I have a handful of people I call "best friends". I know they'd be there if I needed them. And in the past month, I've made even more great friends. So many people showed their kindness to our family through Jase's accident and I was OVERWHELMED. I realized that it is so important to have people to call on when you need them.
Never take those people for granted.
This week, Jase and I had a playdate with one of the people I call "besties" and her babies. We had such a great time!!! And I'm so thankful for our friendship.
I made a trip to Bath and Body Works just about a week ago with my mother. She wanted to smell the candles that everyone RAVES about. She did end up purchasing a few. I purchased some mini sizes of the Vanilla Bean Noel scent - lotion, body spray and shower gel. I LOVE IT!
Now, I want to go back and smell these lovely candles. I somehow missed these on my last couple of trips... and some have just recently been released.
Let me know if you have any of these, or would like to smell them also!!
I went to a friend's house just yesterday and she had this burning. It was YUMMY!! Not necessarily a "Fall" scent, but a year round scent! Delicious. Much better than the Cinnamon Sugared Doughnut. Ias disappointed in it's "smelling power."
My mother bought this Spice candle and it smells just like the little red cinnamon candies that we all eat. It was yummy!
My back is killing me; but other than that, I can't complain too much.
Weight gain is still holding at 10-11 pounds (thank goodness.) But not sure how much longer it'll stay that way!
Baby this week:
-He's weighing in at a whopping 3/4 of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long.
-His "flutters" have turned into kicks and nudges.... and occasionally, he pokes his butt (or possibly his head) up through my abdomen. It is NOT very comfy.
-His eyebrows and eyelids are completely formed now.
-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is now a part of his daily routine, which means he's capable of dreaming. NEAT!
Have you ever had something happen in your life that turned everything upside down?
I had not... until recently.
I've decided to share our story with you. It's taken me a few weeks to muster up the courage to write about it. But I need to.
Monday, October 3, 2011, started out as a normal day for us. A perfect one. It was Jason's day off. We spent the morning around the house, buying groceries, playing with Daddy, all that fun stuff. Around lunchtime, we decided to make a run to a nearby town to grab something to eat and run in Wal-Mart for Jason to buy a hunting stand. Like I said, normal. So far.
We really needed to hurry home, b/c he was meeting a friend to head to the woods. But we decided to make a stop in a little neighborhood where a house was being built. Jason's cousin works for the builder (whom we are also friends with) and Jason had recently talked to him about this particular house. It was destroyed in the April 27th tornadoes that ripped through Cordova, AL.
We will (hopefully) be in the market to build a home in the next year or so, so we are already thinking about floor plans and such. So we made our way to the home, where 2 men were there working. It was a lovely home... the little bit I saw... and from what I remember.
All of the sheet rock was up, the windows were in (but UP) and it was coming along nicely. We walked straight in the house and into the back bedroom, which overlooked the basement area of the home. It would be a child's room. We had been in the house a total of MAYBE 2 minutes. We were trying to decide if the room was too small. I turned my back for one second. I heard Jase say, "Look, Mommy!" as he walked toward the open window. As I turned around, all I saw were feet and all I heard were screams.... screams from Jason AND from Jase. It was like a movie in slow motion.
Those next few seconds were the worst seconds of my entire life. Wondering what I was going to see when I reached the window. Jase was lying on the ground below, face down. He had fallen about 15 feet. I remember Jason yelling. Jase wasn't moving or making noise.
As I ran for the front door, screaming for help, one of the workers (who must have witnessed the whole thing from the next room) beat me outside, running at full speed with his cell phone in his hand. I don't think I've run that fast EVER in my life. Especially not pregnant. But to be honest, the baby in my belly was the LEAST of my concern at that point. For a moment, I forgot I was pregnant. All that mattered was getting to Jase.
As I was running, I heard Jase screaming. A scream I have never heard in my life. A scream I will never forget. As I got to the basement area, I rounded the corner and realized that Jason was holding him. But he never passed me coming out of the house. That's when I realized that he had JUMPED out of the window to get to Jase. I think my heart stopped for a second or two. Jase was screaming, uncontrollably, bleeding from his mouth and nose area, which had already begun swelling. His left eye was red and swollen to the point he couldn't open it.
The worker had already called 911. However, none of us knew the address of the home. Cordova is a VERY small town. We just happened to be one block away from the fire department. However, this fire department was also blown away in the tornado. All that remained was an empty parking lot full of firetrucks.
Jason handed Jase to me and we headed for our car. At this point I noticed Jason was limping, but I didn't have time to ask if he was okay. We drove to the fire department, and sat in the parking lot until the volunteer firemen could get to us. Jason says it seemed like an eternity waiting on them. But I know they were there very quickly. I sat in the passenger seat holding Jase, talking to him, trying to calm him down. Trying to determine if any of his little bones were broken. Hoping and praying that his precious little body could withstand that fall, but knowing in my heart that something had to be wrong... something internally, that we couldn't see.
He kept telling me he wanted to get in his car seat and go home. That made me feel a little better. At least he was coherent and talking... normally. However, I was also worried about my husband. As soon as he stepped out of the car at the fire station, he almost collapsed. He feared that his leg was broken from the jump. On top of that, he was pacing, crying, beating himself up... everything you would do as a parent when your child has just been hurt. HOW COULD WE LET THIS HAPPEN???
All we could do was pray. And we never stopped. I overheard someone later (I think it was a paramedic) saying that when they arrived to the scene, we were praying. That's all we knew to do.
As soon as the EMTs and paramedics got there, they began to check him out. Of course, the one thing you worry about most in a fall is a head or spine injury. He appeared to be okay, but you just never know. Better safe than sorry. They strapped him to a little stretcher and placed a neck brace on him. I was standing over him the whole time, trying to keep him calm. He shocked me. He was so perfectly calm and doing exactly what they asked of him. I freaked out a little when I heard them having a discussion about whether to airlift him or go by ambulance. Normally, they would airlift a child in this situation. But since he was alert and nothing seemed broken, they decided on an ambulance.
I have only been in an ambulance once in my life, and I was about 7. I don't remember much about that experience. But I do remember how nice and cooperative the EMTs were. And they were no different this time. The lady in the back with us was so nice to Jase (and me). She prepared me for the worst, but assured me that everything she could check seemed to be okay and she really felt that he was going to be just fine. I never knew it was possible to get to Birmingham from Cordova as fast as we did.
The EMT had prepared me for what would happen when we arrived at Children's Hospital. They were going to take Jase straight to the trama unit.... and we were not allowed in with him. It all happened so fast that I never got to see him once we exited the ambulance. We were escorted to the trauma waiting area, a little room, where several of our family members and friends were waiting. I immediately lost it. Up until that point, I don't think I had shed a tear. I was trying to be so strong for Jase and Jason. But I couldn't do it any longer. Thankfully, no one expected me to be strong.
We stayed in that room while they x-rayed Jase. After a while (I'm not sure how long it was) they came and got Jason and me to see him. They still had him strapped down and braced and were going to take him to have a CT scan to check for internal injuries. A team of doctors (probably 10 or so) were all standing around his bed. One in particular calmed our fears immediately. No broken bones. And on top of that, they said Jase was such a big boy. He was so calm. He followed all of their directions. He was the perfect little patient, despite what he had just been through.
We were only allowed to see him for a second. The next time we would be with him would be in the Special Care Unit, a step down from Intensive Care. It was probably an hour or so later that we were able to see him. He was lying flat on his back, his neck still braced, and watching SpongeBob on the television above him. He was right outside the nurses desk. In the Special Care Unit, there are several beds lined up along the wall in one big room. We were able to stay with him for most hours of the day. 2 hours at a time, twice a day, during shift change, we had to leave. That was hard. But he never once cried. He made great friends with the nurses and they took exceptional care of him.
We finally got word a few hours later that the CT scan was perfectly normal. He was allowed to take his neck brace off. He also REFUSED to use the bathroom in a diaper. Since he had not been to the bathroom in probably 6 hours, he was allowed to get up and use the potty. For 24 hours, he stayed in that bed, watching television and playing with all of the gifts that people had brought for him. He was spoiled rotten. But this was one time when it was perfectly okay.
As so many doctors and nurses told us, this was a miracle. But there was no need to tell us twice. We KNEW that the Lord had his hand on Jase.
But even then, it was difficult to wrap my mind around what had happened. As I sat beside him that night, watching him sleep, all I could see was him falling. Even though I didn't see him actually hit the ground, the Devil made me envision what it had looked like. It was impossible for me to remove those images from my head. I have only heard God's voice a few times in my life. But it's the most calming voice you'll ever hear. Early that morning, as I prayed and cried, picturing my baby hitting the ground, the Lord said, "Carolyn, you do NOT need to worry about that. I was there. I reached out my hand and I placed him right where he was supposed to be." Immediately, I felt peace. I now see that image... one of hope. My Savior holding my precious baby in his right hand. I truly believe (and absolutely nothing else could explain this miracle) that He was there. His angels were encamped around Jase. He never left his side. He knew as soon as we walked into that house, that we would need Him. And He was there.
We arrived home a day after the accident with a few scratches and bruises. That was it.
Jase was a little sore, but he was so glad to be home. He went right back to racing his trucks down the hallway and through the den. As if nothing ever happened.
Jason's cousin went back to the house that evening to take a picture. When I saw it, I was taken back to that hospital room where I heard His sweet voice.
He placed Jase right where he was supposed to be - in the dirt.
Jason's leg ended up okay. After a trip to the Emergency Room that same night and a follow up with an orthopedist the next day, luckily it was just some stretched ligaments around the knee and in the hip. Something he'll deal with for a while, but it could've been so much worse. He was very blessed.
It took me a long time... probably a few weeks... to get over this accident. The Devil would try to torture me. He would haunt my mind with images of that day. But I gave them over to my God. He is the Peace Speaker. And He has given me peace.
Finally, our lives have returned to normal. Originally, I thought we'd just lock ourselves inside and steer clear from harm and danger. But I was reminded again.... He never leaves my side. When I need Him, He's there.
Within just a few days, and I mean like 3, Jase's scratches and cuts were healed. If you didn't already know about the accident, it would be hard to tell that ANYTHING had happened. Amazing.
I'm beyond thankful for so many people... friends, family, church members, nurses, doctors, paramedics, people I've never even met before on Facebook, who were praying for Jase and our family. I never would have made it through this experience without them and my wonderful Savior. I will forever be grateful.
As we look back, there are so many things we did wrong. So many things that could have happened. It's always easy to look at someone else's situation and think rationally. But when it involves your child, rationality is the last thing on your mind. There's only one explanation for our miracle.
He was a constant reminder to me in the days after the accident... every time I turned around, He reassured me that He is in control. He'll never leave my side.
As we drove home from the hospital, this is the first song we heard on the radio.
Jason just looked at me and smiled. I needed that.
When we arrived home, hanging on the outside of my jewelry box was a necklace that I made about a year ago. I never really wore it much. But I wore it everyday after the accident. It's an angel wing. A constant reminder.
Jase didn't talk much about the accident for several days. We just figured he didn't remember much that had happened. That was fine with me. But one thing he did remember. His Daddy asked him who got to him first when he fell, thinking he would say, "You did, Daddy." Instead, his reply was, "the Angels did, Daddy. They told me I was going to be okay."
THEY TOLD HIM he was going to be okay. wow.
Psalm 91:11-12
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
I would LOVE to buy a wax warmer from Scentsy. I even have a friend who had a party last night. However, after glancing over their website, I realized they are PRETTY expensive... at least for my taste.
So I did some research on other brands. Wal-Mart carries a version of the wax warmer by Better Homes and Gardens. It's $15.00. It also comes in a variety of colors and styles. I bought one a few weeks ago and I LOVE IT!! After just a few minutes of being lit, it smells yummy!
I bought 2 different waxes to try out. They retail for $2.00 for a box of 6 melts.
I purchased 2 different brands...
Scentsationals Cupcake and Better Homes and Gardens Simmering Apple Cider.
I melted 2 cubes of the Cupcake and have been burning it for weeks... and it still smells as wonderful as it did the very first day.
I'm thinking I'll buy another warmer soon, so I can burn the Simmering Apple Cider in my kitchen. It is PERFECT for fall!
Another week has passed and now I'm officially HALF WAY THERE!!!
Everything is still going great... however, I am having much more back/sciatic nerve pain now. But I'm dealing with it. (It's nothing new, as I suffered terribly with Jase, so I know I'll live.)
As for baby, he's moving all over. It's so strange how, all of a sudden, I feel him pretty much all day long. And with Jase, it was probably 4 or 5 more weeks before I felt him for the first time.
Baby this week:
-He's approximately 10 1/2 ounces this week and measures 6 1/2 inches from head to rump and 10 inches from head to heel. WOW! HE'S GROWING!
-That's about it on BabyCenter.com. Not much development other than getting bigger!!
Also, I don't think I shared last week (b/c we had to make one final decision) but we have decided on a name...
Jett Collin Perkins
We are so excited to meet him!!! And so is Jase. He is going to be a GREAT big brother... I can feel it already!
Some Saturday inspiration... since I've been a terrible blogger over the past 2 weeks. Hopefully I can get back on track.
Today, the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure was held in downtown Birmingham. Thousands (and I mean THOUSANDS) of people showed up bright and early this morning to run/walk in celebration and memory of loved ones with breast cancer. And it was a sea of PINK.
The day started at 8:30 this morning with a parade of survivors. My mother-in-law, Becky Perkins, is an 8 YEAR SURVIVOR. We celebrated that today!!
Then, a HUMONGOUS group of runners lined up and took off at 9:00 sharp. This was the 3k run. Jason's brother, Shane, and my sister, Christie, were both in this group... along with some other friends. We are SO PROUD OF THEM!!!
And then, finally, at 10:00 we began the 1 mile walk. This is so much fun. There are so many people there, gathered together for one reason - breast cancer awareness.
This was our group, including my 82-year-old Granny. We all walked together - wearing our PINK!
We had a great time and can't wait until next year's run/walk.
I've been MIA for a week now. Not sure if you've missed me or not. :)
There's a post coming about my horrific week last week. But I'm just not ready to sit down and type the whole story. But I know I need to share it. So I will... eventually.
This week has been quite a bit better so far. Yesterday, we had our 19 week appointment and ULTRASOUND.
We're having a BOY!
Which is so funny to me. I was secretly hoping for another boy. But EVERYONE said it was a girl... just like last time. I got my hopes up with Jase (because I wanted a girl so badly) but I knew not to do that this time. However, let me say, I LOVE MY BOYS. I wouldn't change it for the world. I really had no inclination as to what's growing in my belly, but I'm very happy with the outcome. I would've been happy either way, but this is great. Jase is going to be a great big brother.
Baby this week:
-Baby's sensory development is exploding! Lots of exciting things going on in baby's brain.
-Studies show that baby can hear us... so we've been talking to him everyday. It's so sweet to hear Jase tell the baby 'he loves him and can't wait for him to get here.'
-He weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and is about 6 inches long, head to bottom.
-Arms and legs are now in right proportion to his body.
-He's moving all around.... and we can finally feel it! Jason even felt him kick the other day. Awesome. It's such a wonderful thing for others to be able to experience what's living inside you.
Mommy this week:
-I'm doing good. To be honest, I kind of forgot I was pregnant for a few days last week. I was focused on other things. But I'm back to feeling BIG.
-My weight gain is right at 10 pounds. I lost a few at the beginning of last week, but gained them right back. :( But the doctor says I'm doing good.... right on track.
-My hips hurt, but that's nothing new. I have scoliosis so I'm used to back pain. But I had TERRIBLE pain in my lower back and hip joints with Jase. So I have prepared myself for it to get much worse.
-Sleeping is better, as long as I keep a pillow in between my legs. It helps tremendously.
-And heartburn... oh, heartburn. It has decided to make it's appearance. But luckily, it's not too bad yet. Just when I eat sweet things. I can handle spicy all day long. :)
That's about it. Stay tuned for our story. Our miracle story.
I knew it would be this way... I cried many days during my first pregnancy because my skin was TERRIBLY broken out. I think there were days my husband cried, too, secretly.
And those days have returned.
I've been pretty lucky growing up... clear skin was just in my cards. But pregnancy brings something else out in me... and it's of the devil.
I have tried EVERYTHING, but I realize it's just hormonal. And so therefore, there's not much that will help. Just gotta deal.
And I feel so selfish and vain - to think this is my biggest worry... but it's a big worry. Especially for an emotional pregnant woman. :) I'm sure some of you can relate.
While I found that some of my daily products were making the problem worse, I've adjusted my routine. Hoping this helps... I can see a little bit of improvement so far, and hoping it continues.
I've been washing my face twice daily with this. I'm not a fan of the smell, but it works pretty well. Sorta dries my skin out a tad (and I do have oily skin) but I think it's helping.
I follow with this moisturizer. I like it a lot and will probably continue using it for a while.
And I made a trip to Ulta the other day to find a concealer to hide this junk. And this is working pretty well. It says it's an Industrial Strength concealer.... I wouldn't go that far, but I like it okay. What I was previously using just wasn't cutting it. So this helps some. I have 60 days to return it, so I'm still trying to decide if I like it enough to keep it. Will keep you posted.
Hoping this routine will help me out a little... at least for the next 5 months!!!
