My First Mother's Day

Sleep? Is the Best. Mother's Day Gift. Ever.
We went to Chattanooga to see my mom. Dawson, for some reason, decided to play bashful when his Gran was holding him! It was a very relaxing, low-key day...just what I think everyone needed (as you can tell by Jason rubbing his eyes in the background)!

My mom gave me a really neat journal for my first Mother's Day. It asks questions that you answer so that your kiddies will know more about you, and what you were like growing up. I loved it!

The "I" Profiles

I've been tagged by my bestest Meagan to complete the following...

I am...happiest when I'm productive and busy.
I think...that it takes guts and courage to be a mom.
I know...that I would be nothing without my family.
I wish...that life would slow down.
I hate...manipulation, insincerity, selfishness.
I miss...my grandmothers and my papaw.
I fear...those I love not knowing how much I do.
I feel...loving is an action, not something you just say.
I hear...Dawson breathing.
I crave...the tanning bed. And chocolate. And the ocean.
I wonder...what Dawson will be when he grows up.
I love...my family, my friends, my job.
I ache...when I think about Jason going overseas.
I care...for a hand-made card more than a store-bought one.
I always...wear lipstick.
I am not...in a good mood if I don't drink Diet Coke and listen to Elvis. Every. Single. Day.
I sing...to Dawson in Spanish.
I cry...in private.
I don't always...say what I think.
I write...for fun now. It wasn't fun when I did it for a living.
I win...when I get clients the house they want.
I lose...when I think negatively of myself.
I never...think my house is clean enough.
I listen...to friends when they need to talk.
I am scared of...the day when Dawson says "It's ok, Mama...I can do it without you."
I need...my husband's hugs.
I hope...I'm the kind of mom my son thinks I am.
I tag....Rosie and Amanda.

Dawson is Four Months Old!

As a gentleman of leisure, Master Fletcher enjoys traveling....
...catching up on the latest novel....
and sampling the finest of cuisine!


Dawson is growing SO FAST!! He can hold is head up wonderfully, rolls from his tummy to his back and grasps objects and brings them to his mouth; he laughs out loud all of the time, and smiles constantly. He LOVES to eat...his favorite is bananas! Dawson is very laid-back and good-natured - he doesn't mind when I cart him to the office and he loves being passed around and loved on. We are very, very proud!

One Year Ago Today...

...I found out I was pregnant!

This is a picture of me at Dr. Wesley's office on cloud nine! We had just been told that my blood test was positive and I was so excited because I thought I already had a little "tummy." Heh. Um, really? Someone should have so told me, "Yeah, sweetie? That little pooch you've got goin' on? Is gas. And water retention. You haven't even begun to see what a 'tummy' is."

We left Dr. Wesley's office and headed straight for our 3-year anniversary mini-vacay in the Smokies. Had you looked inside our car careening down I-40, you would've seen two very excited people not saying anything to each other; both, rather, on their cell phones, either talking or texting, telling everyone and their third cousin that they were "pregnant, dude...really pregnant!!!"

I remember being SO HUNGRY on the way to the bed and breakfast...I inhaled TWO roast beef sandwiches, a bag of M&M's, a large Sprite and a chocolate milk. And that was just between Lebanon and Crossville. Nevermind that it came back up the next morning.

The hardest part of our trip (besides feeling like my toes were going to come out of my esophagus)? Not telling my mom and dad about the baby. Sunday would be Mother's Day, and I just had to wait until then. What could be a better Mother's Day gift?

The Tiniest Warrior

What progressed into a dark day eventually turned into a bright twilight as Brooke went from terribly bad to a little better yesterday.

At 2 p.m., doctors were unsure that she would live until the end of the day. My aunt called my mom, who works near the hospital, asking her to please go there to be with Brooke in case she and my uncle couldn't make it in time.

At 5 p.m., my dad called to let me know that she although she was back on a ventilator, Brooke was opening her eyes. Here is an update, posted by a family friend on Erlanger's CarePage website:

"I just talked to Leatha. Brooke is 'a little less unstable'. She was laughing and she even grabbed Jeff's lip. The doctors are baffled, but God has baffled many a doctor in the past I am sure. Brooke is not out of the woods. So we will have to just keep praying for God to work a miracle. We will give him all the glory! I will keep the updates coming as I get them. "

Please continue to pray for Brooke and my aunt and uncle. It is amazing the power that prayer has, and how quickly just one request for intercession can transform into a life-changing chain of hope. How thankful I am for friends who, after just one text message, not only begin praying, but ask people at their work, homes and even the ballfield to pray.

I believe that situations like this teach us faith, humbleness and how to see God's love even in the most trying of times. I believe that those who we see as sick babies, cancer patients and the elderly man in a wheelchair are really warriors that God uses to challenge us and make us more dependant upon Him.

Miracles happen; every life is an example of one. And it will take a miracle to save this tiniest of warriors.

So, This Baby Walks Into a Bar...

...and says "Aay, sweedhaahht....gimme a shot o' your top shelf milk, ya know, the good stuff...

"...yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about....that was good! Gimme anudah..."

In the Army Now

Our Hero and the Littlest Patriot
Becoming Decorated
Two Generations of Service
The Proudest Family

It's official: our Jason is now a soldier in the United States Army!

On Friday, MTSU ROTC held its annual commissioning ceremony in which cadets are promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant and officially commissioned by the Army. They receive a certificate, coin, and medals; the medals are pinned on by family members. It's also a tradition in our Army that newly commissioned second lieutenants present a silver dollar to the first enlisted soldier who salutes them. The coin symbolically acknowledges the receipt of respect due the new rank and position. The first enlisted enlisted soldier to salute Jason was our grandfather (he served in Japan at the end of WW II), and in turn, Jason gave him a silver dollar. Tears!!!!

My parents, Brandon, Krystal's mom and step-dad, and Jason and Krystal's close friends were there to celebrate his success. We are all so proud of him!