Ashley Henderson Huff — in memoriam

This was sent out to all Sigma Kappa alumni today in honor of Ashley. Although we were not very close friends, I was the one that "preffed" Ashley back in 2000. I do NOT claim to be a reason why she became part of our sorority, but I am so glad that she was. I was and am very proud to call her a "sister". I'm also thrilled that the anniversary of her death has not gone unnoticed.

Today marks the anniversary of the death of Ashley Henderson Huff, Epsilon Epsilon. She was the 53rd woman to die in combat in Iraq, and is the first known sorority casualty.   At the time of her death on September 19, 2006, Huff was due to return home in six weeks and planned to buy a house in Savannah with her husband.  The couple had been married for 13 months, but she had been deployed for most of that time.   Before leaving for Iraq, she didn't have time to replace her maiden name with her married name on her uniform, and had told her sister that she couldn't wait to come home and greet her husband with Huff sewn on it.

Her husband said the couple talked by phone every day. Even separated by thousands of miles, he felt their relationship was going stronger because of those conversations. "It was a difficult thing to spend your first year on the phone, but I felt like this situation did more to bring us together than anything could," he said. "She was always so strong, the strongest person I have ever met.”

"She could do it all," said Ashley Klanac, Henderson Huff's roommate at the Epsilon Epsilon house.  

"She could do everything from riding horses, to being a sorority girl, to being in the ROTC. Anything she pursued, she excelled at."  Klanac recalled how the events of September 11, 2001 affected her roommate and sister.  "She said, 'If we go to war, I will go.'" Two months before Huff shipped out, Lt. Noah Harris, a close friend from her ROTC program, was killed during fighting in Baquba, Iraq.  She fought back tears as she spoke at his memorial service on the University of Georgia campus.  "Noah made me realize how important it is to see my friends and value my relationships," Huff said, according to an account of the service in the campus newspaper.

"I think everyone should do some time in the military, because only when you are separated from something do you know how much you've truly got," Huff wrote to her husband.  She advised him not to postpone simple pleasures waiting for her to come home.  "Don't let life pass you by, just because we are apart," she said.

The Army posthumously awarded Huff a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. 

You Can Honor Her Memory:

Since learning of her passing, the Sigma Kappa Foundation has been raising funds to endow a scholarship in Huff’s memory, and needs continued support in order to reach the fund’s goal.

Please consider making a gift today to celebrate her life and her ultimate sacrifice.

Instagram Pics

I love Instagram. I do wish that I could just edit the picture sometimes and not "post" it anywhere...even to Instagram itself, but oh well.

Also, I've seen people do collages and include multiple images in one Instagram frame. If you know how to do this...please share. :)

Oh and a quick Connor "funny" before I forget about it...
When I picked up Connor from school on Thursday, I saw his teacher, Ms. Mary in the hall. She told me she had to share what Connor told her that day because it was so cute:
"Ms. Mary!! When, I turn 5, I'm going to go to flower garden!"
Ms. Mary was puzzled, but smiled and nodded. Classmate Bennett approaches and says,
"Yes, when I turn 5 I'm going to go to kindergarden, too!!"

Kindergarden will now be known as flower garden. :)

Here are a few Instagram pictures I've taken in the last couple of weeks.

The petunias in our window boxes still look decent even in September. Several days later, (after not watering) they weren't looking so nice, so now they are mums...dark purple and magenta mums to be exact.

Connor and the "family" of pumpkins he selected for us at Countryside. The "giant" one was only $7, so I snagged it up while I had the chance. Connor's favorite is the one he picked out for Declan. :)

This bizarre photo was taken just 2 days ago...37 weeks + 1 day. Yes, that is my belly and yet it looks like some giant arm or leg. I was trying to show how lopsided the child is inside. I'm pretty sure that the pointy part on the left side of the picture is his little butt... The kid is out of room and I'm ready for him to come!

Ok, not an Instagram picture, but a random one that Brian took of Connor wearing the new Ergo that I got for D, but with Jingle the dog in it instead. Then there is me in teh background with a lovely round belly.

This photo was when Brian was still in CA and Connor wanted to have a "movie night" and watch it from his "tent" in the basement. he just looked so stinkin' cute...always with his legs crossed.

Connor has a recent fascination with super heroes. This was the very first time he ever asked me to make him a "cape". We simply tied one of his baby blankets around his neck and he was thrilled. My favorite part however is that he told me that I couldn't fly because I didn't have a cape. Therefore, my only option was to "flap my arms like a chicken". Lovely.

37 weeks...all is well.

Went to the doctor this morning. Only 1 more weekly appointment left!!!

Measuring 37 cm.
Baby's heartbeat 140 bpm.

No cervical check...I'm guessing this is since I'm having a c-section.

The burning pain I'm experiencing is because each baby is carried lower in the "pelvic floor" and it is likely that as my pelvic bone has separated, it is pinching a nerve on the left side. Doc said it would probably get even worse in the next 2 weeks, but that icing should help (need to get more frozen peas since the last time I used actual ice it made quite a mess).

He also told me to sleep on my right side to alleviate the pressure on the left side. I'm already doing this..specifically by sleeping on the couch so I don't try to roll over...because that tends to be excrutiating.

Anyway, all is well.

Brian got a message from Danny Votruba yesterday that their baby was on the way!! I know our due dates were very close together, so maybe D will decide to come a little earlier too....???

p a i n . . .

I am just hours shy of being 37 weeks pregnant, so I think it is an okay time to compain.

Today has been ROUGH.

The burning sensation / pain that is extremely concentrated in my left groin has become so intense it has taken me to my knees several times. It used to only happen when I was standing or walking for a while, but now I will get a shot of the pain when I haven't moved at all...while sitting and I almost have to hold my breath until it is over.

I just wrote my doctor a facebook message to make sure I am not losing my mind. I know I limped when I was pregnant with Connor and even remember having to drag my left leg sometimes, but this is ridiculously excessive. I seriously don't know if I can handle this pain for another 2 weeks and 2 days...

Of course, I didn't help matters much yesterday. My brain completely jumped out of gear. That is really the only explanation I have for my sheer stupidity. If today is described as painfully "rough" then yesterday was a breeze. I was really pretty active and we went on a little family bike ride after dinner, before Connor's bathtime. At the temporary end of road there is a little off-roading dip that Connor has been anxious to try out. (I think he did it with Jaxson when they went on a bike ride when Brian was in CA). I've been telling him he has to wait for daddy.

Well, he tried it and wasn't going fast enough. There is also some sand at the bottom of the ravine that makes things tougher. After several minutes of riding in circles waiting for the shenanigans to be over, something came over me and obviously I forgot that I was 9 months pregnant and on a "loser cruiser" and NOT a mountain/off-roading bike. I decided that I needed to be the one to show Connor how to do it. WRONG. Idiot move, really. 1/2 way up the second hill, my chain came off. I don't know if I hit the seat weird or if my inner right thigh hit the bar on my boy bike. Either way, the pain on the OTHER side of my pelvis became intense...but this time it was my own damn fault and completely stupid. Now I get to go to my appointment on Friday for my cervical check and I am sure to have a god-awful black/blue bruise on my right inner thigh. Lovely. Who knows what in the world my doctor is going to think about that!?! So, combine a deep tissue bruise with the burning in my left groin and I am just about the most pathetic looking person you've seen in a while. Oh yeah, and add in some heartburn at the moment too....and it was 85º today.

Tomorrow is sure to be a better day. Connor is at school all day, I have a prenatal massage at noon and I have to go to the printer to have no less than 6 jobs printed. So, I need to go to bed. However, I think I am going to attempt to ice my left groin to see if that helps anything. Now there is a pretty picture for ya...

Seriously, if I start to change my mind about only wanting 2 kids in about a year (I really don't think I will)...please remind me of this day. I'm pretty sure the symptoms get worse with each pregnancy...I cannot even fathom it being worse than today.... No more babies for me!

Last professional pictures as a family of 3...

One of my newer neighbors is a photographer and offered $75 mini-sessions for this fall. Since Brian was gone for so long and I am VERY pregnant, our window of opportunity was pretty small, but her 9/8/12 date seemed to be the best fit.

She gave us a "sneak peek" from our session and we will be getting the high resolution images on a CD in about 2 weeks. So, these 2 are watermarked and low resolution. I'll post more full size ones when I get the CD.

Overall, I'm pleased with these 2, other than the weird roll on my shirt. I think I can Photoshop that  a bit when I get the CD also. That and the puffiness is just part of what you get when you decide to have pictures taken when 9 months pregnant...

note to self

Self: Do not attempt to enlarge an open back frame inexpensively by using trim, a miter saw and spray paint...especially if you are not willing to get out caulk, etc.

It looks pretty bad and yet I will still hang it in my poor baby's room because I spent too long on it today. The paint on the frame is currently drying in the grass.

Perhaps if you squint your eyes when you look at it, you won't see the bazillion flaws....

Bike Crash

I wrote this in an email to Brian and all of Connor's grandparents, but thought I'd document it here as well...
———
Connor and I were just on a bike ride and he was a bit of a dope.... :o) A very tough dope, but a dope nonetheless.

We were on our way back to our house from the clubhouse and he was checking out the construction of one of the houses. He noted that the sidewalk is almost all the way through. Well, he didn't notice that he was headed straight for a construction trailer. The back of it was open, making a bit of a "ramp" into the trailer itself. There was nothing I could do...it happened so fast. I'm pretty sure I'd successfully ditched my bike before he even stopped rolling.

Thankfully, he looked up in time to somehow maneuver to the side after he hit it and didn't go IN the trailer. However, when he hit the asphalt, he slid a ways. Miraculously, I think his bike took most of the road rash. Little buddy was so tough and didn't even cry immediately. I'd almost go as far to say that while he was still falling he shouted, "Am okay!" He did catch some road rash on the top of his hand and his left index finger specifically. He cried a little bit over that and I chose not to point out that his ankle was bleeding pretty badly from a significant scrape. Of course I just scooped him up (our bikes still in the middle of the road). I am so glad he had his helmet on....he is so good about ALWAYS wearing it. I didn't see any huge blood pools forming, so I knew we were in the clear because he was also standing and just holding his finger (not an arm or a wrist or anything that could potentially be broken).

Thank goodness he was able to ride his bike home because I would have had quite a time walking home with him and 2 bikes...

On our way, I told him how proud I was of how tough he was being. Through some muffled wimpers and a few tears he said, "No, am not tough because I am crying." I also told him I would "doctor" it when we got home. "No, we will just clean it. And don't cut it off like you wanted to do with my splinter." Oh lawd, the child doesn't forget anything!

We got home and I put him up on the kitchen sink to clean it with water and then anti-bacterial wash (it doesn't burn, thankfully). That is when he saw his ankle. Now he can't walk... :o)

Anyway, he is all patched up. He has a bandaid around his finger, one on his right ankle and one right above his right knee.

All in all, I am very very thankful. The visions that flashed in front of my eyes right before it happened were MUCH worse.

Connor-man is now cape-less and on the couch. He propped up his right foot on his own... I tried to get him to watch Dennis the Menace or Pus in Boots, but "those shows are not my favorites...they are too scary", so Special Agent Oso it is....with juice in hand.

—allison

35 Weeks — Bump Progression

Here we are again....another month has passed. I'm still pregnant. The heat is really starting to get to me and I am just going to have to get over whatever our electric bill is going to be. I waddle more than I walk and a minor, tolerable heartburn is ever-present.

I am still very thankful to be pregnant, but I am NOT one of those women that "loves" being pregnant. It is a means to an end....hopefully a perfectly healthy little baby boy. So I'll suck it up...for him. But I see no reason why I should do this again....at least not anytime soon, that is for sure!

Although I was by no means "skinny" I look back at my 15 week picture and envy the size of my arms, my not-so-huge legs and the fact that I know for a fact I had no pelvic pain at that point and could even sleep on my stomach a little longer...and definitely my back. Those days are long gone.

Only one more picture in the series. I've got less than 4 weeks until little Declan will be born. I can and will survive. Now that his room is finished (almost), and Brian is back home from training in California (hallelujah) I am ready for him to come any time. Well, that is not completely the truth, but you know what I mean. :)

I think I'll go take a Tums.