Life with the Abernathys

29 Weeks

2012-01-23T11:25:00.000-06:00

Missed Week 28...oops.

How far along: 29 weeks

Gender: It's a BOY!! Cooper Reese

Size of baby: About the size of a butternut squash. 15 inches long, and weighs 2 1/2 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans only now, with the exception of my pajama pants while I'm at home. I'm wearing a mixture of maternity shirts and my regular shirts (the longer ones at least).

Weight Gain: 22 pounds...YIKES. My doctor said that my weight gain is right on track, but it just seems like a lot to me. No thanks to my insatiable appetite for sweets and fatty foods, I'm sure.

Movement: He's recently starting the "flipping" movements. Where it feels like my belly is about to move to my back. He's crazy active.

Sleep: Not so great. I'm actually sleeping pretty comfortably, but I wake up every morning feeling like I only got 3-4 hours of sleep. Not sure what that's about.
Symptoms: Nothing really. A little discomfort around my belly in the evenings, but nothing serious.

Cravings: Still hungry all day long. I'm trying to stay busy so that I don't just sit down and eat all day. But that's really what I want to do.
Best moment this week: Cooper got the hiccups for the first time (at least the first time I felt them)!

27 Weeks

2012-01-10T08:35:00.002-06:00

(this is actually 26 1/2 weeks...oh, well!)

How far along: 27 weeks

Gender: It's a BOY!! Cooper Reese

Size of baby: About the size of a head of cauliflower. About 14 1/2 inches long, and weighs 2 lbs 2 oz according to my sonogram yesterday.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans only now, with the exception of my pajama pants while I'm at home. I'm wearing a mixture of maternity shirts and my regular shirts (the longer ones at least).

Weight Gain: 16 pounds...yikes.
Movement: All the time...If he's not sleeping, he's dancing. Good grief, this baby is active.

Sleep: I've finally reached the point where I'm not sleeping well at all. I wake up every time I need to turn over, which seems like it's about every 30 minutes. But thankfully Jackson is still sleeping 12 hours at night, so I can just lay in bed in the mornings until he gets up.

Symptoms: Nothing really, maybe just a little heartburn occasionally, but not even bad enough to take medicine for.
Cravings: I could eat all day long and not get full. Seriously, I just cannot get enough food!

Best moment this week: I had a sonogram yesterday! Cooper was measuring long and skinny, just like Jackson always did. He looked great though! The ultrasound tech also gave him the award for the most active baby she had seen all day. This boy likes to MOVE.

25 Weeks

2011-12-28T09:42:00.000-06:00

How far along: 25 weeks

Gender: It's a BOY!! Cooper Reese

Size of baby: About the size of an eggplant. About 13 1/2 inches long, and weighs 1 1/2 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans only now, with the exception of my pajama pants while I'm at home. I'm wearing a mixture of maternity shirts and my regular shirts (the longer ones at least).

Weight Gain: 14 lbs. Apparently I wasn't careful over Christmas!
Movement: All the time...If he's not sleeping, he's dancing. Good grief, this baby is active.

Sleep: I'm getting to the point where I just can't get enough sleep. I could probably sleep 12 hours a night if I wanted to. I'm waking up quite a bit more at night too, due to being a little uncomfortable.

Symptoms: Just getting car sick more than normal, but that's about it. I've also had a little heartburn too, but nothing bad.

Cravings: I could eat all day long and not get full. Seriously, I just cannot get enough food!

Best moment this week: Christmas!! Cooper even got his first couple of gifts! (an outfit and a mini pillow pet.)

24 Weeks

2011-12-18T14:16:00.000-06:00

How far along: 24 weeks

Gender: It's a BOY!! Cooper Reese

Size of baby: About the size of an ear of corn! About 12 inches long, and weighs a little over a pound.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans only now, with the exception of my pajama pants while I'm at home. Shirts are still fitting, but I have to make sure they are long enough to cover the elastic on my pants. :)

Weight Gain: I'd say I've probably gained 8-10 pounds overall.

Movement: Lots of moving, all day long. I think Cooper has a dance party at bedtime too. He goes wild!

Sleep: I'm getting to the point where I just can't get enough sleep. I could probably sleep 12 hours a night if I wanted to. I'm waking up quite a bit more at night too, due to being a little uncomfortable. Thank goodness Meredith is going to let me borrow her body pillow!
Symptoms: Just getting car sick more than normal, but that's about it. I've also had a little heartburn too, but nothing bad.

Cravings: The cravings for sweets seems to have passed, but my appetite is just crazy! I could eat all day long and not get full.

Best moment this week: Getting to share Cooper's name with everyone. It seems even more real now that we know what to call him :)

23 Weeks

2011-12-11T13:28:00.000-06:00

How far along: 23 weeks

Gender: It's a BOY!! And we have a name! * Cooper Reese *
Size of baby: About the size of a large mango! About 11 inches long, and weighs a little over a pound.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity jeans only now, with the exception of my pajama pants while I'm at home. Shirts are still fitting, but I have to make sure they are long enough to cover the elastic on my pants. :)

Weight Gain: I'd say I've probably gained 8-10 pounds overall.
Movement: Lots of moving, all day long. I think Cooper has a dance party at bedtime too. He goes wild!

Sleep: Sleep is getting better. I'm still waking up a couple times a night, but I'm usually able to go right back to sleep.

Symptoms: Just getting car sick more than normal, but that's about it. I've also had a little heartburn too, but nothing bad.

Cravings: Sweets! I want cookies, ice cream (Braum's Chocolate Mix w/ Heath Bar especially), candy bars...hope these cravings pass soon!

Best moment this week: Finally deciding on a name! I never thought Chase and I would agree on something. We both LOVE the name, and Jackson sounds adorable saying it :)

Silly Jackson moments

2011-12-07T09:41:00.001-06:00

I've been pretty good about getting my weekly pregnancy posts up that I've totally slacked on writing much about Jackson! So here's some pics from my phone from the past month. He is keeping me on my toes!

Chase and Jackson both fell asleep waiting for my sonogram...I love my boys. :)

At Thanksgiving, they let the dog in the house, and apparently Jackson was scared becuase he DOVE into the toy box! It was hilarious. He refused to get out until I came and pulled him out.

Tried to get a good picture of Jackson and Makenna...ha! We should have known better.

My silly boy playing in the playhouse on Thanksgiving. (I should note that I did not take this picture. Daniel did. Jackson would never let me get a cute picture of him. :) )

Crashed while my mom and I were out shopping. He slept like this for 45 minutes! I love my hard sleeper!

Eating a chocolate muffin - yes, I shared :)

Sweet cousins. These two are in for some big changes in the next few months!

We popped the lenses out of some 3D glasses a while back so that Jackson could play with them. He recently re-discovered them and insists that they are mine, and I need to wear them all the time. Such a mess!

22 Weeks

2011-12-04T08:29:00.000-06:00

How far along: 22 weeks

Gender: It's a BOY!! (no name yet, but I think we are close to deciding!)

Size of baby: About the length of a spaghetti squash! About 11 inches long, and weighs almost a pound.

Maternity Clothes: I'm mostly wearing maternity jeans (I can still wear my regular ones, but only for a couple hours before I start getting uncomfortable.). Shirts are still fitting, but I have to make sure they are long enough to cover the elastic on my pants. :)

Weight Gain: I'm not going to say how much I gained the week of Thanksgiving. Let's just say I should be eating salads only this week.

Movement: Tons of movement, all throughout the day, especially at night and first thing in the morning. I found out at my appointment that I have a posterior placenta. It isn't a bad thing, it only means that since the placenta is at the back, I feel a lot more movement than I normally would. Which explains why I felt the baby so early!

Sleep: Sleep is getting better. I'm still waking up a couple times a night, but I'm usually able to go right back to sleep.

Symptoms: Just getting car sick more than normal, but that's about it. I've also had a little heartburn too, but nothing bad.

Cravings: Well, they finally hit. Last Wednesday night during church, I had trouble paying attention becuase all I could think about was how badly I needed a choclate Mix with Heath Bar from Braums. And we drove there straight after church. I've also had cravings for chocolate muffins and chex mix, both of which I ended up making and eating almost every bite of. This cannot be good for my weight... :)

Best moment this week: Nothing too special going on this week, probably just feeling my baby boy move all the time. He's definitely a mover!

21 Weeks

2011-11-27T18:13:00.000-06:00

How far along: 21 weeks

Gender: It's a BOY!! (no name yet)

Size of baby: About the length of a carrot! About 10 1/2 inches long, and weighs 12 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: Bought a pair of maternity jeans, but I'm still wearing my regular ones too (it's nice having twice the options!). Shirts are still fitting.

Weight Gain: I've gained 6 pounds. I was lucky that I had my weigh-in BEFORE Thanksgiving...not so sure the scale will be so nice at my next appointment. :)

Movement: Tons of movement, all throughout the day, especially at night and first thing in the morning. I found out at my appointment that I have a posterior placenta. It isn't a bad thing, it only means that since the placenta is at the back, I feel a lot more movement than I normally would. Which explains why I felt the baby so early!

Sleep: Sleep is getting better. I'm finally starting to get over my cold, so I've been getting a little more rest. I'm still waking up a couple times a night, but I'm usually able to go right back to sleep.

Symptoms: Just getting car sick more than normal, but that's about it.

Cravings: No big craving this past week. I was just really looking forward to eating all the Thanksgiving foods!

Best moment this week: Finding out that we're having another sweet BOY! I know a lot of people were "secretly" hoping we would have a girl, but I really didn't care either way. I'm a little relieved actually, because I feel like maybe I'll have a little idea of what I'm doing this time, ha!

It's A....

2011-11-23T18:07:00.000-06:00

BOY!!!!

We are so excited to be having another sweet baby boy in April! I am going to really be outnumbered, but I'm just so happy that Jackson will have a little brother. He was getting a little too outnumbered by all of the girls in our family. :)

We don't have a name yet. We have a few in mind, but our list is actually like 20 names long, so I think it will be a while before we narrow it down to our favorite. I kind of have a feeling that this little boy may not be getting a name until we see him. With Jackson, it was really easy to decide on the name, but this time it is just so much harder for some reason!

Now off to pick out nursery fabric and colors! I can't wait!!

Girl or Boy?

2011-11-21T12:49:00.007-06:00

We find out on Wednesday if baby #2 is a boy or a girl. I am so excited! Of course, I am 99% sure that I am having a boy. Here's my reasons:

-I'm carrying low, just like I was with Jackson.
-I've had the same exact symptoms as my first pregnancy.
-I've had mostly the same cravings (chips, soup, salty foods, potato salad, and fruit (but only in the very beginning))
-I know of 6 other girls who are pregnant right now. Only 1 of them is having a boy.

Of course, Chase thinks it's a girl...so it will be fun to see who's right. (When we went in for the sonogram with Jackson, my final guess was girl, and Chase guessed boy.)

I think initially I really wanted a girl, but I would be happy with either. I'm actually kind of hoping, for Jackson's sake, that it is another boy. Most of my friends and family all have little girls, so poor Jackson needs a boy to hang out with. Plus, it would be so much easier on my bank account. :) I guess we'll just have to wait until Wednesday though!

20 Weeks

2011-11-20T12:33:00.000-06:00

How far along: 20 weeks

Gender: We will find out on Wednesday afternoon!!!!!!!!!

Size of baby: About the length of a banana! About 6 1/2 inches long, and weighs 10 1/2 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: Bought a pair of maternity jeans, but I'm still wearing my regular ones too (it's nice having twice the options!). Shirts are still fitting.

Weight Gain: I've probably gained about 4-6 pounds. I will find out for sure on Wednesday, although with Thanksgiving being this week, I'm sure it will go up!

Movement: Lots of movement all day long, and especially at night. Lately, the baby likes to curl up in a tight ball right when I want to go to sleep - it is not comfortable! :)

Sleep: Sleep has not been so great. I've had a cold for about 2 weeks, so I think that's probably why, but I'm also waking up every morning around 4 or 5, wide awake and STARVING. And I'm not talking about midnight snack. I wake up craving Grandy's chicken and mashed potatoes, a chicken pot pie, soup...it's just weird. Thankfully I can usually ignore it and go back to sleep, but it's getting a little annoying.

Symptoms: If it weren't for this terrible cold I've had, I'd say I still feel really good. I have been getting car sick a lot more often than normal, but that's easily fixed if I drive.

Cravings: Just the random weird late night ones. And I couldn't leave the grocery store last week without a container of mustard potato salad.

Best moment this week: I laid on the couch most of the week just feeling bad, so I got to feel the baby move around a LOT. I love having that reminder all day long that there is a little person swimming around inside me. :)

Turkey Day Menu

2011-11-17T10:07:00.003-06:00

I'm trying to get my grocery list ready for Thanksgiving (which I can't believe is only a week away). I've got it pretty easy this year. The only things I have to make are mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rolls, and a dessert. (Plus a couple other things for the day after Thanksgiving, but I"m not sure what yet.)

I decided to search out some yummy new recipes this year, instead of just sticking to the old ones. Here's a couple that I'm planning so far.

Mashed potatoes: Pioneer Woman's Delicious, Creamy Mashed Potatoes

source: thepioneerwoman.com

This recipe is actually really similar to my normal recipe, but I've never added cream cheese before. Plus, I always make mine the day of, because I'm afraid they'll dry out if I make them ahead of time. These have specific instructions for making them a day early and reheating them, so I think I'll be safe. I'm sure they'll be delicious!

Dessert: Snickerdoodle Cheesecake

I found this on Pinterest this morning. My sister suggested doing some kind of cheesecake, and since I don't have a springform pan, I figured bites would be the safest way to go. These look incredible! Hope they taste just as good.

source: tastykitchen.com (via pinterest)

Off to the grocery stores!

What we've been up to...

2011-11-16T19:47:00.003-06:00

This is going to be boring, but it's just what has been going on for the last couple weeks around here.

-Ali and I hosted a baby shower for Meredith, and it went great! We had such a good crowd, the food was super yummy, and Meredith got some great stuff for Maelie. It was a lot of fun catching up with family, too.

-I also got to attend the shower that the girls at Meredith's church hosted for her. It was really nice to be able to go and sit and enjoy it. :) Everyone was really sweet, too!

-Last week I got to have lunch with my mom and sisters at Cheesecake Factory to celebrate Mom's birthday! Ella and Jackson went too, and were so well behaved (thank goodness!). I'm not going to lie, I pigged out. Thank goodness it was not an appointment week! It was nice to go with just the girls (plus Jackson...poor kid needs a brother. :) )

-Chase took 2 days off of work this week so that we could get some things done around the house. I love having him home during the day, and so does Jackson.

-We had family pictures taken last week, and I got the sneak peeks today! I love, love, love them! Michelle is a FABULOUS photographer (seriously, you'll drool over her newborn sessions). Check out http://www.michellemonkphoto.com/ if you want to see what she can do! Or find her on Facebook. She's awesome, not to mention hilarious and super sweet!

-I waited and waited to order Jackson a coat that was online at Old Navy. I knew the sale was ending this Friday, but I had still been putting it off. And good thing! Today they offered an extra 25% off, so I got a $40 coat for $15! So excited!

-Maelie's crib bedding is almost complete! We've been working on it on and off for a little over a month, and I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's all put together in her nursery. I think it's going to be adorable! This is the main fabric for the bedding.

-Terrible Twos. I now understand. Ay-yi-yi.

-Lastly, I've had a bad cold now for over 2 weeks. To be honest, I'm miserable. It cleared up for a little while (thankfully the weekend that I was hosting Meredith's shower) but came back with a vengeance. I really don't like taking medicine while I'm pregnant, but I've been taking whatever my doctor will let me this past week. I'm just desperate to breathe through my nose and to quit coughing. I'm praying that I get better by this Friday, because my father-in-law is watching Jackson for the day so that Chase and I can get a lot done around this house. I'd really like to be productive instead of just sit on the couch like I've mostly been doing this week.

So yeah, that's been about it. Super exciting, huh?

19 Weeks

2011-11-13T09:46:00.001-06:00

How far along: 19 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a large tomato! About 6 inches long, and weighs 8 1/2 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: Bought a pair of maternity jeans, but I'm still wearing my regular ones too (it's nice having twice the options!). Shirts are still fitting.

Weight Gain: I've probably gained about 4-6 pounds.

Movement: Lots of movement all day long, and especially at night.

Sleep: Thankfully Jack adjusted GREAT to the time change. He's going to bed an hour earlier, and getting up an hour earlier, but that fine with me because I just adjusted my schedule too. I'm still sleeping great!

Symptoms: I'm still feeling great! Probably better than I feel when I'm NOT pregnant, ha! The headaches seem to be getting better, as long as I have a cup of tea or coffee in the morning.

Cravings: No real cravings this week.

Best moment this week: I'm finally starting to show (at least I think so), so it's pretty fun to look down and see my belly sticking out. Makes it feel real!

18 Weeks

2011-11-06T09:30:00.001-06:00

How far along: 18 weeks

Size of baby: About the length of a bell pepper! About 5 1/2 inches long, and weighs 7 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: My pants are getting tight, and I'm probably going to buy some more maternity jeans this week. I don't quite need them yet - I just need new jeans anyway, and it wouldn't be smart to buy non-maternity jeans that I'll only wear for a few more weeks. Shirts are okay right now, although I wear tanks and camis under my shirts more just for added length.

Weight Gain: I've gained 3-5 pounds. (3 from my original weight, 5 if you count the 2 I lost in the beginning.)

Movement: Lots and lots of movement! This baby is a mover!

Sleep: Sleep is still great! I'm wondering how the time change is going to affect Jackson, so we'll see if that changes anything.

Symptoms: The headaches seem to be getting better, as long as I have a cup of tea or coffee in the morning. Honestly though, I feel so good, I forget that I'm pregnant.

Cravings: No craving this past week, unless you count the 2 bags of peanut M&M's that I bought at Target because they had all of their Halloween candy 50% 0ff. Oops.

Best moment this week: Jackson loves to lay on my belly and give the baby hugs and kisses. It's adorable! I know he doesn't quite understand what's going on, and we don't talk about it too much yet because we don't want to confuse him, but it's so cute to see him love on "the baby."

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T08:37:00.022-05:00

I'm going to be honest. I did not have high hopes for Halloween this year. Chase mentioned a while back that we should dress them up as Pebbles and Bam Bam, and we loved that idea! Meredith and I decided to make the kid's costumes, but every time I would bring it near Jackson he would FREAK OUT and start screaming, "Take it off!!!" When I was putting on the finishing touches, I had to bribe him with chocolate, just to make sure it fit him. So I figured we'd be trick-or-treating in his regular clothes. We went to visit Chase's parents first, and once we got there, I had to bribe him with more chocolate again to get him dressed. But after a while, he actually liked it!

I think he probably ran around for over an hour in it. We practiced ringing the doorbell and getting candy several times with Pop, YaYa, and Aunt Gail.

After that, we headed home to pick up Chase and then made our way to my parents' house. I waited until Ella got there to put his costume on him, so for a while, he just enjoyed sitting on the porch with Poppa and watching all the trick-or-treaters. Of course, it was cooler since it was getting dark, so we had to layer his costume over a black shirt and Ella's black leggings.

Once we got them fed and dressed, we took them to a few houses. They had SO much fun!! They held hands most of the way, and were not phased at all by the huge crowds of people. On the way back, Jackson decided to run most of the way, basically dragging poor Ella with him. They got so many compliments on their costumes. A couple older ladies even took pictures of them, haha. Meredith and I could not get over their adorableness!

I was so glad they had fun. Jackson fell asleep as soon as we left, but woke up in some kind of mood today. He's probably having sugar withdrawals.

Happy Halloween!!

17 Weeks

2011-10-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

How far along: 17 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a turnip! About 5 inches long, and weighs 5 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: My pants are definitely getting tight. It doesn't help that I seem to be carrying this baby low, like I did with Jackson. Shirts are okay right now, although I wear tanks and camis under my shirts more just for added length.

Weight Gain: I've gained 3-5 pounds. (3 from my original weight, 5 if you count the 2 I lost in the beginning.)

Movement: I've been feeling the baby a lot this past week! A lot in the mornings and at night, and occasionally during the day as well. So much fun!

Sleep: Sleep is still great! I'm so thankful for that!

Symptoms: The headaches seem to be getting better, as long as I have a cup of tea or coffee in the morning. My stomach muscles have been achy this week, probably from stretching out to make room for the baby.

Cravings: I did have a craving for my father-in-laws chili this past week, but I think it also had something with the cold weather that came in. I just want to eat lots of soups and comfort foods lately.

Best moment this week: I had my doctors appointment this past Wednesday, and it could not have gone better! Dr. M was so happy that everything was going so well, and she said my belly looked perfect, so I'm so glad for that. Plus, we got to schedule the appointment to find out the gender! (Nov. 23rd!!)

The Airplane Show

2011-10-23T18:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we went to the Alliance Air Show with some friends and had so much fun! We were running late that morning, so of course I forgot my camera and these are the only pictures I have. Jackson seemed to have fun though! I think he will definitely like it more when he gets older.

Jackson and Brad watching the planes.

Jack and Chase. Chase wanted to show him the planes and helicopters that they had parked all over the airport, but Jackson really wasn't interested. He just liked watching the planes, running around in circles, and eating kettle corn.

We were there for about 4 hours before we had to leave to get Jackson a nap before a dinner at church that night. It was a busy day, but it was so much fun!

16 Weeks

2011-10-23T18:22:00.000-05:00

(excuse the awful pic. It was late and I forgot to take it until after I washed my face)

How far along: 16 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of an avocado! About 4 1/2 inches long, and weighs 3 1/2 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: Not yet! I need to start buying some Fall clothes, but I'm too scared to buy anything, because I don't think it will fit for very long. (I'll admit, I did wear a pair of maternity pants a few nights ago, but only because I had NOTHING to wear, and they are small! ha)

Weight Gain: I go to the doctor this week, so I'll find out for sure, but I think I have probably gained a couple pounds.

Movement: I'm still feeling the baby every night when I go to bed, and some during the day now too. A couple nights ago, it was pushing up so hard, you could see and feel the big lump on my belly. All the movement has been very low, just like it was with Jackson.

Sleep: Still sleeping great! Jackson must be having a growth spurt, because he's been sleeping late, so I've been taking advantage of it and sleeping in too. :)

Symptoms: Just those pesky headaches. Bleh. But As long as I have a small cup of coffee or tea in the mornings, I'm usually okay for the rest of the day. I did have a migraine last week that just wouldn't go away, which was awful. But I'm hoping they go away soon.

Cravings: Nothing really. I have been cooking a lot lately though, so whatever I want to eat - I cook!

Best moment this week: It's a toss up between feeling the baby so much, and someone actually telling me that they could tell I was pregnant! Granted, they did already know, but they said they could see the bump. It's all starting to feel a lot more real!

15 Weeks

2011-10-16T17:51:00.002-05:00

How far along: 15 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of an apple! About 4 inches long, and weighs 2 1/2 ounces. I feel like I'm finally showing, but I don't think anyone else can tell.

Maternity Clothes: Not yet! I need to start buying some Fall clothes, but I'm too scared to buy anything, because I don't think it will fit for very long.

Weight Gain: I have a feeling I may have gained a pound or two. I haven't started weighing myself regularly at home yet, because I know I need to gain weight, but I don't like to see the scale go up!

Movement: I've felt something most nights when I lay down for bed. Mainly just feeling the baby move around, not so much actual kicks or anything real strong.

Sleep: I am getting such good sleep! I've been wanting to stay up late though, and so has Jackson, so we've been sleeping in a lot. The other morning I actual slept until 9:00! I don't remember the last time that happened! And I'm not needing naps either. I'm trying to be productive, because I know this period of energy and actually still being able to move around without a huge belly in the way will come to an end soon!

Symptoms: Headaches, headaches, headaches. But, I'll take them over nauseousness any day!

Cravings: Nothing yet. I've made a few impulse buys at the grocery store, but nothing really significant.

Best moment this week: Just feeling the baby move around. Sometimes, it's almost as if I forget that I'm pregnant, so it's nice to have that reminder every night when I go to bed.

14 Weeks

2011-10-09T12:11:00.002-05:00

How far along: 14 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a lemon! About 3 1/2 inches long, and weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

Maternity Clothes: Not yet! I need to start buying some Fall clothes, but I'm too scared to buy anything, because I don't think it will fit for very long.

Weight Gain: I've gained back one of the two pounds that I lost in the beginning.

Movement: Have felt the baby moving a couple times, but only at night once I lay down to go to bed. Chase and I both felt it the other night, and could see the movement on the outside. Seems kind of early, but it happened the same way with Jackson.

Sleep: So much better! I'm still waking up at least once a night, but I don't feel overly tired.

Symptoms: The nausea seems to be going away for good! I'm still getting pretty bad headaches, which sometimes make me a little nauseous, but usually taking some Tylenol, or drinking a little caffeine seems to make it better.

Cravings: Nothing really, but the "I want ____, and NOTHING else sounds good," feelings have started. I mainly want a lot of soup and comfort food, but I think that has a lot to do with the weather, and getting ready for Fall.

Best moment this week: ENERGY!! The first trimester tiredness is gone, and I feel like I could stay awake for days on end. It's so nice not feeling like I'm going to pass out if I don't get a nap every day. I almost forgot what it felt like not to be so tired every day. Needless to say, my house is getting CLEAN this week.

13 Weeks

2011-10-02T20:27:00.003-05:00

How far along: 13 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a medium shrimp! About 3 inches long, and weighs almost an ounce.

Maternity Clothes: Not yet! I need to start buying some Fall clothes, but I'm too scared to buy anything, because I don't think it will fit for very long.

Weight Gain: I've gained back one of the two pounds that I lost in the beginning.

Movement: I thought I felt some flutters early in the week, and then Friday night Chase and I were both sure we felt something. (Happened the same way with Jackson, we pretty much felt it immediately on the outside. My doctor said it's likely just because I'm thinner.)

Sleep: Sleeping is getting better. I'm only waking up about once a night due to weird dreams now. I just feel like I can't get enough sleep. I think I feel more tired when I get up than before I go to bed at night.

Symptoms: This week was pretty bad. I ended up staying home from church on Sunday. Terrible nausea in the mornings all week and headaches that just won't go away. I actually threw up in the car Saturday while we were out running errands. I'm not going to lie, this week has kicked my butt. Hoping it all goes away soon!

Cravings: I haven't wanted to eat much all week. Except for soup, again. Saturday night I was craving some Quizno's Broccoli Cheddar soup, so my SUPER husband actually left the house during the Ranger's playoff game to go get me some, and when he got there, we found out they closed the one closest to us! And practically no other restaurants near us have soup. Guess it's back to the cans or making my own.

Best moment this week: I had another sonogram on Wednesday and got to see the baby dancing around! Everything looked great, and the baby is measuring right on track. Heartbeat was in the 150's I think.

Jack's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-09-27T19:57:00.001-05:00

**Warning: Picture overload....**

My motto for this year's birthday party for Jackson was NO STRESS. I actually LOVE trying to plan and go all out with parties and stuff, but this year I was just pooped out. Plus Jackson is in a phase where he's not a fan of being the center of attention, or having people make a big deal out of anything he does, so I knew that the smaller and more mellow, the better. I just wanted everyone to have fun and not worry about anything. So we went to a park last Saturday morning and had donuts, let the kids play on the playground, and just enjoyed every one's company! I was apparently a little too laid back though, because I was terrible at taking pictures. Oh, well. Here's the few I did get (most that Ali took for me).

Ready to go!

His "cake." Definitely not professional, ha!

We tried and tried to get that candle to stay lit, but it was just way too windy.

This was his expression while we were singing to him. I'm just glad he didn't cry!

Digging in!

Sweet Ella digging in.

Time to run off the sugar-high!

This picture makes it look like he was actually interested in opening his presents, but as soon as we got to the first toy, he didn't care about anything else!

Checking out his farm from Pop and Yaya.

Finally getting his red birthday bicycle!

This was the toy of choice though, haha.

We couldn't get him to put it down, even for a picture!

I'm so glad he had fun and wasn't too overwhelmed. He seemed to have a blast, and I hope everyone else did too!

12 weeks

2011-09-25T09:29:00.002-05:00

How far along: 12 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a lime! About 2 inches long, and weighs about half an ounce.

Maternity Clothes: Not yet! I need to start buying some Fall clothes, but I'm too scared to buy anything, because I don't think it will fit for very long.

Weight Gain: Probably nothing since I think I'm still making up for the 2 pounds I lost in the beginning.

Movement: Nothing yet, but I can't wait!

Sleep: Sleeping is getting better. I'm only waking up about once a night due to weird dreams now. I also just feel like I can't get enough sleep. I think I feel sleepier when I get up than before I go to bed at night.

Symptoms: I'm getting pretty bad headaches every afternoon. I'm actually surprised it took me this long to get them, since I had them for the whole first trimester with Jackson. Nausea is just off and on, not too bad though.

Cravings: No specific craving yet, but if a certain food sounds good, that is the only thing that sounds good. Still wanting lots of soups.

Best moment this week: Jackson turned 2!! I know that it doesn't have anything to do with the pregnancy, but nothing pregnancy related really happened this week. Oh, except that I DID survive Jackson's birthday party without feeling bad. I was pretty worried I would wake up nauseous that day, but I felt great!

A haircut to remember...

2011-09-22T16:44:00.004-05:00

So, the day after Jackson's birthday, I had quite a few errands to run. We needed to get a few last things for his birthday party, and I needed to take Jackson to get a haircut. He had his hair cut back in April, and I've been trimming it myself since then, but he really needed it to be shaped again and I didn't trust myself to do it. I debated taking him to the "kid-friendly" salon, just because they are so expensive (at least in my mind for what I should be paying them to spend 2 minutes cutting such a small amount of hair...but whatever). But Jackson's attitude and temperament has been so unpredictable lately, I figured it was safer to take him there where they are used to dealing with kids. Oh. My. Word. I could not have made a better choice.

He had a blast in the waiting room, playing with the trains and cars. (You can see how thick and long his hair was.)

Then we got called back and we went to sit in the Firetruck. He was a little hesitant at first, but then he sat down and relaxed.

And then they put the little cape on him. You would have thought someone bit him. I'm really not sure if he's had a bigger meltdown in public before. By the time she started on his hair with the clippers, tears and slobber were everywhere. He was screaming his head off. It took everything in me to just keep him as still as I could so that she could finish. We even gave him a sucker, thinking it would calm him down. But no. Now there were tears, slobber, and sticky sucker juice going everywhere. Thankfully, she was finished SO quickly, because I was SO ready to get out of there.

(I have no pictures of the process. My two arms were busy the entire time holding him still.)

He finally calmed down when we got into the car, but it took him about an hour or two before he was back to his happy self. I told Chase that I'm never taking him to get a haircut again by myself. I just can't handle that!

He does look pretty cute now, though :)

Jackson - 2 years

2011-09-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

It's so hard to believe that you are 2 years old. How have the past 2 years gone by so quickly?! Everyone warned me that they would, and they were SO right. The time has flown.

We haven't been to your well child checkup, so I'm not sure about your measurements, but I think you're probably about 26 or 27 pounds.

You are really starting to come out of your shell...sort of. Around other people, you are pretty much glued to my side lately. You haven't been as excited to go to the nursery or other places like you used to be, but I'm hoping that it's just a phase. Now at home, well, that's a total different story. You have become SO loud! That has never been a word I used to describe you. I don't know if you just figured out that you can be noisy, or what, but you have definitely learned to use those vocal chords. You love to run around the house and sing me songs (your current favorites are "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Old MacDonald," "ABC's," and the song from Choo-choo Soul.) I just love hearing you sing! I'm still trying to get it on video, but you usually won't let me.

You sleep about 10-11 hours each night, usually going to bed around 9. Your naps are a struggle. Some days, they are non-existent, and other days, you sleep for about 2 hours. I'm not ready to give up on them completely. You are still my cuddle buddy, but definitely not as much as you used to be. You especially love to cuddle and play with your Daddy on the weekends when he's home.

You surprise me everyday with the things you say. You really pick up on words other people use. You are really into all your letters right now. Everywhere we go you have to point them out on signs, cars, or whatever, and tell me what sound they make. You have also started this game where you tell us what animal your food looks like. It all started on day when you told us your cracker looked like a shoe (which it did), but now almost every time you eat, you inspect your food and tell us what animal it resembles (which it usually doesn't, ha!). You are so silly. **As I'm typing this, you're sitting here eating donuts with me, telling me that your breakfast looks like a turtle - and it kind of does! ha!

You are still such a picky eater. Getting you to eat 3 meals a day is a challenge. Your favorite foods are probably refried beans, mashed potatoes, chicken (of any kind), and yogurt. And of course, any sweet food you can get your hands on. You also drink a lot of milk. I've actually had to cut back on how much milk I give you because you would probably just drink it all day and not eat any solid foods if you could. We usually just do a cup when you wake up, and another sometime after dinner.

You are so much fun, Jack. I can't wait to watch you grow this next year. You're in for a big change with a little brother or sister coming in April, and I am praying that it's an easy adjustment. But I know that even if it's rough in the beginning, you are going to be an amazing big brother. Daddy and I love you so much, and we are so blessed to be your parents!

11 Weeks

2011-09-19T21:43:00.003-05:00

(I forgot to write my 10 week update, but it would have practically been identical to the 9 week post.)

How far along: 11 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a fig! About 1 1/2 inches long.

Maternity Clothes: Not yet! I need to start buying some Fall clothes, but I'm too scared to buy anything, because I don't think it will fit for very long.

Weight Gain: At my last appointment I had lost 2 pounds, but I have a feeling I'm back to my normal weight.

Movement: Nothing yet, but I can't wait!

Sleep: I'm still having crazy dreams that wake me up every night and I have trouble getting back to sleep. I think I wake up 4 or 5 times a night. And I always feel SO tired when I get up in the morning. I just want to sleep!

Symptoms: The queasiness has been better, but for the last few days, I've had a couple hours a day where I just feel awful. Just super tired, no appetite, and awful headaches. I've been drinking hot tea which seems to help, and once the feeling passes I feel great for the rest of the day! I'm hoping it all passes soon.

Cravings: No cravings yet. I feel like I'm getting my appetite back, though. I'm still eating a lot of soups when I don't feel very well.

Best moment this week: Telling more of our friends! We decided that it was safe to start telling people outside of our family, and everyone has been so sweet and encouraging.

9 Weeks

2011-09-04T16:41:00.001-05:00

I think this was actually about 8 weeks, but it really doesn't make a difference at this point. :)

How far along: 9 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a grape! Nearly an inch long, and still weighs a fraction of an ounce.

Maternity Clothes: Hopefully not for a while!

Weight Gain: At my last appointment I had lost 2 pounds, but I have a feeling I'm back to my normal weight.

Movement: Nothing yet, but I can't wait!

Sleep: I've been having some crazy dreams that wake me up every night and I have trouble getting back to sleep. And I don't think I've been sleeping as heavily as I normally do, so I try to take a 20 minute nap at some point during the day just to feel a little more refreshed.

Symptoms: Nothing too bad. I usually have a couple queasy hours either in the morning or in the afternoon, but some days I feel just fine. No headaches this time, like I had with Jackson - thank goodness!

Cravings: No cravings yet. I really just don't have an appetite, just more of an aversion towards most foods. Although if I am hungry, usually only a few things sounds good. I've been eating a lot of soups, crackers, and watermelon.

Best moment this week: Telling our families! They were all extremely surprised, which surprised me because I just KNEW that they had figured it out.

Surprise!

2011-08-03T08:34:00.006-05:00

(Written on 8/3/11...but of course, I waited 2 months to actually publish the post...)

I took a pregnancy test yesterday. Just had a feeling. I've had a feeling for 2 weeks, but there was no reason for me to actually think I was pregnant. We're not trying, and not planning on trying anytime very soon. Chase has been high on baby fever for a while now, but I'm just not ready.

Apparently God thinks I'm ready though, because I'm pregnant.

I know I should be excited and happy and crying tears of joy, but I'm just not there yet. I'm in complete shock. A couple weeks back, my stomach was kind of crampy for a few days, and I immediately thought, "I'm pregnant." Then I convinced myself I was being paranoid, (because seriously, WE WERE NOT TRYING, - actually, we were trying to prevent it - and it took 3 months of lots of trying to get pregnant the first time!) and made some joke about, "If I'm pregnant, then God must REALLY want us to have a baby right now!" Well, apparently He does.

It's not that I don't want to be pregnant. I do, really. Just because this baby wasn't expected does NOT mean that it is unwanted. I'm just still in scared mode. We're nowhere financially ready for this. We have unpaid medical bills. We're in the middle of some home improvements that are still going to cost money, but that we really need to finish. We are in desperate need for a new couch. We have car issues. And, this one may sound stupid, but my sister is pregnant and I really didn't want to be pregnant while she was. I mean, that usually a fun thing (and it was last time!) but I got married 6 months after her, had my first child 5 months after she had her first, and now I'm going to have my second child 3-4 months after she has her second. I really wanted her to have this pregnancy all to herself. I wanted her to have all the attention and fun, and for these 9 months to just be all about her and this precious girl that she is carrying. Plus, the middle-child in me wanted to prove everyone wrong that said "Well, Meredith's is pregnant, now it's your turn!"

The thing I kept telling Chase last night was, "I'm just not ready!" But I don't know if I would have ever felt ready, so honestly, I think it's a huge blessing. I don't have time to go over all the math of our finances, and make all the Excel charts (yep, I'm that wife) and explain to Chase how we really can't afford a baby right now. I can't tell Chase "Why don't we just hold off one more month." I can't fret over whether or not I think Jackson is old enough for me to handle along with a newborn.

I know I should be excited. People struggle for years to get pregnant, and this came so easily for us. But I'm just so nervous and scared, that I haven't reached that excited point yet. I'm not trying to be ungrateful. I know that this is a blessing. I know the happy feeling will come. But I think it will take a little time for everything to sink in. When we found out we were pregnant with Jackson, it was so hard not to tell people. This time, it's not that way. I don't think I could tell anyone right now, because I'm not sure if I believe it myself. I got the positive test pretty early, so I still feel completely fine (except for a complete lack of appetite). So I'm just waiting to see that little heartbeat flickering on the screen.

Thinking about that does get me a little excited :)

Jackson - 22 months

2011-07-20T08:23:00.000-05:00

Oh, Jack Jack. You are one fun kid. Typically, you are very calm, and laid-back, but lately you've been showing a very goofy side of you. Crazy dancing with music, non-stop spinning in circles in the living room until you fall over because you're so dizzy...you make my days so much more fun (because, as you'll learn eventually, your mom is kind of boring).
You had a growth spurt this past month, so we're trying to finish out the summer with your clothes coming very close to being too small for you, haha. You weigh 25.4 lbs, but I'm not sure how tall you are, just that you seem taller everyday. You're getting into most 18-24 month clothes now, and a size 6 shoe. And you're still in size 5 diapers. No signs of potty-training readiness, so I'm not going to push it. Your hair is still so blond. I've been trimming it myself now, but it grows SO fast, and I'm always scared to cut too much off, so I think I'm going to have to take you to a pro pretty soon. We did have one little mishap with your last hair cut. You leaned into the scissors as I was trimming above your ear, and I cut way too much off. Thankfully it grew out pretty quickly!
We've had to get really creative with activities this month. We are down to one working vehicle which your daddy has to take to work, so we are stuck at home all day. And it's WAY too hot (one of the hottest summers in decades, I believe) to do much of anything outside. We've been playing picnic, water painting, and taking day-time baths as a way to use up time during the day. As well as probably watching too many cartoons.
If I judged my parenting skills based on how well you eat, I would be failing miserably. Getting you to eat a meal is one of the hardest parts of my day. (As I'm typing this, you have been up for 2 hours and not had a bite to eat or any milk. You just don't want anything.) I figure that one day this will end and you will eat everything in the house, but right now I'm just trying to not stress, because you are healthy and growing.
You still love your "yellow truck," but now you really only request it at bedtime. Which saves me hours in the day that I was spending searching for that car when you would misplace it. From now one, I'm trying to only let you get attached to really BIG toys, haha.
You're verbal and knowledge skills are still improving. You love to sing your ABC's everywhere we go, as well as point out any numbers you see. Although you have added whining and fit-throwing...I'm trying to break you of that, but I have a feeling you're just giving me glimpses of the future toddlerhood :)

You are just so much fun. I've probably said that in every monthly post, but it's true. Your daddy and I just can't get enough of you. I can't wait to see how much you continue to grow!

Caught Red Handed

2011-07-03T06:56:00.000-05:00

I was told my whole life that a I was a "climber" when I was little. I believe I was about 6 months old when I managed to climb out of my crib. And a year old when I climbed and flipped over the couch. I also regularly climbed the kitchen cabinets to try to get to the candy that was stashed on top of our refigerator. So I not very surprised to find THIS last week. I was folding laundry, and he was playing quietly in his room (when I checked on him a few minutes before, we was sitting in the floor looking at one of his books). I heard some weird noise, which I figured was one of Jackson's old crinkly books, but figured I'd better go check it out just in case. Good thing! It was his package of wipes that was sitting on top of his changing table! He was just sitting on top of his changing table pulling out wipe after wipe. So naturally, I ran and grabbed my camera. Ha! (It wasn't far, and I knew he was too interested in the wipes to try and get down that fast.) I believe the look on his face is his, "Um...did I do something wrong?" look.

I've caught him a few more times, and he has gotten in trouble everytime. I did catch him the other day starting to climb it, and when he saw me, he jumped off and yelled, "No climbing!"

Haha! At least I know he's listening!

Daddy Day at the Zoo

2011-06-28T06:14:00.001-05:00

Chase took a vacation day from work and wanted to go with Jackson and me to the zoo. Jackson and I go quite a bit since I have a season pass, and Jack is always talking about all the animals, so Chase wanted to be able to go and see the excitement that I always get to see. I know Chase hates missing out on things like that, but I'm so thankful he works so hard so that I am able to take Jackson to things like that. We may be broke 95% of the time, but it's so worth it for me.

(Also, you'll probably notice "yellow truck" making an appearance in most of the pictures. That toy...)

Every time we go, Jackson asks to look at the giraffes, the elephants, and baby jaguar. They have also had a dinosaur exhibit open, so he gets some crazy looks for people when he tells them he saw dinosaurs at the zoo.

Checking out the elephants with Daddy. Chase held Jackson for the majority of the time, so he could get a better view of all the animals. Such a sweet thing to do, and not easy because he is getting HEAVY these days.

I tried to get a cute pic on the alligator, but Jack was not a fan. It didn't help that it was SO hot outside, and almost lunchtime.

Our final stop was the indoor (air-conditioned!!!) museum. We tried to get Jack to pet this snake, but he was just not interested. He did like looking at all of them though, and we heard a lot of "Snake says Sssss..."

We went to Chili's afterward, and Jackson wanted to hold onto Chase practically the whole time. He is typically a momma's boy, but lately he has been having his moments where he wants no one but his daddy. It's so sweet! We finally got him in his highchair so that we could actually eat our food, but he was so tired, he ended up getting cranky fast, so we left as soon as we could.

It was so nice to get to spend the day with Chase though. He's been working a lot of overtime at work lately, and his weekends have been occupied with working on his car(s). We are currently down to one running vehicle, which is not a lot of fun for me, since that means I'm stuck at home all day. I'm trying to look on the bright side though, because I know this would be a worse situation of I was working. Plus, it gives me no excuse not to keep my house clean. Ha! Although, some days, I'm sure Chase gets home and thinks to himself "What in the world did she do all day?!"

I'm so glad that Chase loves to be involved with Jackson, and wants to spend time with him. I really hope that Jackson appreciates that when he gets older, and I hope he sees that example and demonstrates it in his own life. So many kids don't have a father, or even a father-figure, in their lives, and I think it's so important. He is so fortunate to have a good dad!

Jackson - 21 months

2011-06-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

Jackson, you continue to amaze me every month. The amount of things you learn and remember each month just blows my mind.

(being silly in Daddy's hat)

We haven't been to the doctor since April, so I don't know any of his stats, but he is now fully in 18 month clothes, size 5 diapers (no potty training going on -he's just not ready), and wears a size 5 or 6 shoe, depending on the brand. He has been sleeping at night from about 9:00pm - 7:00am, and taking a 2 hour nap during the day (sometimes even 3 hours!). I am soaking up every good nap, because he NEVER took good naps as a baby. EVER.)

Most days, Jackson is the easiest child. But lately, he has definitely been showing me his desire to do things the way he wants to and when he wants to. Two of his new favorite phrases are "I want ____," or "I need _____," and he is having to learn that just because he "wants" or "needs" something, doesn't mean he will get it. Apparently, it's a hard lesson to learn, because it has resulted in quite a few meltdowns. I think it's just a sign of what is to come. But, typically, he's just a content little boy!

He loves to sing songs now, although he does get a little shy if you ask him to do it. He loves to sings the ABC's and Deep and Wide. He can also tell you know what sound every letter in the alphabet makes. He will just walk around the house most days singing "B says buh" or "M says mmmm." So cute! He is talking in complete sentences quite a but now too, which is so funny. He is still a momma's boy, but he has definitely been getting more attached to daddy recently. He wakes up every morning asking "Where's Daddy?" or telling me "I want to see Daddy." So cute :)

He is still all about cars and truck, baseball and basketball, and letters and numbers. He was never attached to any kind of security object as a baby, but now he has this a little yellow matchbox car that rarely leaves his hand. Unfortunately it is so small, we tend to lose it around the house, so we've spent many evening lifting every couch cushion, checking every nook and cranny, and digging through the toy box, in search of "yellow truck."

(Got caught playing with toilet paper, laundry, and Daddy's belt while I was on the phone...see yellow truck??)

He is just so much fun, and I can't believe he is getting so big. It blows my mind that I'm about to plan his 2nd birthday party!

Jackson - I love you so much! You are such a joy to your daddy and me. I can't wait to watch you grow up!

Summer Happenings

2011-06-16T08:10:00.005-05:00

We really haven't done a lot this summer. It's been too hot to go outside in the afternoon. Plus, Chase has been having car issues, so Jackson and I are stuck at home a lot. But I'm trying to enjoy it and find fun things for us to do because I know it's better than being stuck inside because of extremely cold temperatures.

A couple weeks ago, I took Jackson to the zoo for a couple of hours, and it was so much fun! He's been a few times before, but never just him and me, and this time he just seemed so much more interested. He was telling me which animals he wanted to go see, and what sounds the animals were making. I took him into the bird observatory to let him feed the birds, figuring he would HATE it, but he loved it! He didn't want the birds getting to close, but he didn't freak out, so I was happy about that! He was talking about the elephants all morning, and when we went to see them, the workers were cleaning out the elephant area, so all 4 elephants were closed into a smaller area and we got such a good view of them. Jackson was so excited! Of course I have no pictures, because I left my camera at home.

Yesterday, I took Jack to the movies for the first time...let's just say it will be a while before I actually pay to take him. Ha! A local movie theater was playing Cars for free, so I figured this would be a good test to see if he would sit through a movie. He didn't do bad, but he just wanted to get down a lot (I think he just didn't like sitting in my lap). Meredith, Ella, Dana, & Isaac were there as well, and we all left about an hour into the movie.

And here's just a few pictures I've snapped over the last few weeks.

Fell asleep in his highchair at lunch :)

This is how he takes naps most days. I can tell he's getting tired so I sit on the couch, he crawls up there too, tells me he's sleepy, and lays down. Usually he falls asleep playing with one of his little cars or something. So funny.

Just being sweet, watching our neighbor mow the lawn.

I think he was upset here because I made him come inside after playing in the yard.

Goofy smiles! I just love this sweet boy!

Tough love - and why I hate teeth.

2011-06-02T08:53:00.007-05:00

I am only able to write this now that I believe the worst is over. But, man! These past few weeks have been rough! My sweet, loving, gentle, child was taken over by a demanding, high-maintenance, rough-and-tumble boy. I lost my patience more times than I care to count, and had some of my worst parenting days ever. It's really hard to go to bed several nights in a row not being able to think of anything positive from your parenting that day, but that's how I felt. And the overwhelming feeling of "Did I yell too much today? Is this going to scar him for the rest of his life?! And I ruining my child?!?!" can really break you down. But I just didn't know if I could take any more of the screaming, the throwing toys, hitting/climbing on Mr. L., breaking things (like the ceramic waste basket that he THREW across the bathroom), and just being ugly towards people. And the worst day? It was 4:00. He'd been awake for 10 hours with no nap. So tired, he couldn't stand up, but wouldn't let me hold him. Laying on the floor crying and screaming and rolling around. Him, not me (although I was about 2 seconds from joining him.) So I just went and put him in his crib, praying he would just fall asleep on his own. Next thing I know, he is KNOCKING ON HIS BEDROOM DOOR! He crawled out of his crib. AWESOME.
I was at my wits end. It also didn't help that Mr. L has been going through a severe attachment phase, and would scream if I got more than a foot away from him. 9 hours a day with 2 crying/screaming boys is not good for your sanity or your health.

Then last week, Jackson had an eye tooth break through. His behavior got a little better, but it was still nothing to brag about. 6 days later, second eye tooth. A little more improvement this time. Yesterday, I found a 3rd eye tooth. And he was an absolute angel all day. Jackson is back!
I've always heard that the eye teeth are worse than the molars, but I just did not expect it to be that bad. I'm praying that this is not foreshadowing his 2's or 3's.

God has really been working on my heart about how important my job as a mother is. I try not to take it lightly that Chase and I have been given this little soul to mold and teach and raise to the best of our ability, but also to God's standards. But, man, is it hard or what?! It's a very daunting task when you really think about it. I want to be "gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy." (Psalm 145:8)

One verse that I have to constantly remind myself of is Ephesians 6:4 "...provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." To admonish Jackson is to show him "gentle reproof." Not yelling correction. Not screaming "NO!" at him. Not getting on to him out of anger. But showing him right and wrong out of love. Wanting to correct him so that he learns what he should do next time. Not scaring him out of doing it again.

I know I will fail. I know that there will be more days when my parenting falls short of how it should be. But I also know that "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." (Lam 3:22) And that's encouraging.

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-31T08:37:00.000-05:00

We went to my grandpa's lake house with my family on Memorial Day this year. It was so nice to just go and relax for the day...as much as you can relax while making sure your toddler doesn't run out into the lake. Thankfully, Meredith was smart and bought the kids some buckets and shovels which kept them so entertained. On the way there, I looked back to check on Jackson in the car (he was being so quiet, I was sure he was asleep), and this is what I found.

He was so serious too! Apparently he had put it on, and then just didn't care to take it off.

So of course Ella had to join in the bucket-wearing too. :) Silly girl!

Ella took lots of trips out to see "Crocodile Lake," as she called it. Thank you Dora.

She quickly figured out she could go out there as much as she wanted as long as she asked someone different to take her out there each time. Ha!

This is what they did the majority of the time though.

Jackson dumped out a pot of soil and had a blast playing in it...

...until he decided he would stick a handful of it in his mouth. Here's Aunt Mere trying to wash it all out.

And here's Jackson gagging and trying to spit it out. Hopefully he learned his lesson!

Jackson - 20 Months

2011-05-20T07:59:00.001-05:00

I've been dreading this one for a while. I was okay telling people Jackson was "11 months old," "14 months old," or even "19 months old." But 20 months? Ugh. Now comes the dreaded answer, "He'll be 2 in September." 2. TWO. What?! From my monthly posts for Jack, it probably seems like I just sulk at every thought of him getting older. Which I do...not...maybe. :) But it's something I can't change, so I'm really trying to embrace it and enjoy each fleeting stage he goes through.

Jackson - you are 20 months old! I think you had another growth spurt because you seem to be so much taller these days. I found an old school picture of your daddy the other day, and you are starting to really look like him. You've always been a mixture, but I think you are definitely going to favor him (excluding your eyes and lips...and mommy's chubby cheeks. But don't worry, they will finally go away when you're about 13, ha!). Your blond hair has started to darken a little bit too. I think you sill stay blond for a while, but it's going to be a little darker than it's been over the last year. Your eyes have also started to change a little, much to your Pop's dismay. They are still blue, but they have some small spots of a grayish-green in them now too, so we're guessing that you'll end up with the same color eyes as me. When we went to the doctor last month, Dr. R. mentioned how muscular your legs were, and I've really started to notice that lately when I look at other kids. Your legs are so strong! Maybe you'll play soccer, or be a runner (just not football, please! haha).

All four of your eye teeth are working on coming through, and that has caused lots of trying days. You haven't had a new tooth in about 4 months, so I wasn't expecting 4 at once. I forgot how rough the teething process can be on you. I love that you're such a happy boy, because it is so obvious when you are not feeling well or when you are hurting.

Your vocabulary is growing so much everyday. You are constantly talking to me using words I didn't even know that you knew! You know basically all your letters, but your favorite things are still your colors and shapes. You LOVE to point out shapes everywhere we go. You also talk about trucks all the time. You have started crying when I come to pick you up from the nursery because you want to stay and play with the trucks, even though you know you have plenty at home to play with.

I think my favorite new thing this month is that you have started wanting to sing songs! We have always tried at home, but it was usually me singing and you just looking at me. But since you moved up to Sunday School, you love to sing all the songs that Grammy and Ms. Becky teach you. They told me that usually, you're the only kid that actually sings and dances, ha! Your favorites are "I'm in the Lord's Army," and "Deep and Wide." You also love to sing "Row, Row Row Your Boat," and "Twinkle, Twinkle." Although I think your love of those songs comes from a Dora episode. Have I mentioned that you are obsessed with Dora? Sheesh. You love Dora and Boots.

We are still struggling with getting you to eat a variety of foods. I'm really trying to introduce you to more things, but you really don't like much. You won't even eat macaroni and cheese, or ice cream! Thankfully, your doctor let me know about veggie burgers, so you eat a lot of those to get veggies into your diet. We're still working on getting you to eat more fruit as well. I think we'll have lots of smoothies this summer.

We only have a couple more weeks watching Logan, so I'm getting excited about all the things we can do this summer. I can't wait to take you swimming. Hopefully you love it even more than you did last year. I got you to stick your face in your bath water the other night, and you thought it was so much fun!

I almost forgot! You went potty in your little potty for the first time! You told me you had to go "poopoo," so I set you on the potty, and we sat, and sat, and sat. For about 20 minutes, but you finally went! I was so proud! You haven't shown much interest since then, so I'm not going to push it, but hopefully it's a start! I really didn't want to get a training potty, because I think I would rather change a dirty diaper than clean out the potty, but you do NOT like sitting on the big potty. And it's a good thing that I am so OCD when it comes to your potty being germ free, because when you're not using it, you wear it as a hat. Seriously. You're such a mess.

You are still the sweetest little boy, and you make me so happy to be your mommy!

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-10T08:54:00.003-05:00

Not a very eventful Mother's Day weekend this year. And I have no pictures, because I bought new batteries for my camera, then left them at my parent's house.

Chase was out of town Friday night, so it was just Jackson and me. Nothing special to note there, except for the FLYING COCKROACH that showed up in my house at 1 am. OH MY WORD. I HATE roaches. Typically, if Chase is home, I run to the other side of the house in tears if I see one. We occasionally get them because of the creek that runs behind our house, but I honestly haven't seen one in over a year. So it only makes sense that one would show up on the one night that Chase was out of town. Not going to bore you with all the details, but just picture me standing in the kitchen chair, armed with about 15 shoes. I think I only had to throw about 5 of them before I finally killed the thing. It was awful. I had to go sit on the couch afterwards and calm down, my heart was beating so fast, and I was literally shaking. I cannot handle stuff like that. It's very high on the list of reasons why I will never divorce Chase!

Saturday, Jackson and I went to my parent's for a while and ran to Sam's with my mom. Jackson fell asleep on the way there, so I carried him through Sam's, which turned out to be a BAD idea. My neck and shoulder were hurting so bad on Sunday, and they are still hurting today. It makes me so sad that he is getting too big to carry around. I just want him to stay little!

Sunday didn't get off to a great start. We all overslept, so we were extremely rushed to get to church. Of course, Jackson and I were late, but that's normal! And along with my neck and shoulder hurting, I had an awful headache. I seriously rarely get headaches, so of course I would get one on Mother's Day. I did win the "Youngest Mother" award in church, so that was fun. 2 years in a row now! I guess it helps that I really don't have much competition.

After church, we went to Hunan Wok with my family and my in-laws. It was nice not to have to cook and clean up!

By the time we got home my head was hurting so bad I was almost sick, so I crawled in bed and slept for about 2 hours. I still didn't feel much better, so I stayed home that night while Chase went to church and Jackson went to his grandparents to play. I am so thankful to have both sets of grandparents close by, and that they are so willing to help out with Jackson. I try so hard not to take advantage of them, but I also know that they would watch Jackson at any opportunity, so I don't mind asking them to watch him every now and then.

Chase and Jackson got me a Willow Tree figurine, and I later realized how ironic it was. When I opened it, my thoughts were, "I could just hold Jackson like this forever!" Yesterday I looked at it, and realized, I held him like this for an hour on Saturday and I'm still feeling it! Ha!

Easter and Ella's 2nd Birthday

2011-04-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

(My camera was dead the whole weekend, so I stole these pictures from my sister's FB and I don't know WHAT happened...ugh. I'll fix it later.)

Saturday was my niece Ella's 2nd birthday party! It was originally supposed to be at a park, but it was so windy and muggy that day, so it was moved to Chick-Fil-A. The kids had so much fun! They could have stayed in the play area all day.

Sweet birthday girl!

We had such a nice Easter this year! We began our day at church, then went to my in-laws for lunch and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. We headed to my parents that evening for dinner, so that we could celebrate with my grandpa too. It was a long day for Jackson, but he was so good.

Jackson and Aunt Ali. He always smiles so big in pictures with her.

Ella hunting eggs.

She didn't realize she was supposed to put the eggs, in her basket, so she was helping Jackson out at first, ha!

Please excuse Jackson's play shorts. He had some ADORABLE little striped shorts, but we had a diaper explosion right after lunch, and these were the only extras I had! Oh well...

Checking out the goldfish and animal crackers in the eggs. I think Ella was opening them and Jackson was eating everything...not a surprise!

Cute cousins. I'm so glad they are so close in age. I just can't wait to see them grow up together!

"He is not here, but is risen:" Luke 24:6

So glad we have a risen Savior and a reason to celebrate!

Jackson - 19 months

2011-04-20T10:21:00.000-05:00

This is such a fun age! Jackson is becoming a little boy, which makes me sad, but at the same time, I love it because we're really getting glimpses at his personality. He's so polite and sweet. He actually reminds us to say "Thank you," and "You're welcome," sometimes! He had a growth spurt over the last month, and is getting a lot taller. Hopefullly it stops soon, becuase I don't want him to outgrow all of his clothes!
He is recognizing almost all of his letters and numbers, but his favorite thing to do is point out colors and shapes. Everywhere we go, I hear "Orange diamond," or "Red circle!"
He's also a pretty shy guy. I can rarely get him to sing or do anything when he's by himself, but my mom says in Sunday School he LOVES to sing. He definitely does not like to be the center of attention. Something he gets from me, for sure.
Jackson has always been very calm and quiet, but over the last month, he has randomly had these crazy moments where it literally seems like we fed him a cup of sugar. He will go off the wall! And it's usually right before bedtime. He will just run, scream, yell, laugh, and just go nuts! It's so funny, but I'm praying that this is not a preview of what the 2's will be like, haha.

Dinosaurs and Haircuts

2011-04-12T07:21:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning, Meredith and I took Jackson and Ella, plus Mere's nephew, Ben, to the FW Zoo for "Dinosaurs and Donuts." They had a new dinosaur exhibit opening up, and anyone with a membership could get in 2 hours early and see it, along with getting free breakfast. The kids had a blast!

Ella And Jack eating donuts.

Ella checking out the bears.

Jackson was not so sure about the dinosaurs...He would just look at them and say "No. No. No..."

Ben feeding the birds.

Jackson LOVED looking at all the birds. I thought he would freak out, but he didn't!

Once we had seen about everything, we decided to ride the train back to the front of the park. Jackson is OBSESSED with trains right now, so he absolutely LOVED it. Since Saturday, he's been saying "Ride the Choo-choo Train!"

Later that afternoon, Chase and I took Jackson to get his first haircut. I was dreading this. Jackson had these adorable curls that just made him look like a baby to me. Unfortunately, the curls turned in to a frizzy, matted mess anytime we went anywhere. So I knew they had to go.

Here he is waiting for the haircut to start.

He was a little concerned when she got started, but once he realized he could "drive" the car, he had so much fun!

She gave him a little faux-hawk, but it wasn't very Jackson-like. As Ali put it, "He's just not mean enough to have a faux-hawk." I couldn't agree more!

The real "after." He's always sticking his chin out now. :)

Doesn't he look so OLD?! I just can't get over it. How did one haircut make my baby turn into a little boy?!

I used to laugh at women who told me they cried when their child had their first haircut. Well, I joined the club this weekend. It really made me realize how fast he is growing and how quickly time is flying. I'm excited to watch Jackson grow and learn, but I miss my little baby. I think he must have known I was having a rough weekend, because I was able to rock him while he was sleeping Saturday night, and he took a nap with me on Sunday afternoon. I know it won't be too much longer when he'll be too big to hold, so I'm just going to take advantage of every chance I get.

2011-03-31T08:16:00.003-05:00

March has just flown by! I think I was anticipating Spring Break so much, that the first half of the month just disappeared. I can't believe it's about to be April! I'm so excited though because I am ready for it to be warm and stay that way. I worked on packing all of Jackson's cold weather clothes up, then we had a random cold front move through and stay for a few days. Thankfully, I rarely ever finish a project the day I start, so I hadn't taped the boxes up and was able to snag a few pants and sweaters out. Jackson's verbal skills have been changing so much recently. He's started saying short sentences, and we can hold short conversations now. His favorite topics are food and sports. :) I hear "Momma, want juice, pweease," and "Football, backeyball, baseball, sockeyball," about 100 times a day. Everything he says is so clear. When we went in for his 18 month check-up, even his doctor was impressed by his articulation, which made me one proud mommy! I don't really notice, because I'm not around many other kids his age, so it just seems normal to me. Two more months until Summer, and I CANNOT wait. I want to do so many things with Jackson while he's at this age where he is just absorbing everything. We're getting memberships to the zoo, so I'm sure we'll spend a lot of time there. And hopefully, we'll be taking a small vacation, but we're not sure yet. I'd better get back to the boys!

Thyroid, Shmyroid

2011-03-22T17:27:00.002-05:00

Well, I don't really have any clear answers on what's going on with my thyroid. Last year, after some routine blood work, my thyroid levels were off. I then had an ultrasound performed which found a small nodule on a lobe of my thyroid. Yesterday, during my appointment, he was going over the things that the nodule could mean. Basically, it could either be (1) hyperthyroidism, (2) Grave's Disease, or (3) Thyroid cancer. He said that less than 5% of these things are cancerous, and since I haven't really shown any symptoms, other than fatigue and a little shakiness, that it's probably nothing to worry about. They did did more blood work, which came back normal, so that probably rules out hyperthyroidism as well. I'm hoping that they rule out the Graves disease, and that it's just a benign nodule that we can ignore. I am being sent back later this week to have another ultrasound, to see if there has been any growth in the nodule. If there has, then I'll probably have more tests. If not, then my doctor will just check it annually for the next 5 years or so.

I was also going to try a new recipe and post it on here, but I didn't get to cook it last night, and Jackson decided to wait until 4:30 today to take a nap, which was when I was supposed to run to the store to get ingredients for supper tonight. So, I guess we will either be eating sandwiches, or we will just eat a very late dinner. I did end up making this last night, which was REALLY good. I normally buy the original kind, but I figured we couldn't go wrong with cheese, and I was right!

Monday, Monday

2011-03-21T14:20:00.002-05:00

I miss Spring Break. How did it go by so quickly?! I had so much fun over the last week though, and for that I'm so thankful. Of course, I didn't get close to getting all the projects that I had planned finished, but that's OK. I guess that will be my Summer mission.
Mr. L came back this morning. I figured he would have a rough day, since he had been home with his mommy all last week, but he did really well! He actually cried when his dad came to pick him up this afternoon,, which made me feel good. Not that I want him preferring me over his parents, AT ALL, (which he doesn't), but it's nice to know that he likes coming to my house and that he feels safe with me.
He had to leave early today, because I have an appointment this afternoon with the endocrinologist about my thyroid. Supposedly I have hypothyroidism and there is a nodule on a lobe, or something. I don't really know. I just hope that maybe it's the reason I'm so tired all of the time, and maybe it will explain my constant forgetfulness. Thankfully, Chase is going to the appointment with me. I don't normally ask him to go to the doctor with me, but I asked him to this time because I really don't know what to expect. Plus, it was scheduled for a time that he would already be off of work, so it wasn't any trouble. Guess we'll see this afternoon what they have to say.

Jackson - 18 months

2011-03-20T18:19:00.001-05:00

Jackson, you are 18 months old! How is that possible? We haven't been to your check-up yet, but I'm going to guess you're around 24 lbs. (EDIT: Well, I was close! You are 23.4 lbs, and 32 3/4 inches tall. Tall and skinny!) You are in size 4 diapers, and I'm really hoping to move to pull ups in the next few months when we start potty training. You have started to tell me when you need to go "poo-poo," but nothing happens when you sit on your potty. (Of course, about 2 seconds after you get up, it happens!) I'm putting your potty up for a while, and we'll just give it another go when I thing you're ready. No rush! You are so much fun, and I can't believe how smart you are. EVERYONE talks about how well you talk, and I totally agree with them. My nickname for you this last month has been "copycat" because you repeat everything we say, and you pronounce things so well. Your favorite words are probably "basketball," soccer ball," and "football." Ha! You can also count to 10 (although you like to skip 4 & 7). And you can recognize several letters of the alphabet, shapes, and colors. You are sleeping better than ever! Just within the last week, you have started going to bed at 9:00 and sleeping until about 8:00. We brush your teeth every night (you don't let me forget!) and then we get your sock monkey, you THROW him into your crib, and we say night-night! Sometimes you play around before you fall asleep, but usually within 20 minutes, you're out! You also take one 1 1/2 hour nap a day. It is wonderful! You are becoming quite the picky eater. I'm not sure how you know which foods are good for you, but you do, and you avoid them at all costs. I'm having to hide veggies in your mashed potatoes to get you to eat any at all. Your favorites are still yogurt, oatmeal, cheese, and bananas, but you have recently really loved to eat apples. And you're finally drinking juice. Your favorites are cran-grape and the punch flavor. You have recently shown in interest in watching TV and your favorite shows are Dora, Mickey Mouse, Handy Manny, and Sesame Street. I've cut back on how much I keep the TV on because if it is on you are glued to the screen. You also love to watch basketball and baseball games with your daddy. It's pretty adorable. I can't believe you are growing so fast. It really feels like yesterday that I found out I was expecting. I can't wait to see what the next few months bring! I love you Jack! Watching Dora after you wake up, always smiling!

You and me on my birthday/your half birthday!

Just playing!

Our family of three!

no creative title today...or really ever

2011-03-19T08:25:00.007-05:00

**Updated: Jackson is still asleep at 8:30am for the 2nd time this week. This will probably never happen again -so I just had to document it!
**8:33: He just woke up. It's a Spring Break miracle!

Last night, Chase took me to eat for my birthday. Sadly I have no pictures. We went to Pappadeaux and it was yummy as always! Of course he told the waitress that it was my birthday, and we ended up splitting the Creme Brulee which was heaven in a dish. OH MY WORD. Why have I never ordered that before?! My parents watched Jackson, and it was so nice to have some time to ourselves.

Earlier in the day, I went to eat lunch with my mom and Ali and visit my old coworkers. I love taking Jackson up there to visit everyone, but it's very hard to do when I have Baby L with me. It's so strange to go so long without seeing all the people that I spent everyday with for 5 years. I would never give up staying at home with Jackson, but I do miss the office sometimes - especially on days where Jackson is cranky, ha!

Well, I'd better go get ready. We're having a birthday cookout at my parents' house today!

Spring Break!

2011-03-17T08:06:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe Spring Break is half way over! I haven't had the opportunity to enjoy a Spring Break in a few years, once I finished school and was working full-time, but that's the perk of babysitting a teacher's kid. We haven't done a whole lot this week, but it's been nice.
Monday - I was car-less, so I was forced to stay home and actually get some cleaning around the house done. Ali came over too and we did some top secret crafting. :)
Tuesday - My favorite! For my birthday, I told Chase I just was to go shopping with no baby. So me and the sisters were able to go out while my wonderful and brave in-laws watched Jackson and Ella. It was SO nice to be able to actually spend time digging the racks, and talking without little hands getting into everything, or the stench of a dirty diaper interrupting a great conversation. I love my kid, but it's nice to get a break sometimes! We went to eat at a tea room downtown, then headed to the mall. And apparently this trip was anointed, because for the first time IN MY LIFE, I went into the dressing room with several items, and THEY ALL FIT. That is probably the last time that will ever happen, and I'm okay with that. It happened, and it was wonderful.
Wednesday - Did a lot of hanging around and playing with Jackson in the morning before we ran to Hobby Lobby. Couldn't find anything I needed, so we came home and he took a nice long nap. Then once Chase got home, we drove out to Plano to look at a car. Not exactly my idea of fun, but whatever.
Thursday - not exactly sure what we have going on today. Busy day planned for today. Got a few errands to run, then a big painting project to work on, and trying to get some plans with my mom for lunch.

Well, off to finish enjoying the morning with my boy. We've got the windows open, Praise Baby on Pandora, full cups of coffee and milk, and "faffles" in the toaster. I love mornings like this!

Back to blogging...

2011-03-10T09:01:00.010-06:00

I'm back! After way too long without internet, we finally have it at the house! We'd been talking about it for a while, wanting to make sure it fit into our budget. Yesterday, we decided to sign up, and 10 minutes later I checked our mail, and saw that we had our new house payment book, which showed our new lower payment! How awesome is that?! Needless to say, our lives have changed a lot since I last blogged. Chase was working at the bank, I was working at the insurance company, and Jackson was still hanging out in my belly. Chase has a different job now, I'm staying home w/ Jackson along with babysitting full-time Mr. L, and Jackson is currently running around the house with my cell phone talking about Dora and Diego. He is seriously the cutest little boy ever. I don't know what I did to deserve such a sweet kid, but I was blessed WAY more than I could have imagined.

Well, I've got a little catch up to do on the blog, so I'm going to have to go dig up pictures. Hopefully I get caught up soon!

Stock Show 2011

2011-01-29T18:00:00.000-06:00

With all the crazy freezing temps, I was so excited that there was one nice warm Saturday that we were able to go to the Stock Show! This was also part of my birthday present for Chase. (Not going to the stock show, but getting out of the house for the day and not having to worry about the house, yard, cars, etc.) I couldn't wait to take Jackson to see all the animals. He absolutely loved it, even though he was a little concerned at first.

Jackson and Chase in the petting zoo. He would NOT let Chase set him down.

My boys. :)

He got a little more interested when he saw the ducks.

After a minute or two of looking at a duck, he wanted DOWN! He was going right up to them and petting them. He didn't even care at one point when a goat, about his size, walked right into him.

Waiting for Chase to bring us our lunch. (Sausage-on-a-stick = life changing.)

Such a handsome boy.

Helping Daddy put on his glasses.

Checking out the rabbits. He LOVED them.

Me and my buddy.

We also walked through the exhibit hall where they show all of the cows. Jackson loves to talk about cows, but he was not a fan of them. Probably due to the fact that the first ones we showed him were massive! On our way out, we saw a lot of horses, and he was so fascinated. I just loved to watch his little mind work as he looked at everything. It was so much fun and I can't wait to go back next year!

Jackson - 4 Months

2010-01-20T09:18:00.001-06:00

Jackson, you are 4 months old!! You are becoming more and more fun each day! You are so happy all the time, we can just look at you and you break into the biggest smiles! You are becoming a much better sleeper, usually only waking up once a night, but occasionally twice. You’re getting better about your naps too, I just wish you would sleep a little longer than 45 minutes. Everyone tells me you have the cutest chubbiest cheek, and I’m glad you don’t mind people squishing them, because EVERYONE does, especially your Daddy and me. We just can’t help it!
You roll extremely well from your tummy to your back, but only when you want to, which of course is never when mommy has the video camera out or when I want to show someone. You rolled from your back to your tummy once, but I think it was an accident. We’ll start working more on that. You love to play Peek-A-Boo, airplane, and go side-to-side with your daddy. You also LOVE to hear him sing. You laugh a lot now days; especially when we tickle you…you take after your mommy in that area.
We went to your 4 month appointment and Dr. R said you looked absolutely perfect! The doctor that delivered you told me that you would be tall and skinny, and from the looks of it, she is right!
Weight: 14 lbs 13.5 oz (50%)
Height: (80%)

You had to get 4 shots this month and you were WONDERFUL! You screamed for about 3 minutes, but you calmed down so quickly once I started talking to you, you were back to your happy self before I finished getting you dressed. Since you were hungry, I had to rush home instead of stopping at Sonic like I normally do every time I take you to the doctor. I can’t wait until you’re old enough to enjoy cheese-tot awesomeness with me…you’ll love them :)
You’re still eating like a little piggy. I’ve tried giving you cereal a few times, but it is just not working out. It gives you awful gas every time, so bad one night you were waking up screaming in pain every 1 ½ hours…not a fun night for either of us. I wanted to cry right along with you. After waiting a couple weeks and trying again, with the same results, I decided that you can just skip cereal. Dr. R said we could start veggies and fruits soon, since the cereal isn’t working out, so I’ll probably let you try that in a few weeks. Maybe once you can handle that, I’ll try the cereal again. Right now you seem like you’re getting plenty to eat, so I’m not in a rush.

I can’t believe you’re already 4 months old! It’s flying by so quickly. You have turned my world completely upside down, and I love every single minute of it. I love you so much baby boy!

Apparently the fourth month is also the goofy-face month. I barely have any pictures of him without a silly face in it! Ha!
Monkey Boy!

Playing in the exersaucer.

This just cracks me up! I love his little face! We were watching the snow out the front door, but I don't know what he was doing here!

Just relaxing :) and looking a LOT like his daddy here!

Jackson's Birth Story

2009-09-27T08:41:00.017-05:00

Wrote this not long after J was born, and I'm finally posting it so that I never lose it. Better late than never :)

------------ So it all started on Friday afternoon September 18th, the day before my due date. Chase and I went to my weekly doctors appointment. Everything was the same as it had been the week before: not dilated at all. BUMMER. Since I kind of figured that would be the case, I knew we would be discussing induction, and I figured sometime within the next 2 weeks. Since my body was showing no signs of readiness for labor, I figured I still had a while to go, and was pretty upset because I really wanted to go into labor naturally. Just like every other week, Dr. M pulled out her doppler to check Jackson’s heart rate. His heart rate was usually in the 135-145 range, but this time, it was around 115. She listened to it for about a minute and it never went above 120. So she decided to hook me up to the fetal monitor and do a quick sonogram just to make sure everything was okay. Thankfully she is such a calm person, she made it sound almost routine, so that helped me not to freak out. The nurse brought the fetal monitor in, hooked me up, and then let it record for about 20 minutes. I was never more glad to have Chase at an appointment with me! During the 20 minutes, his heart rate was about 115-120, dropping down to 108 a few times, and spiking to 135 a few times when he was kicking around. Needless to say, that’s not very good. So after a while they brought the sonogram machine in and took a look at the little guy. I had a sonogram 2 weeks before this one and it all looked pretty good. His tummy was measuring about 4 weeks behind, but since the placenta, amniotic fluid levels, and all the other measurements looked good, there was no real cause for concern (Dr M. said he was probably just skinny like his momma - see why I love her?!). On this sonogram, his stomach was still measuring about 4-5 weeks behind, but the placenta had a lot of calcification, and my fluid levels were too low. Safe level is above 8. Mine was at a 6, when two weeks before they had been a 16. So after talking to the doctor, we all decided it would be best to induce, and the sooner the better. So we were told to report to the hospital the next evening! This just blew my mind since I was really expecting to be pregnant for at least another week or two!

(couple hours before we went to the hospital)

Saturday Chase and I just took it easy, making sure everything was ready to go. It was pretty nice being able to take a shower and get ready without the rush of “Oh gosh, I’m in labor!” We went and ate lunch at On the Border then went to my parents until it was time to go the hospital. We were only there for a couple hours, but it felt like we were there ALL DAY. I was so anxious! We got to the hospital a little before 5:00 and checked in. They got us in the our room, hooked me up to the monitors, placed my IV, and we waited. And sat. And waited. And sat. Bored out of our minds. (There was a UT football game on that night, so Chase was happy he got to watch it!)

They were short staffed that night, and since my situation wasn’t really pressing, I was a little lower on the priority list. They were supposed to started me on the Cytotec around 7pm, but they later came in and told me it would actually be closer to midnight. Ugh! I had not had anything to eat since about 2:00pm, so Chase ran to get me a sandwich to scarf down. They finally administered the pill around 11:30pm and gave me an Ambien to help me sleep. They had to check me 3 hours later to see if I needed another dose. So I get another dose at 2:30, and they checked me again at 5:30pm and said I was ready to start on the Pitocin. They hooked up the Pitocin around 6:00am to give my contractions a kick start. Around 9:00 I started actually feeling the contractions, basically just like really mild cramps. At 11:00, Dr Motley came in to check me (only dilated to a 2) and break my water. OUCH!!! I was always told that it doesn’t hurt, and that you feel so much better after they do that. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. It hurts like crazy, and the contractions kicked in to full gear after that! I don’t know how people go through labor without getting an epidural. They gave me the epidural an hour later, but that was one hour of absolute torture! (I'm sort of a wimp :)) I had my mom on one side of me, just keeping me calm and breathing, and Chase on the other side. I was gripping his hand so hard, I’m surprised I didn’t bruise him! If I could have, I would have kissed the anesthesiologist. She was my life-saver. After that it was basically a lot of sitting there and chatting with everyone that came up to the hospital to visit. When Dr. M broke my water, she figured Jackson would arrive around 3:00. Well, around 4:00pm I had only dilated to a 4. At 6:00pm I finally made it to a 6, and they figured I still had a good 4 hours to go. (I'm pretty sure at this point, I was just like "What the heck?! Jackson, get OUT.") Well, at 7:00pm the new nurse came in and went ahead and checked me. I was completely dilated. What?! I was not expecting that at all. She asked me if I was ready to start pushing, and I think I just stared at her, haha. A little bit before this, I had started feeling my contractions again, which isn’t supposed to happen when you’re on an epidural. They weren’t hurting, but I could just feel pressure when they started. I also started having some MAJOR pain in a spot on the lower left side of my back. I've never been stabbed, but I think that is probably what it feels like. So before we started the pushing process, they had the anesthesiologist come back in and give me a little extra dose of the epidural. The contractions feelings went away, but unfortunately the back pain just kept getting worse. Ended up being the little mister's head pushing on a nerve in my back. So by that point I was just ready to get him out. They had called my doctor when I was at a 6 and gave her an update, then had to call her 30 minutes later and tell her to hurry up and get to the hospital because this baby was not going to wait on her! The nurse had me start pushing for about 10 minutes before Dr. Motley got there, and quickly saw that Jackson was actually moving himself down, so she had me stop pushing for a while because she was afraid he would come out before the Dr. got there. Thankfully Dr. Motley got there in time, and Jackson arrived after about another 15 minutes of pushing! He was PERFECT. Seven pounds and 19 ½ inches of cuteness wrapped up in an adorable, blond, chubby-cheeked baby boy.

I always thought I would just bawl my eyes out the first time I saw him, but the second the put him on my chest I just stared at him. I couldn’t cry or talk or anything, I think I was just in shock that he was actually here. Chase didn’t cry either. We both just looked at each other with a “Can you believe this??” look on our faces, haha. Chase cut the cord, I was so proud of him!! He had not planned on that since he’s not so good with all the blood and guts stuff, but he said it wasn’t so gross looking so he didn’t mind doing it, haha. Once they got Jackson all cleaned up and we got some pictures, I tried to nurse him but he was just not interested. He just wanted to look around at everything. So after about 15 minutes of no success, we figured we’d go ahead and have the family come in to see him. After about an hour everyone cleared out and I tried feeding him again and he did great! We stayed in the hospital until Tuesday afternoon when we finally got to go home.

May....July??

2009-07-09T16:01:00.003-05:00

What in the world happened to June? How did that month pass by so quickly? And now July is already 1/3 of the way gone. It’s going to be Christmas before I know it!

Not much going on lately. I got my baby registries done! It was so much fun getting to pick out everything, although I still feel like I left stuff off. Oh well, I guess that’s what gift cards are for :)
We had a nice July 4th weekend. On Saturday we went with my parents and Ali to Tyler to visit my grandparents. My grandma has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks recovering from some seizures she had. Thankfully she is getting SO much better, and I think she should have already been moved to the rehab facility by now…I just forgot to ask my Dad if they moved her yet. We took my grandpa out to eat just to get him out of the hospital for a while. We went to this Chinese buffet and while we were eating I saw him wrap up some food in a napkin. Then I realized that it was the hard boiled eggs that had been on his plate (**here's where you ignore the questions 1) why would a Chinese buffet have deviled eggs? and 2) wouldn't those be gross after sitting out for a while? haha). Anyone that knows my grandma knows that hard boiled eggs are one of her FAVORITE foods and he was wrapping them up to take to her. It was just so cute. :) Probably a semi-health hazard, but still sweet. One thing that my grandma and I share is our love of FOOD, so I could tell that it meant a lot to her when we got back to the hospital.

We got home around 7pm and decided not to go watch fireworks and just rented a movie. I really wanted to go watch them, but I was so tired. Thankfully we didn’t go because the ones we would have gone to watch didn’t end up starting until close to midnight!

This week we’ve completely cleared out the nursery. It’s basically empty besides a bookshelf and the baby stuff that we already have (which is basically nothing!). We’re picking up the crib and changing table this weekend, then I just have to start looking for a dresser and a glider. So excited! I’m so ready to get that nursery done!

Next week is going to be so hectic…I don’t get home until after 5 everyday, and we have VBS everyday at 6:30. I have a feeling lots of fast food will be on the menu for next week! BLECH!! Not good considering I have a doctors appt next Friday. Hopefully the scale will be nice to me :) So far it's been ok, but I'm just waiting for the drastic jump in weight that I feel is inevitable.

Ok, got to get back to work…I’ll try to get some pics of the nursery and our progress if I think about it. Maybe one of my ever-growing belly too…
Until next time!

Father's Day 2009

2009-06-21T12:00:00.005-05:00

Chase got back in town from Washington DC on Saturday. For his Father’s Day gift, I was going to clean his car inside and out and then let him choose whatever he wanted to do for the rest of the day. He’s really not into getting gifts, so I knew something like that would mean more to him than if I were to buy him something. Unfortunately, the day didn’t go as planned. To make a loong story short, it ended up being a day filled with car keys I needed being in another state, backed-up plumbing, having to go to Mere’s to take a shower, bad weather in DC, delayed flights, car keys being left in another state, and two really tired people. So his Father’s Day gift consisted of Sonic for dinner and a movie of his choice from Redbox.

Exciting, huh? I felt really bad, but I think he was just happy that he was home and to actually be spending time together after being apart for a week. In the last 5½ years, that’s the longest we’d been apart, so I was missing him bad! He was happy with it so that’s all that mattered anyways.

Happy Father’s Day to my favorite person in the world. You are the best husband, and I know you’re going to be an amazing dad to Jackson! Love you babe!!

Nursery bedding

2009-05-29T20:48:00.005-05:00

I found my baby bedding!!! Okay, I actually found this a long time ago and fell completely in love with it, BUT I thought it was way over priced. Thankfully, I happened to look on the website again this week and it was marked down! I couldn't find anything else that I liked as much as this one the whole time I have been looking, so I am just so happy that it was on sale. PLUS, I found it on another website that had free shipping and offered a matching blanket, so it was an even better deal. It will look a little different because we'll have a dark brown crib, but I think it will still look really good. It's not too girly, so of course Chase is fine with it, ha.

And a BIG thank you to my wonderful mother-in-law who ordered it for me! I can't wait for it to get here so I can start getting the nursery ready!

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-14T16:39:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a happy Mother’s Day! I am so looking forward to next year when I get to celebrate it with my little man!

I am so blessed to have an AWESOME mom and Mother-in-law! I know of a lot of people who have issues or strained relationships with their mom’s and MIL’s and I and so thankful that I have two moms that I can count on for anything! Chase and I love them both so much!

I woke up and walked into the kitchen Sunday morning to find a gift bag on the table from Chase. He got me this beautiful figurine. I just love it! He is such a good gift-giver, unlike me. I try to get “thoughtful” gifts, but I usually spend so much time trying to find the perfect gift that I end up frustrated and just buy a gift card. Nice, huh?

We spent the morning at church and then my parents, Chase’s parents, Brian, Meredith, Ross, Ali, and Ella all came over for lunch. We had fajitas that were SO GOOD. We didn’t actually get to eat until almost 3:00 due to some problems with our grill, but it was worth the wait! Then we had Sopapilla Cheesecake for dessert…so yummy! Of course, I completely forgot to get my camera out, so I have absolutely no pictures.

It was just a relaxing afternoon, except for the part when I almost knocked LeAnn’s sweet tea right into her lap! Thank goodness she was quick on her feet because she got out of the way just in time. Wouldn’t that have been a nice Mother’s Day gift?!

And of course, I couldn’t go a post without some kind of update on Jackson :) Not much going on lately though. Just a bunch of growing (both of us, ha) and kicking (just him)! I go to the Dr. on Monday for my last monthly appt, and then I start going every 2 weeks. Where is the time going?!

Hope you all have a great week!

IT'S A BOY!!!

2009-04-28T14:12:00.006-05:00

And he likes attention because the second I started typing he started moving around like crazy :) Must take after his daddy, haha.

We're going to name him Jackson Robert. Jackson, because it was the first boy name that we agreed on, and Robert, which is Chase's middle name and both of our maternal grandfather's names.

The appointment went extremely well. Jackson is not shy at all and spread his legs wide apart to let us have a clear view, thank goodness. Dr. M. said that he looked great, so we were so happy! He is growing just like he should. She didn't tell me to gain more weight this time...guess 1 month of pigging out made her happy with my weight gain. I've only gained 6 pounds overall so far, so I'm happy with that!

Now onto figuring out how I want to do his nursery! Chase told me I have full reign over the nursery decisions, as long as I stay away from boats...which I think are cute, but whatever. I'm thinking I'll probably do different patterns rather than having an actual theme...but we'll see. I'll try to post some pictures of nurseries I like once I gather up some favorites.

4 months down...

2009-04-20T16:28:00.002-05:00

Well, since Ella was born, I have seen her all but one day…I think I’m obsessed. It is such a good thing that I’m having one of my own or I would be seriously considering trying to figure out a way for Meredith to let me move into her house just so I could be around the baby more. Yesterday, I called her to see if I could stop by, and I may have bribed her with a snow-cone. It totally worked too!

Well, I’m 18 weeks and 2 days pregnant today!! Where in the world is all this time going? Everything right now is going so well. Besides being tired and having some muscle pains in my stomach, I really don’t feel pregnant. I think I felt the baby move for the first time 2 weeks ago, and since then I’ve felt little movements every few days. None of the movements have been very strong, but it’s still so amazing to know that there’s a little person in there kicking around.

The BIG news is that we find out what we’re having on FRIDAY!!! I just can’t wait to see the baby again! We honestly don’t care what gender it is. We’re just praying that they baby cooperates with the ultrasound tech and allows us to get a clear view. Guess we'll have to wait and see!

Ella Grace is here!

2009-04-17T15:46:00.005-05:00

Well, as of Wednesday afternoon, I now officially have the most beautiful niece ever. I may be a little biased, but seriously, she is the most adorable little girl I have ever seen. I’ll let Meredith share all the details of the birth story (if she ever get’s on her blog again, haha).

Here is a sneak peek of what I'm sure is just the beginning of many pictures to come…

2009-03-25T16:22:00.001-05:00

Baby News:
I’m happy to report that the baby is approximately the size of a lemon this week. I’m not happy to report that the baby has made its existence visible, to me at least. I don’t have a bump, more like just some extra pudginess that was NOT there a few days ago. I had nothing on Saturday, and then I woke up Sunday thinking I was bloated…and that would have been my excuse except for the fact that it’s now Wednesday and normally people aren’t bloated for 4 days straight, ha.

Anyways, everything seems to be going good in my first official week of the 2nd trimester. It’s just going by so fast! I have an appointment on Friday, and then it’s just 4 more weeks until we know what we’re having…crazy! Hopefully I don’t gain too much weight between now and then. Of course, if I give in to my constant craving for hot dogs (seriously), I may resemble a walrus by the time baby gets here.

In other baby news, I’m still waiting on my sweet little niece to get here. I thought she might surprise us on my birthday, but since that didn’t happen, I think she’s just being stubborn now. I’m just glad Mere is finally able to get up and out of the house!

House News:
WE GOT NEW KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS!! WOO HOO!!
Ok, well technically we didn’t get them yet. We’ve ordered them, the countertops guys came out and did the final measurements, and now we’re just waiting to hear back from Home Depot to make sure we paid the correct amount (depending on if the estimate measurements were right or not). But then it should only be about 10-12 days before its ready! So excited! And we got a pretty new sink and faucet to go in once the countertops have been installed. I’m so ready for a nice looking kitchen!

Other Stuff:
My birthday this last Friday was good, especially since Chase was out of town all week and he got back in ON my birthday. That made it an extra good day! The bad part was when Chase and I went out to eat and an older man almost died in the restaurant. No kidding. I’ll spare the details here, but if you want to know just ask me about it. Saturday I did a little shopping with Meredith and then had a family birthday cookout at Aunt Gail’s house since we have lots of March birthdays on LeAnn’s side of the family. Then on Sunday we had my family bday lunch at my parent’s house. So it was just a great weekend!

I’ve got to start updating this more so my posts don’t turn out to be like novels...we'll see how that goes.

2009-03-10T16:41:00.002-05:00

Well, my due date is now officially September 19th. We established that when we got to SEE THE BABY!! Seriously, one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life. The baby was perfect and still so we got some really good pictures, and then after we heard the heart beat Dr. M got the little one to wiggle around. SO awesome to see! And I just LOVE my doctor. She’s so nice and personable. And she has about the funniest laugh ever. I think Chase and I were trying really hard to the whole time not to laugh at her when she would laugh. But still, she’s great.

A lot has been going on lately though. We had both of Meredith’s baby showers, one of which she actually got to attend. Yay! That week of the showers my nausea went away for good, hallelujah! It was perfect timing too because I had to make cake bites and I was afraid that I would not be able to handle making them. I was in class for work last week in downtown FW, and baby got its first jolt (or 2) of caffeine courtesy of Starbucks. But it was necessary if I was going to stay awake. Chase and I finally went out for Valentine’s Day on Saturday night, which was wonderful. I think it was our first date since before Christmas…sorry Chase. We had a gift card to Olive Garden, and we totally pigged out. But it was so much fun just to spend time together outside of the house.

Over all I’ve been feeling great lately! Still a little tired, but basically back to normal. I guess now I just wait on the bump to appear!

Oh! And this weekend we are supposed to go pick out our kitchen countertops! I hope we find something we both like!

Going, going, going

2009-02-19T16:49:00.003-06:00

Things have been really busy lately, but I won't bore you with details. Instead, I'll talk about my favorite subject: FOOD! I ran across this a while back, so if you feel like it, just copy it to your own blog :)

5 Items in your refrigerator:
1. BIG container of soy sauce
2. Way too many half empty jars of marinade
3. hot sauce
4. String Cheese
5. Pie crust

5 Items in your pantry:
1. Jar of roasted red peppers
2. Lots of canned tomatoes (sauce, paste, diced, whole, seasoned…)
3. Tomato soup
4. Cornbread stuffing mix
5. Rainbow sprinkles (of course!)

5 Favorite restaurants:
1. Red Lobster
2. Hunan Wok
3. Posados
4. Oi Shii
5. Charleston’s

5 favorite foods
1. Shrimp in any form
2. King Ranch Casserole
3. My mom’s lasagna
4. My mom’s stuffing and turkey gravy
5. My macaroni & cheese (ok, ok, so I stole the recipe from Paula Deen…)

5 Favorite Desserts:
1. Dessert Ravioli (Oh, YUM!)
2. Brownies (with chocolate chunks or chips in them)
3. Homemade chocolate chip cookies
4. Cappuccino Chunky Chocolate ice cream
5. Chocolate covered strawberries

5 LEAST Favorite foods:
1. onions
2. beans of any kind
3. tuna
4. sweet pickles
5. cabbage

Valentines Day Problem

2009-02-13T15:49:00.002-06:00

If you’ve known me for any time at all, you probably noticed my appreciation of food. Or maybe I should call it an infatuation. I love me some good food and can normally out-eat most anyone. (This is where I thank the Lord repeatedly for high metabolism!) For basically every special occasion, I usually tell Chase that he doesn’t need to get me anything as long as he takes me out to eat. No kidding.

I remember back when we were dating, I was really sick and he surprised me at my parents by coming over. I opened the door and he had a really pretty bouquet of peach roses for me. They were so pretty! Then he walked inside, pretended like he forgot something, walked back out and reentered the house with a bag of food from Chick-Fil-@! Those poor roses never got a second glance. He KNOWS that the way to my heart is through my stomach.

We’ve got a tough situation this Valentine’s Day because food just hasn’t been that appetizing to me. Since I haven’t felt that great lately, we opted out of going anywhere because I know I won’t feel like dealing with the crowds. So I’m still trying to figure out what to do. I want to make it special since it will be the last one without a baby, but I’m just not coming up with anything…although I may steal Dana’s fondue idea because I completely forgot that I’ve had a fondue pot for 3 years that I’ve never used and I have some almond bark too!

Well, I’m heading home to spend the evening with my hub. Maybe he’ll think of something.

Most recent stupid moment: Deciding that it was a good idea to order really spicy wings for dinner last night. Can we say MAJOR indigestion?? Good grief. And I don’t even LIKE spicy wings.

Highlight of my week: For the first time ever, I used a barf bag on an airplane. Pathetic.

What a week...

2009-02-05T08:45:00.005-06:00

Wow, I'm tired. This week has been just crazy! Apparently this was not the week to decide to sort laundry in my living room, because it's totally still sitting there, dirty, smelly, and in piles EVERYWHERE. Maybe tonight I'll get to it...or maybe I'll just put it in hampers and hide it in the guest room :)

On Monday, miss Ella decided that she wanted to tease us and make us all think that she was going to come out way too early. Since I don't feel like writing a novel, here's the short version. Basically Mere started having lots of contractions, very close together, and was in the hospital for about 2 days. She's now at home, but she will be on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy, which I'm thinking will be no more than 2 months. I feel so bad for her! I want her to be able to get up and move around, but I know that baby needs to bake a little while longer, so she's just going to have to stick it out. Thankfully, we have so many friends who are willing to help out however they can, so I'm sure she won't be too miserable. (Oh, and Dana, if you get done with Mere's laundry today, feel free to stop by my house...I've got it all sorted already!! lol)

This Saturday I'm taking a day trip to San Antonio for work. It's just a big get-together for our office and our San Antonio office. The company is flying us down there which I'm SO happy about, because we all know how I do on car trips. And now that I'm already queasy all the time, I can't imagine how bad it would be.

Tomorrow night I'm going over to Meredith's to make her King Ranch Casserole, which is probably one of my favorite meals EVER. I've been craving it since the last time I made it, which was only a month ago, haha.

Ok, got to get back to work.

Due Date

2009-01-29T16:18:00.005-06:00

Looks like we should have a new little baby around September 14th! I don't really care if it comes early or late, but wouldn't it be cool if it were born on the 9th? Then it's bday would be 09/09/09?? Just thought that would kind of neat. I have a feeling I'll go past my due date though...guess we'll wait and see!

Well...

2009-01-26T12:39:00.002-06:00

In case you haven't heard...

Click here :)

and then here.

Quick housing update

2009-01-22T14:38:00.004-06:00

We have more doors (installed)!!

It may sound ridiculous, (and really, it is) but we haven't had doors on our 2 entry way closets or on the 2 closet doors in the back guest bedroom since we moved in. We have HAD the doors, but they had just been chilling in the garage for about 2 years.

But, as of Monday - they are up thanks to Chase & my awesome father-in law!! My little entry way has never looked better :)

Guess, I should go and hang all the clothes back in the closets now...or maybe I'll just let Chase do it, hehe.

Secrets, secrets are no fun…

2009-01-19T15:17:00.004-06:00

It hasn’t even been a week and I’m going crazy not telling anyone. At the same time, I know I’m not going to like telling everyone because I really hate being the center of attention. The Sunday after Chase and I got engaged I was really sick, and I remember actually being GLAD because I ended up leaving church early and avoiding the attention. Yeah, I’m weird. I'll blame it on being a middle child.

Anyways, I really want to wait until the doctor’s appt to tell everyone but we may spread the news this weekend. I still haven’t made the final decision…it pretty much depends on how this week goes. It’s been easy to keep quiet so far since I have no symptoms yet, and our appt is just a week away, so I may decide to hold out on everyone.
It still doesn’t feel quite real yet to either of us. Chase kind of seems like he’s just joking whenever he brings up anything about a baby. Besides my stomach just feeling kind of strange (not queasy, just crampy) I don't feel any different either. It’s still too early for me to be having any symptoms, so I’m really trying to enjoy this, because I’m sure a few weeks from now it will be a whole new story.

We're having a baby!!

2009-01-16T13:02:00.006-06:00

Yep, we're having a baby! I'm actually typing this before I will post it, just because we want to wait a little while before telling anyone, and we want to make sure our families know first. At the moment, Chase and I are the only ones that know, and it's kind of fun :)

I had been planning on taking a test on Thursday morning 1/15/09, but I was in such a hurry that I just forgot. I went straight to my parents house after work, and we ate dinner with the whole family. When we got home I thought, hey, why not just go ahead and take one. I really wasn't expecting anything. I didn't bother to tell Chase, only because the last time I took one and saw the negative result, I took it a little rough, so I didn't want to give him any warning :)

I always pictured surprising Chase with the news in some really creative way. Well, that plan didn't work. I honestly just walked into the living room, shaking uncontrollably, and handed him the stick. I don't know if I've ever seen him more confused. By this time, I may have started crying, so he just thought it was another negative result. He kept asking me "What?" and I finally got out the words "How many lines do you see?" That's when he finally realized why I was acting so strangely.

Honestly, I'm still in shock, and so is Chase. I saw the positive result. Okay, the 3 positive results (I had to be SURE so I sent Chase to the store to get a few digital tests), but I don't think it will actually feel real until I hear the heartbeat!

I'm so excited, but so nervous at the same time...it's a very strange feeling.

Oh, and a strange coincidence. I actually thought I had confirmation last week that I wasn't prego and was very upset the whole weekend, but knew that the next weekend would be great because I was going with Meredith to register for Ella. So it was already going to be a great week, with a great distraction. THEN, last night, I felt Ella kick for the first time!! So I really didn't think things could get better. Little did I know :)

Resolutions

2009-01-08T17:01:00.000-06:00

So they're a little late. But better now than never...hope to have some Christmas pics up soon!

1. Read my Bible a lot more. I really want to read the whole Bible this year, so I'm really looking forward to this one.
2. Make healthier eating choices for myself and Chase. Not that I always eat terribly, but I could be smarter about things I eat. There's no way I'm dieting, (I like food WAY too much), but just trying to pay attention to what I eat. I've completely stopped buying junk food (except for the occasional box of Cap'n Crunch). My backside will appreciate this. :)
3. Get my house the way I want it. I would really enjoy my house more if I liked the way it looked, so that's my goal. Total, there are 9 rooms (including bathrooms) so, if I can tackle about 1 room every 6 weeks, I should be done by end of the year. I could do it faster, but if I spread it out like that, I can also spend more money on each room. I'm kind of nervous about this because I honestly don't like to make decisions, especially when it comes to decorating. I'm just not good at it!
4. Cook and bake a lot more. I love to do this, and I just didn't do as much as I wanted this year.
5. Spoil the heck out of Ella. :)

I'm sure I'll come up with more, but that's all I have for now!

2008 in a nutshell

2009-01-08T17:00:00.002-06:00

January – We went to San Antonio for 4 days for Chase’s birthday. It was our first getaway since our honeymoon and so far our last as well. But we had so much fun!

February – Valentine’s Day – we were completely broke, so instead of going out, Chase cooked dinner or me for the first time! AND he watched Roman Holiday with me. It was super sweet and he did a great job!

March – We had a SNOW day in early March - weird. We went to Florida with my family and had a blast! I celebrated my birthday while we were there too. I got my awesome camera from my hub.

April – There were lots of storms that month and we lost power more times than I can remember. At one point we were without power for about 4-5 days I think.

May – Chase started his job at the bank. It was a part-time position, so he was working 2 jobs for a while. Basically, it sucked.

June – The first time that Chase and I were both sick at the same time. Please Lord, never again.

July – Went to my grandparent’s house for the 4th. Don’t remember much else of what went on that month. Sad, I know.

August – Our 2 year anniversary! We went to the Ranger’s-Yankees game the night before (which we WON!), stayed at a hotel in FW, and ate at Charleston’s the next day (yum!). Chase surprised me with the hotel and by taking off the whole day from work. He’s sweet like that. J This was also the month that I found out I was getting a niece or nephew!

September – Went to my grandparent’s house for Labor Day. Mere and Brian went to Samoa for a 1 ½ weeks and I worried about her the whole time, lol. I think we went to a few Rangers’ games too.

October – Chase went full-time at the bank and switched locations…this was a HUGE answered prayer!

November – Started the kitchen demolition...enough said. Found out my sweet NIECE, Ella Grace, will be making her big debut in April. Read and loved Twilight. I went to Burkburnett with Chase’s mom and cousins for a family Thanksgiving get-together. Thanksgiving with the family.

December – Christmas! Had lots of activities and parties to attend. Project Nativity went great. Had my dreaded yearly review at work and I got a raise! Realized how sneaky my husband was when he surprised me with a White KitchenAid Stand Mixer like I’ve always wanted!! I was actually sick for the majority of the month, lost my voice for over a week (the week before Christmas and during Christmas).

Progress...

2008-12-08T14:18:00.006-06:00

Before: too, too dark and brown

Safety first :)

Here's where we're at now:

So we're getting there. Tonight we're just cleaning everything, and hopefully putting everything back into the cabinets. The cabinet doors aren't actually done yet, but I can live without those for now.

Up next: Picking out a new sink, counter top, and backsplash!

(Insert creative title here)

2008-12-03T14:28:00.001-06:00

Where did last month go? I feel like I say that every month. It’s been non-stop lately and my house is definitely showing it. Besides last Friday, I don’t think I’ve been home during the day for more than 2 hours at a time…at least not while I was awake. And last Friday, when I actually was home all day, was basically spent curled up on the couch reading Twilight (which I finished on Saturday :) ), so you know I got absolutely nothing accomplished.

Christmas really snuck up on me this year, and it’s already kicked into high-gear. We had Chase’s company Christmas party last night, which thankfully wasn’t as uncomfortable as I imagined. This Friday is our Sunday School Christmas party, Saturday is Mere’s birthday, next week is our office Christmas party, our Ladies Christmas party at church, Chase’s parent’s 25th anniversary, and Chase’s branch Christmas party. Week after that is my agency Christmas lunch, and then it’s Project Nativity at church that Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a rehearsal on Thursday night. Plus, I really need to find some Christmas songs for the kid’s choir at church to start practicing. Actually I needed to do that like 2 months ago…oops.

I’m just pooped thinking about all of it. I’m hoping that this Saturday I can finish up my Christmas shopping and just relax a little bit before I let everything get to me. I really don’t want to have a bad attitude and get wrapped up in all this “stuff” and forget why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Sorry to ramble – just had to get all that off of my chest.

Well...

2008-11-26T10:59:00.003-06:00

I’m going to have a niece!!

Ella Grace is due April 13th! I just can't wait to see her and hold her!! I'm going to go crazy until she gets here! I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like when I have my own kid. But I am definitely going to enjoy spoiling her like crazy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Cor. 15:57

November Project: Painting our cabinets

2008-11-17T11:51:00.005-06:00

Two weeks ago we took apart our kitchen cabinets. I was going to post before, during, and after pictures, but it’s still in the “my kitchen looks awful, I can’t believe I’m actually living like this” phase and I'm a little embarrassed to show you. Everything that was in my cabinets and drawers is now on top and under our kitchen table. I can’t even cook, unless it's something that can be cooked in the microwave (which was sitting in our living room until this last weekend). I’ve eaten more fast food in the last 2 weeks than I care to share. BLECH!

We had this grand plan of getting it all done in one week, but that just didn’t happen. We’ve taken everything apart, cleaned the cabinets (which were unbelievably GROSS. Pretty sure they hadn’t been cleaned since the house was built…in 1970.) And then this whole last week, Chase was really sick, so he’s been out of commission. To top it off, our plumbing backed up (for the millionth time since we've lived in our house). Thankfully that's been fixed, Chase is feeling better, and tonight we should finish the sanding and hopefully go purchase the primer and paint.

The next big decision is picking out cabinet hardware. I think I’ve settled on doing brushed nickel handles on all the drawers and cabinets. I’m sure it will still take me an hour of debating in the aisle of the hardware store which ones I want. And maybe a couple of trips between Home Depot & Lowes just to make sure I pick out the ones I like the most. :)

I will be so happy when it’s all done!!

P.S. Only 1 more week until I find out if I'm getting a nephew or niece!

Some days I just want to crawl into a hole...

2008-10-13T17:00:00.000-05:00

So to add to my embarrassment from the last post, Friday afternoon when I got home, got out of the car and went to lock it. Only my hand somehow got tangled in my keychain and I hit the panic button. So I'm desperately trying to find the stupid red panic button while the car horn is blaring. But when I look at the keychain, THERE IS NO RED PANIC BUTTON! So I sit there and stare at it for a few seconds (which felt like an eternity) before I finally realize that the panic button is on the BACK of the keychain. I turn it off and take one step towards the house when I hear, "Hey, your alarms going off, heh heh heh..." Same neighbor, only this time in my next-door neighbors yard, literally standing 20 feet away from me.

It doesn't help either that his wife gets home from work at the same time that I am leaving, and she witnesses my 5 trips back inside the house every single morning to retrieve all the things that I've forgotten (earrings, food, jacket, deodorant, umbrellas, keys, money, rings, etc.).

Or that every time I babysit Meredith's dog, it ALWAYS runs out the front door, and ALWAYS runs into this neighbors garage, so I have to go over there and hope he's either in his garage to help me get the dog, or hope that I'm really quiet so that he doesn't hear me chasing a dog through his garage. Usually, he just pets him, and tries to grab him, but can't then he just laughs at me trying to chase him down the street.

Can I move?

September

2008-09-30T17:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I couldn’t let September go by with out one post. Unfortunately, not much has been going on, so just as a warning, this is going be boring.

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

1. Gazing (or maybe gawking) over baby clothes that I’m going to get to start buying for my little niece/nephew. I have to keep from buying anything until we find out the gender, which should be around the beginning of December, or else we will go broke. No joke.
2. Buying Christmas gifts. Yes, the Princess of Procrastination (my mom is the Queen) is actually buying Christmas gifts before December 20th. This year at work we are not getting our yearly bonuses until after January 1st. Usually, I use my bonus to buy all our Christmas presents, but since that’s not possible this year, Chase & I have already started the shopping. It’s actually been really helpful because it spreads out the cost over several months, and come January, we’ll have a bonus that we can hopefully spend on house stuff that we need.
3. Wanting to dress my niece or nephew in this, or this, or this.
4. The new season of the Office is back on!!
5. Did I mention that I have a niece/nephew coming in April? And that they will LOVE wearing this? Or perhaps even this?
6. I’ve finally pulled out all of my Fall decorations, and I’m waiting until the weather gets just a tad cooler until I start lighting my pumpkin spice candles!!
7. Chase got a full-time position at his bank (Praise the LORD!!), so he’ll be switching branches in October. Fortunately, it is just about the same distance from our house, so it won’t cost us any more in gas.

And on a side note, I completely embarrassed myself yesterday. To make a long story short(er), I’m driving down my street on my way home. There’s quite a few cars parked on the street and somehow the car coming from the other direction didn’t see me and we get positioned where he’s blocking my driveway. If he would have just backed up (I had my blinker on) I could have turned into the driveway. I couldn’t back up, because then he wouldn’t have been able to get by. So I had to pass my house a little bit to let him go by, and then I reversed so that I could pull into the driveway. Did you know that cars can’t jump curbs like SUVs can? I found that out yesterday. Apparently I didn’t reverse enough and I hit the curb turning into my driveway. It was loud. So I reverse AGAIN, and straighten out, still going over the grass a little, but at least I missed the curb.

Did I mention that my neighbor across the street was outside watering his yard and watching the whole scene going down?

Lazy Saturday

2008-08-18T17:00:00.002-05:00

Some randomness...

1) I didn't leave the house on Saturday. It was one of the coolest days we've had in a long time, and I stayed indoors the whole day, except for the 5 seconds, I checked to see if the mailman had come. I really needed to go to Walmart, BUT we have this thing in Texas called TAX-FREE weekend. There was no way I ws stepping foot inside Walmart this weekend.

2) I watched the Notebook on Saturday night by myself. Can we say STUPID? The Notebook is one of my all time favorite movies, but you know what - before Saturday I had only watched it once. I just couldn't bring myself to watch it again because I cried so much the first time. The commercial breaks helped, but I still cried a lot.

3) I found pictures of my wedding shower on an old memory card that I had never transferred to my computer and I was so excited!! The excitement died down a little when I looked through the pics and realized that my eyebrows looked like something out of Teen Wolf, but besides that, it was fun to look through them.

4) I'm going to be an aunt!!!!!! Two of my very favorite people in the world are having a baby!!

Brian & Meredith - I love you both so much! Y'all are going to make AWESOME parents & I can't wait to meet your little one (and spoil it like crazy)!!

So exciting!

I Won! I Won!

2008-08-18T10:15:00.004-05:00

Just had to let y'all know, I won my first blog-giveaway this weekend!

Click here to see proof!

I might just post twice today - got some other big news to share as well!

Also - just a sidenote. Because I'm a dork , I thought I'd look for a Bible verse with the word "win" in it to put in my blog today. Did you know that "win" is only used in the KJV Bible twice? "Won" is only used 3 times. "Lose" is used 24 times & "Lost" is used 33 times.

Just thought it was interesting.

Sorry!

2008-08-14T12:00:00.002-05:00

I've been really bad lately about blogging. I have a lot to tell (anniversary, cars, house updates), but I've just been super busy. So in the meantime, here's an ABC Meme!

* A - Attached or single: Attached
* B - Best Friend: Chase
* C - Cake or Pie: lemon meringue pie :)
* D - Day: Saturday
* E - Essential Items: cell, earrings, mascara
* F - Favorite Color: it changes constantly – right now probably green.
* G - Gummy Bears or Worms: sour gummy worms
* H - Hometown: North Richland Hills
* I - Indulgences: ice cream
* J - January or July: July
* K - Kids: none
* L - Life is incomplete without: Jesus Christ
* M - Marriage Date: August 5, 2006
* N - Number of Siblings: 3 – Meredith, Ross, Allison
* O - Oranges or Apples: oranges
* P - Phobia or Fears: roaches, rodents, & tornadoes
* Q - Quote: John 3:16
* R - Reason to Smile: My hubby
* S - Season: Spring
* T - Tag two: Rachel & Allison
* U - Unknown fact about me: I create worst possible scenarios in my head ALL THE TIME. For example: Driving down the road, Chase swerves to avoid getting hit. For the next 5 minutes, I picture everything from exchanging insurance info w/ whoever could have hit us to imagining who all would be at our funerals if we had been killed. Or what if just one of us had been killed? It's actually led me to start crying before, on several different occasion. Yes, I'm crazy.
* V - Vegetarian or Not: Nope – couldn’t live w/o bacon.
* W - Worst habit: probably thinking up worst case scenarios.
* X - X-rays or Ultrasounds: x-rays. Never had an ultrasound
* Y - Your favorite food: pasta!
* Z - Zodiac sign: Pisces – although I think that stuffs a joke.

Posey is such a cute name :)

2008-07-17T14:58:00.002-05:00

Dear sweet & adorable hubby,

I’m in love with Posey. Okay, maybe not LOVE, but I like her a whole-whole lot. I know it's asking a lot but just keep reading...

I promise if I got her, I would take really good care of her. I’d even let other people come over and see her.

I’ll pay lots of attention to her. I’ll even sit by her on the floor next to her while I watch TV or read.

I’ll clean her every single week, and she won’t shed!

And if she does shed just a tiny bit, it will blend in with the carpet, so it’s okay.

She won’t get any bigger than she already is, so she won’t outgrow our small home.

I know her fee of $599 is a little out of our price range, but I really think she’s exactly what we’re looking for, so if you’d please consider letting me get her, I’d really appreciate it!

Love,

Your dear, loving, kind, lonely-without-Posey wife

P.S. I think if you see her you’ll love her too, so here’s a few pictures! The first one is just her, and the second is a pic of her in her foster home.

Change of Heart

2008-07-14T16:48:00.002-05:00

My friend Sarah & I have been teaching this song to the Kid’s Choir for the last 2 weeks. It’s a song I’ve known for a very long time, so it’s very easy for me to just sing it without paying attention to the lyrics. It’s been stuck in my head all day today for some reason.

Change my heart oh God

Make it ever true

Change my heart oh God

May I be like You

You are the potter

I am the clay

Mold me and make me

This is what I pray

Change my heart oh God

Make it ever true

Change my heart oh God

May I be like You.

I don’t know how many times I’ve prayed these words before, but my problem is actually allowing God to “mold me” and “change my heart.” Honestly, I’m very stubborn. I don't like change. I don’t like to be pulled out of my comfort zone, and which is often what is needed when I need a serious change of heart. I grow content in my hard-heartedness. I get used to my lack of spiritual growth and just settle for what I have, instead of longing for what I could have.

Unfortunately I don’t have a “But look how far I’ve come” story…yet. This was just something I’ve been thinking about today at work. But, God put this song on my heart for a reason and I’d be a fool (or as Ali and I like to say when we want to sound cool, a foo) to ignore it. Also, this gives me some accountability – which I know I need.

Just thought I’d share :)

Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Simple Equation #2

2008-07-09T15:56:00.011-05:00

Question: A Bad Day + __________ = A GREAT Day

Answer:

Oops! Wrong picture!

How in the world did that happen?

I mean to put...

Answer:

My precious hubby!

Simple Equation

2008-07-09T14:09:00.009-05:00

Question: A Bad Day + __________ = A Good Day

Any guesses?

No?

Fine, I'll just give you the answer!

Good thing I don't have a lot of bad days...because I'd surely weigh 300 lbs by now.

Well, that or I'd sweat grease and saturated fat.

Home Sweet Home

2008-06-18T07:25:00.004-05:00

My darling hubby and I are in for a lot of work. We are finally getting to do some of the house renovations that have sat on our minds for the last 2 years. In an effort to hold myself motivated and accountable, I’m going to try posting before and after photos and updates.

Chase and I have a list of everything we want to get done, and it’s sorted by room, priority, and price. WE’RE SERIOUS, PEOPLE! We have to keep up with it so we don’t end up spending too much at one time. We’re not updating the house just because we want to, it really needs it. Our house was built in 1970. When we bought it, it was decorated as if it had been built in…well, I don’t know. It was just bad. I need to get the pictures off of my mother-in-law’s camera. It was absolutely hideous, in every sense of the word.

To describe it in 10 words: Green carpet, mirrors, mirrors, green carpet, wood, green carpet, mirrors.

Luckily since it was a foreclosure, we made a little deal with the bank and ended up getting about $1,600 to make it livable. Boy did we ever stretch that money! It definitely helped that we had family and friends helping us out tremendously. HUGE thanks to all of them! Sadly I really don’t know who all else helped. I was busy planning the wedding and the house was Chase’s problem. In the beginning, it was our project, but he was going to be doing all the work while I planned the wedding.

Poor thing, he quickly learned to start making all the decisions without me. I believe some of my statements were: “I don’t care what doors you get!! I’m planning a wedding and when I’m done, all I know is I’d better not see one SPECK of green carpet!” Or better yet, “That is NOT the paint color I asked for! Are you color-blind?! Should we schedule you an eye appointment? Sandstone Cove & Seaside Sand are COMPLETELY different! You’re ruining my life!”

Honey, if you’re reading this, I’m really sorry. I was on drugs.

Anyways, hopefully I’ll get some pictures posted this week of the before and after as it is now.

And if you’ve actually managed to read this all the way through, good for you! As a prize you’re invited to come help me paint the exterior of the house when we get to it!

I pay in food.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

2008-06-06T07:38:00.001-05:00

Disclaimer: After looking at these photos, you will not hold these things against me. You will not judge me or my housekeeping abilities based on what you see. None of that "You should see her house, it's always a mess" whispering that you KNOW people do...you know what I'm talking about. Please remember, that this is only temporary and will be fixed this weekend, Lord willing.

Ok, I'll quit being stupid and just post the pics.

Oh, and just in case you're wondering why my kitchen chairs are in my living room, I was painting a big panel, and I was using the kitchen to do it. Unfortunately I didn't finish before I started feeling bad, so my 2 day project turned into a 1 day project that sat on my kitchen table for a week. That also explains why the TV tray has served as our temporary kitchen table all week.

And I still don't care. :)

Sick

2008-06-05T07:30:00.001-05:00

Not to complain, but I think I’ve discovered the most miserable thing to have happened to Chase & I since we’ve been married.

We both got sick at the same time.

Oh-my-goodness-gracious. Never again will I let this happen.

Surprisingly we haven’t gotten on each other’s nerves with our constant “I don’t feeeeeeel good,” (because you know those extra ee's make it sound so much more believable) or “Honey, can you get me more medicine while you’re up?” Chase didn’t even get mad on Monday when I got home at 4:30, slept on the couch until 8:30, and went back to bed at 10. But that’s probably because he got home at 6 and went to our bedroom and slept until 8:45 when I had to force him to wake up.

That is so not like him.

We are gradually on the mend, but fortunately, we didn’t get the worst of it.

Unfortunately, my house did.

Last Thursday you could have come over to my house and would have probably been amazed at how clean it was.

If you were to come to our house tonight, I’m not sure you would even be able to walk through the living room. I took pictures last night of the living room and the kitchen and the absolute disorder it has come to be in because you wouldn’t believe me if I told you (of course I left my camera at home though). Here’s a couple of examples:

I walked into the living room yesterday and tripped over the trashcan. The big trashcan that goes in the kitchen. In the middle of my living room floor.

I also went to make Chase a peanut butter sandwich. That should take like 5 seconds, but when you have to retrieve the bread from the TV tray in the living room that’s been out all week, and the peanut butter jar has somehow hidden itself in one of the blankets on the couch, it takes a little longer than usual.

It’s a disaster.

And you know what?

I don’t even care.

Sad news...

2008-05-28T10:30:00.001-05:00

You may remember my post from a while back about Todd Smith of Selah and his wife losing their baby girl, Audrey. Well, tragedy has struck this family for the second time in less than 2 months. Todd’s sister, Nicol Sponberg, (she used to sing in Selah too) lost her 2 month old baby boy, Luke, last night.

I am not a parent, so I can’t even begin to understand how they could be feeling right now, but I know that they could definitely use as much prayer as possible. Along with Steven Curtis Chapman & family. So, so sad.

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:
for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Psalm 9:9-10

Too long...

2008-05-20T17:40:00.001-05:00

Ok, so obviously, it’s been too long. I guess sometimes I get so caught up in reading everyone else’s blog, I forget to update my own! Not that I’ve had much to say lately anyways. There’s not much new going on around the Abernathy household. Chase got a new job at First Bank, so we’re super excited about that! He’s still going to keep his current job, but just cutting back on the hours, which I’m sure will make him happier.

My whole baking thing has been a little slow…actually, it’s been really slow. I’ve been trying to get a routine down to keep my house a little more tidy, but more on that later. As a result of my newfound quest for cleanness, I have lost the desire to shower my kitchen in flour, powdered sugar, and cookie crumbs…Not that I don’t want to, it just I don’t want to clean it up. I promise, I found evidence of cookies in my kitchen for 2 weeks after I made them. Not to mention the bag full of crushed cookies that I found in the bottom of my purse on Sunday. Apparently once cookies are crumbled they grow razor edges that can cut through Ziploc bags and freely disperse into your purse, betcha didn’t know that!

Anyways, I will be the FIRST to admit that I’m not a clean-freak. I am messy. Very messy and very disorganized. So I’ve been trying to get a laundry system going, such as assigning certain hampers to certain rooms, cleaning out the sink EVERY night, cleaning off the bathroom counter every night, etc. That may be the “normal” for a lot of folks, but NOT me. Get this. I did laundry this weekend. Lots of laundry. And you know what happened?

I ran out of hangers.

In the 21 ½ months that Chase & I have been married, we’ve never run out of hangers. I actually thought we had too many hangers. Nope, apparently those 3 clothes hampers that are overflowing like a volcano come in handy if you don’t’ have enough hangers. You never even notice!

So here are your helpful tips for this week: Don’t leave cookies in your purse, it will save you from vacuuming out your purse. And it’s okay if you have a mountainous pile of laundry, it keeps you from making a “what should be a 5 minute trip to Walmart, but turns into a 30 minute trip because they only have 4 stinking registers open” for some hangers.

Cookie Monster

2008-05-05T17:30:00.000-05:00

So I’ve got a “new” hobby. New as in I started it last night.

I tend to stress myself out very easily. So, now instead of planting my rear on the couch and indulging in a carton of Cappuccino Chunky Chocolate frozen yogurt when I feel like retreating to my bedroom for a week, I’m going to bake.

Last night was my first attempt at cookies. I’m not talking about buying a frozen log of dough that you slice and stick on a pan. I’m talking full out everything from scratch- roll the dough-cookie cutter type cookies. Icing made from scratch too!

One plus that I discovered last night: when I bake - I dont' want to eat the cookies! I was afraid that this new "hobby" would not be so nice to my, er...butt. Fortunately, when I'm standing in the kitchen for 3 hours, I get so sick of smelling cookies that the last thing I want to do is eat one. Woohoo!

I’ll try to post some pics this week of my trail run. They weren’t the prettiest cookies ever, but for my first attempt, I think they looked okay.

Surprise!

2008-04-15T18:15:00.001-05:00

I like to have a plan for just about everything. Chase and I had a discussion about a year ago when we found out Lanee’ was expecting. We got on the topic of finding out the sex of the baby before it’s born. I state what I thought was the obvious. “Of COURSE, I would want to find out! You’d have to be crazy not to want to. If I have the ability to know something I’m going to know.” Chase really surprised me when he said that he actually wouldn’t want to know. He would rather wait and find out. (Chase, who hates surprises said this.) I just couldn’t comprehend this!

Our devotion last night was about Expecting the Unexpected. It was a huge slap in the face to me (which I have found that just about every time I read the Bible or a devotional book or go to church period, I get slapped in the face for my ignorance.)

Chase is not a worrier, whereas I worry about E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. While he would be perfectly happy not finding out the gender, I would be constantly thinking “what about the nursery? The name? The clothes? The toys? The colors? The blah, blah, blah!!!!!”

NOTE: **No, we are NOT having a baby. This is just the only analogy I can think of.

This is the case for just about everything though. Chase tried to surprise me once while we were dating. And while I LOVE surprises, I hate knowing about surprises in advance when I can’t figure them out. He told me he was taking me somewhere but wouldn’t tell me where. Unfortunately he told me this BEFORE I had gotten ready. So what do I do? I spend the next 30 minutes on the phone with him, mad because he won’t give me more details. Did he not understand?? I had to have some idea of where we were going so I would know how to dress! Would we be outside? Would it be fancy? Would a t-shirt be okay? Would flip-flops be inappropriate? Do I need to wash my hair? Would a ponytail be too casual? I think my final words were “Chase Robert you just don’t understand anything!! UHH!!”

Seriously. It was bad.

Why can’t I just go along with the flow in life? Why can’t I be spontaneous?

Why can’t I just wait and see what God has to give me and allow Him to be spontaneous?

I get so frustrated when things happen that weren’t part of “the plan,” or should I say “MY plan.” I only like to be surprised when the unexpected thing fits into my plan.

Take yesterday for instance. A new lady at work moved into our department and I was asked to train her. I got told this at about 9:00 and was expected to start training her immediately.

So what did I do? I took a detour to my mom’s desk to gripe about it, then went and went to start training. That was not part if my plan for Monday, but instead of just accepting the change in pace, I instantly became discontented because I didn’t plan on it. And it turns out, that I actually don't mind training her. It's actually a nice change compared to sitting at my desk for 8 hours a day.

Unfortunately I don’t have an example of where I have conquered this problem yet, but I’m working on it.

Sorry to ramble…this was just on my mind.

Selah

2008-04-11T17:25:00.002-05:00

If you have time, please check out the blog for Todd & Angie Smith. I've put a link to it to the right of my posts. Todd is the singer in Selah with the incredible voice. This last week their 4th daughter, Audrey Caroline, went to be with Jesus. They knew she probably wasn't going to make it, but it's still so so sad and they need prayers.

Lights Out.

2008-04-10T23:51:00.003-05:00

About 3:00am Thursday morning we lost power at the house...ugh. Chase and I were both wide awake when it happened too since the storm was so loud. It was really scary!! So, I was hoping that I would wake up Thursday morning and all would be well.

Wrong. Still no power.

Chase got off of work at noon, so when he called me, I was expecting him to say "Hey, its all back!"

Wrong. Still no power.

So before I left work, I called TXU to report the outage and get an estimated time of repair. To my delight I hear "blah blah blah...the outage has been repaired...blah blah blah." Woohoo!!

So I get home, walk in the front door, and BAM. No stinkin power. AGH! I call TXU and type in my account number and this time they tell me the estimated outage time cannot be confirmed.

Since Chase wasn't going to be home until late from the Rangers game, I was not going to stay at the house by myself in the dark, so I called my in laws and headed over to their house. Once Chase finally got over there, we headed back home. If the power was still out, we were going to pack some stuff up and head to his parents for the night.

We walk in to flip the switch. Nothing. Crap! So were gathering up all the stuff that we can see that we need and about 3 minutes later, voila! The power came back on!!!! So Chase and I did little happy dances for about 25 seconds and Chase walked out the front door. A mere 2 seconds later...

BOOM!!! (Insert pic of me having a heart attack because it sounded like Chase got shot with a cannon in our front yard.)

A transformer blows up .

Yep. No power again.

How's that for a happy ending?

Hi, my name is Lauren and I'm an addict.

2008-04-08T17:16:00.002-05:00

My drugs of choice are calories and fat.

After my recent food diary post, I've been trying to be a little more health-conscious. I have been craving salad all week, so today for lunch I suggest to my mom that we go to Salad’s & Such. You may remember from one of my previous posts that this is the place that PILES cheese on the salad, but I was intending to skip the cheese this time. So I grab the menu, look it over a little, decide on the delicious Grilled Chicken Caesar salad. I could practically taste the lettuce and the yummy croutons…

Waiter: “Hi ma’am. What can I get you?”

Me: “I’ll take a baked potato with butter, sour cream, and cheese only.”

Waiter: “Would you like a side salad, or a cup of fruit?”

Me: “No thanks, that big mound of starch and lard will be it.”

Well, maybe I didn't say that last part.

I found him!!

2008-04-04T17:25:00.001-05:00

When I pulled in to the driveway, there was a man who looked a lot like him cleaning Chase’s truck out…since it had been so long since I had seen Chase, I didn’t’ recognize him at first. But shortly after, he followed me into the house and told me to get dinner on the table in 15 minutes, and I KNEW it was him.

Just kidding,.

I did get to see him for about 20 minutes before he had to leave for work though. I was rushing around like a mad woman trying to hurry and make brownies to take to Lanee’s for our girls’ night which was lots of fun! Just a bunch of girls hanging out and eating food…doesn’t get much better than that! Everyone started leaving around 9 or 9:30, but Lanee was sweet enough to let me stay over there until 11:00 since Chase wasn’t at home yet and Travis was still up at the church in a meeting.

I’ll try to upload some pics this weekend!

Have you seen my husband?

2008-04-03T16:58:00.001-05:00

I’m thinking about putting Chase’s face on the side of a milk carton. Why?? Because he’s missing. I know he’s still living at my house because when I get home everyday, I see a new pair of dirty socks on the living room floor. I can walk into the kitchen and know there’s going to be an empty cheese wrapper on the counter, even though I threw one away yesterday. I can leave him a note asking him to remember to take the trash out, and it gets done. I can walk in to the bathroom and find MY towel has just recently been used, and not by me. I can turn the TV on and see ESPN, even though I know when I turned off the TV last night I was watching the Food Network.

So I’ve come to the conclusion that:
a) My husband has amazing invisibility powers that he didn’t tell me about.
b) OR I have a bum living in my house while I’m at work that has really picked up on my Chase’s love for ESPN and sandwiches.

Hmmm…..

Never again.

2008-03-31T18:26:00.002-05:00

So, last night we went and ate Hibachi for LeAnns’ birthday. We always go to the same place, Oi Shii in Lake Worth. It’s DE-licious, so you must try it if you haven’t already. Anyways, we all order the hibachi stuff, while Chase’s Uncle Don always orders sushi. I’ve always wanted to try sushi, but just never had the courage. I mean, I love seafood, and I love Chinese, and pretty much any other Asian food, it would only be natural that I like sushi, right? I’d heard from several different people that the California Roll was about the most tame kind of sushi, so when Uncle Don asked me if I wanted to try it, I gave in and said yes. I mean, come on, CHASE even likes it and we KNOW how he is when it comes to food. So, they dipped it in a little soy sauce and …

I don’t remember the last time I wanted to spit out my food that quickly.

Seriously, I was gagging, but I somehow managed to swallow it. I don’t even know if I chewed it more than 3 times before I swallowed it whole. I honestly couldn’t take it. The last time I’ve tried something that bad was in Thailand – and it looked like snot.

Sushi is not for me.

*Florida pics coming soon....

Food Pyramid....what's that?

2008-03-13T17:26:00.003-05:00

I woke up starving this morning, but since I didn’t go grocery shopping this week, I had nothing to eat. We almost always have snacks in the kitchen at work, and today was no different. My boss had bought some chocolate chip cookies yesterday and we had leftovers. SCORE! As I was eating them, I just kept thinking, this is probably not the best thing to be eating for breakfast. As I continued to think about what all I had eaten this week, I wanted to throw up. See for yourself.

MONDAY
Breakfast – Package of Cheese crackers
Snack – mini-Butterfinger
Lunch – Leftover Cajun Chicken Pasta from Chili’s
Snack – chocolate chip cookie
Dinner – Fried Popcorn Shrimp & French Fries from LJS
Snack – Bowl of cereal

TUESDAY
Breakfast – 1 glazed donut
Snack – 15 or so Cracked Black Pepper & Olive Oil Triscuits (yummmm…)
Lunch – 1 party taco from Taco Bueno and some chips & queso
Snack – 6 ct. package of Peanut Butter & Honey crackers
Dinner – Arby’s French Dip Sandwich dipped in lots of au jus (which I’m sure is just another word for all the fatty juice that drips off of the fatty roast beef, but tastes like heaven in a cup.)

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast – 1 bite of Apple Cinnamon oatmeal. (yuck)
Lunch – Bowl of baked potato soup, garden salad with no veggies, but lots of cheddar cheese (hey, I did top it with low-cal Italian dressing, that counts for something right?? No?) & a Brownie Bite
Snack – 2 chocolate chip cookies
Dinner – bite of Chase’s Frito Chili Pie at 6:00 (it DID use Lean beef chili), a small bag of Cheez-its at 8:00, & a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios at 9:30

THURSDAY
Breakfast – a sip of gross coffee, 2 chocolate chip cookies

Seriously, do I always eat this bad? Granted, I haven’t cooked once this week, unless you count making a Frito chili pie cooking…but still. The closest I got to somewhat healthy was a salad, but it was covered in cheese. There may have actually been more cheese than lettuce (ahh the greatness of Salads N Such by NE Mall. If you haven’t been there, trust me, it’s delicious!

Anyways, I am SO heading to Subway for lunch. I was thinking about going jogging when I get home too, but I have some shopping to do…does walking a mile inside Target count as exercising?

2008-03-10T17:35:00.000-05:00

Well I had a super fun weekend!! I went on a much needed date with my hubby, I got to hang out with Shelby, which I LOVE doing, and I went shopping with Meredith!

Chase told me to pick where we were going to eat on Friday night. Now usually, this is were I come up with somewhere we never go, or haven’t gone in a long time. So where did we end up?? Chili’s @ Fossil Creek. Original, huh? We’ve actually both been to Chili’s within the last 2 weeks (Chase had actually gone on Wednesday) but it just sounded so good to both of us. And it was sooo yummy. Afterwards we went to Baskin-Robbins where my perfect evening hit a bump in the road when I arrived to find that they didn’t have my favorite flavor, Pink Bubblegum. Luckily I found a flavor that had dark chocolate and brownie chunks, so all was well. We got home and were watching a couple of episodes of The Office when Shelb got hold of me and asked us to go the movies. I just LOVE her, and I hadn’t seen her in a while, so I was way excited to see her!

I usually pride myself on being able to find my way around pretty much anywhere. Sometime it’s like I have a built-in GPS in my head. Well, that was not the case on Saturday. Yes – I got lost. Technically, I wasn’t lost lost (Chase is going to kill me for doing my double word thing). I knew how to get back to where I came from, but I just figured if I kept driving, I would eventually find my way. Meredith thought that would be a good idea too. We were WRONG. Apparently I’m just not all that familiar with the Hulen area. I had gotten stuck in a turn only lane, and instead of turning around, we just figured we’d keep going and find another way. I checked the map today to see where I actually was. WOW. If I had wanted to drive straight into Benbrook Lake, I would have been right on target. But unfortunately, that is NOT where I was trying to go. Too bad Chase had TomTom with him, since he’s normally the directionally challenged one. It could have definitely helped!

2008-03-05T17:34:00.001-06:00

Is today Wednesday? I’ve been completely lost as to what day it is all week. I went to bed last night thinking that it was going to be Thursday when I woke up. When I woke up this morning, I still thought it was Thursday. I was trying to figure out all morning what I was going to make for dinner tonight (since I basically only cook on Mondays and Thursdays). It wasn’t until I went to eat lunch with Meredith that I realized it was Wednesday. Funny thing, she thought it was Thursday too! Glad I’m not the only crazy person.

We got to talking about our trip to Florida and I am just super pumped. I really want to go to Disney World again. I need new pictures. Last time we went I had just turned 17 and I don’t think I knew what “presentable in public” meant. Seriously, did my family know how bad I looked? Did I own a hairbrush? Or tweezers? Or clothes that weren’t hideous?

Granted, I was never one to really care what I looked like when I was in high school. I was way more interested in hanging out with my friends that trying to get a boyfriend, but still! When I have kids and I show them pictures from when their mommy went to Disney World, I don’t want them to say “Who’s that scary girl with Mickey Mouse?”

Then I got to thinking; that trip took place a few months after I had met Chase. Did he realize how bad I looked? He probably didn’t due to the fact that he had a girlfriend at the time (and a very pretty one I might add! I bet she owned a pair of tweezers…), but we became friends shortly after this trip. Maybe I looked bad on this trip because it was humid and hot. Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. I just figured, “Hey, it’s hot and I’m in another state, so I’ll abandon all sense of style and grooming this week.”

I would let you see these pictures, that way you could judge yourself whether or not I just had a bad week or if I actually looked like that all the time, but I’m too scared of the answers I might get. So they will stay safely tucked away in my drawer at home.

2008-03-04T17:22:00.004-06:00

Goodness, it’s been a while. Not much has been going on, so there hasn't been much to blog about…Chase found out for sure that he gets to go to Florida and so does Meredith, so I’m super excited about that! My birthday is during our trip, so I’ll have 3 of my best friends with me all day on my birthday. I’m hoping we get to hang out on the beach that day. Which reminds me…I need a new bathing suit and a tan STAT! The bathing suit shouldn't be a problem, but I’m starting to consider taking some SPF 5,000 sunscreen and sticking with the pasty look this summer. I would love to go tanning and have a nice skin color all the time, but
1. I can’t afford it.
2. It fades my hair, no matter how much “color protection” junk I put on it.
AND 3. I found a little lump on my back and it has me a little nervous, so I don’t want to take any risks.

(REMINDER: call the doctor to get little lump checked out.)

I don’t mean to sound…whatever I’m going to sound like, but I can’t stand my skin color. Not as in the fact that I’m white, but the tone of my skin. It’s definitely pale, but it’s not pretty pale. My face is always more red than the rest of my body. A few weeks ago, I got to thinking, maybe I’ve been using the wrong color foundation/powder all of this time (even though I switched several times). NOPE. I’ve gone to work 2 days in a row now with no facial makeup on, just to see if it was actually my makeup. Still red-faced.

I’ve tried different face washes, thinking that maybe I’m using something too strong and it’s irritating my skin. Nope. I can use the most gentle face wash and it doesn’t change anything. I’ve tried using paler makeup, but then I just look like a ghost. It makes no sense!

The only thing I can really do to help is put bronzer from my neck down to the top of my shirts. It’s not that big of a deal unless I’m wearing a white colored shirt because then it always gets on the collar of the shirt.

So frustrating.