The Barnett Family

He's Here!!!

2011-10-30T09:42:00.001-07:00

Parker Grey Barnett

born: October 12, 2011 @ 12:50am

weighing: 7lbs 3oz

We are the proudest, happiest parents!!! Boy this newborn thing is way harder than any labor, but we are ecstatic to finally meet our son and have him and his sweet spirit in our home!

My blood pressure went up at the tail end of our pregnancy unexpectedly and with all the fun symptoms that brought on, we were told it would be best to induce sooner than later.

So, we arranged to be induced on Tuesday October 11th.

Upon arriving at 6:30am, bright and early, we discussed our options and wanted to avoid Pitocin with our goal of a med free delivery...

so, they allowed us to have our water broken instead to see if spontaneous labor ensued. With several failed IV attempts, I missed the opportunity to have my water broken early in the morning. The IV team was called and finally, after one blown vein (you can still see the softball size bruise), good ole Mike got great access and my day could progress.

Dr Harrison arrived at 10:30am to break my water and I must get the reward for strongest membranes EVER, because after 2 attempts we THOUGHT they were ruptured, but not so. An hour later (after taking care of another patient), Dr Harrison popped back in and tried again and "Viola!" water everywhere... lets get walking!

(mere)

At this point, my Mom and Mother-in-law were along for the ride.

Parker repairing squeaky rockers in LD13

Parker and I walked the hallways, my Mom watched some TV, Jan played her Nintendo DS to pass the time. they were great little errand runners. My dear friend Heidi stopped by, snuck me a Jr Cheeseburger from Wendys to keep my energy up and snapped a few photos. My best friend Meredith stopped by, as well, to check on our progress which was SLOW going. I did jumping jacks, walked a ton, and with all that pressure on my cervix with no fluid, we maybe had 3 contractions the entire time... my ticking time clock was putting pressure on our progress, as well. I knew once your water was broken you had a max of 18 - 24 hours to have your baby before a c-section would be suggested. And that was NOT the goal! So, I spoke with my fabulous day nurse, MiMi, and we got the pitocin drip started at 4pm. My amazing doula Tyra was in touch and giving advice via text messaging. No need for her to come in until real labor had started... Tyra was set to teach a childbirthing class at the hospital that night from 6:30-9:30pm (this was in the back of my mind... I knew I needed and wanted her to be there for all the action, so I was hoping I could cope well on my own until after 9:30pm.

The contractions or surges were starting to come now thanks to the Pitocin. I was ready to relax into them, to use my Hypnobirthing breathing techniques that I had practiced. I was ready to help my body progress and not get in its way by letting fear or tension creep in. Before the surges got too powerful, I practiced with each one. I could walk through them, breath through them and thought... this is not bad AT ALL! I can totally do this. Just before 6:30pm, Tyra stopped by on her way to teach her class and we were doing good. Coping with Parker's help... no big deal.

(Tyra)

She brought "Parker" chicken nuggets that I ate most of... labor makes you hungry! Its hard work! Such a silly rule to keep laboring women hungry! Glad I knew better! At 7pm, my new L&D nurse Ginger came on board and introduced herself. I was blessed with GREAT nurses! Loved them both. They both had experience with unmedicated deliveries of their own children and gave me confidence!

my portable monitors

surges
break between surges

another one...
another one...

surges during intermittent monitoring in the room

By 9pm, the surges were coming faster and WAY stronger! Tyra made it up after her childbirth class at just the right time. We needed an extra hand at this point. We kept walking the hallways, helping things move along.

more hallway walking

At this point, there was no walking through the surges... Parker had to hold me up, while Tyra worked on pressure points that helped me cope. The one at the center of my forehead was particularly effective! At my last check I had only dilated to 4cm and I knew I needed to be at least 5cm before I could get in the large jetted tub in my room, to make good forward progress... By close to 11pm I was hoping we were there, because I was ready for a change and I knew the water would bring needed relaxation to my tired body at that point. Dr Harrison checked in before heading to his sleep room down the hallway and said he would be ready... he walked the hallways with us a bit...

walking the halls with Tyra and Dr Harrison

So, just before 11pm, Ginger rechecked me and I had dilated to 6cm!!!

Now I must say that with my love for music, I had put together a most awesome relaxing playlist on my iPod for Labor and Delivery. Complete with 2 heavenly choral arrangements by Eric Whitacre, other favorites by Iron and Wine, Indigo Girls (the wood song), Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles, Ben Folds, Jonsi, Coldplay, a few Christian selections by Chris Rice (untitled hymn), Cheri Call (i have a Savior), Hilary Weeks, the song I sang to Parker at our wedding - Feels like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk, Sweet Sweet Baby by Michelle Featherstone, etc...

Parker was a saint and remembered to haul the iPod player to the bathroom, Tyra lit some battery powered hospital approved candles. Just prior to getting in the tub, I paid the price for eating earlier in the day and threw everything up... However, my body knew what was best, because it pushed little Grey down further into my pelvis with the heave ho-ing into the toilet...lol

(the tub!)

So, into the tub I went, equipped with peppermint oil for the nausea and candles for ambiance, courtesy of Tyra, and music thanks to Parker and my iPod playlist. In the tub, I did the hardest work of my life. The contractions...err umm... SURGES, were coming hard and fast and the Pitocin was definitely doing its best work, as well. there wasn't much of a break at first that turned into no break at all between each surge. Within the coarse of the hour in that tub... the message of the music had never been more important. Parker was by my side, helping support me and workin the magic of the pressure point on my forehead. Tyra talked soothingly to me while keeping whatever part of me was sticking out of the tub covered in warm soothing water. Tyra reminded me to keep my voice low (a tip from my other FAVORITE prenatal book... Ina May Gaskins guide to childbirth...amazing!)... my quiet breathing had now turned into low primal moans to cope with the strength of the surges. I remembered the birthing stories in that book and how Ina May told her clients to keep their face and lips relaxed because it directly correlated with the muslces involved in birthing "down below". As the surges became super strong, the track on my iPod was one of the tracks about the Savior... it reminded me to silently pray for strength... and strength came. Then I remember looking over at my husband who was tired, but never faltered by my side to be the support I needed as our wedding song came on... the order of these songs had to be divinely inpsired! The Lord knew how much music meant to me and what a help it would be at these critical moments. I looked over at Parker as that song played and I whispered "I love You"... he reciprocated and I remember how thankful I was that he was here by my side and that I hadn't once in this whole labor and delivery process felt flustered or frustrated or angry and was nothing but thankful for this amazing man that God had blessed me to be my husband! Tears stream down my face as I think of what an amazing partner he was for me the entire time!

After an hour in the tub, my moans ended in uncontrallable urges to push and push I did. Tyra told me that I was doing great. I knew that since I couldn't deliver in the tub, unfortunately, I had to get out... and everything in me said... its time for this baby to come. Parker helped me out of the tub, Tyra helped me into a dry gown. But, the surges came so quickly I couldn't make it back to the bed in time and found the birthing ball halfway in between in hit the floor... leaned on the ball and worked through a couple more contractions. Ginger checked me on the floor and sure enough in 1 hour in that tub, I had gone all the way through transition and it was time to push!

(getting back in the bed to push)

(pushing)

Now I had thought I wanted to direct my own pushing... but, I remember Ginger asking if I wanted to see how they did it... and if I liked it we could keep that up. She put pressure in the direction I needed to push and I pushed and felt a sense of relief that this hard work was nearly over and I would meet my son very soon! So, I let her direct it and got the ball rolling. They paged Dr Harrison, nurses flooded the room. My Mom and Mother-in-law were there to help. Tyra was at the head of the bed encouraging me. Heidi had made it back around 10pm and was taking photos of the whole experience for us. I felt the most amazing support in that room! Parker was holding a leg, My Mom was holding a leg... and as I pushed I heard someone say my Mom looked faint... she had been holding her breath with me and was light headed... so Ginger instructed her to sit down and my Mother-in-law took over... she got light headed too. I heard Ginger call on her spec phone... I got "grandmas down in LD13"... bring some juice. So, Tyra took over my leg holding duties on that side.

Parker had signed up to deliver our son with Dr Harrison's approval and Dr Harrison made a mad dash into the room as the baby was crowning. a little petite blonde nurse took over my left leg support duties while Parker moved next to Dr Harrison to deliver our son. He gloved up, let

Dr Harrison clear Grey's head and pulled the rest of his little body out of me and placed him on my bare chest.

It was the most amazing experience. We had waited so long for this moment. The first words I said to him "Hello my friend... hello my sweet boy!" As I held my baby for the first time, I could hear the song "Sweet Sweet Baby" playing in the background... it was magical!

I looked up at my beautiful husband who was crying those precious happy tears as he kissed me and kissed our sons little head. I almost didn't notice the 30-45 minutes of suturing that were taking place below, since I had earned myself a complicated tear with my 30 minutes of fast and effective pushing. The nurses said i should teach a class on pushing, I was doing such a great job! Lol... Wish I had taken my time and saved myself a few stitches, but he was worth every stitch!

It was such an amazing moment.. I was exhausted, but so satisfied, so content. What a precious boy!

My Mom and Mother-in-law were there to see the birth of their grandson, which was also so special... In their own words, Parker and I were the most amazing team. They were so impressed with the fact that not once was there a moment of panic or frustration or fear... just peaceful, working together for this common goal.

(Proud Grandmas!)

Hardest work I've ever done, but so much support and preparation gave me the strength that I needed to do it as I had wanted... med free... even with Pitocin! It was an amazing feeling... my baby was so alert, so wide eyed... he nursed almost immediately... it was amazing how present he was and that was what I was hoping for!

Tyra...my awesome doula!

Dr Harrison!

Ginger and Tyra with Parker and I

What an amazing blessing... a pregnancy of my own... a med free labor and delivery... a sweet perfect baby boy just as I had prayed, and fasted and prayed some more for! How humbling it is to have your prayer answered just as you had hoped it would be... Faith in God means Faith in his timing....

and while I am hormonal and weepy and exhausted and sore here 2 1/2 weeks after his birth... I still could not be more thankful, more in awe, and more humbled by the miracle of it all!

sweet daddy
hello my friend... my sweet baby boy!
our first family photo

Sweet Sweet Baby.... "if you knew how much this moment means to me and how long [we've] waited for your touch.. if you knew how happy you are making me... I never thought that I'd love anyone so much... it feels like Home to me...."

Home Stretch............

2011-10-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Home STRETCH is so appropriate at this stage of pregnancy, isn't it!?
So, its the final countdown. Everyday I count kicks, Braxton-Hicks, and the days and hours until Grey arrives. Being just over 38 weeks, time is moving slower than ever and I have had a lot of time to reflect. It is amazing how his impending arrival makes the last 11+ years of marriage and 9+ years of waiting on parenthood seem like a blink in time. It is amazing how the Lord's blessings can do that in so many instances. Its also humbling to realize that with all the learning and growth that happened during the waiting, that had me feeling like I really had a hang on things, that I knew how to be a me I liked and we knew how to be an us that had "us" really down.... now begins the next chapter and we have no idea what we are doing....lolol
what a marvelous situation to be in, though! The normal aches and pains of 9 months of pregnancy have been a welcomed feeling. Can't say I don't look forward to seeing my ankles, toes, and feet return to normal size, and my nasal passages to be able to open up again, and for me to be able to find a comfortable position to sleep in again... but, how fun it has been to experience this whole journey... just as I had hoped I would be able to, but knew I couldn't expect. What a blessing and I am so thankful!
Now comes (in the next 2-3 weeks at most) the really exciting part... the moment of truth. I have prepared for natural childbirth, hired a fantastic doula, read many books, practiced relaxation techniques, made a fantastic playlist (everything is better with music), politely excused myself from stories of peoples "horrific" births... "oh the pain and horror of it all" according to them, I'm crazy! but, for me, it is not about showing how tough I am, it is about giving my son the best opportunity to enter this world awake and aware and with as little intervention as possible for the both of us... it just makes sense to me. I really do look forward to experiencing it all, no fear, just excitement and joyful anticipation. I have spoken with so many women of different backgrounds and experiences who have been successful in delivering their children without medication and I am inspired by and thankful for their encouragement, to hear how alert and active their little ones were, to hear how successfully they bonded and nursed, to hear how they coped with the "surges" and "pressure" of labor... I'm hopeful and determined to be successful in this endeavor and don't think I'm crazy at all! I've waited a long time for this experience, so I want to experience it! :-) And now that I have publicly made this statement, I'm holding myself accountable to follow through on how I want to do this now (sitting "pressure wave" free in my living room) when I am overcome with the power of one "little" muscle and one little passenger ready to exit. now to my family and friends reading this with fret and worry.... please know that the point is to cope, not suffer, and I have a support team that will make sure I know the difference and will watch out for me and my sutbborn mind. but, i am also preparing my mind to fully understand how unpredictable this all will be and that i have to be open to intervention when it is necessary. but, there is power in positive thinking and I am working on mastering that, as it relates to this mystery of childbirth for me.
So, my dear family and friends... keep us in your prayers... my prayer is that my son will come safely (and swiftly) into this world to joyful, happy parents who have waited so long to meet him............soon! xoxo

Miracles never cease

2011-07-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

So, as most of our close friends and family know, this post is long overdue. But, I have been carefully considering how I wanted to make this next chapter of our story so public. I knew I wanted to have the time to sit down and say it right.

One February morning, a feeling came over me that although I had done it a million times with never the result I wanted, I should take a pregnancy test. I felt that familiar dread... just "knowing" that I would be dissapointed yet again, as I had so many times over the past nine plus years. But, another part of me knew I believed in miracles and that I had faith that my prayer would be answered one day. I was shocked, unable to conjure words or tears (as I thought I would) when the result came so quickly positive. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that it might actually be time.... our turn... I took four different tests (dug out from various places in my bathroom) to make sure I wasn't seeing things. It was early in the morning and Parker was still asleep. I knew I needed to tell him ASAP. And then I remembered that buried in a drawer was evidence of my hope... I had picked up a few "gifts" that I had planned to use to tell Parker the good news WHEN it happened... they had been buried in a drawer over a year prior, wrapped in Snowman paper suitable for Christmas. One of the items was a book "Fatherhood isn't for sissies" with great pictures and captions and a little spot on the first page to write a dedication. I had written "All ends well for those who love the Lord" on the inside cover.

I woke Parker up with tears in my eyes (they finally showed up)... at first he thought something must be wrong! Why was I crying at 6am on a Sunday morning... I couldn't speak, I could only shove the snowman wrapped gifts into his lap and squeak out... "open them!" He opened them and puzzled looked at me and asked, "Really? Really?", "Are you sure?"... I went into the bathroom and grabbed all four pregnancy tests and dumped them in his lap... he was amazed, we both cried, and then we took a photograph so we wouldn't forget that moment....

Then came the panic... as an Ultrasound technologist I witness the complications of pregnancy on a daily basis and I spent the first few weeks being so scared that something might go wrong. That is when I turned to the Lord again. I know that the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away and all belongs to him. I knew that the Lord didn't owe me anything... I owe HIM everything... and so I didn't want to be naive and assume that becoming pregnant meant it all HAD to work out perfectly. It was through prayer that my racing mind was set as ease.

In looking back at all the moments that led to this answered prayer, it was even more obvious to me how many tender mercies had been extended to us over these many years... teaching us, preparing us, we gained knowledge one step at a time that led us to the eventual solution. After failed attempts at all we could have tried with modern medicine within our financial means, from surgeries to rounds of fertility drugs... it was learning to trust my body as God created it and finding the right people to get to the ROOT of why my 32 year old body had so much trouble and using natural means to correct those issues that we finally had success. While the wonderful people at the Winner Wellness Center gave me the tools to discover and correct what was wrong and see my body do what it was made to do, I give the full credit back to the Lord for leading me there. The lessons I have learned in this experience I wouldn't trade for anything. My only hope at this point is that i can help someone else struggling out there.

I related so often to the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel. She knew that what she desired was a righteous desire and she wearied the Lord in prayer and always remembered Him. But, yet her prayer was not answered immediately. She promised her child in service to God if he would hear her prayer and the Lord did remember her. Her promise in return for this answered prayer:

26And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord.

27For this ^achild I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

28Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be ^alent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.

I am now 26 weeks along in this pregnancy and realizing day by day that there really IS a baby on its way to my home. It has been amazing to see his face on my Ultrasound machine and realize, this is MY baby... not one of my patient's. Feeling him move has made him more real. Watching Parker get a coy smile when he can park our car in "expectant mother" parking spaces. Parker patiently waiting with his hand on my stomach to get just a hint of his son's acrobatics.

With only 14 weeks until my due date, I've found myself wondering am I making the most of this time before our son comes home with us... to prepare myself for being his mother... do I know what i need to know... am I strong enough... smart enough... am I making the most of this time with my husband before its three of us?

If you are reading this and are in my shoes, please know you are loved, understood, and that your Heavenly Father hears your prayers. There is an answer... your righteous desires await you... after the trial of your faith.

If anyone out there wants the details of what worked for us, I am more than happy to share as I can only hope I didn't go through this long trial only for myself (send me a message). I hope that many of the answers that I found can help others out there in same or similar situations. Never give up! So many people thought I was crazy to still hold onto hope of a child of my own after 11 years of marriage with not one single pregnancy. It was supposed to be impossible, and I was supposed to give into the bitterness and despair and think that God didn't care about Parker or I. While I battled all of these thoughts, I didn't give into them and was blessed with added comfort and strength. I am so thankful to have learned what I learned and am so amazed and humbled that my prayers were answered just as I had hoped they would be.... with a healthy pregnancy of my very own! But, whatever the answer God has in store for you, know that it is just what you need. I have a testimony of God giving us not what we want, but exactly what we need. Feel his love for you, even in your trials.

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

Time is passing faster, I just know it! I cannot believe that another year has passed and yet, I'm happy that 2011 is here. I am hopeful that 2011 will bring long awaited answers to prayers...
the year started off great for Parker and I. We were able to make a trip to California to visit my family and Parker finally met and spent time with my sister, brothers, and neices and nephews... don't ask me how one is married for 11 years and yet her husband doesn't meet her siblings for all that time! There are lots of reasons for the tragedy, too many to list here... but alas... the meeting finally happened and it was WONDERFUL!

We enjoyed a family dinner party, walks on the beaches of Santa Monica, Venice, and Malibu, rocked late night Pictionary, compared and contrasted California's best yogurt shops, met up with my brother from another mother (cousin Blake) and his precious family, and got some important training in for work. It was long overdue, but well worth the wait.

gotta love Venice Beach!

my siblings

the Steinman family

L.A. LDS temple

sister-in-law Laurie and Neice Sarah

my neice/twin Erica! love her!!!

Manhattan Beach w/ my cousin Blake and his wife Kayla and daughter Evey

my nephew Cody

Scared to admit... but I've finally learned to be THANKFUL for the biggest trial of my life so far!

2010-09-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, my blog hasn't gotten too terribly personal yet, but I've felt a big need to publicly thank my Father in Heaven for allowing me to learn and grow in a way I never hoped or thought I would. I've been through a decent amount of big/moderate and trivial trials in my 31 years of life... losing my father at a young age, losing my only living Grandmother that was also a dearest friend not long after, insecurities, heartaches of the normal variety before and in between, battling SCARY illnesses at a young age, facing my husband's scary disease EARLY in our marriage followed by scary surgeries, financial struggles ALL my life... wouldn't know what it means to not live paycheck to paycheck, YET (got a goal to see an end to that trial soon)... but, I also think I've had a wonderfully happy life, a truly blessed life, wouldn't trade it for any other life- life.

One of the happiest events of my life was finding my most amazing husband. He is the light of my life. After 10 1/2 years of marriage, there is no one else in the universe I would rather spend the mundane and memorable moments of my life with. He is adorable, funny, charming, mischievous, intelligent, sensible, FUN, strong, so very strong, virtuous, good, and worth every heartache I felt before him (the 13th article of faith comes to mind). He was an answer to a prayer and has continued to be so for me time and time again.
So, we've shared a 'used to be private' trial for the past 8 years... longing for a child to share our lives with. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" and we have always wanted them and thought by now we would have a gaggle of them, but alas... that was not the Lord's intention.

This trial, at times, has felt like the hardest thing I've yet to face. I've watched friends and family members move on to that next, most exciting, chapter of their life... parenthood... but, felt as though I was still window shopping. I've experienced the tinge of pain mixed with the happiness as they announced their pregnancies. I've snuggled their babies...times one, two, three, four as the years have passed and wondered... how much longer Lord? But, as I now sit at year eight of praying for this particular righteous desire of my heart I've been blessed with a new perspective. I've looked back at the past eight years, revisited journals I've kept, taken stock of my memories and I'm AMAZED at how truly blessed I am and where I have been brought. One of my favorite [paraphrased] stories sums up my reaction as I looked back... There once was a man that the Lord asked to push against a large rock and so the man did... He pushed and pushed day after day as hard as he could and did as the Lord asked... when some time had passed and the Lord revisited him, the man was discouraged... he said "Lord, I have pushed and pushed with all my might all this time and still the rock has not moved, not even one inch!"... the Lord replied, "when did I ask you MOVE the rock? I simply asked you to push against it, and so you have faithfully... now look at you! The muscles and sinews of your arms, legs, and back have become tremendously strong... you have gained so much from simply pushing against the rock, and because you have done so faithfully I will move it for you."
While the Lord has not yet removed this rock from my path, I have pushed against it for a long time, and because of the length and breadth of this specific trial I have gained SO much. I have gained an unwaivering testimony of the Savior and His Atonement, I have gained an understanding of my Heavenly Father's love for me and His desire to see me happy, I have gained a testimony of tender mercies and rescues that the Lord provides to let you know He is always there, I have gained a testimony of the amazingly personal and relevant answers ancient scripture can give, I have gained an appreciation for the whisperings and comforts of the Holy Ghost, I have gained a stronger testimony of the divine nature of women and our ability to nurture regardless of whether we are blessed with children of our own YET, I have gained a greater appreciation for the amazing man I married and would not trade him for all the perfect babies in the world! I've also learned what a blessing loving family and friends are that share your hurts and dissapointments, pray for you, and fast for you and how wonderfully humbling that is. I've gained a testimony of miracles and that they are a product of true faith. I've learned to appreciate the answer WAIT and what you can learn while you are waiting and pushing. I would not have gained all of that to the degree I have were it not for this specific trial. I'm not asking for more, I PROMISE, but I am saying... I get it and I thank you!

with our precious new nephew Peyton... can't wait to have one just like him in our home!

Update 2010

2010-03-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

I looked back at my pitifully updated blog and realized I hadn't updated it since my flight to Los Angeles back in December. So, here I am...
The trip to visit my family was AMAZING! Only missing one thing... my husband! Unfortunately Parker had to stay behind to take care of house and home, but I had THE BEST time with my most awesome family. It was long overdue and I do believe we made up for lost time with a promise to keep the visits much more frequent from here on out. Thanks to my fabulous sister-in-law Laurie for letting me stay in their lovely home and making me feel so at home... for my beautiful sister Pandora for carting me around and making me laugh.... Thanks to my amazing neice Erica for being my long lost best friend and twin (I stinking LOVE this girl and if we were closer... I'd want to see her every day!)Oh how I wish we did live closer...thanks for coming along to Pasadena and for our fancy massages with Panda... I was finally reunited with one of my favorite people growing up... my neice Sara (who is only 2 weeks younger than me...lol) and met her adorable son and had the most wonderful surprise the morning of my last day when her older sister Christie came by. Hung with my new favorite "neice" Bailey... such a fun girl! And Lisa, her mom... the most amazing shopper... my handsome brother Obi with his most amazingly witty and intelligent twins that take after their Aunt Tammie for sure...lol Love, love, love those boys! My big brother Jeff was such a fun host... so glad he made it back in town in time... and introduced me to my new FAVORITE restaraunt, "Pace"... thanks Leonardo for letting us have your table ;)It was so good to see my Aunt Ceci and reminisce about my Dad. Got to see my cousin Blake and his awesome wife Kayla in Pasadena, sure do miss my brother from another mother. I miss you guys all SO much... it was great to be "Home".

Erica and I w/ Blake and Kayla in Pasadena

at my favorite restaraunt... Pace

Obi and I w/ my awesome nephews Luke and Cory

Outside the famous Magic Castle w/ the girls

After a hilarious show at the Laugh Factory

At Kings in Calabassas w/ Sarah and Sylis

The Griddle in Hollywood... now THAT is breakfast!

My long lost twin! (my neice Erica and I at Pace)

Our visit w/ my Aunt Ceci

Update December 1, 2009

2009-12-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm officially the world's worst blogger! Although, nothing really huge happened to prompt me to update, I figured as Christmas approaches and so does the end of the year... I should go ahead and catch everybody up.
Things are still going good in the quaint town of Jefferson, Ga. Parker is still doing super working for AWL Wildlife as their most successful Wildlife Biologist... He always comes home with interesting stories and works so hard for us... he is a man with a plan and I'm certain that he will continue to be successful at anything he puts his energy into... I'm so proud of him! I'm still head of the Ultrasound departments for Northeast Georgia Health System and we opened up our brand new expansion at the hospital, as well as a brand new Imaging Center in Braselton, expanding our Gainesville Imaging Center... Our hospital was numbered in the top 3% in the Nation for Oncology and the #1 Cardiac Center in the state and it has been so fun to be a part of the growth since I started there 8 years ago.... time flies.
As for more interesting and fun stuff... we've had the opportunity to have such fun times with our family and friends in teh past several months. I spent my first entire week at Girl's Camp since I was a young woman and had the best time working with the Youth Camp Leaders (YCLs). Parker was called as a Seminary Teacher and advisor in the Young Men's program. I was called as 1st counselor in the Young Women and finally gave up my Gospel Doctrine calling that I've had for almost 4 years. Parker has had a super successful hunting season so far. We had two visits from Summer, once with Ty and the 2nd time with the whole family for Thanksgiving! We went to the Bodies Exhibit at Atlantic Station.... really amazing stuff. Parker took Jason on his first hunt and he was successful... way to go J! And now I'm on a plane heading to see my family in Los Angeles! We are so anxious for the Christmas season and all the time it affords us to spend with our dearest friends and family. We are thankful for the real reason for the season, without whom all would be for naught.
Merry Christmas,
Love Tammie and Parker

Action packed month

2009-05-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

I thought that title might get your attention, but in reality... just a few things to share.

First off, today is Mother's Day and Parker and I cooked a delicious meal for our Mom's... we love those sassy red heads! Lincoln joined us and we had a delicious meal of bruschetta, grilled asparagus, red potato and sea salt salad, and dijon pan seared Scarlett Snapper.... mmmmm mmmm good! We are truly blessed with the most amazing mothers and both of us agree we that we have the best mother-in-laws, too! It was a fun afternoon and we hated to see them go.

Just a few days ago, I also had the opportunity to spend some time with my lovely cousin Tracy and her little boy Braeden... he is such a doll!
It was so good to have dinner with my Aunt, Uncle, Tracy, and our old friends the Lawsons... soon Aunt Judy and Uncle Bob will be selling their home in Roswell and heading out on a mission... It was so crazy to think that our family will truly be scattered all over the country. Thank heavens for Facebook and Blogging to keep in touch!!!

Last little tidbit, an exciting night for Parker (and me)... an emergency call to save a barred owl from a barb-wire fence. I'm so in love with owls, I was happy to help transport the owl to the exotic vet at UGA... we snatched these pictures right before getting him to the vet....

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday to Tammie!

2008-12-25T05:40:00.000-08:00

It was an eventful and wonderful Thanksgiving with the whole Barnett clan in town. It was so wonderful to have Mom's house full again with everybody together... thanks to Jason and Summer for bringing the Guitar Hero (World Tour) for our hours of enjoyment... turns out we are a pretty talented group and book lots of gigs... LOL! It was my (Tammie's) 30th birthday, it was a little bit of a hard number to turn, to say goodbye to my 20's... but, I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than with my family! They are THE BEST!

It is always so fun to hang out with our nephews, Cayden and Ty... they keep us laughing and we miss them SO much when they go back home to Jackson, MS. The "newlyweds" April and Antonio made it all the way from San Antonio, TX, it was so good to spend time with them again! It was a great surprise that Paras could make it all the way from Vegas and the week wouldn't have been complete without him... He and Parker went hunting and Paras ended up walking away successfully with plenty of venison!............................

the brothers: Parker, Lincoln, Paras

Toto on guitar, Heidi on drums, Tammie on vocals

April and Toto

Check out my good friend Heidi's photography blog to see the family pictures she took for us including some AWESOME pictures of Cayden and Ty(scroll to the bottom)... http://hnmphotography.blogspot.com/

Tammie's slideshow

2008-07-24T18:36:00.001-07:00

Born on the Fourth of July!

2008-07-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

So, we finally have puppies! After a 2nd year of trying to breed my (Tammie's) prized American Bulldog, Deuce.... we finally have success. Deuce was fast approaching her due date, we started to see the signs of labor, but yet after 24 hours there were still no pups. So, on the 4th of July, after I returned home from working the late night at the hospital, an emergency call was placed to the local vet for advice. We brought her in and after I was able to fire up the vet's ultrasound machine and take a look, it was clear that some complications had arisen and there was at least one pup with no heartbeat. So, it was a rush to do an emergency C-section... only one catch.... it's the holiday, so the vet's staff is off. So, Parker and I were asked to scrub in and help with the surgery! It was an interesting experience to say the least. It's definitely easier to see people (or dogs) on the operating table that you don't have an emotional connection to... so, this was a different feeling for me (Tammie)... I'm used to assisting in the Operating room everyday at work and it never phases me, but there was a different sense of anxiety watching my dog get cut on. But, there was no time to get too caught up in it... because within a matter of 10-15 minutes, he had her uterus out and was removing one puppy after the other and handing them to Parker and I to revive. Now previous x-rays and ultrasounds told us to expect between 6-9 puppies at most... so, when you can imagine our shock when the total count was 11! Unfortunately, during the stress of labor and due to some complications we lost 3, but were happy to successfully revive 8 beautiful little American Bulldog puppies, all weighing in at just under to just over 1 pound a piece.

She is being such a good mom... instincts are amazing. Way to go Deuce!

pictured above: Tammie and Deuce w/ their Coach Dennis VanderLinde and USA Judge Carla Griffith; High in Trial, High Obedience, High Tracking, High Protection awards.

Update June 2008

2008-06-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I obviously have to get better at updating our blog... but, here is what is new since last September:

Tammie and Parker celebrated their 8 year wedding anniversary on March 18th of this year

Parker graduated with a Masters of Forest Resources from the University of Georgia's prestigious Warnell School of Forestry in May

Parker gets post graduate employment for a private company out of Gainesville, specializing in Wildlife Management and Consulting and Nuissance Wildlife Removal, which means, yes.... we will be staying in Georgia for at least another year or so.... we are SO thankful we don't have to worry about selling a house in this market (:

So, things are going really well... we are excited for what lies ahead!

Just Getting Started

2007-09-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we figured it's time to jump on the band wagon and start a blog.
Since we've been married for 7 1/2 years now and with Parker finally graduating soon, we figured our lives might actually be eventful enough to keep our loved ones entertained....
So, stay tuned.....