Daddy and Cullen (March 2011):
Saturday, March 26, 2011
2 months old!
Cullen had his 2 month appointment this week! Everything looked great and he has caught up on gaining weight finally. Nursing is going well too, and I'm finding I'm actually enjoying it (as opposed to how much I dreaded every feeding the first month).
Here are his 2 month stats compared with Abby at 4 months (2 months adjusted):
Weight:
Cullen: 10lbs 1oz (15th percentile)
Abby: 10lbs 2.5oz (1st percentile)
Length:
Cullen: 21.5 inches (27th percentile)
Abby: 21.5 inches (1st percentile)
Head circ:
Cullen: 36cm
Abby: 37cm
Here are his 2 month stats compared with Abby at 4 months (2 months adjusted):
Weight:
Cullen: 10lbs 1oz (15th percentile)
Abby: 10lbs 2.5oz (1st percentile)
Length:
Cullen: 21.5 inches (27th percentile)
Abby: 21.5 inches (1st percentile)
Head circ:
Cullen: 36cm
Abby: 37cm
Friday, February 4, 2011
New Beginnings
Introducing Cullen Alexander Sandlin
(AKA "Monkey")
Born Monday, January 24th, 2011 at 9:04pm after 6 hours of induced unintentionally pain-med-free labor (Can you tell there's a story behind this? More to come.)
7lbs 140z and 21.25inches long
Holding Daddy's hand:
5lbs bigger than big sister Abby was:
Getting weighed and cleaned up:
Our family is complete:
Friday, January 14, 2011
Eulogy
I have received many compliments and request for the speech I gave at my mother's funeral. So I took over the Blog to put it here.
Matt.
Remembering Mary Ann Sandlin:
Mary Ann, Wife, Mom, Mimi, sister, daughter, friend. All of these we use to describe a country girl from Thomaston, GA. Who was a strong willed, caring, tell it like it is type of woman. To know Mom was to be included in every part of her life, she was somewhat of an over-sharer. That was just how she reeled you in, stories of us and her grandchildren were the bait so that you too would share in her joy.
How do you say goodbye to someone who has been there your entire life? Someone you love, respect and want to make proud. By taking comfort in the fact that she is now in a better place and just maybe try to over-share a little yourself.
As I was thinking about what to include today the first answer came to me. A quote. A quote allows someone less eloquent to use the words of another to share what is in their heart. I wanted something that would express not only what I felt for her but what she felt for us. So instead of just a quote I found something in Isaiah Chapter 54 verse 10.
Though the mountains leave their place and the hills be shaken, My love shall never leave you.
Mom loved to interact with people both personal and professional which made her activities great. Whether it was work, family, the Lady Knights, the bowling league, being a Deacon's wife. Mom was there to support you in what you did. There have been a few truly humbling moments in my life, ones that come out of tragedy. One was when Mom was fighting cancer, and another has been now. The amount of love and support that came from every community she was apart if has been amazing. Thank you.
The second thing that came to mind is a story. The bible is full of parables and stories of joy and sadness. Jesus used parables to tell us things in a way that anybody could understand. Stories also help describe situations that are meant to reach out to our hearts and minds and sometimes can be just a bit funny. I know there are many stories that we all can share about Mom and here is one I would like to share about an early date my parents had.
At the time my dad was traveling and my mother was working two jobs, one of which was as a waitress. Near the of the week they had gone out dancing to a few different places. At the end of the night they wind up at a Waffle House and have dinner. Now because this was the end of the week dad was almost out of his expense money. He was digging in his pockets for change just to leave a tip. So mom basically calls him the cheapest SO... well you get the point....
It just showed how Mom wouldn't hold back what she thought and also showed her empathy to someone she really didn't know by wanting the waitress to have a proper tip. To be honest I am not sure which one was the glutton for punishment because they both came back for more. I am certainly glad that they did. As are many of you here today. My mother touched many lives in a profound way and she will be missed but never forgotten. To paraphrase from Jeremiah Chapter 29 “God knows the plans he has for each of us”.
Finally I would like to leave you with a poem, that Susan has shared with me, to celebrate my mother. I hope that through this you have been uplifted.
Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free,
I’m following the path God laid for me.
I took His hand when I heard him call,
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day,
to laugh, to love, to work or play;
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
If my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,
Ah yes, these things too I will miss.
Be not burdened with times of sorrow,
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I’ve savored much.
Good friends, good times, a loved ones touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief,
Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your hearts and share with me,
I’m with God now, I’ve been set free.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Pumpkin Patch
The Pumpkin Patch:
A post by Abigail
A few weeks ago, Mommy, Daddy, Gigi, and I went to the Pumpkin Patch in Moreland. I wasn't so sure about it at first - there were all of these HUGE orange things everywhere! Then Mommy walked me around and introduced me to my first pumpkins! I think I like them. Apparently taking pictures at the Pumpkin Patch is a big deal for her, so I played along. Here are some pictures from our trip!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Nom nom nom....
Baby Monkey is eating my brain. I was certain he was already eating us out of house and home ( I can't stop eating!), but now he has moved on to my common sense.
Case in point: I showed up at Gordon college 20 minutes early tonight with an awesome WWI lesson in hand. The first thing I notice as I walk into my classroom is that the class before me put a few posters on the wall. Interesting. As I begin to set up my powerpoint, I notice that the college has switched out computers over the weekend. Hmmm...but this is great because with this new computer I don't have to kneel on the floor to plug in my flashdrive. WIN! I then glance around for my rolly-chair and notice that it is missing. Some other professor must have "borrowed" it, and that makes this pregnant lady a little miffed. I'll have to go hunt it down later.
At 6pm, I start to wonder where my students are. All 14 of them decided not to show up tonight. I silently curse them all as I reconsider the intelligence of posting their powerpoint lectures online. Then I start to wonder if maybe they're all in cahoots and agreed not to come to class as some sort of practical joke on me. Then I log into facebook as I wait and plan a really tough quiz for next week's class.
After waiting for 45 minutes to see if any students show up (they didn't), I pack up my things and head to the elevator. As I'm waiting there, I notice that the level 2 evacuation plan is posted on the wall. Whaaaaa? Now why on EARTH would they post the level 2 floor plan on LEVEL 3???
And then I realize what I should have realized 45 minutes ago. I am on level 2. I have been sitting directly underneath my classroom for almost an hour, and wondering why no one showed up.
I slap myself on the forehead and dart up to the 3rd floor, only to find that it's 6:45 and my students have long since left.
True story.
Case in point: I showed up at Gordon college 20 minutes early tonight with an awesome WWI lesson in hand. The first thing I notice as I walk into my classroom is that the class before me put a few posters on the wall. Interesting. As I begin to set up my powerpoint, I notice that the college has switched out computers over the weekend. Hmmm...but this is great because with this new computer I don't have to kneel on the floor to plug in my flashdrive. WIN! I then glance around for my rolly-chair and notice that it is missing. Some other professor must have "borrowed" it, and that makes this pregnant lady a little miffed. I'll have to go hunt it down later.
At 6pm, I start to wonder where my students are. All 14 of them decided not to show up tonight. I silently curse them all as I reconsider the intelligence of posting their powerpoint lectures online. Then I start to wonder if maybe they're all in cahoots and agreed not to come to class as some sort of practical joke on me. Then I log into facebook as I wait and plan a really tough quiz for next week's class.
After waiting for 45 minutes to see if any students show up (they didn't), I pack up my things and head to the elevator. As I'm waiting there, I notice that the level 2 evacuation plan is posted on the wall. Whaaaaa? Now why on EARTH would they post the level 2 floor plan on LEVEL 3???
And then I realize what I should have realized 45 minutes ago. I am on level 2. I have been sitting directly underneath my classroom for almost an hour, and wondering why no one showed up.
I slap myself on the forehead and dart up to the 3rd floor, only to find that it's 6:45 and my students have long since left.
True story.
All about Abby
Life has been pretty crazy the past few months - as you can surmise from the fact that until yesterday I hadn't written any posts since early August. That just so happened to coincide with the start of the school year. Coincidence? I think not.
Right now it is 3:30am and I'm sitting up listening to a coughing baby and feeling pretty helpless. Every few weeks or so Abby develops what I like to call "Daycare Kennel Cough". She'll cough and cough all week (worse at night), but not spike a fever. I think it has something to do with the weather changing and her drainage. So, while she coughs, this mama sits up all night and plies her with cough syrup and cuddles. I think the worst feeling in the world is when your baby is sick - even when it's minor - and you can't do anything about it. *Reminding myself that she would either build up her immune system NOW or later in preschool. Daycare Kennel Cough does not make me a bad mommy. Rinse. Repeat.*
We've fallen into a pretty good routine with me going back to work this year. I am teaching half-days at EC - 3rd and 4th block AP European History. I really couldn't have asked for a better schedule. Abby and I get up around 7am each morning, breakfast together and play for 2 hours or so. Then she toddles around the master bathroom with me while I shower, dress, and get ready for the day. If I'm lucky, she naps from about 10-11 (if daycare is lucky, she doesn't and she naps there instead!) We are dressed and headed out the door by 11am, so that I can drop her off with her teacher Mrs. Cindy and be at school by 11:42 for class change. I start off the week arriving at school about 20-30 minutes early to get some housekeeping done - but by the time Thursday rolls around, we are usually pushing it just to arrive on time!
Abby's daycare is about 2 minutes from my school, which I think has really helped me with the transition. I know that at any moment I can drop what I'm doing and be at her side in no time flat. It makes it easier for me to concentrate at work and not worry about what she's doing and when I'll see her next. It also helps that Abby ADORES her teacher, Mrs. Cindy. She didn't feel like this the first 2 weeks, and we had a rough time saying goodbye in the morning - but then one day everything changed and now she actually grins and reaches out to Mrs. Cindy when we arrive. I have to admit, the first time I saw her reach for another woman, I just about lost it. It does make me feel good to know that she's staying with someone who will love on her and play with her almost as much as I would.
There are usually 2 or 3 other infants in Abby's room on any given day. Right now Abby is the oldest since she is over 1 and not yet walking. They will not move her into the 1 Year Old room until she's walking well - which is just fine with me! That one year old room is crazy! Babies walking around everywhere and getting into everything. No, I much prefer her to explore in her cozy little infant room where she can be Queen of the Cribs! She has some boy friends that are a little younger than her that she likes to chase around and play with. There are also tiny twins who just started a few weeks ago. Abby is learning to get used to hearing newborns cry and learning not to crawl over them or poke their eyes out: two skills I'm sure Monkey appreciates her learning NOW. She's a very empathetic baby (she can always tell when I'm not feeling good or having a bad day) and she has been known to bring piles of toys over to any baby who is crying at school to make them feel better.
I teach until 3:30, then am usually at her school for pick-up around 4:15. 99% of the time she's happily sitting on the floor reading a book or crawling around on the baby slide with her friends. Her entire face lights up when I walk in and it makes my whole day. It's like we had never been apart for those 4 hours! Every now and then I'll show up and she's had a bad day - which leaves me feeling sad and guilty the rest of the night, wondering if going back to work is really worth it. Of course, it IS worth it - seeing as how I had no financial choice this year. In addition, those bad days are few and far between - I just love seeing her grow and learn in ways I couldn't teach her by keeping her cloistered at home. She's really opened up to people in the poast few months and is learning to socialize with other children. She came home blowing kisses this week - talk about melting a mama's heart! - and she is really pushing to learn to walk since she sees the boys doing it at school.
When we get home around 5 each day, we play in the living room while we wait for Daddy to get home. Right now Abby's favorite thing to do is push things from the living room to the kitchen and back again...over and over! Although she has a baby doll stroller, little car, and scooter we specifically bought for this purpose, she would rather push chairs, boxes, and Ginger instead. Matt usually arrives home around 6pm - you should SEE her face light up when she sees her Daddy! - and we all have dinner. Abby gets into the big tub in our master bath around 7, where she splashes around for a good 15 minutes or so while I try to wash her slippery self, then we do pajamas. Matt alternately reads her Pajama Time or Goodnight Moon every night while we sit in the rocker and have our "Nigh-Nigh" bottle. Then down she goes until (hopefully) 7am...when we will start it all over again!
Is it routine? Yes. But I love it, and so does Abby, I think. We could continue this routine indefinitely, but something tells me that everything is about to change in 2-3 months' time. And it will be rough for a while - I'm completely expecting a mommy-meltdown for the first few months of having 2 under 2. But I think we'll fall into a new routine soon enough. And it will probably be even better.
Right now it is 3:30am and I'm sitting up listening to a coughing baby and feeling pretty helpless. Every few weeks or so Abby develops what I like to call "Daycare Kennel Cough". She'll cough and cough all week (worse at night), but not spike a fever. I think it has something to do with the weather changing and her drainage. So, while she coughs, this mama sits up all night and plies her with cough syrup and cuddles. I think the worst feeling in the world is when your baby is sick - even when it's minor - and you can't do anything about it. *Reminding myself that she would either build up her immune system NOW or later in preschool. Daycare Kennel Cough does not make me a bad mommy. Rinse. Repeat.*
We've fallen into a pretty good routine with me going back to work this year. I am teaching half-days at EC - 3rd and 4th block AP European History. I really couldn't have asked for a better schedule. Abby and I get up around 7am each morning, breakfast together and play for 2 hours or so. Then she toddles around the master bathroom with me while I shower, dress, and get ready for the day. If I'm lucky, she naps from about 10-11 (if daycare is lucky, she doesn't and she naps there instead!) We are dressed and headed out the door by 11am, so that I can drop her off with her teacher Mrs. Cindy and be at school by 11:42 for class change. I start off the week arriving at school about 20-30 minutes early to get some housekeeping done - but by the time Thursday rolls around, we are usually pushing it just to arrive on time!
Abby's daycare is about 2 minutes from my school, which I think has really helped me with the transition. I know that at any moment I can drop what I'm doing and be at her side in no time flat. It makes it easier for me to concentrate at work and not worry about what she's doing and when I'll see her next. It also helps that Abby ADORES her teacher, Mrs. Cindy. She didn't feel like this the first 2 weeks, and we had a rough time saying goodbye in the morning - but then one day everything changed and now she actually grins and reaches out to Mrs. Cindy when we arrive. I have to admit, the first time I saw her reach for another woman, I just about lost it. It does make me feel good to know that she's staying with someone who will love on her and play with her almost as much as I would.
There are usually 2 or 3 other infants in Abby's room on any given day. Right now Abby is the oldest since she is over 1 and not yet walking. They will not move her into the 1 Year Old room until she's walking well - which is just fine with me! That one year old room is crazy! Babies walking around everywhere and getting into everything. No, I much prefer her to explore in her cozy little infant room where she can be Queen of the Cribs! She has some boy friends that are a little younger than her that she likes to chase around and play with. There are also tiny twins who just started a few weeks ago. Abby is learning to get used to hearing newborns cry and learning not to crawl over them or poke their eyes out: two skills I'm sure Monkey appreciates her learning NOW. She's a very empathetic baby (she can always tell when I'm not feeling good or having a bad day) and she has been known to bring piles of toys over to any baby who is crying at school to make them feel better.
I teach until 3:30, then am usually at her school for pick-up around 4:15. 99% of the time she's happily sitting on the floor reading a book or crawling around on the baby slide with her friends. Her entire face lights up when I walk in and it makes my whole day. It's like we had never been apart for those 4 hours! Every now and then I'll show up and she's had a bad day - which leaves me feeling sad and guilty the rest of the night, wondering if going back to work is really worth it. Of course, it IS worth it - seeing as how I had no financial choice this year. In addition, those bad days are few and far between - I just love seeing her grow and learn in ways I couldn't teach her by keeping her cloistered at home. She's really opened up to people in the poast few months and is learning to socialize with other children. She came home blowing kisses this week - talk about melting a mama's heart! - and she is really pushing to learn to walk since she sees the boys doing it at school.
When we get home around 5 each day, we play in the living room while we wait for Daddy to get home. Right now Abby's favorite thing to do is push things from the living room to the kitchen and back again...over and over! Although she has a baby doll stroller, little car, and scooter we specifically bought for this purpose, she would rather push chairs, boxes, and Ginger instead. Matt usually arrives home around 6pm - you should SEE her face light up when she sees her Daddy! - and we all have dinner. Abby gets into the big tub in our master bath around 7, where she splashes around for a good 15 minutes or so while I try to wash her slippery self, then we do pajamas. Matt alternately reads her Pajama Time or Goodnight Moon every night while we sit in the rocker and have our "Nigh-Nigh" bottle. Then down she goes until (hopefully) 7am...when we will start it all over again!
Is it routine? Yes. But I love it, and so does Abby, I think. We could continue this routine indefinitely, but something tells me that everything is about to change in 2-3 months' time. And it will be rough for a while - I'm completely expecting a mommy-meltdown for the first few months of having 2 under 2. But I think we'll fall into a new routine soon enough. And it will probably be even better.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monkey's Big Ultrasound
Matt couldn't be at the big ultrasound in August, so I asked the tech to keep the gender a secret and write it down on a piece of paper. That night, Matt, Abby, and I went to Olive Garden and opened the envelope. Then we got to tell Abby she is going to have a baby BROTHER! We are so excited about getting ready for a Sandlin boy - he will be the perfect addition to our little family!
Here are some shots from the big reveal. I tried to get Matt to let me post the money-shot, but he argues that the longer we can keep Monkey from exposing himself to the masses, the better!
(These are from 19 weeks:)
Here are some shots from the big reveal. I tried to get Matt to let me post the money-shot, but he argues that the longer we can keep Monkey from exposing himself to the masses, the better!
(These are from 19 weeks:)
Grow, Monkey, Grow!
23 Weeks pregnant:
Me and my Boo-Bear (23 Weeks):
27 Weeks pregnant:
After realizing I am entering 3rd Trimester...already....
Me and my Boo-Bear (23 Weeks):
27 Weeks pregnant:
After realizing I am entering 3rd Trimester...already....
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Happy Birthday, Gummybear!
Abby turned one at the end of August and we had a Ladybug party for her at the local park. It was so much fun and turned into an all-day event! She had such a great time eating her first bites of cake, playing with her cousins and friends, and opening her presents. Here are some pictures from the big day:
Cousins!!
Thinking about eating the cake off my daddy's fingers...
Cheesing it up for the camera:
4 Generations!
I love my Granny!
My first taste of cake!
Hey...What's going on??
Abby's 1st birthday cake - made by her Aunt Cheryl!
Abby and Kat:
Becca looking pretty as always:
Raine and Jake playing at the park:
Rebecca and Baby Ian - our Babytime friends!
Abby and her Mimi:
Gigi and Grandy soaking in the day:
The two lovebirds:
Cousins!!
Thinking about eating the cake off my daddy's fingers...
Cheesing it up for the camera:
4 Generations!
I love my Granny!
My first taste of cake!
Hey...What's going on??
Abby's 1st birthday cake - made by her Aunt Cheryl!
Abby and Kat:
Becca looking pretty as always:
Raine and Jake playing at the park:
Rebecca and Baby Ian - our Babytime friends!
Abby and her Mimi:
Gigi and Grandy soaking in the day:
The two lovebirds:
Caroline - Pretty in Pink:
Me and my grandparents!
Mary June and Brittany:
What do you mean Birthdays only come once a year??!
Me and my grandparents!
Mary June and Brittany:
What do you mean Birthdays only come once a year??!
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