Casey and Lauren Coats

Too Cute!

2012-02-03T15:27:00.003-06:00

This was just too cute not to post. Sawyer eating Lil Crunchies and then saying "bye bye" today during lunch (don't worry, she didn't just have a snack--first she had pears!). She is 9 1/2 months old and getting so big. I love it. :)

Ps. Yep, she is still in her pjs at lunch. We had a nice relaxing rainy morning and neither of us left our pjs until around 1pm. :)

New SAHM Realization

2012-02-02T00:02:00.001-06:00

One thing I've noticed on particularly busy/exhausting days is that when I have a moment to spare I often have to pick between sleep, food, or a shower, but somehow I forgo all three and end up watching tv.

So please forgive me for the dirty hair and dark circles. Sometimes even crawling in bed requires too much effort.

Ps. for those of you who aren't in the SAHM circles...the acronym stands for "stay at home mom".

Birthday Twins (almost)

2012-01-31T21:53:00.001-06:00

Casey's and my Momma Sheila's birthday is one day apart. So I call them birthday twins…but they aren't exactly. But we do celebrate them together! :)

No, no one turned 629…but they always have the same last digit! My Momma Sheila turned 69 while Casey turned 29! This is my mom's creative way of giving them candles… :)

I put this picture in just because Casey looks so goofy. :)

Momma Sheila holding her little princess while opening presents….

Casey's turn in the hot seat! Smoking a money stick…haha!

He got 3 money rolls! Yay! A Keurig!

We have used it a ton already - love it! All sorts of different coffee flavors, tea, hot cider, etc. Very cool…I mean hot! ;)

More baby lovin'

Our attempts at getting a family photo…!

4 generations of women!

Happy Birthday Momma Sheila & Casey! 2 very important people in my life!

Go Casey, It's Your Birthday!

2012-01-30T12:41:00.004-06:00

Best. Gift. Ever.

Go, Go, Go, Go, Go, Go

Go Casey, it's your birthday

We gonna party like its your birthday

We gonna eat some grub like its your birthday

And Lauren's gonna give it up cuz its your birthday

You can find him in the gym

Always hittin' rim

Schooled by the limbs

His skills are like a sin

The Taurus he is in

He'll be drivin' till the end

So come give him a hug, if you're into gettin' rubbed

You can find him in the steeple

Preachin' to the people

Or with his nose in a book

Wishin' he had a nook

Thinks he wasn't created equal

Gettin' his diploma from the crazy people

Always gettin' sick, even poison ivy on his $%&*

Sawyer's got you wrapped around her finger

But we don't want to linger…

Happy 29th Birthday, Casey! To the true gangster in our lives!!

(Obviously some of you may not get all of the lines so I'll break it down for you just a little bit…
"you can find him in the gym" because he plays basketball with guys from church all the time (including Charlie)…they said "schooled by the limbs" referring to his really skinny legs;)… "The Taurus he is in" - obviously, if you know us well you know that we have an ugly Taurus that Casey will most likely drive til it bites the dust or when we win the lottery, whichever comes first;)… "thinks he wasn't created equal" because he is cocky - y'all know that! haha! "Gettin' his diploma from the crazy people" refers to the UT Austin liberals;)… "always gettin; sick, even poison ivy…" (excuse their crude, but funny humor;) a few months ago he got poison ivy everywhere…and I mean everywhere! But anyway, you get the point and you also see how this is the best gift ever! Haha!)

Saturday night we went out with Charlie & Ginni for Casey's birthday!
As you can see they made him an awesome rap (I think this will become a tradition because we've already started working on Charlie's! His birthday is in March)! We went to eat hibachi at Edohana's in Rockwall and then back to our house for some yummy cake! :)

Happy 29th Birthday Gangster Casey!!!

Sick Baby :(

2012-01-24T20:04:00.000-06:00

Sawyer is sick and I hate it! It's just awful to watch your poor little baby hurt and not even be able to verbalize it. She has gone to the doctor 3 times in 3 weeks. I hope we don't have to make it a 4th time.

Basically, 2 weeks ago we took Sawyer in for an extremely runny/stuffy nose, cough, and pulling at her ears. She was diagnosed with an ear infection in her left ear. She was given an RSV test that came back negative, but he still prescribed nasal sprays for her allergies as well as antibiotic for her ears.

She took the antibiotic for 10 days and we still give her the nasal spray daily.

She seemed to get well after a week and we took her back in for her 9 month check up. She was on the up and up and he seemed pleased with her progress at that visit.

6 days later she started coughing again, but it was worse. She has coughed all night long for 2 nights. The first night she coughed and cried. Last night she slept well, but still coughed all night. The runny nose started back up yesterday and her cough was a lot worse this morning. She had fever yesterday and today and I decided to stay home with her today. We went to the doctor at 3pm and left at 4:30. While we were there they gave her another RSV test that came back negative. He dug deep into her ears and got huge chunks of wax out of it - this is what started her crying. It was obvious that it hurt really really bad. I have never seen her scream like that in her 9 months! It took her about 10 minutes to calm down from that afterward and that is just not typical for her. I hated it. After that they gave her a breathing treatment because she was wheezing and coughing so much. She didn't mind that at first. She almost seemed amused with the mask on her face, but after a little while you could see her getting agitated again and she screamed and started trying to jump off the table and out of my lap, etc. trying to get the mask off of her face. I am so worried that she is going to start hating the doctor's office! Today was an awful visit. Her doctor is so nice, but he had to be stern with holding her down and stuff and so did I. Not fun. :( I told Casey that next time she is sick he gets to go because I couldn't hardly take it! When it was all over I got in the car and called him crying.

Poor Sawyer. She throws a fit every time we try to give her medicine now. 3 times a day is too much for a little baby. Not to mention an additional time with the nasal sprays. She is so tired of it all! I don't blame her. :( I hate being the one to hold her down or force her mouth open. I wish she was old enough to realize it is all for her own well-being.

Anyway, the doctor said she may have another ear infection and that she is probably going to have to get tubes since this is her 3rd or 4th one in 9 months. :( He also said she has bronchial…something. I can't remember the term. If she doesn't get better soon we are supposed to take her back to the doctor. He said she is at risk of getting pneumonia and that we should also watch for vomiting or high fever. Also, I am supposed to pay attention to the cough and make sure she doesn't get short of breath. Her wheezing hasn't been that bad, but if it gets worse I am supposed to do the breathing treatments multiple times in an hour.

I just hope she gets better quickly!! And that the weather stops changing so much! Everytime there's a drastic change she gets sick. I don't care if it's hot or cold as long as it's consistent!

Please pray for my sweet Sawyer Grace. I just want her to be healthy and happy.

Ginni's Birthday!

2012-01-21T12:04:00.000-06:00

Ginni turned 28 on the 12th and we went to dinner to celebrate on the 13th (I will stop posting ages when we get into the 30's;)! We went to Oddfellows in the Bishop Arts Districtp and really liked it! It's not too expensive and has a pretty wide variety on food. Neat atmosphere, too. We only took 3 pictures, but I thought they were pretty cute so here ya go!

Ginni's present!

The Rickersons!

The Coats!

Happy Birthday, Ginni! We love you and love hanging out with y'all! :)

Happy New Year! (a little late)

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

Our very first family picture of 2012 (taken on January 1st)

It's gonna be a great year! :)

Our 4th Anniversary!

2012-01-19T16:58:00.000-06:00

Casey & I celebrated 4 years of marriage on December 29, 2011! 4 years doesn't really feel like a long enough time to fit in everything that Casey & I have accomplished together and all the memories we have made since our wedding day! I mean, goodness, we have been to 3 foreign countries together, had fun on several vacations, gone on mission trips locally and abroad, I got a teaching job & quit that same job to stay home, we bought a house, bought 2 cars, I graduated from A&M, graduate school for both of us, Casey graduated from DTS, and we had a baby!! All of that feels like it could fit into 4 ~~years~~ decades, right?

Anyway, every year Casey and I do something special for our wedding anniversary. This year was quite a bit more low-key since we're on a stricter budget and have a baby at home, but it was still a lot of fun! We went to a bed and breakfast in Austin and stayed for one night. I actually bought the deal on living social a year ago so it was "free" to us (or felt that way). We got there at check in, took a nap (that's what you do when you go away and have a baby at home;), got ready for the night, went to a nice dinner at Maggiano's (we had a gift card!), and then went to a movie and saw War Horse (had another gift card!!). Dinner was nice because they knew it was our anniversary (because they asked if it was a special occasion when we made reservations) so different waiters and waitresses came by several times and told us 'happy anniversary' and after the meal they came out with a little dessert and candle. Very good experience and Casey & I love Maggiano's. The next day we slept in a little, and then had the homemade breakfast prepared for us by the b&b owner. Very good as well. After we got ready and checked out we went to eat lunch with Casey's college friend Lance and his wife Leslie and daughter Gracen! We ate at Mighty Fine Burgers which is owned and started by Rudy's BBQ. It was pretty good! After lunch Casey and I headed to Round Rock Outlet Malls and did a little shopping (it's kind of a tradition that goes along with our anniversary trips since we just got money or gift cards from Christmas:)

I took very few pictures on this trip, but no anniversary post is complete without at least a couple! So here they are! I vow to take more next year on our 5th anniversary :)

Ps… thinking of future anniversary trips reminds me that Casey eventually wants to go on a cruise and I have never really had the desire to go on one… and I want to go on one even less now that a cruise ship has tumped over in the ocean. Seriously, crazy.

Anyway, back to the pictures…I should have asked someone to take a picture of us so my arm wouldn't be sticking out in all of the pictures of the two of us together… oh well.

Oh!!! I almost forgot, this year we didn't get each other individual presents, but we got new bedding and lamps for our bedroom (since we got a king this summer we had still been using our queen stuff)! I love it (it's pretty and soft) and we have been having good some good night's sleep! :)

Pictures of our bedding:
yep, that's a lot of pillows!

And…some pictures that are in our bedroom :)

My nightstand…

Casey's nightstand… his girls:)

All that to say, we had a good anniversary and look forward to many, many more! :)

My Nine Month Old Sawyer Grace

2012-01-14T22:31:00.002-06:00

Sawyer is 9 months old!!!! This was a pretty big milestone for her because as of yesterday (a day before her 9 month birthday) she started crawling! She really kind of started on December 30th, but it was so sparse and off and on I am counting it official as of January 13, 2012. :) I have two vidoes from today that I will post so you can watch. She looks pretty uncoordinated, but she is definitely moving across the room for stuff!

AT NINE MONTHS…

Sawyer sleeps like a rock star. She continues to amaze me with her sleeping habits. This past week she was sick and has 2 teeth coming in and she woke up a little earlier each morning than usual, but still slept at least 7 hours before waking up and even then she just needed to be fed a little or comforted and then right back to sleep!
She is crawling!!! She loves to go after certain things (the computer, my phone, the remote, etc.) so we put those things in front of her to get her motivated ;)
Sawyer is grabbing anything and everything! I am having to really keep my eye on her especially now that she rolls and crawls to get wherever she wants! She will dive off of the couch for something if I let her. She knows no fear.
She "rocks" in her little Sawyer-sized rocking chair and then jumps out for me when I hold out my hands and say jump! It is so cute! I must video this soon.
Sawyer eats all baby food (including the meats now), puffs, yogurt melts, baby cookies, and now I am starting to feed her real table food (ie. a mushy banana)
Sawyer likes to feed herself finger foods and is really quick to put the food in her mouth as soon as I put it on her tray!
She still takes around 4 or 5 8oz bottles a day.
Sawyer has SIX teeth!! Holy Moly!!! She has the top 4 middle teeth and bottom 2 middle teeth. Goodness gracious the girl can bite.
She is really wearing age appropriate clothes now! I just retired her 3 month onesies yesterday and 6 month onesies fit her well and 6-9 months in pretty much anything else. She still wears size 1 shoes (sometimes size 2 will stay on without falling off)
She just started on size 2 diapers this week, but only because we ran out of size 1! We soon realized that size 2 were allowing too many leaks so we went and bought one more package of size 1. I think the 2's will work when we run out of the 1's we have.
Sawyer still loves bathtime. She is obsessed with her bath squirt toys. Sometimes I think she makes a mess just so she can have a bath! :)
Sawyer is starting to babble new sounds and words, but "bye-bye" is still her favorite!
Sawyer got a jumperoo for Christmas and loves it to death! She jumps non-stop and squeals while she is in it. She's hilarious to watch!
Sawyer is still as sweet as ever. Always giving people a smile and just generally happy. I love it!

Sawyer's Weight Progression:

8 months - 15 lbs 4 oz

9 months - 16 lbs 2 oz

Loving her in the overalls :)

And here are a couple of videos of her crawling!

Love you more and more sweet girl.

Our Blessings in 2011

2012-01-03T20:12:00.000-06:00

Every year now Casey and I talk about and write down our blessings from that previous year. You can read 2009's HERE here and 2010's HERE & HERE. In years past we did this on our anniversary getaway, but since this year's anniversary was much shorter in length (just one night away instead of 3) we did it at dinner at our kitchen table on December 31st. We came up with so many blessings, easily!

Sawyer Grace Coats was born! :)

Nice people of Baylorhospital and their help in the NICU

Generous gifts given to us at4 different baby showers for Sawyer

Laura Bond & GinniRickerson using their nice cameras and expertise to take free newborn picturesof Sawyer for us

Carroll Twins were born

Continued improvement ofBeverly’s health

Getting to stay at home withSawyer

Lauren had a great experienceat Smith for my first 3 years of teaching and was congratulated upon staying athome and has kept up with my friendships made there (Tracey, Christie, & Jim)

Part time job at Mimosa LanePlayschool IN the baby room with Sawyer!

Being able to sub on Fridays(ie. Casey’s day off)

Sawyer’s helmet improving herhead shape

Financial blessings

We sold my Mustang for almostas much as our new Escape

No car trouble this year!

Good health for both Casey& Lauren (minus Casey’s Poison Ivey experience:)

Good fellowship & learning with our community group

Answered prayer of Lauren& Ben’s remarriage in Colorado (November)

c|Life’s d|now had over 300kids with many salvations!

c|Life’s youth camp had 256kids with many salvations!

c|Life's high school mission trip withchildren in Robstown accepting Christ!

Casey has enjoyed playingbasketball frequently with friends

Casey has enjoyed his new men’sgroup/book club with some men from church called “5 Guys No Lies”

Money was raised for theyouth group through the Annual Micah Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament thatCasey hosts each year

Lauren is still enjoyingfriendships made through pokeno each month

Christie Harty Photographydoing Father’s Day pictures of Sawyer and of our family for no charge!

My mom bought us a king sizebed in exchange for our queen! Great nights of sleep in 2011!

Taking sewing lessons fromNatalie Swartz and my dad buying me a sewing/embroidery machine for Christmas

Answered prayer of Ben &Abby Lowery getting to bring Abe home from Ethiopia

Wow! Every time I read through that list I just feel so blessed! It is exciting to see answered prayer and other blessings that God gives us. Every year we are able to come up with 25+ reasons to be thankful and there are always things I leave off of the blog because it may be private to someone. God is good to us--What a great reminder for the new year.

Christmas 2011 Recap

2011-12-27T16:58:00.000-06:00

Our first Christmas with Sawyer was great. We had a lot of fun with her and she had a great couple of days! No whining and just overall a happy baby! :)

Here is our Christmas in pictures (and a few words)…

I wrapped our presents a little differently this year--turned out to save a lot of money because that paper is cheap and it comes on a big roll! I also displayed our Christmas cards differently this year and I loved it. Brightened up our kitchen cabinets quite a bit!

Sawyer made a couple of ornaments at playschool this year and we were also given some great ones as well! I think all in all she got 6 new ornaments! haha!

Sawyer got to see pretty much all of her family members this Christmas season! From Great, great, grandparents to Aunts and Uncles and Cousins galore! I wish I had gotten group shots of everyone. Next year that will be my goal ;)

We went to the Christmas Eve service at c|Life and had a good time eating dinner with Casey's parents afterwards. Then we came home and took some pictures before bedtime:) Meanwhile, Casey had on the Santa tracker - haha!

Christmas morning was a lot of fun! We first got up and read the Christmas story together as a family. Then, we looked in our stockings and opened presents!

Later we went to Mimi & Poppy's house (Casey's parents) and met up with Chris & Stephanie and their clan. We all opened presents there before going over to Great-Grandmother's house for lunch where we gathered with even more family--Casey's Aunt, Uncle, and cousins!

Around 2 we left and went to my Papa Tapp's house--Sawyer's Great, Great-Grandpa!! He is 92 and still going strong! After talking with family there, my immediate family (my mom, grandparents, and uncle, Casey, Sawyer, & myself) left and went to my Momma Sheila's (my grandma) new house! We opened presents there and stayed til about 8pm. After all that we got home, unloaded the car, and went to bed! We usually go see a movie on Christmas night, but not this year--we were too exhausted!

Sawyer's first Christmas was a success and I just know they are going to get better and better as she gets older. She is so much fun! I can't wait to teach her all about the reason for Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Next year I want to get her one of the Fisher Price nativity sets so we can talk about it as she plays with it.

One last picture of me and my favorite man--He'll even put on a silly Santa hat to make me happy:)

3rd Annual Christmas with the Rickersons!

2011-12-26T10:00:00.000-06:00

For the last several years now we have a little Coats/Rickerson tradition of dinner and looking at Christmas lights! This year we went over to Charlie & Ginni's to see their new house and Ginni made us some delicious chicken tacos! We also had wassel (hot apple cider) for the car ride! Yummy!

Charlie & Ginni gave us an awesome Christmas gift! Personalized corn hole!!! We love it, as you can plainly see. ;)

We took some pictures in front of their nicely decorated fireplace!

Charlie & Ginni looking good:)

Every year Ginni and I do this little pose and we gotta keep the tradition going! :)

Casey & I :)

Ginni was trying to capture the perfect picture of Casey and I, but he had other plans…

Finally a couple of good ones:)

As usual we had a lot of fun!

Thanks again for the awesome corn hole guys!!! We love y'all!

The Good News

2011-12-24T10:00:00.000-06:00

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10b-11

Check out this great video by The Village Church that c|Life showed tonight. I loved it.

The Village Blog - Advent: God With Us

We wish you a wonderful Christmas and hope that you are remembering God's precious gift to us on this special day.

Casey, Lauren, & Sawyer

Sawyer Meets Santa

2011-12-23T22:00:00.000-06:00

Sawyer met Santa Claus!

She decided she liked him pretty well. She even pulled his beard. I hope that doesn't put her on the naughty list! ;)

We got a picture of Aubrey and Sawyer together with Santa, too! They are super cute! :)

I am so excited about Sawyer's 1st Christmas!

Every year will just get better and better, I am sure.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Video Diaries: Sawyer Grace 3 months-8 months

2011-12-15T17:44:00.000-06:00

I haven't been very good at staying up to date with posting videos of Sawyer. I have posted a few here and there and then posted several of her first 3 months here. If you ever want to take a look at my videos you can do so at youtube--my username is AggieMrs. Most of the ones on youtube are just from my phone though as we haven't yet figured out a fast way to upload short clips from the video camera. I need to do that soon though because I am so afraid they are going to get erased somehow!!

Anyway, the videos start with Sawyer at 3 months old and continue to the present (8 months old). I cannot believe the difference! So much growth in 5 months! What a crazy little miracle babies are. Actually blows my mind.

I don't expect you all to watch all of these videos - I like to have them on my blog for me, but you are sure welcome to them as well! :) The last 3 are the best for sure (since she is big enough to actually do something at 8 months old)! If you only watch 1, watch the second to last one of her in the bathtub! She LOVES splashing and playing with her toys! So fun! (And yes, I know you people think I am crazy for still bathing her in the baby bathtub, but I think it is so much easier than warming up the big bathtub, plus my back doesn't hurt from leaning over for so long!! I like to let her play a while and I don't want to kneel on the hard tile and lean over, hurting both my knees and my back, so for now, the pink baby bathtub it is! Don't judge me :)

Isn't she a cutie? I love her to death!

My Eight Month Old Sawyer Grace

2011-12-14T21:30:00.002-06:00

It dawned on me today that Sawyer's first birthday is only 4 months away!!! I can't believe it! I will turn 26 and just 12 days later she will turn 1!!! I already feel like I need to start planning her party! ;)

AT EIGHT MONTHS…

Sawyer is still a champ sleeper. She sleeps around 12 hours at night and takes anywhere from 1 to 3 naps a day.
She is pretty mobile even without crawling. She rolls all around and can even scoot a little to get whatever toy she wants.
Sawyer has gotten to wear she can lean down while she is in the sitting position and then get back up straight on her own. She really enjoys sitting on a blanket on the floor to play.
She likes to play with paper! Any paper - receipts are her favorite though. This is sometimes what we give her when we are out to eat. She likes a good straw wrapper. :)
Sawyer grabs at everything! She pulls ornaments off of the Christmas tree, pulls my hair (I have stopped wearing earrings), grabs my sunglasses, etc. She is super curious and loves everything her hand's touch!
She is still liking baby food. We have had pretty much all of the fruits and vegetables now and will start on meats soon.
Sawyer takes about 5 bottles a day, but now some of them are 8 oz. instead of the regular 6 oz.
She likes to eat puffs and we use these as a good way to keep her distracted while we eat dinner ourselves. :)
Sawyer has 4 teeth!!! She has her 2 middle, bottom teeth as well as her two middle, top teeth! She can bite pretty hard, too, but only if you stick your finger in her mouth. I guess we need stop that or she will think biting is okay. It's just so funny right now though!
Sawyer's age and clothing are starting to catch up! For the first time she is actually able to wear some clothing in her age range. For the most part she is in 6 month clothing, with some 3-6 month and a few 6-9 month!
She still has tiny feet. Her newborn shoes all still fit and she has a few size ones and twos that she wears occasionally, but they are a little too big for her still.
She is still wearing size 1 diapers! She just has the tiniest waist so they still fit her really well…
Sawyer has started LOVING bath time even more than she use to! She splashes water like crazy and loves to play with her rubber bath animals!
Sawyer can say 3 words (babble words, but still!): bye-bye, ma-ma, and da-da. She says 'bye-bye' all the time and over and over. We are working on the wave to go with it! :)
Sawyer met Santa this month and loved looking at him. She even pulled his beard! She didn't cry (I knew she wouldn't). She is super friendly and loves people.
I love her sweet little spirit. She is a happy baby and I know I am lucky to have such a good-mannered girl!

Sawyer's Weight Progression:

7 months - 14 lbs 8 oz

8 months - 15 lbs 4 oz

Here is my sweet 8-month old girl!

Love, love, love you, Sawyer! You are so stinkin' fun!

24 hours down…

2011-12-12T22:41:00.001-06:00

27 hours + 3,700 clock hours left to go.

I think this counseling degree/license may take me forever.

Because it's hard to explain and I get so confused myself, I am going to write it all out so that I have something to refer back to and also you all can understand (if you want to), as well! :)

Here is the outline of how I've been trucking along…

Summer 1 - 2010
Coun 512 - Career Development
Coun 522 - Counseling Diverse Populations

Summer 2 - 2010
Coun 517 - Assessment in Counseling

Fall - 2010
Coun 501 - Intro to the Counseling Profession
Coun 514 - School Counseling & Development

Spring - 2011
Coun 510 - Counseling Theories & Techniques
*A particularly hard semester since I had Sawyer in April and finished out this class in May.

Summer 1 - 2011
I took the month of June off & it was glorious to just hang with my baby with no work or school looming over my head:)

Summer 2 - 2011
Coun 534 - Counseling Children & Adolescents

Fall - 2011
Coun 528 - Into to Group Dynamics & Procedures

(those are my completed 8 classes/24 credit hours)

Here is my plan for the future…

Spring - 2012
Coun 516 - Pre-practicum
Coun 539 - Intro to Play Therapy

Summer 1 - 2012
1 class (TBD)

Summer 2 - 2012
1 class (TBD)

Fall - 2012
Coun 551 - Practicum
*Required minimum 100 hours at an agency or school setting (unpaid)
Coun 549 - Ethics in Professional Counseling (a 1 hour class)

Spring - 2013
Coun 552 - Internship
*Required 300 hours field experience at an agency or school setting (unpaid)

Summer 1 - 2013
1 class (TBD)

Summer 2 - 2013
1 class (TBD)

Fall - 2013
Coun 552 - Internship 2
*Required 300 hours field experience at an agency or school setting (unpaid)

December 2013 - Graduation!!!

At the time of graduation I will be qualified to be a school counselor. However, I will not yet be qualified to have a counseling practice until I do the following after graduation (the actual link to the requirements in Texas is HERE):

1) Study for licensure…
2) Take both the National Counselor Exam and the Texas Jurisprudence Exam
3) Receive temporary LPC license…
4) Begin supervised post-graduate counseling to get 3,000 clock hours (3,000 hours may not be completed in a time period of less than 18 months).

So if all goes exactly as planned…I will graduate with my masters in December of 2013 (and maybe go to work as a school counselor) and get my LPC license around January 2015 (and hopefully go to work as a family therapist).

Omigoodness…my head may explode.

Growing Up

2011-11-30T17:30:00.001-06:00

I recently got an iPhone app called "Growing Up" to keep track of Sawyer's growth. Here are some charts that I emailed myself from the app. :) The gray is average for children in the US. You can see that she is pretty much in the middle on height and head circumference but is a little below average on weight. Also, you will see that she is right in the middle on sitting without support and could stand with support very early!

My Seven Month Old Sawyer Grace

2011-11-16T20:43:00.000-06:00

7 months old. Little Sawyer is 7 months old. I can't believe it. We definitely feel like she is growing up quickly now. She has made some huge "growing strides" this month.

AT SEVEN MONTHS…

Sawyer still sleeps all night long (almost 12 full hours) and gets up most mornings between 7:30 and 9:00am.
She has yet to have a cranky night and wake me up since about 3 months old - from what I hear from most people, this is amazing and I am one lucky momma! :)
She takes way less naps now and sometimes will go all day with only one one-hour nap. Occasionally she'll take two naps or one long three-hour nap.
Sawyer rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls. She rolls all around the living room and gets into things and she isn't even crawling yet! I thought I had at least until she crawls to worry about that, but no, rolling can get you into just as much trouble. :)
Sawyer sits up without any help now. She still falls over some (after several minutes) and will occasionally cry when she hits her head. For the most part she just falls over and starts to roll. Maybe she falls over on purpose so she can roll?
She reaches for anything and everything. She is super curious and is entertained by everything. I love watching her take in the world around her.
Sawyer eats baby food once or twice a day. So far she likes sweet potatoes, sweet peas, green beans, squash, prunes, and garden vegetables. She dislikes applesauce (seriously?! I think that's the best one!) and carrots (or rather, carrots dislike her).
Sawyer still takes about 5 bottles a day (about 6 oz each time).
Sawyer has 2 bottom teeth and is starting to cut her 2 middle, top teeth. She is not really fussy when she cuts teeth, so that is nice :)
Sawyer wears 3 month or 3-6 month clothing now. She is still a tiny thing :)
She is still wearing size 1 diapers, but I think we're about to move on to 2's as soon as we run out of this last box of 1's :)
Sawyer has started laughing and it is one of the sweetest little noises I have ever heard in my life. I actually got teary-eyed the first time she did it. It was just so sweet. I got it on video so I will have to post it soon. :)
Sawyer still enjoys bath time, buggy rides at school, playing in her bouncy chair, and now she is enjoying playing in her walker, too! She can't touch the ground in it yet, but we put a pillow under it and she likes to play with the toys attached to the tray.
She is still a little chatter box and I am thinking she may always be (like her momma)!
Sawyer graduated from the StarBand this month! Woohoo! She wore it for 2 months and 3 weeks! Her head is pretty and round :)
Sawyer loves playing with her daddy and grabbing his facial hair. She looks at him in amazement. It's pretty sweet ;)
For a while there (between about 3 and 6 months old) Sawyer would only fall asleep in a bed/pack-n-play or her car seat and now she is getting to where she will fall asleep on me and cuddle a little. I had missed it there for a while and would even pick her up after she fell asleep to cuddle with her, so I am taking full advantage of it now that she will let me hold her as she falls asleep :)
Sawyer is so friendly and everywhere we go people comment on how easily she cracks a smile at them. I love that she is not shy and that she seems to be a friendly, people-person with a sweet, little smile.

Sawyer's Weight Progression:

6 months - 13 lbs 6 oz

7 months - 14 lbs 8 oz

The light of my life!

We love you, Sawyer Grace. You are the best thing that has ever happened to your Daddy and I. You are already proving yourself to be a sweet and friendly little girl. I know you are going to make us proud.

Pinning!

2011-11-11T15:46:00.000-06:00

You should know what that means by now. It's all the craze. Pinning is something you do on Pinterest to waste time (~~that we all have plenty of)~~. It has different craft ideas, DIY (do it yourself), food, clothes, etc. etc. etc. It has everything! I have redone 3 of my pins so far. And since I am proud of myself for making time to actually do the stuff after wasting my time pinning the stuff, I thought I'd share. :)

First piece of inspiration from Pinterest:

A spice rack redo to hold nail polish!

So, to complete this task, I first went to Helping Hands in Rockwall and found this old spice rack for $5. Then I went to Lowe's and got some spray paint :) I came home and spray painted it blue and it now hangs in my closet with all my nail polish on it!! Love it!

I don't have quite as much nail polish, but now that I have a place for it to go, I don't mind buying some more :)

My 2nd piece of Pinterest inspiration:

owl cupcakes!

I made these for CG (our Monday night Bible Study) one week! They were a hit! :)

I used Oreos for the whites of the eyes and Reese's Pieces for the pupils and nose! Then you just kind of flare the icing to make ears! Super easy and fun!

pretty yummy, too!

My 3rd piece of Pinterest inspiration:

baby in a pumpkin!

This one is super easy (except for step 1).

Step 1: have a baby.

Step 2: buy a pumpkin.

Step 3. cut off top of pumpkin and clean out pumpkin guts.

Step 4: carve out two holes at the bottom of the pumpkin.

Step 5: put super cute baby in pumpkin :)

Here are some of the more easy "pinning" projects I plan to do:

I am getting a sofa table for my big wall in the living room and am going to do a bunch of pictures, etc. on the wall above

This year when we pack up our Christmas ornaments I am going to put some of them in recycled egg cartons that I have been saving - great storage!

Just need to buy a basket to do this easy ribbon organizer!

I am going to velcro the baskets in our bathroom drawer - they easily move around and make a mess! This will be simple and easy!

Have fun pinning!

We're finally helmet free!!!

2011-11-08T07:50:00.000-06:00

Sawyer had her discharge appointment yesterday and is now done with the Star Band (helmet)! I was so excited and Casey even went with us to the appointment. They did a final scan and showed us her positive results. She grew so fast which really benefited her head since it took the helmet's shape so quickly! Many older babies have slower growth and therefore where the helmet a lot longer. Sawyer wore it exactly 2 months and 3 weeks. And if you know me well, then you noticed that she wasn't wearing it very much during the day or in the last few weeks. We pretty much took it off if I wanted her to wear a bow ;) Casey is definitely the "helmet enforcer" as I liked her to wear it at home and during sleep…not so much to church where it clashed with her pretty dresses. ;) Luckily it was pink, and since she wears a lot of pink I didn't mind…sometimes. :) But mainly it just felt like a barrier between us. I like to cuddle and kiss that soft head of hers - not that plastic helmet! So I'm so glad she's out of it, but I would not change putting her in it! Her head is soooo much better.

See? Don't you see a big difference??

The red lines were from her first scan and the blue lines were from her scan yesterday.

You can tell where they held her head in (above the ears) and wanted her head to grow (the back left and the front right). So, before her head was wider than it was long, and they held the width and grew her length. Wow, I am so pleased! :)

Thanks Star Cranial! :)

Pretty in Pink

2011-11-07T18:32:00.000-06:00

If you know Sawyer very well then you know she's just about always in pink ;)

Here are some cute pictures I took of her just 'cuz.

(She is just a week shy of 7 months old here.)

rolling around and getting stuck under stuff...

her cutie patootie

she makes so many different faces...

checking out her shoes...

Always pretty in pink!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-11-06T11:34:00.000-06:00

We made our way to the local pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin for Sawyer's fall photo shoot. ;) She seemed to be somewhat interested in the pumpkins, but not nearly as interested as she was when she got to go inside of a pumpkin. It made for very cute pics and I got the idea off of pinterest! :) Now I have an 8x10 of Sawyer inside of the pumpkin in our living room that I think I will put out every fall from here on out. So fun! :)

We are thinking about growing a few pumpkins in our garden next year. Would be cheaper and we've had great success with our watermelons (we have picked about 5 very large and tasty watermelons this year!)

Sawyer in her first pumpkin patch!!

I just love her cute little outfit :) It was still really warm outside on this day.

Look at that sweet little smile :)

And now for cute Pumpkin Sawyer :)

She had a little scratch on her nose that you can see in this close up.

This is the one I blew up and framed :)

And then it's as if she said, "okay, folks this is enough of this foolishness."

And then she got a good bath :)

Needless to say we had a lot of fun with our pumpkin!

Maybe next year we'll carve one for real :)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T23:03:00.003-05:00

Costume day at school

Mary had a little lamb…and it was the cutest lamb EVER!

c|Life trunk or treat!

Cousins' trunk of treat!!

little lamb and the superheroes!!

trick or treating with Aubrey on Halloween!!

with our cute little girls! :)

Sawyer had a ton of fun on her first Halloween! :)

Just some favs of my fav…

2011-10-23T01:09:00.003-05:00

Just a few favorite pictures of my favorite little baby...

newborn…
look how much hair she use to have!!

6 weeks old…

7 weeks…

one of her first real smiles :)

11 weeks…

smiling constantly!

16 weeks…

holding her head up and rolling over so well!

4 months…

getting her helmet

20 weeks…

5 months…

much more mobile and eating baby food!

25 weeks…

loves trying new things!

6 months…

such a joy!

what a cutie (pumpkin) pie she is…

My Six Month Old Sawyer Grace

2011-10-14T23:55:00.000-05:00

My sweet sweet girl is 6 months old. I can't believe it. Times goes by so, so fast. I never realized it before I had a child of my own. And now, time is going by in super-sonic speed. Fortunately, I feel like every stage of Sawyer's babyhood is even better than the stage before it. She is an absolute joy and I am so glad I was blessed with this awesome baby girl. I love love love her to death. So, here it goes…

AT SIX MONTHS…

Sawyer sleeps all night long (still) and gets up around 8:00am most days
She takes 2 or 3 naps a day for around an hour or an hour and a half
Sawyer recently started rolling over from her back to her belly! So now she rolls over and over and over until she moves all around the living room floor. It's funny and cute watching her do this! I guess I'm going to need to baby proof (or at least keep the floor clean!) before she even crawls!
Sawyer has also started sitting up without our support! She can sit for about a minute before she gets so excited that she starts moving all around until she falls over. She never really cries when she falls over unless she falls on one of her hard toys.
Sawyer loves playing with her toys and will even roll over in order to get close enough to grab one that is out of her reach.
When Sawyer is sitting in her bouncy seat or car seat and I come to pick her up she starts kicking her legs and squealing! It is so cute and I love that she is so excited to see me!
Sawyer has been eating baby food once a day every day for a couple of weeks now. So far she has had sweet potatoes, sweet peas, and green beans! She loves to eat and eats almost all of it every time. I think it has really helped her bulk up in the last few weeks.
Sawyer has 2 teeth and she gives us big smiles to show them off. :)
Sawyer wears 3 month clothing and it fits her well.
She is wearing size 1 diapers, and I can tell she is growing out of them quickly!
Sawyer still loves bath time and kicks and plays in the water.
Sawyer enjoys buggy rides at school and likes to watch the other babies in her class.
She attended her first birthday party at school - her friend Lawson turned one and she even wore a birthday hat in celebration!
Sawyer went on her first vacation to the cabin in Oklahoma with the Coats/Carroll side of the family! She had fun playing with her cousins and also had her first train ride and first time to swing on the playground! She loved it!
Sawyer had her first night away from her momma this month. I had a night away with friends while Sawyer spent the night at home with her daddy!
Sawyer is still a little chatter box. She does a lot of talking at home and in the car! We love hearing her sweet little voice.

Sawyer's Weight Progression:

23 weeks - 12 lbs 12 oz

24 weeks - 12 lbs 15 oz

25 weeks - 13 lbs

6 months - 13 lbs 6 oz

Growing like a weed…

Backyardigans

2011-10-08T13:29:00.001-05:00

On September 4th, Sawyer got really cute :) Haha, I'm just kidding - she's always cute, but on this particular day I decided to dress her really cute for church. And afterwards, we took some pictures in the back yard (hence, my silly title).

showing off her super cute dress and shoes

My cutie pie

I sew! Who Knew?

2011-09-25T18:13:00.001-05:00

Over the summer I took a few sewing lessons with Natalie Swartz - http://www.sewcreativegirl.blogspot.com/! At my first lesson I made a pillow for Sawyer's room. My next 2 lessons were spent making bedroom curtains for our room! My next 3 lessons were for making my mom 5 pillows and 2 large window cushions! I've enjoyed sewing and will *hopefully* be getting a sewing machine for Christmas!! :)

Sawyer's pillow :)

Our bedroom curtains!

These look so much better now that we have a king size bed and the nightstands are directly in front of the windows… However, now that we have a king size bed we are going to get new bedding soon (when I find something I like), so that means I will be making new curtains to match! I was never crazy about this material anyway, but I didn't really know what else to buy either!

an Instagram pic!

My mom's window seat and pillows!

I had to hand sew the window seat - which was hard work and my fingers definitely hurt afterward! I even had Casey help me for a little bit and he did a great job! :)

Here's to more sewing in the future!!! ;)

My Five Month Old Sawyer Grace

2011-09-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

Did I really just write FIVE month old?! Where does the time go? The past month has gone by fast as I have started working at Playschool at Mimosa Lane. I work on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-2:30 and Sawyer is in the room with me! There are currently 5 babies and 2 workers. Sawyer is the youngest and probably will be all year. Most of the new enrollments we get are from older babies. She does well in the baby room and seems to enjoy watching the other babies crawl around!

AT FIVE MONTHS…

Sawyer sleeps all through the night in her own bed for anywhere from 9-14 hours a night! It's amazing!!!
She also takes 3 or 4 naps during the day that range from 45 minutes to 2 hours.
She is a bit of a busybody and will crane her neck around to see someone talking! If she is laying she arches her back and almost does a back bend in order to see what is going on.
Sawyer wants to sit up so badly and can sit very well with help. She can sit on her own for a few seconds before she falls over.
She loves to stand. She will hold onto your hands while you let her stand and look around. She still curls her toes under while she stands. It's funny. :)
Sawyer rolls over just a few minutes after you put her on her tummy.
When put on her back, she rolls from side to side, but doesn't roll back to her tummy.
Sawyer scoots around on the floor and in her bed. She is never found in the same position we put her in.
Sawyer can reach out and grab anything you put in front of her now! She grabs toys, her bottle, your face, your hair, etc. I love that she grabs and takes things from me when I put them in front of her. :)
When she takes a toy she gets very excited and squeals and kicks her legs!
Sawyer has had rice cereal once, but she didn't seem to know what to do with it (September 9th at 21 weeks old). We will try it again, soon! She seems to be a lot hungrier than she use to be so we will be practicing until she knows what to do. :)
She eats about 5 times a day at 5-8 ounces each time.
Sawyer talks up a storm and will chat for up to 20 minutes at a time! Haha! She has made the "m" sound and "g" sound. Other than that, she makes lots of "aaaaaa" sounds.
Sawyer is cutting 2 teeth!! You can see one with your eyes and feel both. I can't believe she is getting teeth so early.
Sawyer loves for you to sing to her.
Sawyer wears newborn and size one diapers. There is such a big gap in the sizes…so the ones seem to big, but the newborn ones seem a little small. I still put them on her though since I have one package left! :)
She can still wear almost all of her newborn clothes (except pajamas) and also wears 0-3 months.
Sawyer is long so she has to wear footie pajamas that are too big for her in order to fit her in the length.
Sawyer loves bathtime!! She kicks and splashes and talks during the whole thing! She gets a bath every night since she has the Star Band now.
Speaking of the Star Band, Sawyer has had it now for right at a month. She has adjusted well to it and it doesn't bother her anymore. Her head has gotten soooo much better already and we are so pleased!

Sawyer's Weight Progression:

18 weeks - 10 lbs 15 oz

19 weeks - 11 lbs 10 oz

20 weeks - 11 lbs 11 oz

21 weeks - 12 lbs 1 oz

5 months - 12 lbs 3 oz

22 weeks - 12 lbs 4 oz

Here she is - 5 month old Sawyer Grace! Such a big girl!!!

Water & Watermelon!

2011-09-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

This is the 2nd summer for our garden, but the first year for us to grow watermelons!! It has turned out to be quite "fruitful"! :) I know this one looks a little funny because of the "handle," but it tasted great! We have picked 3 or 4 more watermelons from our garden along with tomatoes, bell peppers, and lots of jalapenos! Yum-yum!

Sawyer & I the night we picked our first watermelon! :)

We took one of our watermelons over to swim with Charlie & Ginni at Ginni's parents house!

We had a blast playing water basketball - Casey won the game of horse that we played which was pretty hilarious, I might add! I wish I had taken some video.

He looks stupid in this picture, haha.

This did not turn out how I had pictured in my mind! Haha!

This one is better! :)

Next year Casey and I are going to try to grow seedless watermelons! Ha!

My Four Month Old Sawyer Grace

2011-08-16T22:05:00.004-05:00

Oh my goodness, time is a flyin'! Sawyer had her 4-month-old doctor's appointment today! She had 6 vaccines in the form of 3 shots to the leg and one oral liquid one that she did not think was tasty (like they said she would). She is sooo much fun these days! We just love her to pieces, and I am so enjoying staying at home with her. I love that I have only worked one day without her in her entire life and that was last week at my new part time job - Mimosa Lane Playschool (it was orientation/staff development). Next week she starts Playschool with me on Tuesdays & Thursdays! Woohoo!

AT FOUR MONTHS…

Sawyer sleeps well through the night! On a normal night she will sleep anywhere from 8 to 12 hours! It's amazing! :)
Sawyer holds her head up just fine and still loves to look around.
She can sit up in her Bumbo unassisted and seems to enjoy it.
Sawyer loves to stand on her own with someone holding onto her hands for balance. She grins ear to ear while doing this!
She curls her toes under while she stands and it is pretty funny!
Sawyer talks and talks and talks! She loves to sit in her bouncy seat and chat with her toys, or lay on a pillow or her changing mat and talk to you while you look down at her. Sometimes I think she just likes the sound of her own voice! :)
She has begun to reach out and grab her toys and look at them, put them in her mouth, and play with them! She even likes to grab a handful of her momma's hair ;)
She has also discovered her feet and loves playing with them! She pulls them up and even tries to put them in her mouth, haha!
Sawyer has become a drooling queen! That is definitely a new 4-month attribute because there wasn't much drool before! She's just getting her mouth ready for some baby food! Now if we could just get her to swallow her drool, then we'll start her on food ;)
Sawyer rolls over almost every day now! She will play on her tummy for a little while and then either roll over or lay her head down to take a nap.
Sawyer has begun sucking her thumb!!! I was astounded when I saw her do this the first time. Where did it come from? Where did she learn it? I guess it just comes naturally! She much prefers her thumb to her pacifier, and she really only wants to suck her thumb when she is sleepy. It is super cute, but I hope she doesn't start becoming dependent on it in order to fall asleep…but that doesn't seem to be the case for now.
Sawyer is still wearing newborn diapers and most newborn clothes. She is beginning to wear some 0-3 month clothes now, but they still look a tiny bit big on her. They are much easier going over that noggin of her's though :)
Sawyer is getting StarBand this week and will wear it anywhere from 2-5 months depending on how fast her head grows!
She laughs and kicks during baths and still seems to enjoy the water! She has been in the swimming pool 2 different times now.
Sawyer takes about 2 or 3 naps during the day that range from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours in addition to sleeping through the night.
She typically eats about 5 times a day and will drink anywhere from 6oz to 10oz at a time.

Sawyer's Weight Progression:

13 weeks - 9 lbs 13 oz

14 weeks - 10 lbs 7 oz

15 weeks - 10 lbs 6 oz

16 weeks - 10 lbs 10 oz

17 weeks/4 months - 10 lbs 14 oz

Here is our pretty little Sawyer at 4 months old!

Papa Ron!

2011-08-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Papa Ron/Daddy! My dad turned 52 today!

Sawyer had some fun with Papa Ron! If you know my dad very well then you would know that he is pretty involved in politics and is a fan of the Republican Party…When I was a little girl (2 years old) he took me to a convention to meet Ronald Reagan (whom he is named after). For security reasons they had us all get on a bus from our cars to go to the building. My dad had taught me that I was a republican and so strangers were asking me "Are you a democrat or a republican?" and I would proudly reply, "I'm a republican!!" I have been told that story many, many times. So, it was so funny when he saw Sawyer's shirt and made a comment about the elephant and Sawyer being a little republican! Haha! I didn't even do that on purpose, but it was pretty funny.

Daddy has a funny expression here because we were trying to get Sawyer to smile, and she did!

both of them are smiling here!

Sweet precious Sawyer :)

(For my own chronology purposes…these pictures were taken on July 10th when Sawyer was almost 3 months old!)

Sawyer's 1st 4th!

2011-07-30T22:00:00.002-05:00

A few days before the 4th Charlie, Ginni, Casey & I went out on the boat for a little bit and ate dinner and then watched the fireworks that were shot off from the harbor! It was fun being on the boat at night and seeing the fireworks :)

Sawyer was pretty patriotic on her first 4th of July! We spent the entire day with Charlie and Ginni doing various activities including, but not limited to a festive, red, white, & blue pancake breakfast, 4th of July parade, a late lunch at El Fenix, fireworks, and playing with sparklers!

at the parade in Charlie & Ginni's neighborhood!

the theme of the parade was vintage (or something like that) and so there were a lot of people in old cars or on bicycles, etc. It was pretty cute! We joked about just jumping at the end of the parade because there were a lot of walkers at the end and we were nearly as dressed up as they were! Plus half the people in the parade stopped to comment on Sawyer - she could have been an attraction in the parade! Haha!

super cute - LOVE this picture of her :)

Ginni had gifts for us - she thinks of everything!

Casey looks a little funny because he had Poison Ivey on his face :(

cutie pie :)

our cute breakfast table

the tags on our gift bags from Ginni :)

our fun group! :)

yummy pancakes with strawberries, bananas, and blueberries (also red, white, & blue!)

Our festive pancakes :)

I thought this was a pretty cool pic that I took with instagram!

Fireworks at Harry Meyers Park in Rockwall!

Casey had trouble opening his eyes during the flash so we had many retakes...

Lots of firework pictures….

playing with sparklers later in the backyard!

I am standing kind of funny because I get scared of them! haha!

We had a great fourth of July this year with our new baby girl! :)

Plagiocephaly

2011-07-29T01:06:00.003-05:00

If you see me very often, then I've probably told you that we have taken Sawyer to a cranial remolding clinic.

There is a "new" outbreak happening in babies since the "back to sleep" campaign launched by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1992 to prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). This outbreak is called plagiocephaly and brachycephaly. If you have a baby right now you've probably heard these terms. However, those who put their babies to sleep on their tummies (before '92) are pretty clueless about this new problem.

Plagiocephaly is otherwise known as "flat head syndrome." Basically, babies are not only laid on their backs to sleep, but they are also put on their backs in car seats, bouncers, and swings, etc. Parents are warned against putting their babies on their tummy except for monitored "tummy time."

Because of this, many babies heads are becoming flat in the back or on one side. Plagiocephaly is characterized by flattening on side of the back of the head and flatter on one side of the front of the head forming an almost oblique shape. Brachycephaly is where the head is disproportionally wide compared to the depth of the head.

This is a random example of both Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly that I found online.

You can see that Plagio is the oblong shape, while Brachy is the flattening in the back.

Sawyer has a very slight mixture of the two, but is much more mild than these 2 pictures.

Many believe that torticollis is partially to blame (as well as the "Back to Sleep" campaign). Torticollis is where the muscles on one side of the neck may be tighter than the muscles on the other side of the neck causing the baby to "prefer" to turn their head one way more than the other (or have a dominant side). Because Sawyer had such a difficult delivery and had to pulled using forceps, she has a slight tightening in the muscles on the right side of her neck. She has always preferred laying on the back left of her head and turning her head more to the left than to the right. Since going to the cranial remolding clinic we have done some exercises with her each day to help loosen the muscles in her neck. She has never had a problem holding her head up or with tummy time, but it is obvious that when we lay her down she switches to her preferred side. She can turn her neck both ways, but it is obvious that she doesn't want to. So, we will continue with the stretches…which she doesn't really seem to mind.

As soon as we brought Sawyer home from the hospital we did tummy time. She has had "tummy time" everyday of her life. However, one website I did research on suggests that half of a baby's awake time should be spent on their tummy. While I knew the importance of tummy time, I had no idea that she should be on her tummy that much.

Anyway, when she was about 7 weeks old I noticed that the back of her head was starting to flatten. I was aware of this because I knew someone else who's baby had to seek treatment for this problem. I asked Sawyer's pediatrician about it at her 2 month appointment and again when she was sick at 3 months. At the 3 months he gave us the referral to take her to the cranial clinic to get a free evaluation and possibly a cranial remolding orthosis also known as the DOC Band or Star Band.

Sawyer has a mild mixture of Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly. Although her case is mild, we are probably going to move forward with getting the StarBand. She will wear it anywhere from 1 month to 4 months, depending on how fast her head grows. Appointments will take place almost weekly to see how the shape of her head is improving and to shave the inside of the band to allow for more head growth.

Here are Sawyer's head pictures…

From the top of the head you can see that the front right side and the back left side are a little flatter than their opposites. Looking up at her head, you can see that the tightening in her neck is causing her left (your right) ear to be a little more forward than the other…As well as her left eye and cheek.

From the sides you can tell that the back of her head is a bit flat and she has a sloped forehead which is a result of a flattened head.

Heehee, she's so cute here :) You can see looking straight on that there is a bit of a bulge above both ears due to the widening of the head. You can also tell that the left side of her head (your right) is flatter than the other side. You can tell from the back as well.

Here is what a 3 month old's head should look like…But isn't Sawyer so much cuter still? :)

notice there is no bulging above the ears and the head is 1/3 longer than it is wide.

Also there is a nice curve in the back instead of going straight down.

I know their are many questions about how the band works…Contrary to popular belief, the band does not squeeze the head into a more desirable shape, but instead the band allows more space for the parts of the head that we want to see "fill in." So you can see that it is not a complete helmet, but an actual band since parts are left open.

I know that treating your child's flat head with a helmet/band can be controversial…especially to those who do not know much about plagiocephaly and cranial remolding. However, Sawyer belongs to Casey and I, and we are doing our best and will make a decision based on what we believe is best for her and for our family. We appreciate your love and support! :)

Here are a couple of educational videos on plagio and the band!

Click here to watch another video to reduce the risk of flat head syndrome and see the importance of tummy time!

You can click on this link to see how to check your child's head for plagiocephaly without making an appointment.

Wedded Bliss

2011-07-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

Brooke (formerly Adams) and Morgan Collier tied the knot!

Here are some pictures from their big day!

(Forgive me for posting mainly pictures of Sawyer… it was her first wedding to attend, and thus, a momentous occasion! Did I mention that she also attended her first funeral that morning? Kinda strange to do that in the same day, but that's how she rolls.)

Congrats to the beautiful bride and handsome groom!

I think Janie would take Sawyer home with her!!

Our fam of 3

Casey doing the dollar dance with Brooke!

Janie & Miller

Rachy!!

Bubble send-off

blurry pics from my phone...

Congrats!!

Lots of Bitter, and Lots of Sweet

2011-07-25T16:34:00.000-05:00

This has been a trying and unsettling two weeks in the Coats' Household. Bittersweet for sure.

We are not use to jumping out of our comfort zone on faith and uncertainty. I can definitely say that we have been all too comfortable the last three and a half years of our marriage. (I am mainly speaking about finances…have you ever been to Guatemala?! I mean, seriously, we're all too comfortable).

After much time with the Lord and with our budget, Casey and I have decided that I am going to stay home this school year.

It has not been an easy decision, I assure you.

When I first got pregnant we sat down with our budget and decided that the huge numbers staring us in the face did not match up with me staying at home. Casey's income plus our bills equaled scary, negative, red numbers. That was the end of that, and I told everyone at school that I would for sure be coming back to work in August unless we won the lottery (which we do not play).

After Sawyer was born we took another look at the budget because the thought of going back to work was too sad. I'm not sure what we were thinking had changed…except lots and lots of hospital and NICU bills that kept coming in each day...

July 1st hit, and I basically woke up crying. Was it really already JULY?! Did I really have to leave my sweet baby in another person's home (albeit a really nice person with a really nice home) while I worked 5 days a week? It's just not fair! I might miss her first words, her first steps, lots and lots of sweet smiles and giggles. Surely I would miss important stuff.

Now, I am not the type to say that putting your child in childcare is wrong and would dare not call it "someone else raising your child." I think that is one of the most hurtful things you can say to a mother. If moms didn't work there wouldn't be many wonderful women to teach. I know too many excellent working mothers to say such a thing like that, and I, myself, have plans to go back to teaching someday in the near future.

Fast forward to mid-July….

Sweet Part: Last week I got hired on as a teacher at Mimosa Lane's Playschool (the church Casey grew up in and where we met). I will get to be in the baby room with my sweet Sawyer for her first year of life. Does the Lord provide or what?! Everyone keeps telling me that He honors moms and I already feel that to be true! The position is for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-2:30 with actual playschool from 9-2. I plan to sub on Fridays in Rockwall and Forney (Casey's day off).

Bitter Part: Today I went to school and told my principal and staff that I would not be coming back as a teacher this school year. I couldn't get the words out without crying because I am so so sad to be leaving Smith. It has been a huge blessing the past 3 years. I could not have asked for a more kind and understanding principal. I LOVE my team and other friends that I have made there. I will miss them greatly!

2nd Bitter Part: Money is going to be tight and we have already cut cable, and lots of other "extras" in order to make this happen. This is not going to be without sacrifice. We are use to buying nice gifts, going on an expensive vacation every year, eating out several times a week, seeing several movies a month, going on an anniversary getaway every year, and buying nice clothes. This is all going to change. We have basically cut out all vacations, getaways, restaurants, movies, clothes, and gifts (except for some at Christmas)! It is going to be financially difficult, but this is something that we felt called to do. We are praying that the Lord will provide for us and bless our decision for me to stay at home/work part time.

2nd Sweet Part: I get to stay with Sawyer this school year! I get to take her to work with me! I get to have her at home with me! I get to teach her, watch her grow, and make her laugh at all times of the day! I won't feel guilty working long hours at school or have to ask Casey to pick her up on his way home. I won't have to worry about being exhausted all week because of one sleepless, teething night. I get to sub on Fridays knowing that Sawyer is having a blast with her daddy at home (his day off)!

I am overjoyed that we are going to sacrifice on behalf of our daughter. I know it will be worth it.

Ham's Orchard!

2011-07-20T08:29:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago now (since I am so far behind on blogging I guess I'll need to put the date or I'll never know when it was when I look back…) -- June 27th to be exact -- Laura, Aubrey, Sawyer, & I took a short little road trip to Ham's Orchard! It was so cute and fun! We actually got out there before it got blistering hot and there was a pretty cool breeze while we sat under the pavilion! It was Laura's idea to go and boy, am I glad! I thought it was so fun that I drug Casey and Sawyer back there a week later ;) Here are some pictures of my two times to Ham's! :)

So, I don't know how many of you watch Shark Tank, but Casey and I try to come up with inventions all the time so that we can go on the show! One of the "inventions" Casey thought he came up with was the idea to pop corn still on the cob! He did this one time with one of the fall centerpieces on one of the tables at church. He stuck it in the microwave and corn popped on it. So anyway, he told me all of this a while back and then when Laura and I went to Ham's we saw that it was already invented. It was a sad day for Casey. Haha.

The store is super cute and I love how they have all of the fruit and vegetables laid out on the tables. Part of their gift is the ability to package well and make it pretty :) I wanted to buy a bag of peaches or a cute little basket of cherries so bad, but I resisted. Instead I opted for some icecream and chocolate fudge! Haha!

What Sawyer did most of the time….

Laura and Aubrey under the pavilion where we ate our hamburgers (me) and hotdogs (Laura & Aubrey)

Me and my pretty little baby :)

Cutie Sawyer

Trying so hard to get a good picture!

The Ham's House and Orchard!

The girls!

Cute Little Place...

Loved this sign…Haha!

Laura & I

The rest of the pictures are from my trip when I went with Casey a few days later…

Trying out the sling!

This time Sawyer had lunch, too :)

Look at that little cutie pie in the sling :) We just love her!

Ham's was pretty fun and cute and I'm sure I'll be making a few trips again next summer! Especially because Sawyer will be able to walk and that will make things a bit easier :) Thanks for the great find, Laura!!

Sawyer the Great!

2011-07-16T13:17:00.004-05:00

My sweet Sawyer is on the move--sideways that is! She rolled over once when she was 15 days old and then not again until yesterday! She rolled over THREE times yesterday, and I caught the last one on tape! WAHOO! :) Casey was out of town on mission trip so I'm so glad I videoed one so that he had a little surprise when he came home :) Yay Sawyer, you're awesome! :)

Check it out!

My Three Month Old Sawyer Grace

2011-07-14T17:05:00.001-05:00

Sawyer is growing so fast! We feel like she is just getting bigger and bigger even though in reality she is still quite small for a 3-month old. To us though she is a lot bigger than that 5 pound baby we brought home from the hospital. :)

AT THREE MONTHS…

Sawyer still loves her bed and falls asleep at night without crying.
She loves staring at her mobile and smiles and laughs at it when it is on!
Sawyer sleeps for several hours at night without waking up. It ranges from 4 to 10 hours depending on the night. :)
Sawyer smiles constantly especially when talked to and tickled. She looks for me and when she finds me she often smiles and I love it!
Sawyer laughs, too! She opens her mouth really wide first and eventually a little laugh comes out--it melts my heart :)
Sawyer enjoys baths way more now than she did and will even smile during them.
Sawyer loves sitting outward (with her back against you) so she can see everything. She holds her head up, moves it back and forth and looks all around.
Sawyer has become very interested in the tv when it is on and stares at it. Hopefully she won't become obsessed with it when she is older. :) I am pretty sure she just likes watching all of the movement.
Sawyer is still wearing newborn clothes. 0-3 months is still pretty big on her…hopefully she'll get to wear some of the summer outfits before it gets cold! There are only about 4 or 5 of her newborn onesies that no longer fit her and they were just a cheaper brand. The green one that she wore in her one-month update is one of the ones that no longer fits!

Sawyer's Weight Progression:

9 weeks old - 8 lbs 12 oz

10 weeks old - 9 lbs even

11 weeks old - 9 lbs 4 oz

12 weeks old - 9 lbs 10 oz

13 weeks/3 months old - 9 lbs 13 oz

Her next doctor's appointment is at 4 months and she'll have to get several more shots then. I hate that!

Here she is on her 3-month-old birthday :)

I love you sweet Sawyer. You make me smile everyday! :)

Family Night!

2011-07-13T23:01:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago (June 26th) Casey's family came over and we all went out to eat to Snuffers--all 10 of us! 6 adults, 1 five-year-old, and 3 babies! Everyone did well and after dinner we hung out at our house for a little bit. Here are some pictures of our fun time together :)

Casey & his nephew, Luke

Caleb being silly and entertaining us all!

Casey and his niece, Sadie

me with Sadie!

Mimi and Luke

Sadie rolls all around!

Poppy & Sawyer

Twins!

Luke

Sadie

Big brother, Caleb

Mimi & Sawyer

me and my baby girl ;)

Yay for family fun nights!

Looooove the Lake

2011-07-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

We've gone out on the boat with Charlie & Ginni a few times this summer, but we captured a lot of pictures on this trip in particular! There were some windsurfers in "our cove" and we got some pictures with them going right behind our boat. There are a few pictures of us getting some air as well. At the end of the day we parked the boat at Primo's and had dinner! Yum!

Charlie

Ginni

Casey

Lauren

The Hats

The boys

The Coats

The Rickersons

To many more days on the lake!

Girls Night: Kristen's Pokeno

2011-07-05T13:41:00.000-05:00

I love my pokeno girls and nights out with them! This last pokeno Casey kept Sawyer at home and I met the girls at Buca di Beppo (which I love!) and then to Kristen's apartment for ice cream sundaes and the game! I won a super cute little zipper purse from Fossil that Jenna brought. Yay!

Here are some pictures from the night!

July's pokeno is hosted by Laura and will be at my house! Yay!

A Birthday Day

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of weekends ago we had two birthday parties to attend! The first one was our nephew Caleb! He turned 5 years old and had a superhero party! We got him a couple of superhero posters and a fish for their salt water tank! He named him Batman :)

One of the favorite toys…I think the men loved it more than Caleb ;)

Sawyer's first birthday party to attend!

Sawyer with the birthday boy!

Later that night Sawyer stayed with Mimi & Poppy and Casey and I went to dinner and Top Golf for Jeremiah's 29th birthday! We went to Genki Sushi for dinner! It was my first time to eat sushi and I loved it! :) Casey on the other hand…did not. Haha! I doubt anyone is surprised since he is so picky.

Look at those chopsticks skillz! ;)

While waiting for our spot at Top Golf we played several massive games of Jenga!! It was fun!

Casey and the birthday boy!

Jerry & Lexi

Playing golf! It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go back and use the rest of our game card!

The winners of our first round!

I have my own pink, left-handed clubs ;)

Team Coats

Team Meadows

My hubby, the golfer

Here are some videos of me - proving that I can actually hit the ball! ;)

Video Diaries: Sawyer Grace

2011-06-30T08:00:00.011-05:00

I have been trying to upload videos of Sawyer onto youtube so I thought I'd post some on the blog! You can always go look at my videos on www.youtube.com. My username is AggieMrs. Here are some videos of my sweet Sawyer.

The first video is when Sawyer was 13 days old

I hope to continue adding video of Sawyer to the blog! Check back often :)

The Big 25!

2011-06-29T15:51:00.000-05:00

Sawyer coming early completely made me forget to blog about my 25th birthday! I was 9 months pregnant and a little uncomfortable, but still had fun! :)

I started out my birthday celebration with pokeno at my house with the girls! Ginni brought me a cake! :)

And I stole this one from Lauren…I just can't believe how huge I look!

I will remember myself looking like this on my 25th birthday

Then the next day, on my actual birthday I had my church baby shower! That night Casey took me to Medieval Times! I had always wanted to go there and Casey said we were "saying goodbye to my childhood" since I was turning 25 and it was my last baby-less birthday!

Casey gave me the diaper bag that I wanted for my birthday!

It was pretty expensive so I don't think I would have gotten it otherwise :)

The next day we went to my grandparents house after church for more birthday celebration and our annual Easter Egg hunt!! :) I always have a special cake that represents that year - so here is year 25!

The Easter Egg Hunt!! Casey had a bit of an unfair advantage since he could run and I was 9 months pregnant so I allowed myself a 3 minute head start! :)

counting and opening our eggs!

I made more money than Casey - beat him every year! ;)

I had a GREAT birthday thanks to thoughtful friends and family!

First Father's Day

2011-06-26T15:11:00.001-05:00

Casey's first Father's Day was June 19th. Sawyer and I tried to make it extra special for him. :) We spent Friday, the 17th at my grandparents house where we fished in the morning and swam in the afternoon. Casey caught two fish, I caught one, my Momma Sheila caught SIX and my mom caught zero. Haha! Normally my mom catches the most fish, but not this time. Mom and Momma Sheila went inside early to play with Sawyer who was being kept by Pappa Donnie & my Uncle Russell. I gave Casey, Uncle Russell, and Pappa Donnie their Father's Day presents. Uncle Russell and Pappa Donnie each got a couple of Father's Day pictures from Sawyer's Father's Day shoot. I made a book on Shutterfly for Casey with pictures from her first month and the surprise Father's Day pictures. He loved his book and it will be fun to look back at in years to come.

When it was time to swim I put Sawyer in her adorable little swim suit (she has 3, haha!) and matching hat! I put sunglasses on her, too, but they are actually the sunglasses that match a different swimsuit! Anyway, we took her for a little dip in the pool, but she was crying before I even got her in so she didn't stay outside long. She needed a nap :) She looked adorable though and we got some cute pictures. :)

haha, and then she started crying so we took her back inside. She was probably outside for only 5 minutes or so. Haha!

Haha, the glasses were hard to stay on :)

Hahaha...

Father/Daughter Love <3

My mom made homemade icecream while my Momma Sheila made some hamburgers. Casey and I hung out in the pool eating strawberries until it was time to eat lunch! Casey did flips off of the diving board and we had some fun playing a bit of pool volleyball.

The next day Casey and I did some shopping for his new suit! He ended up getting a fitted, dark gray suit with pin-stripes from Express along with two new dress shirts. It looks great on him! That purchase was part graduation/part Father's day:) I need to take some pictures of him in it, but until I do, here is the picture of the suit off of Express's website. Picture Casey in it with a light purple shirt (he got one purple and one white one).

The next day, Sunday, we went to eat at Mi Cocina in Rockwall after church. I gave Casey his homemade card and a little Father/Daughter book that he saw when I was pregnant. I bought it way back then and saved it for Father's Day. He's already read the whole thing!

See Sawyer next to me? I forgot to get a picture of just her and Casey!! :(

I would say he had a pretty good 1st Father's Day! :)

I love you very much, Casey! I am blessed to have you as my husband, and Sawyer is super blessed to have you as her Daddy! You rock! :)

Mavericks: We are the Champions!

2011-06-21T21:27:00.000-05:00

I love the Mavericks. I have loved them since I was a little girl. In elementary school I went to the Dallas Maverick basketball camp and met Derek Harper and he signed my Maverick basketball and picture of himself. Later, I became a huge fan of Dirk when I was in high school and saved Dirk paraphernalia such as magazines with him on the cover and a Dirk marionette doll that hung on my dresser mirror for years.

On June 20, 2006, I was at the hospital waiting on my nephew Caleb to be born. Minutes before we got to see baby Caleb the Mavs lost to the Heat in the final game.

This year I watched every playoff game on pins and needles hoping that we could manage to make it to the finals again. I LOVED watching them sweep the Lakers. Those were still my favorite games. It was like when the Rangers beat the Yankees, but better. When we played the first few games against the Heat I knew that it was going to be tough, but I never lost hope (like Casey did!). I really thought we were going to pull it out! On Sunday I said over and over that we were going to win game 6. Sure enough, we did, and it was awesome! Scott and Erin were in town and staying with us. When the clock ran out Casey, Scott, & I ran around the back yard banging wooden spoons on pots and pans. It was fun. Scott fell down and that made it even more fun. :)

I talked Casey into going to the airport with me on Monday to greet the Mavericks. We waited an hour or so in the blistering heat until they landed! We cheered them home and it was a lot of fun. Casey and I were even interviewed and shown on channel 4 news.

Mavs man and Champ

Champ getting us to cheer

It was funny…this van was in our way and we all started chanting together "move that van! move that van!" over and over and finally this guy came out and moved it! We were like an angry mob. :)

The trophy!! In the excitement of it all I didn't get very good pictures of anything...

MAVS man!

The trophy again

Casey getting interviewed - I thought to take a picture of him, but he didn't take one of me :(

Here we are on the news!! :)

My Two Month Old Sawyer Grace

2011-06-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe it's already been two months! The summer is already starting to fly by and my little baby is growing quickly. She has changed so much in the last month! We had her 2 month appointment on her "birthday" and she had 6 vaccines given in the form of 3 shots and one oral liquid. She screamed and cried hard when they first stuck her, but then quieted down as soon as Casey was able to pick her up. I teared up, too, because I absolutely hated knowing that she was crying from pain and not just wanting to bed fed or changed. It was a totally different cry and I didn't like it. She was great the rest of the doctor's visit and slept for about 3 hours afterward. However, it was a totally different story when she woke up. She was screaming out in pain and could not get comfortable. The slightest repositioning hurt her tender little legs and she screamed and screamed. She didn't even look the same to me because she was crying so hard and her little face was completely red. It broke my heart. :( Eventually she settled down and the tylenol began to do it's thing. She got better throughout the day and was even better the next day (although I kept her on Tylenol like the doctor urged me to do). Next time I will know to give her Tylenol before the appointment so that she is a little numbed before getting all of those shots! Her skinny little legs just cannot take it! The nurse said it probably hurt her a little more since there isn't much fat on her. She had little knots in her legs where the shots were given. Poor baby.

AT TWO MONTHS…

Sawyer started sleeping in her own bed in the nursery at 6 weeks old. Casey slept in his sleeping bag on the floor in her room for the first 2 nights to console her when she cried and also to settle my nerves as well. :) She cried pretty hard the first few nights and has done really well since! We have a video monitor so I check on her pretty often still, but she seems to really like it now!
Sawyer has become a champ at holding her head up when being held in the upright position. It's a little bobble head-ish, but she can keep it!
She has developed an adorable little smile! It ranges from an open-mouth Elmo-looking smile to a full out grin. I love it and can't get enough!!
Sawyer has begun to talk and coo. She has many different "types" of coos ranging from a high-pitched excited sound to a more quiet and content sound. She usually coos at us when we are talking to her, when we touch her chin or squeeze her cheeks, or when she is put in bed under her mobile.
She loves her mobile and smiles and coos at it almost every time she is put in her crib whether it is bed time or nap time.
Sawyer laughed for the first time on her 2 month birthday! It was the cutest sound ever. :) I got up and ran to tell Casey as soon as it happened. I was playing with her while she was in her bouncer and she got all excited and laughed and smiled. So cute. :)

Sawyer's Weight Progression:

6 weeks old - 7 lbs 13 oz

7 weeks old - 8 lbs even

8 weeks old - 8 lbs 4 oz

2 months old (dr. appt.) - 8 lbs 12 oz

The growth charts show Sawyer in the 10% for weight, 50% for length, and 50% for head size. It looks like we have a tall, skinny baby right now, but I think she'll even out later. :) The doctor is pleased with her weight gain and said that her weight is "birth weight appropriate." Remember, she was born at 5 lbs 12 oz and at 2 months she is exactly 3 lbs heavier.

I love my sweet baby girl.

My 1st Mother's Day & Sawyer's Baby Dedication

2011-06-11T15:29:00.005-05:00

My first Mother's Day was extremely special. I had a gorgeous 3 week old baby in my arms and it was baby dedication at our church! It was a wonderful celebration of the beautiful gift that God gave me! All of our family came to church to see Sawyer's big debut - both of our parents, Chris & Stephanie and their 3 kiddos, Casey's grandmother, Momma Sheila (my grandma), and my Uncle Russell! We also had lots of church friends their including Jenna and Charlie and Ginni who all took pictures for me :)

Before the dedication Paul McDill asked all the mothers to stand so they could pray for us. It was so weird to stand up with all the mothers including my mom, grandma, Casey's mom, sister, and grandmother.

At the end of the service we went up on the stage with 2 other families to dedicate our babies. Sawyer was the youngest at 3 weeks. She wore the dress that Casey's mom gave her before she was born. It was still big, but it was definitely cute on her! I will always remember my first Mother's Day as the day that we dedicated our first baby, Sawyer Grace, to the Lord. We hope to raise her to love and accept Jesus at a young age.

my beautiful little baby :)

Casey was so creative and made me the sweetest video for Mother's Day. It documents my pregnancy and Sawyer's first 3 weeks of life. I absolutely love it and will treasure it forever!!

Isn't is just wonderful? I thought it was so incredibly sweet. Love my husband and my baby girl!

PS. There is a very unflattering picture of me in the slideshow (one of me giving Sawyer a bath) that Casey put in there as a joke. He thinks it's the funniest picture ever. Weirdo.

1st Lake Day of 2011!

2011-05-28T16:03:00.000-05:00

Casey & I ventured out onto the lake for the first time this year! The weather was pretty great, just a little windy. We stayed on the north side of the lake because it's always a bit smoother. Sawyer stayed with my mom and she, my Momma Sheila, & Uncle Russell took her shopping and out to eat to El Chico! This was her first time to ride with someone other than Casey or I so I was a little nervous, but she was in good hands, of course! :)

Anyway, the water was still cold so we didn't get in, but we just dangled our feet off the swim deck of the boat. The water usually takes until June to warm up enough to get in. That's just a few days from now though! We had fun laying out, reading books, and eating our lunch (sandwiches, strawberries, and cherries!) that my mom packed us! I got to wear my new "boat hat," too! I love it! :)

Sawyer's Nursery

2011-05-23T19:50:00.001-05:00

We started Sawyer's nursery the day after Christmas - December 26, 2010 and finally finished it in early April! We did several things in this room…we painted it two different colors or pink, put up the chair rail and painted it creme, took down the ceiling fan and put in the chandelier, put the light on a dimmer switch, took a mirror (from Ross) out of it's frame and painted it creme, painted a brass curtain rod creme, repainted and reupholstered the glider and ottoman as well as my old rocking chair from when I was a little girl.

Here are some pictures of Sawyer's room - it's girly and pink for sure! :)

My One Month Old Sawyer Grace

2011-05-19T13:42:00.000-05:00

My baby girl is growing up before my very eyes! I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone. Casey and I get up every morning and marvel over the fact that she looks different again. How can she look different in a matter of only a few hours?

At ONE MONTH….

Sawyer is already focusing her eyes on you and will turn her head when she hears someone's voice - particularly her Momma's ;)
She is a champ at holding her head up when she is the burping position against someone's chest.
She does tummy time daily and rolled over when she was 15 days old on April 29th! She hasn't rolled over again, but that's okay with me because she's growing up too fast anyway :)
She LOVES looking around the room and when awake she will cry if she can't see around the room.
She is enjoying bath time, mainly when we pour a cup of water over her
She has started making a few cooing and "ah"ing noises - especially when being talked to and played with
When I make funny noises she bugs her eyes and out and seems fascinated with the new sounds
Something we laugh at a lot is her intense face when she is trying to toot, haha. She pulls her legs up and makes the funniest face…and then lets it lose! :)
Sawyer has begun to do a little grin when she is in a good mood - LOVE it.

Sawyer's weight progression:

At birth - 5 lbs 12 oz.

1 week old - 5 lbs 9 oz.

2 weeks old - 6 lbs 4 oz

3 weeks old - 7 lbs even

4 weeks old - 7 lbs 1 oz

5 weeks old -7 lbs 10 oz

Isn't she a cutie?!

I never knew I could love you this much little girl. Your first month of life has flown by, and I could not be more grateful that you're mine!

Casey Coats, Th.M.

2011-05-17T23:39:00.001-05:00

Casey finished his degree at Dallas Theological Seminary in December, 2010. However, DTS only holds their graduation in the Spring, so on May 7th Casey officially graduated! :) It was a fun weekend! We started it off by going to the graduation BBQ at DTS on Friday night with Casey's parents! We had some yummy Sonny Bryan's Barbeque and then headed over to the little petting zoo - there were goats, bunnies, pot belly pigs, ducks, & chickens! Have you ever heard of ducks and chickens in a petting zoo?! We thought it was odd. There were also pony rides! Part of me wished that Sawyer was old enough to do those things, but then I realized that I want her to stay small a bit longer! :)

Poppy & Sawyer checking out all of the animals

Proud Grandparents

The next day, we (Casey, Sawyer, & I) made it to Prestonwood Baptist Church (that's where DTS holds their graduation ceremonies) at 8:30am. Graduation didn't start until 10, but Casey had to take a class picture and get directions, etc. I saved seats for his family and played with Sawyer until everyone arrived. Casey's fan base consisted of me, Sawyer, his mom, dad, and sister!

Can you pick Casey out of the crowd?

These are the graduates taking their class picture.

Now can you find him? :) It's like a game of Where's Waldo!

How about now?

I'll give you a hint - he's wearing blue!

What Sawyer did during the graduation :)

I took this picture of the big screen when Casey was walking down the aisle!

The speaker, Dennis Rainey

more sleeping :)

Casey getting his diploma! (Not really - his was mailed to him back in December!:)

Jeremiah getting his diploma!

To brag on him a bit…he graduated with honors!
Way to go, babe!

Coats family of 3 :)

The original Coats family!

the whole gang!

most importantly…the financial contributors ;)

proud wifey!

Aunt Stephanie with Sawyer - she was 3 weeks old here

Casey & Jeremiah - they went to UT together and then DTS together!

…and one with the wives!

That evening we had Casey's graduation party at our houset!! It was a lot of fun! For food we had hamburgers, hot dogs, Mitch's delicious french fries, chips & dip, and cake! For fun we had corn hole - a game you play with bean bags (actually the bags are filled with corn and that's how it got it's name…which I just learned for the first time!)! There were about 50 people at our house, so luckily we have a big backyard! :)

Lauren & Sawyer - she sat there holding her for a long time!

Alycia's first time to meet Sawyer :)

Laura K & Aubrey K

At one point most all of the women and children were inside and all the men outside!

It was kind of funny that we separated ourselves like that!

Playing corn hole!

Mitch at the "fry station"

Casey's gifts!

The party boy giving me a "I don't want my picture made" look!

Some of my pretty friends:)

Laura, Ginni, & Jennifer

and then we added another pretty girl, Melina!

just hanging out

changing Sawyer's diaper, haha!

Ginni with Sawyer, Lauren, Alycia, & Kane!

Barbara & Bob Wood and Craig Kilgore came, too!

Funny story - Joshua McDill (4 years old) came out of the house looking for his mom because he couldn't get his pants back up from being in the restroom - he ran around the yard after he figured out that we all thought he was hilarious! It was really cute :)

Aubrey was so cute with Sawyer! When she came in she asked where Sawyer was and then later that night we let her hold her. She kept calling her "baby" over and over. One time my mom came over and touched Sawyer's head and Aubrey said very seriously, "Don't touch the baby!" It was so funny!

SUCH a cute picture :)

She also put her pacifier back in when it fell out - so sweet :)

Mimi & Sawyer!

The Laurens :)

Congratulations, babe! You are loved!

Ps. Isn't the cake so funny? I knew he'd like being called "Master Casey" :)

Sawyer's Birth Story

2011-05-09T11:14:00.007-05:00

Disclaimer: I will be giving somewhat graphic details, so don't read if you don't like that sort of thing. ;)

On the night of Wednesday, April 13th I wasn't feeling too great. I ended up sleeping on the couch for a couple of hours while Casey was at our youth service, Momentum. When he came home he could tell I wasn't in the best mood and I already wanted to go to bed, even though it was only around 9:30pm. We went to bed eventually and I woke up around 1:30am tossing and turning. I just felt like I couldn't get comfortable. I would roll over and that felt a little painful in my back, which I did think was odd, but I had had some back pain earlier in my pregnancy, so I figured it was just the weight of my belly hurting my back. I fell back asleep several times and would wake up again and again and roll over or get up out of bed to use the restroom. I complained to Casey that I just couldn't get comfortable. I was getting pretty upset about losing so much sleep since I had to work the next day. Around 2:15am Casey told me to stay awake for a little bit and tell him if I had some pain. I kept getting up and going to the bathroom because I felt like I just needed to have a bowel movement. Casey had been timing my pain though and eventually told me that I had been having pain for about 1 minute and that it had come back every 5 to 7 minutes. We decided then to call the doctor that was on-call (he works at the same practice as my own doctor). The on-call doctor asked me a few questions and told me to watch my "contractions" for another 30 minutes or an hour. He didn't seem to sure that I was in labor, so I wasn't sure either. He told me that I could wait until the office opened and come in then if I wasn't sure…I was thinking "that's 6 hours from now…" He did say that he would call my doctor, Dr. Payne, and tell him that I may be coming in later.

Anyway, Casey and I continued to time my contractions which continued to come every 5 minutes and were still lasting about 1 minute. I kept on saying I wasn't sure if they were real contractions because I didn't feel them in my stomach as much as in my back. There was only one contraction where my stomach got really hard. All of the rest of them were mainly in my lower back. As time passed I decided we'd better start packing our bags! I had only a few things in my bag and Casey hadn't packed anything at all yet. I stayed in bed a little longer and told Casey what to put in my bag. He was being great about helping! :) I finally decided to take a shower before going to the hospital. While in the shower I had 2 contractions so powerful that I had to sit down. They had started getting stronger and stronger. After blow drying my hair I did a few dishes (hate coming home to a dirty house!) and put the laundry in the dryer so I would have some clean clothes when we came home from the hospital.

Casey put our bags in the car and told me that we had to drive to Forney first because he left his wallet and bag at the church! By this time it was around 5:15am. The contractions had started getting a lot stronger and I was getting a little nervous since we were about 45 minutes from getting to the hospital! Remember, the doctor had said wait 30 minutes to an hour and I had waited 4 hours before arriving at the hospital.

We got to the hospital and checked in at 6am. I had preregistered online a few days earlier so I wasn't given any paperwork to fill out. They weighed me and took me to my room right away. They gave me a gown to put on and told me that "most women are examined and sent home because they are in just the early stages of labor." The nurse made it clear that I did not look like I was in enough pain to be at the hospital. I went to the restroom and a few minutes later a nurse came back to examine me. She and I both were amazed because I was already dilated to 6 centimeters! I asked "So, I'm staying?" and she gave me an emphatic "yes!"

At this point the nurses and doctors came and checked on me every hour or so and every time I was dilated 1 centimeter more! A lot of progress for having a "first baby." When I got to 8 centimeters they decided to break my water and at the time I opted to finally get the epidural. Before then I had debated on not getting it because the nurses kept telling me that I was doing great and if I could handle the pain at 8 centimeters that I wouldn't need the anesthesia. I talked it over with Casey and eventually decided to go ahead and get it since I hadn't prepared for labor without drugs and I was nervous. Looking back, I know I could have done it, but I was just so nervous about the pain getting really bad. It turns out, that I was only completely numbed on my left side (apparently an epidural is effected by gravity and I was sitting on the bed while it was on an incline to the left). They kept putting me on my right side, but it just wasn't working. I told 5 people before Casey eventually left the room and told them to get an anesthesiologist in the room. He came in and tried to fix it, and it did get a little better, but I ended up feeling every contraction and all of my labor on my right side. Kind of a weird feeling, but it ended up being for the best once I started pushing and Sawyer's heart rate when haywire.

Alright, so after they broke my water I quickly went from an 8, to a 9, to a 10! At that point they told me that I would begin pushing in 30 minutes at 12:45. They didn't come back until 1:00pm and at that point I started pushing with just a nurse in the room. They had paged Dr. Payne and he would make his was from his office to the hospital soon. I was a little nervous about pushing with just the nurse since all of my labor had progressed so quickly. I was worried that we may have the baby without him! I pushed once or twice and then Sawyer's heart rate dropped down to around 60. The nurse had me stop pushing, turned me on my left side and gave me oxygen. At this point I started freaking out inside. I was completely worried and panicked. What was going on?! But then it got worse - her heart rate jumped up to 210! I could see the worry on Casey's face and he finally asked the nurse "is that sustainable?" Apparently the nurse had just been staring at the monitor (I couldn't see her because I was still laying on my side with an oxygen mask on). At that point she started paging the front desk for Dr. Payne. The receptionist said he had been paged and was aware that I was beginning to push. The nurse told her that there was a "dippity do" and that "Dr. Payne needed to get here as soon as he could." I was so annoyed that she kept calling this a "dippity do" and really just wanted her to stop pretending that nothing was wrong. She also paged for a "level 3 NICU" and at that point a bunch of NICU nurses as well as Dr. Payne came into the room.

Dr. Payne quickly got into his scrub gear and leaned down to me and said, "because of baby's heart rate we need to get her out as quickly as possible, so we are going to use forceps to pull her down a bit. When she is born instead of her putting her on your chest so you can see her they are going to take her over there and make sure she is perfect before they bring her back to you" - he pointed to the back of the room. Anyway, I pushed in sets of 3's. So on the first contraction, I pushed 3 times. During that contraction they used the forceps and pulled and pulled. THAT I could feel *shiver*. On the second contraction the baby was crowning and on the third contraction Dr. Payne was saying "harder harder harder" and Casey was telling me what a good job I was doing and I just felt so determined to get her out because I was still so scared for her that I just got a huge adrenaline rush and was able to push her out. I pushed for maybe 5 minutes before she was born at 1:42pm. I was thrilled to hear her cry right away. Casey immediately started crying due to all the relief we both felt. I had been sure that she was going to have a heart attack when I heard her little heart beating at 210, and I knew that Casey had been scared, too. At some point before I started pushing I remember asking Dr. Payne if he was scared. He told me that if he was scared he would be running around like a chicken with his head cut off. I know that's not true - he must get scared sometimes, but he is always as cool and calm as a cucumber. I love that about him! He made me feel much more calm when he came and took control. Casey felt the same way.

Anyway, when Sawyer was born they had Casey cut the cord and then they immediately took her to another part of the room before I was able to see her. All I saw of her where her feet - which were purple. I could hear her cry though and so I really wasn't worried. Casey and my mom both seemed to think she was perfectly fine. I did hear a really loud, repetitive noise and asked Casey if that was the nurses hitting Sawyer on the back. He said they were trying to get the fluid out of her lungs. Apparently, normal birth is supposed to squeeze all the fluid from a baby's lungs as they go through the birth canal, but because I pushed Sawyer out so quickly, much of the fluid remained in her lungs. This is called "wet lungs." Sawyer was also immediately given oxygen because the levels of oxygen in her blood were low. She also had really labored breathing.

After probably 15 minutes or so of them taking care of Sawyer and my doctor taking care of me, a NICU nurse came over to me and told me that Sawyer would be going straight to the NICU, but would probably only be there for 1 to 4 hours. I was very sad, and thinking that I wasn't going to get to see her or hold her I said, "Can you wheel her by me first?" She said of course, but instead Casey brought her over to me and I was able to hold her for about 20 seconds. When he handed her to me her color looked good because she had been on oxygen before, but her immediately started draining from her face and she turned white. The doctor or nurse (I'm not sure which) seemed very concerned and quickly said, "Okay, her color isn't good. We need to take her now." Again, I wasn't all that worried because they had said she'd only be gone for 1 to 4 hours. My nephew Caleb had been in the NICU for about 18 hours when he was first born and I knew from that experience that he was fine, so that helped soothe my fears.

Hours passed and I enjoyed talking with all my visitors, getting moved to my new room, and hearing from my parents and in-laws that Sawyer was super cute! Casey and I were able to write down 6 names of family and friends to go with him one at a time to see Sawyer in NICU (my mom, dad, Casey's mom, dad, and sister, and Lauren Smith - like a sister to me:). I was still numb on my left side and laying in bed and didn't go to see Sawyer until all 6 of these people, plus Casey had been there. They were only allowed to look and touch her, not hold her. I was shown pictures of her when they got back. Eventually, Casey suggested that they try to move me from my bed to a wheel chair so that I could go to see her, too. We were still under the impression that she would be moved into my room soon and that the rest of our visitors could see her then.

When Casey wheeled me down there we were met with some very unwelcome news. The nurse or doctor (again, not sure which) said to me, "Sawyer is a bit of a trouble maker, so she is going to have to stay in here for a couple of days." She was trying to be lighthearted by calling her a trouble maker, but I was very unhappy with how she told me that I was not going to get my baby girl in a couple of hours (like we were told), but instead it would be overnight and dayS - plural. I couldn't believe it. As soon as she finished talking to us and telling me that I could not even hold her, I lost it. I couldn't stop crying. Her bed was waist high and I was confined to a low-riding wheel chair with no way to stand. All I could do was lean really far and barely touch her with my fingertips. She looked so tiny and fragile with what seemed like a million tubes and wires connected to her - an oxygen tube, heart monitors, breathing monitors, oxygen level wires, etc. She was laying on her stomach to help her labored breathing. She had on a diaper and a hospital hat with a giant bow. I wish so bad that I had that hat now! I asked for one before we left, but they gave me the one without the bow instead. We prayed for Sawyer before we left the NICU to go back to our room.

When Casey wheeled me back to my room I cried the entire length of the hallway. I got Casey all upset, too, of course. He was upset for our little girl, but even more upset that her momma couldn't hold her or even see her as much as others were able to do. We eventually asked that our visitors leave because we knew that Sawyer would not be joining us and I was really upset and needed to kind of take it all in alone and with Casey.

We went back and visited Sawyer again and again while she was in NICU over the next 3 days - basically every 3 hours we spent an hour or 2 with her before going back to our room to eat or rest. We even went in the middle of the night to feed her. The NICU has a very rigid schedule for feeding the babies. They eat at 2, 5, 8, and 11am and pm. I was able to breastfeed her all of those time starting the day after she was born. I was also able to hold her the morning after she was born - this was a sweet time that Casey captured on video.

On the evening of April 16th, Sawyer got to "room in" with us and stay the night in our room for the first time. We were overjoyed! We had expected to have to leave the hospital the evening without her, but the awesome doctors discharged me and allowed us to stay another night in our room under Sawyer's name. We had many visitors that night and went home together as a family of 3 the next day, April 17th, when Sawyer was 3 days old.

Check out the video of me getting to hold Sawyer for the first time in the NICU.

Miss Sawyer Grace Coats

2011-04-26T16:47:00.000-05:00

The second love of my life has arrived! Her name is Sawyer Grace Coats and she was born at 1:42pm on April 14, 2011. She weighed 5 pounds and 12 ounces and measured at 19 3/4 inches. She has a head full of light brown hair and dark blue eyes that look brown at a glance. She has a sweet button nose and the longest fingers and toes! She has her mommy's wrinkly ears and long, monkey arms. We also think she has her daddy's forehead. :)

She likes to sleep with her arms up above her head if not swaddled in a blanket for naps. She already gives us cute smiles and alertly looks around the room! She eats every 2 to 3 hours and rarely cries unless she is hungry. For now she sleeps in her bassinet next to our bed and likes to lay in her swing in the living room while Mommy folds clothes or cleans up during the day. She is a good eater and a good sleeper! She doesn't like getting her diaper changed and she doesn't really like tummy time either, but we're working on it any way. :)

We love her to death. She is cuter than I ever imagined and sweeter, too!

Meet Miss Sawyer