11 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your fig-sized baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under his gums. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As his diaphragm develops, your tiny tenant may also start to get the hiccups. Because he's still so small, though, you won't feel any of his workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20.

New Guest Book

Ok all you daily readers, I added a new Guest Book link right below my other links, if you stop by please sign my guest book so I know everybody who is reading. Thanks for keeping up with our lives!!

A poem that was emailed to me

Daddy's Poem


 Her hair was up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
and she couldn't wait to go.
 
But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.
 
But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn't there today.
 
But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home.
 
But the little girl went to school
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
a dad who never calls.
 
There were daddies along the wall in back,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats
 
One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.
 
At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
a man who wasn't there.
 
"Where's her daddy at?"
she heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one,"
another student dared to shout.
 
And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day."
 
The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.
 
"My Daddy couldn't be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.
And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.
 
He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.
 
We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.
 
"Cause my daddy's always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he'll forever be in my heart"
 
With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.
 
And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.
 
For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.
 
And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.
 
"I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
but heaven's just too far
You see he was a policeman
and died just this past year
When airplanes hit the towers
and taught Americans to fear.
 
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.
And to her mothers amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.
 
Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.
"I know you're with me Daddy,"
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.
 
Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
 
And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.
 
They say it takes a minute to find a special
person, an hour to appreciate them,
a day to love them, but then an entire
life to forget them.
 
Send this to the people you'll never forget and
remember to send it also to the person that sent
it to you. It's a short message to let them know
that you'll never forget them.
 
If you don't send it to anyone, it means you're
in a hurry and that you've forgotten your
friends.
 
Take the time...to live and ! love.
Until eternity. God bless

first pic

Making a Difference

Those of you who know me, know that it is my hearts desire to make a difference in this world. I started out in youth Ministry and taught youth for a little over 4 years. I don't know if I made a difference in those kid's lives or not, but I do know that God used me to plant seeds in their young lives! Well now I am a police officer, and I DO NOT feel like I am making a difference at all! Sometimes it feels like we (police officers) go out and bust our butts to uphold the law, and our nations attorneys are dropping the ball! I do NOT believe that it should be a defense attorneys job to make a police officer look like an idiot! WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES! Don't get me wrong I am not talking about the officer that infringes somebodys rights, I have rights and I want to make sure that I get them as much as anyone else. I am talking about the officer that makes a good traffic stop, walks to the car smells an odor that he believes is something illegal, and makes a good arrest. So what if he can't tell you the brand of radar he is using in his car! I don't mean to be a whiner, but there is something wrong with this picture! Let me know what you think

10 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby is no longer an embryo! Though she's barely the size of a kumquat — just an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, she now has completed the most critical portion of her development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in her body rapidly grow and mature. Her vital organs — the liver, kidney, intestines, brain, and lungs — are now in place and starting to function (although they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy). Her liver continues to make blood cells, and the yolk sac, which previously supplied these cells, is no longer needed and begins to disappear.

During the next three weeks, your baby's length will more than double to nearly 3 inches. Her head is proportionately smaller now than it was a few weeks ago, but it's still almost half the length of her entire body. Her forehead temporarily bulges with her developing brain and sits high on her head; it will later recede to give her a more human appearance. Each day, more minute details — including tiny fingernails, toenails, and peach-fuzz hair — start to appear on her body. Her fingers are now completely separated; her arms bend at the elbow and curve slightly; her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over her heart; her legs are lengthening; and her feet may be long enough to meet in front of her body. She is busily swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking her legs.

If you could take a peek at your baby this week, you'd be able to clearly see the outline of her spine through her parchment-thin skin. Spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from her spinal cord.

9 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your new resident is nearly an inch long — barely the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce, but he's poised for rapid weight gain now that his basic physical structure is in place. He's also starting to look more and more human. His embryonic "tail" is now completely gone and his body parts — including organs, muscles, and nerves — are kicking into gear.

His eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. He has earlobes, and by week's end, the inner workings of his ears will be complete. His upper lip is fully formed, too, and his mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The tips of his fingers are slightly enlarged where his touch pads are developing. All major joints — his shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles — are working, enabling your baby to move his limbs. As for his heart, it has divided into four chambers now, and the valves have started to develop. External sex organs are there, but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks.

8 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby is now 5/8 of an inch long, about the size of a kidney bean. She's constantly moving and shifting, although you won't be able to feel these womb wiggles for several weeks yet. Her embryonic tail is disappearing, and her eyelids practically cover her eyes. Still slightly webbed, her fingers and toes are growing longer. Her arms have lengthened, too, and her hands are now flexed at the wrist and meet over her heart. Her knee joints have formed, and her feet may be long enough to meet in front of her body. With her trunk straightening out, her head is more erect. Breathing tubes extend from her throat to the branches of her developing lungs. The nerve cells in her brain are also branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. Though you may be daydreaming about your baby as one gender or another, the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl.

Cop Jokes

These are a few jokes I received by email that I thought I would share with you. Tell me what you think!

GOOD
A Richardson, TX, policeman had a perfect spot to watch for speeders, but
wasn't getting many. Then he discovered the problem: a 12-year-old boy was
standing up the road with a hand-painted sign which read "RADAR TRAP AHEAD".
The officer then found a young accomplice down the road with a sign reading
"TIPS" and a bucket full of money.
(And we used to just sell lemonade!)

BETTER
A motorist was mailed a picture of his car speeding through an automated
radar post in Plano, TX. A $40 speeding ticket was included. Being cute, he
sent the police department a picture of $40.
The police responded with another mailed photo of handcuffs.

BEST
A young woman was pulled over for speeding. As the TX State Trooper Officer
walked to her car window, flipping open his ticket book, she said, "I bet
you are going to sell me a ticket to the Texas State Police Ball." He
replied, "Ma'am, Texas State Troopers don't have balls." There was a moment
of silence while she smiled, and he realized what he'd just said. He then
closed his book, got back in his patrol car and drove off.

A Tribute

There are so many stories that I could tell you about my father that would show you the type of man he is, but one memory that sticks out most in my mind is getting up and going to work with him. When my brother and I were little we would beg Dad to take us to work with him. My Dad owns his business, High Plains Siding, and he and his brother run it. They are both good at what they do and have been doing it most of their lives! When Dad would agree to take us to work we would get up extra early, sometimes even before the sun had come up. Dad would come in and wake us up. Mom would make sure that we were dressed extra warm, because you can always take clothes off! Sometimes Dad would even let us drink coffee! We would sit at the table and pretend that we liked it even though both of us hated the taste, but it was what Dad did so we wanted to do the same. We would then load up in the truck, Dad would make sure we were buckled in and we would head off with nothing but the day ahead of us! A great part of going to work was the trip, usually the jobs were not in Gage and we would have to travel. That time driving to the job was quality time with Dad, something that we didn’t get a whole bunch of until later growing up. Most of the time Dad would let us lay our heads on his lap and go to sleep if it was a long drive! You got the occasional cigarette ash burn, but it was always worth it! When we would get to the job it was always the same, we would get all the tools we would need out, run power cords if they were needed, then wait. After an hour or so Dad would yell for us and we would go running, most of the time he need a tool, or he was ready for us to start a big job! Now Luke and I couldn’t work together so Dad would assign us a job. Both of us would cross our fingers and pray that Dad didn’t ask us to start picking up the trash around the house. You see there were a number of jobs that we could do, hold the ladder (most of the time Dad would have us hold a ladder to keep us busy not to keep him safer!), pick up the tools and move them to the next wall, move the sawhorse after Dad picked up the break, run a new power cord, or the dreaded start picking up the yard. Or there was the two that we both hoped for, back the truck up and you two go get another box of siding off the truck! If asked to do either one, we would at that moment feel 10 feet tall and most of all MEN in our fathers eyes because both were tough jobs that only a MAN could do! Then about one o’clock we would hear that words we had been waiting all morning to hear, LETS GO GRAB A BITE TO EAT! Now of course Luke and I had already bugged Dad about going to lunch a hundred times. We use to think that he would stall just as long as he could just to torture us! Now going to lunch was another one of the great things about going to work with Dad! He would usually take us to one of the small town cafes that fix awesome hamburgers and you got your fries on a separate plate because there were so many and you never would see the bottom of your coke! Dad loved those cafes that would keep his coffee cup full. We would sit there and have a conversation with Dad like we were just a couple of old men talking. We would clean up all day long for that meal! After lunch Luke and I were usually worthless, and Dad knew it and would let us have a bit of a break. We would take an empty siding box and rip it open and spread it out somewhere in the yard that was kind of hidden from Dad (we thought we were being sneaky) but somewhere that was also in the sun. We would curl up on that box and fall asleep, some of the time until time to go. At the end of the day we always cleaned up all the small pieces on the ground and put the tools away. We would then pile back into the truck and begin our journey home! We would talk to Dad about the day or sometimes just listen to KOMA or some other oldies station all the way home. Getting home was always great too, we had been gone all day, and mom would let us know that she had missed us all day by giving her little men a hug and kiss as we came in the door. Mom always had supper cooking when we got home and it always smelt so much sweeter when we had worked all day and were tired! Usually after we ate mom would ask us about our day and we would tell her all about it in as much detail as our little brains could think of! Mom always made a big deal out of the our small accomplishments which made us feel even bigger! After supper it was into the bath tub and then off to bed! Sometimes Dad would come in to our bedroom and read us Tom Sawyer, but if not that he would always make sure to tuck us in, give us a kiss and tell us he loved us and that we had worked good that day. Mom would come in behind him and make sure he had tucked us in right, give us a kiss and tell us she loved us. It never took long to go to sleep, but I can remember sitting there think about how long it would take to get to next Saturday when we could go to work with Dad again! As I titled this post, this is a long time disserved tribute to my father. My Dad is a mans man. I have posted with this a picture of my Dad’s hands with his grandson’s. You can see lots of hard work and experience in those hands! My Dad taught me many things, He taught me to work hard and give 100% at every job you do. He taught me that there is a time to play also. Dad taught me right from wrong and to fear and respect God. Most of all, my Dad taught me how to be a good Father! Dad I hope that I can be half the Dad that you have been to me! Thank you for being such a great father and such a great example!

7 weeks

Tomorrow, Friday, the baby will be 7 weeks along, here's what he's up to...

How your baby's growing: Your baby still appears to have a small tail (actually, it's an extension of his tailbone), which will disappear in the next few weeks. But that's the only thing getting smaller. Now almost half an inch long — roughly the size of a raspberry — he has elbow joints and distinct, slightly webbed fingers and toes. In his oversized head, both hemispheres of his brain are developing. His teeth and the inside of his mouth are forming, and his ears continue to develop. Eyelid folds partially cover his tiny peepers, which already have some color, and the tip of that nose you'll be tweaking someday is emerging. His skin is paper-thin and his veins are clearly visible.

Your little one also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. His liver is busy producing red blood cells, and a loop of your baby's growing intestines is bulging into his umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from his tiny body. You can't feel his gyrations yet, but your baby is like a little jumping bean, moving in fits and starts around his watery home.