Baby Hall's Birth Story- Part 2

*To see how we got to this point, be sure to read Part 1 of Baby Hall's birth story.*

So, at 41 weeks 6 days pregnant, we were finally going to meet our baby.

We headed home and I ate something quickly so that I could get in one last meal before my midnight cut off. Then, I tried unsuccessfully to sleep. I could not shut my mind off. I got on up early to spend some time praying for a safe delivery, for Baby, and for our future as parents. We got ready and too soon it was time to head back to the hospital. My parents were on their way, but had gotten into some traffic and I wasn’t sure if they would make it before the procedure.

We checked in and they led us to the triage room. More vitals were taken and questions were answered. Then, I met the physician who would deliver (I hadn’t seen any physicians during my pregnancy. I’d seen the midwives.) The midwife who would assist her also stopped by. My parents arrived and I was glad to get to see them before I had to go back for surgery. The anesthesiologist came in next to introduce herself and ask if I had any questions or concerns. My biggest concerns were that I would freak myself out during surgery thinking about what was going on on the other side of the curtain and that I would get nauseous and sick during surgery. Everyone tried to reassure me. 

Finally, it was time. Lee and my parents stayed back in the triage room while they walked me to the operating room to prepare. I was surprisingly calm. The operating room was freezing. I was shaking so hard. They had me sit on the table and the anesthesiologist began prepping my back for the spinal. The nurse rubbed my shoulders and tried to warm me up. Getting the spinal was not bad and shortly after, I was lying on the table and could tell the bottom half of my body was numbing. The doctor and midwife came in at this point and started doing their prep work. Soon they were putting up the curtain and going to get Lee. It was time to get started.

I continued to be amazed at how calm I was. It was a very strange sensation to know something was going on with the bottom half of your body and I could feel that people were touching me and doing something, but it didn’t hurt. Lee and I tried to talk to ease our nerves of meeting Baby.

After a little while, they said it was almost time. I heard them say “Look at all that hair.” Then, I felt them pushing on my stomach and could tell they were pulling her out. There were many comments about her hair and how beautiful she was. They held her up and we got our first glimpse of our daughter. Then, she was handed to a team of pediatricians who took her over to another section of the operating room to check her out. Lee walked over there to take pictures and I watched from the table.

She was crying and her dark head full of hair was curled. She ended up weighing 9lbs 1oz and was 21 inches long. After the pediatricians finished with her, she was brought over to me. She was laid over my shoulder and her head was right up under my head. Lee held her there and she calmed down. We noticed right away they she went to work sucking on her hands. As she was moving her hands around, she kept pulling the oxygen from my nose. It was so surreal to finally meet her.

Lee got to sit there holding her while they finished stitching me up. I continued to be so thankful that none of my fears came true. I didn’t get freaked out. I didn’t get sick. I didn’t feel like I couldn’t breathe. Everything went perfectly. When they were almost finished, they put Baby in the basinet and took her and Lee to the recovery room. Then, they cleaned me up and transferred me to a bed. I was amazed at how efficient everything was. Everyone knew what to do and everything ran smoothly. 

When they wheeled me to the recovery room, Lee was there along with my parents and my mom was already holding Baby Hall. We hung out there for a little while before being taken to our room. We ended up staying 2 nights in the hospital and came home Thanksgiving evening. 

Overall, my pregnancy and birth experience were great. The worst part of having a C-section for me was having them have to come in throughout the day and push on my stomach and the fact that I couldn’t really hold Baby right away and I wasn’t able to do much for her in the first 24 hours due to being sore and confined to the bed. We also were really impressed with the hospital and staff.

Being a mom has been a wonderful, yet exhausting experience. I definitely have a new appreciation and respect for moms everywhere. 

*Lee and I decided for many reasons not to share the names or pictures of any children that we may have. I really wish I could share a picture of her with you, but you'll just have to take my word for it that she is so beautiful and perfect!*

Baby Hall's Birth Story- Part 1

I used to not understand why people shared their birth stories on their blogs. It used to just freak me out and make me second-guess whether I wanted biological children or not. Giving birth sounded scary! However, when I got pregnant and my due date began to approach, I started seeking out those birth stories. I wanted to know all the possibilities of what I could expect. I think I was also looking for reassurance that giving birth wasn’t as terrifying as I thought it was. I now know that I want to write up my daughter’s birth story so that I will always remember the details. I also know from experience that by sharing a birth story, you are helping someone who is preparing for their own birth story. 

*On the due date*

When discussing my maternity leave with my school’s principal, I decided that I didn’t want to work up until I went into labor. The thought of my water breaking or going into labor while teaching definitely scared me. Plus, I knew I’d be tired and probably very uncomfortable at that point. On the other hand, I didn’t want to take off too much time because I knew that babies don’t always adhere to due dates. After careful consideration, I decided to let Friday, November 7, be my last day at work before my leave. My due date was November 12, so this didn’t seem like an unreasonable time to take off.

That date couldn’t have gotten there fast enough. Preparing for a maternity leave as a teacher is no joke. No matter how prepared I was, I kept thinking of more things I needed to do before I left. On top of my preparations, I was bombarded with meetings that needed to get done before I left. I had a busy few weeks leading up to my last day. 

That day finally came and I settled in at home for what I was hoping would be a few days of relaxing before the big day. Before I continue, I have to share that I had a very easy pregnancy. I didn’t really have any morning sickness. I had no complications. Everything was fine at all my appointments. I was quite proud of the fact that I didn’t gain tons of weight and I felt like I didn’t look pregnant anywhere but my belly. Besides being tired, I wasn’t uncomfortable or in any pain as my due date approached. I thanked God every night for blessing me with an easy pregnancy.

My first week home on leave went great. Lee and I spent a lot of time together relaxing, preparing last minute things for baby, and walking. I wasn’t too worried as my due date passed because I know that hardly anyone delivers on their due dates and most first time moms go past their due date. My second week home, I began to get restless. I was bored. I like to have a routine and schedule to my day. I wanted to relax without being completely lazy and I didn’t want to start any new project around the house because I didn’t know when I’d deliver and I didn’t want to leave something halfway done. I spent a lot of time that second week watching Netflix, completing a puzzle, and reading. 

At my 41-week appointment, we discussed with my midwife that I would need to be induced that upcoming Wednesday if I hadn’t delivered by then. I didn’t want to be induced, but I knew that I didn’t need to go past 42 weeks. At this point, I am 41 weeks pregnant and have not had one single contraction or labor sign. The only things I could interpret as labor signs were some increased cramping (nothing worse than period cramps) and some occasional tightening in my stomach. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to go into labor on my own

Over the weekend, I continued to do several of the things people recommend you do to start labor naturally. I prayed that I would go into labor on my own and not have to be induced. Monday rolled around with no such luck. I had an appointment Monday afternoon. I had started to come to terms with the fact that our daughter would arrive on Wednesday and would be induced to get here. When I arrived for my appointment, they took me to a small room where I was hooked up to some monitors and sat back in a recliner. I could hear Baby Hall's strong heartbeat. I was handed a button and instructed to push it every time I felt her move. The nurse left me and I sat back, relaxed, read, and watched the monitor some. A PA came in to check on me some time later and took the printout from the machine to share with the midwife. 

*very pregnant selfie*

After some more waiting, the midwife comes in. She tells me that Baby Hall’s heart rate is a little high plus my blood pressure had been high. Then, she said “It’s just time for this baby to be born.” She wanted me to go right across the street to the hospital. I was shocked. It wasn’t time yet. I was still supposed to have a couple of days to prepare for giving birth. With an induction, my parents were going to be able to be here in time to be present for the whole birth. Lee hadn’t gone to my appointment with me. I was alone and scared. The midwife told me to call Lee and have him meet me at the hospital.

I walked out to the parking lot and called Lee. Then as I was getting in the car, I called my mom and finally broke down crying. After getting off the phone with her, I knew that Lee was gathering up the rest of our hospital stuff and was on his way. I knew that my mom was getting up with my dad and they both were leaving work, going home to get their stuff together, and head our way. I knew that I was not ready for this!

While driving the short distance to the hospital, I did some deep breathing, some praying, and some reassuring of myself. After parking, I slowly made my way to the labor and delivery floor. I was ready for Lee to get there so that I wasn’t alone. They got me checked in and settled in a triage room. A nurse came in and started taking vitals and asking me questions. I found out that both my heart rate and Baby’s heart rate were high. I also realized I hadn’t drank very much that day. I was a little dehydrated causing our high heart rates. They brought me a giant cup of water and told me to get busy drinking. They wanted me to drink that one and several more.

I was so relieved when Lee got there. The midwife came in to talk with me and so far my blood pressure and our heart rates were going back down to levels where they needed to be. The midwife went to try and check my cervix and had the same problem that had occurred the last time they tried to check my cervix- they couldn’t reach it. It was very high up and probably not dilated. She also felt my stomach and even though Baby was positioned the correct way, she was not very far down in my pelvis. The midwife also felt that she was going to be a large baby from the size of my stomach, what she felt, and my recent ultrasound.

She began to discuss my options. She said they could begin the induction process, which would have to include both softening my cervix and giving me medication to start contractions. Because my body did not seem ready for labor yet, she said that the induction/labor process could last 2-3 days. On the other hand, I could have a C-section since it was looking like she was going to be big and labor/delivery may be difficult. I was overwhelmed and my mind was racing. I wasn’t ready to make this type of major decision. I had just wanted labor to start naturally and I just wanted to let my body naturally do what God had made it to do. I also wanted my parents to be there.

The midwife said that I didn’t have to make a decision yet. She wanted me to have another ultrasound to check a few things and get an estimated fetal weight. They also wanted me to continue to drink water since our levels were evening out. This would give me time to think and for Lee and I to discuss what we wanted to do.

The thought of having to be induced and labor over several days did not appeal to me. Plus I knew that even if I went through days of induction/labor, I could still end up having a C-section if things continued to not progress. The thought of having a C-section also scared me. I hadn’t done a lot of research on C-sections so I didn’t know what to expect. I talked to a few people and Googled a few things while waiting for the ultrasound.

They took me down for the ultrasound and the technician kept going on and on about how my amniotic fluid levels were low and they weren’t going to let me go home like that. This did not help how I was feeling. She estimated Baby’s weight to be about 9 lbs 14 oz. She finished the ultrasound and then I spent a long time waiting for someone to come take me back to the labor and delivery triage room. I don’t know how long it was, but it seemed like forever. My mind was racing over what to do and I really had to pee from all the water I’d been drinking.

Once I finally got back to the room, Lee and I talked about our decision while waiting on the midwife to come back. She came back and said that the ultrasound tech had not given them a score for the fluid levels. That number would help them determine if I needed to deliver right away or if it could wait. Lee and I made the decision to have the C-section and the midwife and nurse felt like that was the best thing in our situation. They brought up a portable ultrasound machine and determined that the fluid levels were not dangerously low, so we could wait to have the C-section the next morning. They also told us we could go home so we could get a good night’s rest. 

....to be continued....
 (read part 2 here)

My Alternative to the #IceBucketChallenge

Well...it finally happened. I'd kind of hoped it wouldn't so I could just stay quiet about the whole thing. However, since I've been challenged to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge I knew I had 2 options - ignore it or accept it (with a twist) and explain my reasoning for the twist.

I know from reading similar articles and posts that what I'm about to say may make some people angry or upset and I've seen ugly comments people have left on similar posts and articles. I'm not here to argue with anyone. These are my beliefs and I hold firm to them. I'm going to try to state them as gracefully as possible.

I'll admit...I didn't like this Ice Bucket Challenge thing from day one. I'm not a jump on the bandwagon type of person. Please know, I'm not against advocating for a cause or donating to charity. Giving is one of my spiritual gift and I love doing it. One of the missions of my blog is to use it as a way to help others. In the past, I've shared about numerous causes that I support. One of the biggest things I've always advocated for on my blog has been adoption. We even started the adoption process about a year ago. I know I haven't written about many of these things in a while, but I've been lax on the whole blogging thing for most of this year due to a lot of personal factors and finding out we are expecting.

Just because I haven't been sharing about it, doesn't mean I haven't been doing things. We still support 2 children through Compassion International. We support a local missionary who is currently serving in eastern Europe. We also give to families that we hear about who are raising funds for adoption and I'm in the process of trying to figure out if there's any way I can make Ornaments for Adoption work this year considering Baby Hall is due in November. I don't say this to brag on us, but to brag on what the Lord has blessed us with that we are able to give. I'll also admit that this giving is not as abundant as we've done in the past and if nothing else, this challenge has challenged me to fix that (which I'll explain more of later).

Please don't get me wrong here, I don't think there's anything wrong with donating to ALS research. It's a terrible disease that I can't imagine watching a loved one go through. I know many people get passionate about it when people don't want to participate because they have experienced this firsthand. However, there are a lot of terrible diseases in this world that need money for research. Watching a loved one suffer through cancer, Pulmonary Fibrosis, and Alzheimer's isn't easy either, but those are all sicknesses that loves ones of mine have suffered through and passed away from. I don't think it's fair to consider research for one disease more important than another. All diseases are difficult for the one dealing with it as well as the ones caring for them. In a perfect world, scientists and doctors would find cures for all of these things.

So, I said all that to say that there are a lot of worthy causes out there and you can't support them all. I'm all for donating money to help people in need; but I, personally believe you should donate to causes that you feel led to donate to, causes that mean something to you, and causes that you're passionate about. I don't believe you should donate to a cause just because someone "challenged" you to or you feel guilty about it if you don't or you want to do "what everyone else is doing." I'm more likely to listen to a person share about a cause if they have a story to share, a personal connection to it, or are truly passionate about it.

 *Another reason I won't donate to the ALSA is because I don't believe that the way they're conducting research fully lines up with my beliefs. I know there's a lot of gray areas that can be argued and I am wrestling through my thoughts on it all. So, I do encourage you to research a charity or organization before you donate to them to make sure you truly know what you're supporting. I won't go into further details because they can be found here or here.*

So, in light of everything I just shared, I won't be donating to ALS research. Instead, I'm going to share with you what I will donate to and why.

• GI Motility disorders research- My husband suffers from Functional Abdominal Pain Syndrome (along with all the sensitivities mentioned in the linked article). Like the article states, this keeps him from working regularly, adds up in medical bills, and affects our quality of life. Not a lot is known about FAPS. I can't tell you how many doctors we visited before we finally found one who put a name to his condition. I also can't tell you how much time and money was wasted on doctors treating his symptoms in a way that actually did more damage than good. There's also not a very definitive treatment for it. Sometimes, I feel like the treatments he is on are helping things and other times I feel like things are just getting worse. I would love for researchers to find a cure or effective treatment for FAPS so that my husband's suffering can end and so that our daughter doesn't have to experience watching a loved one go through this. (You can read more of our experiences here, here, or here.) I'm specifically looking into donating to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders or UNC Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders which works closely with Lee's doctor. 

• Mercy for America's Children- I'm pretty sure at some point, I've mentioned this organization before. When we started our adoption process, this is an organization we were working with. We have also done some volunteer work with them and plan to continue that in the future when our lives are a little more settled. They specifically work to advocate for children in foster care and assist with foster care adoption. We have been meaning to set up monthly donations to them for some time now, but haven't gotten around to it. So, this challenge is challenging me to set that up so that we can support their work.

I'm not going to call out anyone specific and "challenge" them. Instead, I challenge everyone reading this to find a cause or a few causes that really mean something to you and donate to them, advocate for them, and support them. If that cause is ALS, great! If not, find an alternative. 
 
Oh...and also...in case you didn't figure it out already...I won't be pouring ice water on myself. Sorry not sorry...I'll eat ice cream instead. #icecreamchallenge

Anniversary/Babymoon Trip

Several months ago, Lee and I decided to go to the Outer Banks in July to celebrate our 4 year anniversary and the upcoming arrival of our daughter. Unfortunately, Lee got sick a week and half before our trip and stayed sick up until the trip. He wasn't 100% better when we left on Saturday morning. In the end, I think it was beneficial to him to get out of the house and get his mind on other things. Overall, we had a great time.

I really love the Outer Banks and I enjoy going to the beach, but I've already told Lee that our next vacation is to the mountains. I don't go there nearly as much, but it's my favorite vacation spot. We honeymooned in the mountains in Tennessee and my first choice of a Babymoon was to return there. For many reasons, that didn't work out. So, we made the best of what we could do.

Here are some pictures from our trip.

 On our drive, we saw a bear. 

On the first day, we went to see the Lost Colony play which was something we weren't able to do the first time we went to the Outer Banks. 

 

 One day, we went in search of wild horses which is also something we weren't able to see on our first Outer Banks trip. We ended up seeing a lot of them.

I always enjoy seeing the lighthouses. 

We didn't end up doing any laying out on the beach, but we did drive on it, walk on it, and collect some shells and driftwood.

If you've had a baby or are expecting a baby did you or are you planning to take a Babymoon? If you're married, do you take trips to celebrate your anniversary?

Linking up with Mommy Moments.

Baby Hall: Gender Reveal

Baby Hall Gender Predictions: Old Wives Tales

One of the first things you want to know when you find out you're pregnant is will it be a boy or girl? We began talking about names from the very beginning, so we're ready to find out what it is so we can pick a name for sure. I'm also ready to start planning the nursery and other things more specifically. Not to mention, I'm itching to buy some adorable baby clothes. I also think knowing the gender helps to make it all feel more real. We will be finding out Baby Hall's gender THIS WEEK!

Of course, there's not sure way to predict a baby's gender before the ultrasound, but the old wives tales are fun to look at. Here are what mine have to say: {I colored the one that's true for me}

-Morning Sickness: Yes-Girl, No-Boy

-Sleep Position: Left-Boy, Right-Girl
{This one was difficult to answer because I don't noticeably prefer one over the other. If back were an option, that would be my choice.}

-Acne: No-Boy, Yes-Girl

-Cravings: Sweet-Girl, Salty-Boy
{Again, I don't have a clear cut winner here. I haven't really, truly craved that much. I eat plenty of sweets, but most of the things I've actually craved were salty.}

-Carrying: High-Girl, Low-Boy

-Heart rate: greater than 140-girl, less than 140-boy

-Chinese calendar: Girl, Boy

-Mayan Predictor: Girl, Boy

-Moodiness: Moody-Girl, Happy-Boy

-Headaches: More-Boy, Less-Girl

-Needle & Thread Test- Circle-Girl, Back and Forth-Boy

So, it seems pretty even from these tests. We'll find out soon enough!

Also, I thought I'd share my bumpdates from the first half of the pregnancy (I plan to do one this week for my 20 week bumpdate).

If you've had a baby, were any of these old wives tales accurate for you? 

*Linking up at Mommy Moments*

Finding out about Baby Hall

The post I shared on Friday was the last post I wrote about our adoption. Today I want to share what happened after that and how we found out about Baby Hall.

For foster care adoption, we had to attend 30 hours of MAPP classes. So, we basically had classes 3 days a week. Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30-9:30 and some Saturdays from 9:00-4:00. Needless to say, February was VERY busy. We also had several days of snow during February and I missed several days of school. Despite being busy, we still managed to enjoy celebrating both Lee's and my birthday (even though we had MAPP class on my birthday).

 Taking a CPR class

Celebrating Lee's birthday

Enjoying one of the many snow days 

We had class on my birthday and Lee had to arrive after work, so I "enjoyed" a quick (not so healthy) birthday dinner on my own (little did I know I wasn't really on my own)

Shortly after finishing MAPP classes, I noticed my period was late. I didn't think too much of it because that has happened plenty of times before. I decided if it still hadn't started by the first Monday of my track out, I'd take a pregnancy test. I'm tracked out for most of March and that first Monday came and still no period. So, I dug out an old pregnancy test I had and I really didn't expect anything of it. 

Lee was sitting on the couch eating breakfast and I walked in there to him and we were both pretty shocked to see this: 

I had always said I wouldn't be one of those people who took a bunch of pregnancy tests. I thought one would be enough. But I was in disbelief. Plus I'd convinced myself it may be defective since it expired in February and it was now a few days into March. So later that day, I bought two different kinds of tests and took one of each. 

I scheduled a doctor's appointment for later that week and took a test a day until the day of my appointment. Then, of course, they gave me a test too. In all, I took 5 at home pregnancy tests. 

We went ahead and told our parents the night of the doctor's appointment. Since we live far away, we used Facetime and this picture frame to tell them:

(first comes love...then comes marriage...then comes.... not the best thing in the world, but we threw it together last minute)

In mid April, we had our first big doctor's appointment and we got to see the baby and hear its heartbeat.

After that appointment, I told my coworkers, best friend, and extended family. A few weeks later, I announced it to my friends. 

I'm glad to be past the first trimester. I have now heard Baby Hall's heartbeat twice and I look forward to seeing s/he again and finding out if it is a boy or girl. 

The Announcement Post that Often Follows a Blogger's Unexpected Absence...

Happy Birthday Love

Today is Lee's birthday. We have been through 8 of his birthdays together now.

It's kind of sad how little attention we pay to birthdays now that we're adults. Life is just so busy. Plus we're getting to the age where we don't like to be reminded that we're getting older.

For us, our birthdays also come so soon after Christmas. Lee's is today and mine is the 25th of this month.

This year in particular, his birthday really snuck up on me. I look back at year's past where I surprised him.

One birthday while we were dating, I surprised him with a day at the beach and a helicopter ride at sunset.

Two years ago, I undertook a 30 day countdown until he turned 30 where he got 30 different presents leading up to his 30th birthday. I wrote a whole post about it. It was a lot of work!

This year, I have nothing special planned. I'm working today and he's working until later tonight.

So, I decided spur of the moment to celebrate last night. I cooked one of his favorite meals (which was a great surprise since I haven't cooked in a LONG time). I made his favorite cake (yellow cake with chocolate frosting). We had a nice dinner at our table (which is sadly becoming something we never do anymore). Then, I took him to see The Lego Movie. He may have just turned 32, but he's still a kid at heart who loves his legos.

So, this post really has no purpose other than to say how much I love my husband.We have not had an easy time since we've been married. We've been through a lot that most people our age haven't experienced. However, I wouldn't want to be going through life with anyone else. Lee is a Godly man, a hard worker, a caring and thoughtful person, and a great encourager. He is strong where I am weak. I love him on days when he's happy and fun and I love him on days when he's being annoying and irritable. I look forward to many more years together!

Football: My Favorite Season

Football is kind of a big deal in the south and by "kind of" I mean MOST DEFINITELY IS. Particularly in Alabama. In Alabama, we don't have a professional football team, so it's all about college. In the last 4 years, the state of Alabama has brought home the college national championship (3 of those 4 years was by my team-The University of Alabama). 

The Auburn/Alabama rivalry is HUGE! Now that I'm living in NC, people talk about the UNC/Duke basketball rivalry, but it doesn't hold a candle to what it's like during football season in Alabama. Friends and family members turn into enemies. Football is a way of life. I don't even know how to explain it and I didn't know it was that way until I moved out of Alabama.

My husband is from Florida (and is a Florida Gators fan). He makes fun of how much we football fans in Alabama love our team tshirts. We have tshirts for everything! If we go to a gathering for my family, I guarantee you at least 1/4 of the family members will be wearing a shirt for their team. 

 We're a house divided :)

The Alabama/Auburn game is called the Iron Bowl. If your team wins the Iron Bowl, you will want to buy the tshirt saying that your team won. Alabama may be great now, but they had several years of not being so great. Let me show you.

This was my brother and I wearing our Iron Bowl tshirts when Alabama beat Auburn in 2001.

This was us 7 years later when they finally won against Auburn again in 2008.

Yeah. It took long enough. Anyway, I'm excited about college football season starting soon. So, I wanted to see what my swappy friends' thoughts are on football:

Dawn from Dawn's Disaster

"I prefer pro football over college.  Mostly because I don't really follow it and my dad and husband watch pro football at home.  I root for the Minnesota Vikings, but I know we're not that great.  I think it may have something to do with the fact that purple is one of their colors.  There's not really a favorite player {baseball is more my game}, but I enjoy any player who plays well and is a good sport.  Good sportsmanship is the key to a great player in my book."

Kelsey from Keeping Up with Kelsey

"Alright, so I'm not a MAJOR fan of football but I live in the state of Nebraska and my Husker's are fairly famous for their love of the pigskin sport. I will admit I do love a good super bowl party and I'm the first to plan the snacks and all that fun stuff but the game itself kind of bores me. I just can't sit still long enough to really get the concept of what the technical terms all mean. I haven't experienced a football game in person in probably a good fifteen years and usually college football season lands smack dab in the middle of our busiest season on the farm, harvest. If we're in the combine we'll sometimes try to listen in on games on the radio. Our fans have been voted top fans of college football on several occasions and its because we're super courteous to our rivals. Heck, who am I kidding, we invite them to the bars after the games. And, to top it off, everyone loves everyone! Don't believe me? Check out this clip about a little boy, Team Jack, and his fight to survive brain cancer as he was encouraged to participate in the University football scrimmage game we have every spring. It's a tear jerker! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jmisv1Spck)"

Kera from Nugget on a Budget

"I love watching football. It's just one of those things that comes along with fall that makes the season even better. I like watching both pro and college, although I think it's more fun watching pro. My favorite team is the Tennessee Titans ~ everyone always questions this because I'm from PA and now live in NY. But my dad was a die-hard Houston Oilers fan back in the day and of course that transferred over to the Titans, as did my love for that team. I just wish they were a little bit better these days! My husband is a Cowboys fan ~ our dog is even named after the team ~ Dallas :)"

Megan from The Mrs. 

"I am a total football fan! I was a cheerleader in high school and and a member of the Troy University Sound of the South Dance Ensemble! Following football became a way of life for me! I am a fan of the Troy Universality Trojans through and through! Here in the south, though, one must choose between Auburn or Alabama! I am an Alabama Fan as well, Roll Tide! Alabama football is a legacy to my husband, for he marched in the Million Dollar band. His entire family is devoted to the ole Crimson Tide, too! Football season means grilling out, getting together with family and friends, and yelling at the TV; it means houndstooth and crimson!"

What about you?  Are you excited for football season? Do you prefer college or pro? Who's your favorite team?