Friday's mail

Matt is home sick today. Parker officially has bronchiolitis, and Matt was lucky enough to catch it from him. Thankfully, it only resulted in a yucky cold for Matt.

All that to say, though, is that we were both home when the mail arrived. Matt went out to get it and brought in a free sample of formula from Enfamil. I just thought it was another offer since Parker's arrival. However, after looking more closely, Matt realized that it was Enfamil Next Step for "our toddler." And then it hit me...we got this free formula because if we had not miscarried, our first baby would almost be one year old.

Wow.

Matt and I were both a little shell-shocked when it hit us. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine my life any other way. But there was a time when I dreamed that it could be different. That we hadn't miscarried. That we had a baby in our arms last June.

But then I look at Parker and know that if there had been no miscarriage, there would have been no Parker. Actually, there probably would have been a Parker, but not this Parker. Not this wonderful, sweet, precious Parker that we are so blessed to have in our life.

I am thankful for God's plan for my life. And I'm thankful for this small reminder of it today. That even when it doesn't make sense, or doesn't seem fair, or fun, or exciting, that He is in control. And I can rest in that.

Orange for Stellan

Parker and I are sporting some orange today to show our support of Stellan as he undergoes heart surgery. Check it all out at www.mycharmingkids.net.

Monday Ramblings

So, it's Monday, and I am at home because there is a congested little boy lying on the couch next to me. I know I am home 3 days a week, but it feels different because I should be at work today. And there is definitely stuff to do as summer is quickly approaching.

Parker is super congested and coughing a ton. I hate seeing my baby sick. This morning, when Matt was feeding him at 6:00, Parker was having an awful time eating. We were only able to get about 2.5 ounces in him, and then he threw it all up. He was hungry, but just couldn't keep any breastmilk/formula down. I called into the nurse at the hospital and after suggesting everything we had done/were doing, she told us to go into the doctor. So, off to the doctor Parker and I went. Fortunately, the congestion is all in his head and not in his lungs. But the doctor said it would probably take about a week for this to play out. Ugh.

In good news, though, Matt and I are having a fun time planning for our fifth anniversary. We are looking forward to Friday, May 15th, when we will spend the night in a hotel in Austin while my parents watch the Park-man. We were able to book the Hyatt Regency on Town Lake in downtown off of Priceline. I was really nervous bidding for a hotel without knowing which one we would get, but I am really excited about the Hyatt! And it's funny because Matt and I are talking about all the things we want to do that night/next day and the list is getting quite long. Right now: a movie, clothes shopping for our trimmer figures, couples massage, and lots of good food! :)

OK - there. Another blog this month! I think I didn't blog as much because I wanted each blog to be meaningful and purposeful, not just a lot of random stuff about our everyday life. But if I wait for that, then we could be waiting a long time (as witnessed before).

Well...

Well...looks like I really stink at this whole blog thing. I kept on putting off updating my blog because there was TOO much to say. Does that even make sense? Oh well. I'm going to ignore the urge to write a novel about these past two months, and just try to be better about updating as things happen. We shall see.

It is funny to read my last post over two months ago. I was anticipating the birth of this little boy, but I had no idea who he was. And now he is laying here on the couch with me and I can't believe that he was the one in my belly for over 9 months. I knew that motherhood would be new and exciting and scary and all that fun stuff. But, then again, did I really understand how absolutely life-changing the birth of Parker Allen Dugan would be? No.

The first two weeks of Parker's life I was beyond overwhelmed. And, honestly, there were times when I thought, "What in the world have I gotten myself into?" But now I can't remember life without him and am thankful for that. He is the happiest, sweetest, most laid-back baby. I am so excited to see what each new day brings with this little boy.

And, now, a super precious picture of Parker on Easter Sunday.