Lake Livin'

Writing this post makes me a little sad because it's the last weekend that we were still pregnant and excited to be welcoming two new babies into the Hattenbach family (ours and my brothers).  I'm the oldest of all my cousins, and to be honest don't have much in common with them due to the large age gap.  So, being pregnant with Skye and having babies that close in age was exciting!
Anyways, onto our annual lake trip!   This year we headed to Cedar Creek Lake to meet my family.  Since the lake was so close to East Texas Gordon's parents even joined us for a day.  Besides it being really windy on Sunday the weather was beautiful.  The best part was the lake wasn't very crowded!    We had so much fun out on the water and just laying around the house relaxing, eating yummy food and playing games outside.  William is still talking about the jet ski rides he took with daddy and papa.  :)    

{Ready for a boat ride} {Going for a ride with Daddy} {Naptime}

{Fun with Papa} {Hanging with Nana} {Trying out Mama's shades}

{The gang} {So much fun!} {Big boy driving the boat with Uncle D} 

It's been kinda fun checking out different lakes in Texas!  Let me know if you have any recommendations.  We were thinking about LBJ next year.

Finally Football!

Football season is finally here!  And that folks, makes me HAPPY!  Two weeks ago we headed to West Texas to visit my family and our old stompin' ground.  The crazy West Texas weather really messed up the outfits I had picked for the weekend.  I planned on wearing a white sleeveless top but ended up wearing a long sleeve denim shirt with my dad's NorthFace.  When the game started it was 55 degrees out and cloudy.  Oh well.  That's what I get for being such a planner.

I can't really explain the feelings I have when I visit Lubbock.....excitement, regret, happiness...all in one!  I would say I regret a few of the decisions I made while I was in college.  I wish I'd been a little smarter.  I should've held onto a few of the guys I blew off and vice-versa.  BUT, if I had been smarter I know for a fact, I wouldn't have Gordon and William.  Gordon and I have so many fun memories at Tech.  Most years we end up sitting right below where we sat our first game together back in 2000.  It's fun to reminiscence and talk about the "what ifs".  We both agree we made the right decision to wait to date until after college.  Regardless, it's fun to talk/think about.

• Listening to some live music with Uncle D and Aunt Skye
• Safety First!!  He loves playing with the maltese puppies.
• Sunday Funday with his GG and Pop.
• Our little Red Raider family at Gardski's 
• Horse ride at Cagle's
• Sorority sister, roomie, and best friend!
• Enjoying a Flirtini at Cafe J's 
• The love of my life!  Wreck 'Em
• Crazy baby on a plane.

The weekend before our Tech visit was rough.  So, it was a breath of fresh air to be in the LBK.  We ate at some of my favorite places, we had lots of "us" time and we loved every minute of the cool weather.  

Win or Lose I love my Red Raiders.  Some of my favorite friends from college are coaching at Tech now.  I have so much respect for Kliff and will cheer him on as long as he's around......I will always cheer on Tech....and we will of course teach William about that too.   :)    

 

TCH guest blogger

This past week William was featured on the TCH home page.  There is nothing better than seeing his sweet face when I log onto my computer at work.   :)  This blog post is about the progress William has made since his NICU stay two years ago!    

I never thought I’d be able to forget the exhaustion that accompanied my son, William’s, four-week stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women in April 2012. William has reached so many exciting milestones since he left the NICU two years ago.

First Smiles!

The progress William has made between his first and second birthday still amazes me. At his first birthday, he wasn’t walking, he had no teeth and he had no interest in solid food. By his second birthday, he was a walking, talking, food-loving little toddler who finally had seven teeth.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t worry about him not being on the growth charts for so long and his speech being delayed compared to others his age. When William turned two years old, I had him evaluated by a speech therapist because he wasn’t saying 50 words. They told me what I had known deep down in my heart. He didn’t qualify. He was learning a little more every day. William was doing things on his own timeline and that’s okay.

William is his own person. He was a preemie who has made remarkable progress. All we can do is love him, teach him and encourage him. He has met all his milestones. A few were several months behind but he’s done it and that’s what matters. He can kick a ball, he repeats things he hears, he knows all his body parts, he plays make-believe and he’s more independent with each day that passes. We couldn’t be more pleased with his progress.

Although a NICU stay can be exhausting, there were several things that made it an awesome, positive experience. The car seat education program was priceless. I got to have a little baby for longer than most. The nurses were so informative and helped me perfect my “mom skills.” Gordon and I enjoyed going out to dinner a couple of times which most new parents don’t get to do (and we had the best babysitters in town!). Since William received donor breast milk while in the NICU, I knew I had to give back by donating myself!


His excitment and joy for life is priceless. 

 Gordon and I would love to add another little Gooding into our family.If we are ever blessed enough to welcome another baby into the world, we will be more prepared for a NICU stay. It won’t be easy but being a parent never is. Every NICU family has a different story. Some are harder than others. I try to always put things into perspective. Find the silver lining. My motto is: You have to embrace all the days, good and bad. In their own unique way they are very precious moments. It may not be what you envisioned but sometimes that’s okay.

Rosemary Beach 2014 Part 2

Every year a conversation comes up about where our annual Gooding vacation should be....and every year the "Gooding kids" give the same answer, Rosemary Beach.  We've all fallen in love with this quaint little town at the end of 30A.  There's not much traffic, you can walk or ride your bike to any where you want to go, it's quiet, the beach is beautiful and it's family friendly.  We love everything about Rosemary Beach!

We pretty much stuck to our normal places to eat/drink but did try out a couple of new places.  One night we hired a nanny service (Nanny Can) to watch the little man.  We had the best adult night out!  We started the night out with drinks at The Pearl.  This hotel is beautiful with breathtaking views of the ocean.  It would be the perfect place to stay with your hubby for a long weekend.  This year we got to enjoy a concert in the park.  Well, Gordon and I didn't since we were out on a date, but William and the rest of the family did!  William loves guitars and music so he was in heaven!  Apparently, he danced the night away.  :)

Here are some links to places to check out in Rosemary Beach (that I didn't post last year).

The Pearl- new hotel, perfect place for happy hour
Paradis- great restaurant for adult night out, the Sriracha margarita is to die for!
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt- William went here everyday with his grandparents
The Donut Hole- new restaurant with more than just donuts
Sugar Shak- we spent a lot of time here this year.....being the only grandchild is rough for William :)

William was a HUGE fan of his bike seat.  He would tell us he wanted to go for a ride and would point to his head (he knew he had to wear the helmet).  If it was up to William (and me), we'd live at the beach all year long.  What's not to like?  Sun, bike rides, playing in the water, sand castles, lots of ice cream eating, going to the candy store everyday, and getting loved on by his family all day long.  Our reservations are already made for next year.....we can hardly wait for May 2015!!!!!

Summer Reading Review

Back in May I did a post about a few of the books I wanted to read over the summer.  Since I was studying for my CPHON exam in May I didn't get to start reading until June.  I started off with book #1, by Emily Giffin.  I liked it alot!  It was right up my alley.  There were characters from my hometown, Midland, it was based in Texas, there was lots of talk about the Big 12 and there was a sweet, unexpected love story.  If you love girly books and you like football this is the book for you.

From there I got a little side tracked.....because of this......

Book #5 on my list.  Divergent.  To say I fell in love with this book is an understatement.  A bit obsessed may be a little more appropriate.  I didn't start reading this one until the end of August.....I didn't read much in July.  Moving to working 5 days a week really threw me for a loop and then I was super tired in the evening with baby #2.  Over labor day weekend I couldn't put Divergent down.  I finished it in less than a week and then insisted we watch the movie when we got home from the lake on Labor Day evening.  I watched it for the second time the night before my surgery.  This story line, the characters and the love story have kept my mind busy and happy over the last 2 weeks!!!

Since Labor Day weekend I have finished Insurgent and Allegiant.  I can't say enough how great these books are.  I was and am a huge Twilight fan.  Same goes for The Hunger Games.  But, I'm going to have to say Divergent is my favorite.  Why?  Tris and Tobia's love for each other.  They respect each other, hold each other accountable, and most importantly they make each other better.  When I was struggling with my own love life a close physician friend told me I'd know I'd found "the one" when they made me a better person.  He couldn't have been more right.  Before Gordon this wasn't the case.  The guys I dated before him, if anything, made me worse.  Less ambitious, less driven, etc, etc.  Gordon made me want to do better, be better, be healthier, take better care of myself, take care of him....you get the point.  So, reading about Tris and Tobia's love made me so happy.  I couldn't read fast enough and yet I didn't want the books to ever end.  It was a real love.  They made each other better, they built each other up.

Here are a few of my favorite paragraphs from the third book, Allegiant:

"I used to think that when people fell in love, they just landed where they landed, and they had no choice in the matter afterward.  And maybe that's true of beginnings, but it's not true of this, now.  
I fell in love with him.  But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me.  I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other.  I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me."
"Just as I have insisted on his worth, he has always insisted on my strength, insisted that my capacity is greater than I believe.  And I know, without being told, that's what love does, when it's right-it makes you more than you were, more than you thought you could be."  

Needless to say, I'll be at the theater on opening night to see Insurgent.  March 2015 can't come soon enough!!!!  It doesn't hurt that Tobias is played by one of the prettiest human beings on the planet, Theo James.  Once I'm done reading Four, by Veronica Roth, I guess I'll have to move onto my original "summer reading" list!
 

4th Annual RB Vacation

FiNaLLy!!!  I've finally gone through the 200 pictures we took while we were in Rosemary Beach back in May.  I'm sure Gordon and William are sick of my picture taking but I doubt I'll be changing any time soon.  The memories are too precious!

We had the best week in Rosemary Beach for the 4th annual Gooding Beach Vacation.  I was so much more relaxed this year.....knock on wood....things with William are getting easier in so many ways.  William's first year to the beach was hard just because he was so tiny and I was having to pump every three hours.  As soon as I would finish up and get down to the beach it was nearly time to head back up.  Last year was better but still not as easy as this year.  There was a lot of sand eating last year and he actually preferred to be at the house pool playing instead of the beach.  This year was perfect!  William loved the sand, by the fifth day he was mesmerized by the ocean, his grandparents spoiled him with ice cream everyday, Gordon and I got lots of us time and we all got much needed R&R.

As you can see, William became quite the beach baby!  He played, played and played some more.  We would usually head down to the beach an hour after breakfast.  William would play for an hour, eat a squeezy pouch, we'd go for a walk, he'd have another little snack, play for a little bit more and then we'd head up for lunch and naptime.  During that time Gordon and I had 2 -3 hours of peaceful beach time.  

We even went crabbing one night.  William still talks about the crab that bit his daddy's finger.  He says, "da beach, daddy, OUCH!" when he sees a picture of a crab.  The Gooding guys spent most of there days playing games on the beach.  William was pretty interested in the bean bag toss game.  

• Brandon and Ashley did a fabulous job, as usual, on the fish fry and shrimp boil dinners we had a home!
• William loved going on bike rides.
• Checking Aly Beach out with Daddy.
• My little man. 
• This. Melts. My. Heart.
• Playing with Uncle Grant. 
• Taking it all in with Aunt Em. 
• Those baby blues will get ya!
• Dinner at George's. 

Rosemary Beach is a little piece of Heaven on Earth!!  {more pics coming tomorrow}

The Unexpected

Gordon and I recently added two more dates to our “memory bank”.  July 25^th and September 2^nd.  July 25^th was a happy day.  It’s the day we found out we were expecting baby #2.  September 2^nd , on the other hand, was a day filled with heartbreak and tears.  It’s the day we learned that the second life we created together we would never get to meet.  That precious little spirit had already found its place in Heaven. 

Over the last week I've contemplated writing this post.  Obviously, I decided to share this news….and for a couple of reasons.  This may be a sad chapter in our book but it’s still a chapter.  It’s our story.  For six weeks we were filled with anticipation and excitement.  The second reason for sharing this post is for awareness.  To think that another women going through a similar situation could read this post…and potentially find comfort makes it worth while.

 

I’m a pretty literal person.  I like making lists.  I like weighing out the pros and cons of situations that occur in my life.  Most of the time I’m very realistic and maybe a little too blunt.  As hard as this past week has been, as sad as I am, this is what the realistic Lindsey thinks….

• ·         God has a plan for me and my family.  This child, for whatever reason, was not a part of            our plan. 
• ·         A healthy baby is what we pray for. 
• ·         10-25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage and 80% occur before the 12th week.  
• after seeing a heartbeat your chances decrease to 5%
• ·         The leading cause of miscarriage is chromosome abnormalities.
• ·         I have a beautiful healthy little boy.  As much as I’d love to have another child….if he's the only child we have I am beyond blessed and so very very very thankful for him. 

With all of that being said.  I. Am. Sad.  Much sadder than I would have ever imagined.  But, it could be worse.  It can always be worse.  Just think about what my profession is.  

Here’s baby #2’s story…..I knew I could possibly be pregnant.  On July 25^th I woke up at 3:30am and knew I couldn't wait a minute longer to find out.  Into the bathroom I went with a fancy digital test.  I laid back in bed and watched the hour glass flash on the screen.  And then there it was.  PREGNANT.  A huge smile was plastered on my face the rest of the day.   That morning the three of us had a special Friday morning breakfast at the donut shop.  Since I had made a special dinner when I told Gordon about William I wanted to do the same for baby #2.  That evening little William handed his daddy the positive test.  Gordon’s eyes lit up.  A week later we had our first doctor appointment and over the next 3 weeks we told our families (all in person).  Besides a few food aversions and feeling really tired I didn’t feel very pregnant.  I even mentioned this to the doctor at our 7 weeks appointment.  I tend to be a little pessimistic about things like this but my anxiety was replaced by excitement when we saw the flashing heartbeat on August 19^th.  144 beats per minute (William's had been 140 at this stage).  Due date would be April 5, 2015.  A few days later I got to see baby on the big screen again.  It was my first appointment with the Maternal Fetal doctor.  The plan was to see him regularly to monitor baby and to help make a decision about surgery (cerclage placement).  The babies growth was still on track and he/she had a nice heartbeat.  We found out at this visit that I had originally been pregnant with twins. { I've always dreamed of having twins….can’t say my body would be able to handle it.  God knows best. } I finally felt more confident in this pregnancy.  I let myself start planning and thinking about our future with two little ones.  Labor day weekend we told my brother and SIL.  They are due with their first baby on March 30^th (just 6 days before us!).  On September 2^nd I headed into the med center for my fourth doctor’s appointment.  Based on the measurements, the baby had probably made its way to Heaven soon after my appointment on August 22^nd.  The hardest part was being alone and having to call Gordon.  I had surgery several days later that went well.  I can’t say enough how wonderful my friends and family have been through all of this.  They've made a terrible week bearable. 

7 weeks: Baby on left side; Empty sack on right

Baby #2 was created out of pure love so our hearts are heavy.  April 5, 2015, Easter day, will not pass without a tear or two.  I wish I knew what’s ahead of us….. if this will happen again.  But that’s not for me to worry about.  All I can do is pray, be thankful for what I have, be grateful for the physician/nurses that have cared for me recently (TCH Women’s Pavilion rocks!) and feel very blessed for getting through surgery, recovering well and having an awesome support system.  I’m a lucky girl. 

Sometimes our timing isn't His timing.  Jeremiah 29:11

Moving On Up

Our little man is growing like a weed!!  I feel like he's changed more over the past 6-12 months than he did in his first 18 months of life.  When he moved from the baby nursery to the toddler room last year he was still such a baby.....just barely starting to walk.  Now, he's a walking, talking, energizer bunny that steals another piece of my heart every. single. day.

Here are the many faces of William.  #1 Mr. Serious  #2 Happy Little Man  #3  Silly  

#4  "What It Is?"  Always so curious.  

His outfit was a little too small so we just wore it for the photo op.  William moved from room 3 to room 4 on August 25, 2014.  Luckily, one of his favorite teachers, Ms. Nora, moved up with him.  It's made the transition easier for both of us.  He is such a big boy now!  We have started working on potty training and in his new room he drinks from a "normal" cup.  Good thing we keep a change of clothes at school.  :)  

It's amazing what can change in 12 months.  I can't decide if I want to cry or smile when I see this picture.  So I do both.  :)  Miss my little baby but so in love with my big boy who makes me laugh every day.