Nothing Like Seeing The Heart Beat...

Today was the day we all got to go see our littliest angel-to-be. Rob and the 2 boys were there right beside me to see the baby on screen and watch his or her's heart beat for the 1st time. I thought it would be that familiar feeling and sound that I heard 2 times before with Jack and Nolan but it was as if it was the first time I ever saw a baby on a sonogram and watch the heart beating. It was the same "oh my god" feeling, I cannot believe this is going to be my little baby. This is when I thank God for blessing me with 2 beautiful boys and baby ???? on the way. The sonographer says "baby" looks great and the heart is beating perfectly. It was music to my ears!! Now time to enjoy the journey and love every minute of this precious baby growing inside me.

Thanks for all your prayers for a great drs. appt because it worked.

1st Dr. Appt. for Baby ???

Tomorrow is our first dr. appt. for our newest arrival due in July. So excited!! I cannot wait to hear that little heartbeat beating and see my baby on screen. Even though you know you are pregnant and there is a little baby in there, it just comes to life after you see and hear it. Last time I was at the dr. office Nolan was 6 weeks so it will be funny for Dr. McIntire to see the little boy she brought into the world, who is now a big boy.

Please say a prayer that everything goes great!! Looking forward to updating after our big day is over.

The Fitz Family is Growing!!

Yes, you did read the title right...we are expecting Baby Fitz #3. I am literally just weeks pregnant and planned on waiting to tell everyone just like I said I would with the other 2 pregnancies as well but I just cannot help in sharing our great news. I know that waiting to tell until the 1st trimester is over is the safest way but I look at it like if this little angel is meant to be, it will be so why not have others' share in our excitement. It just amazes me to think that Nolie will be a big brother and Jack will be one again. I thank God everyday for my angels and for allowing us to bring another lil' angel into the world. Saying we are excited is quite an understatement....we are on Cloud 9 and will look forward to meeting our newest addition in the beginning of July.

What's Been Going On....

What's been going on in the Fitz's household....



#1. On Sunday, Amie and I threw our dear friends, Tracy and Chris a baby shower for their soon-to-be daughter, Harper. We were both so excited to put this shower together because Chris and Tracy are going to be the greatest, caring, loving parents to their lil' girl. Lil Ms. Harper is their soon-to-be little miracle and boy is she going to be spoiled...but in a good way. Chris and Tracy are a couple that when you hear they were having difficulty for quite some time trying to conceive, you think, "how could such a wonderful couple who so badly want to be parents and just love a child to no end not be able to have one when they want". There are many people out their who get pregnant when they don't want to or decide they don't want a child and here you have 2 deserving people who having a child became difficult. Well back to the shower... so all our neighborhood friends came and helped shower Tracy with well wishes and presents for the baby. It was just an enjoyable shower and it seemed like everyone was having a good time. Well as you can see, I am so looking forward to seeing Harper cradled in Chris and Tracy's arms and being able to talk to Tracy about how incredible motherhood truly is.

#2. Our little baby Nolan has decided it is time to start getting ready to chase his big brother Jack around. He took his first step the other day and the best part is, all 3 of us were right there to watch it. I am excited to see my lil' angel walking around but I must admit, I am nervous as well. Nolan is a bit different than Jack was at his age. He is a bit more of a trouble maker and very sneaky!! Even when I go to the bathroom, I am always nervous that those 2 minutes could mean Nolan has climbed the stairs by himself, is in Jack's room trashing it, throwing his toys in the garbage can, in the pantry pulling down snacks, or dumping the bathroom garbage can over. Even though he is a little terror, he is so freakin' cute. I just can't get enough of him and trust me, he can't get enough of me either. So yes, he has taken a few steps so it is just a matter of time until my little boy is running free in the house and shadowing Jack. Stay tuned for more details...

#3. Looking forward to my dad's arrival on Oct. 24th. We always look forward to having Pop here because Jack is obsesssed with my dad and of course, I love seeing him too. My dad is just a genuine good person and truly loves his family. This is one reason I want to have a girl at some point because a dad and daughter have this special kind of bond. Nothing like Daddy's Little Girl.

#4. Looking forward to this weekend's garage sale....wish me millions!!

Vaccinations...hmmmmm???

For the past few weeks, I have been really thinking a lot about vaccines and the safety and the necessity of them. There has been plenty of research on the news, facebook posts, etc. and I really haven't paid too much attention to it until this weekend. The only vaccine that I have really worried about in the past is the MMR. I have heard way too many stories from being a teacher for 7 yrs. as well as a family member who swear that their child was perfectly normal until they received the MMR shot and then suddenly the child showed signs of autism and not long after was diagnosed with it. After hearing these stories that sounded almost identical to one another, I decided to hold off giving Jack his MMR until he was full out speaking in sentences just to be 100% sure. Besides that, whatever the dr. tells me the boys need, I get. I just assume that they know what is best for my child better than I do when it comes to medical stuff because they went to medical school and I didn't.
Well after a long weekend with a lot of research and discussion with a good friend of mine from HS, who is a dr. himself, I am completely disgusted with what I read and heard about vaccinations and drs. The bottom line is many of these vaccinations that are given to our children are not necessary and contain the most horrific ingredients such as formaldehyde, mercury (link to autism), chick embryos, etc. Then why would they give them???? Because it is a huge money maker for pharmacetucal companies, drs., each time the vaccine is given. That is why the vaccines have increased tremendously over the last few years. When I was a child, chicken pox was a common thing during elementary school and no one died that I knew of from it and now there is vaccine for it, as well as the flu, rotovirus, hepatitis, etc, etc, etc. WHy suddenly are these once normal infections suddenly life-threatening according to our pediatricians. Trust me, up until today, I gave my children every vaccine that I was told they needed except the MMR but talk about a complete change in heart. The only reason I am writing this blog is because I wish I knew this info. earlier so I could have weighed the pros and cons prior to the vaccinations. The main thing I learned this weekend about vacciantions is if you choose to vaccinate, do not give more than one vaccine at a time. There has never been a study on the effects of vaccines when given all at one time. The levels are tested for the one immunization given but not when it is paired with other vaccines as well. Drs. are not usually fond of you when you say you do not want them all together and that you will come back every few weeks to get all the vaccines needed. I am going to put a few websites that I looked into if anyone is interested in looking into this whole vaccine debate.
Well hopefully this will open your eyes up to not trusting anyone but yourself when it comes to your children. My boys are my life and I will be damned if anyone is going to tell me what to do of there is even a 1% chance of harming them.


Some websites: (These are just a few.)


http://www.nvic.org/

Doctor Admits Vaccine Is More Deadly Than Swine Flu Itself & Will Not Give It To His Kids
Source: www.youtube.com
Title speaks for itself. SAY NO TO THE VACCINE!

Flu Vaccine Exposed: Think Twice!
Source: www.youtube.com
Studies show that flu vaccines are unsafe and ineffective. This uncensored presentation by the Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute (www.thinktwice.com) includes a visual depiction of flu vaccine production -- how the flu vaccine is made and what it contains! ...
Vaccinations can produce brain damage in children.

Russell Blaylock, M.D., a respected doctor and nutritionist, has some urgent health information that could dramatically affect your health and well-being. Please take a moment to read his information at
Newsmax.com

Save the Best for Last...

When writing about my trip to NY in a recent blog entry, I purposely left out my brother-in-law because I wanted to save the best for last and give him his very own blog entry. Why you ask...he is that incredible!! My sister's husband Stephen is such a great guy. He can always make you see the brighter side of things, make you laugh by simply acting like a jack-ass, a real genuine person. I think back to when my sister met Stephen and how he changed her life instantly. He truly adores her and still after all their years together, he cannot keep his hands off of her, which could be why they have 3 children together. He works more hours than anyone could imagine just to give his family a great life. Even with all his hours at work, he still seems to have time to stop by my parent's house and mow their lawn so my father does not have to, give my dad a hand with things around the house, fix up his backyard so it looks like a country club, make many "unusual" things out of landfill treasures he finds while at work to decorate his own house, and of course, makes sure he has time to spend with his kiddos.

So as you can see, my sister is quite lucky to find such a great husband and father but then again, they are perfect for one another because she is such a great wife and mother.

This is a shout out to you, Steve!! You better get yourself to Texas soon or else the next blog will talk about how crappy a brother-in-law you are.

Nolan's 1st Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday!!
"My Very Own Smash Cake"

Time to get wild!!

I had to post some pics of Nolan's 1st birthday because they are so damn cute. He had such a great day with so many friends and family right there by his side. This day was one of the many moments in my life where I cannot believe how thankful and fortunate I am to have a wonderful husband, 2 beautiful boys and so much family and friends that are such an important part of our lives.

What's Been Going On....

Once again, I did not keep up with my promise to keep my blog up-to-date but life is just so busy. My plan for this blog entry is just to catch everyone up with whats been going on in our life.

1. Nolan turned 1. Can you believe it?? My baby is growing up way too quick, so when is it time for the next?? We have been in deep discussion about it because we think we would like 4 children and I do not want to be 40 still having kiddos so my time line might need to be adjusted. I just love being a mom and cannot see me ever done with having kids. I truly enjoy watching them grow, especially up with one another and knowing that my dream of finally being a stay-at-home mom has come true. Well, time will tell!!

2. My parents came from NY for Nolan's celebration and it was so nice having them here. My Jack is just so in love with them and is just a different person in front of my mom and dad than he is with anyone else. He has no boundaries and feels no embarrasement, which explains his circus acts or made up language with my mom. I love seeing the boys with them and it still hurts to know that my children cannot just go over to their house or them come here on a whim because of the distance. I know it has affected Jack even more now because he understands distance and knows it will be awhile before the next trip to NY. My main focus is to make sure the visits never stop because I would love for Nolan and our future children to grow up loving my parents the same way Jack does. Due to their constant efforts and ours, I do not think this will ever be a problem.

3. Our trip to NY to stay at my sister's house and watch her kiddos for the week was incredible. My parents had no idea we were coming being that they just left visiting us 4 days earlier. They came to my sister's house and were pleasantly surprised when we popped out. My sister's live-in nanny was away so I was the replacement for the week. That meant 5 kids and me!! It was tiring don't get me wrong but it was amazing. I spent such quality time with my niece and 2 nephews and Jack & Nolan got a huge dosage of cousin time. When we lived in NY I was only 5 minutes from my sister and we saw each other daily, have dinner together many nights and loving on my niece and nephew. When we moved, this was one of the most devastating parts of it. Knowing I could not see them all the time and watch them grow up still can make me tear up. The final day when I said goodbye to them was one I will never forget. Besides the kiddos, just being with my sister for a week was so nice. Even though she worked every day, before she left for work and after, just sitting with her chatting was why I truly love having a sister. My sister is quite an incredible person. She works full-time, has 3 kids and a step-daughter and just always seems cool, calm and relaxed. Nothing much gets her in a daze and I a lways admired her for that. She makes her home so calm and relaxing. Nothing is rushed.... I truly love my sister with all my heart and think she is quite an incredible wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, etc.

4. Rob is back at work and I miss him!! We were so spoiled to have Rob home all summer and Jack and Nolan are missing him a whole lot. Every morning Jack wakes up and says, is Daddy home today?? I miss my best friend. How many more minutes until he gets home??? And Nolan, the minute Rob walks in the door, Nolan lights up and smiles ear-to-ear when he sees his daddy. He just loves his Daddy. Rob is doing incredible in his career. When we moved here, he was hired as just a 5th grade teacher and then the following year was asked to work for the Gifted and Talented program and now this year, he is the head of the program and has been offered many different opportunities. He was paid to write the curriculum for the district, asked to teach development courses to collegues in the district and is also speaking in a convention in Dec. in some other state for the McKinney ISD district. I knew he had it in him but was never given the chance to show what he had but one given the opportunity, he has run with it and has been beyond successful. I am amazed at what he has done in just 2 years since we moved and I just wish I could express it as much as I feel. Superiors to him ask him his opinion and I know it has to feel so good to him to see how far he has come but he is so humble.

5. Since I met Rob 13 years ago, he always spoke of something big happening in the future for us and he believed in himself. As the years have passed, Rob has always come up with ideas that were incredible and sounded so successful but nothing ever came of them. He has always had issues with procrastination and it has always held him back from his dreams of something BIG happening. After he has been so successful in this school district and teaching the Gifted Children, he decided to start pursuing his dreams of something BIG happening. Well we just found out about a week ago that Rob's idea might mean a totally different life for us. It is beyond our wildest dreams and only time and meetings will tell. The thought of this idea turning into what all involved think it will turn into is uncomprehendable to me but we are all excited and looking forward to the next step. I just cannot wait to be able to turn around and help everyone in our lives' that have helped us or our truest friends that we would love to turn around and thank them in a way we could never dream of.
Hopefully in my next blog I can share more about our possible dream coming true...

Now that I have spent the last hour catching up, I will once again promise that I will stay on top of my blog with even a few lines as a post, just something.

Oh and I forgot, I turned 31!! It was a great bday with friends and family and an awesome dinner with Rob and the kiddies. I am totally loving my life and could never imagine being any happier or more fortunate at this age.

My Littliest Angel is One!!

Nolan Ty- 8/19/08 at 2:23am

7lbs. 13.9 ounces

Proud Big Brother Jack

Growing so fast...

Always smiling

Happy Birthday Angel!

A year ago my littliest angel, Nolan Ty was born and out came this perfect little boy, who puts a smile on our faces everyday. It just amazes me that a year can come and go that fast. I can remember being in labor the night before and Rob loosing his patience with me because he felt he was going to be delivering in the car (thanks Jen L.) because I was taking way too long to get ready to look good for the pictures when he arrived into the world. The thought of hearing him cry for the first time or seeing his little face brings back such amazing memories of finally meeting my little boy after 9 months of anticipation. Well, he was worth every second of that waiting because he is truly incredible and I cannot wait to see him grow year after year.

Happy 1st Birthday, Nolan Ty!!

I've Come To Realize...

1. I've come to realize that my chest-size... is perfect thanks to some very special doctor.
2. I've come to realize that my job... is the best thing I could ever do...stay-at-home and raise my boys.
3. I've come to realize that when I'm driving... I have the best conversations with Jack.
4. I've come to realize that I need.... to stop worrying about how clean my house is even though I enjoy coming home to a clean house.
5. I've come to realize that I have lost... the desire to gossip negatively about people like we did in high school. Once you become older, you sort of realize that all it does is hurt someone and makes people realize the type of person you truly are.
6. I've come to realize that I hate it when... people do not think about how cruel they can be to others.
7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk... I do not enjoy the thought of waking up the next morning, which is why I do not get drunk anymore.
8. I've come to realize that money... can make some people very happy or others' very different in a negative way.
9. I've come to realize that certain people... are truly good people and others' decide when they want to be.
10. I've come to realize that I'll always... be so in love and thankful for my children, my husband and my family.
11. I've come to realize that my sibling(s)... mean the world to me and it still is so difficult that I live so far from them.
12. I've come to realize that my mom... is my ROCK and I cannot imagine being able to live without her. The thought can make me sick. I try to raise my children just like she raised us and I think I am doing a pretty good job.
13. I've come to realize that my cell phone... has way too many kinks in it since it was the 1st touch screen from Nextel and they should replace it for free.
14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning... I loved seeing my boys' faces.
15. I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep... I prayed.
16. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking... about my dog and hoping she is not truly sick.
17. I've come to realize that my dad... was an amazing father growing up and I can still remember how involved he was in everything we did. I love to hear his voice on the other line when he calls just to say "Hi".
18. I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook... I am sucked in for longer than I wanted to be.
19. I've come to realize that today... I got too stressed out and shouldn't of blown up the way I did at my hubbie.
20. I've come to realize that tonight... we are so blessed to have so many friends here in Texas.
21. I've come to realize that tomorrow... is going to be a busy day to get ready for Nolan's 1st bday party and my parent's arrival.
22. I've come to realize that I really want to... keep my children with me forever.
23. I've come to realize that the person who is most likely to repost this is... maybe my sister??
24. I've come to realize that life... seems like a dream to me because I am so lucky with all the people who are important in my life. How can one person be so fortunate??
25. I've come to realize that this weekend... is going to be amazing!! (my parent's will be with me, Nolan's 1st b-day party, and Jack will be in heaven with Grandma and Pop here.)
26. I've realized the best music to listen to when I am upset is... sad music, but why???
27. I've come to realize that my friends... are more important to me than I ever thought they would be.
28. I've come to realize that this year... has been absolutely incredible. My 2nd angel was born!
29. I've come to realize that my ex... should be my "ex" because I am with my soulmate right now.
30. I've come to realize that maybe I should... not think about cancer every day. It is my biggest fear.
31. I've come to realize that I love... what my life is all about...my children, my husband, my family, my friends, my dog. Life is Good!!
32. I've come to realize that I don't understand... why God cannot eliminate diseases, accidents, death. Life would just be perfect!!
33. I've come to realize my past... is what made me the person that I am today and I am thankful for what my past has taught me.
34. I've come to realize that parties... are so different when you are older and a mother. You think before you drink.
35. I've come to realize that I'm totally terrified... of anything ever happening to my children, husband and family.
36. I've come to realize that my life... is Perfect except for my family not being in Texas with us. If I could change that I don't think life could get any better.

Weaning Has Begun

The time has come...Nolan will be 1 next week so I have begun the weaning process with breastfeeding. I cannot believe it has been a year already and I must say that I am proud of myself for nursing for a full year. With Jack, I did it until he was 7 1/2 months and then with working full-time, my supply was decreasing too much and it was becoming more frustrating than enjoyable and I did not want to ruin the enjoyment I had with it for those 7 months. I always said if it became more of a chore rather than special time between the baby and me than it would be a sign to give it up and switch to formula. Well, I loved this year of nursing Nolan and it helped that he was good from the start with breastfeeding. For a whole year, I only had a 3 hour window to be away from him so it is going to be quite strange to be able to be away for a day and not have to worry that he is waiting to be fed. Since last week, I starting mixing breastmilk and whole milk together for one feeding in a bottle and he has had no problem and then 2 days ago, I starting eliminating nursing in the am for another bottle and once again, he is doing great. It is a little hard though because so much of me loves that mommy/baby connection and seeing how content he is snuggled up against me but I always said I would not be that person who would nurse my child until he went into kindergarten. So now I am down to one time nursing only and I am going to work on that one this week, which means by his 1st birthday, he will be a big boy on whole milk. Well, the pump will be on its way back into the attic until the next Lil' Fitz arrives...Goodbye to milk straight from the tap!!

Our 7th Anniversary!!

Seven years ago today, I was saying my "I do's" to my soulmate and I never thought I could love Rob anymore than I did that day but I do. My love for him is so much more now that he is also the father to my little angels and shows me each and everyday how much he truly loves me as a person.

Now it's time to look forward to our little getaway tonight with just the 2 of us!!

Almost 7 years ago....WOW!!

On Monday, it will be 7yrs. from when I married the love of my life. I remember this day like it was yesterday and how much planning went into making this day so perfect and it was, every bit of it. I can remember seeing Rob standing at the alter when I walked down the aisle and just knowing that he was the one and I could not wait to say, "my husband". Well 7 years later, I am still so proud to say "my husband". Not only do I still get that butterfly feeling when he walks through the door after being at work, but now I also get to see him as a dad. He is the most incredible dad and the boys are so in love with him. No matter what, he makes time to run around and play Jedi's with Jack or spend time with Nolan by rough housing with him and they both love their special time with their Daddy.

I just wish everyday I stepped back and realized just how lucky I am to be loved and in love with such an amazing man and incredible father to my children. Too many days go by that I forget to tell him how much I adore him and how proud I am of him for all his accomplishments because life is so busy.
We are so excited to be celebrating our 7th Anniversary on Monday and are looking forward to our night with just the 2 of us...hotel, dinner, etc. We plan on just enjoying our time together and I cannot wait to update my blog with the great details.

Just Enjoying Life and Being Thankful

So we are back from our trip to NY, which was just an amazing time. My children were loving being around my parents, sister, brother and cousins, especially Jack. It was as if he never left NY. He grew up with my sister's 2 children and he was always at my parent's and sister's house and even though time passes where he doesn't see them in awhile, the minute he walks through their doors, he is 100% Jack. For some reason, this time really meant so much to me to see that he still fills so comfortable around everyone. After 10 days, I felt very content with the time I spent with my family and was okay with having to return to Texas. I just needed to be reconnected with everyone in my family more than usual. Sometimes the distance bothers me more than other times.

On my way home and since that trip, I have been thinking about how lucky I (we) am in life. I have a loving family, the most supportive and loving husband, my two beautiful boys are happy and healthy, great friends, etc. I guess as you get older, you begin to realize that the little things or people that upset you is not really that big of a deal. Everyone makes mistakes but as long as they can recognize it, then is it really worth being upset over it??? As long as I stay true to myself and remain a good friend then I have done good as a person.

Our NY Trip So Far...

As of Monday nite, we have been here in NY staying with my parents and I cannot begin to explain how much I was looking forward to this visit. I was really getting a little homesick and missing the family and Jack could not stop talking about playing with his Pop-Pop, dancing to Baby Loves Jazz with Grandma and running around with his cousins. Now that we are here for about 5 days now, I can see that when it is time to leave on Wednesday, it is going to be very hard to say goodbye. The kids have been so good so far. Nolan has had absolutely not one issue with not sleeping in his own crib and is still the happiest baby ever. He just curls up, tush in the air and off to sleep he goes. Jack wakes up happy and goes to sleep happy because he is loving being hugged and kissed hundreds of times by my mom and gets to play planes for hours at a time. Well, off now to go granite shopping with my mom and the boys are off to go to the driving range with Dad.

I will post again when the trip has come to an end...

What an Eye Opener

So Sorry It's Been So Long

My plan for this post is to just post some things that have been going on in The Fitzgerald's life. It seems like the days go by so quickly and by the time night comes, I am pooped.

Rob has gotten a new side job at Randy's Steakhouse because it sorta feel into his lap and offered a lot more money than working at his prior side job. It is a great opportunity since next week he will be done with school and will be home the whole week so he plans on working maybe 3 or 4 nights during the week to just get ahead of the game and be able to enjoy ourselves the whole summer knowing we have this "fun" money. But as far as this week and next week, he still has work and has been literally walking in the door and changing clothes and running out to be at the restaurant. It has been hard and exhausting for him and for me. I love being home with the boys and thank God everyday that I can stay home and raise them but it is definately exhausting without having Rob home until about 10:30pm. He is tired too from going from one job to the next but it is just for these 2 weeks until teaching is over. But besides exhaustion, he has been doing great there so far. His first night, he had one table that their tab was $90 and they tipped Rob $100. Could you imagine tipping someone $100 when the tab is less than that. The 2nd night was $95. Both nights were slow nights because they were a Wednesday and Thursday. We will see how tonight goes but it seems like this is going to be a nice, well-paying 2nd job.

Now onto Friends...I always knew that I had some great friends here in Texas but I have really noticed just what amazing friends they are. My 2 friends Amie and Amy are genuinely great people and it opens my eyes up to what true friendship is all about. I can honestly say I think I have become a better person because of my friends. I never once think about what I can or cannot tell them because I know that they will never judge me or repeat what I say. It is so strange that I can hang out with a friend every single day and look forward to the next day that we can hang out again. Wouldn't you think I would need a break, I don't, I love every minute I spend with these 2 people. We all feel like we can be 100% ourselves and say whatever and just hangout and have the greatest time. I never once hesitate to help out them because I know they would do the same thing for me if I needed it. I am so fortunate to have met these 2 people and I will never let them out of my life.

Lastly, on June 30th we will be going to NY until July 8th because I am going through family withdrawal and cannot wait until August when my parents come for Nolan's 1st b-day. I cannot wait until my family sees how big the boys have gotten, especially Nolan. It is so hard because Jack grew up with my parents, sister, brother, and nieces and nephew and as he gets older, it seems to bother him more than when we first moved. We lived so close to all of them so he saw them constantly so now he is more aware of how far we are from them. I will never regret my move here because it was the best thing for us but I will never say it isn't hard. It hurts a lot, sometimes more than others. Anyway on a positive note, I cannot wait to see them and I am counting the days until then. Chilling with my family poolside, listening to the kids run around and loving every minute together, waking up seeing my parents, listening to Jack play with my dad and his planes all day long, Jack and my mom singing Baby Loves Jazz, etc, etc, etc.

Well, I am going to try my best to keep up from this point on even if it is a few short lines.

Say a Prayer

Today is a day that one of my truest, closet friends has been dreading and I only wish I could be there with her, holding her hand or just hugging her the way she was there for me when Jack was in the hospital. Unfortunately today, she needs to be strong and confident that her mother will be just fine during a small heart procedure. The relationship she has with her mother is almost identical to the one of have with my mother. It's the type that you cannot go more than an hour without call them or thinking about them. They are just the world to you and you could never imagine life without them.

Please just say a prayer that everything goes smoothly and this will soon come to an end and everyone will be home and happy.

Thinking of you!!

My Poor Nolan

So Nolan almost 9 months has only been sick 2 times, but when he gets it.....he gets it!! First sickness was the RSV that lasted over 2 weeks and then he gets this double ear infection that has taken 2 rounds of antibiotics to get better. Doesn't sound that bad, right???? Not until I tell you that this morning he wakes up and his face is covered in a red, blotchy hive like appearance and by the time 11:30 rolls around, his hands and feet are swollen and it hurts for him to even move his body. Went to the dr. at 12pm and it turns out that he has something called "EM", which is short for some medical term that basically is a skin irriation to a severe drug reaction from the meds he was on to fight off the double ear infection. It will take about 2-3 weeks for the hives to run its course and for the swelling and joint pain to completely subside.

IS this some kind of sick joke????? My heart is literally breaking when I look at my lil' baby in so much pain and looking like such a train wreck. After Jack's whole hospital ordeal, sickness is not something I deal well with because to be honest, I am just traumatized from Jack's simple cold that turned into a absess on his vertebrae and needed surgery.

Well the doctor said he should be quite miserable for a few days and to keep him out of the sun because it will irriate him even more. The big problem is what do I do with Jack??? I cannot keep a 4 year old in a house for a few days with nothing to do. I really feel bad for Jack because here he is energized and ready to go out and release some energy and now I can't go anywhere.

I always try to stay positive and thankful and think about how this isn't the end of the world and life can be so much worse, but damn, this sucks!!

Could This Be True???

As you know, I have worked for my neighbor's company for quite awhile now and once I had Nolan, I continued doing orders from home but unfortunately they were sparatic. I have been saying over and over again that I need to land a big corporate company that is in need of promotional products to really make consistent, decent money. I have been trying to think of part-time jobs to make a little extra money but not having to return to work full-time because the main reason I moved here was to be able to stay-at-home and raise my children.

Well....my prayers were answered. Thanks to a great friend and of course his wife, I have landed a huge corporate order that will be ordering tons of promotional products and as long as they are satisfied, this job can last anywhere up to 10 years or so. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess positive energy makes good things happen.

I can't wait to find out more details!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking Forward to Church Day

Last Sunday, we started going to Hope Fellowship Church, which is quite a big step in our family's life. Both Rob and I were brought up Catholic but church wasn't an every Sunday type of thing. Religion and praying were always important when I was growing up but not by going to church. My family always prayed and we would always say our prayers together before bedtime and of course, holiday mass but that about sums it up. As far as Rob is concerned, he went to Catholic school growing up and did not have such great memories with the nuns, so it left a pretty bad taste in his mouth.
When we moved here to Texas, we were blown away by how important religion and church were to so many of our friends. Church as we remembered it was nothing like how our friends were describing it. So to get to the point, about a week ago, we decided to give it a try. We talked about faith and how we think we need to have this family time with each other and raise our children knowing how lucky we are to all be here and that we have so many angels watching over us. After Nolan's beautiful birth, Jack's hospital scare, Nolan's RSV, my headaches, we feel like this is where we should be right now in our lives, thanking God for everything he has done for us and watched over us when we needed him most.
We went on Sunday and truly enjoyed our time there. Boy are things different, great music, a pastor who we could totally relate to, so many people with open arms, the environment in general, set the mood for the whole day. We are really looking forward to this Sunday.

Poor Nolan

Well Nolan's 103.8 fever the other night turned out to be a nasty double ear infection. How could that be when he barely complained. That's Nolan!! We are just blessed with a "happy kid". So yesterday the dr. put him on amoxicillin and said he should begin feeling better in about 36 hrs. and to be prepared for a possible "rough" night. Well for the first time, Nolan was not a happy camper at about 11:45pm last night. Went to sleep at 6:30pm without a peep and then woke up with a blood-curdling cry that lasted for about an hour and a half. It was heart-wrenching to see Poor Nolan like that. He was just in so much pain and to not be able to relieve it was the worst part. Finally after about 1hr and 1/2, he fell asleep in his bed and awake at 8am happy as our lil' Nolan always is.
Say a prayer tonight that our lil' guy feels better.

Babysitter Andy was a Success!

Here you have an awesome guy that just found out he landed a "sweet" new job position, where his wife can just plan out how she can spend his new income and what does he do to celebrate.....
watch all 4 kids while Amie and I go and get pampered. Well this time worked out a bit better for Andy. No one had any poop accidents, where Andy needed to empty out the entire bottle of baby soap in the tub to clean off the poop off my child, no water poured out of the ceiling, no ant infestations in my house. Everything was just perfect, except poor Andy was starving to death because his wife placed a pizza order with the Allen Rosati's Pizzeria instead of the McKinney one, which is why it took about 2 hours for it to arrived. Well in a way, it was better off because by the time Amie and I got home, it was still pretty warm. Just to show you how sweet Andy is, we walked in to him absolutely drenched so I just assumed maybe he jumped in the shower for a sec., not sure why he would do that but hey, you never know. He assured us that was not the case and he was just sweating his ass off in our house. If you have ever been to the Rittler's house, it is -20 degrees at all times, so I guess our house seems like an inferno but my point is, Andy did not want to turn on the AC because he did not know if we wanted it on for the season yet. Oh my God, are we that bad????? Damn it Andy, don't be so sweet.....turn the AC on before you die!! We love you guys!!!

The Family Fun Has Come to an End

Late last Thursday night, my sister and her 2 children arrived from NY to surprise Jack for his birthday. Friday morning Jack woke up and my sister and the kids went outside and knocked on the door. Jack still half asleep, opened the door and basically was frozen in shock. He backed up and had an ear-to-ear grin on his face and said, "My birthday wish came true". Well from that point on until Tuesday, the cousins played all day into the late night and Jack was definately in heaven, especially after he had a difficult time when my father left. It was as if they were never apart. They felt so comfortable with one another that they even had no problem arguing with one another and ganging up together. To sum it all up, the kids had a great week and I so enjoyed my sister's company. It is crazy how fast 6 days can go but we cherished every moment of it. Nothing is better than waking up to my niece and nephew's voice upstairs waiting to come downstairs since they get up around 6am and us "Fitzgerald's" do not start waking until 8am. This was a time I will never forget and to see my Jackie Boy that excited is priceless!!

My Dads Visit!

On Saturday, my dad flew in from NY to spend some time with us and we are lovin' every minute of it. I must admit, he was quite excited to leave NY and arrive in nice, warm Texas, but it didn't really work out that way. Well anyway, Dad is lovin' his time here, yet freezing his ass off. Jack has been attached to Pop's side every minute of the day and will truly be devastated when tomorrow morning comes and Pop leaves us. Nolan is also lovin' Pop's attention. Even though he is going through his Mommy stage, he has no problem going to Pop and giving him those big smiles, enjoying Pop giving him a bath, etc.
Well Jack and Pop are at the Aviation Museum in Addison now (2nd plane museum since Pop got here) and I know Jack is in heaven spending time with his airplane buddy. For some reason, this departure will be extremely hard for Jack this time, which I believe is due to him getting older and understanding how far he is from NY. Yes, moving here was the best decision for our family, but it sure is hard to say goodbye to the people you love and miss most. Being close to my dad also doesn't make it any easier. I am and always will be "Daddy's Lil' Girl".

Happy 4th Birthday to My Sweet Angel, Jack Dylan!!

Here he is just 4 years ago...Jack Dylan born on 3/24/05 at 3:22am weighing 8lbs. 12ounces.

Our Precious Little Boy

Jack Dylan- 1 year old

Jack's 2 years old

Jack's 3 years old

Happy 4th Birthday, Angel

Our 1st Family Bike Ride

Yesterday we went for our first family bike ride. Jack got a new bike for his birthday and we thought Nolan was ready to ride behind mommy. We had such a nice time!!