Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas!!!

Lydia's Program Part 2

Lydia's Program Part 3

Lydia's Christmas Program

Couponing and Savings

While I will not claim to be an extreme couponer, I have had some success in saving money with coupons and other in-store deals. Today, I thought I did really good so I thought I would go step-by-step through my savings for anyone interested in "how" it's done. I'm very visual and often think, "That's great that you saved money, but how did you do it?" At the end of the post, I have pictures of my coupon binder. I used to use the expandable files but thought I'd give the binder a try. I LOVE IT!!!

I hope this helps some of you! :)

CVS - Transaction #1
Garnier Fructis - On Sale for 2/$6.97 with $3 back in Register Rewards
Huggies - On Sale for $9.49 with $1 back in Register Rewards
Pull-Ups - On Sale for $9.49
M & M Pretzels (Oh, come on, this is clearly a necessity :)) - Price $4.99

Coupons Used:
$1 x 2 - Garnier Fructis newspaper coupon
$3 x 2 - CVS Huggies Coupon (printable)
$2 x 2 - Huggies newspaper coupon
$3 - CVS Coupon on M & Ms (this printed at the kiosk)
$3 - CVS Coupon from kiosk for $3 off of $15 worth of baby stuff

Total Transaction: $16.18
Savings: $25.40 (additional savings from sales being run at CVS)

CVS - Transaction #2

Huggies - On Sale for $9.49
Twizzlers - On Sale for 2/$4

Coupons Used:
$3 Register Rewards from 1st Transaction
$1 Register Rewards from 1st Transaction
$3 CVS Huggies Coupon (found online)

Total Transaction: $7.03
Savings: $11.48

Target - Transaction #3

Huggies Wipes - $5.49
Triaminic - $5.04
Market Pantry Apple Juice - $2.24 each (Market Pantry is a low risk apple juice for arsenic)

Coupons Used:
Triamic - $1 Target Printable
Triaminic - $3 newspaper coupon
Apple Juice - $1/2 Target Printable
Huggies Wipes - $1 Target Printable
Huggies Wipes - $2 newspaper coupon

Total Transaction: $7.94
Savings: $9.00

Walgreens - Transaction #4

Schick Quattro Titanium Razor - On Sale for $8.99

Coupons Used:
$2 Walgreens Coupon (from book)
$2 Schick Coupon

Total Transaction: $5.40
Savings: $5.00
Register Rewards: $3.00
Total Razor Cost: $1.99

Walgreens - Transaction #5

Sonicare Brushheads - On Sale for $24.99

Coupons Used:
$3 Register Rewards from Transaction #4
$5 Sonicare Coupon

Total Transaction: $18.39
Savings: $13.00

Dollar General - Transaction #6 (My best deal)

Nivea Lip Care - On Sale for $2 each

Coupon Used: $3/2

Total Transaction: $1.08
Savings: $4

Savings Helper: Priceless :)

Coupon Binder
For filing coupons, I use baseball card holders (found them at Walmart by cigarette aisle in front of store). I found these printable dividers at "Keeping Life Creative" - www.keepinglifecreative.com I also used full size page protectors for random coupons such as Yankee Candle, Bath and Body, Kohl's, and restaurant coupons.

Back to the Blog...

Okay, I'm back....I hope to be a little more consistent with the blog, but with all of the help I have, I'm having trouble staying focused on even this post :) We've been staying busy and enjoying our family of 4! Matt has been busy at work as they just completed a new chapel at the Seminary. He's been working late and working hard. He took off the week of Thanksgiving and his parents came down from IL. It was a great time of visiting. Matt and his dad built a shed for the backyard - now Matt can move the items from the garage to the shed and free up a space for the van. I've been busy at home. I really underestimated the work of a stay at home mom! I've been busy cleaning, cooking, ironing, doing laundry, shopping, and managing two independent little girls.

Lydia and Grandpa building a truck....

Grandpa, Granny, and Lydia - On Thanksgiving morning, the gang went to Texas Motor Speedway for a "Turkey Trot". Lydia is proudly donning her new shirt - over her footie jammies.

Project of the Week: A new shed for the backyard...

Lily Eve...She spent the first four months of her life catching up on much needed sleep. Now, she has come into her own and thinks naps are for babies. She is still such a sweet little thing and we are so blessed to have her in our life.

Momma's sweet girls...Lydia is such a great big sister!! She loves Lily and helps me take care of her. It is a joy to watch the two of them interact.

When I'm not busy...I have those times, right? :) Anyway, when I have time, I've taken up freelance writing on a website called textbroker.com Basically, I write SEO (Search Engine Optimization) articles and get paid to do it. While it's not much, anything helps.

Matt and I are looking forward to a quiet Christmas at home...just the four of us. We will have a "Skype" Christmas with our families.

Happy 2 months, Lily Eve!!!

Today our sweet girl is 2 months old!!! I'm sorry I'm too lazy/tired to hook up my camera to the computer and add pictures - I will another time. For now, I'll just give an update. We were so blessed to have Matt's mom with us for the first month and my parents with us for the second month. We have been on our own for the past two weeks! While we LOVED having our families around to help us adjust to being a family of four, a new home, and new roles in our family, we are thoroughly enjoying our home and little family. This is my first opportunity to stay home and....I LOVE IT!!!!! (Sorry, Matt :)) God has graciously allowed us to make this transition. We paid off our debts and are living debt free (the best feeling!). We are well aware that it is by God's grace that we are in this situation and not our own doing!
So....we've been...
- eating at home (which means I've been learning to cook and checking out new recipes)
- catching good deals through coupons and internet savings
- playing and learning at home (rather than shopping :))
I've realized that I am quite the home body - on Tuesday, I never left the house and it was great!
Lily Eve is a precious little girl - she is soooo good and easy!! She sleeps quite a bit, is easily consolable, eats regularly on her little schedule, smiles (and has started cooing) and has rolled over 3 times (I have missed all 3! - I put her on her tummy and then turned around to find her on her back). She is an absolute delight!
Lydia is such a great big sister!! She helps me get Lily bathed in the morning and talks to her baby sister. It is wonderful to watch the two interact - Lily follows Lydia's voice and laughter - so cute!
Lydia started preschool last week and attends Monday and Wednesday from 9-2. This week, I joined a MOPS group and tonight we'll start a small group at church. I've decided making friends at 33 is not nearly as fun as when you're 4! But, we're trying to get adjusted and plugged in. Matt is doing well with his job although he gets overwhelmed with the large To-Do list...On the home front, he is busy putting our touches on the house (paint, new door handles, bathroom remodel, and the list goes on).
So, in a nutshell, that's what we've been up to. God is so GOOD and we are overwhelmed by His continue blessings in our life.

Family Pics

The other day, we went down to the Seminary to see "Daddy's new friends" and got a few family pictures.

Kisses...

Our family of 4!!!!

Our new home...

Happy Birthday, Lily Eve....Blessings Abound...

We have been so blessed in the past two months. For starters, we put our house on the market on a Tuesday and by Thursday it had sold...unheard of in this market! We then set out to find a home in the Fort Worth area and found this one. It is almost 1000 sq. ft. larger than our last home and was the same price! God is so good!! We are loving the space! I probably overdid it while I was pregnant but we managed to move into our new home two weeks before Lily arrived and I got it all unpacked!! Woo Hoo!

Lily's Birth Story: On Tuesday, July 13, I went to the specialist for one of my final appointments. He did the Level II sonogram and decided my fluid levels were too low so he talked to my OB and sent me to L & D to get checked out. I went down there thinking we would deliver that night. My doctor stopped by and said I was already 3 cm dilated. He told me to take Wednesday to rest and drink lots of fluids and then to get another ultrasound on Thursday to see how my levels were. I followed directions and stayed on bedrest that Wednesday. On Thursday morning, we went in and my levels had doubled. My doctor had already decided to induce me on Friday so we went home on Thursday to rest again. On Friday morning, we went to Baylor Garland at 6 AM to be induced. They were a little busy so they didn't get me in until about 7 and started the pitocin at 7:30 AM. Around 9:30, I asked for an epidural... it was fantastic once in...however my blood pressure dropped so they backed off on it a little...okay, apparently a lot. By 10:15, it was time to push and there was no sign of the epidural. Things were not pretty but I survived and Lily Eve entered the world at 10:48 AM weighing in at 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 19 1/4 inches long. I feel like we had waited for our precious gift for forever, with many bumps in the road. God is faithful and we have the most precious little girl. Lily is such a content and calm baby - we don't even know what her cry sounds like yet - she just squeaks when she's hungry. She is nursing so well -which is such a blessing...Lydia was never interested so I pumped and fed her for 6 months. It was so important to me to be able to nurse this time - it is a great experience.
We feel so blessed to have Lily in our lives - she is perfect!! Miss Lydia is the best big sister. She loves to help change her and gives her a lot of hugs and kisses - it is awesome to see. We are so blessed to have such precious girls!!

Lily Eve and Mommy

Lily Eve and Daddy

Lily Eve Elgin
Our first family photo
Mommy and Lily

The "babysitters"

"I love her so much" :)

Watching over "my baby sister"

Loving on my girls

Lots of Change for the Elgins....

Moving....

At the Elgin house, we have had a very busy and eventful month!!!! We are about to undergo major changes in our life. The verse that I have claimed for this season of our life is Ephesians 3:20, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." About 2 (almost 3 months) ago, Matt received a phone call from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's HR department asking Matt if he'd like to apply for a newly opened position on their campus, Director of Facilities. He said he would be interested. Over the past few months, Matt has undergone a few interviews and we have covered this opportunity in prayer, asking for the Lord's will in our lives. God has graciously guided each of our steps in the past 11 years of marriage and we feel that He continues to do so. About two weeks ago (to make a long story short :)), Matt was offered and accepted the position of Director of Facilities....in Fort Worth!!!! So, now the ball is rolling...Matt has already started his new job and is thoroughly enjoying it - for those of you who know Matt, the biggest challenge is that he will now wear a suit and tie to work (no more motorcycle riding to work :)). With this transition, we are also able to make the decision for me to stay home next year!!!!! To me, that is a dream come true!!!
So the next few months will look like this....we put the house on the market in two weeks, will sell and move to a new home, have a new baby and start new roles in our life....no big deal, right? :) Thankfully, both Matt and I seem to thrive in times of change so we are embracing this challenge and trusting God in the details of our lives. He is absolutely faithful and we trust in His Sovereignty!!
In other news, Miss Lily is doing great - she is so active, which is fun!! I, on the other hand, have had good days and bad days (bad days only being days with nausea and vomiting - nothing serious!!). We will visit with the specialist on Tuesday and have an appointment with my OB on Thursday. Hopefully, they will both confirm that all is well and the countdown to her arrival will begin!
I have a few more weeks of school and then will work a few days a week through the summer to help transition the new Director.
God is so good and we are so thankful for His direction in our lives!!

Granny and Baba and Lydia...

Mommy (yes, I skipped the hair, makeup and dressing nicely option for the day - that's what happens when you're up at 2 AM throwing up! :) )
27 Weeks Pregnant with a precious little girl!! :)

Another update...

Yesterday, we had another Level II sonogram with the specialist at Perinatal Medicine. When we walked in, the doctor said, I looked at your numbers (on the Protein S) and I wouldn't have deemed it low enough for the Lovenox shots. He said it naturally drops in pregnancy, but mine was not in the danger zone. What? I'm confused now... :) Is that not what "my problem" is?? He said that my OB was probably just being proactive by putting me on it and he would talk to him about me discontinuing the shots. In the meantime, I'm to continue them until I meet with my OB. He again called our loss of Levi unexplained. With a 15 week loss, he said they will continue to monitor me since they don't know what caused it. There goes the theory of trombophilia!

In other news, Miss Lily is beautiful and perfect! :) She is growing just right and doing well. She is moving all over - what a blessing to feel. We continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy and a full term little girl. And for the record, our family will be complete after this! :)

God is and has always been in control of this situation - it is reassuring to know that He is the Great Physician who knows all and is our very Creator!

Thank you again for your prayers!

New Updates from the Doctor

The results from my 11 vials of blood have come back. I have low Protein S, a part of the Trombophilia that was tested. The low Protein S is a blood clotting disorder, not a lack of vitamins or protein in my diet. It is believed to be hereditary. It is also what can cause 2nd and 3rd trimester miscarriage/stillborn. I think this is what happened to our little Levi. I asked how blood clotting could affect carrying the baby. The nurse practitioner that I talked to today said that a blood clot occurs and blood supply to the baby/placenta is stopped and the baby is lost. This would explain why he was lost so quickly after a perfect start to our pregnancy.
The low Protein S can cause a thromboembolism. Sooooo....today I picked up my shots!! I have to give myself an anticoagulant injection once a day to prevent a blood clot. The nurse practitioner just kept saying, "We just need to keep you pregnant, honey." I am 20 weeks pregnant today. I asked her if the shots would reduce my risk of loss - she told me I would be high risk until the end.

I am thankful for God's absolute Sovereignty. It all started because we opted (yes, it was an option) to go ahead and test for Down's. That test came back abnormal which sent us to the Specialist. The specialist looked at my history and suggested that he run the test for Thrombophilia. That, in turn, came back abnormal. What a blessing that this has been detected and can be treated.

Some have asked if there is something I can be doing to carry this pregnancy longer. Other than the shots, there is nothing that can be done. I am scared, as I feel I am a bit of a ticking time bomb. If a clot occurs, we would lose our precious girl. I find myself praying that if we lose our girl, please Lord, let me hold her. We are absolutely trusting God to allow us to hold our healthy little girl in July. He is Sovereign and has had his hand in this pregnancy from the start. Lily Eve's days have been numbered from the start and we trust that those days would be much longer than ours.

We are taking everything one day at a time and continuing to trust our Savior. We had a sneak peak ultrasound on Tuesday (I wasn't supposed to technically have the ultrasound but I told the technician since it was already scheduled I had promised Lydia to bring her a picture). She told me to hurry up and get on the table. She took 5 pictures and "shooed" me out the door :) Lily is a beautiful little girl who is getting so big - oh, yeah, Mommy's getting big, too, according to the doctor. I think getting weighed should not be part of each visit!!!

This picture is not as great as it is on the ultrasound picture. It's hard to take a picture of a picture :)

Thank you to those who are praying us through this journey.

An Update from the doctor...

Today we went to see a Fetal Medicine doctor for a Level 2 sonogram. He reminded me that my risk factor was 1 in 147 for an abnormality. He checked over Lily head to toe. She has all 10 fingers and toes :) And the best part, she is indeed a girl. He said the risk factors for Down's did not appear to be present. One of the factors is a flap in the heart. He said he saw a white spot in the heart but could not see it again in any other angle. We will go back in 3 weeks for another check. He said his partner would do that sonogram so that we would have another set of eyes looking over our little one. He then asked about previous pregnancies. I told him my pregnancy with Lydia was without any concern or complications. I then told him we unexpectedly lost Levi at 15 weeks. He said that was not normal (which we've been saying all along as well). He said that he wanted to check me for trombophilia which can cause 2nd trimester loss. So, off to the lab I went for 11 (yes, 11!!) vials of blood. He said if that is the case, there is medication to help with it. He said they would basically be monitoring me throughout the rest of the pregnancy and that they probably would not let me go past 38 or 39 weeks. We feel very good that we have a doctor working with us that is acknowledging our loss of Levi - especially how seemingly unexpected it was. He did indicate, however, that the risk of a second trimester loss is still a factor. So, all of that to say, we feel great about our visit today and pray that God will allow my body to protect our little girl until full term.

God is good...all the time...

We have quite a week ahead of us. Over the weekend, we took Lydia to Rolla, MO to meet up with Matt's parents. They took her the rest of the way to their house. She will spend a week in IL and fly back with her Grandma next Tuesday. It's been very quiet around our house. I certainly miss my "best girl", but am enjoying doing some running around on my own.

On Tuesday, we have a Level 2 sonogram scheduled. I got a call last Tuesday from my doctor. He said that he had the results from my triple screen test (a blood test). This is a test that looks for risk indicators for Trisomy 18 and Down's Syndrome. He said that my test came back indicating an increased risk for Down's Syndrome. He said my normal risk would be 1 in 400 but the test indicated that it was more like 1 in 150. At first, I was upset...but after a week of thinking, I strongly believe that our Lily is a precious gift from God and NOTHING will change that. I'm thankful for the opportunity to see every inch of our precious girl (of course, we can make sure she is indeed a girl :)). I do pray that everything is medically okay with her precious little body.

We have some other goings-on in our family, but I will save the details until decisions are made. We are praying that we would be obedient to God's perfect will and that His will would be done.

We continue to be reminded that our God is Sovereign and He is good!

Introducing..... Lily Eve Elgin

I am officially 15 weeks 4 days pregnant and counting...God has been so gracious to bless us with this sweet new baby. Yesterday, we went to the doctor and had an ultrasound. We were told that we are having a ...... GIRL!!!!! Her little heartbeat was 154 beats per minute. Of course, she is just adorable. She had the hiccups while we were there. Last night, Matt was checking out names and came up with Lily Eve Elgin - I love it! It fits our L.E.E. initials for the kids. First, there's Lydia Elise Elgin and then our precious little Levi Elijah Elgin and now Miss Lily Eve :) We are so excited!
The doctor said everything looks great - he does not have any concerns at this time. God is so awesome!!! Here is mommy a few days ago :)

This is a little delayed...this is a picture of Miss Lydia from our Thanksgiving trip to San Antonio.

A new baby on the way....

We're expecting again!!!! Our new baby is set to arrive July 29. As of our doctor's appointment today, I am 10 weeks and 6 days. The baby's heartbeat was 167 beats per minute. The doctor said everything looks great and he has no concerns regarding our loss of Levi and this pregnancy. There is a fibroid that they are keeping an eye on...in my opinion, this just means lots of sonograms and peaks at our precious baby. The baby was sleeping during the sonogram but woke up for a minute to wave its arms :) We feel truly blessed with this little life and are trusting God to protect the pregnancy and allow me to carry this little one full term. Please keep us in your prayers as we trust God in this new adventure :)