6 Week Ultrasound

Bryan and I went for an ultrasound on Monday and were able to see our little baby and see/hear the heartbeat! It was an amazing experience. It is hard for me to get my head around the fact that there is another little heart beating inside of me! The baby's heart rate was 95. The doctor said that they like it to be over 100, so we have another ultrasound on Friday. They said that the heartbeat will start out slower and then speed up so he didn't seem to concerned. Because I am a fertility patient they are doing ultrasounds a lot earlier on me than on typical patients. I am posting our pictures. The top picture looks like a small turtle bungee jumping in my uterus. The second picture looks like a small shrimp (baby must have some of Daddy's Cajun in him/her!)

Thanksgiving Day!

Bryan and I had a fantastic Thanksgiving day!  We spent the day/night in Newton at our family hunting camp.  It was so great to be with family and eat such great food!  Our niece Brynn (9) killed her first deer on Thanksgiving morning and was baptized with blood (see pics below). (Makes me thing I will wait on any deer killing b/c I think I would be sick if someone did this to me.)  I missed seeing my family but pretty much got to talk to everyone on the phone during the Thanksgiving week.  I am looking forward to going to Georgia in December to see my family.  God has blessed us with great family and friends and we are truly thankful this year for all of our many blessings. 

 (Below are pictures of our nieces Amaya and Brynn and our nephew Cory Jay.)

  

   

Days 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26

Day 22:  I am thankful for comfortable pajamas.  There is nothing better than getting home after a long day of work and putting on a comfortable pair of P.J.s.  In the winter time I especially love  some fuzzy socks to keep my feet warm.  

Day 23:  I am thankful for holiday cooking.  Nothing gets you in the mood for the holidays like some good cooking and baking.  This year I used my grandmother's recipe to make homemade pumpkin pie.  They were so good!  I still have one more pumpkin and plan to make more this weekend!  Tomorrow I will be making homemade cranberry sauce (another great recipe from my grandmother).  Its funny how using family recipes can make you feel close to family even when you are miles apart!

Day 24:  I am thankful for Sunny D.  I cannot begin to tell you how much Bryan and I love Sunny D.  Every morning I take my vitamin with a big glass of Sunny D.

Day 25:  I am thankful for anything pickled!  I know this is strange but for the last week or two I have eaten the heck out of sweet pickles, pickled okra, pickled squash, and green olives.  I know it sounds gross but everyday around 4: 30 you can find me in front of the T.V. having a pickled snack.  Day 26 may explain this habit : )

Day 26:  I am thankful for....

I think this speaks for itself!!

Thank you all for your prayers, I believe God heard them : )

Days 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

WOW....I am really behind, but still have much to be thankful for!

Day 16: Today I am thankful for my husband. Bryan is such a loving and thoughtful husband. God knew exactly what I needed in a partner when he made Bryan for me. We have been married for nearly 2 years and are loving every minute of it!

Day 17: I am thankful for my job. I have the most rewarding job working at Blair E. Batson Children's hospital as a speech-language pathologist. My daily duties include evaluation of speech, language, and swallowing disorders in children birth to 18 and treatment of those identified disorders. My areas of interest are in swallowing disorders and traumatic brain injury. I also work for what I consider to be the best department in the hospital (ENT). My boss is amazing and I work with so many great people who really seem to love their jobs. With current state of the economy, I am feeling especially lucky to have a job in a non-threatened area of work.

Day 18: I am thankful for my education. I have had the privilege of education, continued education, and then some. I am currently working toward my PhD in clinical health sciences with my research interests being in dysphagia (swallowing disorders) and traumatic brain injury. The best part about my current ongoing education....ITS FREE!!! My job pays for it entirely....Major perk : )

Day 19: I am thankful for our home. We have been fortunate enough to find a house perfect for us in Fondren. We have lived in our house for a year now and have grown to love it more and more. The neighborhood is great with events constantly going on, the location is perfect to get to the hospital, and we have finally gotten to add some of our own personal touches lately. Our most recent endeavors include painting our bedroom and hanging curtains, installing track lighting in the kitchen, surround sound in our living room, and replacing our bathroom's toilet. Bryan is so handy it amazes me sometimes!

Day 20: Today I am thankful for answered and unanswered prayers. God know exactly what we need and when we need it! Our job is to stay faithful throughout the process! (No small task!)

Day 21: Today I am SO thankful for date nights!!! Bryan and I are having a home-date. You know the kind where you eat in and watch a movie! It will be perfect tonight! With the weather being SO cold...we are sure to need a fire and some snuggling on the couch!

Days 13, 14, and 15

Day 13: I am so thankful for good friends! Bryan and I have been so fortunate to meet so many great friends here in Jackson. Tonight we went over to our friends', Julie and Mitch Ogles, house for Chapman Ogles 1st birthday. We had so much fun visiting with everyone, eating of course, and watching the kids have so much fun! Chapman is such a ham and really seemed to enjoy his party.

Day 14: I am thankful for weekends at home. There is something very comforting in knowing that you don't have any plans for the weekend. These are the weekends that you accomplish so much around the house, spend quality time with the husband, and actually catch up on lost rest/lounge time from the week before. Bryan and I will likely spend the weekend cleaning, watching movies, studying, and just being lazy together with the dogs.

Day 15: I am thankful for my sister, Missy. It is hard to put into words the bond that exists between sisters. Some of my favorite things about my relationship with my sister are being able to say what I am truly feeling without worrying about judgement, fights that resolve themselves without apologies, always having someone to call when I need something and when I don't, and having a friend who has known me my entire life and probably knows me better than I know myself. I probably do not tell Missy enough how much she means to me and how much she adds to my life, so......Missy, I love you and I thank God that you are my sister!!

Thanksgiving: Days 11 and 12

Day 11: I am thankful for all the Veterans who have served our great country! I believe serving your country is one of the most honorable sacrifices one can make. My brother, John, was an Army Ranger for four years from the time he was 19 to 23. During those years he did 5 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and participated in hundreds of combat missions. He served our country and he did it proudly with honor and devotion. I have never heard my brother speak about his service in a negative manner. I think John feels like his service was not only to his country but also to God. I am so proud of John for his service and I am especially proud of the man my little brother has grown up to be.

Day 12: Today I am thankful for my NEW camera!!! Bryan and I have been talking about getting a new camera for Christmas because ours broke about a month ago and since then we haven't been able to take any pictures. The only problem with this plan was that we wouldn't have a camera for all of our holiday functions (not to mention the impact the lack of a camera has been having on my blog!). We decided to go ahead and get a camera as an early gift to ourselves. We bought a Nikon D60 and so far we are very pleased! I woke up this morning to Bryan taking pictures of me and the dogs as we sleep...sounds creepy, but actually very sweet! Needless to say, we have both suddenly gotten a strong interest in photography.

Here are a couple of our first pictures of the dogs. We had to take them without the flash to avoid yellow eyes.

GATSBY

IZZY

A little behind--Days 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10

Day 6 -- I am thankful for Girls Night Out! I love having a night away with the girls for great food, fellowship, and friendship.

Day 7 -- I am thankful for weekends! I don't know how I would get through the work week without knowing that two days of freedom await me at the end. My favorite weekend is one spent at home with Bryan and our animals.

Day 8 -- I am thankful for Lifetime. I love to watch Lifetime in my pajamas on a Saturday when Bryan is on call.

Day 9 -- I am thankful for Peace. I am constantly comforted by the Peace that passes all understanding in knowing that God is in complete control of our lives and has a most perfect plan for every aspect of our lives.

Day 10 -- I am thankful for coffee! I am a complete coffee addict! My mind seems to work much better after a good size cup of black coffee, especially the flavored kind!

Day 5

Today I am thankful that presidential elections are held every four years. I have to believe that God is in control of everything including America and its leaders. I would encourage all Christian Americans to begin or continue to set aside daily time to pray for our country and its leaders. "If God is for us, who then can be against us?"

A Month of Thanksgiving

I feel like I have been on a blogging sabbatical. I'm not sure why, but I'm back now.

I got this wonderful idea from a friend of mine to reflect on all the things I am thankful for during the month of November. During this month, I am going to list at least one thing I am thankful for each day. This being said, I have a little catching up to do...

Day 1: I am thank for for SEC football...especially those Georgia Bulldogs!!! (despite the horrible loss to Florida) SEC football is a great reason to eat good food and spend time with friends and family.

Day 2: I am thankful for the freedom to worship as I please! Bryan and I have not settled on a church home here in Jackson yet, however, we have loved visiting all the many houses of God and exercising our freedom to worship in a way that best suits us, our beliefs, and our lives.

Day 3: I am thankful for my new haircut! I had the most delightful hair appointment today filled with good conversation and resulting in a renewed fresh sense of self! Thank you Jennifer!

Day 4: I am thankful for democracy and the freedom to vote! I feel privileged to live in a country where I have the freedom to participate in the election of my government officials. My prayer for today, as people venture out to the polls, is for an honest election free of voter fraud. I pray that Americans would take pride in their right to cast their vote and cast it legally and honestly.

Infertility

Okay, so anyone who spends any amount of time with me knows about my struggles with infertility over the last year. I have never written about it because, it is what it is, and sometimes it is hard to put those feelings into words. After a very disappointing weekend, I stumbled across the following written by Nancy Devinney on the Stepping Stones website and felt like it encompassed much of what I have been feeling.

Question: What is infertility?
Answer: Infertility is...

The robber of childhood dreams,
The thief of wifely desires,
The take of the assumed.

Cry, scream, yell,
Feel alone even with the arms of your husband around you.

The monthly reminder,
The fallen hopes.

Dreams gone,
Shattered like fragile glass.

The ever-empty arms that ache and hurt with the sounds of children laughing.

The hidden pain at baby showers,
The ignorance of people asking you, "When is your turn?"

The failure.

The child who walks by looking like the one you dream of, long to hold.
The ever-present deep knife in your heart.

Infertility is all the above,
Infertility is also...

Trusting that He will never leave us or forsake us.

Knowing that "[Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:39 NIV).

Believing that "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13 NIV).

Hoping that "You and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith" (Romans 1:11 NIV).

Date Night

So let me go ahead and say that today has not been the best day of my life.  However, Bryan is on his way home now with some take out from Aladdin (one of our favorite restaurants) for a dinner and a movie date night.  I am so excited to have a quiet night at home spending quality time with my husband.  Sometimes these are my favorite kinds of dates.  You can wear your pajamas, eat a good dinner, top it off with some candy, and some quality snuggling time on the couch.  I can't think of a better way to put a bad day behind you!  

Dr. and Mrs. Allan Maples

Okay, so here is the picture I promised weeks ago of Sara Beth and Allan on their wedding day! It took me awhile to get some pictures. The wedding weekend was perfect and the reception was a blast! Allan and Sara Beth have returned from their honeymoon and are settling into married life!

Our Babies

As most of you probably know, Bryan and I do not "officially" have children yet. However, we do have two Yorkies who are definitely our babies! Gatsby is our male Yorkie and he weighs about seven pounds . Isabella or Izzy is our female Yorkie and she weighs about five pounds. They are both six and a half years old. These two little babies do everything with us...go on vacation, ride in the car, sleep in the bed...you get the idea. I believe that they are both very well behaved, but I am definitely biased since I trained them. They both stay out in the house for sometimes twelve hours without having any accidents. This is especially remarkable since we only adopted Izzy about two years ago and she was not house broken. It wasn't difficult to train her since Gatsby was so well trained, she just seemed to follow suit. A lot of people think Yorkies are prissy dogs...well they're not. They are terriers and they make it known. I am sorry to say, but if you knock on our door, they are going to let us know! They LOVE to play with their toys (they have a lot of toys!) and they definitely have their favorites. Izzy's favorite toy is a miniature stuffed pig. Gatsby prefers his rubber pig. It doesn't matter how many new toys I buy them, they always go back to the "oldies but goodies!" Now you are probably reading this thinking....Wow, she really needs to have kids! Well, we are working on that! But for now, we have Gatsby and Izzy and I am so thankful for that! It is so nice to have someone to keep me company on my nights alone. It is so nice to always have someone waiting for us to get home. It is nice to be needed and loved all of the time! They are a special part of our world and for them...we ARE their world!! (this post is especially for Kate K....enjoy!)

The Life of a Resident's Wife

I've never been one to complain about by husband's work hours, and I won't start now.  However, tonight I will reflect on the things that I have come to know as "normal" that others would, in my opinion, find difficult.  When I left work at 4:30 pm today, I called my husband, knowing he was on call for the night, to let him know I was leaving the hospital and to wish him a good night...call me later, right?  Well, his phone was answered by a nurse in the operating room (OR), "Dr. Gaspard's phone."  I replied...."Oh, its just his wife, no big deal, just let him know I called."  So I go on about my night as I usually do until bedtime rolls around.  At 11:15 pm I decided to call again prior to going to bed (or posting/ranting on my blog).  A nurse (possibly the same nurse) answered the phone, "Dr. Gaspard's phone."  I said, "This is his wife...I guess he is still in the OR."  The nurse then told my husband that I was on the phone, to which my husband replied, "what's going on?"  I told the nurse that nothing was going on, I only wanted to say goodnight before I went to bed.  We hung up and I was then inspired to write this blog.  Don't get me wrong, I know that what my husband is doing is important and I would in no way want to take away from what he is doing to help someone else; however, I think that it is hard to sometimes to want to talk to your spouse and not be able to, especially at night.  I am used to this situation, but, it is harder at some times than at others.  On this particular day, I have a lot of things I would like to share with him, that will obviously have to wait until tomorrow.  And when my husband gets home tomorrow, he will be so tired, he will hardly be able to keep his eyes open long enough to listen to me talk about my days that have passed since I last talked to him.  By the way, I have not spoken to Bryan since 6:00 am this morning when he kissed me goodbye.  Anyway, I post this, not to complain, but rather to make the point that residency is not a burden felt by only those who physically go through it, but rather felt by all directly impacted by the residency, namely a spouse and children (we don't have any yet, but our dogs feel his absence!).  I know that residency is the price we pay for our spouses to fulfill their dreams of practicing medicine; however, it is not an easy price to pay at times.  It is a price we are MORE THAN GLAD to pay because we love them.  I firmly support my husband in his residency and career choice.  I just sometimes wish that it would all pass quicker, or become easier, or not feel so darn lonely at times!  Anyway....I think I just got a big AMEN from some of my friends!!  I am going to go to bed now (alone) and tomorrow will feel different because Bryan will be home early, post-call and tired, but early none the less and he will be mine once again!!  I dedicate this post to all the wives out there who have been there!!  Love you all!  

Wedding Bells

Today one of my very best friends is getting married today!!  Sara Beth Dowdy will soon be Sara Beth Maples!!  Sara Beth and Allan started dating around the same time Bryan and I did. We have spent a lot of time growing together as couples over the last three and a half years. We have all worked to put God in the center of our relationships and it has been truly amazing to see the ways God has blessed us all over the years!  I am about to leave for hair/nail/picture appointments, so I wanted to quickly post a picture of Sara Beth and I at her bachelorette party in Birmingham, Alabama a couple of weeks ago.  I'll post pictures of the wedding tomorrow!  For now...Here's to Sara Beth and Allan!

Politics

With all of the political speeches, interviews, and talks, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about our country and the direction in which it is heading.  I came across this quote and found it quite profound.  

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things.  The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.  The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

--John Stuart Mill (English Economist and Philosopher, 1806-1873)

I am proud to be an American.  I believe America is worth fighting for!  I vow to make it my personal goal to be a part of something bigger than myself!  U-S-A...U-S-A....U-S-A!!!

Baton Rouge

As I'm sure most of you have heard, Baton Rouge was his pretty hard by Gustav.  Nearly the entire City is without power!  Even LSU is closed and the game was cancelled for the weekend.  Please pray for the people of Baton Rouge while they patiently wait to have power again.  I can only imagine how hot all those people must be in this September heat!  

Hurricane Hannah is heading for the east coast later this week and Hurricane Ike was upgraded to a category three.  It looks like we are in for a long Hurricane Season!  

God is Good

Praise God!!  The marina structure is completely intact!  This is truly a miracle!!  The marina got approximately 16 inches of water inside the ground floor (which was totally empty due to massive evacuation efforts).  There is some mud and water clean up; however, compared to what might have been, that is nothing!  There was no mention of the actual dock but I am assuming there is damage to those because there ALWAYS is after any big storm.  Apparently the entire island is without power, clean water, and cell service.  My father-in-law thinks it will be about a month before power is restored to the island because every single power line on the island is down!  The island definitely will have a big clean up effort.  Bryan and I will probably go down next weekend to help get things back in order.  I think the plans from here are to transport some generators to the island and get to work cleaning up.  Thanks to everyone who has literally prayed our family through this potential catastrophe!  Now if we can just continue to pray away all the other brewing storms out there! We are truly blessed to have such great family and friends!  I am posting a picture of our family marina (Sand Dollar Marina) and docks, obviously before the storm.  

Quick Update

This post will be brief due to the fact that I am trying to wrap my work day up and get home. I spoke with my father-in-law this morning. The whole family was able to get back to Cutt Off, LA (Lafourche Parish) last night because of some pass they had. Without this pass they wouldn't have made it due to the mandatory evacuation and curfews. My father-in-law said they were stopped at least ten times on the way down. My sister-in-law (Rainey) and her husband, Albert's, house lost its roof, but other than that all homes were okay and everyone is running on generators for now. The plan for today was to try to get down to Grand Isle and assess the damage. I have not talked to anyone since b/c all of the phone lines and towers are down and the electricity is of course off. One phone works belonging to a cousin (Robert) thankfully! We will hopefully talk to someone later tonight and see how things are. I will update again as soon as I know something! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

The Waiting Game

As Hurricane Gustav continues to hammer down on Louisiana, we sit here helplessly watching the news and waiting to hear news reports from home.  I spoke with Bryan's mom this morning.  They are safe in Tibideaux at a hotel.  They must have a lot of rooms because 14 of our family members are all there.  They do not have power and are getting hot, but they have plenty of food and water. Reports from Grand Isle claim at least 7 feet of water and no land in sight, so I'm more than certain that the marina is flooded.  One of the Gaspard's neighbors in Cutt Off stayed behind and has been communicating with them on the status of their house.  So far, flooding is minimal, their fence is down, and some siding is off the house.  It seems like the storm is weakening, but is still dangerous and causing damage. The full extent of Gustav's damage is yet to be seen I'm afraid.  Bryan had to work this morning for a few hours but is now home doing "home projects."  Not projects I give him, but rather electronic projects that he comes up with all on his own and take HOURS!  He enjoys them, so they don't bother me.  I am going to do some school work, laundry, and continue to be addicted to the news and anxiously await contact with our family.  

I will continue to update everyone as I here more.  Thank you all for your concern and prayers! 

Our Family Evacuates...

Bryan finally made it home after a long, gruelling night at the hospital.  He said that they are already getting patients from other hospitals due to evacuation for the hurricane.  Bryan's family decided to evacuate this morning.  They were planning on coming here to stay in Jackson; however, due to terrible traffic, they headed to Tibideaux to stay in a hotel.  Tibideaux is north of Grand Isle, but still south of New Orleans.  I am spending most of the day glued to the television and praying for those in Gustav's path.  I am still very unsettled about where our family has evacuated to, as I do not feel that it is far enough away from the storm.  I think everyone is hesitant about going too far away from home because they want to be able to get back home after the storm passes to see how they have been affected.  I can only imagine how people must feel leaving their possessions, homes, and businesses behind, knowing they may never be the same again.  I am posting a couple of pictures.  One is a map showing where exactly Grand Isle is located in Louisiana.  The other photo is of Gustav's current path.  Please pray for our family!!!

Thoughts of Louisiana

Since all I can think of is our family in Louisiana and the impending Hurricane Gustav, I thought I would post a few recent pictures from our last visit to Grand Isle.  While we were last in Grand Isle, we celebrated our niece's first birthday.  

The first picture is of our nieces and nephew

Brynn, Amaya, and Cory Jay..

The second picture is of Bryan's sister, Rainey, and her husband Albert.

The last picture is of all of us in the marina with Bryan's parents, Susan and Butch.  As you can see, Amaya loved her cake that Ms. Adell made for her.

It was so great to see everyone!

We love and miss them so much!!

Go Away Gustav!!

Well, its official....Gustav is coming into the Gulf and is currently a Category 4 Hurricane and continues to get stronger.  Most of Bryan's family lives in Grand Isle, Louisiana--a fishing town two hours south of New Orleans, or in other small towns on Bayou LaFourche.  Three years ago Bryan's family lost their businesses and their homes were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.  Since the storm, they have rebuilt everything and have been doing well.  Now this is all being threatened again!  I can't even begin to think about the devastation another hurricane would bring!  I know God is in control of everything.  I know that the people we love are more important than any piece of land or establishment.  If all we had in this world were the people we love, we would still be blessed beyond belief.  We can get through anything as long and we have one another!  All this being said, another storm equal to Katrina or worse, would be anything but easy to recover from only three years later. 

When hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, I did not know the Gaspards yet.  I met Bryan just a month and a half after the storm.  My home in Jackson was without power for a little over a week and the clean up took months.  

Bryan is on call today, so I have been making preparations in case we are again affected by this storm.  I have bought enough food and water, I filled up with gas, and I filled our prescriptions.  I still need to take down my hanging baskets of flowers and move our grill/umbrella/fans off the porch and into the garage.  Fortunately, after a recent tornado when we were without power, we purchased a generator large enough to run our deep freeze, a couple of lights, and our "oh so precious television!"  It is sad how isolated I feel without the television when I am home alone, not knowing what is going on in the rest of the world.  Oh well....   I also have one of those emergency crank radios that are made exactly for the purpose of losing power.  My aunt gave it to us for a wedding gift.  I thought it a little strange at the time, but I am now thankful seeing as how I have already used it and obviously will use it again.....so , Thanks again Carolyn!!

Bryan and I are also preparing for the hospital to get a little crazy.  It is likely that many patients from other hospitals in the path of Gustav will be evacuated to our hospital.  Situations like these always make for chaos at the hospital.  I am glad that Bryan and I work in professions that help people in need.  While we are not able to often help others financially, we are able to offer the gifts of human interaction, comforting words, and medical care.   

Please pray for all people who will be affected by Gustav!  I ask you all specifically to pray that God will protect our family and our friends that are in the path of the storm.  I'll keep you updated on how God blesses our family! 

Novice Blogger

I've resisted creating a blog for some time now.  Not because I don't like blogs but because I wasn't sure if I could keep up with it.  I also wanted to be able to write about real life...not just the good stuff, but also the not so good stuff.  We have all read those blogs that make you think...gee, their lives are so perfect.  No one's life is perfect.  Everyone has ups and downs.  Yes, some hide it better than others.  I am a very open person, so I don't "hide" well.  I prefer to share and ask for prayers.  All of this leads me to the reasons I chose to create a blog:

1. My sister created a blog. As most of you know, my sister, Missy, moved to St. Simons Island, Georgia at the beginning of the summer and I have definitely felt her absence.  Yes, we still talk on the phone all the time, but there is no such thing as TOO much interaction when all of the interaction is via phone/computer.

2.  All of our family and many of our friends live somewhere other than Jackson, MS.  Most of our family and many or our friends live in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Louisiana.  Due to our crazy work schedules and limited finances, we only get to see our immediate families every once in awhile and our extended family and friends even less.  I feel like a blog might help us keep in touch with our family and friends better. 

 

3.  We are learning the value of NOW.  Bryan and I are learning how important it is to enjoy life and what we have...RIGHT NOW.  I feel like so often we begin sentences with "when we have...." or "One day we will..."  I think God wants us to to appreciate the gifts we have now, and not always be looking for the gifts of tomorrow.  I feel like a blog may help us to reflect on the things that are going on with us presently.

There are probably a few other reasons I have come to think that a blog is good for us, but these are the three that I feel are the most important.

So.......here goes the Gift of Gaspard!!!  For all who are interested, we will do our best to keep you abreast of what's going on with our little Gaspard family, which we feel is our greatest Gift from God!