EIGHT DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS?!

Ahhhhhh! Is it really only eight days away? My goodness, this year has FLOWN by! I can't believe my baby will be TWO in about 6 weeks! I know I'm his mother, so that automatically makes me biased, but I swear he is the SWEETEST, funniest, cutest, most loving little guy in the whole world! It's been so fun to watch him observe the Christmas season this year (now that he is a little older) because he is just fascinated by all the lights everywhere and the decorations. He'll see something lit up and pretty or maybe one of those blow-up snowmen or Santas that people have on their lawns and shout, "OOOOOOOO MOMMY!! SNOWMAN! LIGHTS! SANTA! MICKEY!" Hahahahaha. He also tries to sing along with me when I sing Jingle Bells, but he apparently knows Frosty the Snowman very well because he keeps trying to get me to sing that one with him and when I only know the first couple lines he gets frustrated with me, so it's on my immediate "to do" list to re-learn the words to that song! Ha! Davin has been gone for about a week (he has come home a couple nights, but it was very late when he came home) so we haven't seen him very much and we sure have missed him. Davin was up in Michigan since this Sunday and was supposed to be there through today, but he surprised us by showing up at our house last night at 10:30! That was very exciting and Hayden was soooooo happy to see his Daddy! He is SUCH a Daddy's boy. He copies everything Davin does and it is just too cute to watch, but also a little scary because now there are two of them! Peyton needs to hurry up and get here so I'll have an even playing field...maybe. She'll probably be a bigger Daddy's girl than I am, and for those of you who know me, that's pretty bad! Davin has some hunters coming in the latter part of this week, so he still has lots of work ahead of him and I have to work through Friday too. I took my first final last night and am taking my last one tonight from 5:00-7:30 and then I am through for a WHOLE MONTH! YAY! I am taking two weeks of MUCH needed vacation for Christmas so I won't go back to work after this Friday until January 5th! We are traveling for Christmas this year, which should be quite interesting to do with a 2-year-old and a 6-month pregnant lady who has to go potty every hour! We're going to Arkansas first which will be the toughest part of the drive since it's about 12-13 hours! NOT FUN! But once we get there Hayden will get to see his Mimi and Papaw and cousins and everybody and even snow maybe! That will be a first for him! Then on Christmas day we will drive from Davin's grandparents' house to my parents in Nacogdoches, so we will be on the road for 6 hours on Christmas day. This is how we have done all of our Christmases together except for last year when we got to stay at our house and have Christmas at home. I hope everyone who is traveling next week is very careful and that you all have a great Christmas! Davin, Hayden and I will do "our" Christmas either this weekend or after we get back from traveling and I'll post pictures for you guys. I hear that Santa might be getting Hayden a Power wheel Jeep for Christmas this year!
Happy Holidays everyone!
-Spencer

Nurseries, Christmas Decorations, and Baby Pictures!

Here are a few photos of the progress being made in Peyton's room. Her Daddy painted her room "lemon frost" yellow and he put her furniture together and Mimi made her a window valence. Stay tuned; there will be MUCH more to come! I also took a couple of Christmas pics around the house!










Here are the 3d Sonogram pics of our baby girl who looks EXACTLY like her big brother! She's smiling in the top picture!




Update: I'm still waiting for the results of the ultrasound of my gall bladder I had this morning. I should know something by tomorrow.

Love you all!
-S

Deer hunting, Santa pics, Tonsilitis, and a Gall Bladder too!

Davin has hunters all week this week and then he is flying up North to do some AI work on some deer for another client this Sunday through next Tuesday! He is REALLY busy with work this week! Hayden has been a firecracker so far this week and he's wearing me out. Ha! I have been so proud that I haven't gotten sick while EVERYONE at work has been getting sick for weeks now and I guess I got too cocky because I now have sinusitis, pharyngitis and tonsillitis. None of that is a big deal since I get tonsillitis all the time; the doc at work put me on antibiotics yesterday and wanted me to call my OBGYN today if my heart rate hadn't gone down (it was 128, then 123--it should be between 80-90). My heart rate only got as low as 109 and was 118 again this morning so I called the new OBGYN and saw her this afternoon. She thinks the sinus infection, the tonsillitis and possibly gall bladder disease is the reason for my high heart rate. She also said I'm very dehydrated (I don't know how that could be because I drink water all day long). The gall bladder disease possibility is due to the pain I have been having in my upper right quadrant of my stomach that I tried to tell my old OBGYN about two weeks ago when she told me that "it hurts when babies move inside you." As soon as I told this doc that I have been have these pains accompanied by weak/dizzy/nausea spells for the past several weeks she was shocked that my old doc had not had my gall bladder checked. I'm sure my gall bladder is perfectly fine, but she ordered an ultrasound to check it for tomorrow at 8:30 and I really appreciate this new doctor's concern and care for her patients. I just wanted to make sure that Peyton was okay right now since my heart rate has been so high and she is doing perfectly fine. Her heart rate is completely normal and she is as healthy as can be which is all that matters. If it turns out that I do have a problem with my gall bladder, because I am so far along in my pregnancy it would be far too risky to surgically remove it right now, so the doc said she would put me on meds for my gall bladder until I deliver in March and then as soon as I delivered, I would have to have it taken out. Hopefully, whoever does the ultrasound tomorrow will be able to tell me right then and there if they see anything wrong. I'm sure it's nothing, but I do feel so much better having a doctor who would rather be safe than sorry! Anyway...that's what the Cox Fam is up to this week! Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted! Hope you are all doing well! We took Hayden to see Santa Sunday; check out his photo below.
Love,
Spencer
Our boy with Santa!

Miss Peyton

Davin and I went for another sonogram yesterday at a sonogram clinic that does the 2d (the regular sonogram) and the 3d and 4d. We were only supposed to get the 2d because we just wanted to make sure the baby is positioned okay since I have been having lots of pain in the upper right area of my stomach, but while he was talking to us the technician switched the sonogram to the 3d and 4d (thinking we had asked for that). Davin, being the "science guy" he is thought it was really cool and I just sat there in silence for the longest time trying to figure out why this guy was showing us this and then I was shocked when I actually started looking at our baby girl because she looks EXACTLY like her brother!!! EXACTLY! You could even see that she has the same cleft chin that Hayden got from me! So I guess all of us except for Davin will have that chin...which is weird because that's a recessive gene, but hey, that's the good ol' "Chapman Cleft!" She has the same nose as her brother, the same fat lil cheeks and then at one point when her Daddy was talking about deep sea fishing, she SMILED and has the SAME smile as Hayden! It was the FREAKIEST thing I have EVER seen! We didn't want a 3d or 4d sonogram with Hayden or with Peyton because we wanted to be surprised when we saw our baby for the first time, but by accident we got to see her! It really freaked me out, it was very cool, but strange for sure! I am going to see if I can scan the pictures on our computer at home because when I tried to scan them here at work, they came out really dark. Also, they made a DVD for us of the whole thing so if the pics won't work I'll try to download the video tonight! I'm also going to take pics of her room and post them tonight for you all! We are truly blessed to have TWO such beautiful, healthy, precious children. They are our little miracles and gifts from God! How could anyone ask for anything more?!?!? All I need this year at Christmas is to watch my son's face light up when he sees Santa, opens his presents, and sing and dance along to his Christmas songs! I can't believe this time next year our little family will be complete! I hope you all have a great day!
Love,
Spencer

Mamama

It is very hard for me to believe that today marks the second anniversary of my grandmother, Mamama's death. She was more than my grandmother; she was a second mother to me. I lived with her for as long as I lived with my parents: 21 years. Losing a grandparent is always difficult, but for my brother and me it was like we lost a parent the day she died. I don't think I have dealt with this loss yet, since I sometimes still feel like she's not gone, but rather visiting my Uncle Jimmy in Corsicana, especially when I go to Nacogdoches and walk into her empty room. It's hard for me to hold onto that fallacy now though since we lost my uncle Jimmy in February of this year to pancreatic cancer, so I know she can't be visiting him....well not here on earth anyway. It does warm my heart to know that she is with the love of her life, my grandfather Da, her parents, all her brothers and sisters, and her two beloved sons, but I still miss her so very much. The holidays are always hard for people who have lost loved ones because that's the time we are all supposed to be together. When Mamama died I was eight weeks away from giving birth to Hayden, whom she was so anxiously waiting to meet. This year I am pregnant again, but with a daughter and I'm sad for her because I never got to share any of this pregnancy with Mamama and that makes me feel like this baby got cheated out of knowing Mamama even more than Hayden did. It sounds silly, I know but it's how I feel. I know she is and has been in a better place for two years now, but the selfish part of me wishes she was still here. Yesterday I took out all of our Christmas decorations and put up the stockings that Mamama made for Davin, Hayden, and me and again it made me sad that our little Peyton would never have a hand-made stocking by her great-grandmother. I have decided to buy the same kind of little stocking sewing kit that Mamama would have if she were still here and attempt to sew one for Peyton myself. I'm hoping Mamama will help me out with this since I'm not the best with a needle and thread. Ha! She would also make her famous "trash" (her yummy chex mix goodies)every year for Christmas and give some to everyone she knew. I have made her trash and carried on this tradition for the past two Christmases and will continue to do it every Christmas...it makes me feel like she's sharing the holidays with us. Anyway....I'm sorry to ramble, but if you could please keep my mom and aunt Catherine in your prayers this holiday season as this is their first without their brother Jimmy and another one without their other brother Guy and both of their parents I would really appreciate it. Also, please keep my cousins Judith and Guy and their families in your prayers as this will be their first Christmas without their father, my uncle Jimmy. I wanted to share this poem with you all before I sign off. I read this two years ago tomorrow at Mamama's graveside service and it's as true today as it was then.
Lots of love,
Spencer

I Did Not Die (Author Unkown)

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond's glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there. I did not die.

Thanksgiving in Nacogdoches 2008

We went to Nacogdoches for Thanksgiving this year. We swap every year as to whether we have Thanksgiving with my side of the family or Davin's and this year it was my side's turn. We went to my Aunt Catherine's for Thanksgiving dinner and got to see my cousin Rachael and Aaron's new baby boy Sumner (he looks JUST like a Cabbage Patch doll!), and we got to see Michael and Jennifer and their two beautiful girls: Cate and Grace. Davin took all the pics at Catherine's withour other camera so I will have to download those later. The kids all had a great time and the food was fabulous! Friday morning Davin, Haydenand I all went to Timpson to go see my surrogate sister, Denisha and her family. Our boys had lots of fun playing together and making a big mess! I can't believe it's already December and I have NOTHING to show for it! No Christmas presents at all except for all the kiddos (all the cousins on both sides of the fam)! We haven't bought the first thing for Hayden yet! We need to get on that and this year Santa is DEFINITELY going to have to help me get it all together! Davin also painted the baby's room and put together all her furniture when we got back to San Antonio and it looks GREAT! I can't wait to see the finished product, but so far so good! I'll take pics of that too and post them sometime this week!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend!
Love,
Spencer

Hayden with his Honey and Poppy


Hayden and Cousin Cate-Cate!

Connor and Hayden destroyed Connor's room in about 2 minutes!


Hayden with his new Elmo See n' Say from Aunt Nisha, Uncle Josh, and Connor



My sister Densisha and Me!


Cox fam having farewell pancakes at IHOP before heading back to San Antonio

Papaw's Last Football Game!

Saturday November 22, 2008 marked the last football game for Papaw. He has been a defensive coordinator for college football for almost 40 years. Some of the colleges he has coached at include Nichols State, McNeese State, Stephen F. Austin State University and for the last eight seasons he has coached at the University of Central Arkansas. After a long and very successful career her certainly deserves to enjoy a quiet retirement with Mimi, his grand-babies, and of course, duck hunting! Ha! We love you Papaw and football season just won't ever be the same again without us going to cheer you on!
Love,
Spencer
Mimi with both of her grand-babies!


Mimi and Papaw with their grand-babies before the game!