Major Mistake

Well, to start off our 3rd week as a family of three Sally and Veazy made a "Breakfast Visit" Sunday morning! It was the best visit by far. She brought pancakes and we got to hang out in our pajamas, catch up, and let Veazy meet "Suzy Baby" (that is what VZ calls her). It was such a fun morning. Veazy was so consumed with loving on Suzy and asking questions about her. It was the sweetest thing. He and Sally even sang to her. He is just a doll!

Veazy and Sally singing to Suzy.

Veazy was amazed that Suzy didn't have any teeth! Sally said that he talked about it all day Sunday. "Suzy Baby have no teeth"

Sally and I were outside, when we came back in we couldn't find the boys and Suzy.... Scott was showing Veazy how to hold Suzy. It was so sweet.

Suzy also got her first real bath Sunday. She loved it. We have been wishing her cord would fall off before we bathed her. It finally did, so we took full advance of the situation!

She is so relaxed!

This is where you can find Scott if Suzy has been sponge bathed or given a real bath.... He is in charge of her hair. Mommy always forgets to brush it :) I like it wild!

 My mom and best family friend suggested Rice Cereal for Suzy........ They said, "we gave it to you when you were 2 weeks old. It will help her sleep and fill her up better". Let me tell you something, DO NOT GIVE A 2 WEEK OLD BABY RICE CEREAL! We only gave her a tablespoon, but I can assure you that it was the worst idea EVER! I called my mom absolutely furious at 11 o'clock Monday night to come console my screaming child. Her belly was so full it was round and hard. She did not like the Cereal and she let us know it. We paid for that experiment all night long. Finally, around 4 AM she decided that she would quit fussing. Either she was tired of crying or she had given up. That was the worst experience that I have had as a Mama so far. I felt horrible for giving it to her and so dumb to listen to her Mimi and Teresa...... That was 26 years ago when she fed me, she must have been confused. We will wait until she is at least 6 weeks or older to experiment with that again! This was a major mistake that I can promise will never happen again.

We have had quite an exciting week. We got out of the house one day that was so pretty and went to Memaw's. We worked in the flower bed while Suzy relaxed her in stroller in the sun. She loved being outside. I wish that it would stay pretty so she could be out more!

We also went to The Hot Rod Shop to see her Papaw and Uncle Casey before they left to go to the lake house for the weekend. Suzy wore her Race Car outfit for the ocassion. After staring at her for twenty minutes Papaw decided that he wanted to hold her. This is a huge deal. He hasn't held her yet. He said she was too little... We were thrilled!

I dropped Suzy off at her Gigi and Pop's house this afternoon for her to spend the night. They wanted to show her off to all their friends, so I took them up on the offer. After I dropped her off I went to Southaven to do some nonmaternity clothes shopping!! It is so nice not to have to buy clothes that resemble potato sacks anymore. Scott and I are going to Como Steakhouse tonight with Zander and Steph and I cannot wait. I am going to miss my little stinker though. I cry every time I drop her off with her Mimi or Gigi. I hope after dinner I come home and crash for at least eight hours!! Sleep deprived!



I have noticed that a few things have changed around the Smith Household thanks to Baby Suzy. Here are some of the things that stick out to me at the moment-

1. I have to plan my outings (grocery store, visits with friends, etc.) around the time that she eats and sleeps. I have always been a "pick up and go" kind of gal... Not so much anymore. I have to precisely time our outings so that she is not hungry right in the middle of it, because when Suzy is hungry she is NOT happy. She will let everyone around her know that she wants some milk!

2. Scott is home now, so he has been cooking every night (for those of you that know me well, know that I do not like to touch raw foods so I don't cook or wash dishes, because I will have to touch the food after it has been picked through {I know... I am weird person}). When he gets supper finished we have to: A. eat in shifts or B. I have to hold her while I eat. For some reason every single night that supper is finished she decides that she will throw a screaming/crying tantrum. The past couple nights instead of eating at separate times I have just been holding her while I eat. I know it is a terrible habit to start, but I can assure you that I do not want to hear her be so upset while I am enjoying my dinner.

3. Trips to Wal-Wart, Sonic, and the tanning bed are heavenly experiences these days. When Scott comes home from work or when Memaw is watching Suzy I get to have a little "me" time. The best 12 minutes of my day (of alone time) is when I can sneak away and go to the tanning bed! It is ahhhhhmazing. The second best thing ever is if I can get to Sonic for "Happy Hour" during the tanning bed outing. Don't get me wrong, I love spending my time with Suzy!! I just need about 30 minutes a day to myself to keep me sane!

4. Mine and Scott's sleeping arrangements have changed. He sleeps in the bedroom and I sleep in the twin bed that is in Suzy's nursery. I thought that Suzy would sleep in her cradle in our room for a couple weeks then I would trust her digital monitors enough to put her in her baby bed, but that hasn't happened yet. She is in her baby bed now, but I am too paranoid to sleep away from her. She is a bit overprotected. I am literally 3 feet from her and still watch the monitors to make sure that she is still breathing and moving. I hope this soon will pass. I miss my bed.

5. I have always been a weirdo about poop and smells, but these days I do a "Poopy Pants Dance" when Suzy goes number two. I am absolutely thrilled over a dirty diaper. We are still having a few issues with her bowel movements, so poopy diapers are the best!!

6. I find myself holding my iPhone all the time so I can get a good picture of her. I can bet that I send at least 25 picture messages a day! I, of course, do not have my phone ALL the time, but whenever I think she may strike a pose I have it ready! I am obsessed with her!

7. I am a bath taker... I love a good bath. I take up to three a day! Now, instead of a quiet bath, Suzy is sitting next to the tub in her Nap Nanny. The whole bath tub experience is polluted with my baby talk and her babbling and it is absolutely precious. How did I survive without her?

8. I am a singer these days. I didn't say I was good at it, but I am at least trying. She was being fussy the other night so I started singing to her (I was desperate). She finally quit crying. It was either because she wanted me to stop or she enjoyed it. I told Scott about it and he ever so politely explained to me that she just wanted me to stop. I will admit... I cannot sing at all!!

I will leave you with a funny story- A couple nights ago I was outside in the garage and I heard Scott screaming to the top of his lungs. I ran inside and he was yelling, "I am gonna need some help in here". When I walked into Suzy's room I saw poop everywhere. This little 6lb baby shot poop all the way across the room and all over her changing table. She had some major pressure built up. It was so bad that I had to get our steam cleaner out to clean the carpets! Then, yesterday Sharon was visiting us while I was feeding her. When her feeding was over I decided I'd just change her diaper on the couch.... Me being lazy was NOT a good idea. She shot poop all over the couch and me! I had to change clothes and break out the upholstery cleaner. This little girl is bound and determined to ruin every stitch of fabric we have in our home I believe! But, "YAY for poop"!!

Lola loves Suzy.

She is 3 weeks old today!! Happy, happy girl.

First Two Weeks

Our first two weeks have been like a rollercoaster ride. We have had our ups and downs, good days and bad, and great nights and not so great nights. I would not trade one moment for anything in this world, though. Suzy is by far the greatest thing that has ever happened to Scott and I. Motherhood is a job that no one could have prepared me for. All the helpful hints that everyone shared with me before her arrival were great, but no one told me about things like: babies having problems pooping, switching formulas, nipple sizes for bottles, oh the list could go on and on.....

Week One

We got home Monday the 9^th around one o'clock. As soon as we walked in the door the whirlwind started. She started fussing because she was hungry and I was not prepared to feed her. I had bags to get out of the car, lunch waiting on me, and a shower calling my name. That is when it hit me.... My life is no longer about ME, it is all about HER. After that realization I strolled into the nursery with my bags still in my car, my lunch getting cold, and unshowered and prepared to feed her. I was breastfeeding, which took me a lot of preparation. Scott had to help me mound pillows and the boppy at just the right height and then get her situated. This process along with her feeding took a good hour. I produced plenty of milk for her, but the breastfeeding didn't last long for us. The time consuming process, the lack of sleep, and her feeling bad put a stop to the madness after 5 days of doing it. I gave it my best shot, but it just was not for us. She wasn't happy and I wasn't happy. The last day that we tried breastfeeding was a nightmare. Everything that Scott said to me, every time she cried, every time it was feeding time I bawled and squalled. I quit breastfeeding and she seemed much more satisfied and I was actually sane again. I think that breastfeeding is great, but it just didn't work out for us. The week went on with many sleepless nights due to her tummy being upset. I thought she may have a little colic after researching her symptoms, but I think now that it is just gas and pooping issues. Sunday we had newborn pictures, which was an absolute disaster. Rachel came to take her pictures during her normal "awake time". I should have known better. Rachel is great and handled it amazingly... Me on the other hand, I didn't. I think I cried or teared up as much as Suzy did. Suzy did not like having her picture taken... not one bit. After two hours of her screaming I finally called it quits and just hoped that we would get some good pictures out of the ones that Rachel had taken. I got our CD full of images back and they are great! I am very pleased. I hope that the three month pictures go a little better :)

Week Two

Suzy continued to be very fussy through the nights and afternoons, so I got a little paranoid and alarmed and started calling the pediatrician every day. I guess they got sick of me calling... The scheduled me an appointment to just come see the doctor. That made me happy. The doctor informed me that Suzy was just unaware that she controlled her bowel movements and that she would eventually learn. He told me to switch formulas and get some faster nipples so she got the feeling of being "full" better. He also told me to check her temperature rectally every other feeding to stimulate a movement. We have been doing that and things got a little better. It still isn't great, but it is better!

Scott had to go back to work this week. The news of that made me extremely sad. It is amazing how wonderful he has been throughout this transition. He is so attentive and helpful. I knew he would be a great daddy, but I had no idea how great of a daddy he would be. With him being gone I have been on night and day duty. I have been very tired, but have been working through it. I have been trying to nap when she naps, but it is pretty hard to do when I have a house that needs tending to as well. Suzy and I have gotten out a couple times. The first trip was to the pediatrician, which went great. We also went to my mom and Scott's mom's work to let everyone meet her. She did great then, too. Everyone loves her! How could they not? Of course, I try to get by Sonic a couple times a week to get a Route 44 Diet Coke :) She doesn't mind my dollar a day indulgence. She likes to ride!

My mom, Scott's mom, and my Memaw have been so much help. I am so grateful that they are so close. Gram (Scott's mom) stayed with us Saturday night so I could get some rest. It was absolutely wonderful!! I fell asleep at ten o'clock and didn't get up until nine the next morning. I slept so hard that I woke up sore.

Delivery Day

Everyone kept telling me that this weekend was 'the weekend'..... I guess they were right!!!! Suzy is here and she is absolutely perfect.

When I woke up yesterday morning I was very "crampy" and had my "bloody show" (is that too much information?). I texted a few girlfriends and asked them if losing it meant much or if it meant that I would go into labor soon. I got all sorts of responses, but my favorite one was Mandy Hartsfield's... She said, "it could be hours, it could be weeks" hahahahaha! Such a broad response with no definitive answer!! I was like, "gee thanks, Mandy"! Absolutely loved it. The "cramps" kept coming, but I assumed that it was from passing the 'show' so I didn't think much of it at first. I went outside with the pups and watched the rain and rocked in my rocking chair trying to make the tension stop... No luck. Got up from the rocking chair and a slow, wet, trickle ran down my pajamas. This was at about 7:30 AM. I wasn't sure if I had involuntarily peed my pants or my water had indeed broken. I texted Haley (the most amazing nurser ever) and Jill (because she said her water breaking wasn't a gushing sensation either). Out of all three of us none of us knew it was my water or just pee. After about 15 minutes I knew it had to have been my water, because the contractions started. Next question- Are they Braxton Hicks or the real deal? Haley told me to take a bath or shower and see if the contractions stopped. They didn't. Then I walked around the house trying to clean. Never stopped. When they were 10 minutes apart and coming fiercely I decided that I would get in the bath tub again and start getting ready for the hospital. The news of me taking another bath to "get ready" for the hospital didn't settle well with Scott. He was so aggravated with me for not getting my act together that he was starting to get snappy with me. I, of course, thought that he was being ugly.... He was not. He was being smart... I was not. After I had a bath, shaven legs, and straightened hair we headed to the hospital. By the time we got to Batesville I thought that she would make her arrival in the car. The pain was super intense. That was the longest drive to Oxford ever. We weren't there long before they gave me an epidural and made me start pushing because when we finally made it there I was 7cm dilated. Scott made a call to our family and a couple friends. My phone was dead, so if he didn't have someones number they just didn't know. Everyone made it just in time for delivery. It was a super quick experience (thank goodness). It was a whirlwind, actually. I was at the hospital for about 2 hours and Suzy made her appearance. She is absolutely amazing. She weighed 6lbs 5oz and was 20 inches long. She has a head full of dark hair and beautiful skin. I am overjoyed to have her here. I never knew you could love something so much. She is our world!!

Thirty Six and a Half Weeks

Scott and I have been some big ole bums this week. Besides him hunting every morning and evening we have done nothing productive. Doing nothing is great and all, but I am about to go stir crazy. I think it is about time that I get out and do something. I would love to go shopping for myself, but what would I buy? More maternity clothes... I think not! I thought about going to the lake house with the family this weekend, then thought again.... I guess I am just restless!

When I said that Scott and I have done nothing productive I was not fibbing... But, we have done some things. One thing being getting pedicures. Yesterday I was in the bath tub whining about how bored I was and such and Scott suggested that we go for pedicures. I know it seems strange for the Hubs to suggest pedicures, but he absolutely adores getting pampered. When the lady was finished massaging his little footsies she asked him what color he wanted his toenails painted. He laughed it off and left me there to finish my pedicure. It was quite the treat. Very thankful that we can do things like that together.

Scott relaxing!

We had a doctor's appointment today at 2:30. This appointment has been very highly anticipated by me. I have been thinking that I would go to the doctor today and she would tell me that I would be having Suzy sooner than later. Welp, I was surprised when she told me that there was no sign that she would be any earlier than 39 weeks. We had an ultrasound that showed her being extremely healthy with a strong heartbeat. She also told us that she weighed 6lbs 4 oz. Other than hearing good sounds and being measured we didn't get much else. She had her hands covering her face so we couldn't get a clear shot of her. She was not very cooperative today. Scott said she already acts like me. I am going to pretend that he means well when he says that. Dr. Harper checked me and told me that I have not thinned any and that I have dilated 2 cm. She told me that if she were me she would go back to work and walk A LOT!

36.5 weeks pregnant.

I went to the dry cleaners today after we got home from our doctor's appointment. The girl at the counter asked me how far along I was. I informed her that I was almost 37 weeks and her response was, "and you are still out walking around?".... I mean I know I am pretty massive and all, but what else do people expect pregnant women to do? Do they think that they just sit at the house and watch the clock? I do not know anyone that has just quit "walking around" just because they were about to explode!! I laughed a little and responded politely "yes, but very slowly" :) Then, I went into the gas station and the girl that works there said, "oh my goodness you still haven't had that baby?". I guess that everyone thinks I look insanely miserable or something. I feel fine, and I feel like I don't look too terribly bad. I mean I am pretty large and all, but I don't think that I look like she is just going to fall out or anything (even though some times I feel like she may). Writing this reminds me of a dinner outing that Mom and I had a few weeks ago. We went to McAlister's and after eating I went to the restroom. When I was walking out of the bathroom and out the door there were a couple ladies sititng close by. I heard one of them say, "bless her heart". When I got in the car I told Mom about the women and I told her that I didn't know who they were talking about, but that surely they weren't referring to me. That is when Mom broke the news to me that I indeed had the pregnant waddle. She told me that when you start walking like I do people start feeling sorry for you. Goodness gracious I had no idea that people felt so sorry for big ole prego ladies, but everyone I run into these days seems to pitty me.

People have had lots of questions lately, here are a few of the most commonly asked.

1. Is Scott at home until you deliver?
-- No, Scott is only at home until the first of the year. He got off for Christmas Holidays and one of the owners told him to just stick around the house until the first of the year. He gladly accepted the offer and has been passing time by hunting non-stop.

2. When are you due?
-- I am due January 22, 2012, but Dr. Harper told me she would induce at 39 weeks so that there would be no chance that Scott would miss the show. With Scott being in Nashville we are very worried that I will go into labor and he will not make it back. Everyone keeps telling me that labor takes forever, but with the luck we have I will have my mother's labor patterns and she will come quickly. (but, then again, with my luck....... it may take 24 hours)

3. Are you going back to work after Christmas Break?
-- That is a question that I could not answer before today. But, I will be back at work after Christmas. We start Monday and the kiddos come back Tuesday. I am glad that I will be back at work. I hope that it makes time pass by quickly. It seems like time has stopped.

4. How are you feeling?
-- Like I said earlier, I feel fine. I don't feel all swollen or irritable yet. I am only struggling with the pressure from her dropping. That is causing it to be pretty uncomfortable to stand for long periods of time, but if I take breaks and sit for a bit I am usually alright. I am not sleeping well at all during the night due to getting up for the bathroom breaks, but I have been told that it is just God's way of getting me ready for sleepless nights when Suzy arrives.

I have been asking people a lot of questions lately too. I want to know all the details of having babies and what to expect. All the girls that are in my life have been great to me. They answer tons the of questions that I have constantly. I enjoy comparing our pregnancies and learning new things from them that I haven't experienced yet. Here are some tips that have been shared with me by some friends (Sally Williams, Jill Lamar, Emily Kopf, Ali G., and Mandy Hartsfield are usually my go to girls about all this stuff).

* Shave your legs regularly (you never know when you may go into labor)
* Pack your bags and load your carseat-- be prepared
* Don't over eat
* Make sure to buy a good supply of granny panties
* Rest whenever you feel tired, do not over do it
* Start using boob cream now to keep the nips from becoming cracked and painful (too much information?? this is the kind of stuff that I love to hear)
* When your water breaks it is not like it is on the movies (I thought it would be a flood, but I was surprised to find out that it didn't always happen like that)
* Work as long as you can. Being at home will just make time go by slower.

**** This is my favorite tip given to me by Jill****
'When you are released from the hospital you are going to feel like a runway model, but you are NOT going to be as good looking as you think you are!!" She shared this tid bit of advice with me as she showed me the picture of her when she came home from the hospital. She said she thought she was rocking that new body of hers until she saw the photos.

Packed Bags

Christmas Break was much needed at my house this year. I started my break off with a trip to the lake house for a couple days since my doctor told me that I shouldn't travel far away from home after tomorrow (December 29). We finished up painting Memaw's bedroom and bathroom and I relaxed a bit. I came home the following Monday and the whirlwind began. The nesting instinct kicked in that Tuesday. I started washing all of Suzy's clothes and putting them away. I put them in the drawers and took them out of the drawers over and over until I thought I had the most user friendly "set up" possible. It took 2 days to get that finished. Then the rest of the house was up on deck. I started by cleaning out cabinets in the kitchen. I didn't have any room to put her bottles and such until I cleaned them out. Then, the baseboards, walls, and pantry were tackled. The nesting instinct left as quickly as it came. I guess my body ran out of fuel and I haven't felt like doing anything since I got the kitchen cleaned. I need a cleaning fairy to come finish the rest of the Smith Residence. But, at least the nursery is finished. That makes me feel MUCH better. The only thing that is lacking are wall decorations. My friend Lindsey is painting a canvas for us and Kelli is getting the letters of her name to hang on the wall, so we have that covered, too.

The chandelier came from a garage sale that my mom's friend Shirley had in Oxford. It came from her mother's house. Scott's mom got the light from there which was bronze and pretty rough looking. Memaw got it, painted it, and cleaned all the little jewels... This is the finished product. Didn't it turn out great!

I still have to get this hung on the wall. It is a shadow box containing a diaper shirt that Scott's mom kept from when she thought he was going to be a girl. The booties were made by my Memaw Geeslin who passed away several years ago. My cousins got these and saved them for us.



This is the dresser that my grandfather redid for me. He made the diaper changing station, patched it up, painted it, and replaced the knobs. It turned out perfectly.

Over the break I have also been shopping to get stuff to take to the hospital. My friend Jill Lamar filled me in on what I need to pack for myself and Suzy. I hope that I didn't forget anything. I am glad that most of my friends have already had kiddos so they can help me out with all this stuff!!

What's in my bag?
* Boppy Pillow for nursing
* Breast pump and bottles
*Gown
* Pajama pants and top (in case I need an extra set of comfy clothes)
* Yoga pants and top to wear home
* Socks and slippers for the cold tootsies
* Undergarments for nursing mamas
* toiletries

What's in Suzy's bag?
* Her "coming home outfit"
* 2 gowns
* 2 pairs of socks/booties
* mittens
* hats to keep her little head warm
* a few diapers (in case we need them on our way home) and wipes
* blankets

Things we have to remember: carseat, phone chargers, camera and batteries, and a pillow

Have I forgotten anything??

Our packed bags. Sitting and waiting... I hope we can use them sooner than later :)

Happy Holidays

 It is hard to believe that Christmas has already passed. The holidays came and went so quickly this year. Our family decided that we were not going to do Christmas like we have done in the past. With my parents and grandparents buying a lake house and Scott and I preparing for a baby we thought we would all save our money and use it for "lake stuff" and "baby stuff". We were not supposed to buy presents at all, but that idea didn't last long. My grandmother told me one night on the phone that "Christmas just didn't feel right without presents" she even told me that she missed shopping and waiting in line. So, the no presents thing turned into a few small gifts just to make her and my dad happy (he is all about presents too even though he doesn't want to admit it). In years passed our family has gone all out on Christmas and bought entirely too much for everyone. This year we did a few gifts for each person and it was quite nice. Casey and Melissa made the family mugs and wine glasses by etching our initials into the glasses. They are too cool. Mom and dad got me a new Chi straightener (that is all I even asked for), money, pajamas, etc. Scott's parents went along with the idea of not doing much either, but gave us some great things. We got a new piece of pottery and some knick knacks for around the house. All in all... Christmas was very low key and enjoyable. Not rushing around here and there ended up being just what we all needed.

Scott and I didn't even decorate the house this year. After a lot of thought I decided that I didn't really want to get our Christmas decorations down. I am usually all over decorating for Christmas. I usually don't even wait until after Thanksgiving!! The only reason for not decorating or having a tree was the thought of having to undo it all being 9 months pregnant. I think the decision was a good one. With everything going on preparing for Suzy's arrival I cannot see how I would have tackled it all.

Although, we didn't decorate or have a huge Christmas we did have Lynn make us some adorable Christmas Cards. I cannot wait until next year's with little Suzy's sweet face in them :)

Lynn Savage never disappoints. She has done all my stationary, shower invitations, and now Christmas Cards! She is the go to gal- lnsavage@blogspot.com

Skunk Town

A couple weeks ago, December 4-11, was a week that I will not forget for a LOOOOOONG time. First of all, I haven’t been sleeping much at night due to not being comfortable in bed or the constant urge to go to the restroom. But, not only did I have those two issues playing against me I also had the issue of a snoring husband. There is nothing more irritating than wanting to sleep so incredibly bad and Scott sleeping so deeply that he is snoring. I get so annoyed by his snoring that I wake him up so many times that he eventually goes into the guest room or the nursery and goes to sleep. This night was no exception to him moving rooms. When I got up Tuesday morning he had slept in the guest bedroom. Sunday night I didn’t sleep but maybe 2 hours total, so Monday was absolutely dreadful at work. I could barely hold my eyes open. Low and behold Tuesday night’s sleep was no better. I ended up calling into work Tuesday. I felt absolutely dreadful. I guess just exhausted? For those of you who know me, know that I have been hoarding my days this year because I am terrified that I will not have enough days after Suzy is born and I will be docked if she or I get sick and I have to miss, so taking a day off work is a HUGE deal to me. I took all day Tuesday and did nothing but rest, sleep, rest, and sleep some more. I just knew when I woke up Wednesday morning that it was going to be a good day since I was so refreshed. I WAS WRONG!!!! I remember waking up around 4 am and smelling a “skunky smell”, but didn’t pay much attention to it because there are always skunks around our house. My dogs have either been sprayed by one or rolled around on a dead one at least 3 times this fall/winter.  I went back to sleep, woke up, got dressed for work, walked out the door to my garage and it hit me like a ton of bricks…. MY GARAGE, DOGS, AND CAR reeked of a skunk. It was absolutely disgusting. I knew that everything stunk, and stunk bad… But, what I didn’t know is that when you get into car that has been infested by skunk that you will in turn have the smell on you!!! I get to school that morning and everyone asks me how I am feeling after being off Tuesday and I proceed to tell them that I feel great blah, blah, blah and then it hits me. I smelt myself. I stunk. I went to Jill Lamar’s room and asked her if she smelled me, because she is a stickler for smells. She said she didn’t so I thought I was overreacting. Then, I went to Alisha Foxworth’s room to ask her the same question, “Do I stink?”, she told me that I didn’t as well so I went back to doing my morning hall duty. Then Fox comes out of her room and says, “Yeah, yeah, you do smell” and Jill comes out of her room and says the same thing. Fox has had the skunk issues a lot so she filled me in on what I needed to do to get the smell out of my house, car, and off my dogs.  In the meantime, I waited on the tardy bells to ring then asked Mr. Herrington to please let me leave. He agreed that I definitely needed to get the smell off me and come on back to work. I had every intention of coming back to work when I got the smell off me (remember, I have been hoarding my days and wont take off unless I HAVE to), but it was impossible for me to make it back to work. If I would have changed clothes I still would have had to get into my smelly car. It was a vicious cycle. I was doomed. Two days in a row down the drain. I went to Performance to get my dad’s work truck so I could take my dogs to the vet and get them cleaned. While they were there Memaw and I planned on cleaning my garage up and Dad was going to figure out a plan to get my car cleaned up. We googled, and googled, and googled all the ways to get rid of the skunk smell found that ammonia, vinegar, and peroxide helped. So, Memaw and I got busy in the garage cleaning it. It seemed to help a little, but all we were doing is masking one odor with another odor. Instead of skunk it smelt like ammonia. It too turned out to be harder than we expected. I just decided to leave the garage alone and turn all my attention to my car. Without my car I couldn’t go to work, so that was now my main priority. Dad found a guy to clean my car up, but the guy told Dad it would take up to a week and could cost anywhere around $500. Yes, this news made me sick to my stomach but I had no choice. I had to have a car, a clean car that didn’t smell or make me smell. Performance called me and told me that no one up there would take my car to the detail shop for me because it smelled so bad, so I had to get back in the smelly Tahoe and take it to the detail shop. While my car was at the shop I drove Teresa Littlejohn’s suburban so that I didn’t have to rent a car. I got to go back to work Thursday and Friday!! I got a message Friday telling me that my car was finished and that I could pick it up at 4:20. I was super thrilled. I couldn’t believe that he had gotten finished with it so quickly. When I got there he explained to me how hard it was to break the smell and how he did finally get it out of my car. He used some odor bombs that cover 6,000 sq ft per bomb. He had to use 2 (or 3, I can’t remember) to get the smell out. Besides the fact that my car smelled good, it also looked amazing. He deserved every single penny that he charged. It was like driving a new car. I didn’t even want my dogs to ride in it (and that’s telling ya somethingJ).

After the skunk fiasco was over Mom, Dad, and I left for Smith Lake. We didn’t get to leave town until about 6:00 Friday night. Scott, Memaw, and Ricky were already there working. We finally got there around 10:00. After breakfast Saturday morning we sat around for several hours waiting on the carpet people to show up. The only thing left to do to the upstairs was to have the carpet put down. The installers were 3 hours late!! But, after the carpet was completed we started moving furniture upstairs. Oh my goodness, it is amazing how much better everything looks now that it is all clean and new! The upstairs is now complete. All we have left to do is accessorize J We woke up Sunday morning and tried to do a few last minute things before we left to come home. I tried to help Memaw paint her bedroom downstairs, which I have discovered that I am far too large to be trying to do. I am now on the cleaning crew.

Mine and Scott's room BEFORE.

AFTER.

Again. We still need our dresser and such moved in, but doesn't it look SO much better?!

Mom and Dad's room AFTER.