PLEASE READ - Baby Boy Has Arrived

As many of you already knew, I was pregnent. I was supposed to go to the hospital on April 1st at 10:00 PM to be induced and was scheduled to have my precious son on April 2nd, around 2:00 PM.
 
So, my fiance and I were sitting at a friend's house early on April 1st, since we had all day before the induction, and all of the sudden, I start having cramps - hard cramps. I didn't think much of it, until they would come - then go - then come back - then go.. Guess what?? CONTRACTIONS! We decided to time them to see how far apart -- OH NO!! Only 3 minutes apart, UHGG! Needless to say, we were over an hour away from the hospital (because we live in a small town).
 
So we left in a rush, hauling butt. By the time we make it to the hospital,my contractions were less than a minute apart, and I was already 6 centimeters dialated!! Boy, oh boy! We could tell this was going to go quickly.
 
We were at the hospital for less than thirty minutes and I had already delivered my baby boy, Eric Allen. No time for an epidural or anything for pain -- pheww, talk about exausting. I've never felt something quite like that! He weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz. and was 19 inches long.

Unfortunately, he swallowed meconium on his way out of me and it got in his lungs, deeply. He ingested more than they could suction out of him so he had to go straight to the NICU. We were fortunate enough to qualify for staying at The Ronald McDonald House right next to the hospital until he was discharged. Baby Eric was in the NICU for 20 days due to the meconium getting into his lungs.

He's finally home, but now we're behind on bills - we're in jeopardy of losing our apartment (and a few other things, as well). Times are hard and things are rough. After long conversations, my doctor has decided that I am post pardum. It's all a crazy situation. But the thing that matters is that my Little Man is healthy and happy now.

Please, if you believe in prayers, please pray for me and my family. We are in desperate need of help and prayers.

Short and Sweet

Well, Josh and I are getting divorced. Things had been going downhill for a while, and we've decided that there is nothing left to save.
He and I are both okay with it.

Sorry this post is so short, but I have a lot of things to get done. I will do my best to update later..

What is wrong with me..?

Okay, so I recently realized that my blog has went from personal posts with some reviews/giveaways mixed in, into review/giveaways posts with some personal posts mixed in..! I know why, I still do not have internet at our new apartment yet, so I only have limited computer time.. but regardless, I need to get my blog back in order..

Important things -

Aliya is now 5 months old (as of December 26, 2011)!! She is growing so quickly! At her last doctor appointment (in November), she was weighing 13.8 pounds and was 21.5 inches long! It's insane how quickly she's grown!

She is now rolling - basically circles through our living room! Today, she scooted herself, backwards (ohhhh, it was sooooo cute!!) for the very first time! She loves to stand, with some assistance.

She is an incredibly, happy baby! I'm tellin' ya, she's almost always got a smile on that cute little face of hers. We have been truly blessed with such a wonderful baby girl!

Joshua and I are doing great. We're still getting adjusted to our apartment. We have hit a rough spot, financially, due to him being laid off recently, but we're staying positive and hoping for something new to open up soon.

I will be working on getting more family posts on here again, along with recipes and such. It'll just take some time and computer work.. Golly, I sure do miss having internet.

Time has flown past me..

It has been too long since I last posted anything. Things have become so crazy and there are sooo many new things going on.

Aliya Jade Parrott was born on July 26, 2011 at 1:13 pm. She wieghed 6 lbs 15 oz and was 19.5 inches long.

She is now wieghing in at 10.4 pounds and is 21.5 inches long!! I cannot believe how much she has grown in such a short time! She is 'cooing' AND smiling already! Her smile is gorgeous!!! I will post a picture once I get internet again, however, for now, I am internet-less due to our move..

YES, I said 'our move'! Joshua, myself, and Aliya now have our very own apartment. No more living with my parents - although I do love them, it's much easier to be on our own rather than obiding by their house rules while trying to start our own family. The only damper is that we cannot afford internet at this time, it'll take a little while before we can get all of that.

Also, Joshua is working for a construction company now.. It can be long days, but it pays well, which is what we're needing at the time.

I apologize for not being around much, and I am going to do my best to get things together so that I am able to be around more. Thanks for still following me and keeping up with my blog!!

It's been too long!!

Oh my, it has been far too long since I last posted anything. So many things have happened since I last posted a personal post!! Okay, get ready to take it all in!!

Well, in case you don't remember, Joshua and I are back together.

We are expecting a little ball of joy, and we've found out that our "Little Gummy Bear" is going to be a beautiful baby GIRL!! Her name will be Aliya Jade, pronounced Ah-lee-ya.

Also, we got married!! Yepp, that's correct!! This past Saturday - 3.12.11 - was when we decided to exchange vows and rings.

Here are a couple pictures from the wedding..

The rest are on my Facebook. They are not loading all too well right now.

Surprise, surprise!!

Sadly, we no longer have internet for the time being. We're in the process of trying to get it back though. -- This is one of the reasons that I havew not been posting.
But I had to be sure and get on the blogsphere to share some exciting news.
Joshua and I are having a baby!! I'm about 6 weeks. Give or take. I haven't been to the baby doctor, only to the health clinic.
We're really excited!!
I'll announce how far along I am and everything as quickly as I find out!! :)

My Sister's Getting Married!

I'm so excited for my sister! She has set the date - 10.10.2010! Neat, don't ya think?
Jessica (my sister) and Brent (her fiance) actually met on MySpace. (Ohhhhhhh. I said it.) That's right - they met online. People assume that meeting online is terrible, but it isn't. In this case, meeting online became love.
I really like Brent; he treats my sister the way that I know she deserves to be treated. She's my big sister and best friend and I couldn't be more happy for her!
She doesn't know - but I'm going to try to review products that will help with her wedding decorations and such. She's having a fall themed wedding - any ideas?

Chocolate Heaven!

Later tonight, my parents are going to a Christmas Party! (Yes, it's the middle of January). Their neighbor (my parents' BEST friend) has grandchildren, which she hasn't had since before the holidays. So she's kept up her Christmas Tree, left stocking hung high, and been waiting for tonight for a long time! So my mom a Chocolate Heaven!!

This pie pan of yumminess is just that - YUM!

My mom baked some choclate brownies, cut off the tops of the brownies and replaced the tops with chocolate pudding, then placed sprinkles on top. But then.. uh-oh!! What to do with the tops of the cupcakes?! Can't let them go to waste!! Soo, she poured some chocolate pudding in a pie pan, placed the tops of the cupcakes on the pudding, then put some more pudding on top of the cupcakes.. and don't forget the sprinkles!

And there you have it: Chocolate Heaven!! (If you ask me, atleast..)

Aren't I lucky that she needed someone to give the cupcakes to? Mmmm. My own Chocolate Heaven!

Here's to you, my dear.

Here's to you, my dear.
For being the only guy that has touched my heart with care. For being the only guy that listened when I rant about things that I shouldn't. For being the guy that has rubbed my tummy so that I could fall asleep when my stomach hurt. For being the only person that would listen when I was afraid. For holding me when I cry at night. For understanding that I don't need a reason to cry - sometimes I really can't help it. For taking the time to cook my favorite meals. For kissing me, even after my wisdom teeth were pulled (icky breath). For letting me make my mistakes, but not judging me based on the mistakes that I've made. And most of all, here's to you, my dear, for loving me.
Although I may not always be the easiest person to get along with, you always have found a way to stay by my side. Through all of my decisions, you have held my hand. You've been there for me like nobody else ever has, nor will anyone ever have the chance. You're the one at my side when I'm having the best moments of my life. You hold me up whenever I can't even hold myself. You are my hands for feeling, my crutch when I'm struggling. You are what makes me complete. I love you.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

Today is Joshua and my 1 year anniversary! Go us!!

I must say - through all of the tough times, arguments, and crazy days -- I would not trade a moment.

I love you Joshua.

Always Yours,

Jerrica

Super Sunday!

Today was another great day! Joshua and I woke up but had no idea of what we were going to do today. It was one of those days that you already know you don't really want to just sit at the house all day doing nothing (although I do tend to enjoy those days).
So, we decided to drive out to Crossville. Hmm.. what to do?? Aha!! New Moon! We go to the theater, pay for our tickets and head off to get something to eat before the movie -- we're cheap-o's; hate paying $5.00 for a small bag of popcorn.
We finally settled on going to Ruby Tuesday's! Neither of us had ever eaten there before, so it would be something new.
We ordered..
Appetizers: Chicken Tenders & Mozzarella Sticks -- yumm!
His Meal: Parmesian Shrimp Pasta -- (I don't like seafood, but he said it was delicious.)
My Meal: Chicken Quesadilla -- super tasty!
The only bad side to our trip there was the garnishing. Under our appetizers, they placed a piece of lettuce (a large peice that went accross the entire plate). No big deal, kind of cute.. Except for the fact that the lettuce was darker than Joshua's Dr. Pepper!! Yuck! I couldn't really believe that they had even placed it on the plate... It would have looked much better without it. But either way, food was still incredible!
Then, off to New Moon! Holy cow! Good thing we got to the theater with about 15 minutes to spare before the movie -- the theater was already packed! We managed to find two seats in the middle of the theater. I'd rather sit in the back, but it wasn't really an option tonight. And I'd much rather sit in the middle than the very lower front part. Pheww, made it just in time.. after we got our seats, not even thirty seconds later, about 10 more people came in.. then more, and more. WHOA! Sure was glad that we hadn't tried seeing the Midnight Showing the other night.
Suprisingly, once the movie started, everyone was quiet (that's very odd considering how large the crowd was).. But I was certainly fine with it.
The movie was great! Better than I'd thought it would be. I, for one, am a Twilight Sage Freak.. But being that I loved the books, I didn't think the movies would be too great -- they've been better than I had anticipated. I already cannot wait for Eclipse. I must give the actors / actresses credit, they all play their parts incredibly well.
Today was most definitely a Super Sunday!!

Thanksgiving- One down, two to go.

Yesterday was Joshua's families Thanksgiving Dinner for everyone. I met two more of Joshua's siblings. (They live in Georgia, which is why I hadn't met them before this.)
Although Joshua's real dad and I bicker back-and-forth, we got through the day together. haha.
Most of the day was spent in the house, sitting around and talking. Everyone exchanged stories from the past and bonded. It was quite nice.
Then.. FOOD! Ah, we're certainly a family that loves eating. Most of the food is already gone, but I think that a few things may have survived the hurricane of 14 extremely hungry people.
All in all, it was a good day.
One down, two more to go.
Now that we're done with Joshua'a families dinner, we still have my dad's parents' this Thursday and my mom's parents' next Saturday. pheww. That's a lot of food.
What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Friday Night Love!

Joshua and I had an incredible Friday night! We stayed super busy with all of the things that we had planned.
First, we went to Sam's Club for the Taste Before you Serve! Can you say "delicious"? It certainly was!!
After thatwe went to the American Thrift Store -- Joshua planned this for me; he knows how much I love looking around in thrift stores & this one was massive!!
After that we went to get a bite to eat at the mall, Bourbon Chicken. yumm.
After we left there, we went to see Julie and Julie! It was super cute. I love cooking.. and eating.. and blogging (whenever I can find the time) .. so this movie was certainly geared to me.
To end our nite, we stopped to buy some pumpkin pies for the next day (Saturday) which is when his family was having their Thanksgiving Dinner!
Friday was a nght of love, without a doubt. It takes love to go to numerous places that you're not interested in, just so that your significant other can have a good time.. ANd this is exactly what Joshua did for me. Thank you, sweetheart.

Uh-Oh!!

Last night, Joshua and I were on our way to his house. .. Little did we know that the store by his house had just gotten their gravel drive-way / parking lot re-graveled! All along the road were little bity pebbles, which I didn't see until we were already starting around the curve!
We started to drift around the corner, unfortunately, I'm not a racecar driver... We hit the bank on the left side of the road, slammed each side of the car, and were stopped on the right side of the road after a few terrible twists & turns! We got out of the car to make sure everything was okay.
Joshua spent little to not time worrying about his own emotions, and right away started trying to calm me down.. It worked, I was calm in no time..Until..
... Drip, Drip, Drip! I freak out, assuming it's a gas leak (it was leaking right near the gas tank).. it was just a few gallons of water that were in the back of the trunk leaking out. "Oh Crap!!" My college books were in the trunk, which was now totally soaken wet!!
"SCREEEECCHHHH!!" A jacked up 4x4 truck, skiddding, about to do exactly as we did -- coming right toward Joshua!!! I screamed for him to move! As Joshua turned to look at the truck, the driver of the truck somehow managed to straighten out his wheels and kept on going.
As for the poor Saturn.. Only a few bumps and bruises on it. Scratches. The right rim is bent from the impact.
But Joshua and I are fine. We were both a little shaken up, but fine & dandy. Except that we have to buy a new rim now.

Pictures from Prom of 2009!

The other night, Joshua's mom and I found some pictures on her computer.. PROM PICTURES!! Personally, I had mostly forgotten about these pictures because it'd been a few months since prom plus Joshua & I have had a lot going on since then.

I couldn't believe it when we found them though. I'm really thrilled to have these pictures and be able to post them for everyone to see.

There are a few more pictures, but these are my favorites!! Some memories are meant to last forever!

5-Speeding.

So I've been in need of learning how to drive a 5-speed manual. We own two trucks and one car, the car is the 5-speed. But living up here on the mountain, a trip to town in the trucks cost way too much.
Well yesterday my mom said that she didn't mind teaching me. So we went up to an empty parking lot and Mama handed me the keys.
I got in, started it up, went to go... STAULED! I did this about five times, by this time, I'm thinking to myself, there's no way that I'm ever going to get this right. I tried again and again.. STAULED!
Feeling a little defeated already, I turned the car off. I took a drink of Coca-Cola, looked around at the car and BAM!! I noticed what was causing me to staul... The car was in third gear! I couldn't believe it. My mom and I both laughed at my not so wonderful attempts at taking off in third gear.
After we calmed down a bit, Mama said I should try again. I did. I pushed in the clutch, slowly let off the brake and WAHLA! I drove.
The parking lot wasn't very big, but after doing a few circles (I felt like it was my first time driving again) I finally made it to second gear! Mama rode around in that parking lot with me for about thirty minutes or so, teaching me the need-to-know facts and preparing me for driving on the road. I finally felt comfortable enough and drove all the way home!
It was nice, Mama and I had some good talks and quality time together while she taught me how to drive that little 5-speed.
My mom is such an inspiration to me, she's really fantastic! I can only hope that one day my kids will think I'm as good of a mom as she is to me.