Hard To Believe...

I can't believe today Skylar is one month old! I know this seems to be a common theme in my posts, but "a lot has happened in one month..."

Skylar is growing so fast - I feel like I already missed her newborn stage when she was really tiny. I am going to try and take more pictures from now on. She still eats, sleeps, dirties her diapers, and does it all over again, but she's getting more alert during her awake time. She loves baths and has even started to "play" with her rubber ducky when it floats over her leg (she swishes her leg in an attempt to move the duck around). Skylar doesn't like coming out of the bath though - she takes after her mommy. Getting out of a nice warm bath or shower is the worst in the winter!

Some learning experiences: No one told me what foods were bad for breast feeding, so poor Skylar had a bloated tummy for about a week, but other than that, she's been a happy baby. I feel pretty lucky. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely had a few nights where I just get a couple hours of sleep due to a fussy Skylar, but that is to be expected. I remember the first night when she slept for 3.5 hours straight... I woke up in a panic because I thought something was wrong since she hadn't cried yet, but once I realized she was okay, I felt like a million bucks with 3.5 hours of sleep! The pediatrician showed Kyle and I the "hog tie" swaddle method, which I refuse to use on my daughter, lol, although supposedly babies like it when they sleep... Another lesson learned was that Pampers hold her mess in better than Huggies - our new washing machine is fabulous :)

I am adjusting pretty well - only had a few nights of uncontrollable sobbing for no reason (gotta love hormones) and I no longer feel like a prisoner in my own house since I've been able to get out more. I have definitely watched my share of movies since we don't have cable and our internet was down for a week... Reese is a little bummed because I don't take him for walks any more so he gets bored and attempts to entertain himself by biting his leg and whining a lot. I am looking forward when I get the okay from my doctor in 2 weeks to be more active again. Hopefully I can run with Reese, take the baby on walks if it's sunny out, and get this jelly belly back in shape. We've really enjoyed the visitors we've had since Skylar is not supposed to be around large crowds for another 2 weeks. It's been hard not going to church, out to the store, etc. so if anyone wants to swing by and say hello, just give me a call! If I don't answer, I am probably asleep or have my hands full, but I'll call you back!

We go to the pediatrician Monday for her one month check up and will see how much she has grown. Thankfully all of her grandparents are close by and have been able to see her frequently. The first great-grandparents made it down to see her this past week which was fun. Some more family will be coming in town for Christmas and even more in January so we're excited. Skylar is not lacking love, that's for sure! We've enjoyed all of our friends who have come to visit and have been extremely blessed with the people in our lives. Here's a picture from a few days ago when she was asleep on my lap.


This is a big month of firsts for Skylar: (besides the basics in the hospital like dirty diaper, etc.)... she had her first tear, first bath when her belly button stump fell off, first "manicure" by mommy, first outing, first overnight trip, first bottle, first doctor visit, first viewing of the Clemson Tigers and more! I am looking forward to her first laugh and when she smiles on purpose. I know moments will come and go so quickly and I just hope that I take the time to enjoy them. Kyle and I have loved getting to know this little girl and have so much more to look forward to (although we joke that her real parents are going to come knocking on our door to pick her up one day because we still don't feel like parents). A few of our friends are expecting babies soon so we're exited to share that experience with them and to meet Skylar's play buddies. I'll do my best to post a picture with her eyes open soon - they are still gray-blue so we'll see if they change... She still has a brown mullet too. I think the mullet is God's sense of humor because I really dislike mullets and hate rat tails, but I can't not like the one Skylar has... We're predicting that her hair will fall out and turn blonde though since Kyle and I both were blondes. We'll keep you updated :)

It's A Girl!

November 19, 2009 - the day I had been waiting for...

After passing November 15th with no major signs of anything happening, I was getting a little discouraged. The last thing I wanted was to get closer and closer to Thanksgiving with the fear that I might spend the holiday in the hospital. I knew that I had absolutely no control over our child's arrival, so I did what I usually do when I realize I am helpless - I prayed.

I really wanted to deliver our baby completely natural with no epidural or any other drugs, and I certainly didn't want to be induced. Some people think I am crazy for that, but there are many reasons for wanting to go natural. If you're interested in my reasoning, feel free to ask - I will spare the rest of you because this paragraph could get really long if I started explaining myself :) With that said, Kyle and I hired a doula (aka birthing coach) to help us through the process since neither of us had any experience and could use all the help we could get. Our doula would be key in helping us with pain management, positions, and encouragement.

The birth story:

Wednesday the 18th at 2 AM, I wake up with contractions. Could this be it or another false alarm? They continued for an hour and I decided to get up and take a shower because I certainly wasn't going to be able to sleep. I woke Kyle up and let him know that they were pretty consistent and he may need to work from home. We ended up putting a movie in around 4 AM or so because neither of us were getting sleep and I needed a distraction from the pain. I attempted to eat a little breakfast but it did not want to stay down. I continued to find distractions throughout the day (raking the back yard, taking the dog for a walk, etc.) to get my mind off the contractions. I actually had a doctor's appointment - just a weekly OB check up scheduled for that afternoon - so I was able to keep busy until then. The pain was very manageable as long as I wasn't sitting doing nothing.

Once I got to the doctor's office around 3:30, I told her that I had been having contractions all day and if I hadn't made any progress not to tell me because I was going to be upset. She checked and smiled and said I was at 4cm and 80% thinned out (which was much better than 1cm and 20% that I was last week). If I lived far away, she was going to tell me to go on over to the hospital, but since I live close by, she said I could go home and come back when the contractions were 5 min apart for an hour lasting a minute each.

When I got home, the contractions kicked it up a notch, were a lot more painful and started getting closer together. Kyle helped massage my back and put a heat pad on my lower back with each contraction to help relieve the tension and pain. We called our doula to let her know I was in labor and would probably request her to come to the hospital whenever we decided to head on over. The contractions were getting closer and closer together. My body had been cleaning itself out all day and I was severely dehydrated. I was drinking water, had managed to keep two pieces of toast down, but that was about it. From 5 PM until 10 PM, I stayed at home and Kyle helped me through each contraction. Later that night, I lost the few Sun Chips I attempted to eat... Not a smart choice since the little pieces of chips were like shrapnel coming back up. I looked at Kyle and told him to take me to the hospital so I could get some fluids (plus at that point, the contractions were 3.5 to 4.5 minutes apart consistently).

We arrived at the hospital at 10:30 and got checked into a labor and delivery room. Once you get to the hospital, they have to monitor the baby every hour for 20 minutes at a time (which restricts you to the bed - not ideal for contractions when you're going natural). I laid in bed while they listened to the heart beat and my doula arrived shortly after. They checked me and told me I was still at 4 cm. Seriously? My heart sank. I had labored for 6 hours at home, active hard labor, and no progress. At that point, I looked at Kyle and half serious/half joking said, "give me the freaking epidural."

They explained that since I was so dehydrated, my uterus was probably contracting more intensely without progress because my body was in no condition to deliver a baby. They have to give you fluids when you get an epidural, so I decided to take the fluids first and see what happened. They emptied about a liter into my body in 5 minutes and my body absorbed all of it. I labored for 2.5 more hours and they checked me again. Progress! I was at 6.5 cm! They said that was pretty standard for first time moms (1 cm per hour) and that I was definitely going to have that baby tonight since my body was progressing so well after all of the fluids (which typically slows people down). Even though I was encouraged by progress being made, I did the math in my head and realized that 1 cm per hour would require at least 3.5 more hours of hard labor before I had to push... I was not okay with that. Things needed to happen a lot faster if I was going to make it without the epidural.

My doula had me change positions to help the baby get into better position. I think my mental realization of timing and the position change helped a ton because in a half hour I had the urge to push. They called the doctor back in and I had gone 1.5 cm in a half hour! I was at an 8, but my water hadn't broke yet so they went up there and popped the sac of waters which helped things progress even more. Before long, I was fully dilated at 10 cm but still couldn't push until the cervix was completely out of the way. They made me wait about 20 minutes... This seemed like eternity because I had to fight the urge to push which is the strongest sensation I can't even begin to describe. I finally got the okay to push and within the hour, the head was on its way out and my hips felt like they were breaking in half. With encouragement and determination (and the realization that it's too late for the epidural and the longer I wait, the more pain I am going to be in) I pushed the baby out and heard the doctor say, "It's a girl!"

Kyle immediately started crying (which he rarely does) and I laid there in shock as they laid our baby girl on my belly. I didn't cry (not typical of me at all) but I was so relieved to be done and was still trying to process that I had just given birth naturally to a little girl - not to mention I was completely exhausted. She came out ready to eat and was a little angel. They were fixing me up and taking care of other after birth items as I laid there and tried to take it all in. The big question came from across the room, "What's her name?"

Oops. "We're going to have to discuss it," I replied. We had two boy names picked out but were still undecided about girl names. All along, I felt like I was having a boy up until the last month of my pregnancy, which is when I started hounding Kyle for girl names. Our doula, not knowing the names we had talked about, told us that she had been to dinner with a friend of hers who predicted we were going to have a girl and her name was going to start with "S." Kyle and I looked at each other, because Skylar was the only name we had both liked. "Skylar it is" we said. But what about a middle name? Our doula said that we should pick a family name. My mom and Kyle's mom both have the middle name Marie, which is something we had discussed as a possibility. When we said we were thinking about Marie, our doula said that was her middle name as well. Done. Skylar Marie.


7lbs 2 oz born in the wee morning hours on the 19th of November - welcome Skylar Marie Jones. Your mommy and daddy are so happy to have you in our arms finally. Not that I didn't love you in my belly, but you're so much more than I ever imagined. Right now you pretty much just eat, sleep for a few hours, wake and try to figure out your surroundings, dirty your diapers, eat some more, go back to sleep, then do it all over again. But you're beautiful. I can't wait to see what kind of amazing woman you turn out to be. For now though, I am soaking in your newborn stage because I know it won't last long. Soon you'll be crawling, then walking, then talking, and then off to college. Your daddy's already talking about saving for your wedding - you'll come to learn that even though he hates spending money, he's a sucker for you and will probably give in to whatever you want as long as it's within reason. As we are adjusting to this new life with our new family, we have been completely blessed by amazing friends, family, people within our church, and the best parents anyone could ask for. We hope that we can be the best parents you could ever hope for as well - we know you'll at least have the best grandparents :)

Ready!

Hello there!

No baby yet, (don't worry, we'll call you when something happens) but I wanted to put some pictures of the nursery up since many of you haven't seen the new place yet...






Here's a close up of the bedding. We have the "bunny meadow" pattern of the bedding painted on the walls, which you can see around the changing area and the crib in case you are wondering what you're looking at.


Kyle and I have been working hard (especially this past week) to get everything ready.

We just celebrated our two year anniversary on the 3rd of November! On our first year anniversary, we had a toast to no babies... can't say the same for this one, hahaha. However, we are excited and look forward to meeting this little Jones! For the second year anniversary, Kyle took me out to one of my favorite restaurants for a nice steak dinner (we've always just gone with parents because it's expensive...) He said he'd really love to take me there on a date since we probably won't be able to afford it for a really long time after this baby arrives.
He's probably right :) Here we are, all dressed up.


We can't wait to announce the little one's arrival and hope it comes sooner rather than later. I am pretty uncomfortable these days, but it makes me want to deliver this baby so I am okay with it. If I was comfortable, why on earth would I want to go into labor?! I'll spare you the pictures of my bare skin belly completely odd-shaped with a baby sticking out way further than it ever should. With the new pain and positions of the baby, I have more motivation to birth this baby, besides finding out if it's a boy or a girl and meeting our child (as if that wasn't enough...). Seriously though, I'm ready. Kyle is too, lol.

Full Term!!!

Hey Everyone!

So it's been about a month since my last post, and again, a lot has happened in a month!!!

First off, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of the family... Reese! He is a beagle lab mix and is about 4-5 years old :) He is a great dog and we are very happy to have him.


So in the midst of our apartment becoming the worst nightmare we could ever imagine and being a month away from my due date, Kyle calls me and asks if we can have a dog. He starts explaining that his brother, Matt, knows a couple who is moving to California and they can't find a home for their dog and don't want to give him back to the pound... All Kyle hears is a sniffle and then I burst out into tears. Kyle says, "so is that a yes?" to which I reply "I am so overwhelmed right now between the apartment, all the projects around our house, and having a baby in a month, I can't even comprehend taking in a dog right now that I don't even know..." Kyle, realizing that I was in no state to make a decision said, "I'll be home in an hour so why don't you take some time to think and pray about it." By the time he got home, I told him I was still so overwhelmed by everything else that I would trust his decision because I can't even think about the dog... so we got a dog, lol. (I will say that Kyle and I have wanted a dog for some time now and this dog has all its vaccinations, is fixed, grew up with a baby who is now a toddler, and is trained well so it really is a great fit for us - minus the shedding).

We've had Reese a little over a week now and he's been great!!! I have had so much fun walking him around the neighborhood, getting to know the other dog owners, and taking him to Piedmont Park to hang out. He really is a great addition to the family and it's been fun learning his weird habits - like pretending to bite his leg when he wants to play and howling at the sirens as they go by :)

In addition to adding a member to the family and getting settled into our home, we've been busy meeting neighbors and finishing up projects around the house to prepare for the other new member of the family that is coming soon. Since I have been walking Reese quite a bit in the past week, I have definitely had stronger contractions that wake me up randomly in the middle of the night... Baby Jones is anxious to come out! Not only has the little one grown quite a bit in the past week or two (I now am only 10 lbs shy of being the same weight as my husband) but the baby has dropped into my pelvis and the movement has kicked up a notch as well... Here's a picture of me that I attempted to take myself tonight so you could see my current size, so I apologize for it not being the greatest.

My tank top is slightly stretched out now, hahaha. Anyway, I am now considered full term and can deliver the baby at any time even though I still have 2.5 weeks or so left until my official due date. You can bet that if November 14th rolls around and I haven't started labor by that evening, I will be walking all hours of the night to get things going because I do NOT want to go late (especially with Thanksgiving around the corner)!

I am okay with things progressing slowly right now though because as you can see, there are no pictures of the nursery on here yet... You may think I forgot, but oh no - there is a reason! The walls are painted, the crib and changing table are in place, but we still have yet to get a rocking chair of some sort and there are still things that need to be unpacked and put away. The unpacking isn't the hard part, but finding a place for everything has proven to be quite challenging without shelves and storage space. We're working on it and should have something to show you soon. My next post will probably be the last one before the baby arrives and will hopefully include pictures of our new home and nursery unpacked and set up nicely.

We have been so blessed thus far - even with the unfortunate events at the apartment, we have felt peace and a sense that we are where we're supposed to be right now. Kyle and I both have been able to stay healthy throughout this time. We have been able to learn a lot in different areas of life, while still having patience with one another. We are so grateful for all of our friends and family who have stepped up to help us out (whether that be through encouragement, prayer, gifts, physical help with projects around the house, fellowship, etc.). We look forward to sharing the news with you once the little one arrives.

We know that it's not going to be easy. Kyle and I both get grumpy when we don't get sleep and everyone knows that you don't get sleep with a newborn. Hopefully my recovery will go smoothly and we'll all stay healthy. If you want to pray for us, we could probably use it as far as adjusting to the new lifestyle, becoming parents, and continuing to love and grow closer to God and one another in addition to the new little one that we will be completely responsible for. Don't get me wrong, we're excited, but we just know that it's not going to be smooth sailing ahead and welcome your prayers, advice, friendship, or anything else you think might help us :)

Okay, this is getting long and I tend to ramble on when it's late so I'm calling it a night. Thanks for reading - stay tuned for any labor updates :)

40 Days And Counting!!!

I thought I would post another update since a lot has happened in the past 4 weeks!

First, Kyle and I have moved into our new home in midtown and we absolutely love it! Not just because it's a million times better than our apartment, but because it's a cute little bungalow in a great little neighborhood and the perfect amount of space for us right now with baby Jones coming soon. There are several families from our church who live within a few blocks from us and we look forward to meeting our neighbors (besides our landlord who lives next door). I think my favorite thing about our new home is the front porch and swinging bench - especially with the awesome fall weather we've been having.

My mom and I, being the germ freaks that we are, were able to get a lot of cleaning done the week before we moved... Thanks mom! I also want to thank all of the friends and family that helped us paint our walls and move our furniture as well - what a huge help and a blessing to be able to get so much done in one weekend!!! The nursery is completely painted and as soon as we get the furniture set up and things put away, I'll add some pictures of the baby room and my growing belly...

I have had two baby showers with just the girls since my last post - one with friends from church and one with a few long time friends from the past. Both were so much fun! The festivities included decorating white onesies with fabric markers, guessing the size of my belly, smelling jars of baby food and trying to guess the fruits and veggies that were mushed inside (without gagging), playing baby gift bingo, and of course, good food and great conversation... I have felt so blessed by friends and family during this time and am so grateful.

Last weekend, Kyle and I attended a breast feeding class as well as a child birthing session and both were extremely helpful! We both learned a lot and I definitely feel more prepared for what is to come (I am pretty sure Kyle does as well) even though I wouldn't say we're ready just yet. Baby Jones is getting ready though because my belly is super tight and that little booger is moving around like crazy!

Today I had a visit with the OBGYN to get another ultrasound because I have been consistently measuring small for my due date and they wanted to check the weight of the baby. Who knew that they could do that! It was fun to get to see the little one again :) While the technician was moving the wand around on my belly, the baby decided that it did not want to be disturbed and I swear it tried to kick the wand across the room! The technician pulled back startled and said, "I have been doing this for 15 years and that was intense!" I just laughed because I have been experiencing movement like that for weeks now and was comforted that she thought the movements were extreme... At one of the showers the baby decided to show off and everyone could see it from across the room! I think it's going to be a soccer player or a cyclist because the hands don't move all that much - it's all legs and feet! It doesn't help that the placenta is on the backside of the uterus because there is no padding between the baby's movements and the front of my belly...

Anyway, the baby is about 5lbs which is pretty much on track - a little small - but I am okay with that! Below is a close up of the face (sorry no body shots because we still want to be surprised if it's a boy or a girl) so that's all we got. The first one is a side profile image of the head and you can see a little fist that is labeled, while the second one is a picture straight on looking at the face... a little hard to distinguish, but I thought I would put them online anyway :)
I can't tell if our baby has a Jones nose or a Stumpff nose... lol.

Baby Jones - 10 weeks to go!

Wow! I can't believe I only have ten weeks left... It feels like just yesterday I was freaking out about being pregnant! It's amazing how fast time flies - I am sure it goes faster once you have kids.

Well, I don't have any new decent ultrasound pictures, but I do have an updated picture of me and my growing belly!!! I seriously am amazed how skin stretches and grows in such a short time. I don't know how much more mine can stretch, but I am sure I will continue to be amazed. Below is a picture of me standing belly to belly with a friend of mine who is 6 weeks behind me, but I cropped it in case she doesn't want to be on my blog :)


Everything is going really well since my last post. We had our first shower on Aug. 22 and were so blessed by everyone!!! Kyle and I are getting out of our current nightmare of an apartment and renting a house in midtown this month, which means I get to set up a nursery soon! I am very excited to have a home and start nesting :)

I have been feeling great - every now and then I will get a back ache or my ribs will be sore or my feet will be swollen, but I feel like I've been pretty lucky so far. I just have to make sure I don't allow myself to eat a full-size meal now since there is no room and it wants to come back up if I stuff myself. The baby is definitely taking up my whole belly now and I can feel little jabs in my lower abdomen and little kicks on my right side under my ribs... if I do something to cause the baby to get startled, it will rotate out of my pelvis and push its back against the front of me so its head and butt are sticking straight out of my belly! I think the baby is around 3 lbs now... It's pretty amazing to feel everything and learn the baby's habits and patterns. Hopefully I will get another ultrasound picture soon!!! Let me know if there is anything else you want to know that I left out... Thanks for reading!

6 Months and Counting!

So Kyle and I have managed to keep little baby Jones off facebook, but there is just no way to keep everyone updated with pictures unless I post something online so here I am...

I am now 6 months along and due the middle of November - crazy! I thought I would post a picture of the sonogram (sorry it's an older one...) and a picture of my belly from mid-July since some of you haven't seen me in a while and have been asking for pictures.


This is a profile picture from early July - the head is the lighter part of the image and you can see the hands/fingertips are curled up by the head. They kept the bottom area darker because we want to be surprised by the sex of the baby, but you can still see the outlines of the body curled around and the one foot sticking up in the air and the other leg bent at a 90 degree angle if you look closely. It's hard to see, but this is the best I could do as far as getting a good quality picture online for you to see. Below are pictures of me taken July 19...

So funny story - I went to the car dealership the other day to get an idea of prices on vehicles since I am probably going to sell my 2-door Blazer :( and as I was going to peer into the window of a vehicle, my belly hit the door first and I bounced backwards. It really took me by surprise! I keep forgetting that I have a decent size bump now and that I can't just slip through the narrow aisles between chairs at a restaurant or other things I am used to doing... As I am trying to adjust to the physical changes, I have to keep adjusting to try to prepare myself mentally and emotionally for this new addition as well.

As I was putting together our first assembly project for the baby (a jogging stroller) I realized that the stroller was in fact for me and my baby and it's actually going to happen; I am going to be a mom. I know that sounds silly, but coming to realize that I am in fact pregnant and going to birth a baby has been an interesting journey. The first trimester I just felt like I had mono or the flu because I was nauseated and slept all day. The second trimester I felt like I had just ate too much with some bad indigestion because I had a beer gut belly and the beginning movements felt like weird gas bubbles moving around. But now, it actually looks and feels like I am pregnant!

The baby now has sleeping and wake patterns and sometimes like to stretch out to the point where I can cup its head in my hand. When I had my glucose testing, it felt like I had fireworks going off in my belly because my sugar intake was so messed up, the baby was going nuts. It's about 1lb 4oz in weight and the size of a large eggplant. I am definitely in maternity clothes at this point and am still in disbelief that my belly is going to stretch to allow the baby to reach at least 6-7 lbs. I honestly can't imagine what I am going to feel like in two months...

I will do my best to keep you updated through this blog :) Let me know if you want to know anything specific!

Expecting the Unexpected

It's a funny thing when life throws a curve ball at you. How will you respond? How will it affect your plans? What the heck are you going to do now?

One of my clients I am doing some graphic design for just got diagnosed with cancer. He is a chiropractor who started his own business, but doesn't have health insurance. What the heck is he going to do?! The treatment alone will send him into debt beyond his years. He's been super positive, he's a pretty healthy guy overall, and is going to take it head on.

My husband and I got surprised with a pregnancy earlier this year and have been successful so far keeping it off facebook (so if you're reading this, please don't post on our walls anything about being pregnant, becoming parents, having a kid, etc.). For about a month, we were freaking out because we didn't think we were ready to be parents - or rather, we weren't ready to give up our lives and freedom. We are in the process of building a home and now have the unexpected expense of having a child, plus we had to figure in an extra room to our home plan :) We've since realized that our lives were never ours to begin with and that God is in control. He has blessed us with an amazing gift (especially after learning that so many people we know have struggled with miscarriages) and we will gladly take on the challenge together. We have so much to be thankful for!

It's funny how sometimes surprises wake you up to realize that you can't control your life and no matter what you plan for, you need to plan for the unexpected. What I mean by that is not to get so caught up in your own life that you believe you're in control and things are going to go according to your plans. Something will always happen that you didn't plan for, whether on a small scale or large scale. No matter what the surprise is, good or bad, God has a purpose for your life. My husband and I are meant to be young parents to the little one we will get to know in November. It's all very exciting, but in the same way that we had to realize that our lives were not ours to live and control, we will be challenged to remember that our child is God's child and we are not in control of that life either, although we will strive to be the best parents we can be.

A delayed post...

This is from my experience last Friday night, which is what really inspired me to create a blog. I have a lot of moments when I just really want to describe my situation through my perspective and share it with people. This was one of those nights...

It's been a while since Atlanta has gotten a good hard rain. We would get a storm on a Friday evening, when traffic is already horrendous. Luckily, I have already made it to my destination - Panera on Peachtree. As I was waiting for my friend, the power suddenly went out. It flickered twice and went out for good... no lights, no music.

Just the sound of the rain against the glass and the occasional rumble off in the distance. Ten minutes have gone by and it’s pleasantly quiet and dark.

The soft discussions around the room fill the silence and the employees are walking around trying to figure out what to do without any power.

The streams of water cover the windows as headlights flash by with a honk ever so often as drivers forget what proper etiquette is when the traffic lights are out.

A guy a few tables away doesn’t even realize how obnoxiously loud his phone conversation is, echoing throughout the silence since he’s so accustomed to talking over the noise of American culture.

My friend arrives, people leave, and we have the place to ourselves. The soup is still hot and we find ourselves having a peaceful, unique, quiet evening :)

My first go...

So I have been wondering for months if I should start a blog. Will I have time to commit to a blog? If so, will it even be worth my time? What if it just sits in internet space with no audience? Who in their right mind would continually come back to read my blog? But I decided that even if no one reads it, blogging will be a place to organize my thoughts and make me feel like I am sharing things with people who just might care.

I titled it streams for several reasons... it made me think of streaming video, but instead it would be my streaming thoughts - posted on my blog in real time as they come to my mind. Streams also made me think of the literal flow of water which can be similar to my thoughts. Streams have currents of varying speeds and volumes, typically confined within its banks (my head), but can branch of into many different directions without warning. Streams start from a source and can spring up, over flow, pool together, empty through the mouth or just plain disappear.

This is my warning to you - my thoughts have a tendency to branch off in new directions that may not make sense, but I will do my best to connect them together and make them flow in a way that is easy to follow. If not, they will probably just disappear off into space. Sometimes I may just be putting down my thoughts to get them out of my head, but I hope that you will find some posts that are meaningful, inspiring, or entertaining. I might also warn you that I play with poetry and words and I love to tell stories. Who knows what will be posted on here... I hope you enjoy!