The Many Hats of Maggie Holland

...The Many Hats of Maggie Holland...

It's been a while since I have blogged. I am not sure why. I have had the time, just had other things to get done.

Maggie and I went this past Wednesday for her 4 Month check-up. We were a little early. At some point our appt. dates got off with her actually monthly birthday, so we were a bit early. She weighed in at 13 pounds 10 ounces and measured 24 inches long. Her doctor said that she is doing great! She is constantly sleeping through the night! What a great little girl!

Josh is feeling good. He decreased one of his medications that he hates to be on and so far is doing well without the added dosage. We are both gearing up for the holidays. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is Thursday? How crazy is that?

Josh and I are planning on traveling up to Indiana for Thanksgiving on Friday. Josh is dying to get his hands on some of the "Black Friday" deals of the century. We are looking forward to spending lots of time together over the next weekend. We seem to watch the weekends fly by, so it will be nice to just veg out and enjoy "family" time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pray for Brad Keitzman and His Family

I just wanted to ask for a word of prayer for a very important family. Brad Keitzman is a wonderful man, as well as a teacher in Sumner County. We worked together for a couple of years until he moved onto to teach at the Middle School level. He is a teacher, a father, a husband, and a friend.

I received an email asking for prayer for him and his family. Please see below...

Please send out a request for more prayer for the Keitzman family. Brad is a science teacher at Ellis Middle, and I know many people will be wanting to hear how he is doing. He will be taking a leave of absence from his job. He has been diagnosed with stage four adenocarcinoma of the pancreas which has spread to his liver and is systemic. He will be starting chemo on Wednesday (which may actually help him feel better). The girls are having a really hard time (ages 10 and 7) as I am sure both Brad and Patti are. I believe they told him a year when he thought it might be weeks so he is feeling hopeful, and we are all praying for a miracle. Thank you for praying. They are in such need.
From what one of the nurses in our Sunday School class said, I guess patients with pancreatic cancer are in a lot of pain. By taking the chemo, it may help with some of the pain. By taking the chemo, the doctor told him last week it would give him a year. God can and does work miracles.

...This is such a horrible situation. We just found out about this and his illness. He is a very sweet man with a heart of gold. Please just say an extra prayer for him and his family.

...Maggie's 3 Month Pictures...

Can you believe that little Maggie is 3 Months old?

This Wednesday, October 24th, Maggie will officially be 3 Months old. I just can't believe it! I know I am totally bias, but she is more beautiful everyday. She is still such a sweet and loving baby.

This past Saturday, Josh wanted to go and have a "photo shoot" with baby Maggie for her pictures. He is loving his photography gear and is using it whenever he can. Since we were due for pictures anyway and it was an absolutely gorgeous day, we headed to the local park. It was so much fun just playing and laughing and watching Maggie respond to Josh's camera. She loves to just smile and giggle and make some adorable noises.

We had an awesome day just being a family. The pictures Josh captured mean even more because he was the photographer. Hope you love them!

You can check out all of the pictures that were captured on Saturday by linking to Josh's Photography Website and clicking the Maggie2 gallery!

What A Wonderful World...

I love Friday's. I love how they signal that the weekend is about to begin! Everything is going swell at the moment. Josh is feeling okay. Is starting to have some minor pains in his chest again, but he has had to decrease some of his medications, so he feels like it is his body trying to get back to "normal." He has now been back to work for a month and doing fine. His co-workers are always checking on him to make sure he is doing fine. He returns back to his De-Fib doctor at the of November, so hopefully that will be a positive visit.

Ms. Maggie is growing like a weed. It seems like she grows from the time that I drop her off in the mornings to the time I pick her up in the afternoons. She will be 3 months old on the 24th of this month. That is hard to believe!! She has a wonderful and sweet personality. I can tell she is going to be such a sweet little girl.

Work for me has been going great. The kids have been awesome to come back to. They all seem to have missed me a lot and always ask about Maggie and how old she is. My co-workers at both schools have been wonderful.

We traveled up to Indiana this past weekend to see Josh's extended family, whom we have not seen since before Maggie was born. Everyone there was very glad to be able to check up on Josh and spend some time together. The trip was great, but really wore all of us out. You know, you have to pack the whole house and garage to be able to go out of town for a weekend. We stayed at Josh's mom and dad's house and had a great time. We visited a special place in Indiana called Applacres. It is an apple orchard and small shop. It was really cute. Josh has been talking about this place since we got married. He had a lot of special memories from there as a child. It was a great time to just go and enjoy the beautiful day and weather.

Brea and Jonathan have their new addition. Little Mary Elizabeth came home on Saturday and is doing great! She went to the Dr. on Monday for a check-up and she weighed 4 pounds 10 ounces. She is sleeping and eating great. Brea and Jonathan just glow with excitement. Anna, Isaac, and Luke love her very much. What a sweet family.

...I made it through the day!

So many people have been concerned about how my first day and week of school went. Thanks for all the sweet comments and concerns.

My first day back to school was out of this world. I never expected it to go as well as it did. Now, let me start by saying that I cried my eyes out all night Sunday because I knew I had to leave her on Monday morning. I couldn't even see to give her her bath because my eyes were just filled with tears. I woke up ready to get through the day. I knew that I was going to leave her, but with my mom, JuJu...who would take excellent care of her. Maggie loves her JuJu. She is going to be a very special person to Maggie, I can already tell. With Maggie feed and changed, mom had arrived to get her. She came to my house to give me a little extra time...so sweet of her!

Mom left the same time as me, only she had Maggie. That was so hard to pull out of the driveway without her and know that I wouldn't see her again until 3 o'clock that afternoon. I called twice to check on her and she was great. She did great all day and I couldn't get to mom's house fast enough that afternoon. I was even okay if I got pulled over. I thought to myself...
ok, I'll just pay the ticket if I get pulled over, I don't care.

School was fantastic. The kids really seemed to miss me and all were very excited when they saw me again. All I heard most of the day was..."Mrs. Harris, It's Mrs. Harris. She's back...Look, Look!!" How cute those words were. Children are so sweet and innocent. My awesome co-worker and great friend, Molly, had made a banner to welcome me back. It was hanging on the stage wall when I walked in. It read "Welcome Back Mrs. Harris! We Love(heart) You!" I will say, it brought tears to my eyes. It was so thoughtful and I knew Molly put a lot of time into it and making it special. She also arranged for all of the students to sign it. It was perfect. How special did I feel!

(This is me and my co-worker and great friend, Molly.)

The people that I work with are so caring and thoughtful. The school receptionist and Library assistant also got together make Josh and I's dinner for the night...They said they knew it would be a busy day and just didn't want me to worry with making dinner. I was floored by the kindness of my co-workers. Everyone wanted to know how my family was doing. Everyone knew about Josh's illness and was dying to know how he was recovering and how Baby Maggie was doing. It was so great to feel loved and appreciated.

So I am happy to say that I have made it through the first week, and I know that it will continue to get easier. The past two mornings when I have taken Maggie to mom's house, she is sound asleep. It is the sweetest sound to just listen to her sleep. I just drive to mom's with no music on, just listening to her. I am happy to get back to work. The children have missed me, which is an awesome feeling. I guess I just look at returning to work as another thing in our lives that is getting back to "normal." I do miss Maggie every minute of everyday. I just love her.
I just do...

The Day Has Come...

...So tomorrow is the day I have dreaded since I found out I was pregnant last year...I return back to work...

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job in every way. I love my co-workers, I love the kiddos, I love the schools I teach at. I just love Maggie more. I am really going to miss her. I know that she will be in great hands and will survive just fine without me for 7 hours, but I just am so sad to leave her. I know that tomorrow will be a very hard day to overcome. I just hope I don't spend the whole day crying!

I guess I just sit here thinking about how much this family has been through in the past 2 and a half months. It is just amazing. I just think of the time that I have had at home as the biggest blessing...time to watch Maggie grow and get to know her, time to take care of Josh and watch him recover, time to just be a mom. I believe that God shows us the greatest gifts through children. I always felt like our life was complete, but now I just know that our life was empty without Maggie. She is so fun and such a sweet baby. I know that she will continue to grow and change, I just hope that I can always remember these times and know that we are so blessed.

Maggie and Daddy...What a sweet picture!

How we love little girls!!!

How Josh and I love little girls...

If you haven't had a chance to check my sister's blog lately, here is what you have missed!!!

This is Mary Elizabeth Freeman...

On Friday, Brea and Jonathan found out they were getting a new daughter to add to their family. That means that Josh and I are an aunt and uncle again, how cool is that? She is adorable from the pictures that they have sent.

Brea and Jonathan are hoping to bring her home tomorrow, Monday. We are all very thrilled to meet her and get to know her. Maggie will have a great little girlfriend in Ms. Mary Elizabeth. They are exactly two weeks apart.

Brea and Jonathan are just thrilled with all that has happened in the last several days. Spending time on taking it all in and enjoying these moments.

So for those of you that are counting, Josh and I now have 5 nieces and 7 nephews!

Children are such a sweet blessing in life...Congratulations, Brea and J! We love you all!

Josh's Photography Take Two

As I have mentioned before, Josh is loving his new photography hobby. I think he is great at it! I just wanted to share some of his recent pictures he took yesterday. This is up in Greenbrier at an old Bridge along Old Springfield Highway. He has such a neat eye for how to capture objects, people, and structures.

He has also been working on his logo for his pictures. He made the little "jdh" camera logo in the bottom right corners of the pictures. How crafty is he?

Race for the Cure 2007

It's that time of year again!

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 2007

This is a wonderful opportunity to get out, enjoy the beautiful weather, and raise money for a great cause! The past three or four years, Rachel and I have walked in the Race for the Cure event. Breast cancer has always been a very important issue and cause to aid in raising money for. Several members of my family have had breast cancer, including my crazy Aunt Jane. I adore her and I have walked in her honor for the past races.

It is only $25.00 to walk and you get a T-Shirt with your fee.

Josh, Maggie, and I are all going to walk this year. Life is too short not to, in my opinion. It is always a great time for every member of your family!

This is a picture from last year. Alison, Mack, and Rachel ready to walk for a cure!

Here is the information on the Race for the Cure 2007:

Date: Saturday, November 3, 2007
Where: Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park downtown Nashville
Team Information: We are signing up under Rachel Smith's Team - Rachel's Runners
Begin Time: Registration is from 6:30 - 8:30 am and the actual race starts at 8:45 am but Rachel and I try to get there early to get all the free stuff before it's gone!
End Time: We’re usually home by noon ‘cause we’re pooped!
Cost: $25 per person (kids 0 – 5 are free)
Deadline: We must sign up by October 12.

Website to sign up:
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=232528&lis=1&kntae232528=5CDF1FE6C1ED402DAD0656701F4AFB4B&supId=191105760

It is an awesome day and I hope all of you will join us!

Let me know if you need any other info!

Justin, Jodie, & Josh

The way that siblings love each other is such a special bond. It was so great to see Josh get to spend some time with his sister, Jodie, who lives in New Mexico and his brother, Justin, who lives in Indiana this past weekend. There are so few times that the three of them can get together and just hang out and enjoy each other. Jodie came in on Friday evening to visit with the three of us. We haven't seen her since June and we were so thrilled when she said that she wanted to come and meet Miss Maggie and check on her brother, whom she has been so worried about.

She is an amazing woman. She is a mother of seven...

Troy...Age 20, Adrienne...Age 18, Jennifer...Age 15, Michael...Age 10, Seth...Age 8, Aaron...Age 8, and Mark...Age 5. She is a wife to wonderful man named Jeff. He is in the Army out in New Mexico and does an outstanding job. She is a very special person to us and we just were thrilled that she could come out and visit for a couple of days.

We love you Jodie! Miss you loads already!

Our Family Picture

What a fantastic weekend! More details about that to come...

Here is a picture of our family (minus Dexter). Maggie was kind of sleepy, but we like it anyway.

Hope you enjoy it!

Alison (26), Josh (26), and Maggie (2 Months)

Maggie's First Yard Sale

Anyone who knows me knows that Brea and I are addicted to yard sales. It is just the best "sport" ever. A couple of weeks ago, Mansker Farms, a local subdivision, hosted their neighborhood yard sale. This is one of the best subdivision yard sales that we have ever been to. We ALWAYS find the best deals. This year Mom, Brea, Isaac, Luke, Maggie and me all went hoping to find some goodies. Brea found a chair for her nursery for $15 dollars! That's right...$15 dollars. It is pretty too. What a find.



On this morning, it was chilly. First time Maggie has been out when it has been a little cool. So of course, she had her grandma flower hat on. She had a great time yard saling (I know it is not a word...until now!). It was a great time to spend together.

Oh...How I Love Sam's...

Sam's is addicting. I am serious. I just love to shop in bulk because you don't have to shop again for like 3 years until you actually run out. I went today, only needing some toilet paper and OJ, came home spending $9o dollars with a car load full. I mean, I just love it. You can get mostly anything there and it is always unpredictable about what they will have and for how much.

Anyway, I love Sam's. Period.

Josh returned back to work full-time this week. He has been very tired, to be expected. He is doing well though. I know that he misses Maggie while he is gone, but the time they spend together in the evening is so adorable. His health is doing well...he returns back to one of his doctor's tomorrow. He is hoping they will cut down some of his meds. Josh hates taking medicines...he came home from the hospital with a pharmacy full. Hopefully, his appointment will go well. We really like his doctor, he is so smart.

I had to run to the doctor this morning...thought I could have strep throat. I don't, thank goodness. Just allergies. I am so glad because I was nervous about passing something on to Maggie.

Maggie is growing more everyday. She is starting to giggle and have a great time while interacting with her. She is so adorable. I could just stare at her all day long. Too bad I have to return back to work soon.

Jodie's Coming

I am so pumped to say that Josh's sister, Jodie, is coming in for a visit on Friday. We are so excited we can barely stand it. Jodie lives in New Mexico and has been dying to make it to Nashville to meet her new niece, Maggie, as well as spend some time with Josh since he was sick. She comes in Friday evening and leaves out Monday evening. Josh's parents, Pam and Jerry, and brother, Justin, sister-in-law, Lori, and our adorable little niece, Sophie, are coming down on Saturday to spend some time together as a family. I am so excited because there are so few times that Josh gets to spend time with both of his siblings at the same time. We can't wait to see her and chill with her. She is such a creative, sweet, and amazing woman and mother of seven. She always has her act together and I admire her in so many ways. Can't wait to see you Jodes!!!

Josh's Photography

Josh has decided that he wants to get into photography more and more. He LOVES taking pictures of Maggie and always has a very interesting eye for what looks great. He sold some of his paintball equipment so he could purchase some more professional photography equipment. I couldn't believe that he would want to do that, but it was his idea, so I completely supported him.

Last Friday night, Beech High School was hosting a football game down the street. From our house, all you could see was the glow from the field through the trees. Josh loves this huge old tree in the back of our new house. It is on the property line with the farm that is behind us and it is really stunning.

Josh went outside with his camera late and said that he was going to goof off for a while. Little did I know that he would come back in with such a beautiful picture.

He will make a great photographer and I always love all of his work. I am very proud of him.

Life at the Moment

Everything seems to be going fine.

Dexter came through his surgery really well. He had to wear a funny lampshade for ten days until his stitches got to come out yesterday. We also made a trip to the groomer, so by the end of the day, he felt like a new dog. Here is a picture of him with his lampshade on...he was not happy with us.

Maggie is growing so fast. I return back to work in less than three weeks and I am going to miss her so much. She does something new almost everyday. Yesterday, she started cooing more, which is sooo cute. This is a picture that my sister, Brea, took of Maggie on our ottoman. Her eyes are getting lighter blue, but are still so beautiful. She has rolled over twice. Once for my mom here on our couch and another time for Brea at my grandparents house. She loves her bouncy seat because of the fish and water noises. She is starting to sleep through the night, which has been great. She typically goes to bed around 10 or 10:30 and sleeps until around 5. That is fine with me.

Maggie is so much fun to get dressed. She has the cutest clothes and accessories, thanks in part to her Aunt Brea. On this night, our good friends Molly, Kristy, and Alex came over to visit and we decided that she needed to try on her sunglasses and adorable flower grandma hat. She looked so cute and loved it. How funny are those glasses?!

Check out Maggie's Pictures from Angela Crutcher

Here is the link to Maggie's pictures from Angela Crutcher Photography.

Hope you love them.

http://www.angelacrutcherphotography.com/newbornmaggie

Dexter Bing

We found out that Dexter has to have surgery this Friday. Seems he has some stones in his bladder that need to come out! I am sure he will be fine, but it is just hard to know that your dog is going to have surgery and have to recover, just like a human would have too.

He is a sweet dog...

Pictures of Maggie

Here are some recent pictures of Maggie...

This was one day just sitting on the couch. She was just looking at me.

She loves her pacifier.

She loves her swing as well. I walked in the living room one day and saw her sitting in her swing with her legs all crazy...and of course, had to take a picture.

And this is Maggie's famous poop face.

She is such a sweet and happy baby.

Where Did August Go?

I return back to work on October 8, 2007...Where did the whole month of August go? I know that we have been living at drs. appointments throughout each week, but to look at Maggie and think that she is 6 weeks old today is just unreal.
She has already changed so much. She is starting to smile with a purpose and can track people around an area as they move.

Josh and I are doing good. Josh recovers more everyday, I think. He gets up every morning wanting to know what we are going to do that day. He is not good at just sitting still. We have been working around the house, hanging pictures and organizing stuff. He loves to play with Maggie, but has to still be careful because of his wounds on his chest...somehow she always knows right where to kick.

We did return back to the ER last Tuesday, on my birthday. Josh had a touch of the stomach flu that started on Sunday. He had to have an echo cardiogram with a stress test done on Tuesday. He was not allowed to eat 6 hours before, which he really hadn't eaten since later Sunday night. The dye that they used was not a good combination on an empty stomach. Ended up throwing up all the way home from Vanderbilt. When I called the drs. office, they told me to bring him back to the ER to make sure he was not having an allergic reaction to the dye. He wasn't, he was just so sick and dehydrated. They pumped him with two bags of IV fluids and gave him some throw-up-no-more medicine and sent us home. I was glad that he was ok. Plus, we got to check out Vanderbilt's ER...not a place I ever care to see again.

Josh and I joke that we are like the hotels.com people that go around and rate the hotels...We do that for ER's. By far, Centennial was the best so far. Hopefully, we are finished with ER's, but we have been to 4 so that is a pretty solid recommendation. haha

Finding humor is always a good thing. Josh's sense of humor is awesome. I think it is one of his best qualities.