Busy October

First of all, congratulations to our friends, Brian and Whitney Goff, on the October 1st birth of their daughter Ainsley Marie! We're very excited to have another addition to the "babysitter's club" of all the little girls born recently. And now our friends Brandon and Amber Dion have found out they are expecting a girl! They already have three little boys, so this little princess will be spoiled rotten, I'm sure. =) We're very happy for all of our friends!

Okay. We've all been really busy with work and daycare, and some big plans have been made. David and I met with our Dave Ramsey Certified Financial Counselor on Saturday, and we are excited to start working with him to get all of our finances on the right track! I read Total Money Makeover, but we couldn't quite figure out how to apply it to our unique financial situation, so we took an extra step to work with a counselor. He's going to help me get on top of all my past debt, as well. We're ready to get started on it, and we recommend it to everyone! His name is Mark Pooser, his office is in Old Town Lewisville, and his number is: 337-526-7504. http://www.markpooser.com/

I finally reached a point where my back was so bad that I couldn't put Gracie in and out of the bathtub every night for her bath, so I gave in and saw an orthopedist. He was great, did some x-rays and while my spine itself looks perfectly fine, he said that having a baby did something to the muscles and tissues in my back, and prescribed physical therapy. I went to a physical therapist the next day, and made some interesting discoveries about myself. Apparently, I have an extremely flexible spine. Most people, when standing with their hands on their hips and keeping their knees straight, can bend backwards only about 65 degrees. I can bend 8o degrees, which Brant (the physical therapist) made me do several times just to see. I can also bend forward and put my hands flat on the floor while keeping my knees straight with absolutely no difficulty. He also discovered that my right hip is set two inches higher than my left, and my left hip is actually rotated forward and inwards, which has set my lower left back all weird (which is where the worst of my back pain is located). He said that before I got pregnant, I had a very strong core (abdominal muscles) that supported the flexibility of my back. When I got pregnant, those muscles stretched out, but the baby inside kept the support intact. But when I delivered the baby, all of a sudden that support was gone, and the muscles were still stretched out, so that is why the pain started almost immediately upon leaving the hospital. He showed me some stretches that I have to do every day. The therapy is $80 per visit, but he recommended that I get a gym membership and join their Pilates class at least twice per week, which would be much cheaper. He wil show me exercises to do at the gym to help strengthen my core, and eventually all that support for my back will be in place and I will feel a lot better. So I'm glad I found such an honest therapist, who understands that I can't afford to see him three times per week, but cares enough to show me what to keep doing on my own. The LA Fitness by our house offers Pilates classes Mondays and Thursdays, so I will get signed up there and get that going. I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow afternoon, and the last one probably on Friday. Wish me luck on all of that!

Gracie is doing really well at Primrose. She loves her teachers, eats well, and plays great with all the other babies. She is getting better at napping during the day. She wasn't used to all the commotion going on during nap time, but she's slowly started sleeping longer and longer, which is great. She still hasn't taken off walking on her own yet, but she will sometimes pull up on a table and then start playing with something with both hands, not realizing that she's standing on her own. I'm pretty positive she'll be walking confidently by Thanksgiving, maybe even Halloween! No new words, really. Mostly just babbling right now, but occasionally you can pick up an attempt at a word. Her first Halloween costume is going to be a giraffe! Haha... it's very cute.

Coming up for the rest of October we're pretty busy. My Aunt Linda and cousins Robbie and Chuckie are coming in town tonight and will be here for a couple of days, so we're excited to visit with them. David and I will probably take a weekday afternoon off one day in the next couple of weeks to go the State Fair with Gracie. This weekend is the Texas vs. OU game (GO TEXAS!) so we're going to a friends' house to watch that. Sunday the 12th is the tenth anniversary of my old church, Vista Ridge C of C, so I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends. Saturday the 18th is our friend Logan Casteel's first birthday party, and the 25th or 26th is a 40th birthday party for my Aunt Dyana. So lots and lots going on!

Hope everyone is having a great October so far! We love y'all!