my husband.

my dad has always said that after you have children, the love you have for your spouse changes. he never was really able to describe this to me. it was more of that "you'll know when it happens to you" kind of thing.

it's happened.

sixteen days in, and it's happened.

i'm not sure when. i can't really put my finger on it. i just know that it has.
one day we were in the nicu visiting pratt. clint was holding him and i was standing over next to pratt's roomie. another little baby in the nicu. he was upset and i had gone over to try to talk to him to soothe him. i remember it like it was yesterday. clint was holding pratt and looked up at me and said, "my papaw once said that when his first child was born he loved my mamaw more than he ever had before". i commented that that was so sweet. and he said, "i realize now what he meant. i think i love you now, more than i ever have before."

it's true. the way i feel about him is different. we haven't had an argument since we've been home. don't get me wrong, i know that one will come one day. probably sooner, rather than later. but this is what we need right now. this bonding. this time for our little family to be together.

he is so good with pratt. wants to hold him and feed him. this morning i went down to warm up a bottle and came back and pratt was asleep on his chest in our bed. i tried to take a picture, but as soon as i got it out, clint woke up and i knew he wouldn't let me.

i don't pretend to know what i'm doing. this is still all very new to me. but i've realized that i haven't made any tragic mistake yet. (at least not that i know of...psychology might reveal something very different in the years to come :)

and having clint next to me, telling me that i'm doing a good job, is exactly what this is all about. i'm not sure how "good" i'm doing...but i'm trying. and it's easier to do it when i have him next to me.

so thank you clint for all the love you've showered me with recently.

we are so very lucky to have you.

fulks family dentistry.

on october 6th, clint will start work here in benton! his office is called fulks family dentistry and is located near the walmart in benton. it's actually just below ferguson's furniture. across from dizzy's grill.


i am so excited for him! this is something that he has been working on for quite some time now. there is so much involved in opening up your own dental practice. he has been very busy for a while trying to get everything prepared. the equipment he bought is really nice. thanks to jerrod williams, the color of paint, carpet, tile, etc all looks so nice. i'll post pictures of the inside once everything is finished.


he will start taking appointments october 6th. i believe the first week will be training on the new software for him and any employees. he will be open monday through wednesdays initially...once the patient flow increases, he will be open thursday and maybe friday.


for now, he's working at a kool smiles clinic in pine bluff on thursday and friday. this is new for him...so keep him in your prayers. kool smiles is a medicaid office for children. very rewarding...but working with children all day is quite different than working with mostly adults. he is so good with kids...but these kids can be terrified of the dentist so it can be tough.


anyway, his new website is up and working! it's http://www.fulksfamilydentistry.com/


go check it out, and if you're nearby...come see the office!

2 weeks.

pratt is 2 weeks old today. 14 days. it seems like just yesterday. but he's already looking so different. he changes every single day.

so that i'll remember everything...

he's a good sleeper. usually sleeps for 2 to 3 hours and then wakes pretty hungry. he's a happy baby overall...unless of course, he a. needs his diaper changed, b. is forced to take a bath, or c. is hungry. he screams at the top of his lungs when any of these things happens. well, he'll deal with the diaper change on a full belly.

we've had lots of visitors over the past week. our small group family came to see us. whitney and lindsey came over to visit. lindsey claims that if you listen really carefully you can hear him whisper, "i like lindsey better than whitney". mimi, poppy, aunt spencer. debra and paige tolin. nana and greatma. aunt christie. poppa. shonna and chandler.

i tried to get a haircut tonight. this is pretty much a necessity because of all the prenatal vitamins. i'm seriously about to cut my hair myself. it didn't work out for tonight..but hopefully i'll be able to get one tomorrow. clint has been so good about staying with pratt. i'm getting a bit of cabin fever. any day now you might find me sitting at a typewriter with "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy" written over and over and over again.

i'm surviving on about 4 hours of sleep...and somehow i'm doing okay. i'm sure this will catch up with me...but for now, i'm good.

funny aunt spencer...

someone thinks aunt spencer is really, really funny...

sorry it's blurry. it was too cute not to post.

and here he is puckering up to give her a great big kiss...

first doctor's visit

we had our first doctor's visit yesterday. pratt's weight has gone from 8 pounds (when we left the hospital) to 8 pounds and 4.7 ounces. he's also now 23 inches long! he's growing like a weed which makes us so happy.

so far, he's a happy baby. except when you change his diaper instead of feeding him. he takes down 2 ounces like it's nothing. the doctor recommended we continue 2 ounces...which is hard. because he doesn't seem satisfied...but she stated that he doesn't understand the concept of a full stomach...so we're doing the right thing.

just from this, i've realized the importance of intuition. last night he wouldn't stop crying. everything was upsetting to him. we had fed him about thirty minutes prior and nothing would make him happy. it was around 1015. so i handed him to clint and went down to warm up some milk. (long story short...i'm pumping to give him breastmilk because "latching on" wasn't ever really accomplished due to his being in the nicu...i'm dealing with the guilt...it's hard. everyone and their mother believes in breastfeeding now. and apparently, if you don't do it, you're basically the worst mother ever)

he was screaming when i left him. but when i returned five minute later, clint had him swaddled up and was singing "this must be love" by don williams. and the child was still and quiet and just looking at his dad. it brings tears to my eyes to think about it.

our wonderful small group came over the other night to see pratt. they brought us a wooden stork that has been in the "family" for years. it was painted blue...just for pratt...and the guys put it in our yard. we took a family picture by it last night.

also, i'm not sure you remember, but when we tried to do a 3d ultrasound on two separate occasions. neither time worked because he had his hands in front of his face. well...he still does this. and here is proof.

and...i didn't want him to have a pacifier. i'm not sure why. i guess because i always thought it caused buck teeth. sandy, one of the wonderful nurses in the nicu, convinced me that it brought him comfort while in the hospital. needless to say, he's still using it. and i guess it's okay because if he does have bad teeth, we know a very, very good dentist. :)

hope ya'll are all having wonderful days. he's sleeping now so i better go shower. or do something else that i've neglected to do. my mom is with us now...and i'm not sure what i'll do when she leaves.

love to each of you.

home again, home again....

we're home!

last week was a long, long week. but we are so thankful to so many of you who continued praying for us. all of us.

as spencer stated, pratt is home and doing great. he is a good sleeper. a good eater. and seems to be pretty happy. he, of course, likes his dad much better than he likes me. last night clint took him upstairs to change his diaper and he didn't make a peep. typical. it's happening already. i take his diaper off and he screams. clint does it, and he just lays there and looks at him.

i don't know what i would do without my mother. she is here with us now...and is so helpful with everything. she cooks, cleans, takes care of pratt and ace and yoda. she does it all. i'll never, ever be able to thank her properly.

i'm including some pictures from the past couple of days.

here is pratt. enjoying a little bit of sleep on the boppy. i love his feet and hands in this picture. clint says that he could swing from the trees with those toes.




caught yawing.





i'll update more later. we're about to eat dinner.

Pratt is home...

This is Spencer again, writing for Hannah... Pratt and his mom and dad arrived at their new home this morning around 11... Everyone is doing great... Their internet is still out, but as soon as it is fixed, Hannah will update! Again, thank you all for the prayers... we are so happy to have this little boy home!