A new beginning...

Well, I am no longer an employee of my former employer. And since that's about as clear as mud, let me rephrase it... I lost my job last Tuesday.



It's not like it wasn't expected... my company announced in January there would be layoffs sometime this year, and it finally happened! That in itself was a blessing. Now, the only question I have is what to do next? And isn't that a good question?



I wish I knew the answer to it! There are a million different things that I want to try, so this news is both exciting and frightning. I'm definitely going to persue a teaching career, but I also want to explore the possibility of selling my artwork and designs. It's exciting because this is a new beginning. I had a very stressful job... or at least it was for me... but the money was great. Greater than great. But since it's gone, we have a large amount to make up for in our budget... and there in lies the frightning part of it.



Last night at church, we had a visiting preacher who's sermon was on faith. (Isn't it funny how God sends these things to you right when you need it?) More specifically, faith when you are put in an uncomfortable situation. His Biblical example was when Jesus told the disciples "Go to the other side" when they were perfectly happy to stay where they were. If this wasn't enough, the pastor even cited job loss as an example we might face. Believe me, I was perfectly happy to stay where I was, but now, God has nudged me and told me to "Go to the other side". The preacher explained... like he was reading my mind... that it's not so much the "other side" but what's on the other side that we have a problem with. What was on the other side for the disciples was a demonic possessed man, whom Christ healed. What's on the other side for me? Well, that remains to be seen.



Isn't it so much easier to say, "have faith, God will take care of you" when others face adversity versus when you are met with your own problems? It really is... Satan loves to take those opportunities to place seeds of doubt in your mind. But you have to stay strong... I have to stay strong in my faith. Romans 8:38-39 says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That is so comforting to know... no matter how bad things may get, I'll never be separated from God's love. So, really, if that's the case, things can never be that bad, right?



1 Corinthians 1:9 says that "God is faithful". I've seen that in my own life. The last year and a half hasn't been good. My husband lost his job, we lost another pregnancy, there have been several family issues I won't go into, and chroninc sickness with another family member, and to top it off, I've now lost my job. But GOD IS FAITHFUL. Always has been, always will be.

Start spreadin' the news...

For our 5 year anniversary we took a trip to the Big Apple! We dined at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, Mario Batalli's Otto (not impressed), and had the BEST blueberry pancakes in the world at the Clinton Street Baking Company! We also went to the last home game for the Knicks where we saw Spike Lee and witnessed the first Yankee win in their awesome new stadium! Other highlights included seeing Alyssa Milano at the NBA store! We had a great time!

Peter Cottontail and Huntin' Eggs!

Over Easter Weekend, our church had an Easter egg hunt. Preston had a GREAT time!! He even found several eggs! Of course it was hard talking him into putting them into the basket! He wanted to hold all of the ones he found! On Easter we had wonderful worship time at church and a great lunch at my mom's. Afterwards we all had a great Easter nap! ha!

First trip to the zoo!

Over Easter weekend (yes, I know that was like 3 months ago... like I said, time flies!) we went to the Memphis zoo. Preston had a great time even though it was COLD (and speaking of, why, in Mississippi, is it hot at Halloween and cold at Easter??). He couldn't quite understand why he had to stay in his stroller the whole time though and he had a couple of tantrums to tell us he wasn't real happy with it! But overall, it was great! He LOVED the pandas, elephants, and polar bears!

More birthday celebrations

The actual day of Preston's birthday, his Mimi (my mom) and I took cupcakes to all of the kids at his daycare. Pam had everything decorated and too cute. All the kids loved the cupcakes! Justin was out of town, so when he came home later in the week, we took Preston to Chuck E Cheese. I think he's a little too young for the concept of Chuck E Cheese? But he had fun doing laps.. and I mean laps.. around the restaurant and we were worn out after chasing him!!

Monkey Business...

I am soooo late getting these up, but these are from the birthday party! We all had a great time and P made no secret of how old he was (can you say terrible 2's?)! He even got put in time out during opening presents b/c he threw a shoe at me! And since he is our monkey, what better theme than a monkey one!!

New blog...

Hey y'all... I decided to start another blog about nothing in particular really. Just a place where I can get on my soapbox! Since this is our "family" blog, I didn't think it was appropriate for me to vent about different things when most of y'all just want to see pictures of Preston... and I can't blame you... have you seen how cute he is? Anyway, if you're interested in my rants or just curious, hop on over to southernbellesoapbox.blogspot.com! See y'all there! Oh, and PS, proceed with caution! ha!

God is sooo good

So, I realize that I haven't updated everyone on everything with the d and c and I apologize. It amazes me how time flies by!

My 10th week of pregnancy, we finally had a d and c. This was such a blessing two ways... at that point in the pregnancy, there was no hope of any fetal development, so we were sure that it was "safe" to do a d and c w/o compromising the health or development of a baby. Secondly, when my dr. was performing the procedure, he said that I had already started to dialate, so I would have had a natural miscarriage that week. Having the d and c saved me a lot of pain. I am so grateful to God for His mercy in allowing the d and c to take place and not allowing me to suffer physically after the emotional rollercoaster we had been on. The dr. said that we could start trying 6 wks. after the procedure and that was several weeks ago, but I think we're going to wait a while. The pregnancy was a very big surprise in the first place, so we're going to try and be less surprised this time... if you know what I mean! ha!

Still no word yet on my job! Had a meeting this week and our ABD (boss's boss) said his best guess... and that's what it is, a guess... is that we have about 100 days until we find out whether or not we have a job and about 6 weeks to make our numbers look good! Keep praying!

So here's what's going on...

Last Thursday I had a sonogram done because I had been having some cramping... not with any spotting, but it was really, really uncomfortable...basically since conception. What was found was a 7cm cyst on my left ovary(about the size of a lemon), an enlarged ovary (close to 9cm), and an empty yolk sac. There aren't really any worries about the ovary and cyst right now, but about the empty yolk sac. My uterus was measuring 7wks., which is how far along I was with the pregnancy. So, after my dr. reviewed it, he decided to basically put me on bed rest until this past Monday when I had another sonogram.

When we did that sonogram, the same thing was there... an empty yolk sac. My doctor re-examined me and said that things are progressing along with my body the way that they should for me to be 8 wks. pregnant, except the empty sac. He said that it could be a possible blighted ovum, but he wanted to wait and see. I'm going to explain a blighted ovum to you the way he explained it to me... stick with it, b/c it makes a lot of sense... The term blighted is related to corn crops, i.e., a blighted crop. What that is is when you go and plant your crop and the stalks come up, and everything looks perfect until you go to harvest and there is no corn on the stalk. Same thing here... everything looks perfect, I appear to be pregnant, my body thinks I'm pregnant until you look at the yolk sac and there's nothing there. Basically, the sperm fertilized the egg, created the yolk sac, but the cells never began splitting, hence, there's no baby.

So where do we go from here? Well, right now it's just a waiting game. I am off bed rest and able to work, so that's good. I have a Godly doctor and I praise Jesus for that. He wants to wait to do a D and C (which is what I feel will probably happen) just in case there is a one in a million chance that something could develop. This is actually an answered prayer. I had Googled my symptoms and read about a blighted ovum and that D and C's are usually necessary, but at the same time, there were women on message boards who said that they had been diagnosed with a blighted ovum, and then something developed the next week. Since reading this, I've been scared to death that I would have a blighted ovum, a D and C would be done pre maturely, and I would spend the rest of my life wondering "what if". On a side note, I think internet access should be illegal for anyone who is experiences medical issues... scary.

The bad part is, I continue to have pregnancy symptoms (morning sickness, fatigue, tenderness, etc.) but know I won't reap the reward. Overall, we are doing really well. We had a miscarriage before becoming pregnant with our sweet baby boy... had that never happened, we wouldn't have Preston. Sure, we'd have a baby, but it wouldn't be Preston, and I can't imagine my life without my precious little man.

God is faithful. Romans 8:28 says: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." We have no doubt that this is in His divine plan. We choose not to ask why, but rather try to just be patient and still and allow His will to work in our family.

We are blessed beyond measure. We have wonderful family, friends, and church who have been more than amazing during all of this. Y'all have no idea what all of your comments, texts, emails, calls, etc. have meant to us... and especially the prayers... keep praying, we have been comforted by them. Thank you so much! We'll keep you updated with what is going on and when we can expect some closure. Thanks again.


This translation is from the Message... it really hit home for me:

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Romans 8:26-28 The Message.

We're pregnant!!

I'm sure most of you know by now, but we are pregnant!! Due December 5th!

It's been a while...

Yes... I know it has, so I'm going to try and catch you up instead of giving you my excuses... all, which are legitimate of course! ha!

Parties parties everywhere!!

Preston was invited to his first two "friend" birthday parties! He had a ton of fun! Both of the boys are in P's Sunday School class.

The first party was Kenny's. The highlight from this party was our child actually putting his hand in the birthday cake as "Happy Birthday" was being sung and candles were being blown out... great. See that blurry hand in the bottom left corner... well, that would be none other than our precious P!

It was held at the church gym and they had this "roller coaster" thing. All of the kids loved it... including P!! Check out the pictures!

The second party was a "Bob the Builder" party. It was so cute! There was tape put up to make the house look like a construction site and all the kids got plastic "hard hats". Didn't take as many pictures at this party because Preston was in a "let me put my hand in the cake" kind of mood... thankfully he didn't! But I did get this one PRECIOUS picture of our little builder!

So let me just say that these mom's are BRAVE!!! I mean, there were a lot of 2 year olds at these parties, and I've got to give it to them, they kept everything in control!! I, however, don't think we'll be having friend parties for a while... maybe until he's 4!

DON'T HIT!!!! DON'T THROW!!!!

Could I please just get a recording of me saying that to play?? Those are his two big ways of acting out... and this precious picture is the EXACT look he has right before he does one of those two things. Wanna take a guess as to what happened after I took this picture??

Snap Snap!

Preston is fascinated with snapping. Whenever Justin or I snap our fingers, he tries his hardest and sometimes has both hands... just in case one hand can do it and the other can't... I guess! Anyway, here he is, trying to snap his little heart out!

Forks and Lemons

He is so stubborn... Preston has discovered utensils and is determined to let them only be used by him... well, when he's eating anyway. The problem with that is is that half the time... no, check that... 3/4 of the time, there is no food on his spoon or fork when it finally makes it to his mouth. Now, I'm sure this is normal and all, but Preston would rather starve and not eat if he can't do it himself!!! ha!

Now this is my favorite... Justin has been infamous for giving his nieces and nephews lemons when they are little just to see their face. So, would it be any different for his own son? Well, of course not!! Here's Preston's first look at a lemon!

Big blue eyes...

I took this sometime last month, and I can't get over how beautiful our sweet baby boy's eyes are!! I've got brown and Justin has green (although they change), and P ended up with these pretty things...

SNOW!!!!! in MARCH!!!!

So, March came in with SNOW!!! Couldn't believe it!! And neither could P! He was so cute! He just walked around looking at the ground... specifically his feet walking in the snow...

It's Britney...

And if you know her, you know the rest of that phrase... and if you know me, you know I HEART Brit Brit!! Seriously, it's a problem, I know! But I just can't help myself! She's a Southern girl, just a year or two older than me... and I'm totally addicted to her music! If I'm in a bad mood, put Brit on, and I'm better... if I'm sad, put Brit on, I'm better... if I need driving music, put Brit on... if I'm cleaning my house (please hold the snickering to a minimum), put Brit on... if I'm changing P's diaper, well, you get the idea.

Anyway, since she's been going through her rough patch, I said to everyone that when she came back (because I knew she would) I would have to go... to a concert... and I did, but not just any concert... THE concert... the first one that propelled her back into the forefront of pop!!! And positive media! ha! So, here are some of the less scandalous of the Brit Brit pics!!! And following are the lyrics to a song about Britney by Bebo Norman (a Christian artist). The song sums up how I feel about her (specifically the 2nd verse)... just want to fix her I guess...

Oh, and before you see them, can I just say that I was in shock that there were mothers there with their 12 year olds?!?! I mean, really?? You could have taken a 12 year old to see Britney like 10 years ago, but not now... seriously... what part of the last year have these moms missed out on? The shaving the head part, or the locking herself in the bathroom with her child part? Anyway... I'm not 12, I wasn't with a 12 year old... and it was AWESOME and I love her!!

Britney im sorry for the lies we told
we took you into our arms and then left you cold
Britney im sorry for this cruel cruel world
we sell the beauty but destroy the girl
Britney im sorry for your broken heart
we stood aside and watched you fall apart
im sorry we told you fame would fill you up
and money moves the man so drink the cup

I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
you never see it coming back
i know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
but i can see it coming back for you
yes coming back for you

Britney im sorry for the stones we throw
we tear you down just so we can watch the show
Britney im sorry for the words we say
we point the finger as you fall from grace

I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
you never see it coming back
and i know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
but i can see it coming back for you
Yeah, its coming back for you,
yeah, its coming back for you,
yeah, its coming back for you,

yeah Britney i do believe that love has come
here for the broken
here for the ones like us

I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
you never see it coming back
and i know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
but i can see it coming back
I know love goes around the world we know
and you never see it coming back
you never see it coming back

i can see it coming back for you
Its coming back for you... yeah

Well...

that should do it for now... I know, I'm terrible, but things are busy around the Griffin household!! Hope you will forgive me!?!?!

Poor baby!

Several weeks ago, sweet baby slipped on our new hardwood floors and hit a really hard plastic toy... eye first. After a trip to see the dr... just to be sure he hadn't really hurt himself... we were fully expecting a visit from Child Protective Services. Luckily, they didn't show... but after looking at these, you'll know why we thought they would...

He wanted to eat the ice pack instead of putting on his eye...

The next day, it was swollen shut. This is when we went to the dr.

This is the toy he fell on... face first and full speed.A couple of days later... I think it turned every color in the rainbow and there is still a hint of what happened left on his sweet face. Hopefully it will all go away one day!

First Haircut!

Sweet man got his first haircut! He is so funny! I love these pictures... especially the ones of him staring at Justin like: PUT THE CAMERA DOWN AND HELP ME!!!! The best part was that he slapped Courtney (the girl that cut his hair) the second he met her! Well, it wasn't the best for her, but it was funny! He's so laid back and calm, but he just knew something was up with her! ha! Before:

ch-ch-ch-changes

So, I can't figure out how to have a cute blog AND all of the fun stuff on here... I'm slowly trying to figure it out, so I'm asking for patience please!

other changes... Pfizer has decided to buy the company I work for. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing yet, but we'll see. God has a plan! The shareholders of my company will vote on April 23 to decide if they will allow the merger to take place. I should know more then! Until that time, please pray for us. This is the 3rd time in 2 years that my company has had a layoff and of course you all remember that Justin lost his job last year (although God provided an AMAZING job that he loves now!). My prayer is that God will put me where He wants me to be doing His work. If that's at Pfizer, then great, if it's not, that's great too.

Happy New Diet... I mean, year!!

So, 'tis the season to diet!! And I'm really on one... as I'm sure the rest of the world is too. But it's different this time... I PROMISE! See the little ticker right above here? Well, that's my weight loss tracker. I'm thinking that maybe if I put it up here for all the world to see, it may make me stay on it... you know, some sort of accountability thing. Anyway, I'm very well aware that 70 lbs. is a lofty goal, but I'm determined... and I know it will take a while, but I was going through some old pictures the other night, and I miss my body! The pre-baby, pre-feeding-drs.-offices-everyday body! And I've decided to take it back! I had joined weight watchers before Thanksgiving and had lost 7lbs. by my birthday, but evidently, birthday+Christmas+new years= 7lbs... who knew? So, alas, I'm back at square one.. .which seems to be the story of my dieting life! But NOT this time. I've even discussed things with my dr... and not just one I call on... my for real dr. during an appointment. So, please pray for me... pray for Justin (I get pretty cranky if I'm not losing and/or depriving myself of things I love)... pray for my energy and will power to work out and make healthy eating choices, and pray for my health. I just want to be healthy! Of course looking better would be nice too!! And to let you see what my goal will take me to, just feast your eyes on the hottie below! haha!