In my life there have been several people who I grew up with, until about the 4th grade. I have often wondered where these people have gone. What are they doing? What do they look like today? Are they married with kids yet? I wish I could find these people and talk to them. I have actually found one girl that I went to elementary school with until the 4th grade. I had heard she moved really far away, but really she's actually right down the road from me. No lie. Seriously.

the first person, if given a chance to talk to, would be Jennifer. I don't remember how old I was(I was younger than 5, I know that), but she lived about 5 houses down from me. she had bright red hair, freckles. I don't remember her face but I knew she had a brother that lived upstairs, their stairs were spiral. I remember them being spiral because I remember thinking they were awesome. Haha. I don't remember her mom and dad but I remember he grandma, she was nice. One day I went to her house and Jennifer wasn't home, but her grandma let me in anyway(thinking back now, I don't know why this lady would have let me in without my friend being there). I knew her dog, a rottweiler, had puppies. I walked down the hallway and into the room where the mama dog was. I turned to leave because I was just going to look at them, and the mama dog lunged and bit the back of my leg. I still have the scar. I don't know why, but I never told anyone from her house what happened, I just left. I don't ever remember talking to this family again after this happening. It seems like when this happened we just stopped talking and they moved very shortly thereafter. After I got bit by her dog, I walked home and my memory fades as I walk out their door. My mom still has those jeans that I was wearing the day I got bitten, and they still have droplets of blood on them. When my parent's pass, I would like to get those jeans and keep them, I know it's sounds silly, but I do. I don't think I'll ever forget Jennifer and how much fun we had in that short amount of time. Another memory I have is my brother and his friend Trey were playing outside, for some reason there were lots of kids on our street that day. I remember me and Jennifer carried an aquarium around, a small one and it was FULL of toads and snakes. HA, can you believe that?? I loved catching toads and those little grass snakes, I still do. Every time I am at my parents house and Daisy is there, we go outside and look for "nakes"(it's what Daisy calls them). I remember letting them go and they scatter like roaches, it was so funny. I don't think Jennifer ever said goodbye to me or my family, but we had good memories.

the next person is Dean(he wasn't a friend, just a memory). Dean lived down the street, directly across the street from our elementary school. At that same time(I'm still BFs with Tara and Dana) I was best friends with Tara, Dana and Michelle. Sometimes our moms would allow us to walk home because really, the school was a short distance from all of our houses. Every time we walked home, Dean would follow us and throw rocks at us and chase us. Dean was a chubby kid, I remember thinking he was REALLY ugly. I'm sorry, he was. One day Michelle was running a bit slow and Dean caught up with her(that day it was only me and Michelle). She yelled to me to run and I did. I didn't stop for a long long time. Dean was really mean to her. Michelle and Dean were separated by one house, but we never hung out with him..ever. I don't remember when he left, but his house is now dilapidated. It's boarded up and looks like ghosts or junkies could live in there. His house, before he moved, was really old anyway. It seemed to be a big 2-story house and it was white. I wonder where he is right now, I wonder if he ever became more handsome(I can't imagine that he has) and met someone and has kids. I hope one day I get to find out.

And the final person is Shane. I used to remember his last name, not that I would have said it here anyway. In the 4th grade, he was tallest and the cutest, everyone had a crush on him. Even my friend Dana, who until the 10th grade couldn't talk unless someone did for her because she was SO shy. Dana confided in me one day, telling me she had a major crush on this boy. Shane had brown hair that was always parted to the side with that little wave in the front. He had a small gap between his teeth and talked with a small lithp(haha, kidding, lisp), his freckles were only concentrated across his nose and nowhere else. His eyes were hazel. Please don't ask how my memory of him so good, I don't know. After lunch every day we got to have recess for about 30 minutes. One day at recess I ran to him and told him Dana had a crush on him, he stood there, not saying anything while he played with another boy at the tether ball pole. He could've care less. I didn't tell Dana I had told him that until years later, she was surprised but she couldn't get mad. By that time we hadn't seen Shane in many many years and he was just a little school-girl crush. We both laughed it off and we still laugh about it today and surprisingly, she still turns a bit red when I mention it. Shane was a well-mannered boy and I'm sure today he is a very successful guy, he might have a really pretty girlfriend or wife with beautiful children. He was never mean to the girls, I'm sure his parents were terrific people. He was smart, very smart. (Another thing about him I JUST remembered: Dana, me, Michelle and Tara were the cheerleaders for our elementary school and he was a cheerleader too!!)

It's really weird how often I find myself thinking about these people who I haven't seen nor talked to in over 10 years. I wish I could run into these people and be like "Hey, I went to school with you, remember me"?! I doubt I'll get the chance, but it'd be nice just to see what these people's lives are like. Did they turn in junkies? I hope not.

Are there people from your past that you often think about? What are your memories of them? Have you ever come in contact with them?

I know when I had James, and still to this day, I sometimes feel ugly because of lack of sleep, I gained 70 pounds while pregnant so my body is totally different, my feet are a size bigger, my breasts are abnormally large, I now have chronic health problems that I blame on pregnancy(because I was fine before), stretch marks are my worst enemy and I usually don't put make up on because I don't have many places to go because we have 1 car. I'm a stay at home mom and everyone in my condo complex works, and if they don't, they're staying inside from the heat too. I don't get out much and I admit that. I don't swim anymore because, hello, going from 135 to 200 pounds doesn't look good on a stretch marked fat girl like me, hahahaha. So, to make myself feel better and because I sell Avon, I buy the things that would accentuate things that I used to not be so worried about. Like my eyes, my nails,  my lips and I'm into wearing summer dresses more now. I do work out when I'm not changing a diaper, cooking, cleaning or taking a shower(when I can!!). So here are a few things that I have bought for myself that I think would help make the new mom out there with a new body or who is just not feeling herself.



(I never wore lipstick because I never thought it would ever look good on me. I bought some of this, Ultra Rich Lipstick in a few different shades. I LOVE them and now I'm a lipstick-a-holic. Wearing lipstick helped me to feel really good about my image as both a mom and a wife, cause I still want to look totally hot for Neil- at least I try)



(I love to smell good, and the smell of this Mandarin Jasmin shower gel rocks my world. This is something to definitely take in the shower with you as soon as you get a chance. If there is one thing I should tell new moms, it's to always take time out for YOU. As soon as the baby goes to sleep or if you have someone else with you, take that opportunity and jump in the shower....with this! you can buy the lotion with it too. My husband told me he actually really likes the smell of this on me, it makes me feel good to hear him say that)



(Ah, foot massages. After being on your feet whether if it's for cleaning, cooking, holding your little one for going for a walk with the kids, this stuff is the stuff of champion moms! Have your husband give you an amazing foot rub with this Foot Works Moisturizing cream. It has that pepperminty smell and it makes your feet and nose tingle. What I do is smother this stuff on my feet at night and put socks on. I wake up with ultra smooth feet, and having clean looking and moisturized feet make me feel really good, even if it has been 2 days with no shower, hehe.)



(not a lot of people have time to sit in front of the mirror with a crying baby or a hungry toddler and try to pluck all those crazy eyebrows! I hate plucking, it hurts and takes too much time. I actually have this hair removal cream and it works WONDERS! Put a thick layer of this over your eyebrows where you want or if you have that very light colored mustache, I have one too ladies, put it on and in minutes, no hair! I was amazed, seriously amazed. It will also help you to not feel so self conscious about those crazy eyebrows, if you don't have time then you don't have time. But this stuff works, for real.)



(There is nothing worse than talking yourself into working out. You're busy with all this stuff THEN you're pressured by today's celebrities to lose all that weight at one time. Well, look, working out is hard, but when you do get the chance to work out, it feels great. But what if you don't feel like nothing is happening? I think that all the time. I bought this waist trimmer almost a year ago and it really works. It helps you to sweat more around your waist, you do this for however long- walking 5 days a week for 30 minutes or whatever your regiment is- it helps and it boosts your confidence. It's helped me to realize I'm beautiful no matter what- big small skinny or fat. Being a mom and a wife is more rewarding.)


Well that's it for Avon-I'm sorry it's long, but this stuff has helped me feel better about being me in my new body. Here are some things from Target that have helped me too!



(I love long dresses and not to hide what I have, but they make me feel very pretty. Summer dresses like this one are good for poolside fun, going to beach or just hanging around. It's dark in color, but the material is light and air-y.)





(I LOVE these! they're my favorite pants to wear and great for summertime. Not to mention, I feel invincible when I wear them, I don't know why. Again, these go with anything and when you're in a hurry for a doctor appointment or you need to go get some diapers PRONTO, slip these babies on and keep on that shirt you have on and Viola, you're instantly HOT!!!)



(this is a hot little number huh? Sigh- I know how it is to have your baby and later on, being intimate with your husband or better half begins to get harder and harder. I also know how it feels to not want to have sex because of how you think you look. Believe me, your husband will think you're hot in this-or out of it. Plus, wearing something simple yet mysterious like this helps rev things up...when baby finally goes to sleep. Even if it's for 10 minutes, quickies are fun too, hehe. You need to keep the spark alive, it's just something humans were born to do. Wearing this also will boost your confidence to do fun things between the sheets!)





(I'm definitely a shoe person and I feel like the shoe is the glue to the outfit. I actually wore these hotties to a wedding, they're comfortable and I had more than just my husband compliment me. It feel great to have people notice the small things, it helps me to see me through other people's eyes. I've always said to people who think they're ugly-that included telling myself this-"You're so used to seeing yourself at the mirror, you don't see what other people see, you're beautiful". And if a shoe helps you, then that's GREAT!)

that's all I have. I know it was long, but some people seriously don't know who to go to for advise and some people might not have anyone to talk to about these things. No, I'm not saying I'm the bomb and you should talk to me, but I hope this helps people feel good. These same things have helped me in the littlest ways but have made a huge impact on how I see myself through other people's eyes.

It was 6 AM when my mother in law called my hubby, we slept through it. She then called my phone, she doesn't usually do that, so I knew something was up. I answered in my groggy-mommy-hasn't-had-enough-sleep-voice. she told me that we need to take James to the ER because he looks bad. I knew he looked bad, he'd been looking bad since he came from from the hospital. I had just told Neil the day before that we need to think about taking James into the ER because something is wrong. And there was something very wrong. His eyes were sunken in, he was almost an ashy gray color and his little fontanel was sunken too. That's not healthy.
    I first noticed something was wrong one night when Neil was in class and I was at home with James, we'd been watching one of the reality shows I like. I can't tell you how old he was then, probably almost a month old- yeah, I think. I had just given him 2 ounces of formula and he was doing really good. I burped him and put him back in his bouncy chair that was nestled on the couch with me. Then out of nowhere James threw up, not spit up, projectile barfing. I knew that when babies have projectile vomiting, something was wrong. So I kind of freaked out and called my mom, who kind of talked me down. This went on for a long time, I was first time mom and he had been to the doctor for this, but the doctor said it was reflux and prescribed him some baby antacid stuff. It seemed to work in the beginning, we propped his bed up at the head so he slept at an incline, he constantly help him straight up when eating, we rarely let him lay flat. One day I remember Neil's dad telling me he had pyloric stenosis as a baby. It affects the first born white male, how weird. Instantly, a light bulb went off. I knew, my motherly instinct told me this is what James had. Nobody thought I was right though, no one. (If you hear a mom tell people something is wrong, don't shoot her down, chances are she's right) One night while my mom was having her Girls' Night out, James had cried for 45 minutes straight. Seriously, and not a little cute baby cry, like a possessed baby cry. He was not happy with anything I did. I sang, I tried burping(only to get thrown up on), I did everything I could think of. I called my mom and she told me to bring him to her. I happily ran at the offer and met up with her at the restaurant. And got a good vodka tonic out of the deal too- hey, after dealing with that all night, I deserved a strong drink!! So we all went home, all was good. I took James to my parent's house one day, I was there for some reason over night. I left to go do something and so mom and dad had James. Mom had taken his clothes off so he could enjoy his freedom and my dad had mentioned he look like an Ethiopian kid. You could clearly see his ribs and his face was creepy looking anyway. So she sent my dad out to buy some Nutrimigen, the most expensive baby formula out there. He did good with it! I was so happy, we'd found a cure! (I should tell you at this point, we had switched to more than 5 different formulas) But not for long, James eventually barfed it all up. you can't imagine how hopeless I was. I had always had this fear that I would bond with my baby and then I'd lose him, and I knew I couldn't deal with that. That weekend, that's when my mother in law called. She just kind of confirmed what I had wanted to do. So we all drove to the Children's Hospital in Houston, it was well worth the 30 minute drive. We got there, no one was there! Awesome. They checked all of his vitals. I think the scariest part was when he finally got admitted, one of the nurses had asked me if I had noticed that James would occasionally stop breathing. It freaked me out, I hadn't noticed it, and seeing it really put chills all over my already clamy skin. They did an ultrasoun, lo and behold, who was right? MOM! I WAS RIGHT! I was happy that he had this because I knew the surgery was a 15 minute surgery, quick and there was only a few steps. At the same time, I felt so bad that this little guy had to go through this turmoil, a little one shouldn't have to go through anything like that. They couldn't schedule the surgery for a while because James had so little energy and so little electrolytes, they had to build him up for a while. On the day they came and got him, it was a bitter-sweet moment. Right before they took him out, James threw up ALL of his stomach acid, it was really gross looking. James also had burns on his mouth from his saliva, so I'm sure it hurt him even more. the doctors who did the surgery were SO awesome, they were...there are no words to describe them, there just aren't. Once he was done with his surgery, we probably waited a total of 30 minutes, we got to go back and see him in recovery. After that, back to NICU.
    From the time he came back from surgery to the time we left, James had totally done a 360. He had spunk in his eyes, and it was the first time he smiled without having gas. James spent his very first Easter laying in that hospital bed. It was a good Easter though, he got his health as a gift and that's all I could have asked for. Even now me and Neil have trouble looking at pictures from when he was sick. People ask me how James was at 2 months old and there is nothing I can say, I didn't have a normal 2 month old. So when we finally got home from the hospital, James ate more than I'd ever seen! He was drinking 6 ounces in no time and he finally got some meat on his bones. I was so happy our baby was healthy. the reason why I titled this One More Day is because I felt like if we would have waited one more, I don't think James would be with us today. He's a great kid, he keeps me on my toes and what I love the most is he suffered no set backs from this. He's an awesome kid, I wouldn't have done anything different looking back.

If you want info on Pyloric Stenosis, just look here.