Our Two Week Adventure

Well, I cannot believe it. Yesterday Reese celebrated her two week birthday. It has gone so quickly. In honor of her being two weeks, it was time to meet her pediatrician. We've used her with Bailey and love her but knew Reese might be less than thrilled with their first meeting. We were right. She was beyond mad. After the pediatrician, we planned to run a few errands thinking the experience would wear her out. It didn't. Instead, we were able to see just how well her lungs really worked. We tried feeding her in the car and rocking her but nothing worked. We finally just started for home. She finally gave up and cried herself to sleep because we were almost home and she was finally out. Grandma Frances and I took that opportunity to drive through Taco Bell for our "fix".


As for the pediatrician, she was very happy with how well Reese is doing. She is now 9 pounds, 12.8 ounces and still 21 1/2" long. Unfortunately, she also has her first cold thanks to big sister. It doesn't seem to bother her too much but it's hard to hear her cough. The doctor said it should only last about 7 - 10 days but that seems like such a long time in the life of someone who is only 14 days old. At least in all other respects she is healthy. We are so blessed in that regard.


Enjoy the pictures of her two week birthday. We'll write more later!

Reese Has Arrived

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the newest member of the Sharp family....

Reese Leighanna Sharp made her debut on Wednesday, February 11 at 10:36 am. She weighed 9 pounds, 6 1/2 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. Big sister Bailey is loving being a big sister but having a little adjustment to not being totally doted on at all times. I think she is doing well despite telling me that "Babies are boring".

I realize that I am almost 2 weeks late in making this announcement but we have been a tad bit busy. Adjusting to being a mom of two while trying to recover from my c-section has kept me a little bit busy. I will try to provide more updates on a regular basis but for now, enjoy a few

pictures of our newest angel and her very proud big sister.

Reese's Debut

Well, I went to the doctor today and had made no progress. When doing the physical exam, my doctor could no longer feel if Reese had her head down. She requested an ultrasound for fear that she had turned. Sure enough, little Ms. Reese had done an acrobatic feat and turned sideways - getting herself stuck. It was clear the likelihood of her turning back would be next to impossible since she is so big.

So the decision was made to do a c-section tomorrow at 9:30 am. My doctor's fear was that with me being so close to 40 weeks, I would go into labor, Reese would still not have turned, and then it would turn into an emergency c-section (which anything with the word emergency in it is not a good thing).

I am not at all worried about the c-section. Too many of my friends have had them and all turned out fine. To say I was surprised would be more accurate. It was just a possibility I had not considered.

We'll be sure to provide an update once we get home for the hospital and are settled. For now, I'm off to get my last night of what will be uninterrupted sleep - at least for the next few months!

Updates, updates, updates

I just realized that I have not updated you on my test results. Shame on me! I think the excitement just took over my brain that I forgot to post how I did. But since I haven't done that, I think I will post a few updates.

First and foremost....I PASSED!!! I was playing on e-mail on Monday morning (2/2) when I hit refresh and there staring me in the face was an e-mail message with a subject of "Your ETS TExES Scores". I knew what it was but my fingers sort of froze and wouldn't let me open it for about 5 minutes. Once I finally got up the courage, I realized the scores were in a PDF attached to the e-mail. Once again, I was frozen until I finally opened the PDF. But did I look at the PDF after I opened it? No.....I just let it sit open in a new window until I finally willed myself to look at it. Boy was I thrilled when I did. I first saw the word "Passed" and then saw the score was 278/300. I almost fell over. All I need to pass was a 240 and I had been asking God for only a 240. I had no reason to be greedy. But to see I scored 38 more points. Awesome!!! I sure wasn't going to complain. The thing I was most excited about was that I only missed 3 questions on the Math section. Given that I am hoping to teach middle school math, it was nice to see I did very well on that section. Thanks again to all my prayer warriors and supporters. I know it helped!

Second....Baby Reese still is quite comfortable inside my big belly. Today I am 39 weeks and 1 day. I went to the doctor last Tuesday and had dilated almost 2 centimeters. I was measuring 40 weeks and Dr. Smith said that Reese was head down but she was still sitting high and had made no move to "drop". She also estimates that Reese is already about 8 pounds. So we are still waiting. I am enjoying resting and having some free time as I know that will quickly come to an end once Reese gets here. I go back to the doctor on Tuesday and will provide an update either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

Finally....Bailey has moved up to Pre-School 2. She was visiting the last week in January (which means spending half a day) and officially moved up on Monday (2/2). She's not really happy about it. We always have a hard time when she transitions and it usually takes about 3 weeks or more before she realizes the teachers don't have fangs and the class is actually fun! At least her Prince David is in there. I think that helps her - a little.

So those are the Sharp Family updates. The latest and greatest. Happy Saturday!

The Waiting Game

You know what I hate....waiting! God knows when he created me he shorted me on patience. I hate waiting for anything that is "good" or "important". For example, I hate waiting for Thursdays to come around when Grey's Anatomy is supposed to be good, I hate waiting for trips to Disney World, I even hate waiting for my W-2s. (I have Turbo Tax up and ready. Why does it take 4-6 weeks to get a W-2?) Anyway.....as you can imagine, I really hate waiting for grades or test scores. I always have.

Some of you have called and asked how I did on the teacher content exam yesterday and the answer is, I really don't know. I don't have a good feel. I honestly don't have the feeling of horror that comes with knowing you didn't pass but I also am not confident I passed either. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised either way. Some of parts of the exam were much easier than expected (i.e. Math) and others were a lot more unfamiliar than I expected (i.e. Social Studies and Science). I use the word unfamiliar rather than hard as I think the questions might have been conquerable if I had known the material or terms. Social Studies, unfortnately, had a lot more Texas history that I had been exposed to on previous exams or in my studies. Science had a lot of terms I had never seen - not even in my study guide. It's hard to use process of elimination when you aren't even sure what to be eliminating. I did take my time and worked through what I was confident in and focused on the rest at the end. I took 4 hours and 15 minutes (of the 5 hours) so I definitely made sure not to rush. I only hope my efforts were enough. I have prayed and prayed that all I need is a 240 (out of 300). I do not need a 241 or 242 - just a 240. I even gave God permission to change some of my answers to get me to 240. (Can you tell I'm desperate?)

So...that's the exam in a nutshell. The state board says I should have my grades within 7 business days. The online community says computer grades are available within 48 hours. More likely, it is somewhere in between. I will be sure to let you know. I know if I pass I will be elated and if I don't, you'll be able to hear me sobbing from here. As for now.....let the waiting game begin.

A Chapter Closes

Today a chapter has closed in my life. After 7 years, I have left BMC Software, Inc. Although BMC has brought me some great opportunities, it has also brought many frustrations - especially in the recent years. As with most things in my life, I do not regret my time there nor do I think it was a waste. In fact, it was just the opposite - another stepping stone on my path to maturity.

I must admit that I was not sad to walk out the door for the last time. If anything, I was elated. It was as if a weight had been lifted off me. In retrospect, I suspect my heart had not been there for many years - possibly even before Randy (the best boss ever!) left last February.

It feels strange to not have a job at the present moment. I have worked since I was 15. But I am going to enjoy this time of unemployment. I am sure I will be ready to return to work soon enough.

4 Weeks and Counting

Well, we are in count down mode. Four weeks from today is my expected due date. Now as we all know, babies come whenever they want to and I sincerely hope that Reese does not wait 4 weeks. But for now, all we can do is say 4 weeks left.

For those who remember, Bailey was 9 days early. She was originally due October 14th and came on October 5th. I'd like to believe Reese will follow the same pattern and make her debut somewhere around February 4th or 5th.

Let's keep our fingers crossed. We will keep you posted!

I AM DONE!

I cannot believe it. As I sit down to type this, I have just completed my final assignment for my teacher certification online course. In some ways, it has been a very fast 15 weeks. In others, it seems like it took me forever to get through all the material. Today, there is just relief and excitement at the opportunity before me.

Lots of you have asked what is left. Well, I have 3 1/2 hours left of classroom observation which I am getting on Thursday, January 8th and the content exam which provides me with my temporary teaching certification. I have not yet scheduled the exam but plan to take it the last week of January (1/28 or 1/29). Once I get the results (which hopefully will say that I passed), I then begin looking for a job to begin teaching in the fall. I am hoping that the results of the exam and my application to Cy-Fair Independent School District will be done before Reese ever arrives.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me through all of this. It has been so helpful to know you are all behind me. Keep saying prayers for the content exam. I am not sure why but I am so nervous about that test.

Happy New Year to all of you! May God be as good to all of you in 2009 as he has been to us always!

Happy Thanksgiving

This is just a quick note to say Happy Thanksgiving! Our turkey is under way and Christian will be over to celebrate with Jason, Bailey, and I later this afternoon. As I sit here watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, I can't help but be reminded of all I have to be thankful for. I have a wonderful husband, family, friends, and two (almost) beautiful daughters. As I think of all I am thankful for, I hope that you do the same. Then I hope that you, like me, will eat two pieces of pie (pecan and pumpkin) with lots of Cool Whip!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Disney World

Thursday, October 30th
Well, the time had come. It was time for the Mommy & me trip to Disney World. Bailey and I were going to meet up with Khrissy and Hunter for a 4 night trip to the most magical place on earth. Khrissy had to attend a conference in the morning so we decided to take two different flights. Daddy brought us to the airport. Bailey and I left Houston at 10:30 am and got to Orlando at 1 pm (gaining an hour on the way). We caught the Magical Express and headed to Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, our home away from home. Once we had settled in, we decided to go to Epcot so Bailey could ride Nemo and Friends. We spent about 4 hours there and then decided to go back to the hotel and see if our luggage had been delivered. It had and Bailey got a quick bath. We also had a nice Halloween special delivery from Daddy waiting in our room. It was a nice surprise with goodies for all. After our bath, we anxiously awaited for Khrissy and Hunter to get to the hotel - which they finally did about 9 pm. We visited for a while and then we all decided it was time to go to sleep since we had a breakfast reservation in the morning.


Friday, October 31st
Happy Halloween!!! Bailey had decided that she would be Minnie Mouse for Halloween daytime and Belle for the party this evening. She was so cute.




This morning we had to get up bright and early so that we could have breakfast with Mary Poppins and Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian. That required multiple modes of transportation. Of course, we were about 20 minutes late. Luckily, they took us anyway and we had a great breakfast. Bailey did fairly well with the characters as most of them were "real". She was fine taking a picture with Pooh but declined Tigger's request. After breakfast, we headed to the Magic Kingdom until about 2 pm.

When we got back to the hotel, we thought it would be a good idea to take a break and swim. The pool was soooo cold! None of us lasted very long.

We all went back to the room to get ready for the Halloween party. Bailey was Belle, Hunter was Superman, and Khrissy and I were matching clowns. (Our original intent was to be Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum but we couldn't make it as perfect as I wanted so we modified it. However, some people actually did think we were Tweedle Dee and Dum so it was actually kind of funny.) Once we were all ready, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Bailey was pooped and had fallen asleep on the bus before the party ever started. However, she quickly woke up and we had a great time at the party. The kids got lots of candy and we rode all the great rides. The parade was wonderful! Both kids stayed awake for that but quickly fell asleep after. They were both asleep before we hit the exit. It was a great way to spend Halloween!



Saturday, November 1st
Today we decided to sleep in a bit and then head to the Animal Kingdom. The highlight of the day was Bailey had officially decided she was no longer scared of the "good" characters. She took pictures with everyone. I don't know if it just took 6 more months or if seeing Hunter do it made her want to be "brave". She made us stop for almost everyone she saw. It was so much fun. I really regretted Jason did not get to see that.




We left Animal Kingdom when it closed at 5 pm and headed to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. Khrissy was left in charge of the kids first while I went shopping. We thought we'd let them play in the fountains. Needless to say, they got soaked and needed new clothes and shoes. Thank goodness Disney sells stuff like that! With all honesty, that probably was their most favorite part of the day. They had so much fun.



After shopping, we headed to Planet Hollywood for dinner. We were quickly seated. However, I was the party pooper and made us leave. It was so very loud in there we could barely talk. I felt like I was in a night club. I was getting very nervous and uncomfortable. Luckily, Khrissy is so understanding and we decided pizza delivered to the room would be the best bet. We caught the bus and headed back for the most perfect dinner yet - all of us watching Tinker Bell in our PJs on the pull out couch. It doesn't get better than that.


Sunday, November 2nd
We once again decided to sleep in. We woke up and went to Disney's Hollywood Studios for our 11:30 am lunch reservation at the 50s Prime Time Diner - one of my favorites. Right when we walked in, the High School Musical 3 pep rally was starting so we watched that for a minute and browsed in some of the shops. It was then time for lunch - which was yummy.


After lunch, we decided to go to the new ride, Toy Story Mania. Unfortunately, the fast passes were sold out and the wait was 90 minutes. Needless to say, we didn't get to see that one this trip. We moved on to the Ariel show - where Bailey and I had a "I have to go potty right now" incident like 10 minutes before show time. You've never seen a pregnant woman run so fast or a bathroom seem so far away. Luckily, we made it back right as they were letting folks into the theater. That was our one and only adventure in Disney's Hollywood Studios as we decided the kids would have more fun on their last evening at Magic Kingdom taking advantage of the Extra Magic Hours (meaning the park being open until 11 pm).


Once again, we arrived at Magic Kingdom. Bailey was all brave again and rode the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 times. The last time she even held her arms up on the drop like the other big kids. After doing most of the rides in Adventureland, we went to have dinner at The Pinocchio Village Haus. It serves pizza and it's pretty good pizza in my opinion - hence, why we ate there twice this weekend. After our dinner, the kids wanted to do different things on their last night so we decided to split up. Bailey wanted to meet Ariel and ride Dumbo - which was quickly spoiled by the fireworks going off as we rode. After Dumbo, I wanted to ride The Haunted Mansion but was worried how Bailey would do. She was determined to be brave and said she wanted to go. She did not once cry or bury her head in my shoulder. She did hold tightly to her lap bar. After the ride, she said she liked it. I'm not so sure but she was a trooper. I told her we could ride three more rides. She picked Snow White's Scary Adventure, Peter Pan's Flight, and the Carousel (in that order). It was time to call it a night. Bailey was asleep before we hit Main Street so I took the opportunity to do a little shopping in the Emporium.


When we finally got back to the hotel, Bailey was still asleep so she missed her balloons and signed pictured delivered to the room by Ariel. Since Khrissy and Hunter were still not back, I changed her and began packing. I suddenly realized I had bought too much stuff - as always - and began to plot how I was going to get it back to Houston especially since I still had two bags of stuff to pick up Monday morning at the store. Oh, well. I would ponder that tomorrow morning.


Monday, November 3rd
Today I got up and went to get my two bags at the store and rushed back to finish packing. Luckily, I only had one large Disney bag to carry on. I have no idea how it all fit but it did.


We caught the Magical Express at 9:30 am and headed back to the airport. We checked in for our flight and stopped for brunch at Chick-Fil-A. It was then time to head to the airplane - which had just started boarding when we got there. We left Orlando at 12 pm and got to Houston about 1:30 pm (getting our hour back of course). Bailey was great on both plane rides and I was fortunate to be in a row with friendly people.

Khrissy was nice enough to give us a ride home. Bailey and Hunter were both asleep when we got here and I was able to get her in without waking her. She took a NAP! Poor thing was so tired - the sign of a great trip. We had such a good time and I'm so glad we went. As always, back to the real world.......