Reflecting

Reflecting...

9/25... a year has passed? Already? 

Finding it hard to believe that is has been an entire year since I was rushed to the ER at 27 weeks pregnant not knowing what was going on or what was coming next (full story here). 11 weeks later at 37weeks & 7days our precious Lorelei was born- perfectly healthy!!! I'm thankful for those involved in that day with us, taking care of me & baby- my love, family, friends, doctors- THANK YOU ALL! Scared doesn't even begin to describe what I was feeling that day...but LOVE has taken it's place. 

I've been dreading today & I certainly had NO intention of going anywhere near the Stone Oak medical center, but once again, my precious angel baby had plans of her own...This my friends is a buckle fracture from too much stomping when she dances-yep, that's MY baby! 

Thankful & loving my crazy girl,

Sandra

It's a.......

GIRL!!!

Introducing Lorelei Elena Coldewey. Born Monday, December 10, 2012 at 11:51 am coming into the world at 6lbs 12oz & 19 3/4" long!!

The story:

Preston worked the day before and ended up getting a late call Monday morning before getting of work. He texted me to let me know he'd be late & I decided to stay in bed until he got home. Preston got home around 8:15a & took a shower. He then started to tell me about his late call while I was still in bed. All of a sudden, at 8:55a, I felt a BIG kick which actually made me say "Ow!"- I figured Baby was ready for some breakfast. So, I got up to go to the bathroom & on my way, noticed that I was leaving a trail behind (on the floor that had just been mopped the day before!). So I called out "Preston, I'm pretty sure my water broke & we need to head out soon!" He got up, came to look and very excitedly said "Okay! Let's go!!" So, he went out to make sure the outside faucets were covered for the freeze that was coming & I went to get dressed... Only it was pretty difficult bc the contractions started & I had to pause to breathe through them, and I was pausing quite a bit, it seemed. Preston came back in while I was getting ready & was around for 3 contractions that were 3 minutes apart & told me "we need to go now bc they're really close." So we grabbed the backpack with our things for the labor (that we never ended up using) & got in the car & left. On the way, they were getting closer together & more intense- the squeeze his hand as hard as I can kind. As we're driving we start coming up on morning traffic...contractions weren't slowing down so we decided to take the "back way" to the hospital. Along the back route, we came up on a church & church school with its own stop light. As it was turning yellow &( the contractions were getting stronger) I told Preston, "Don't you stop at that light!!" His response: "wasn't planning on it!"- ha!

Finally at the ER (even though we made great time for AM rush hour) and Preston goes in to tell them I'm in labor & get a wheel chair (no way I was walking anywhere!). They take me up to L&D triage and start getting me ready & checking me in. I changed into a gown & was lying back down when the contractions started getting stronger. The nurse checked me & said I was dilated 3cm & was doing good. Preston went to go move the car quickly & the pain intensified. I told the nurse "I'm feeling pressure, it feels like I have to go to the bathroom!" She told me to keep breathing & I wasn't far enough along to push. Preston got back & I nearly squeezed his hand off during the next contraction & the nurse started my IV to get me ready to go to L&D. I told her the same thing again & she insisted I try to relax bc I wasn't close enough to push. Just then my nurse from L&D came to get me & started wheeling me over to my room. I was having a contraction along the way & when we got there so as soon as it was done, she & Preston helped me haul butt into bed. There comes another one.... "It feels like I have to go to the bathroom. So much pressure down low", I tell her. She actually listens to me & checks me (it's been 20 minutes...) I'm dilated to 10cm- WHAT?!?! I KNEW IT...but at the same time I was thinking- is this supposed to be happening this fast??? AAAAHHH!! The nurse said she was going to call my doctor & then looked at me & said, "you're so close, do you want to just do it without meds?" I froze.. & she said "let me go call". As she walked out I turned to Preston & said, " is she out of her freaking mind?!?!? What kind of dumb ass question is that?!?" (Pardon my French..I blame labor...yeah right!) she came right back & said good news, your doctor asked me to please get you at least a little something & the anesthesiologist is right outside, so he's coming in. He comes in mid contraction & I try to say hi. He goes through he spiel of what he's supposed to say & says "we don't have time for an epidural, this is a spinal & should wear off in an hour". I did what they told me & rolled onto my side while the nurse held me in fetal position in case of a contraction... Here it comes! In goes the needle mid contraction-felt like nothing comparatively! And he was done before my contraction. They rolled me back onto my back & instantly I can feel my lower half start to relax....ahh. I can finally comprehend & think. "Wait did he say it will wear off in an hour?? Am I really going to be done by then?? Is he nuts?" (Luckily it only took half an hour!) The nurse checks again & tells me we'll for sure be done by then & that we're going to start pushing a little to move the baby down before the big show! As my first push is ending, my doctor walks in & says "do I have time to change?" She looks at me & immediately says, " oh I'd better hurry!" I only do three "pre" pushes before its "go time". I push for two rounds (3 in a round) & on the third round, out comes the head. She has me pause to cut the cord that was wrapped once (probably because that baby was a rollie pollie in there). I give one final push...out comes baby.

I immediately look at Preston....

"It's a GIRL!!"

"WHAT?!? REALLY??" I'm bawling.

And then the doctor lifts her up & puts her on my chest. SHE is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!! The first things I notice: 1. She has a small freckle on her left temple 2. Her nose & lips look EXACTLY like the sonogram!!

I have a DAUGHTER!!!!

Preston & I are instantly in love & just spend the next little while staring at her. The nurses take Hertel clean her up & get her weight while proud Daddy takes pictures & makes sure they "do it right" ;)

They do it all quickly & get her back to me. Once I have her back, Preston asks me if he should go tell everyone now. I knew my Dad was there but didn't know who else... But the nurse said quite a few people (turns out they just wanted to see me & didn't know I HAD her!) Preston went out to tell them (they think it's just a labor update) and I hear them get quiet as he's about to say then... SCREAMS..."A GIRL?!?" Then somewhat quiet again for her name... "AWWWWW!!" After I had my uninterrupted hour with my baby girl, the nurse came to take her to the nursery and Daddy went too. As soon as they get in the hallway... "Awwwww!!" Haha

In come my mommy, Kami & sister, Stephanie for hugs!! My dad & Kathy follow & then comes Nancy, Sophie & baby Gordon sleeping. After a few hugs, my nurse came in to move me to my recovery room to get settled. Once I'm settled, in comes family & friends for hugs and congrats.

A short time later, in comes Preston, followed by the nursery nurse with our Baby GIRL, Lorelei Elena!!

The rest of our stay was full of visitors & gifts for baby by family & friends! We are So thankful to all who came to visit our new family, being us food & help with anything we needed!

And so our journey begins:
"A man & a woman had a little baby, yes they did. They had three in the family, that's a magic number"- School House Rock

A New Mommy,
Sandra

Oh, Baby...

5 weeks...

It has been 5 whole weeks since our scare with Baby C.  The last 5 weeks have been overwhelming & quick, but oh sooooo sloooooow at the same time. I'm so glad that our scare didn't seem to really effect Baby. In fact, it didn't really seem to have anything to do with Baby other than the fact the bleeding came from the same place Baby is. No high blood pressure, no gestational diabetes, no placenta previa or placenta abruption, no real explanation.  Possibly a blood clot or infection that has disappeared, but we don't know for sure. Whatever is was... it's not here now.

So, I just keep on bed rest. Which let me tell you, is fun (<--please sense the sarcasm here). Bed rest is overwhelming & boring all at the same time.

Overwhelming:
Figuring out paperwork for FMLA, Catastrophic Sick Leave Bank(to get extra paid leave), Disability all of which need a physician's statement that takes the doctor's office 7-10 days to fill out, which adds to the wait for answers. Waiting is hard, especially when that all you're doing... literally. Sitting/lying on the sofa or bed... waiting.

Boring:
Not doing anything. Oh sure, I read magazines here & there (thanks to friends & family who keep me in supply), check the computer, check work email (& answer any that need it but I'm getting FAR less than if I were actually there), work on lesson plans- which pretty much sucks since it's such a fun time of year with holidays (Halloween, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas) and I don't even get to do them with the kids!! YES, I'm pouting. So what?! The only things that makes doing nothing bearable: 1) Baby moving & wiggling 2) Preston being here on his days off to make me laugh & keep me sane. Luckily, I've had visitors on several occasions that have helped pass the time on both days when Preston is here & on shift: my Aunt Cynthia brought me a goodie basket from her & the girls along with a mattress for the crib, Shanna & Baby Zane came to visit for an afternoon & brought me a goodie bag of treats, Kami & Chad brought my sweet Mason & Karsyn by for an afternoon of snuggles, my Mommy brought me lunch when Preston was working, Kathy came & cleaned my bathrooms for me (yay!), Matt has brought some dinners by on nights Preston work & has come over to watch a few Longhorn games with us \m/... I'm obviously very blessed.

I have not stopped giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers.
Ephesians 1:16

Goodie basket from Aunt Cynthia, Catherine & Caroline

                                                                                        Goodies from Shanna & Baby Zane
 

The time has also gone by quickly.  

All of a sudden, the baby showers that seemed so far off, were here! My best friend Kami threw me a wonderful Baby Shower with the help of my friend, Stephanie. Everything turned out so cute & was so fun. Opening everything for Baby was so exciting. Especially knowing that Baby is perfectly content with staying put.

Me with my Owl Cake!!!                                                                                                                      Me & Kami

I have another shower coming up this weekend given by my sister-in-law, Sophie for all of Preston's family.  I'll be sure to follow up & let you know how fun it is!!

Baby C:

We go to the OB/GYN every two weeks & specialist every week to check on Baby & get measurements of everything to make sure it's still good- so far, so good!! Baby is currently measuring two weeks big & is estimated at 5lbs! 

Holy Moly- Grow Baby Grow <3

Kisses from Baby C!!!

8 months (32 weeks) 10/30/12

On bed rest (but glad it's working),

Sandra

Feeling Blessed after a scary week

One minute everything is normal & great....the next minute, your whole world is upside down in a nightmare.

This is what happened to my week.

Tuesday, September 25th

It was a "normal" Tuesday at school (I say normal with quotes because at an elementary school there isn't really any normal happening).  My morning had gone smoothly & my kiddos were in good spirits & form and the day was moving along as "planned" with my lessons (which is also rare- HA!) My stomach started felling funny about 30 min before lunch, but I figured it was just almost lunch time & I had had that feeling before (let's face it- food usually cures most things!!)

Finally! Lunch time :) Kids left happy going to lunch & I'm ALWAYS happy for lunch (even NOT pregnant) Coach, Dianne & I (love them- such a great team) were getting things together for lunch- water cup, lunch from fridge, keys, phone -same old, same old. I decided to head to the bathroom before we I went to the lounge since (this is not embarrassing- yeah right) I sneezed & thought "great! I just peed myself a bit". So, I told them I'd meet them in there & headed down the hall to the bathroom.

Only, when I got there I hadn't peed myself on accident- I was bleeding- A LOT! I know I screamed... and I think a kiddo in the hallway heard me but was nowhere to be found later. I quickly wiped as much as I could for the time being (sorry to be gross) & rushed out of the bathroom, down the hall to my room & texting "HELP!" to Coach before I called Preston.

Eddie (Coach's student teacher right now) was knocking on the glass to get back in & so, instead of going to my room I went to let him in. By this point I was bawling, probably hysterical & of course freaked out Eddie when he came in.  He walked me to the nurse & went to get Coach & Dianne in the lounge. Once in the nurse, she had me call the doctor & once they told me to go to the hospital, she had me in the wheel chair & I was calling Preston. Coach came in while it was ringing & rushed to the office to tell them we were leaving & to get his car. Those TWO rings (which is nothing- I know) seemed like FOREVER.  Finally! He answered & I just blurted out- "I'm going to the hospital! I'm bleeding! I don't know what's wrong!" He instantly said "Okay, I'm coming. Be careful" and that was that.

The nurse wheeled me out a side door, I called my Mommy & Kathy after I couldn't reach Daddy, Coach picked me up & we began the "what seemed like forever even though I know it was as fast (& safe) as possible" drive to the hospital.

I ugly cried the whole way ...holding on to Baby trying to make sure coming out was NOT an option.

Finally made it... okay, one step down. Coach went in to the ER to get a wheelchair & the nurse came out with one. We started the journey up to Labor & Delivery and the whole time I'm thinking "No, it's not December... this isn't supposed to be happening."

We went up to Labor & Delivery, I filled out a form and was taken to L&D triage (which is new apparently).  Just as we were passing by the waiting room, the door flew open & there was Preston- I just lost it. (I don't even want to know how he made it there in the time he did. Seriously. If you saw him driving- do NOT tell me). I felt SO horrible for being the reason his faced looked so scared & worried. We went in, he helped me into a gown & helped me into a bed and the flood of questions began....

They started me on an IV, meds to stop the bleeding & contractions, & gave me my first of two steroid shots in case Baby did come- to help with lung development.

WHAT?!?! SERIOUSLY?!?!?! IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?!?! I didn't do anything differently today.. why is this happening? How did I mess this up?!?

I still can't wrap my head around it but I do know that it wasn't my fault... the doctors, nurses, Preston have all been very clear & insistent about that.

Finally, a moment when I've gotten all meds & it's just me & Preston. I hear both my Mommy & Daddy on the other side of the curtain & it's just calm...for the first time in what seemed like forever. The nurses are in constant contact with the doctor & I'm finally taken to Labor & Delivery to settle in. Labor & Delivery 11... wasn't this Sophie's room when she had sweet Gordon? (Sophie confirmed that I was right later- I knew it! Turns out, 6 months to the day) Once I was got in my room, Preston & I had a moment & we just prayed together... for Baby- our precious Baby to be strong & stay in there! Then,  I got to see my parents & Kami. Which helped take my mind off things. They didn't stay long before they decided to wait in the waiting room & be there when Preston's mom & Sophie came (I'm so glad Sophie was able to go pick her up so she could come). After a while & more questions from my nurse, they were all able to come in & visit. The bleeding had slowed a lot but still hadn't fully stopped.  They didn't stay too long before my doctor came in to check me but I was glad to see everyone if just for a minute. The doctor came in & checked me.. everything looked okay but she wanted to consult a specialist & was concerned that the meds hadn't made the bleeding stop. Then came the NICU team... & said a whole lot of things that I understood, but couldn't tell you unless you asked specific questions. Basically just preparing us in case Baby decided to join us that day. When the specialist was able to come in later & do a sonogram, she said everything seemed to be okay. They would watch me & the baby overnight & hope the bleeding stops completely & I would be on antibiotics in case an infection was causing the bleeding & I would get my second steroid shot at 1am.

So... now we wait. And with the help of Ambien, I sleep through the pain of the second steroid shot.

Wednesday, September 26th
Morning comes & no bleeding since 10pm the night before!! Are we on the upswing? Possibly! The specialist has the nurse take me to her office (a short wheel chair ride away) for a sonogram/ultrasound using her machine (which I think is an upgrade from the hospital version) & they check on Baby and take TONS of measurements & pictures.  The good news.... there's NO bad news!!!!! Baby is GREAT & measuring 2 weeks big! STRONG BABY!! Everything looks good... no detachment in the placenta so, that didn't cause the bleeding (good news but still weird that we don't know). The specialist gave instructions to keep on the same path with bed rest & monitoring of me & Baby in the hospital and she would check in on Thursday. So... back to my room to follow orders. (bonus of the day: I'm allowed to get out of bed to go to the bathroom only- but I don't care...felt good being more "normal")

Thursday, September 27th
Thursday comes, & my doctors check in & want to watch me one more day & if no bleeding & things are still strong, they might let me go home Friday. So...staying in bed to follow orders. (bonus of the day: I get to take a shower!!! The nurse found me a shower chair & a real bed instead of a L&D bed!! I crashed out after the shower- even missed a visit from one of my kiddos & her mom :( But had a wonderful gift & card waiting when I woke up)

Friday, September 
Friday morning: both doctors come by to say I can go HOME!!!!! I'll be on bed rest but can move around the house to the sofa, & shower.... but NO cleaning- uh... okay, NO problem! ;)

Preston & I get ready as fast as possible & are home by 9am!! We immediately head straight for our bed for a looooooooooong nap!! Just following orders!

I want to THANK everyone for your thoughts & prayers during this extremely difficult time for us. We definitely felt them! Thank you to our families for coming to visit & be with us in the hospital. Thank you to Kami for going all the way to New Braunfels to get Preston's things that he left behind when he "flew" to the hospital & for visiting. Thank you to Matt for taking me to the hospital, getting our things from home, feeding our puppies & bringing us food outside of the school day. Thank you sweet Cindy for coming to see me & bringing flowers & magazines.  Thank you ALL.

For the next part of the journey.... bed rest & growing a big strong Baby!! Gonna keep Baby in here as long as possible- at least until I hear "Sleigh bells Ring, are you listenin' " on the radio or "For unto us a child is born" by the Mastersingers!!

Thankful & blessed,

Sandra

Baby C- 27weeks, 1 day (measuring at 29w, 1d!!)

Summer!!

Summer is here! Okay, okay...technically I've been on summer vacation from school for almost 3 weeks but I've just been enjoying it!!

I love summer's routine of whatever, whenever. I love being able to wake up and wander around the house slowly instead of rushing to get ready & leave for work. I love being able to take an afternoon nap (or morning one) because I have the time- which has come in very hand while growing this baby! I love that I'm here during the days when Preston is off work and we are able to work on things around the house or run errands together! I love being able to go on outings that there normally isn't time for during the school year: like to Sea World, the Witte Museum, the zoo, different restaurants we don't usually have time for, and spending time with family & friends at the drop of a hat! I mostly just love the relaxed pace that is completely opposite from the norm during the school year!

Now, as far as projects that I had wanted to work on... They're a little delayed because my energy has been zapped & I've been nauseous quite a bit. But, thanks to my good friend, Zofran, I've been able to eat more & sleep better so my energy seems to be returning a bit! Plus I hear it gets better in the 2nd trimester & I'm there! I'm 13 weeks this week so, I'm hoping to see that turn around grow! Then, it's time to work on those projects around the house... Like the Baby's room!

Soaking up Summer,
Sandra

YIPPPEEEE!!!

Hoping everyone had a WONDERFUL Mother's Day weekend!!!! Okay, okay, I know I'm a little late with that but for good reason...

It's the end of the school year, and EVERYTHING has to get done... I mean EVERYTHING!! Program for the whole school & choir was the kick off to May, followed by Talent Show Auditions, End Of Year checklist at school, along with packing up everything in the room & stage, Talent Show rehearsal this Thursday, Talent Show next Tuesday & LAST DAY of SCHOOL next Wednesday.... 6 MORE DAYS!!! YES, I'M COUNTING!!

I'm.......... EXHAUSTED!!!!!!! There's probably more to that than just the end of school though, hmmm...

Preston and I spent Mother's Day Weekend making sure to see ALL of our Mommies!! Preston had to work on Mother's Day so we celebrated early... Dinner with my Mommy Friday night, brunch with Preston's Momma & Sister, Sophie (& Baby Gordon) on Saturday, and afternoon visit to see Terry (Preston's step-momma) & dinner at my Daddy's to celebrate with Kathy (my step-momma).  We made it reeeeallllyy easy on ourselves this year & got all the Mommas the same exact gift!

We gave them each a photo album with one picture in it to start the book....

BABY COLDEWEY

That's right folks!!! 

BABY COLDEWEY IS DUE 

CHRISTMAS DAY 2012!!!!

We are soo excited & overcome with such JOY!! Preston & I are ready for this journey & can't wait to enjoy every step of the way.

See..... I had a good reason for complaining about being exhausted....and I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING!!

Momma-to-be,

Sandra 

I'm an Auntie!!

Sister Sophie (Preston's Sister) had her baby!!!

Gordon Joseph Pullen

8lbs 4oz    22 3/8in

Such a big boy & sooooo sweet!

Sister went in Friday night for a scheduled induction- at 41wks!-at 8:30pm (waited an hour and a half for a bed) and finally got settled in her room at 10pm.  I got took her & Michael Whataburger-sort of a last meal before the meds...little did we know it would be more than 26 hours before her next meal!!
Silly Baby Bun Boy was being a little naughty & uncooperative when it came to getting meds that night so, he had to be watched a little longer than planned. I left around 1:30am & made it home at 2am to feed my puppies. As I climbed into bed at 2:30am (so pooped from a long Friday at school!) I got a text from Michael saying the baby was looking better & they were going to skip the planned pill & just start the pitocin on a slow drip.

Preston woke me up Saturday morning when he got home from work & I got ready & we went to get some breakfast tacos & head to the hospital with some coffee for Michael & to wait for our nephew to make his appearance.......

.................................... still waiting.......................................still waiting...................... ................still waiting.............................................................................................

...2:30am Sunday morning "HE'S HERE!!!!" yes, folks we stayed the whole time & I wouldn't have traded it for anything! Sophie is a Rock Star!! After 2 attempts at breaking her water, the third one took at 2:30pm Saturday afternoon and everything progressed nicely from there- slowly, but nicely!! Then my amazing sister pushed (for TWO HOURS) to meet her sweet baby boy!!  She & Michael were able to FINALLY meet their precious baby after MUCH waiting & anticipation!!

So here he is - enjoy the pics!

 

A NEW AUNTIE!!!
Sandra

Celebrating.... and then... not

In my December post, the caption under the picture of Preston and I after my first Messiah concert mentioned a secret we were both keeping. Well, here you go...

Thanksgiving weekend had us feeling EXTRA thankful!!! And here's why....

Yes, you are seeing that right...PREGNANT!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! For the first time ever, I was able to sing my most FAVORITE concert of the year, MESSIAH, knowing I was going to be a mom!! We had to wait until Monday, December 12th to go to the doctor to confirm and when we did, there it was on the screen- a BABY!!  Preston & I decided that it would be THE BEST Christmas present to our families and so, we were going to frame this picture as gifts and within the course of two days (since our family is so huge) give them to everyone to open as their main present! I LOVE surprise gifts like this!! So, I had another exciting concert weekend ahead of me singing Holiday Pops (yep, PREGO) then the following weekend would be the present extravaganza!!!!!!

Or so we thought....

I love singing...it makes everything better even just for a moment.  Holiday Pops weekend was magical. After my Saturday performance I met up with Preston's Aunt & cousins who came to see me sing!! This was their fist time seeing me sing & I was so excited they came bc it was an AMAZING night of magical musical moments! When I got home that night after rambling (yes, I do that when I'm excited!) to Preston about how awesome the night was (don't worry, he went Friday night!), I began getting ready for bed.

Then... everything changed.

My joy & happiness was ripped away... I knew something was wrong. There was bleeding I couldn't ignore, not spotting, bleeding.  So I immediately called the on-call doctor for my OBGYN and talked to her.  She comforted me as much as she could and said she didn't think anything was wrong since I wasn't in any pain and to TRY my best to relax & not worry, even though she said she knew that would be hard. She said two things to me that I can still hear clearly in my mind and will never forget....

1. "If it is a miscarriage... there's nothing you can do to stop it."

2. "If does turn out to be a miscarriage... you didn't do anything to cause it. NOTHING...NOTHING you did could have caused this if it turns out that's what's happening... you need to know that- you have to know that."

So, of course by now I'm crying. But, I'm going to rest, relax, take it easy & try really hard NOT to worry.

The next day was Coldewey Christmas with all of Preston's dad's family! I love this day! So many laughs, fun conversations, goofy moments & love from all of the younger cousins (the great-grandchildren), Chinese Christmas & hugs from everyone! Only... it wasn't fun for me. It was hard, so hard. The bleeding was getting worse and I was a wreck! I did my best to put on my bravest happy face because I refused to ruin this day for anyone! So I made it through the day even though it seemed to drag on forever... I hate saying that because I love that family & spending time with them, but I just wanted to go home & lie down.  And we finally did.  I got home, changed into pjs (even though it was only 5pm) and crawled onto the sofa under the quilt.  After a while...I started having pain, sharp pain. it would come & go & I kept the heating pad on my stomach the whole time. I tried my best to get sleep that night but mostly just dozed & tossed & turned.

The next morning (Monday morning), I called in a sub for work & let Coach (Matt, my friend & the coach at my school) know I wouldn't be in. Then immediately called the doctor & made an appointment to go in. The pain was still coming off & on, but when it was on-it was bad.  I knew something was wrong, but still held on to hope that everything would be ok. It wasn't.... the doctor confirmed....

Miscarriage.

Such a horrible, horrible word.  Such a horrible, horrible thing.

After we got home, the REAL pain hit. And hit HARD.  It was the worst pain I've ever felt.  I just cried, & cried in between & during trips to the bathroom. That was the rest of my day... losing our baby. Preston called our family for me. I couldn't open my mouth to start the words without losing it. I'm so thankful for him...there's no way I could have gone through that with out him.

Everything after that is kind of a blur.  I remember at times if I think about it, but the next few days...weeks, were a blur. And there you have it.  We'll be parents one day... I still get angry & sad over it everyday. But, we'll get there. We have each other & AMAZING family & friends who have prayed for us, been there for us, and are helping us get through this extremely difficult time.

Praying for strength,
Sandra

Celebrating Together

This weekend was a very special one for Preston & I...

Friday, February 17th-

Our 5 year Wedding Anniversary!!! WOW! It feels like it was yesterday. I remember every second & every detail... which I can re-live over & over thanks to Preston's Anniversary gift to me... He took all of the negatives from our wedding photos & had them digitized so we can reproduce them over & over!! I'm SO PUMPED!! He knows how much I love photos (I look through our wedding album at least every other month!)

We went to dinner at Flemming's Steak House in the Quarry and it was AMAZING!! The two & a half hour dinner flew by and every thing we ate was wonderful! The chef found out it was our anniversary and MADE us chocolate to take home with us!

YUMMY!!

Sunday, February 19th-

Our 12 year anniversary together! Not many people celebrate their dating anniversary after they get married, but the 19th has been such a special day for us for so long, we couldn't think about letting a year go by without celebrating when it all began!  We went to a new restaurant, Tejas Rodeo Steakhouse! Another yummy dinner & dessert!


Our weekend of celebrating has come to an end...but we are so blessed to have & love each other more & more as each day goes by.

In love,
Sandra

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

Onward to all that is Holly & Jolly... well, mostly.

December started out as I LOVE it- with Concert Week! San Antonio Mastersingers spent the first week of December rehearsing & preparing for MESSIAH (my FAVORITE!!) I LOVE singing Messiah!! I even spend the whole week leading up to Messiah weekend, listening to & studying the "Hallelujah Chorus" in my classes at school- ALL of them!! K-5 listen to & follow a listening map of the Hallelujah Chorus & then 2-5 watch our Handel composer video! I LOVE hearing that music all week & sharing my love of it with my kiddos! Messiah weekend was AMAZING!! All concerts went so wonderfully & this year's concerts even felt extra special (reasons to be explained later..). I was able to sing in ALL 3 Concerts (Friday, Saturday AND Sunday) but I must say, when Monday morning came- I... was... POOPED!! **It was TOTALLY WORTH IT!!**

Me & Veronica after Messiah night #2

  Me after Messiah night #2

Preston & Me after Messiah night #1 

(We're both smiling so big because we have a secret to be followed in another post!)

After the whirlwind that was Messiah weekend, immediately came performance week at school!  My Trailblazer Singers had their Winter Concert performance Tuesday night & sang at the Stone Oak Winter Festival that Saturday afternoon! They did a fantastic job- so proud of them!

Me with a couple of Trailblazer Singers & Blazer Bear

And now... another whirlwind week of singing... yep it's Concert Week again! This time- HOLIDAY POPS! So fun! Traditional Christmas music performed at the Majestic! It was SO wonderful! I sang Friday & Saturday night! I LOVE singing this time of year!!

Singing with Dear Friends: Crystal, Me & Veronica

Holiday Pops night #2!

Holiday Pops Night #1

Kathy, Me & Daddy

 Preston & Me

Next comes... CHRISTMAS!!!! 

"Joy to the world, the LORD is come! Let Earth receive her King! Let every heart, prepare him room, and Heaven & nature sing!" Love that song! Quick list of Sandra's FAV Christmas songs (in order of most favorite first): O Come All Ye Faithful, O Holy Night, MESSIAH, Hark! The Harold Angels Sing, White Christmas, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Jingle Bell Rock, Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime, Happy Xmas, Holly Jolly Christmas, Joy to the World, Angels We Have Heard On High, Mr. Santa...... and pretty much ALL the rest! ;)

Back to Christmas... Look what Preston got for CHRISTMAS!!! Those are some fancy lookin' boots you got there, Love!

Our Christmas was very blessed with time spent with family, friends & each other!

Ringing in the NEW YEAR!!

We spent New Year's Eve with our wonderful friends, the Pruetts & the Smileys! What better way to ring in the New Year than watching Mason play with sparklers & getting hugs from him & baby Karsyn in their jammies?! Plus hugs from our sweet friends!

 Mason playing with sparklers  

Hugs for "Aunt Sana" from Mason & Karsyn

We had a blessed year! We have family & friends who love us & support us in everything we do. We have jobs that we LOVE, and not many people can actually say that. We have each other and this year have celebrated our 11th Christmas together as a couple. We are very blessed & very grateful.

"For unto us a child is born. Unto us, a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the ever lasting Father, the Prince of Peace!"

Musically,

Sandra