"Looks Like You Got a Wild One Here..."

Famous words of my OB/GYN around .... OH MY?! 8 years ago!! She wasn't even born yet and he knew...HE KNEW! That sweet ole Dr. P knew I was about to birth a doozy! Our sweet little Hallie May Cruson pranced into our lives on Wednesday, January 31st, 2001 at 2:09pm. She weighed 7lbs and 4oz and on that day she became the 2nd most gorgeous gal in my life!

As I looked through her baby book for pictures to post I caught myself laughing out loud! Each page has her decked out in some outlandish costume she had assembled, and page after page of her many quirky-sneaky smiles she is always flashing at the camera, she has never ever not known how to pose! At 3 months old, I had their pictures made and she was sound asleep SMILING. (GAS, I know, but it's still gorgeous and still a SMILE!)

She has always kept us on our toes.....and has taught us many things in her short little 8 years... FAITH, LOVE, & PATIENCE being the top 3. When she was only 2 and getting a "swat" one day, her response to the "tough love" was patting her own behind and telling me "harder"! All I could say was, "Oh dear!" She has an infectious energy about her and that contagious smile that attracts others that I predict will always make her "the life of the party".

It's only been 8 years, but it seems like we've been through so much with her already.....

She had her 1st black eye at 9 months old.

She was given the name "Bulldog" by the ICU Nurses at Cooks as she fought hard to stay alive when asthma sent her into respiratory failure at 1 year old.

She quickly got rid of her "gobby" (pacifier) at 2 years old, after jumping into our pool from a very high point landing her 2 front teeth into my forehead causing them to go "cock-eyed" and splitting my head wide open. She never took that "gobby" again after that jump!

She gave me the "priviledge" of learning Poison-Control's number quickly one day as she coated the roof of her mouth in Super-Glue while trying to apply fake nails (independently).

She already loves the mountains, really took to snow-skiing this year, loves the beach, can swim like a fish, and will wakeboard with the best of them anytime you take her to the lake.

My mom loves to sit back, laugh, shake her head, and tell me, "Melissa, you are paying for your raising with this one!" Much like myself as a young girl.....the tighter the jeans the better, the moodier the day the better, the less homework the better, and the more chocolate available the WAY better!

Her favorite TV show is "Jon & Kate-Plus 8".

She would love to be a MOM when she grows up.
Her favorite color of lipstick is hot pink.

She only loves one pair of jeans.

Her best friend's name is Halle.

Her favorite breakfast is donuts from Donut Palace.
Her favorite name brand is Juicy Couture.

Her favorite places to shop are Target, Nordstrom, and Claire's.

Her favorite place to sleep is with mom and dad.

She absolutely adores her big sister, although she would never admit this in real lfe.

and

She is OUR most favorite little 8 year old in the whole wide world! Hallie, thank you so much for adding such spice and fun to our lives! We are so proud of you for trying so hard at everything you do and adore the way you would love to be older, but yet still want to be babied!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, our little BULLDOG!!!

We Love You SO Much,

Mom, Dad, & Riley

Just a hunch..

.....but I'm thinking that if these made the "First Mom" upset....

.......this is sure to get her stirred up!

Obama Family Paper Dolls (Borders $7.99) has the entire family in their "scivies" until you "dress them up". Something weird about him being shirtless and in his boxers???....

"Oh Say Can You See......."???

Auto-ICU

The ole girl will be spending her Monday at the "Auto-ICU"....

Diagnosis: Busted Fuel-Pump

Outlook: Grave ...(when we get the bill)!

She'll be 8 years old on Valentines' Day, we hope she pulls through!

TGIF!!

Someone is glad it's FRIDAY!!!!! woo-hoo!!

We "waited for the Lord..."!

"Wait for the Lord; Be strong and take heart...."
Psalms 27:14

After sleeping like a baby the following night, I awoke to Glen getting ready to go to a day long seminar. "HUH?? You are going where?" He quickly & (independently) changed his seminar to a "work from home" kind of a day....after hearing "that tone" in my voice. I was much happier with this idea, (even though I had already decided that I was going to be pregnant forever now), as I was going on day #4 of "overdue-ness"! But having him close by, would be nice.

So I rolled out of bed and upon entering the bathroom I felt as though a tribe of Indians had shot 12 arrows through the wall of our house and straight into my back, paralyzing me in my tracks, I thought, "Oh dear!! This ain't nothing like a broken foot!" (yesterday's blog)...but it never dawned on me that this could be IT! The pain should be in the front NOT in my kidney! So I just knew that NOW I had a raging kidney infection on top of being 65 weeks pregnant! But suddenly after about one minute...ahhhh...it was gone. hummmm??? Strange, I thought??..So off I went to the porch to say hello to our sweet neighbor, Don, who was out talking with Glen . But as I stepped out onto the porch....WHAM-O...those searing arrows again, straight through my back! This time dropping me to my knees, Don turned his cowboy boots quick back home and told Glen."UH-OH...looks like you got a big day ahead of you....I'll see ya'll!" He was right...that "Nurse Know It All" was right, and my prayer calendar was right..."We HAD waited on the Lord...and....IT WAS FINALLY THE BIG DAY! If Glen had of even suggested touching up my lipstick or stopping for a DP that morning.....there wouldn't have been any "calmly, lovingly, or gazing" about it...this was bad...it was REAL BAD!

So we're off to the hospital once again....but this time to get the job done!

When I crawled back to that desk, the nurse said, "Oh, you were here last night...we heard about you....." I guess that it was by the way my eyeballs turned into lasers, blazing a hole through her badge, or possibly it was the warp speed at which my head was spinning, that she finished her statement with ".....and it looks like you'll be staying this time!" She was right, I wasn't going anywhere today, but to the delivery room!

After check-in, the shy & just adorable on-call OB, Dr. Kilianski, popped his head in to wave HI and immediately after I spewed a fiery yellow flame ball from my nostrils at him, he said, "Won't be long now!"

Well, long story short....(oops..too late)....after 3 and 1/2 hours of pushing, and one very large vaccum later (TMI=my blog)....our sweet baby was here!!

Riley Ann Cruson, 8lbs 5oz, 21 in, 5:33pm January 22nd, 1997

She has been our true Angel on Earth from the minute we laid eyes on her! She is turning 12 today and the details of the day that she came into our lives are still so very clear and seem like only yesterday! She makes us so proud every single day by her loving, nurturing nature, her commitment to school, her faithfulness to her friends, her love for the Lord, and her respect and adoration for her family.

Riley, we love you so much and thank God everyday for blessing us with such a precious & perfect gift! We wish you the very happiest birthday today!

You are truly one of a kind!

Love, Mom and Dad

False Alarm!

The night was January 21st, 1997............

I was 3 days overdue with our first baby....... feeling like a two-ton pick up truck, 36 pounds overweight, crying at anything from Jack and Janet fighting on "Three's Company" to the color of our couch, I was a giant, round-bellied, bawling mess!

Glen suggested we watch a movie to help with our restlessness. It was "Tin Cup" starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo and that is about all I remember of that movie, all I knew was I needed to have a very large baby and I needed to have it now! I was pretty uncomfortable, cramps coming every 3-4 minutes near the end of the movie...so I just knew IT WAS TIME!! I told Glen, "I think I'm ready, let's go!" So we calmly got our bags, touched up my lipstick, hopped in the truck, and headed to HEB hospital. Glen asked on the way, "You mind if I stop for a Dr. Pepper, it might be a long night?" I calmly and lovingly said, "Of course honey...." as I gazed out the window dreaming of holding my beautiful new baby in just a couple of hours.

We eventually got to the hospital, calmly skipped to the desk...where I told the sweet L&D nurse, "Hi, I think...ooooo...ouchy...I think I'm in labor...oop..there's another one, hehe." (smiling the whole time). She lowers her "spectacles", arches her eyebrows at me, and says, "I highly doubt it, but come on back, and we'll see." Highly offended that this "seasoned L&D nurse" had no idea how "HIGH" my pain tolerance actually was, I mean, I WAS the cheerleader who walked on a broken foot for a whole day without knowing it was even broken, I mean come on...I was tough....geeeez! I HAD to already be at an 8 or a 9 at the very least!!! So Glen and I go back, I change, and in comes "Nurse Know It All" to measure my "success at labor"..... A TWO!! Are ya kiddin me?? A T-W-O!! "Yes, dear....now take this sleeping pill, go home, and quit worrying about it, I promise you will have this baby one day!" I gulped down the sleeper, grabbed my bags & my lipstick, and cried the whole way back to the truck.

At home, we called all the relatives off... instructing them to go back to bed citing "False Alarm". I then went and sat in the empty nursery rocking my sweet baby from the inside out, and said a little prayer. By this time, the "sleeper" that "Nurse Know It All" had poked at me was starting to do its magic. I crawled into bed thinking, tearfully, it's for sure now...I will officially be pregnant for the rest of my life...but before I completely lost all consciousness.....I reached over to flip my prayer calendar for the next day, January 22nd, it read, "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go...I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28:15..... followed by....."Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

hmmmmmmmmm...............?????....I slept like a baby for the rest of the night........

Kid Tested....Mom Approved!

Something bugging you??...

Ear ache? Nagging night cough?? Splinter???

Here are a few.."Kid Tested...Mom Approved" Helpful Home Remedies:

For that stubborn splinter or infected nail....

Soak affected area in some Epsom Salt dissolved in warm water.

A nagging cough keeping you up at night?

Grab the Vicks Vapor Rub, smother the feet in it, grab some socks, and get some sleep! (NOTE: Not to be used in kids under 2!)

Everyone loves the soothing heat from the blow dryer when you ear aches!

And last but not least........

What about that crying 2nd grader who doesn't want to go to school....

this is always nifty to keep on hand...but BRIBERY goes alot farther!!

Here's to a "Tear-Free" Wednesday!! (and another trip to the toy store)!

"Sam & Us"

This blog is lengthy, but I'm discovering after recalling all of our memories, I should've wrote a best-selling novel too!

I have yet to bring myself and my family to go and see the big hit "Marley & Me" at the theater. Our loss of Sam is still too fresh and I guess I'm scared that I'll embarass everyone with my blubbering! Sam was our first "baby"...a gorgeous, huge-footed, yellow, clumsy Lab puppy that Glen gave me on our very first Christmas together as a married couple. Through the years he proved to be a mischevious, handsome, strong, faithful companion to Glen, myself, and our two girls.

After his 1st year with us, we decided Sam needed a companion to "keep him distracted" from all the chewing, destroying, prowling, and just plain getting into trouble. That is when we brought home Sally. Sam was a huge, monstrosity of a one year old and Sally was a petite 6 week old, runt of the bunch, black lab. Sam thought we had brought him home a ball to literally roll around the yard and have some real fun with. After only one day of being fenced apart from each other, they tore through the wire to be by each other's side for the rest of Sam's long life. They quickly became soul mates as well as "partners in crime". One peek into their life of crime began on the rainy morning after we had brought our oldest daughter home from the hospital. We were expecting a houseful of out of town relatives who were coming to see our new baby. I was surprisingly awakened by a newborn on one side and two very muddy dogs who were peering over the top of the bed to get a glimpse of who was doing all this "squawking". Curiosity had gotten the best of them both and they had "jimmied" the back door to get in. Before finding us, they had both pawed mud over every square inch of white carpet that we had and single-handedly disassembled the "Diaper Genie" only to discover a mountain of diapers, shredding each and every one to figure out just what that new smell was!? I simply rolled over and cried the rest of the day! Glen entertained the guests, and vaccummed!

Over 12 years, Sam watched our family grow from 2 to 4, he smothered our babies in wet, sloppy kisses, he was the father to more than a "few" of Sally's darling puppies, he chased over 1 million tennis balls in our backyard, he destroyed enough of our belongings that we could own a vacation home in the Carribean for all the money that was spent on items lost, he had mastered the art of "tunneling" far enough back from the hot wire to crawl under our fence and go roaming in the neighborhood... "shock-free", he was bailed out of "dog jail" more times than I have fingers to count, he rarely missed a day that he met us at the gate as we arrived back home to let us know that he was ecstatic that we were back, he learned to shimmy under the bed, open a can of biscuits, and eat them in under 20 seconds, he never once minded when Sally (who grew to be twice the size of Sam) would grab him from behind with her front paws and knock him to his knees as he faithfully tried to retrieve his ball that had been thrown for him, (I truly believe that was part of the game), and he would always ever so gracefully allow Sally to eat her food first, before he finished the rest. Sam aged into a true gentleman, still having a wild side that did like to roam ever now and then, but always making his way back home one way or the other. Not too long before Sam passed away, we got a call at 3am from the Colleyville Police Department informing us that they had the "sweetest yellow lab" in their cruiser who was just "too pooped" to make it back home and would we mind meeting them to pick him up, they knew where he belonged, he'd been in that cruiser a few times before.

In early April of 2007, Sam quietly ran to the "Rainbow Bridge" as his sweet Sally faithfully lay by his side in the backyard. She has never been the same since he left and has aged considerably herself. He was buried next to our two pine trees in our yard and we hardly miss a day where one of us waves and yells, "Hey Sam!" Sam will always be with us, a huge part of our hearts and a precious part of those early years when we started our family.

I do want to see "Marley & Me" and will most likely sit there laughing and sobbing with the rest of the audience, as I relive our very own days of "Sam & Us".

SAM CRUSON

1995-2007