Fainting, Stomach flu and Drama Oh my!

21 Weeks baby Numero Tres!

Oh hello,
nice to be back after a week of not blogging! This week has been insane. Last Wednesday, David's mom was kind enough to watch our boys for me while I went out and about by myself to run some errands. One of those was of course stopping by the Goodwill for the half off sale hours they had going. I was in and almost out in an hour. It was a hot day that day, in the 90's and inside the store was a little cooler than outside but packed with people. I stood in line for a while, and when it came time for me to get rung up, I walked over and began to feel dizzy, hot and nauseous all at the same time. The guy was talking to me and all of the sudden everything went black. My vision went COMPLETELY BLACK! And I felt so so hot and dizzy and I began to talk but couldn't. I told the cashier guy "I'm sorry I can't.." and he ran over to me and walked me to sit down on a nearby couch. He was so sweet. I began tearing up and apologizing and he was so nervous and ran and got me a cup of fresh water and asked me if I needed anything and told me to sit for a while. My vision slowly started coming back but was still blurry and I could than think straight. I called my husband and told him I didn't think I could drive. Called my mom and dad and they both told me to go to a hospital and make sure everything is okay.
I was 21 weeks pregnant so you bet I was nervous about what could possibly be wrong. David left work and got to me very quickly, took me to the hospital where they drew blood, hooked me up to an IV, gave me tylenol, did an EKG on me to monitor my heart and even a chest X-ray. From there they had to transfer me via ambulance to the next city's hospital that had a labor and delivery section.

Everything came back normal and praise God our baby is just fine. I'm now 22 weeks, feeling pretty crappy and exhausted but I'm glad it was nothing more serious than dehydration, exhaustion and lack of snacking through out the day.

This week has been a whole other story...
We were out and about Tuesday night picking up dinner when Levi vomited in the car. Not once, not twice but 3 times in an hour! We got home bathed him and again he threw up a couple of times. Bathed him again. All night he was up about every hour throwing up. It was miserable. David stayed home the following day to be the best husband ever and took all our sheets, comforter, clothes and soiled towels to the laundromat and took Noah with him for a few hours while I stayed home with Levi. We rested. I'm so thankful for that man of mine.

Wednesday, I was sick with the stomach flu. No fun. Back pain/spasm and throwing up, not a good mix. That night, Noah threw up.

Today things are looking up. All of us have seemed to have recovered. Our appetites have slowly returned and we are up and moving. Both boys napped amazingly while I got some much needed
cleaning and sanitizing EVERYTHING out of the way.

In the midst of this chaos, drama within the family has been occurring today too. I felt so exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically. As if we haven't been through enough all week, let's add some un necessary negativity to the mix.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: You can't and you won't always please everyone. And It's not up to me to make someone happy. I know who I am in Christ and that's all that matters in the end. NO ONE SHOULD EVER BELITTLE ANYONE. Not one person is better than another or vice versa. 

So what did I do? I stood up for myself in the situation. I Susie, for Once in my life stood up for me and my family. And so did my Husband. I spoke truth, was nice to begin with and finished still not mean but I stood my ground. During and after, I prayed. I left it in God's hands, turned up my Bethel worship music and cleaned. I now feel complete relief.
So if you are going through a similar thing, I urge you to not be snappy with someone , but just LET IT GO and GIVE IT TO GOD. He'll have your back.

So far, the day turned amazing with the help and fellowship of my best friend Suzie giving me Godly advice and listening to me vent. Also, tomorrow we leave for Texas with my dad and his wife and I just found out my sister is going! I couldn't be more thrilled. It will be an amazing time seeing family and having family's help for a week with our kids too. I'm excited for this adventure! 

Have Faith

... Even though you are temporarily harrassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident-it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than Gold...

Peter 1:6 

2014 for us was a year of trials for us and our family. It seemed that one good thing would happen to us and than shortly after a bad thing would happen to make the good thing disappear. Everything from moving into our own apartment again in the county we wanted to be in followed by my husband getting a better job but with a pay cut so he had to get a second job and work night shifts.

A lot of people often ask me what I do, and when I tell them I stay home with my son they immediately say "How lucky you are to not have to work!"... Lucky? I don't think so, blessed, ALWAYS, but sometimes people don't realize and I don't speak out enough to let them know our actual situation. I stay home all day while my husband works, he comes home, eats, sometimes we go for a walk but a lot of the time he is already so tired that he just wants to stay in, than at arond 5:30 or 6pm he takes a nap and than works at night, comes home and sleeps for maybe and hour and back to work he goes. The night shift is only 3 or 4 times a week but let me tell you, it takes a toll. On the whole family. He's tired, I'm tired, and Noah gets used to it just being mommy all the time so even when my husband is home, Noah wants mommy for everything. And if you don't already know, dealing with a toddler is no easy task let alone on your own. Props to single mothers and single fathers, you are a miracle worker!

Lets get back to our situation. So about 4 months into his new part time day job , he had the opportunity to take a test to be able to apply for better jobs within the company and get a full time job with very good pay. We were beyond excited! Thrilled that this could come so quickly! Shortly after he was scheduled to take the test, we found out we were pregnant( Read Here ) and we agreed that we should probably get a more reliable newer car so we traded in David's truck and got a more family friendly car. David went to take the test and he didn't pass. He was dumbstruck when he found out he didn't make it, he knew he did well and still he did not pass. A few weeks after, I miscarried our twins. With a new car payment after years of not having one, it took a toll on us financially and we decided to sell my car and become a one car family. Even that wasn't enough to cut our expenses.

To make matters more difficult, my husband hurt his back and was out of work for two weeks due to a possible herniated disk. We found out later that it must have been a spasm but it lasted a long time and he wasn't able to lift pretty much anything and he could hardly sit. On top of that, Noah and I kept getting sick and we must have been in hospital 6 times over the year of 2014! ( colds, croupe, miscarriage, subchronic hemorage with baby #2, broken toe, and bad case of the stomach flu and David's back)
Desperate, we asked our parents for help and even our church, and we are so blessed to have all this support because we really were in a time of need, a time of trial.

I say all of this not to get anyone's pity but to show you what God showed me through this tough time. Tough Year.
Through this whole obstacle after obstacle, we prayed and we prayed hard. We sometimes questioned why it seemed that only bad things kept happening to us, but quickly realized that questioning was not the correct thing to do. TRUST is what we needed. We needed to TRUST GOD WITH HIS PLAN. I finally understood this and came to terms with our situation and instead of worrying how we were going to make it for the week, I just left it all in God's hands and believed my daily prayers. I began to declare that this and that WOULD happen with complete faith.

Every Sunday seemed like the sermon was made out to us. Like the pastor knew exactly what we were thinking and going through and spoke as if we were the only ones in the room. God was speaking and we were closely listening.

We surrendered to Him and let Him take control.

"For I know what plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future!" Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Friends, if there is ever any advice I can give you or anyone, it is to have Faith. Have COMPLETE FAITH that your situation will get better. Pray without ceasing and rejoice ALWAYS and give thanks! -1Thessalonians 5:16

We kept getting confirmation in the most random places from random people that we are doing what we are meant to do and we were at where God wanted us to be. We believed it.

David recently went to retake his test, 7 months after the first attempt, and he passed with flying colors! He got his first interview for a full time position in the city he already works in and He got the job! Training begins next week and we know this is where God wants him and our family to be. He will pass, he will be able to leave his second job and we will be a complete family day and night for the first time since we have been married! We will be able to enjoy life again! We are expecting our second baby boy in May and everything is looking good with no complications. GOD IS GOOD!

We have sacrificed a lot but learned so much and have gotten a lot more out of it. We've seen God's works but the way our relationship intensified with God has been incredible. I am so thankful for all that He has done in our lives, for ALWAYS providing and for taking care of us. So thankful to have such a big family that helped us out like they did! So thankful that my husband never gave up and worked as hard as he did for our family.

I'm thankful because I will be able to remain staying at home, raising my boys and teaching them different things. I see how beneficial it has been to have me home with Noah and I would much rather work with him than have a job and let someone else raise my child that I so desperately wanted.

So please do not fret, have faith and believe everything will be okay.


" Blessed is the man who preserves under trial , because when he has stood the test, he will recieve the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

God Speaks

Funny how loud and fast God can answer prayers sometimes. I'm so happy to have a loving father above like him. Even when I don't deserve he spoils me unconditionally. I'm not sure where I'm going with this post to be honest but I just thought I'd get that out there. I Love my God.

So this weekend was awesome! I got two photoshoots in and done and both were fun! A lot of the time I get super nervous before a shoot, I get that same feeling I would get on a first day of school! For the most part I loosen and up and so does the client and that's when we get good photos. I had fun with taking the photos though. =) My favorite thing has to be showing the finished product to the clients and seeing their faces light up with joy!

waiting for my mama to be out .

 My mom had surgery on Friday, not sure that she wants me blabbin online about it but I'm glad I got to see her and there for her. I'm glad everything turned out just fine. Yesterday was awesome, went to church and spent time with David's mom. After that we headed to the beach to take maternity photos of a friend and her man and then spent time together afterwards. =) It was a good weekend.
How was yours?

Cosby Says Hello. Cuddle monster.