. I doubt we'll get her for the weekend. I think I'm sending them all to Gadsden to the parental (grandparents!!!) units. Anyway, Matt took all of the baby's bottles to their house! I found two here, so that's what I expect to get ready for Friday.

The Miss West Central Alabama pageant is this Saturday starting at 5PM. I enjoy going to pageants and haven't spent much time in an audience since Miss Alabama. The last two weekends, I served as the "Dressing Room Diva" (a.k.a. Pageant Nazi) at local prelims.

I need to run - the cat has gotten under the slipcover I have over a loaned couch...I'm going, Pam!

Later...
Amy

Father's Day

2006-06-18T13:11:00.000-05:00

Today was great and started out with my nieces, Alyssa (age 8) and Charlise (age 3 months) waking up and heading to Gadsden to church. Both the girls were dedicated this morning! Hopefully I'll have pictures to post before the day is out.