The Sisterhood

Tomorrow is one of my very best friends birthday - Happy Birthday Joy! To celebrate, our group of high school friends, aka "The Sisterhood" :) (me, jess, kimmie, and joy)
went to kidnap the birthday girl and took her to Cheesecake Factory for cheesecake, then to the movies to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Why you ask? It was actually pretty good (for a cheesy girl movie) and there are 4 friends in the movie, like there are 4 of us. We loved the first one, and have been waiting to see this one together. The fun part was picking which character we each resembled, which was funny - because we all wanted to be the "pretty and skinny" one. I also enjoyed have Kimmie immitate Costas' greek accent in my ear through most of the movie - I almost wet my pants! These girls are one of the BEST blessings in my life - we have been together through many ups and downs - high school relationships, arguments, many many trips, living far apart, weddings, and a baby! And FINALLY, we are all in the same city! I can't wait for whats to come - I love you girls.

In sickness and in health...

Campbell and I have managed to get a really bad cold this week... and as much as it bothers me to be blowing my nose all day, sound like a man, and not be able to taste anything - its much worse to watch my little one go through it! Thankfully, Ben hasn't gotten it yet - and hopefully won't. So, he has had to deal with a sick wife and a sick baby... not a fun week. Campbell coughed ALL through the night last night, keeping both Ben and I awake - then I would start coughing, and have to go sit in the closet to try to let him sleep. I felt so bad for him! (he already has to function on like 5 or 6 hours of sleep) But being the WONDERFUL husband and father he is, he has jumped right in and done whatever he can to help me with Campbell, do dishes, pick up her toys, etc. What would we do without him?!?

Uncle Brian (my brother) and Aunt Savannah (his girlfriend) are coming this weekend - I just hope we don't pass it on them!

Have a great weekend!

Summertime, Livin's Easy

Sorry it's been a while since we posted some pictures - Campbell is growing so fast! Here are a few of her enjoying her redneck pool and the sprinkler - what else can you do when your poor and its hot? :) There are also a few from when we took Campbell to feed the baby ducks, and her and her boyfriend Winston in the pool! I can't believe the summer is almost over, although it will still FEEL like summer here for a while... Hope you all have enjoyed yours as much as we have. Get excited about football season! I just took Campbell for her 18 month check up last week, and she is still 25% for weight, 25% for height, and like 75% for her head measurement! No major changes there... I think she weighed around 24 pounds. She is talking a ton - Ben calls her a parrot... she literally will repeat ANYTHING you say - watch out mom and dad! :) Enjoy the pics...

Praise the Lord!

Ben got his test back last night (finally!) and it is negative for now at least! Yea!
Sorry for not returning the phone calls of those of you who so sweetly checked on us yesterday, but I had a rough day with a migraine... yuck. We are so thankful for all your prayers and support for us. He will have another test in 6 weeks, and the result could have changed by then. (it usually shows up between 6 and 12 weeks - and we just passed the 6 week mark) Keep praying!

After a month of night float and these test results in the back of our minds, Ben and I decided we needed a little break! Our sweet parents kept Campbell so we could have a weekend alone. We went to dinner with Joy, Kimmie and their husbands Friday night and saw the new Batman movie - it was so good! I night with adults is a rare occasion for us - and we had a blast! Then Saturday morning we went to Atlanta for the night, and stayed at the new Mansion Hotel on Peachtree... wow... it is amazing. The cheapest room there is $495 a night - but thankfully since we had a connection (my brother works in the building next door and got us a business rate - thanks brian!) we got to stay for much, much less. We even had our own butler, and art work that turned into a flat screen tv, not to mention a flat screen in the bathroom... heaven! I even got to get a massage Sunday morning while Ben helped my brother move -hmmmm, how did I get the sweeter end of the deal? :) Brian and Savannah took us to a really good restaurant Saturday night, and we even went out afterwards. Brian had us laughing so hard we were crying... its always so fun to spend time with them.

But while we were having so much fun in Atlanta, poor little Campbell started breaking out with a rash in Auburn, which we later found out was hand, foot and mouth disease. (not as bad as it sounds - but still very sad) My mom had to take her to the doctor in Auburn, and I was so glad to see her on Sunday. I hate being away from her when she doesn't feel good! Thanks Honey, Papa, Doll and Pop Pop for taking care of our sick little girl! She is much better now, and back to normal. She even ate the Red Pepper and Sausage Baked Ziti I made for dinner last night... and when Ben told her it was spicy, she took a huge bite and yelled "mmmmmmm... spiiiiicy!"
Ben took some pictures at the hotel with his phone - I'll try to get them up soon.

Waiting

So, Ben had his test done this afternoon - but he was told they wouldn't have the results until tomorrow afternoon, or possibly Monday. It kills me to have to wait even that long, but then there will be more after that! There are 6 more weeks of waiting for the next test after this - could the Lord be teaching me some much needed patience?!? :) Thanks for all your prayers - I will update as soon as possible.

The big test...

Well, Ben's first HIV test is tomorrow afternoon - and when he told me today, I didn't believe him. I really thought it was still a few weeks away... This will be the test for the 6 week mark, but he will continue having them for over 6 more weeks, and even if it is negative tommorrow - it could still change at the next test. BUT, we are trusting in our wonderful, loving, living, healing God to get us through what the next 6 weeks holds. Please pray for our family - and I will keep you posted with our news.

Ben's Birthday

Well, Ben turned 27 since my last post (June 25) - happy birthday dada! He is well on his way to 30, and not too happy about it. :) He started a pretty rough work month before his birthday, so we celebrated a little early and just stopped celebrating last weekend! The week before his birthday we had "birthday week" - a great concept stolen from our friends Nathan and Taylor, where you do something special (gift, etc) each day of the week of your birthday. I made him his favorite foods and desserts each night that week, and we went to the Farmers Market at Pepper Place on Saturday. For those of you in Birmingham that haven't been there - you must go! Or, if you come visit us - we'll take you! They have great fresh fruits and veggies, music, food, and other vendors. Campbell even got some home-made ice cream! We also went to Auburn the weekend after his birthday to see Ben's sister Lauren and her family, and we celebrated there too! (pictures from the Auburn trip to come soon...)

He is doing well on the medication they have given him for the HIV stick other than some stomach problems... but not too bad. He will have more blood drawn in 3-4 weeks and we might know something then, but nothing definite for several weeks after that. We are just trusting in our Maker and praying for His hand of protection to be over us during the waiting period. Keep praying!

Campbell is walking SO well - we are really proud of her. We thought it may never happen! She is going through this independant period right not - wanting to do EVERYTHING herself, most of which she can't. So it has been interesting... but really fun to watch her grow. I wish she would slow down! Here are some pictures from the the Farmers Market - we wore Campbell out!

Update

Hey everyone... just wanted to post a little update for Ben. He is doing well on the medications - although they made him sick and tired at work this weekend, but I think he's feeling better now. He will be on the medication for 4 weeks, and then at 6 weeks they should be able to tell him something more definite. He will continue to have blood drawn every few weeks so they can monitor everything. I was strangely calm about this for a while, but in the last few days it has caught up with me. I think I was just pretending it didn't happen... but the Lord is faithful in that He is my Rock - and strong enough to carry this burden for me. For that I am very thankful...

I just want to say that we obviously know that this needle stick didn't catch God off gaurd, or surprise Him. We serve a sovereign God who is all knowing and all powerful and in charge. He will use this situation for His glory - and I am sure of that. One thing He has done so far is to remind me how WONDERFUL our friends and family are, and what a blessing they are from Him. We received so many phone calls and emails letting us know we were being prayed for - and countless offers for people to come to give me company, help with Campbell, etc. The fact that you all love us that much has overwelmed me at many moments this past week, and I want to say thank you. God hears and answers the prayers of His children, and they are getting us through this!

I will pass along any updates as we receive them... we love y'all!

How could this happen?

Ben was on call last night, and he usually calls me around 10 before he lays down - but by 11 or so last night, I still hadn't heard from him. I called him around 11:30 to check on him and he sounded really down. I assumed, he must have had a busy night - or, I'm sure he is exhausted. I was not prepared for what he said next...

He had a patient with HIV, and got stuck by one of his needles. I still can't believe it as I type it. All I could think was, "How could this happen?!?" Its not April, right? This would be a cruel April Fool's joke - I was speechless. After being with Ben through 4 years of medical school, and now going into his second year of residency, you would think I would be more prepared for something like this. There are probably a lot of things that could happen to him everyday - or things he could bring home and spread to us - but I try not to think about those things...

He assured me that the chance of him getting it is low, but still - THERE IS A CHANCE?!? What?!? my head is still kind of spinning... he had to have a lot of blood work done right away, and had to start several medications to prevent it - and they supposedly make you sick. Of course I was thinking, can Campbell and I get this? I guess there is always that chance - so we will have to be taking measures to prevent it... all this said, I trust the Lord to take care of us in this situation - but please pray. Pray for Ben to not be sick on the medication, and for protection against something like this happening again. Pray that he will not get it - and that Campbell and I will be protected too.

I just can't believe I am actually asking God to protect my husband and my family from HIV...

FINALLY!

finally - several things... campbell took her first steps! yes, she IS 16 months old, and yes - she is just taking her first steps. but we are SO proud of her! it happened last tuesday - she stood up on her own, and i called her to come to me - and for the first time she did! i wouldn't consider her "walking" yet, but we know she can - she just lacks a little confidence. we also went for her 15 month appointment last week (a little late - whoops!) and she was 22 lbs 4 oz (25%), 75% for head measurement (yikes! :) ), and 30 inches long. she's a petite little thing! she is saying so much now - her new favorites are thank you, please, bubbles, and uh-oh.

also, the new hard drive is finally here, so now i can post pictures! yea! i know thats all y'all really care about, so i'll get right to it...

i didn't have the time to label each picture, but these are from our trip back to mobile, our trip to visit friends in atlanta for memorial day weekend, mothers day, her one year photo shoot and several random pics of her over the last few weeks. enjoy!

Very Soon . . .

Hey, new hard drive is up and running, Katie should have some new posts with some pics soon. Here is one picture from Campbell's photo shoot that I like the best. Anyway, hope this will be some good fodder for you blog trollers out there, you know who you are. And maybe I'm biased, but is she not the cutest thing you have ever seen in the entire history of the world? I mean come on . . .

P.S. And thanks to all you folks that prayed for me for boards, I know it helped.

Update

Ben passed boards! YEA! We are so very proud of him - not only did he pass, but he did very well! Thank you for all your prayers...

Also, we are STILL waiting for our new hardrive - sorry for all the posts with no pictures, but I will put them up ASAP.

We had a great Memorial Day weekend and thankfully Ben had several days off. We got to go to Atlanta to see our wonderful friends the Morrison's and Brown's in Atlanta. Thanks for hosting Brown's! It was such a good time of fellowship for the adults, and the kids! We also took Campbell to see my grandparents at their lake house and really enjoyed our time with them - we don't see them enough!

On that note, my sweet grandfather might be having kidney surgery soon to remove a possibly cancerous lesion. Please be praying for him and my grandmother... I am also having to go to the doctor in the morning because of an ovarian cyst that ruptured several weeks ago. (that Ben had to take me to the ER for) I am still having some problems that could be associated with more cyst, and infection - or something... so hopefully they will do an ultrasound in the morning and figure it out. It has thrown my blood sugars all over the place, and that is never a good thing. I'll keep you posted.

I hope you all had a good Memorial Day also - and that you remembered all those who have, and are still fighting for our country... we owe them everything.

Please excuse the delay...

I have SO many cute pictures to share with y'all, but unfortunately, our hardrive is full! I have been waiting on Ben to order the new one so I could put the pictures on the computer, but its not here yet... hopefully soon!

Campbell is still not walking, but she is pushing this walk-behind toy she has by herself... she just won't let go and walk on her own. She is definitely not going to be a risk taker (she gets that from me)- she is a very skeptical little girl! :) But I will say, I LOVE how social she is... she wants to greet everyone she sees, then ask them to hold her. It doesn't matter what sex they are, what color they are, what age they are - she just loves people. And I love that about her. She also has these conversations now where she is so sure of what she's saying - but no one else is! I love it - I could listen to her jibber jabber all day long!

Still haven't heard back about Ben's boards yet - so keep him in your prayers! Campbell and I too - he has a really tough call month in June, then has night float in July... meaning he will work everyday from 5pm till 6am - crazy! Hope you all had a great weekend!

I've been tagged...

taylor tagged me, so here's my list...

what was i doing 10 years ago?

loving my sophomore year of high school (i would go back in a hearbeat if i could...), dating someone that had been one of my best guy friends, just had
first kiss (sad, i know), getting ready to leave for Camp Seale Harris - a
camp i worked at for kids with diabetes

5 things on my to-do list:

1. unpack from trip (i hate this part)
2. organize my closet (i LOVE this - and would do it for a living)
3. take campbell for a walk (it's really pretty - and not too hot)
4. spend time with God (always on my list - and way too often neglected, plus shouldn't it be my number one? hmmmm...)
5. pay bills

5 snacks i love:

1. CHOCOLATE (dark is my favorite)
2. cheese (all kinds, especially blue and sharp cheddar)
3. fat free doritos (but i can't find them anymore - what happened?!?)
4. caffeine free diet dr. pepper
5. roasted garlic on anything

5 things i would do if i were a billionaire:

1. give lots - to my church, to several friends in ministry, to CMMA - the christian medical ministry, several overseas ministries
2. pay off our medical school loans! :)
3. move - i love our house, but i would move if we had the money...
4. save (for campbell, retirement, etc)
5. buy ben the gun he's been wanting
6. shopping spree for me!

5 bad habits:

1. don't drink enough water
2. waste too much time on tv/computer
3. have major sweet tooth (and i'm diabetic!)
4. like to be in control
5. people pleaser

5 places i have lived:

1. nashville (born)
2. starkville, mississippi (through elementary school)
3. auburn, alabama (through college)
4. mobile, alabama (for medical school)
5. birmingham, alabama (currently)

5 jobs i've had or have*:

1. heartstrings - high school & college
2. camp seale harris - high school & college
3. debra's (boutique) - when first married
4. grace community church - second job in mobile
5. arbonne skin care consultant - currently

*my favorite and most challenging job has been being a mother, and i have a dream to be a personal shopper, and have a fashion blog - just FYI :)

i want to know more about*: (you're tagged!)

1. robyn villacampa
2. annie parks
3. lindsey slagley
4. katie isaak
5. christina brannen

*now you all hate me....

Prayer for Dr.Compton

Poor Ben has been studying for Step 3 of Boards in the small amount of free time he has after work... he is a genius, so I know he will do well - but its a REALLY expensive test, and he wants to make sure he gets it right the first time... Campbell and I took a long overdue trip to Mobile this weekend for baby Davis's baptism - and to meet him for the first time! (I'll post pics soon) It also gave Ben some peace and quiet to study... his test is Tuesday and Wednesday - please pray for him these next few days.

Hope you all enjoy your Monday - I'm off to take a nap... Campbell has had lots of EARLY mornings lately due to some new teeth, and my first out of town trip without Ben was fun, but tiring!