Just Say Julie

Stuff I Have Tried Recently

2012-01-25T17:42:00.000-06:00

I have been intending to write this post for several weeks because I have several new (to me) products I have tried recently and I wanted to share them with my lovely readers. I also want to hear about any new stuff you have tried recently that you have loved or hated.

First up is Erase Paste from Benefit Cosmetics. I needed a new concealer once I found out Prescriptives had closed up shop and I had tossed my last tube of concealer. On a trip to Ulta, I saw this advertised as one of Allure Magazine's top picks so I figured I would try it and I am glad I did. This stuff works. I don't look like the over tired mom I really am. My only complaint is that it is a little too creamy for my liking but I think I just need to blend it a little better.

Also from Benefit Cosmetics is Lemon Aid. I have actually had this product for awhile but I forgot about it and just started using it again recently. I have really dark eye lids. So dark that it changes the color of the eye shadow I wear. Lemon Aid helps to offset this discoloration while acting as an eye shadow primer. It's a win win in my book.

Are we starting to sense a theme here? This product actually showed up in my December Birch Box. I was pretty excited to try it but I wasn't overly impressed with it. I can't say I hated it but I didn't love it. Truth be told I couldn't tell a difference when I used it and felt like it was an unnecessary extra step in my makeup routine that I just don't have time for in the mornings.

I was super excited when I saw this Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara. I have always like Great Lash and I love the plastic bristled wands that help to separate my naturally clumpy lashes. So I just knew this was going to be my perfect mascara. Alas, it was not so. The head on the wand is too small and I felt like I had a hard time reaching all my lashes. Also, the formula of this mascara seemed different and would make my eyes itch by the end of the day.

GAH! I am really bad at this

2012-01-25T16:57:00.002-06:00

OK...so the whole posting my photo each day thing has really fallen by the wayside. I blame it all on my nephew, Blake, being born Saturday. He had all of us so wrapped around his tiny little finger we were too busy to do anything but hang out with him. So here are my much delayed pictures from last week.

Day 17: Water

I will admit it. I don't drink enough water. That's bad I know but I get tired of drinking something with no flavor. Crystal Light drink mixes helped with that a lot when I was pregnant. So I knew I wouldn't have any water to take a picture of so I took a picture of the water fountains in my office instead.

Day 18: Something You Bought

Guess what! It's Girl Scout Cookie time. I actually bought my cookies on this day so it was the perfect time to snap a quick picture of them. Of course I got the Peanut Butter Patties and the Caramel Delights because those are my favorites. Does anyone else remember when they were called Tagalongs and Samoas? My coworkers thought I was crazy when I told them I remembered trying to sell cookies the year they changed all the names.

Day 19: Sweet

I took this picture for two reasons. One because it's chocolate and it is sweet. Two because this was part of a Christmas gift from one of my program managers at work and I thought it was very sweet of him to think of me and let me know he appreciated the work I had done for him all year.

Day 20: Someone You Love

This was an easy one although I really wanted to get a picture of Jackson, Maverick, and Chris but getting all 3 of them together proved to be impossible. So instead you have my grumpy looking baby who hadn't gotten enough sleep that day and was fighting it at that point.

Day 21: Reflection

I snapped this picture as we were leaving Galaxy Cafe on Saturday. We were waiting on news of Blake's arrival and when we could see him at the time and decided to get a quick bite to eat in order to kill some time. I thought it was pretty cool.

Day 22: Your Shoes

I have a lot of shoes. I used to have more but I have parred down the collection quite a bit. Chris would joke that my army of shoes was going to take over and attack him. At one point there were two of these racks in my closet full of shoes. Not anymore.

Crappy Day Gift Exchange

2012-01-19T09:40:00.000-06:00

This post could also be titled "Reasons I love the Internet."

So, I mentioned about three months ago that I was attending The Blathering. I filled out my 13 Things and I never mentioned it again. Shame on me. What I should have said is that while I missed out on some of the fun because I had to work and I didn't stay at the hotel, I did get to meet some wonderful women with amazing stories to tell. I was humbled by the fact I complained so much about Jackson's difficult delivery but still was able to bring home my beautiful boy while I listened to stories of miscarriages and deaths of children. I realized that these were women I respected because they had been through rough times and they lived to tell about it and had grown stronger because of it. As so many said that weekend, these were my people.

Since that weekend in October, the friendships I made that weekend have grown thanks to Twitter and our blogs. I look forward to the conversations we will have each day as they help me get through the long work day. I know I can turn to my friends for advice on how to raise my child or comfort if I am having a rough day. I am starting to feel closer to many of these people than I do to some of my IRL friends and I can't wait until we get the opportunity to hang out again.

A little over a month ago, Andrea posted about her crappy day gift exchange box she had received. I had seen a post about this a while back but hadn't signed up because I didn't feel like I knew anyone well enough to participate. I commented on Andrea's post and the next thing I knew, this arrived in the mail:

My very own Crappy Day box! I was so excited and so very touched by her thoughtfulness that I could barely contain myself. So I knew I had to sign up for the next exchange when I saw one. Well, that opportunity came up a couple of days ago and now I get to shop and send a gift to someone and hopefully make some of their crazy days a little better and a little brighter.

The Latest from Me

2012-01-16T09:30:00.002-06:00

So I thought I could make this a combination post with my photo-a-day pictures and a couple of other updates. I'll start with the pictures.

Day 15: Happiness

I couldn't think of a better picture to take for happiness than one of Jackson laughing. Chris often says that there is nothing in the world that will bring a smile to your face more than a baby's laughter and he is right. No matter how crappy my day has been, hearing J laugh always makes me smile. I had a hard time getting a good picture because he wiggles around so much when he is giggling.

Day 16: Morning

It was pretty dreary on the way to work this morning. It was drizzling and it is supposed to be unseasonably warm today. The morning already started out about 10 degrees warmer than when we went to bed last night. I snapped this picture at the stop light outside of my neighborhood on the way to work and it turned out pretty cool. I didn't realize I was getting such a neat shot until I looked at it on my phone at work.

In Other News

We bought a new car this weekend. The clutch in Chris's car went out earlier in the week and, upon further inspection, it was determined that the car wasn't going to last us much longer. So despite wanting to wait until the car was paid off next year, we had to bite the bullet and take the plunge on something new (to us). We opted for a 2011 Camry with low mileage and we are pretty excited about it although I wanted to rip the people at USAA a new one when they started giving us problems with our loan.

I've I mentioned my love for Pinterest recently? If not, then I really should. I have found so many wonderful recipes and ideas on that site. I am just trying to figure out how to use all of them. I did make a new recipe from there last night: Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti. This is definitely one we will make again. It was very easy with the hardest part being boiling the noodles first and made a ton of leftovers. I made a couple of modifications to the recipe and will probably do a few things different next time. For starters, I used full fat everything just because we don't like the way low fat/fat free tastes. Second, I left out the onions and green pepper because those are things we don't eat. I also used the mild Rotel to save on the spice for Sean's sake and I didn't think the dish was spicy at all. Next time I will use my oval crockpot instead of the round since this makes so much. It was hard to stir in the round but will work if that's all you have. I am also considering adding another can of chicken and cutting back the Velveeta a little. All in all, it was good and filling so I am going to play with it a bit to get it perfected to our liking.

Lastly, I have to leave you with another sweet picture of Jackson hanging out on my bed this morning while I got ready for work.

Maybe I Should Rethink This

2012-01-14T20:38:00.003-06:00

I am doing pretty good at this whole photo-a-day thing on twitter but I not doing so a good job at posting the photos to my blog as well. So here are a few more days to get you up to date. Maybe I'll have more luck this week getting my photos over here as well.

Day 11: Where You Sleep

Chris has been sleeping on the couch on the nights he's been home this week because his sinuses are acting up and he doesn't want to keep me awake with his snoring. For that reason, there is one lonely pillow on my bed instead of the normal three. Also, I am usually cold at night while Chris isn't hence the blanket on half of the bed.

Day 12: Close-up

I opted for a close-up of one of the cutest things I know: Baby J's tiny feet and toes.

Day 13: In Your Bag

Here are just a few things that can be found in my purse on any given day: my datebook that keeps track of all the important details of my life, my Alabama pen, my keys on a houndstooth key chain, cough drops, my houndstooth wallet, sunglasses (houndstooth on the side of course), my makeup bag, and a toothbrush from my trip to the dentist on this particular day. Missing is my cell phone because I had already taken it out of my purse and the millions of receipts that end up shoved into my purse regularly.

Day 14: Something You're Reading

I just started The Help last night and I really can't wait to get further into this book. I have heard so many great things about it and the movie. I have had the book since my mom's stay back in September but I've had no time to read so I am working towards my "read 24 books this year" goal. Hopefully I can finish the book instead of setting it aside and forgetting about it.

A Few Days Behind

2012-01-10T21:05:00.004-06:00

Day 8: Your Sky

It was pretty dreary around here on Saturday so that's what our sky looked like. Cloudy and overcast and waiting for the rain to come. It was a great day to stay home and snuggle with my baby.

Day 9: Daily Routine

Here's a little glimpse at my daily routine. I try to keep my counter this neat and most of the time it is. I like to be able to find exactly what I am looking for without a lot of trouble.

Day 10: Childhood

I came across these little guys when I was cleaning out my closet last weekend. This is Teddy and Leppy (OK...I wasn't a super creative child). Teddy was the first stuffed animal I ever owned. He was given to me by my parents' neighbors the day I came home from the hospital. My dad got my Leppy when I was about 2. These were two of my favorite stuffed animals growing up.

Fear the Tide, Honey Badger!

2012-01-10T20:52:00.002-06:00

So there was this little football game last night. I don't know if you heard about it. #1 LSU versus #2 Alabama. The big rematch. Yeah...that one. I have spent the last month listening to people complain about Alabama being in the big game. No one thought we deserved a second chance to play LSU. We had already had our chance and we lost. It should have been Oklahoma State or Stanford or anyone other than us. Alabama went into the game with a chip on the shoulder. They had something to prove and prove they did.

Alabama played a great game led by starting quarterback, AJ McCarron (a Mobile boy!), and the #1 defense in the nation. LSU's offense came across as overly excited, never settling into a rhythm, while Alabama's team seemed as calm as could be given the stage. The game ended with a score of 21-0 and Alabama had sealed the championship with the first shutout in BCS history.

To say I am proud of my team would be an understatement. Of course I heard a mixed bag of comments today related to the game. But in the end the only thing that matters to me is this: We played a good game. We won that game. And today we woke up the champions again. Roll Tide!

Day 7

2012-01-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

Day 7: Favourite
Once again, are we British? Favourite? OK...whatever. So I picked my favorite Kcup and coffee cup this morning. I'm not normally a big fan of flavored coffee but this Butter Toffee is fantastic. And what good Alabama fan can resist the call of the houndstooth coffee mug? (I also have a houndstooth travel mug!)

Day 6

2012-01-07T08:19:00.005-06:00

So I am a little late posting Day 6. I spent most of yesterday afternoon working on the Great House Purge of 2012. Last weekend I tackled the master bathroom and the kitchen and bedroom junk drawers. This weekend it is our closet. So far it's going well. Once I am done we will have to take inventory on our "get rid of stuff" and determine if we just want to donate it or suffer through a garage sale. But for now, back to a Photo a Day!

Day 6: Makes You Smile

Initially I planned on taking a picture of Baby J because nothing makes me smile like my baby boy does. However, I came across my Christmas present from Chris from last year and it made me smile all over again at the fabulous-ness of this gift. The gift was a box set of all the Harry Potter books in hardback contained in this neat box that looks like a trunk. I love it! But Chris is upset that I haven't read the books from the set. I keep telling him it is because I don't want to mess them up. I want to treasure them forever.

Day 5

2012-01-05T20:41:00.000-06:00

Day 5: Something You Wore

This one was pretty easy. I actually snapped my picture first thing this morning while I was getting ready for work. I opted to take a picture of my wedding rings since they are something I wear everyday. I was pretty upset about not being able to wear them through my entire pregnancy. I had to go about 5 months before the swelling went down enough for me to squeeze my finger back into my rings.

Day 4

2012-01-04T21:31:00.004-06:00

Day 4: Letterbox

We actually had quite the discussion over twitter about what a letterbox was. It appears based on spelling and terminology that our challenge list was created by someone British. A letterbox in the UK is what we call a mailbox here in the US. So I took a picture of my mailbox. Now we have community mailboxes here in Texas. Each street has one or two strategically positioned so that those living on the street can get to their box. Fortunately for me, our box is located in front of the house immediately to the right of our house so I don't have far to go. We do, however, only have one key to the box so I always pick up the mail after I arrive home from work each evening. The city was nice enough to put a street lamp over the mailbox so I don't have to be in total darkness when I get my mail.

2012 Goals, Resolutions, Whatever

2012-01-03T18:00:00.000-06:00

I have been reading everyone's posts about their goals and/or resolutions for 2012 and it got me thinking about what I would like to see happen in my life this year. According to my company's definition, I don't know that I would call these goals and they certainly aren't resolutions. I am thinking focus might be a better word for me. Sort like I want to focus on these areas of my life over the next year.

Money: We definitely need to be better stewards of our income this year. 2011 was rough in the money department due to having a baby and a crappy insurance decision which left us saving everything we could to cover medical bills (and that didn't even come close to covering everything). That coupled with 2 months of disability pay has left us struggling. So for 2012 I want us to be more practical with our spending. I want us to cut back on the unnecessary spending we tend to do when we get lazy. Chris and I have to both buy into this idea. There are times when I feel like I am sacrificing things for myself because Chris or the kids need or want something. So this is going to require more conversations between us on how to handle things financially. Plus it is really easy for us to say we will just eat out if neither one of us feels like cooking. We have to stop the bad habits and be smarter with our finances.
Weight: Yep, I know I had a baby. I am tired of people saying that to me like it excuses the fat I am well over my ideal weight. Having a baby doesn't mean I have an excuse to be fat. I am not happy with my body right now and when I am not happy with myself, that carries over into other aspects of my life. So this is something I need to work on. I am not sure how to do it though. I don't diet well and I have minimal time to squeeze in exercise. So I need to figure out a plan and stick to it (and one that won't blow our budget).
Read: I organized all the books I currently own that I want to read this weekend and there were 24 of them. Perfect! That's 2 a month. I think that should be a fairly easy goal to accomplish for someone who loves to read. Now I just need to find the time to actually read. This is something I have missed being able to do in recent months. I actually read 35 pages while Jackson was napping yesterday and that felt like a major accomplishment.
Blog: I am such an inconsistent blogger and it really bothers me. I constantly have thoughts going through my head that I want to share or memories that I want to document but finding the time to actually record them has been difficult (are we sensing a theme here?) So I am hoping to make more time for my blog if for no other reason than to keep track of Jackson's new life a little better.
Enjoy: I want to enjoy my life and my family more. Life has been extremely hectic since July when Chris started training followed shortly thereafter by Jackson's birth. It has only become more hectic since I went back to work in September. But Chris is finally done with training and the holidays are finally over so I am praying things settle down a bit (we say that every year). The good news to all this is we will have a more regular schedule to work with instead of the constantly changing one we were dealing with while Chris was training. This will make life a little easier. And hopefully an easier life will mean I can relax a little more.
Home: This one covers a lot. We have outgrown the little house I purchased 3 and a half years ago as a single woman with a dog. Outgrown it so much so that we don't even have room in our storage unit anymore to add more stuff. But yet those are things we don't want to part with because one day we will have a bigger house. And rather than spend money we don't have on things we already own, we want to keep our stuff. So that means I need to find a way to make do with the space we are in until the time comes for us to move on to bigger and better things. This will require better organization and cleaning skills than I (we?) have exhibited in the past. And that requires a lot of work and patience on my part. I started this weekend by purging several of my often overlooked spaces (i.e. the kitchen junk drawer and the bathroom under counter cabinets) and it felt great. I sorted out and tossed a lot of things we weren't using and organized the things we were in a fashion that made more sense and would therefore make them easier to use. I'm pretty proud of myself on this one. Now I just need to keep up that trend and carry it through the rest of the house.

So there you have it. My main focuses for 2012. Here's hoping I can make these things happen in a manner that will make me look back on this year and say, "Yep, I did OK."

Day 3

2012-01-03T09:13:00.004-06:00

Day 3: Something You Adore

OK...I'll admit this one has been a bit tricky for me. I could have taken a picture of the baby or the dog but I am sure you will see those two a lot over this month. And while I do adore them, I know there are other things in the world that I adore. So, I headed out the door to work still trying to figure out what to take a picture of when it hit me: Houndstooth! I do adore all things houndstooth as evidenced by the fact I was wearing houndstooth flats, coat, and sunglasses and carrying a houndstooth purse and lunch bag. No brainer, right?

January Photo a Day Challenge

2012-01-02T13:28:00.001-06:00

So there is this thing going around Twitter and I decided (a day late) to jump on board. Hopefully this will be a good way for me to get back into blogging more regularly. Here is the breakdown:

Day 1: Me

I didn't get a picture of myself yesterday (although I got a couple of cute ones of Baby J) so here is a picture I snapped of myself today. As you can see, I'm tired and I haven't worn makeup in days. I at least showered this morning but that is as far as it got before Jackson's doctor's appointment.

Day 2: Breakfast

I can't say I had the most healthy breakfast this morning. I just needed something I could grab quickly as I tried to head out for an 8 AM doctor's appointment. So I ended up with a Dr. Pepper, a couple of cheese straws from the Nuthouse in Mobile (thanks, Mom and Dad), and some triple layer brownies my brother made (cookie dough, oreos, and brownies). Seems like an odd combo but it's that whole sweet and savory thing that I love.

What Made the Cut

2012-01-01T17:28:00.000-06:00

In one of my last posts, I discussed cutting back on my makeup spending and I thought you guys might be curious about some of the products that made the cut. I have also found out that I inspired a few of my friends to do the same. So, I figured I could share with you the items in my makeup arsenal that I love.

Foundation: My quest for the perfect foundation has been long and expensive. However, I have kept coming back to the same foundation: Double Wear by Estee Lauder. I have used this off and on for at least 7 years (I can only remember that because I know I wore this foundation to my first wedding.) It covers well and lasts so I don't feel the need to touch up during the day. I also don't feel like I am wasting my time by putting this on because I still look like I have makeup on hours after I apply it.

Powder: Once again this is a product that I have used for years: Cover Girl Fresh Complexion Pocket Powder Foundation. Not really sure how I found it but I picked it up in the drugstore ages ago and I have kept going back to it. I love the coverage this provides. I love that I can wear this without foundation underneath and it still looks great. I do not love that I have a hard time finding it. Either the store doesn't carry it or they are out of my shade. I normally buy 2 every time I find it in stock somewhere because I do have such a hard time finding it.

Eye shadow: This is another drugstore find of mine: Revlon Color Stay Eyeshadow in Neutral Khakis. This quad is fabulous for my hazel eyes. I can dress it up or down depending on the color combination I decide to use. I even recommended it to my mom. And I am upset now because I think Revlon has discontinued this set. I can't find it on their website anymore and I am finding limited, discounted stock in the places I can find it. The only good thing about that is it is cheap right now so I can stock up without feeling guilty since I am paying $2.50 or less for the set.

Lipstick: My favorite lipstick goes back to my sister-in-law's Mary Kay lady days: Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Downtown Brown. Not only is this perfect shade of brown without being too orange, but also this lipstick lasts. It requires minimal touch ups throughout the day which is a good thing since I am not one to touch up my makeup throughout the day.

I also have Urban Decay eyeliner, Great Lash mascara, and Beauticontrol blush in my makeup kit. These are products that I like but not necessarily ones I love. They were what I had when the Great Makeup Disposal of 2011 happened so I kept them in favor of having to purchase replacement items. I already know I won't be purchasing the mascara again since it makes my eyes itch but I will determine what I will replace it with later.

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T07:24:00.000-06:00

2011 is officially over. I won't say it was a terrible year. We had some rough patches but we got sweet Baby Jackson out of the year. So for that and that alone, I can't complain. Every time I see that little boy smile, I realize it was all worth it. All the pain, the stress, the money worries, the lack of sleep. All worth having Jackson in my life.

I have pictures from Christmas and I fully intend to post about it. However, this last week has been awful. Starting with a 101 fever on Christmas eve and culminating in a pneumonia/hospital scare on Thursday, Jackson has been sick all week so our Christmas didn't turn out at all like planned. Even the visit from my family didn't pan out like I had hoped because of doctors visits, a sick baby who needed to stay home, and a pregnant sister-in-law who didn't need to be around the sick baby.

So right now I am just ready to pretend that Christmas didn't happen. I want the tree down and the decorations packed up and for life to return to normal. I used to love the holidays but now it just brings so much stress and busyness that I am just happy when they are over. So here's to a great 2012. May it be the fresh start everyone is hoping for.

There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

2011-12-23T07:38:00.001-06:00

I have really been struggling with the idea of home versus home recently. I have lived in Texas six and a half years. I have a house and a family here. Yet, I still can't accept this place as my home. To quote a little country music here, "My home's in Alabama." I guess it's the Southerner in me. I will always be an Alabamian at heart no matter how long I live away from the state and I will always be a native Mobilian. That is where my roots are and I want to make sure my son knows where he came from.

We aren't going to Alabama for any part of the holidays this year. It's killing me. Last year we went the weekend before Christmas for a long weekend so we could still be in our house Christmas morning. But the whole crew from Alabama is coming here this year to celebrate with us since Jenny is 8 months pregnant. I'm excited about not having to travel with a 5 month old but still sad about not going home. I haven't been for a visit since April and I won't be back until this April. I miss my home. I miss my family.

The first time I heard "I'll Be Home for Christmas" on the radio this year I cried a little. It just makes me sad. Sadder even that I have such a little amount of family near by so it isn't like the old days when we used to make the rounds of visiting everyone on Christmas. That tradition died out over the years as we all got older but I still miss it. This year I will be home by myself with the boys most of the day since Chris has to work. So, all in all, it's going to be a quiet Christmas. Not really what I had hoped for but it will do.

My Obsession

2011-12-16T21:01:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, there was a post on Style Lush about makeup worth repurchasing which got me thinking about the makeup I love and the fact that I have a mild obsession with makeup. For someone who really doesn't wear a lot of makeup, that is an odd obsession to have. But I have always loved to shop for makeup and it is nothing for me to drop obscene amounts of money in Sephora, Ulta, or at the department store makeup counter of my choice. I will buy new skincare and face products, use them for a few weeks, and toss them aside but not get rid of them because I might use them one day. What I found in most instances was that I kept going back to the same products. That should tell me something so I made a deal with Chris. It was time for me to clean out the makeup collection and get back to the basics of the products I love and only purchase items to replace what needs to be replaced.

So tonight I went about the near impossible task of sorting out the excess makeup and bagging it up to be tossed. That was the hard part because I couldn't bring myself to toss the bag of perfectly good makeup that I just didn't use. There was a lot of money in that bag! So I made Chris do it. And he didn't just toss it, he took it to the big can in the garage so I wouldn't be tempted to try to salvage anything. It was painful to watch him walk out the house with that bag but I knew it was a good thing for us. Now I just have to resist the call of the cosmetics section, avoid the lure of the makeup counter, and keep myself out of the makeup stores. This is going to be tough for me to do but it is a must.

So now instead of shopping for new beauty products, I will just satisfy my craving with my monthly Birch Box. This way I get to have the fun of trying new products without spending a lot of money. Ten dollars a month I can handle. Plus I'm not upset if I don't like something since it is just a sample.

Stuff I have made from Pinterest

2011-12-11T05:54:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Jackson waking up early this morning, I actually have a little time to blog. (He's currently rolling around on the floor...yes, he's rolling!) So I decided to post a couple of the dishes I have found on Pinterest recently. (If you are not on Pinterest yet, get thee to Pinterest!) I have a ton of recipes pinned (and lots of other things as well) but I have only made 4 so far. Two we loved and two we were meh about so here are the two we loved:

Crockpot Potato Soup
Y'all, I loved this so much the first time that I have already made it a second time. When I was sick two weeks ago, this is what I wanted. The soup is quite tasty but not too heavy. It is also a great base to be played with. Add cheese, bacon bit, sour cream, whatever you want! Chris and I have already discussed ways we can expand this soup to make it more interesting. Plus, it's easy! Dump everything in your slow cooker for 6 hours. Add in the cream cheese for the last hour and you are done. After all, that's the point of the slow cooker, right?!?

Pizza Casserole
I have two boys in my house that love pizza so trying this casserole was a no brainer for us. It makes a lot. We ate off of it for 2 days and still had leftovers. I was fighting a nasty stomach bug when Chris fixed this so I only tried a little bit but what I ate was fantastic. Sean especially loved it since I think he would eat pizza everyday if we let him. We will definitely make this again. Since it fills up a 9x13 pan, I would recommend this if you are cooking for a crowd to. I think you could easily feed 8 off of this especially if you add a salad or something else green to go along side this dish.

I don't even have the links to the other two recipes we tried because I was so disappointed I knew I wouldn't try them again. One was a slow cooker pull pork recipe. I thought BBQ sauce and a can of soda (Dr. Pepper of course) and you couldn't possibly go wrong. Well, it did. The pork wasn't tender and it didn't absorb the sauce at all which left the meat just tasting weird. I don't know if I purchased the wrong cut of meat or didn't let it cook long enough but it just didn't turn out at all like I expected. The second was called chicken alfredo bubble up (or something like that). It called for jarred alfredo sauce, chicken, and can biscuits...all things we had on hand at the time I found the recipe. And it was just bland. Too much biscuit, not enough chicken and alfredo. We ate it but didn't save the leftovers. Not really bad but not really our cup of tea either.

I have many more that I plan on trying in the near future. I just have to add them to my menu plan. So, what about you? What have you tried? What have you liked? Not liked? Interested readers (OK, me) want to know!

A Year Later

2011-11-30T13:11:00.001-06:00

I decided to take a pregnancy test a year ago today on a whim after watching the episode of Life Unexpected where Shiri Appleby's character found out she was pregnant. Something about her symptoms struck a cord with me. I had been feeling off but didn't think much about it. Imagine my shock when I took the test (alone since Chris was at work) and it was positive. (I took 3 more before it was over it just to reassure myself.) I read the directions about 5 times to make sure I was reading the test right and then I took a second one to make sure. It was so hard not to be able to share my excitement with Chris once the initial shock wore off. Trying to sleep after learning that news was awful. I could barely wait till he got home the next morning. I called him as soon as his shift was over to see what he had to say about the numerous texts he had received over the evening.

I was always on the fence about becoming a mother but I feared I would miss out if I didn't at least try. I wasn't sure if I had what it took. I have surprised myself. I love that little boy more than I could ever imagine I would. I'll admit that I had a tough time at first when I found out I was expecting a boy. I wanted a little girl so badly that my heart broke a little. But then he became real to me and now I can't imagine it any other way.

After I found out Jackson was on his way a year ago today, I couldn't wait to meet him. I wanted to know who this little person was going to be. I worried something would happen to him every day of my pregnancy. I worried through my delivery and now I worry every day. I can't wait to see the man he will become. But for now I will snuggle and love on him while he will still let me. I miss him when he is not around and I realize my life would not be complete without him in it.

4 Months

2011-11-20T06:28:00.001-06:00

This little guy is four months old today!

Some days it is hard for me to believe that it has been that long and some days it feels like he has been a part of my life for much longer. I am having such a fun time with him right now. He is really starting to interact and react to us. I love his smiles and laughs. Knowing those are waiting for me when I get home gets me through the day. According to his check up this past Tuesday, Jackson now weighs 15 pounds and 5 ounces and he is 26 inches long. He is pretty much average (50th percentile) for weight but he is on the tall side (86th percentile). Not sure how my kid ended up tall. We will see if that lasts.

I realized I didn't do a 3 month update so I will cover some of those highlights here as well. J started daycare just over a month ago and has done really well with it so far. I get a little jealous when I see him snuggling with his teacher, Miss Jordan, but it makes me feel better that he is comfortable and in a good environment. We dressed him up as Robin for Halloween to go along with his big brother's Batman (the Adam West version) costume. I don't know that he really got much out of Halloween but he sure did look cute dressed up with his tiny cape.

He also started rolling over a couple of weeks ago. That has been funny and frustrating. Since he isn't much for being on his stomach (not a fan of tummy time!), he will roll over and get stuck and then start screaming until we flip him back over. He is scooting a bit once he gets to his stomach so I suspect we will have a crawler pretty soon. Jackson can also sit up with a little help and loves to stand up and dance. I think his favorite place right now is sitting in his Bumbo watching TV and playing with his ball. He also likes me singing to him (even though I can't sing very well). I am just so glad we have a happy baby who loves us very much. If we never do anything else right in this world, Chris and I definitely got this one right.

Finally Someone Gets It

2011-11-16T21:13:00.000-06:00

You won't find me talking about stepparenting on here very often for a variety of reasons. I am concerned that things I say might be taken negatively when they are intended to be as well as the boundaries of discussing a child that isn't mine on the internet. I know as Jackson's mother, I wouldn't want him being a topic of conversation on the internet by someone else. I can only hope that Sean's mother feels the same way. However, there are times when I will lift the censor long enough to address something I really feel like I need to share. This is one of those times.

A couple of weeks ago, someone posted a link to this post on Twitter: This is not a Bonus Mom. Obviously my curiosity was peaked so I had to check it out. And boy, was I glad that I did. For the first time since becoming a stepmom (and even while we dating/engaged), I felt like someone actually got it. This is what I had been trying to explain to Chris this whole time. I am not Sean's mom. And as mean and harsh as that can sound, it is the truth not only in the fact that I didn't give birth to him but as in the fact that he doesn't want me to be his mom. He knows that I am not his mother and he has a mom who he has a relationship with even though it is limited due to distance and her own lack of attention.

Early on, Chris expressed a desire for me to fill the role of mom in Sean's life. It has taken several conversations to get across to him that I cannot fill that role. I will love him and care for him but mom I will never be. Chris doesn't understand this completely because he will never be in the same position I am in. Nor will he ever understand that at times I have to put a bit of a wall up because it is hard raising someone else's child as your own and knowing the whole time that child would rather have someone else standing in your place. I think the best way to look at it is that I am part of the village that is helping to raise Sean. One day he will understand what all has been done for him. But until then, he is just a child who wants his mother and that just breaks my heart.

Me On Cooking

2011-11-15T18:00:00.000-06:00

My last post talked about our crazy busy days which led me to thinking about cooking for my family. Now, I am not one of those people who hates cooking. I won't say I love it but I do enjoy it. However, I don't cook a lot. Chris does most of the cooking in our household, which is actually quite backwards. But he does it because he is the one that is home. Because of my hours and commute, it is almost 6:30 each night when I get home from work. If we waited till I got home to start dinner, we would either eat junk or not eat until it is time for Chris to walk out the door for work. There are nights that happens but we try to keep that down to a minimum for the sake of both our waistlines and our pocketbooks. Instead, I text Chris on my way out of the office and he starts dinner so that it will be close to completion when I get home. If there is still stuff to do when I get home, I will help out. Otherwise, I save most of my cooking for the weekends.

For this reason, I tend to pick out simple, quick meals for us to have during the week. While Chris was on nights, the crock pot was our friend since he could set it before going to sleep for the day and dinner would be mostly ready by the time he got home from picking Sean up. The day shift really cut into our crock pot opportunities as I left too early and arrived home too late for most of the meals to work. I am excited about being able to use it more now that Chris is back on nights. But for the most recent past, we have been struggling to find decent meals that can be completed in 30 minutes or less. (Don't get me started on Rachel Ray either.) That is why I will look at recipes and decide it is too complicated just based on the number of ingredients. Five ingredients or less and we are good to go. Between five and ten and that will be a weekend meal. More than ten, probably not going to happen except for a special occasion and I have to be feeling ambitious.

Call me lazy if you want but that is what works for me. I have been having a blast on Pinterest pinning recipes that look fantastic but then I will actually look at the recipe and determine it is something that I will most likely never make because it has too many ingredients or too many steps and I would much rather spend my time doing something other than standing in the kitchen trying to complete this meal. I will say that I have found quite a few recipes on Pinterest that fit my criteria that I am looking forward to trying. I think I just need to split up my boards a little better so that I don't keep scrolling through the same recipes trying to find one that will work.

Trying to Catch Up

2011-11-14T18:00:00.000-06:00

I have so many things that I want to blog about right now (Penn State, Halloween, step parenting) but I am having a hard time finding the time to squeeze in blogging. Our days are just insane. And, every time I say something, I feel like I am whining because I know I am not any busier than anyone else. Please know that I am not trying to complain. This is just something I feel the need to talk about. We are completely running ourselves ragged right now and I am praying it will stop soon. How is having 2 kids so much harder than having one? Is it because Jackson is still a baby and needs our full attention? I finally realized how much I needed a break today when I was talking to a coworker about some upcoming events at work and she mentioned how tired I looked. Suddenly I was in tears for no reason other than the fact someone noticed and told me I needed to take a day to myself. Something has to give. I am just not sure I can figure out what that something is.

One thing that has been a major factor in the last nearly 4 months (gah!) since Jackson's birth has been Chris's training. We found out in June that Chris was getting picked up for patrol starting July 1. As excited as we were about this change, the timing couldn't have been worse with me due to have the baby at anytime. The entire three weeks Chris was in class, his instructors were waiting for a phone call that I was in labor. I ended up being sent to the hospital the 2nd day of his last week in class. Plus, this effected his FMLA that had already been approved on the corrections side. We were lucky that his patrol sergeant allowed him to take the first 4 weeks of my maternity leave off so that he could be home to help me with the baby.

Where things have gotten complicated is the set schedule we were used to no longer exists. Instead of 9:45 PM to 6 AM night shift on corrections, the midnight shift for patrol is 9-7. Not a major problem since the boys both go to bed around 8 but I am supposed to be at work at 7:30 in the mornings and Sean cannot be dropped off before 7:15. Oh and have I mentioned my 45 minute commute to work recently? Fortunately my boss has been great and wonderfully understanding about our time constraints and has been OK with me coming in late. In turn, I typically work through lunch so I can still leave at 5:30 Monday-Thursday and 11:30 on Fridays. (That is also where part of the exhaustion comes in.) Chris just started this shift, which will be his permanent shift, last night after 3 months of changing shifts from evenings to days. The changing shifts has been difficult because it is not the norm for us and now I am used to having him home at night and on the weekends, things that never happened before. It wasn't till I went to bed last night that it hit me. The nights Chris works we will see each other for 2 hours and those will be 2 busy hours of feeding and bathing kids and preparing for the next day.

So why didn't we try for a different shift, you ask? Well, days are nearly impossible to get as a Rookie even though Chris's day sergeant wanted him on the shift because he thought he'd be a real asset to the shift. That left us with midnights or evenings. Truthfully, none of the shifts really work well with the schedule we have but midnights is the most doable. The true upside to patrol is the 4 10-hour shifts a week versus the 5 8-hour shifts on corrections. This gives Chris a little more time at home. Plus patrol rotates weekends every month. Four weeks Chris will work during the week with weekends off and four weeks he will switch. So, in essence, we will get more time together. It just doesn't feel like it right now. Soon we will be adjusted to this new way of working and this will be the norm for us again. In the mean time, it is stressing me out.

Roll Tide Roll

2011-11-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

So, there's this football game this weekend that it seems pretty much every college football fan in the nation will be watching. No, not the one that will take place in Austin between Texas and Texas Tech. Not even the Aggies and Sooners are garnering this much attention. It's the Tide and the Tigers. Alabama and LSU that is. A game that will surpass all other games this year. Number 1 versus Number 2. Anyone who knows me knows which side of the ball I am on. I have tried to be very careful about what I have said about this game. I will admit that I am nervous. I want Alabama to do well. I want to see them win but I don't want to do a lot of smack talking and have it come back to bite me in the end. So instead I will just support my team and wear my colors proudly and say what I know to be true, "It's going to be a good game." With that, I will leave you with an article I read this morning. I can't say that I disagree with the article. I do believe that Alabama is one of the best teams to ever play the game and not just this team this year but every year through the good and the bad because of the history, tradition, and legacy associated with being part of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

How Alabama Became College Football's Greatest Team

13 Things to Know Before You Meet Me

2011-10-19T11:25:00.002-05:00

So, The Blathering is this weekend and 50 fabulous ladies are going to be converging on my city to take it by storm for 3 days. I am terrified and excited all at the same time. I do not know any of these women in real life and most of them I have only meet over the internet in the last couple of months as the attendee information has been posted. Several have shared 13 things to know about me so I figured I would jump on the bandwagon as well. Here it goes:

I live in Round Rock and work in Austin. However, I have only lived here for 4 years so I still have no idea where anything is. I rely on my GPS for that reason. Please don't laugh at me for this. But I am willing and able to drive around those who need transportation this weekend.
For the same reason listed above, I also have no idea what is really fun to do in Austin. There are still a lot of tourist-y things I want to do like tour the Capitol and see the bats fly from the Congress Street Bridge. If anyone is interested in that, let me know and I will gladly join you.
While I live in Texas, I am not a native Texan. I am from Alabama and I sound like I am from Alabama. I am extremely proud of my Southern heritage. Nothing pisses me off more than when Texans make fun of Alabama. So if you have something bad to say about my home state, please just don't say it in front of me.
I am also I die hard Alabama fan. No, not the country music group. Not even the state. I am talking about the school and the football team in particular. I know more about football than some guys do. I love the sport and I love my team. That being said, I am missing the Alabama v. Tennessee game Saturday night to come to dinner at Z'Tejas. This is a big deal for me. I don't miss games. Ever.
I love houndstooth. It's an Alabama thing. It is nothing out of the ordinary to see me sporting at least one item of houndstooth something on my person at anytime. However, I do believe that Lady Gaga proved there is such a thing as too much houndstooth.
I am so glad I don't have to pack for the weekend as I have no idea what I am going to wear. I am still trying to figure out what fits my post-baby body and I really have not had the time or energy to do a lot of shopping.
I am secretly jealous of all of you who are getting a weekend away from your families. Not that I want to get rid of mine but the thought of the bed to myself, no dog, baby, kid, or husband waking me up before 8 makes me want to crash at the hotel just to relax for a few days.
I have not had time to get my eyebrows done or my hair cut so please don't judge my fluffy brows or split ends. There is just no way to fit it in between now and Friday.
I usually wake up some time between my husband's 4:30 alarm and my 5:30 alarm so 9 PM is really late for me and I am usually heading to bed shortly after that. Don't be surprised if I am completely exhausted and no longer fun by the time it rolls around.
I so want to be one of the cool kids that everyone likes but I fear I am more like the annoying little sister that won't go away. Maybe it's because I grew up as the annoying little sister who wouldn't go away. Somehow I always feel like I am more on the outside looking in rather than part of the group.
My husband is worried that I am not going to have fun this weekend. He so wants me to relax and enjoy some time away from the house because I have had very little me time since Jackson was born 3 months ago.
I am secretly worried about the same thing. I also know that it is going to kill me to be away from Jackson all weekend since I don't get to see him much during the week now. I might just have to bring him along for part of the weekend. (And yes, Sarah, you can hold him.)
My husband works for local law enforcement and therefore is extremely paranoid about something happening to me when I am out and I have a drink or two. Don't be surprised if he calls to check up on me and see if I need a ride home.

I spent all last night and my drive to work this morning trying to figure out what to post as my 13 things. I am sure I forgot something I had thought of but that's OK. You guys are going to meet me soon enough and I am sure you will learn much more than you could pick up here.

Random Thoughts and Observations

2011-09-28T18:00:00.000-05:00

I am extremely easily annoyed these days. It doesn't take much to get under my skin which makes me an unpleasant person to be around. Knowing this, I've been keeping to myself a lot so I don't just completely go off on someone.
I am also more emotional. I almost cried in a meeting this week when one of the PMs welcomed me back to the office and commented that I looked thrilled to be there. The comment didn't bother me because it was true. It just re-emphasized how much I want to be home with Jackson. And then I did it again the next day driving to work just because I really didn't want to go.
The daycare situation is really stressing me out. We have just over 2 weeks to find someone to watch Jackson while Chris and I are at work since our perfect in-home daycare fell through last week. I am really not happy about this. I never wanted to put my kids in daycare but I have no other options. Nor do I have any idea how we are going to pay for this.
My feet still don't look like my feet. I guess I got used to how they looked swollen and puffy. Now they look so skinny and long and like they belong on someone else's body.
I've lost all my pregnancy weight plus about 10 pounds which should be great but it isn't. While my old clothes fit, they aren't comfortable because I am flabby and everything has shifted so nothing fits right.
I have one pair of jeans out of about 5 that fit me properly. So I decided to order a couple of more pairs of the same style. Wouldn't you know, Lee no longer makes the style I like so I can't find any to purchase.
Is it ever going to cool off in Austin, Texas? The first day of fall was last week and we celebrated by having a high of 104 on Monday. We are well over 80 days of triple digit temperatures for the year. I am ready for it to drop below 90 for a few days and to get some rain.
Explain to me how 1 gas station out of 5 in a half mile radius can charge $0.50 more than all the others and still have business. Two of the stations were $3.27 and 2 were $3.29 but the last one was $3.71. How does that happen?
Somehow I have become a mommy blogger. That wasn't intentional but, since I write about myself and my life, I guess it was bound to happen when I got pregnant.
I still hurt quite a bit more than I expected to at this point. I pretty much always feel a slight throb around my incision and, at least once a day, I will get a sharp, stabbing pain in that general area. It's been 2 months. Is this normal?
I am attending The Bathering in a few weeks and I am excited and terrified at the same time. A lot of the bloggers attending have "known" each other for ages and I am so of the new kid on the block. And, yes, I am that person who wants to be cool and well liked but I know in reality that I am not cool so all my anxiety is coming out over this one. It is being held here in Austin so that is great but I am also afraid of missing out on a lot of the fun because I won't be staying in the hotel with the other ladies.
I think I have rambled just about as much as I can ramble on one post for today. Just had to pass on some of the thoughts floating around in my head.

THE ABCS OF ME

2011-09-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

I borrowed this from the fabulous Sarah Lena since I accidentally deleted the post I started writing earlier today. I intend to finish that post but this will have to do for now.

A. Age: 34

B. Bed size: Queen which was fine for me and Maverick but Chris, Maverick, and I need a King.

C. Chore that you hate: All of them but particularly cleaning the bathrooms especially the toilets with all the boys in my house.

D. Dogs: Yes, Maverick, the fat beagle

E. Essential start to your day: Now that I am back at work, I must have my coffee.

F. Favorite color: Crimson red...is there any other color?

G. Gold or Silver: I am more of a gold person but my wedding rings are white gold so I have been leaning towards silver since getting them nearly 2 years ago.

H. Height: 5’2" on a good day if I stretch

I. Instruments you play: I played alto clarinet in high school and I wasn't very good

J. Job title: Financial Analyst

K. Kids: Jackson - 2 months old; Sean (stepson) - 7 years old

L. Live: Round Rock, Tx

M. Mother’s name: Marian

N. Nicknames: Jules

O. Overnight hospital stays: 5 nights to have Jackson; 1 night after having Jackson left my blood pressure wonky

P. Pet peeves: text speak - I cannot stand the abbreviations people use when texting or chatting

Q. Quote from a movie: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." ~ Ferris Bueller

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: Two brothers, both older: Vincent and Clay

U. Underwear: Victoria's Secret cotton

V. Vegetable you hate: onions and tomatoes

W. What makes you run late: Having a newborn and underestimating the amount of time it will take all 4 of us to get ready

X. X-Rays you’ve had: lungs

Y. Yummy food that you make: I have done a pretty good job of copying my mom's spaghetti.

Z. Zoo animal: not really into animals other than my dog

This Little Thing Called Life

2011-09-26T18:00:00.006-05:00

I fully intended to write 2 blog posts last week. One about Jackson turning 2 months old and one about returning to work. That did not happen. That nasty thing known as my job really got in the way last week. Along with trying to keep my household together, there was just no time. The post-work evenings felt like I was running a marathon. There is just so much to do in the 3 hours between getting home from working and getting everyone settled in bed. That meant that my internet and TV time was extremely limited. So, I will make up for it now by talking about what I was going to talk about last week.

Jackson hit 2 months old last Tuesday. It was also Maverick's 6th birthday. I cannot believe how big both of my boys are now. I remember bringing Maverick home as a tiny little 6 pound puppy 6 years ago. He was so adorable and so tiny and would fall asleep on my chest. Now he is my loving, crazy, rambunctious, fat beagle. He will still curl up in my lap and go to sleep when I let him and he loves my baby more than anything.

I still can't believe how much my life has changed in 2 months. Jackson is truly my world now. Leaving him each morning before work is killing me. I just want to stay home and snuggle with him all day. My boy is up to 12 lbs 4 oz as of his 2 month checkup a week ago. We also got good news from the cardiologist 2 weeks ago. The heart murmur and irregular heartbeat they heard at Jackson's birth have corrected themselves. The tiny holes have closed and my baby is as healthy as can be. Even though I wasn't worried, it was still a huge relief to know everything really was OK. I get lots of smiles and giggles from Jackson now that just absolutely make my day. This is what I am missing when I sit at my desk everyday.

My return to work has been hard on all of us. We would really be struggling if Mom wasn't here right now. Jackson is really missing me during the day and is extra clingy when I get home. (OK...so Mommy needs the snuggles too.) I love that he wants to be with me but it does make it hard to accomplish anything when I can't put the baby down for fear of screaming. I am sure it will get better once we all adjust to the "new" schedule. On top of that, I know my focus is not on work. I find myself staring at pictures of Jackson because I miss him so much. I also feel like I am having to re-learn the job I have had for 2 years. It is amazing what you can forget in 2 months. Hopefully everyone will be patient with me until I adjust to the life of a working mom of a newborn.

One Step Closer

2011-09-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

I am currently laying on my couch bored out of my mind praying that Jackson will sleep until it's time to go get Sean from school. He was cranky this morning because he was fighting sleep. So now that he is finally napping, I don't want to turn on the TV or do anything else that might wake him up because I need to enjoy my last quiet afternoon before all hell breaks loose in my house. My short term disability officially ended on Tuesday so I took 3 days of vacation to finish out the week before I return to work on Monday. The only good thing about the c-section was that I was able to get 8 weeks of disability instead of the 6 I was expecting. While 2 months should seem like a long time, it really isn't. I am still sore and some days I think I must look like I just got off a horse with the way I walk. I also know it hasn't been long enough to mentally prepare for leaving Jackson behind. Mom gets here Saturday to keep Baby J for us while I go back to work and Chris will be on days. I am so gratefully for her help but I know it is going to be stressful having an extra person in our already packed house and with our sometimes conflicting personalities. I started off this week snuggling Jackson who woke up with the biggest smile for me Monday morning. It was my intention to make the most of this last week home with him and, of course, it has just flown by. Chris will be off tomorrow and we will be busy getting ready for Mom's arrival (cleaning!). So I am trying to take advantage of the last little bit of "me time" I am going to have for a while. I probably should have done something more productive but at least I got a nap out of it.

Bama Baby

2011-09-15T08:23:00.000-05:00

It is Jackson's first football season and I am enjoying dressing my boy in all the crimson and white I can get my hands on. I found out I was pregnant after the regular season was over last year so I didn't get the fun of dressing my bump to cheer on my team. Instead, I get to dress my baby and that is way more fun.

I am not sure how my boy feels about having his team allegiance picked so early in life but I figure I better start early since he isn't surrounded by all the Alabama fans I was growing up. It is my job to raise him right and teach him that even though we live in the land of the Longhorns, Tuscaloosa is the place for him. Jackson's first game was two weeks ago when Alabama defeated Kent State.

As you can see, he could barely contain his excitement for the game. Jackson slept through the whole first half of the game. We watched the game at the house of our friends, the Heards, and the guys fixed us breakfast for lunch. We chowed down on Conecuh sausage and bacon (imported from Alabama) along with pancakes, eggs, and biscuit. What a feast! The whole family got into the spirit for the game.

Well, everyone but Chris that is. I haven't gotten him into an Alabama shirt yet but trust me that will happen one day. Even Maverick sports a houndstooth collar on a regular basis. So Daddy can't stay the odd man out forever.

All Clear

2011-08-31T22:02:00.000-05:00

Today was my 6 week postpartum check up. I have been dreading it. Just the thought of having someone mess with me down there knowing how tender I still am around my incision did not excite me. Fortunately the appointment went better than I expected. My blood pressure was finally back down to the normal range. Yay! for 120/82. I think my doctor and nurse both did a happy dance. They kept commenting on how much better I looked and how they could tell I felt better so I asked Chris if I really looked that bad. His answer was yes, I looked pretty rough for a few weeks. That's good to know. I blame the pain meds because they made me feel like a zombie.

The doctor says I am all healed and released to return to all manners of normal activity. I have also lost all of my baby weight and then some. (We won't talk about the additional 30 pounds I need to lose.) So I guess that means I am good to go back to work in a couple of weeks. (Boo!) The weird part is I don't have to go back to the doctor for a year. That seems so strange after seeing her and her office staff so much over the last year. I won't know when the receptionist has her baby in a couple of months. They probably won't recognize me when I walk in the door anymore. After all, I was in the office once a month since December and almost once a week since June. I can't say I am going to miss going to the doctor so often but it will feel like I am forgetting something for a while.

Here is some baby cuteness to celebrate passing the 6 week mark:

Jackson and I were snuggling while Chris was getting ready for work and Chris just had to get a picture because this baby couldn't be anymore adorable if he tried.

A Boy and His Dog

2011-08-29T12:41:00.000-05:00

I heard many people say that their pets could sense when they were pregnant and paid special attention to them during that time. I was actually surprised that I didn't receive a similar reaction from Maverick. It wasn't until the end of pregnancy that he started paying closer attention and could sense something was up. I don't know if it was rearranging the house and his living quarters or what but he definitely knew something was up and would get antsy whenever Chris and I would leave the house. He also had his own way of greeting the baby.

I was hoping that there wouldn't be any drama between the dog and the baby when we returned home but I wasn't totally sure how Mav was going to react to yet another new person in his house. I had confidence that Maverick would adapt well and I was right. Having the baby in the house has actually calmed my rowdy pup a bit. He has become quite the protector for Jackson. He has to check on him when he is crying and he even sits in the door of the nursery guarding the room whenever I am in there changing the baby.

There is definitely a lot of love between my two boys. I really believe that Jackson will grow up thinking Maverick is his puppy. I am just happy that my fears where unfounded. Well, all except the one about Maverick licking the baby to death. That still might happen!

Jackson's Newborn Photos

2011-08-27T22:57:00.000-05:00

For some reason it didn't dawn on me to check out photographers before I had Jackson to setup newborn photos. I had no desire to take maternity photos so researching photographers never crossed my mine. I used a photographer that my brother and his wife recommended from their Sunday School class. That meant Jackson's newborn photos were closer to 1 month photos because they were taken when he was 4 weeks old. I just wanted to make sure I had something to document my baby's early days. J-Man was not a fan of having his picture taken either. However, Jenni did a great job of capturing a few sweet moments with my little man. Here is a link to her blog highlighting Jackson's photo shoot: Jenni Roberts Photography.

Tiptoeing Back to Reality

2011-08-25T22:32:00.000-05:00

Chris went back to work this week. I was pretty anxious about being left at home with both of the guys for the majority of the day but it has been a relatively smooth week. Jackson has been pretty easy to handle and Sean went back to school today so that has made the week go by faster than I expected it would. However, this turn of events means that it is only a matter of time before I head back to work myself. I am scheduled to have about 3 more weeks off work. The sheer thought of going back is tearing me apart. I don't want to leave Jackson even though I know he will be in the safe and loving hands of my mom for the first couple of weeks after my return to work. But still it is going to kill me to feel like I am missing out on my time with my son. I just love watching him sleep. I love the adorable faces he makes when he is dreaming his baby dreams. It's going to be so hard to leave him and be away from him for the better part of 10 hours a day. I knew it would be difficult but I had no idea how much I would dread it. Chris caught me crying last week because I found out my co-workers are counting down the days until I return to the office. It just really upset me. Jackson is already growing so fast that I just know I am going to miss some important parts of his life if I am not with him every day.

I snapped this picture of Jackson with my teddy bear, Trevor, this afternoon while Chris was getting ready for work. The outfit is a newborn outfit that he has worn a couple of times before. The shorts were too big initially but now he can actually wear them (although I still think he looks like ghetto baby in shorts). He just isn't listening to my instructions to stay tiny forever.

One Month Later

2011-08-22T22:18:00.000-05:00

Jackson turned a month old on Saturday. It's hard to believe that a month has gone by already. Time really does fly. I am amazed at how much our lives have changed and how much I enjoy being a mom to this sweet little boy.

I keep trying to figure out some way to get paid to stay at home and watch Jackson sleep all day. I just love his little antics and expressions. I constantly want to know what he is thinking and why he looks like he has the weight of the baby world on his shoulders. I still have a lot to learn about this parenting thing but I feel like I am getting the hang of it. I'm so glad I get to see this face each day and to hold him and love on him. I know I had my doubts about having a child in the past but I truly wouldn't change it for the world now.

After all, how adorable is this little boy?

The Aftermath

2011-08-21T12:02:00.000-05:00

All total I was in the hospital almost 6 days for Jackson's birth. That included 2 days for the induction, 1 day of bed rest, and 2 and a half days of postpartum. I was a lot worse off after the delivery than I expected to be. Having an epidural for a full 24 hours plus pushing for 3 hours plus 24 hours of bed rest meant my legs couldn't function when I was finally able to get out of bed on Thursday night. It took me several days to feel comfortable walking without Chris nearby to help me. I think I was home for a week before I really felt like I could get around on my own and walk for more than a few minutes at a time.

They aren't kidding when they say 24 hours either. Once 10:30 Thursday evening rolled around, my nurse was in my room with a wheel chair to take me to the postpartum wing. Bye-bye nice giant labor and delivery room, Hello tiny, oddly shaped postpartum room. The best thing about moving at that time was that we requested to leave Jackson in the nursery for the night so Chris and I (mostly me) could get some sleep. I literally hadn't slept in almost 3 days at this point and I was delirious. I couldn't see straight because I couldn't focus using both my eyes (I later found out that was a side effect of the morphine used in my surgery) but I was still trying to entertain family and friends who had come to see me and the baby. I requested an ambien once I got settled into my room and that was probably the smartest decision I made the whole time I was there. That coupled with my pain meds meant I was asleep in less than 5 minutes. It was the best night of sleep I had gotten since I stopped being able to sleep on my stomach.

By Friday, I felt more human again. I was able to get out of bed on my own and sit in a chair if I wanted to. I took a shower and got a fresh gown to wear. I no longer sounded like a drunk person when I tried to talk or smelled and looked like a homeless person. Plus I was finally able to get some pictures with the baby. I wouldn't allow anyone to take my picture until I was clean. You could tell I was still tired but I felt so much better by this point. I was also really getting to spend time with Jackson.

Saturday brought more visitors and my parents decided to head back to Alabama. It was also the day I freaked out about going home and having to take care of the baby on my own. Chris was scheduled to start his patrol training on Monday morning after I got out of the hospital. I knew I was still having too hard of a time getting around to be able to take care of Jackson on my own all day long at first without having some help. So he was able to work out his schedule to take the first four weeks off with me. (He actually goes back to work tomorrow.) That was a huge relief because I really did panic at the thought of trying to do everything on my own. Finding out I wasn't going to be able to drive for at least 2 weeks also sealed the deal because I would need someone to take me and Jackson to our followup visits with our doctors.

As nice as it had been to have all the help from the nurses at the hospital and knowing we could send Jackson to the nursery if we needed a break or to get some rest, we couldn't wait to be discharged on Sunday. Because of the issues with my blood pressure, my doctor told me to stay until at least Sunday with the possibility of being extended to Monday if my BP didn't come down enough. Fortunately, my last few readings before leaving the hospital were in the OK range so I was able to go home. Chris was so ready to get out of there, we didn't even stop long enough to get any pictures of Jackson in his going home outfit (an Alabama onesie and the blanket my mom took me home in). I didn't mind much though. I was tired of the uncomfortable bed and the constant interruptions from the nurses which kept me from resting well. I just wanted to be in my own house even though it would be a couple of weeks before I could get in my own bed again.

I noticed something strange when I got home. Everything looked different. I can't really explain it except I felt like I was viewing things with new eyes. Nothing had actually changed except I had a baby now. I was a mom but everything felt different all the same. Even Maverick looked like he had changed during his week at the kennel. I guess I had a new perspective on everything. Either that or I had just felt really out of touch with everything while I was in the hospital for a week.

The Birth Story: The Final Installment

2011-08-18T12:47:00.001-05:00

Around 6:45 on Wednesday evening, the time finally came for me to push. And push I did for the next 3 hours with my nurse, Lauren, and Chris encouraging me the whole time. The on-call doctor came in around the 2 hour mark to check on my progress and told me that we would have a different conversation the next time she came in if the baby still wasn't here. That's exactly what happened. At the 3 hour mark, it was determined I had not made enough progress to continue. The doctor gave me the option of forceps or a c-section. Since there was no way I was going to let them try to yank my baby out, I went with the c-section.

At that point, things started moving quickly. Suddenly there were more people in my room and things were happening. They were stopping the pitocin and stopping my contractions. Chris was given scrubs to wear and told to wait outside the operating room until they came to get him. Everyone was moving around me but I was only slightly aware of it. I was so exhausted at this point, I decided it would be a good time to nap. So I nodded off quite a bit over the next 30 minutes while they moved me and prepped me for surgery. I vaguely remember them throwing a bunch of things on the bed and wheeling me down the hall and moving me from the bed to the operating table. Next thing I knew, I was prepped and ready to go and Chris was sitting next to me.

At that point, the doctor did the pin prick test to see if I was numb so she could start the surgery. I felt the first prick and let her know so they increased my anesthesia and started the surgery. Only the anesthesia hadn't taken full effect yet or something because I felt it when the doctor started the initial incision. At least I was aware enough to let them know so they were able to correct the problem and continue on. After that, I felt a lot of tugging and pulling which was pretty uncomfortable. I know I let out a few audible moans because the anesthesiologist kept checking on me to make sure I was alright.

At 10:33 on July 20th after 34 hours in labor, Jackson Christopher Short finally made his arrival into this world. Complete with big feet, long toes, and pink skin, he weighed 7 pounds and 4 ounces and was 20 inches long. I would like to say I was excited but I was still drifting in and out of consciousness at this point while I waited for them to finish stitching me up. Chris was able to get some pictures of him and the anesthesiologist kept holding back the corner of the curtain so I could see him while they were working on him. Once Chris was finally able to bring him to me, I gave him a kiss and apologized for not being able to stay awake. To say I was tired at this point would be an understatement.

Jackson and Chris then headed to the nursery for his bath and to continue checking all his vitals. I was sent to recovery for the next hour for monitoring. Once Chris was done in the nursery with the baby, he came to sit with me until I headed back to my room. I was immediately put on 24 hour bed rest with a continued magnesium drip because of the preeclampsia. My mom and dad were still there when I got back to my room and they finally brought Jackson to me so we could spend some time with him before we went to sleep for the night. Because of the bed rest, Jackson couldn't be left alone in the room with me unless someone else was in there awake. Since Chris hadn't gotten much rest either, we sent the baby back to the nursery to settle in for the night around 3 AM.

A couple of hours later, I was awoken by a lab tech entering my room to draw more labs. Considering that I had barely gotten 2 hours of sleep at this point, I was none to happy especially when she ignored my concerns over my difficult veins and proceeded to stick me anyway. She missed and I completely lost it. Chris made her leave the room only to have my nurses show up a few minutes later. They calmed me back down and drew the necessary blood for the lab work and let me go back to sleep. Unfortunately, I had a new contraption, compression cuffs on my legs, to keep me awake. So sleep still wasn't to be had. It didn't matter though because once Chris woke up, they brought Jackson back to the room. And I have to say, through all of it, he definitely is worth it.

The Birth Story Part 3

2011-08-15T22:34:00.000-05:00

With the epidural in place, I was more comfortable and thought I would be able to get some rest. Unfortunately, the cervidil wasn't doing anything more than make me contract so it was time to bring in the big guns. Two hours after getting my epidural, they removed the cervidil and started the pitocin. I was in for a long night. With the pitocin in place, Chris and I tried to settle in for the evening. However, with nurses checking on me periodically and the blood pressure cuff going off every 15 minutes, sleep was not to be had. One of my night nurses even asked if I ever slept to which I responded that I was resting but the noise from the BP cuff was keeping me awake.

At some point during the night, I got quite a scare. The nurse had come in to make some adjustments to my IV and I started to get a tightening in my chest. It felt like I had something sitting on my chest and I couldn't breath. Since I was still on the potassium, I freaked out thinking it was messing with my heart. So somewhere around 1 AM I received an EKG to see what was going on. Fortunately everything came out OK but I was still worried.

My doctor showed up around 8 AM the next morning to check my progress. After more than 7 hours on the pitocin and a full day on the cervidil, I had only made it to 2 cm. I was annoyed. So she decided to break my water and see if that improved my progress. She told me she'd be back around lunch to see where I was then and to decided what to do next. At her next visit, I had still only made it to about 3 cm so they decided to reduce the pitocin levels and then slowly bring them back up to see if that would kick start my labor. By this point, I had been in the hospital in early labor for 24 hours. I still wasn't in active labor. The doctor said if I made it to 4 cm and didn't go any further then we would start talking c-section. At that point, I reminded her that my mom had 3 c-sections and I fully expected things to go the same way for me. However, my doctor didn't remember us having this conversation before so this was news to her. She then told me she would see where I stood at 5 when she made her rounds again.

I have to admit I was praying I would stall at 4 cm because I was tired and I was ready for Jackson to come out. I was perfectly fine with the idea of a c-section because I had always suspected I would need to have one. I also didn't have my heart set on having Jackson delivered naturally. I just wanted him to come into the world safely and healthy. So you can imagine my disappointment when I was checked again and the nurse determined I was between 5 and 6 cm. However, she also commented on the small size of my pelvis which would indicate that it would be difficult for the baby to come out that way. Unfortunately, that particular nurse went off duty shortly after all this and wasn't there when the time came for me to try to push.

My parents arrived from Alabama somewhere around 4:30 that afternoon and brought my brother and his wife with them to the hospital. Chris's parents also showed up some time that afternoon. I am not really sure when everyone got there. I just remember them having a lively conversation in the corner of my room while I was in pain on the bed. I was none too thrilled about this at all but I was way too out of it at that point to tell them to do anything different. However, they did finally get kicked out of the room when it was time for me to start pushing.

I should also mention that sometime during the night, I realized that my epidural wasn't working properly. My legs were pretty much numb and my upper abdomen was as well but nothing in between was numb. I could still feel all the contractions. It was miserable. I had to have my epidural increased twice before I started pushing. Even that didn't help though. By the time I started pushing, I basically couldn't feel the epidural anymore.

The Birth Story Part 2

2011-08-14T23:36:00.000-05:00

Chris didn't show back up at the hospital for another 3 hours. I knew I had given him quite a list of things to accomplish on top of getting my stuff and getting Maverick to the kennel. Since we were completely unprepared for Jackson's pending arrival, I had also told Chris to wash all the newborn clothes and sheets and anything he thought we would need as soon as we got home. Needless to say, by the time Chris got back to the hospital, I was beside myself. Here I was in labor in the hospital alone. I was not happy.

The rest of Tuesday went on pretty much the same. I had contractions. I was uncomfortable and I was tired. But nothing was happening. I wasn't dilating so the labor was progressing. Even though I wasn't in a lot of pain, I was uncomfortable enough that they gave me a couple of sedatives so that I could relax and get some rest. After the second sedative wore off, I told the nurse that the contractions were stopping. She thought I meant the pain until I explained to her that no, it wasn't the pain so much as the contractions were coming one right on top of the other. There was no break in them. At that point, she ordered the epidural. That was somewhere around 9:30 Tuesday night and they still hadn't started the piticon yet.

Getting the epidural was no walk in the park. I was having what they referred to as labor shakes where I was shivering like I was cold only I wasn't cold and I couldn't control it. There was nothing I could do to stop shaking which is bad when they are trying to insert a needle into your back and you need to be still for it. Apparently the anesthesiologist had a hard time getting the epidural lined up properly because I kept feeling a stinging sensation above my left hip. Once it was in, I started to feel relief from the contractions and I was much more comfortable than I had been. I would later learn, however, that the epidural didn't work properly for me and only numbed portions of my body, not the area that needed to be numbed.

I should also mention that I was having other issues while all of this was going on. Because of the preeclampsia, I was placed on a magnesium sulfate drip immediately upon entering the hospital to reduce the risk of seizure from my elevated blood pressure. My labs also revealed that my potassium level was really low so that was added to my IV as well. I had to have a drip of potassium for 4 hours and then my blood would be drawn 4 hours later to check my levels. I guess they never got high enough because I ended up having 3 potassium drips during the time I was labor. I also apparently don't breathe well while I am asleep (I blame that on the swelling because I also snored while I was pregnant) so I had to have oxygen on top of everything else. Between the IV in one arm, the blood pressure cuff on the other arm (that took my BP ever 15 minutes), the oxygen mask, and the baby and contraction monitors, I was covered in stuff. It was no wonder I couldn't get comfortable or get any rest. Every time I moved they would have to reposition the baby monitor to make sure Jackson was OK. I definitely didn't like having all of these contraptions attached to me. It required an act of congress every time I moved which was often because they kept making me lay in different positions in order to help things progress or to get a better reading on my BP.

The Birth Story Part 1

2011-08-14T11:40:00.001-05:00

Disclaimer: I wasn't sure if I would want to share Jackson's birth story with everyone. If you aren't interested in reading all this then by all means, skip this (and any related posts). However, I want it documented for my sake because there are things I have already started to forget and it just happened 3 weeks ago. This is going to be long and it might have to be broken up into several posts. So I apologize in advance.

I went in on July 15th for my 38 week appointment. This was the first time I was going to be checked for any progress towards having the baby so I was cautiously optimistic about what the results would be. I also felt like crap. It was one of the hottest days we had had so far in the summer and I (wisely) decided to go shopping with my coworker, Jennifer, after we got off work that day. (Yay for half day Fridays!) The thought was I needed to be up and walking around to get this baby moving. Well, apparently that did something. While I was only dilated 1cm, my blood pressure was high enough for the doctor to actually get concerned so she decided to do some further testing. I was sent home with a jug to do a 24 hour collection (yep, you know what I am talking about) and orders to have blood drawn at the lab on Monday morning. So I took it easy for the rest of the weekend because the crappy feeling only continued (and actually got worse) as the weekend progressed, only heading out on Saturday night for my belated birthday dinner and to see the final Harry Potter movie.

Monday morning I took my jug to the lab and had the blood work done and was told I would have results in 1-2 days. That seemed odd to me since I figured what they were testing for was pretty pressing but who am I to question how this stuff works. I had also told Chris that morning that I didn't care what happened that week, it was going to be my last week at work. It was getting to be too difficult to get up in the mornings because I was exhausted and felt terrible. The heat was really getting to me and I was just over a week away from my due date. It was time to focus on me and the baby and to take it easy.

That whole discussion didn't really matter because I got a call from my doctor at 8 AM Tuesday morning that pretty much changed all of that. As she said, a call from your doctor that early in the morning is never going to be good news and she was right. I had tested positive for mild preeclampsia and that meant the baby needed to come out. Since I was 39 weeks and considered full term at that point, there was no need to wait. I had to get to the hospital immediately. They were going to induce me. I hung up the phone, tried to call Chris, and started to cry. I was scared. I didn't want to be induced. And even though I had spent 9 months preparing for Jackson arrival, the reality of it terrified me. While I waited for Chris to call me back, I went into my boss's office to let her know what was going on (yes, I was at work as this all was happening) and to figure out what needed to be taken care of there. Fortunately, Chris was only 10 minutes away because he was in patrol training rather than being at our house 45 minutes away and was able to come get me once he got my message.

We made it to the hospital in record time that morning. The whole way there I was making phone calls to my family and friends to let them know what was up and that we would definitely be having a baby within the next 2 days. My Mom and Dad started figuring out how they would get from Alabama to Texas. We also made arrangements to drop Maverick off at the kennel since we knew we would be at the hospital for the next several days. It seemed like everything had just kicked into hyper mode. Once we got to the hospital, the nurses were waiting for us and took me straight to my room. I guess they had received notification from the doctor's office that we would be there so they could be prepared.

I started getting settled in my room while we got a run down of what was going to happen. They would start the cervidil immediately, which I would be on for 12 hours, to help with my progression. Once that was done, it would be time for the pitocin. It was going to be a long night. I gave Chris a list of everything I needed from the house and sent him home to change while the nurse started all my labs and inserted my IV. I can just imagine what they thought when he walked in dressed in full Sheriff's gear complete with duty belt and everything. At least I was well protected at the hospital.

Shortly after I ordered my lunch, the nurse came in with the cervidil and informed me I couldn't sit up for an hour after it was inserted. So I got to stare at my meal for a good 30 minutes before I was able to eat it. I had been having mild contractions for a couple of weeks at that point so the cervidil took those and ran with it. Within 15 minutes, I was starting to have regular contractions. We were on our way and I was optimistic that I follow in the footsteps of one of my friends who only needed the cervidil to induce her labor and had her baby less than 24 hours after starting on it. I should have known better because I should have known that child birth was not going to be an easy process for me.

I'm Not Superwoman

2011-08-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

One of my friends had to remind me on twitter yesterday that I am not, in fact, superwoman. That is something I guess I am having a hard time with. I had a baby just over 3 weeks ago via c-section (more to come on that later). A c-section is a major surgery. It takes time to heal and recovery. You cannot resume normal activities immediately after. Somehow, I cannot get that message through my head.

I feel like I have gotten mixed messages on how to handle recovery. Some say get up and get moving while some say take it easy. I went with get moving which meant going to the store, going to the mall, going to church, anywhere we needed to go I went. Mom was worried I was over doing it and kept telling me I didn't need to be taking Jackson out this early. Apparently, she was right only Jackson wasn't the one we needed to worry about.

I ended up back in the hospital. As if 6 days at delivery wasn't enough, another 24 hours was just what the doctor ordered (ha!). When I went to the doctor Thursday for yet another blood pressure check, they got concerned because my BP was elevated again and I mentioned the persistent headache I had been having for about 2 weeks. I tried to tell them it was either stress, hormones, or the heat (it is after all 107 here!) But they were worried I was still feeling the effects of the preeclampsia so back to the hospital I went for 24 hours on magnesium to see if that would help the issue. I was not happy. Chris and I ran home from the doctor's office (which of course is across the street from the hospital) to gather our things and make arrangements for Sean for the evening and then headed back to the hospital with Jackson in tow. Fortunately it didn't take too long because I still had my toiletries and a few other items packed from my last trip to the hospital. The difference this time was that I wasn't 9 months pregnant. I was 3 weeks postpartum.

The whole experience was miserable. The only redeeming factor was being placed in a labor and delivery room which is larger and nicer than the other rooms in the hospital not that I was able to get up and move around and enjoy it. After a couple of hours on the magnesium, I felt worse than I did when I entered the hospital. I had a full blown migraine and I was completely nauseous. Nothing they were doing was making me feel any better. There were a lot of tears shed in 24 hours. I couldn't hold Jackson because of everything hooked up to me and I couldn't be left alone with him so Chris had to take him whenever he left the room. And to top it all off, I'm still not 100% certain what was wrong with me. I left the hospital with more pain meds, some for incision pain and some for headaches, and orders to basically do nothing. I've been told housework can wait. I need to focus on taking care of myself and Jackson and that is it. The crappy thing is Chris goes back to work in a week so I will have to start doing more around the house then. I guess I should have taken more advantage of having him home instead of trying to accomplish every possible task while I had him here.

So here I am kicked back on the couch staring at my messy living room wondering which maid service would be the best one to call. (My mom has offered to hire someone to clean the house for me.) I feel bad because I feel like I am ordering Chris around but he keeps catching me grimace if the pain gets a little bad and telling me to go sit down. I don't like feeling helpless. But I guess I have to get it through my head that I am supposed to take it easy right now. That not only is it necessary but it is OK. It's one of the few times in my life I will get to do this so I should enjoy it while I can. It's just hard when you are used to being the one running the household.

The irony of the situation is that I walked into the hospital on Thursday and was told how great I was walking for someone who had c-section 3 weeks earlier only to be wheeled out of the hospital the next day because I could barely stand up.

Jackson is Here!

2011-08-06T20:10:00.000-05:00

I guess it is time that I finally updated everyone on Jackson's arrival. Baby J is 2 and a half weeks old now. And because I have to share, here is a bit of baby cuteness for you to enjoy.

As I am sure you can imagine, my life has been turned upside down. It is amazing how quickly my focus has shifted away from budgets and invoices to dirty diapers and feeding times. We are still trying to get adjusted and get into a routine. Right now, Jackson seems to have no problems sleeping all day only waking up for diaper changes and bottles. The nights are a different story. He apparently thinks 1 AM is a great time to wake up and party for a little bit. Fortunately for me, Chris has been taking the night shift so I am able to rest at night. That is going to change soon though when Chris heads back to work in a couple of weeks. For me, I am dreading going back to work. Mostly because I don't want to put Jackson in daycare but I am not sure what other options we have at this time.

Recovering from the delivery started out quite a bit slower than I expected. Thanks to some late pregnancy complications, I was in the hospital for 6 days. Since I have been home, I am doing better than I expected I would be at this point but I still have a long way to go. I am also still having a few issues with my blood pressure but hopefully it will resolve itself soon. I plan on going into more detail on Jackson's birth in a future post. Trust me, that's going to be a long one.

I will also say that it feels a little weird not being pregnant anymore. I got so used to the big belly and everything else that went along with it that I haven't quite adjusted to it yet. I missing being able to feel Jackson move. At the same time, my body is starting to return to normal. At my last doctor's appointment on Thursday, I had lost 22 of the 25 pounds I gained while I was pregnant. My belly has pretty much returned to normal as well even though I am afraid to try on any of my pre-pregnancy pants. I will probably start pulling out my clothes this week and determining what fits and what doesn't. I am sure this will depress me because I was heavier than I wanted to be when I got pregnant so I know I will probably have to do some shopping before I return to work. It's either that or go on a crash diet to lose 20 pounds in 4 weeks and somehow I think that would be a bad idea.

State of Confusion

2011-07-17T08:18:00.000-05:00

My house is in utter chaos right now. I have been saying since May that we needed to start clearing out the office to make way for Jackson. Thanks to conflicting schedules and constant activity, we haven't gotten around to that until now. So here we are 9 days away from my due date boxing stuff up for storage and rearranging furniture to make room for a crib, dresser, and glider. Part of this move means relocating Maverick's "home" to other portions of the house.

Up to this point, Maverick had a corner of the office where his bed and bowls were located. A space to call his own. While we are away from the house, he would hang out in there behind a baby gate and nap all day. Since the office is now going to be the nursery, we couldn't leave him in there. A few nights ago we moved his bed into our room at night so he could sleep in there with us. This transition was fairly easy since he was already used to sleeping in the room with me. However, I am trying to break him of the habit of sleeping in the bed with me especially since Chris is home at night now and there just isn't room for the 3 of us in the bed.

The bigger problem is the relocation of his space. The best solution we could come up with for his quarters was to move his bowl and such to the kitchen and leave him in there while we are away from home. It isn't the ideal solution but it's the only one we have at this point. Maverick isn't crazy about being left to roam freely during the day. The few times I have tried it, it upsets him when he leave and I come home to accidents. It's just not fun for any of us and it breaks my heart to hear him cry when I leave him out like that. So we just don't do it. Maverick is more comfortable and I have less of a mess to clean up when I come home.

The problem is my poor dog is confused. This morning I let him in to feed him and he ran straight to the office like normal. But his bowl wasn't there and he didn't know why. I had to actually take him into the kitchen and show him where his food was. The same location it was in last night when we fed him but still not the norm. This confusion is leading him to be a crazy dog. He is getting into everything right now. I know he knows something is going on but he hasn't figured out what yet and that is causing him to act out. I actually don't worry about him adjusting to the baby that much. He did pretty well when Chris and Kiddo moved in but I do think changing his routine is throwing him for a loop. He's snoring away next to me on the couch right now. I know all I can do is love him and reassure him and he will get the hang of it soon enough. Until then, I get to suffer with crazy pup. I still wish we could have done this earlier so the adjustment would have been easier but that just didn't happen.

But Who's Counting

2011-07-08T19:48:00.000-05:00

I have 18 days until my due date and all I can do at this point is wait until Jackson decides to make his presence known to this world. We had an ultrasound last week to see how big our boy is and we were surprised to find out he was only about 6 and a half pounds. My doctor had said she would schedule a c-section if he was measuring 8 pounds or more at 36 weeks. At this point, they are estimating he will be a nice average 8 pounds at full term.

I actually started feeling some contractions a couple of nights ago. Hopefully that means we are starting to make some progress. I just want Jackson to be the July baby we have planned on him being this entire time. For the most part, I am just tired, hot, and uncomfortable. Some days I just feel down right crappy. I am really starting to understand why some women hate being pregnant. These last few weeks are definitely the worst part of the pregnancy. My feet and hands are so swollen right now that I can't feel my fingertips (which makes typing difficult) and the skin on my feet feels stretched to the limits.

Maverick must be sensing that something is going on. He will barely leave my side. As a matter of fact, he is sitting on the armrest next to me right now. If I leave the room, he will either follow me or sit outside the door and wait for me. I have heard people say their dogs can sense when they are pregnant and try to take care of them. Maverick hasn't seemed to notice until recently. I am just hoping he doesn't get to upset when I go to the hospital. We are planning to take him to the kennel so he won't be left alone at the house. Hopefully that will help ease any anxiety he might feel. I don't really worry too much about him and the baby. After all, the most harm I expect him to do is lick the baby to death.

Looking Back Part 4: The Honeymoon

2011-06-20T21:55:00.000-05:00

Sunday was our last full day in Tennessee before we flew back to Austin Monday morning. I definitely didn't want our trip to end but neither one of us had much time off work and we already taken care of the important part of the trip: getting married. However, I realized that Sunday morning as I handed Chris his Father's day cards from Kiddo and Maverick that I was going to be faced with a dilemma in a year. Indeed, our first anniversary would fall on Father's Day. So I would have to share the day with a celebration for Chris. Little did I realize at the time that Mother's Day would also fall on Chris's birthday. I have been so cheated this year. At least I get my birthday all to myself unless Jackson makes his appearance early but I digress.

Since we finally had time to relax a bit now that the wedding was over and we had finished all the running around related to the festivities, we were finally able to take in the scenery around the lodge. Just a short hike down the trail from the main lodge and our cabin were two lakes and clubhouse where they stored canoes and bicycles that could be used around the grounds. If it hadn't have been unusually hot for the area, we might have taken advantage of the down to explore a bit more. However, Chris did find something he would like to have at our house once we have the proper location to place one.

After our hike, we headed down the mountain to experience Dollywood. Now as a Disney snob, I have high standards for theme parks. Of course no park outside of the Disney experience can usually live up to those standards. Dollywood was nice with a few neat shows and some enjoyable rides but it was no Disney park. They were celebrating their 25th anniversary and it was obvious that some parts of the park need work after 25 years. However, we had a good time especially since the park wasn't crowded thanks to Father's Day.

After our trip to Dollywood, we headed back in to Pigeon Forge to complete the Rocky Top Wine Trail at the Hilltop Winery and to receive our wine glasses. Then it was off to dinner at a local Italian restaurant before heading back to the lodge to pack for our trip home. I was so sad when it came time for us to leave the next morning. Our little escape to the mountains was much needed and the perfect way to celebrate the start of our lives together.

Once we were back in Austin, we both had one last day off before returning to work on Wednesday. We celebrated the last night of our honeymoon by having dinner at Trio at the Four Seasons in downtown Austin. It was a great way to complete the long weekend and send us back to work two happy married people.

Looking Back Part 3: Our Wedding Day

2011-06-19T10:15:00.000-05:00

So the big day had finally arrived. I can't say I was nervous or anxious because I was pretty comfortable with my decision to marry Chris. I was just excited and ready for the ceremony. As with the rest of our trip up to that point, we hit the ground running that morning. First it was breakfast at the lodge and then it was time to start getting ready. While I was getting my hair done and a pedicure, Chris was enjoy a massage at the salon. We then had to swing by the dry cleaners to pick up my dress which had been dropped off the day before to be pressed before heading back to the lodge for the picnic lunch we had ordered. Once again, I can't say enough great things about the staff at Berry Springs Lodge. Lunch was waiting for us in our cabin when we got back along with the flowers my mother had ordered for us for the ceremony.

I mentioned yesterday that my parents came to Pigeon Forge for the wedding. What I didn't tell you is that they intended to surprise us by showing up the night before and letting us know they were there. However, I spoiled the surprise about a week before we left Texas by asking my mother point blank if they were planning on coming. They had decided to make a weekend of it and drove to Anniston, Alabama so my dad could check out the stock of M-1 Garands they had for sale. In typical fashion, my father purchased one of the rifles while they were there and proceeded to show it off to my (new) husband he had never met before shortly after the ceremony. At least Daddy was there to give me away.

Mom and Dad arrived at the lodge around 1 while we were finishing getting dressed for the ceremony at 2. It was about that time that the rain started. We had had beautiful weather all up to that point. But it proceeded to rain through the entire ceremony and most of our pictures afterwards only to be a gorgeous evening once everything was said and done. The ceremony itself was quite lovely. The rain had cooled the air off a bit and we had a nice breeze blowing the whole time. Plus we had a fantastic view of the Smokey Mountains in the background. The only issue I had was trying to keep my heels from sliding between the cracks in the boards on the porch of the lodge. Well, that and the horribly ugly tie our minister was wearing.

I still think choosing to elope was one of the greatest decisions we could have made. We got a wedding we could enjoy without all the stress of a lot of planning. We still had a Christian ceremony which was important to us and we were able to have some fantastic photos taken as well. The owners of the lodge made most of the arrangements for us, providing the cake, the minister, and the photographer. Mom got our flowers and brought our toasting goblets (which we will use today with some sparkling grape juice since I can't have any wine). And we picked out our attire and the wine to toast with. The whole day couldn't have gone easier.

I am still upset though that no one got a picture of me walking from our cabin to the lodge in the red and black lumberjack checked bathrobe the lodge provided so my dress wouldn't get wet. Nor are there any shots of me in my flip flops as soon as we were done with pictures. My shoes were fabulous but they were also fabulously uncomfortable. I couldn't wait to get them off.

We rounded out the evening with dinner with parents and seeing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. For dinner, we decided to pay homage to our home state of Texas and hit up a place called the Alamo Steakhouse. The food was pretty good and the outside was designed to look like the Alamo in San Antonio. The show that night was great as well. I have performed in Joseph several times and it is one of my favorite musicals because it is just fun. The cast did a great job although they were able to pull off a lot more than we ever could have gotten away with at a Baptist college.

In the end, it was a great day that I think Chris and I both enjoyed far more than we ever would have if we had decided on a larger wedding. We can look back on it and actually remember what all went on that day as well as the weekend around it. Plus we were able to share the day with my parents which meant a great deal to me.

Looking Back Part 2: The Day Before

2011-06-18T22:15:00.002-05:00

It was a good thing Chris quickly recovered from his stomach virus because our second day in Tennessee was a busy one. We started off the day with our first breakfast at the lodge and that is when I realized that the trip was well worth it. We had a 3 course breakfast every morning that included some type of home made sweet bread, fresh fruit with yogurt, and a main course. The main courses ranged from pancakes to eggs and bacon to stuffed french toast. This was some of the best food I had ever tasted.

Once we completed breakfast, it was time to head to town to take care of some very important business: getting our marriage license. One of the great things about Sevier County is that, like Las Vegas, it is considered a tourist wedding location so getting a marriage license there is a simple and inexpensive task. We had applied online about month in advance which meant we were only in the courthouse about fifteen minutes finishing up the paperwork.

Once we were done with that, we decided to head to Gatlinburg for lunch and some shopping. While in Gatlinburg, I got to take Chris to his first Hard Rock Cafe. Now I have been to Hard Rocks all over from New Orleans to New York to Paris to London to Honolulu. I couldn't believe Chris had never been to one before.

We also took time to visit the Aquarium while we were in Gatlinburg. They had a fun exhibit of penguins with this tunnel you could climb through so you could see the penguins up close. The tunnel was supposed to be just for kids but Chris and I both got into the fun although we got a little nervous when we saw a man ahead of us in the tunnel who was probably about 6'5" and pushing 300 lbs. He made it through OK but I couldn't help to think he would get stuck. (I think he was nervous too.) The picture of both of us in the tunnel didn't turn out great since they were cleaning the inside of the playhouse at the time the photo was snapped.

The best part of the trip to Gatlinburg was the drive from Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg. You got to pass through a portion of the Smokey Mountain Trail and it was just simply lovely. Chris wished we had a dashboard cam so we could capture the drive because he wanted to remember it. I fully expect that we will go back one day and really soak in the trail so we can get some photographs of the fabulous scenery there.

After spending the afternoon in Gatlinburg, we headed back to Pigeon Forge because we had tickets to Dixie Stampede that evening. However, we had some time to kill before the show began and that is when we discovered the Rocky Top Wine Trail. We had seen one of the wineries on the way into town the night before so we decided to swing in there to see if we could pick out a bottle for the wedding the next day. While we were there, we discovered that there were 2 other wineries in town and we would get a free wine glass if we completed tasting at all 3 wineries and had our passport stamped. Never one to pass up a challenge we decided to go for it. After picking out the Mountain Valley Blush for our wedding toast, we headed to the next winery on the list: the Apple Barn Vineyard. It was at the Apple Barn that we overheard another couple talking about being from Texas. We struck up a conversation with them and learned that they were from Waco and they were visiting friends who had moved to the area because they were performing in the shows at the Miracle Theatre. After visiting with them, Chris and I decided to call in a favor to Mom and Dad who were heading to Pigeon Forge to be guests at our wedding. They got us four tickets to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat the next evening after the ceremony.

At this point it was time to battle the traffic through downtown Pigeon Forge to head to Dixie Stampede. For those of you who don't know, Dolly Parton was born in raised in Sevier County. She is probably the area's biggest celebrity and she does a lot to try to give back to the community there. That is why both Dixie Stampede and Dollywood can be found in Pigeon Forge. Our B&B was actually two miles up the mountain from Dollywood. The first night we drove up there, we got in the wrong lane and almost ended up in the parking lot for the park. There is also a statue of Dolly in front of the courthouse. After hearing everyone talk about her, I gained a new level of respect for Dolly.

The show at Dixie Stampede was better than I expected it to be. They had a great little pre-show with a trio that played all kinds of classic country music. Then the show itself was extremely patriotic and was set in the Civil War era. I was a little disturbed at the lack of silverware during the meal and even asked the waiter for some utensils. Apparently that is a frequent question at the show and I was told I didn't need utensils. For someone who doesn't like to get her hands dirty, the whole eating with my fingers bothered me a lot but I got over it and the food was pretty good. By the time the show was over, I think Chris and I were both sufficiently exhausted. We headed back to the lodge where we crashed for the evening. After all, we had a big day ahead of us on Saturday!

Looking Back: Traveling to Tennessee

2011-06-17T10:57:00.002-05:00

Our first anniversary is this weekend. Thinking about that has had me looking back on what we were doing this time last year as we prepared to head to Tennessee. I realized that I hadn't shared a lot about the weekend we had so I thought I could take a little stroll down memory lane.

Chris and I decided a couple of months after we got engaged that the "big" wedding wasn't going to work for us. We had both been there, done that with our first marriages and neither one of us really wanted to kill ourselves over one day. We were more concerned about what would come after that day. Initially we thought about getting married in Austin since we lived here but couldn't get over the cost of trying to plan a small family and friends gathering here. Mobile was our next option. The cost would be less but we kept running into roadblocks with trying to schedule around everyone else's schedules. One night I found a website called Let's Run Off, a resource for eloping. I threw the idea out at Chris and we both knew it was what we wanted to do. Once we got the buy in from both sets of parents, we settled on the elopement package at Berry Springs Lodge in Sevierville, Tennessee. In the end, we were very happy with the decision because it made planning our wedding a lot easier and less stressful.

The picture above was taken around this time last year. Chris and I were in the airport in Austin waiting to board our flight to Knoxville. Chris had just gotten off work and was exhausted. He was completely prepared to sleep on the plane. That, however, did not work out very well thanks to broken seats and short flights. Little did we know he had picked up the stomach virus I had a couple of weeks earlier. That made for a fun first day of vacation for us. But we were thrilled to be getting out of Austin for a few days and couldn't wait to see what the Smokey Mountains had in store for us.

This was the view that greeted us when finally arrived in Sevierville at Berry Springs Lodge. I couldn't get over how breath taking the Smokies were. I am still dying to go back when it will be cooler (and I am not a million months pregnant) so we can do some exploring in the mountains themselves. We had such little free time while we were there, we really didn't get to appreciate all the Smokey Mountains had to offer us.

Our first night in town, we drive into Pigeon Forge for dinner. Just a quick geography lesson for you: Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Gatlinburg are all nestled right together about an hour from Knoxville, Tennessee. It's one of those areas where you don't really realize when you have left one town and entered another. The drive from our B&B to the heart of Pigeon Forge took maybe 10 minutes. Anyway...we decided on this great local place called the Old Mill Restaurant. They had wonderful home style cooking that made me happy to be in the South again. Plus they had these adorable black bear salt and pepper shakers on the table that are handcrafted there in Pigeon Forge. I am still kicking myself for not buying a set while we were there to enjoy at home and remind us of our wedding weekend.

Chris unfortunately was functioning on no sleep in 24 hours at this point and was completely miserable. He suffered through the meal only to learn when we got back to the hotel that night that it wasn't his lack of sleep that was bothering him but that nasty stomach virus I had unknowingly passed on to him. It definitely made for a rough start to our trip. Fortunately, he recovered in time to fully appreciate the breakfast part of the bed and breakfast we were staying at the next morning.

The Home Stretch

2011-06-15T12:55:00.000-05:00

I hit 34 weeks yesterday which means I have 6 weeks left in this pregnancy. It is officially drawing to a close. In 3 weeks, I will be considered full term so Jackson's arrival could happen at anytime from this point forward. I have felt all along he will get here before his due date at the end of July. And now my blood pressure is doing wacky things so I keep expecting the doctor to tell me it is time.

And with that all I can think about everything I still need to do to get ready. My intent is to leave detailed instructions behind at work so my coworkers can easily pick up behind me and carry on while I am out. We also keep putting off moving the furniture out of the office to make room for the nursery furniture that we haven't yet purchased. Somewhere around the beginning of May, our schedules imploded. All the sudden we were a lot busier than we had been and free time was a minimum. I thought the end of the school year would bring some relief but all it has done is changed the activities that are filling up our time.

Panic set in somewhere around week 30 when I realized that Jackson could show up at anytime and nothing was ready. We didn't have any stuff for him. We barely had any clothes and we certainly didn't have any diapers. Fortunately, the trifecta of baby showers started around that time and I could breath a sigh of relief once I started to receive gifts. I must say that we have truly wonderful friends who have blessed us with a lot of great stuff for Jackson. We still have things we need to get before he arrives but at least I can say we are pretty much prepared for him now.

Now all I can do is wait. Wait through the aches and pains. Wait through the crazy pregnancy related ailments I have developed. And suffer through the heat, knowing it is only going to get worse. (The high in Austin today is 103.) I won't say that I am ready for it to be over. I have actually enjoyed being pregnant. But I will say that I am ready to move on to the next chapter of this process.

When Words Aren't Enough

2011-05-07T08:22:00.000-05:00

A week ago Wednesday I sat in the comfort and safety of my living room in Texas and watched videos and read reports of tornadoes ripping through my home state. The images were awful. The fear I could read in my twitter feed was heartbreaking. And I couldn't do anything about it except sit there and watch it all as it was happening. I wasn't living it like my friends were. I wasn't going to have to deal with the aftermath. The next day I tried to write about what happened the day before but it just felt trivial and patronizing so I deleted the post. I read through twitter and Facebook and other news reports of death and destruction and everything else just felt secondary. I wanted to help but I didn't know how. So I stayed out of it. It was one of those moments in life where it felt like the rest of the world should stop and take notice of what had happened. But here in Austin, Texas, life went on unaffected because few people here were directly effected by the storms the Southeast had suffered the day before. I am fortunate than none of my family or friends were hurt. None suffered loss of life or loss of home. Many people have asked and I appreciate that. But now what we need to do is help. Tuscaloosa and many other parts of Alabama are still digging out from under the rubble the cities are left with. They need support. They need volunteers. Please do something. Donate to the Red Cross. Buy a t-shirt whose proceeds go to the disaster relief. Buy supplies to be sent into the hardest hit areas. If you are close by, volunteer to help. It is amazing to me to see what people are willing to do to help out their fellow humans at times like these. I don't normally do things like this but my heart is hurting for my state so I feel it is necessary. Thank you for listening.

The Waiting Game

2011-04-26T09:02:00.000-05:00

A single pregnancy lasts a long time. 9 months, 40 weeks, 2/3 of a year. However you want to look at it, it is still a long time. And when you are the one who is pregnant, it seems to stretch out like an eternity before you. Never ending or maybe that is the way you want to imagine it in your mind. But at the same time, it goes by so fast you almost miss it. At least that is the way it is for me. I tell people I only have 3 months left and they tell me it will be here before I know it. But to me, it feels like it was just yesterday that I found out Jackson was on his way.

Thinking back over the last 6 months today, I realized that pregnancy is nothing but a big waiting game. After the initial thrill of finding out you are pregnant, you have to wait until you find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. Then you have to wait again until you actually have to baby. In between those moments, there are a lot of little moments: hearing the heartbeat for the first time, feeling the first kicks, picking out a name. They are all fun and they are all preparation for meeting your little one but the anticipation of the big moment of arrival is probably the biggest waiting game of all.

I made the comment on twitter today that I was starting to lose track of what week I am in. The truth is they have blended together a bit for me. One of my friends responded to my comment that I should think in terms of how long I have left, not in terms of how far along I am. At that point, I started to panic. I know how long I have left and, while that 13 weeks feels like a long time, it really isn't that long in the grand scheme of things. I look at the list of everything I need to do and everything I need to get between now and my overly anal brain kicks in and I can't stand it. There is so much hurry up and wait. I don't deal well with that. Patience has never been my strong point. Part of me wants to go to sleep and wake up and Jackson be here. I want to meet my son. And part of me wants to wait and enjoy this and savor the time we have just the two of us before I have to share him with the rest of the world. And then there is the part that is completely freaking out about what to do once Jackson gets here. I really do hope that the maternal instinct kicks in because I feel like I have no clue how to handle a newborn. But I guess I will get through it somehow. I don't have much of a choice now!

Easter Weekend Ramblings

2011-04-25T11:56:00.001-05:00

I can't say that Easter Weekend was anything overly exciting in our household. However, a couple of funny (or at least interesting to me) things happened that I thought I might share.

I ran home after work on Friday before running errands and let Maverick out. As I was getting ready to leave for my pedicure, I went outside to let the pup back in. He was no where to be found. My yard isn't that big and there is no where for him to hide except his dog house, even the gate was closed so I panicked. Turns out he found a hole under our fence and had decided he needed a play date with the neighbor's 9 month old boxer puppy. Good thing the two dogs get along well. But still, it was nerve wracking until I realized where he was and got him back on my side of the fence. The amusing part was watching him lay on his side to crawl back under the fence with the biggest grin on his face. Fat doggy almost didn't make it back through the hole. We have temporarily filled it with large rocks and bricks until we can fix the issue.
Thinking that going to the grocery store in the middle of the afternoon on Good Friday would be better than waiting until Saturday of Easter weekend is still a bad idea especially when you aren't going to buy food for the holiday meal. HEB was a mad house and it took me over an hour to get my weekly shopping done.
It also isn't smart to wait until Saturday night to realize you need a few last minute items for the Kiddo's Easter basket. Thank goodness for Walgreen's.
Saturday ended up being a spring cleaning day for me which in itself was interesting. I am OK with sorting out junk mail and clutter to take to the trash. Sweeping hurts my back on a normal basis but it is one of those chores that has to been done regularly when you have a dog who sheds and hard wood floors. But cleaning the bathtub at 6 months pregnant, that is just mean. I really want to hire a cleaning lady for the rest of the pregnancy (or at least before my mom comes to visit.)
Jackson decided to finally let Daddy really feel a kick Saturday morning. Tiny Tot was in full wiggle worm mode and let Chris feel a swift one right into my left side.
Somehow, despite having my camera in my purse, I did not get a single picture of us all dressed up Sunday or the finished product of Kiddo's Easter basket. I think it is more to do with my lack of desire to have my picture taken right now. Every time I see a picture of myself, I just feel huge. As Chris would say, I am pregnant. I am supposed to look like that but it still doesn't make me happy. It's a complex I have along with worrying about whether or not my butt has gotten bigger. (Chris swears it hasn't. I can't help but think he is lying.)

On a completely separate side note, today is my nephew's 15th birthday. FIFTEEN! I am really starting to feel old. He was born my freshman year in college and I just have a hard time grasping that he is really that old now. In my mind, he is still the 9 year old little kid I left behind when I moved to Texas almost 6 years ago. It amazes me to see how much he and my niece have changed in that time. Happy Birthday, Jay!

Inspiration

2011-04-23T09:52:00.001-05:00

Chris and I were able to go register for baby gear a couple of weeks ago. We went into the experience with an idea of what we wanted. I had read a lot of reviews on various brands and had a pretty good idea of the brands I was leaning towards. Beyond that, it was a matter of picking out a fabric I liked. One thing I hadn't taken into consideration was the weight of some of the products we would be shopping for. I was surprised at how heavy some of the car seats and strollers were and quickly realized that some of them I wouldn't be able to handle on my own. We quickly scrapped our plans of registering for the travel system I had initially picked out and decided to look at the other options in the store. After one of the clerks in the store tried to talk us into a $300 travel system, we finally settled on a separate car seat and stroller that we had looked at as a joke to begin with until we realized the weight was good and we actually liked the pattern. Further exploration of the store revealed that there was a pack n' play and diaper bag in the same paper and thus our theme was born.

I had really wanted to do the nursery in black and white houndstooth with some red thrown in to pay tribute to my beloved Crimson Tide. So everything I had looked at up to that point fell within that color scheme. I had even located a car seat with houndstooth fabric that I would have loved if I could have tested the matching stroller (they didn't carry it in the store). I never would have imagined that I would end up with this particular theme and that I would like it so much. After we finished registering, I decided to hunt online to see what I could find in nursery bedding that would coordinate with our emerging theme. The first page that came up on my search sealed the deal for me. It was then that I knew exactly what I would use for the nursery. This was the picture that I saw:

The second picture is the pattern of the stroller and car seat we picked out. I guess it was all meant to be. The bedding used in the first picture Carter's Green Elephant while our stroller set is Pippin by Graco. I love the brown letters with his name on the wall but I know we won't be painting the room in the green and brown. I think our tan walls will be a perfect compliment to everything we have picked out. I just can't wait to get started on all now.

What's in a Name?

2011-04-22T11:06:00.000-05:00

After I posted the news that it's a boy, I realized I failed to mention that we had decided on a name. Several people have asked so I thought I would share a little bit of the background on how we decided to name our son. Chris and I struggled with names before we knew what the baby was. We would toss at ideas that would get knocked down until we finally settled on one girl's name. We went into the ultrasound still thinking the baby was a girl which worked out fine since we only had a girl's name picked out. I think I was in denial that it could possibly be a boy. After the ultrasound revealed our boy, Chris and I went to Chick Fil A for breakfast where the realization set in that our baby didn't have a name. So it was time to start the discussion over and see if we could come up with a boy's name we both liked.

Using family names is sort of a tradition in my family. My brothers and I all have family names. My niece and nephew have family names. Even Chris and Kiddo share the same middle name that has been passed down to the first born son in his family. I had decided that our girl's name would use my middle name to follow that tradition. It was important to me that the baby's name have some sort of meaning to us and not just be a random name we picked out of a baby book. After all, naming a kid is a big deal. They are stuck with it for the rest of their lives.

So there we sat in Chick Fil A and I hesitantly threw out a name that I had considered for years to be the perfect name for my son. The problem was the name had become extremely popular in the last couple of years to the extent that two of my friends had named their sons the same thing in the last year. But it was MY name and I had said since college I wanted to use it. The combination of first and middle name I offered paid tribute to both sides of the family so I had a feeling it would be perfect. Chris tossed the name around a bit before finally declaring he liked it.

And thus, Jackson Christopher came to be. So there you have it. In a booth in Chick Fil A, my baby was named. Hope the little one likes it because he is stuck with it.

J-Day 2011

2011-04-11T17:23:00.000-05:00

In my previous post, I mentioned I was going home to see my aunt receive an award from the college we both attended. I realized I hadn't mentioned too much about Judson on here so I thought it was time to share a little background information. I completed my bachelor's degree at a small liberal arts college in west central Alabama called Judson College. Not to be confused with Judson University in Illinois, my Judson isn't your typical college. It is a Southern Baptist women's college, one of only 44 women's college remaining in the nation today. It was founded in 1838 and was named after Ann Hasseltine Judson, America's first female foreign missionary. Obviously, this is a place full of history and tradition and I was honored to be a part of the legacy of Judson women.

So my trip home found me spending most of my time not in my home town but in the town I spent 4 years of my life, learning and growing and becoming part of the person I am today. J-Day at Judson is probably similar to what most colleges would have for Homecoming. Reunions are held. Meetings are held. Awards are given away. I, personally, was hoping for the "traveled furthest distance" award but alas, I was beaten out by someone from Los Angeles. However, if there had been an award for traveled furthest distance and pregnant, that would have gone to your's truly. (By the way, it is 708 miles from my house in Texas to Bibb Street in Marion, Alabama where Judson is located.) My aunt, Carol, was given the Alumnae Loyalty Award for her work and dedication to the school over the years. You will notice in the article that my mom also attended Judson so the Judson tradition is pretty strong in my family.

The weekend in Marion was great. Sometimes I forget how much I enjoyed my time at Judson and I regret that I didn't appreciate it more while I was there. I was able to see my two former suite mates (and two of my closest friends) as well as many other people I knew when went to school there. We also had a lot of my family come up for the awards banquet to honor my aunt. Here is a picture of most of my family who attended the banquet.

Notice I hid behind the love seat in order to hide my massive belly. (The last thing I want is tons of pictures of me swollen and 6 months pregnant!) However, I miss judged the space between the sofa and the table next to it and I couldn't get back out from behind the sofa when we were done with pictures. The president of the college, Dr. Potts, walked up about that time and ended up moving the sofa for me. I was slightly embarrassed but this was someone who had known me since I was 11 years old so I guess I get a pass on that one.

Swollen Ankles and Airplanes

2011-04-06T09:35:00.000-05:00

I flew home to Alabama last weekend to see my aunt receive an award from the college we both attended. As is always my luck, my trip did not go as planned. It never seems to fail that I have issues traveling when I am trying to get somewhere for something. This trip was no exception. And factor in being nearly 6 months pregnant and that made the day all that much more fun. After taking Kiddo to school, Chris and I headed south towards the airport stopping for breakfast at Chick Fil A and a quick Target run on the way. Just the day before, I had been telling him the story of my 16 hour trip to Alabama in 2007. I guess I jinxed myself because Thursday turned out to be much the same.

We arrived at the airport around 9 for my 10:20 flight and everything was going swimmingly until the plane that was supposed to take me to DFW arrived. Apparently the plane needed maintenance and no one was certain how long that would take. The flight was cancelled. At that point, cell phones came out and everyone hurried to get in line at the counter to make arrangements to get to their respective destinations. The American Airlines rep I talked to apparently didn't get the memo that the flight was actually cancelled but just delayed. She left me on the same flight and placed me on a later flight out of DFW. Fortunately for me, I decided to stay in line because the counter agent told me the flight I was on was not going to be leaving Austin and placed me on another flight to DFW. Now, there are only 3 flights out of DFW to Mobile on a daily basis. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. I was originally scheduled to leave Dallas on the afternoon flight which clearly wasn't going to happen since I wouldn't be flying to Dallas in the afternoon. My new flight to DFW was leaving at 4:40 which meant I wouldn't get to Mobile until 7:55 that evening. Lucky me! I got to spend the next 6 hours in the Austin airport.

At that point, I contemplated what to do. Did I call Chris and beg him to drive 45 minutes out of his way to pick me up for a couple of hours only to have to drop me back off before he had to pick Kiddo up from school? Did I call someone to pick me up and take me to work since my office was only 10 minutes from the airport and try to be productive for a couple of hours? Did I want to fool with waddling my way through security again? Eventually I just decided to stay put. My feet and back were already starting to hurt walking around the concourse and at least I had a good book to read. Clay was even nice enough to spend his breaks hanging out with me since he works at the airport. The moments of brotherly kindness are few and far between so you have to take them where you can get them, I guess.

When you spend that much time in the airport, you do get to see some interesting things. Unfortunately I
couldn't snap pictures of all the strange outfits and weird happenings I observed. I did, however, learn that the locks on the bathroom doors are made by a company called Hiny Hiders.

Also, spending 6 hours in one airport and a total of 11 hours traveling definitely does a number on the ankles of a pregnant woman. Now, I started swelling a couple of weeks ago so this wasn't a first but my cankles were by far the worst I had seen them at the end of the day. This was taken about an hour before my flight left Austin. (At least my pedicure looked nice.)

Once I finally arrived in Mobile after barely having enough time to find a bathroom and take the tram to the next concourse for my flight out of DFW, I was exhausted and hungry. And of course, my luggage was no where to be found. Fortunately, a very friendly American Airlines employee remembered taking my suit case off a plane earlier in the day and brought my bag to me. All-in-all, I learned one very important lesson: my body does not like traveling while pregnant. It is not something I will be doing again anytime soon or during future pregnancies.

Things I Miss

2011-03-25T20:41:00.000-05:00

One of the first things you learn when you become pregnant is all the things you can't have or can't do. There is a list of foods to stay away from, a list of medications you can't take, a list of activities you shouldn't participate in. Most of it is common sense. Some of it is a bit overboard. And some things your body just simply refuses to tolerate. I won't say that I have followed these do's and don't's to a T (for example, I cannot give up my Dr. Peppers completely) but there have been a few things that I have stayed away from. So here are some of the things I have being missing over the last 5 months.

1. My waistline - I wasn't exactly skinny before I got pregnant but I wasn't fat either. But it is going to be a long time before I have waistline that can be classified as anything other than round.

2. Fish - The week after I found out I was pregnant, we went out for catfish for my brother's birthday. One bite and I was done. I haven't been able to touch the stuff since. Now I have always been a seafood lover. Not anymore. I can't stand it right now. I can't even stand the smell of it.

3. Sushi - Given that fish is off the list, this one shouldn't be a surprise. Sushi is also high on the list of no-no's because of the high mercury content in many types of fish and the fact that most of it is served raw. Personally, I only eat the cooked stuff because the textures of the uncooked bothers me so much. Sushi isn't even something we eat a lot but there have been times I have really wanted it. However, I think the smell would bother me so much that I wouldn't even be able to enjoy the experience.

4. Alcohol - I love a glass of wine with dinner or a cocktail out with friends. I know that having a glass occasionally would be OK. The nurse at my doctor's office even said as much. However, this is one thing that I have given up for now. And I am hating it. I just love how the perfect glass of wine can complement your food. That is going to be one of the first things I do after delivery: enjoy a nice drink. I can almost taste it now.

5. Pants that fit - I won't say I love maternity pants but I don't totally hate them either. It has been nice not having a waistband feel like it was cutting you in half but I do wish they would stay up better. I am constantly having to pull my pants up. And let's not even get into the length. I realize the pants could be hemmed but I just haven't had time to bother with that. It's so annoying.

6. Pretty shoes - I have an extensive shoe wardrobe. It is one of my great weaknesses in life. But the first 5 months has found me mostly in tennis shoes and flats because anything with a heel would bother my back. Now the swell has started to kick in so flip flops it is. Fortunately, I live in a place where flip flops are acceptable 365 days a year and, since I own 12 pairs, I can constantly change out my selection.

7. Sleep - I know I have said this here before but I will say it again. I'm tired. I want to sleep on my stomach. I want to be truly comfortable so I can rest. For about the first 4 months, I could still sleep on my stomach for a portion of the night. Now my belly is so big that rolling over onto my tummy is not even remotely comfortable. I think the best two nights of sleep I have had in the last 5 months were when the doctor told me I could take Benadryl for my sinus infection. I was out like a light and slept like a baby. It's tempting to try that again except that it's so hard to wake up the next morning.

8. My Sonicare - Yes, I am talking about one of those fancy electric toothbrushes. I won it at my office's health and wellness fair and I love it! Well, that is until I got pregnant. My gag reflex has been so sensitive, I could barely stand to use it. So back to a manual toothbrush for me. And my teeth just don't feel as clean. I know that is something that should go away pretty quickly after delivery and I can't wait.

Observations on Pregnancy (Part 2)

2011-03-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

One of the major things I have learned over the last 5 months is that every woman handles pregnancy differently. For example, no one could believe I started showing at 9 weeks. That wasn’t possible. It was only gas. But it was possible, at least for me. I am only 5’2” (OK…5’1”) so I have a fairly small build which leaves little room for the baby internally. I knew my growing belly wasn’t gas because it felt different, harder from my normal stomach. I get weekly emails telling me what milestones I should be expecting that week and most of the time I have already experienced them by the time I receive the email. Here are a few more things I have observed that I think are worth sharing.

My Growing Belly: I have enjoyed watching and feeling my belly grow and realizing I have absolutely no control over it. It catches me off guard sometimes when I will see my side reflection in the mirror and I realize that the changes I think I am feeling are not my imagination but are really visibly there. Add to that the flutters of movement and I am constantly amazed at what is going on inside me. At the same time, it causes me a bit of panic if I don’t think the baby is moving enough. But then I just have to keep in mind that everything is OK and I shouldn’t panic until I have proof that there is a reason to panic.

Lack of Sleep: I was exhausted during my first trimester. I was usually in bed by 9 if not earlier. I kept hearing that the 2^nd trimester was great because you had all this energy. They lied. I’m still worn out all the time. Of course, it’s probably because I don’t sleep well. I am normally one of those people who sleeps so soundly it takes a lot to wake me up, like a Mack truck driving through my bedroom. However, between the potty breaks and having to sleep on my side, I am just not getting any deep sleep. Hence the tired all the time. Last night, I could barely keep my eyes opened once Chris left for work and I was in bed counting sheep before he even hit briefing at 9:45.

Baby Brain: I never believed the whole idea that being pregnant zapped your memory until I got pregnant. Now I can’t remember anything. I used to have a pretty decent memory and now not so much. Chris will swear he told me something and I don’t even recall having a conversation with him. It’s quite frustrating but at least I have an excuse and most people (surprisingly) understand. However, I am ready to have my brain back. I miss it.

When I first started writing this post a couple of weeks ago, I had several more things I wanted to talk about. It should come as no surprise that I can’t remember them all now. So, expect a part 3 to observations on pregnancy before too long. That is if I can remember the password to my blog.

Finding Out

2011-03-09T15:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had the big anatomy ultrasound. I realize the doctor how more to look at than just determining if the baby is a boy or a girl but I was already anxious enough going into the appointment so I could hardly stand how long it was taking to find out. The technician started at the head and worked her way down. We got to see the baby's profile, even though we couldn't see the baby's face because the hands were in the way most of the time.

Then she moved on down checking out all of the organs we could see. Everything looked good and it always reassuring to see or hear the heartbeat and know that everything is working as it should be. Apparently, I do a good job at growing humans. When we got down to the legs, I knew we would be finding out soon but I got a little worried when I saw the feet sitting so close together that we weren't going to be able to tell.

But I guess those technicians know what they were doing because she was able to get a pretty clear shot of the baby showing off what it was.

Yep, it's a boy! We were a little surprised because we had been thinking girl all along but it looks like I am destined to be surrounded by males again just like I was growing up. I think Maverick was the most disappointed to find out it was a human baby and not a puppy like he had been hoping for. Now that we know, the shopping can begin.

Observations on Pregnancy (Part 1)

2011-03-07T11:17:00.000-06:00

So, obviously I have been remiss in updating my blog. Sorry about that. I have been intending to write for several weeks now but between illness and exhaustion it just hasn't happened. That being said...let me get on with the post. I have been composing this post in my head for several days so I hope I can remember everything I wanted to write.

There have been several things I have noticed since I found out I was pregnant that I have found interesting. Some of it has to do with the changes in my own body while some has to do with the changes in behavior of those around me. Right off the bat, I noticed that as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I felt pregnant. Prior to that, I just felt weird. I was tired and slightly queasy all the time but it wasn't anything that couldn't have been explained away for various reason. However, that first + sign changed everything. Suddenly there was an explanation for why my coffee tasted weird and why I could compete with a drug sniffing dog for his job. But then there have been several other aspects of being pregnant that I didn't expect.

Skin: I had heard that the hormones associated with pregnancy would effect your skin but boy, this one really is messing with me. I have always had skin that was more on the oily side. Not super oily but enough so that I need oil control makeup. Until I got pregnant. My face started to seem drier although not truly dry. I guess more what you would call normal. The products I was using before I got pregnant were suddenly too strong and I had to find something that would work better with my changing skin. I am still searching for what I think might be the right product but I can tell you I have used about 3 different cleansers and 4 different foundations. It has actually been rather frustrating. But I am not having serious breakouts. For that, I am grateful and I realize it could be much worse.

Hair and Nails: Those lovely horse pills I take daily know as prenatal vitamins definitely have a visible side effect. My hair and nails are growing like weeds. I went in for a hair cut about a month ago and I am already at the point where my hair is uncooperative and driving me crazy. I definitely think a trip to the salon this weekend is necessary. I probably trim my nails every week or so in order to not claw my eyes out when I take out my contacts. I am still waiting for the luxurious pregnant hair I am supposed to have. I think I am missing that aspect of this experience.

Maternity clothes: Apparently I am one of those lucky people who has no where internally for the baby to go but out. I have been wearing maternity pants since the weekend after I found out (around 7 weeks) because nothing fit comfortably around my waist anymore. Two weeks later, I had enough of a belly that I needed longer shirts so back to the store it was. Now, I don't mind the clothes that much. They are actually quite comfortable but I want to beat the designers who use ugly, cheap fabrics and don't think short women get pregnant. It is hard to find things that are cute and not plain and even harder to find pants short enough to fit without being rolled up a mile. I know I could get them altered but when you only have a couple pairs of pants that fit, it is hard to part with them for more than a couple of days.

Illness: By illness, I mean all aspects of illness associated with pregnancy. I am one of the lucky ones who didn't have to deal with a lot of morning sickness. A couple of weeks towards the end of the 1st trimester were really bad but beyond that it wasn't terrible. My bigger issue as been heartburn and the reflux that goes along with it. Some days it doesn't matter what I eat or drink, I am going to have heartburn. And for someone who has never had it before, it sucks! There are certain things I still can't eat because they will make me violently ill but I have learned that proper snacking is the key to controlling a lot of the upset tummy. The other illness aspect has been that fact that getting sick seems to be amplified when pregnant. I had a sinus infection a couple of weeks ago that literally knocked me on my butt. I felt like I had been run over by a truck and ended up out of work for three days because of it. Immediately after getting off antibiotics for the infection, I was on preventative tamiflu as a result of Kiddo's bout with the flu. By the end of February, I felt like a walking pharmacy. We all still seem to fighting the sinus crud (even Mav) which has kept us out of commission for a good month now but hopefully, that will all clear up soon.

Happy Place Song

2011-01-20T08:32:00.000-06:00

I am starting to realize that listening to JB & Sandy is giving me some great material for posting to my blog. This morning they were sharing songs that took them to a happy place. Songs that brought back memories from a simpler time. So it got me thinking about what I would consider my happy place song. The first thing I thought of was "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang. I vividly remember Vincent playing it on his record player and the 3 of us dancing around in the hall getting ready for a Mardi Gras parade. To this day, you cannot go to a Mardi Gras ball without hearing this song at least once.

Another song that brings back some great memories is "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels band. This was a party song for us in college. Many nights we could be found in a field or on the side of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere standing around a bonfire singing this song at the top of our lungs. Granted most everyone was three sheets to the wind at that point but suddenly we all turned into old school rednecks. Fun times.

The Background Story

2011-01-19T22:23:00.000-06:00

I have been intending to tell the story about the night I found out I was pregnant but I just haven't gotten around to it. So, here we go! I noticed around Thanksgiving that I was feeling well. I was tired and queasy but I didn't think much of it because I was busy getting ready to host Thanksgiving and I just assumed it was from the stress of the preparations. The odd thing was my coffee that I had been my life line getting to work in the mornings had started to taste weird. But again, I didn't think much of it because I had been drinking more coffee than normal and I thought I had just gotten tired of it. Never once did it cross my mind that I might be pregnant. On November 30th after I had posted my final NaBloPoMo post and watch an episode of Life Unexpected where the lead character announced her pregnancy, I realized I was late again and thought it might not hurt to take a test just in case.

Minutes later, I was staring at a plus sign convinced that I was reading the directions wrong. There was no way I could be pregnant. The plus sign came up too fast and that had to be the indicator line. So...I freaked out...a lot. And ran to the computer because Chris was already at work and I was hoping he would get online so I could tell him. He was not. So I sent him a text instead. Then I decided I needed to take another test to make sure the first one wasn't wrong.

Test number two did the same thing. Positive right away. I knew then it was true. I was definitely pregnant. I sent Chris another text. After all, that has to be the best way to tell your husband you are pregnant, right?!?

I was so excited I could barely sleep that night. I couldn't wait to share the news. I had already sent a text to a friend who responded as soon as she woke up the next morning. While texting back and forth with her, I took test number 3 because it is always best to test first thing in the morning. I knew what the result would be but it was getting to be fun seeing the positive results. The picture above is the first thing Chris saw on his phone when he got off work that morning. I called him as soon as I knew he was out and he said, "So, you have something you want to tell me?" I asked him to bring home one more test so we could take one together. This time I wanted a digital one that actually said the words.

There it was in bold letters, "Pregnant." Yep, I was definitely going to have a baby. It was a crazy and exciting night and I was still completely freaked out and shocked by the whole thing. At least it makes for a fun story that I may or may not tell my kid one day.

13 Weeks

2011-01-18T08:41:00.000-06:00

I reached 13 weeks today which means I am in my last week of the first trimester. And that, my friends, is something to be celebrated. I am hoping it means no more morning sickness and more energy soon. I have already noticed some improvement in both those areas. However, thanks to my ever growing belly, my days of sleeping on my stomach are over for the next 6 months (at least). The problem is that I have always been one of those people who can only get a full night's rest when sleeping in one particular position. In this case, on my stomach. So I am having serious issues getting comfortable which means I am having serious issues getting sleep.

In many ways, I am still getting used to the idea of being pregnant and becoming a mother. I think for so long I believed this would never happen to me so it still seems like a foreign concept. Chris laughs at me every time I walk past a mirror or window where I can see my reflection. I can't get over the fact that I look pregnant. It was a good thing I didn't try to hide this until the first trimester came to an end. The baby had other ideas. Apparently, it decided there wasn't enough room to stay tucked away for long. I have been in maternity pants since the weekend after I found out I was pregnant (almost 7 weeks) and I started showing somewhere around 9 weeks. I told Chris I wanted to start showing so people would know and not think I was just fat. Well, Baby listened.

What would you do?

2011-01-17T08:23:00.000-06:00

Last week, the guys on the morning show that I listened to on the way to work posed the question, "What would you do if your boss came to and said we will continue to pay you your salary for the next 30 years but you don't have to come to work anymore?" The answers from those on the show mostly focused on their hobbies and getting back into activities they haven't done in a while. And the question got me thinking. What would I do? Would I be able to stay home with my child and focus my energy on that? Growing up, I was never a career driven person. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I changed majors 4 times in college because nothing worked for me. And even when I decided on a major, it wasn't because I enjoyed it. It was because I was good at it. For those who knew me well, my attending graduate school was shocking. It just wasn't me but at the time I didn't know what else to do and I wanted to make sure I was in the best position to be able to take care of myself. I am envious of my husband who has a job he loves. I have always wanted to be able to say that but I have never loved a job that I have had. I feel like I am stuck on a career path that I don't want to be on only because I didn't have a lot of choices in college and ended up with something that work. So, yes, if given the opportunity to stay home, I would take it. I would to be able to be there for my child the same way my mom was there for me when I was growing up. But unfortunately, that won't happen for me. So instead I have to be the best mom I can be in the few hours a day I will be able to spend with my baby.

Editor's Note

2011-01-01T22:25:00.000-06:00

From this point forward, the artist formerly known as The Sheriff shall here by be referred to as Chris. After all, that is his name and most of the people reading this blog already know who he is. And I am lazy and tired of having to using my brain to remember to type in a nickname instead of his name.

Spreading the News

2010-12-30T11:31:00.000-06:00

I realize I have been negligent in posting recently. The truth is I have just been too busy and too tired to find the extra time to bang out a post or two. At least now I know the reason for the too tired portion. That's right, I am pregnant. I have known for a month now and I have been planning on posting the story of the night I found out. But for now, I wanted to share the good news and explain my absence. Now that Christmas is over and most of the running around has ended, I should have more free time to keep everyone updated on my fun little world.

Doggie Christmas List

2010-12-13T13:13:00.002-06:00

I got this in an email today and I thought it was cute. Plus, I could see Maverick writing a list just like this one.

Dear Santa,

I have been a very good dog this year (except that one time with the squirrel). I will not chase the squirrel again and I promise to be good! For Christmas I would like to have:
a new ball
treats
a new shirt for when it is cold
treats
a new chew bone or antler
treats
a new soft cuddly toy
treats
a spiffy new collar
treats
a nice soft bed
treats
new food and water bowls
treats
...and maybe some yummy treats.

Have a good trip in the sleigh and I promise not to chase Rudolph!

Sincerely,

The Dog

200 Posts

2010-12-11T11:07:00.000-06:00

As I was logging into my blogger account to write a post apologizing for my absence post NaBloPoMo, I noticed that I had written 199 posts. So here it is my 200th post. And I have absolutely nothing interesting to share. (Well, I do but that has to wait a little longer.) It seems like there is an unspoken rule that you instantly become busy when the calendar flips over to December. Something about this time of year means that we have minimal down time. We haven't had time to get our tree up or any of the decorations out. I still have shopping left to do thanks to some of my family members not sharing gift ideas with me which has to be finished before Friday since we leave for Alabama after Kiddo gets out of school. It is going to be so nice to have my whole family together this year. With my brother's deployments over the past few years, it is rare that we get to have everyone in the same place at the same time. I could almost count on one hand the number of times that has happened since I moved to Texas 5 years ago. Now if I could just get a little Christmas spirit going in my house I would really be ready for this trip. At least I get a few days off to rest and enjoy my family.

The End of the Road

2010-11-30T22:10:00.000-06:00

Or at least the end of NaBloPoMo. I cannot believe I actually blogged every day for 30 days straight. I will admit I actually doubted my ability to complete this task. What surprised me the most is not that I actually did it but that I did it with only using blog prompts twice. I knew I had more thoughts in my head that I wanted to get out. It was just a matter of getting in front of the computer and making it happen. I got a lot of positive feedback from this month though. Not that I had any plans to discontinue my blog, but I am definitely encouraged to keep it going. I also have some better ideas on what to write to interest people. I do intend to make more time for blogging than I have in the past. I don't promise to write every day. Some days are just too busy and finding the time is near impossible. After all, I do have a family and a job and a life (or at least some version of one). However, I do think that writing about my somewhat life can be slightly interesting. I do have a good idea for a series of posts I want to write and they are perfect for the upcoming Christmas season. So stay tuned...it is sure to be enjoyable!

A Case of the Mondays

2010-11-29T21:30:00.000-06:00

"Look's like somebody's got a case of the Mondays!" The line made famous by the movie Office Space, which just so happened to be filmed here in Austin. Yep, that was me today. After the long weekend, I woke up with absolutely no desire to return to the office. No real reason except that my bed was warm and comfy and I didn't want to get out of it. Plus, while I am a ton better, I am still recovering from my cold from last week. The barking cough is gone but I am still cruddy. That does not make for a good Monday. My boss commented on the way out of the office this afternoon that I had been quiet today which was out of the ordinary for me. Well, I had spent most of the day with my headphones on and tried to focus on getting my work done. Truth was I didn't want to work late so I wanted to knock all my work out before the end of the day. Also, I spent most of Sunday in a bad mood and really just didn't want to deal with people today. Shortly before I left the office, the Sheriff sent me a text that Kiddo was sick. At that point I knew I was in for a long night. It appears that the stomach bug that has been going around has hit my house. First, the Sheriff and now Kiddo. Here's hoping that I can avoid it since I really don't need to miss any work.

Weekend Over

2010-11-28T21:10:00.000-06:00

I can't believe this weekend is over. It was so nice to have a few days off. I can't say they were relaxing since I was busy getting ready for Thanksgiving and fighting a cold the whole weekend but it was still a good all the same. Since month end was Friday, we will be working on our close out to wrap up the month. That means a busy week for us. But then I am starting to feel like that is the story of my life. I was able to knock out a few more Christmas gifts this weekend. I am just waiting for suggestions from a few of my family members so I can finish up. I also need to figure when I can get the decorations out of storage so we can get the tree up and make this place feel a little bit more like Christmas. The bad thing is I am just not ready for it to be Christmas yet. I can't explain it but I am having a hard time getting into the spirit. Here's hoping that adding some decorations to the house will remedy that problem.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

2010-11-27T21:58:00.000-06:00

The Sheriff decided to surprise me this afternoon with a date to see the new Harry Potter movie. He had arranged for his parents to watch Kiddo for the night so we could check out the one movie we have both been wanting to see. Overall I thought the movie was good but then I am a fan of all of the Harry Potter books and movies. This movie was definitely used to set up the action that will occur in the second part. It has been more than a year since I read book 7 so I am going to start re-reading it tonight to see what was left out and to remind myself of what will come next. What I remembered from the book was that the time Harry, Hermoine, and Ron spent in the woods seemed long and drawn out. It felt the same way in the film. There were several things that I felt like they touched on in the film but kind of glossed over. I am hoping they will be focused on a little more closely in the next film. I am ready for the action to really get going in the next film. I feel it will be pretty intense and will move really quickly. I do fear that I will have the same reaction to the final film that I did to the final book. I wanted more. I wanted to find out about Harry's life post Voldemort. I realize the epilogue was intended to show us how everyone turned out but I felt like it was just a glimpse and there was so much more we could learn about them. I am curious, though, to see how they are going to handle some of the scenes from the Battle of Hogwarts in the movie. Part 2 is supposed to come out right before my birthday in July so guess what I will be asking for this year.

Iron Bowl 2010

2010-11-26T21:22:00.000-06:00

In the state of Alabama, there is only one football game that matters: the Iron Bowl. This is a game were battles are fought and legends are born. This game pits family members against each other and can turn best friends into bitter enemies. Alabama versus Auburn. Winner takes all. There are so many stories to tell and so much history involved. I have watched Alabama lose 6 straight years only to come back and shut out Auburn the next year. I have seen last minute defeats and come from behind wins. I had no idea what to expect today. Alabama is the reigning National Champion while Auburn is undefeated so far this season. But anything could happen. Alabama came out of the gun firing hard and hitting harder, forcing 3 consecutive 3 and outs while accumulating 21 unanswered points all in the first half. I thought we had a good shot at pulling off the win and ruining Auburn's perfect season but I tried not to get too optimistic. That was a good thing. Unfortunately, Alabama's lead didn't hold and Auburn ended up coming from behind to defeat Alabama by 1 point. It wasn't the blow out many expected but it was definitely one for the record books. Surprisingly I managed to stay calmer than normal during the game thanks to some wonderful friends who came over to eat leftovers and watch the game with us. The company was great which took the sting off of the loss a bit. Now I get to listen to another year of Auburn bragging about their Iron Bowl win. Just remember...there is always next year.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T21:27:00.000-06:00

Thank goodness Thanksgiving is finally over. I feel like I have been planning this meal for months. Truthfully, I had planned out the meal pretty well. I pour over cookbooks looking for the perfect recipes to complete the meal. Once the recipes were selected, I planned the cooking method of each item and then mapped out the time everything needed to start cooking in order to be completed on time. The Sheriff was a big help today. He took care of the last minute cleaning and house preparation only coming in the kitchen when I called him. The kitchen was my territory today and it was in everyone's best interest to stay out of my way. The in-laws seemed pleased with the meal and I received many complements. All in all it was a successful day. However, my cold is back full force. I guess I over did it yesterday when I was feeling better and my body is letting me know today. There will be no 3 AM Black Friday shopping for me. I hit a couple of the sales online and purchased a couple of gifts but that craziness is not really my scene. The only deal I saw that was really something we would love to have is the grill the Sheriff has been eying since the summer that is $100 off at Lowe's. Unfortunately, neither one of us has any desire to fight the crowd to go buy it nor do we need to spend the money. Instead, my Black Friday will be spent chilling on the couch trying to fight this cold and watching the Iron Bowl. Sounds like a good day to me.

Wednesday

2010-11-24T21:32:00.000-06:00

Good news! I am feeling better today. Not 100% but at least functioning which is a vast improvement over yesterday. The day was pretty busy. This morning I spent a couple of hours shopping for the Children's Christmas party at my office. Then I still had some work stuff to take care of. I was able to scoot out a little early so I could hit the grocery store before it got too bad. HEB was smart though offering free wine samples while you were shopping. Nice way to relax the shoppers, HEB Plus! We also had to pick up the turkey and a few other things for tomorrow. The morning is going to be crazy busy but I will still tune into the Macy's Parade. After all, Christmas can't start until Santa appears at the end of the parade.

Tuesday

2010-11-23T19:33:00.000-06:00

Today started off much better than yesterday morning did. The sound of the alarm at 5:30 wasn't as traumatic as the day before thank goodness but it was still just as unwelcomed. You see, despite the fact it wasn't even remotely cold yesterday, the Sheriff and I decided it was time to put the comforter in the duvet cover on the bed since the cover was freshly washed. That meant it was slightly warm (stuffy) in our room last night. Stuffiness and my sinuses do not play well together coupled with the fact we had a freeze warning in Austin less than a week ago and it is now 80 degrees. I woke up feeling less than 100% but it wasn't until I was half way down the toll road to work that it hit me...I am sick. I am talking itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, congestion, the whole 9 yards. And of course, my beloved ClaritinD was in the medicine cabinet at home. So I suffered through the first half of the day getting progressively worse until lunch time when I could venture out to a drug store and put my HSA debit card to good use. The medicine definitely helped but I am still feeling very under the weather. So now I am worried about feeling crappy on Thanksgiving since I am cooking for everyone. I told the Sheriff to let his family know there might be a change in plans but I hopefully I will be feeling better so that isn't necessary.

Monday

2010-11-22T21:23:00.000-06:00

I know by the way I woke up this morning that is would be a rough day. Apparently I was sleeping hard this morning when my alarm went off. I guess I was thinking it was still the weekend because I sat up and yelled, "Oh crap! It's Monday." Don't know how I didn't wake the Sheriff up. Needless to say, I didn't want to get out of bed. But I got a move on and headed to work like normal. Thanks to the short week, work was just as busy as I expected. Fortunately, the Sheriff was off today so he was able to start some of the preparations for the big day on Thursday. Most of the cleaning and laundry have been done. Tomorrow we will be hitting the store to get the last minute stuff we need for the meal. I am hoping to avoid the crowds that I am sure will be at the store on Wednesday. Besides, I have to pick up the turkey from Popeye's Wednesday. I just hope the plan I have mapped out in my head works. We will be working on a tight schedule especially since the Sheriff has to work Thanksgiving. But I am sure it will all be fine.

The Week to Come

2010-11-21T21:13:00.000-06:00

I feel like I am running out of things to say. I know this week has probably been pretty lacking in the blog department and for that I am sorry. I am not making any promises about the upcoming week. For a short work week, it is going to be crazy busy. We are coming up on month end so there is a lot to be done to prepare for that. Also, I have Thanksgiving and all the preparation that will go into that as well. I am sure I will be wiped out by the time Friday rolls around. You can forget about me hitting the stores at 4 AM on Black Friday. There is nothing I want bad enough to be out that time of the morning trying to score a deal. (Plus, the Sheriff will be working so I have to stay home with Kiddo.) I will consider some of the online deals that I am sure will be offered. Those are much more my speed. I also won't let anything pull me away from the big game that will be happening Friday afternoon. It is no secret that I will be propped up in my chair Friday afternoon at 1:30 glued to the Iron Bowl. Here's hoping Alabama can pull off a big win. Auburn has had a good season and I would love to see us spoil that. (Yes, I know that is mean but that's what rivalries are for!) Given that I am only 9 days away from the end of this little experiment, I fully intend to post every day this week with an update of the Thanksgiving preparations as well as thoughts on the Iron Bowl. Oh how I wish I was home right now! Plus it makes me really sad that my parents are spending Thanksgiving alone this year since my dad can't get off to make the trip to Texas. Fortunately we will be making the trip to Alabama in a couple of weeks for an early family Christmas.

Quiet

2010-11-20T22:18:00.000-06:00

Not much to say this evening. It was a rough day where my lack of patience and temper got the best of me. I decided it was best to lay low because of that. I ended up pulling out my sewing box and working on some old cross stitch patterns that I had. I was given a sewing machine a couple of years ago and I have never used it. I would really like to learn how to sew more. I haven't tried to do any sewing in a long time. It was something that I regularly did with my aunt and grandmother. I am probably better at it than I realize but I know I have much more to learn. I don't think I would ever be one to make my own clothes or anything but it would still be a nice skill to have. I also used to crochet but I haven't even touched my needle in years. I might just have to go get some yarn to see if I can remember how to do it. Now my thumb hurts from sewing all day. I forgot how relaxing it could be and how wrapped up I could get in it.

Girl Time

2010-11-19T20:51:00.000-06:00

I got some much needed girl time with my best friend today. We have been planning it and looking forward to it for weeks. Since we don't work together anymore, Steph and I don't get to see each other as often as we would like. So we made plans to head to East Side Cafe for lunch then over to the Palmer Events Center for the Austin Junior League's Christmas Affair. The Christmas Affair was crowded as usual but I was able to score some cute Alabama items to add to my collection. I have been debating going back down there tomorrow to do some more shopping but I know I probably don't need to. My body is still recovering from the craziness of the Thanksgiving Pot Luck at work and walking around the events center all afternoon didn't really help that much. As it stands right now, I am looking at hitting the bed as soon as I hit post on this entry and staying that way until the Sheriff comes home from work in the morning. This weekend should be fairly laid back. The main thing we need to do is get the house prepped for Thanksgiving so that we only have to do minimal pickup on Wednesday before the in-laws invade on Thursday. As much as I would love to go catch the new Harry Potter movie this weekend, I think it is wise that I take the opportunity to relax and get stuff done around my house.

Exhausted

2010-11-18T21:26:00.000-06:00

Yep, exhausted...that would be me this evening. We had our Thanksgiving pot luck at work today and I spent most of my day helping setup, putting food out, and cleaning up. To say I am worn out would be an understatement. Because of that, you aren't going to get much of a blog from me tonight. I am sitting here waiting for the Alabama massacre of Georgia State to end so I can head to bed. At 63-7 with 6 minutes left, I would say we pretty well have this one in the bag. Now we just have the Iron Bowl to look forward to next week to wrap up our regular season and then an undetermined bowl game. Here's hoping work flies by quickly tomorrow. I am looking forward to a low key weekend.

Things I Am Grateful For

2010-11-17T22:15:00.000-06:00

With Thanksgiving only a week away, I had the thought that I should talk about some things in my life that I am grateful for. Of course I have a wonderful family, a good job, and great friends and those are all things I am grateful for. But I was thinking along a different line this morning. I was laying in bed shivering a little bit thanks to the cold (ok...cool) snap that has hit Central Texas and the fact that I forgot to turn the heater on before I went to bed. I always sleep with the ceiling fan on because I need air circulating so I don't get stopped up. Well, the fan was making me cold but I didn't want to get out of bed until I warmed up a bit. That is where my handy dandy ceiling fan remote makes my life better. I am extremely grateful to whomever thought up the brilliant idea of a remote controlled ceiling fan. That is one of the greatest inventions ever. The other thing I realized I was grateful for was the snooze button. I am so not a morning person so I will take every extra second of sleep I can get. I hope to add a few more things I am grateful for between now and the end of the month. So be on the look out and feel free to share things you are grateful for.

What to Write About

2010-11-16T22:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I mentioned that it can be hard to come up with topics to write about when trying to blog daily. I received a comment in response to the post that I felt the need to respond to. I was asked about writing about my job. Well, one thing I learned pretty soon after entering the blogging community was that talking about your job was pretty much off limits. Just ask Heather Armstrong what happens when you discuss your job or co-workers on your personal blog. Beyond the basics of saying that I have a job or that work has been busy, I think it is best to leave that topic off the table. People I work with read this blog. The last thing I need is to say anything that could be taken wrong and put my job at risk because of it. There are other topics that I know to leave off the table as well. Some things are just to personal to write about publicly while others stand a risk of offending people so I just won't discuss them. I have set some boundaries for myself and I try to stick to them. One time I pushed the boundaries and I almost got in trouble for it. I won't do that again.

Day 15

2010-11-15T22:03:00.000-06:00

Yay!!! I am officially half way through NaBloPoMo. I now understand why other blog writers find this so hard. The truth is my life is actually pretty boring and there isn't always something to share. I have found it hard to be creative on a daily basis. I have also found it hard to remember to blog every day and to set aside time for it. I have decided that I would do well to use the voice recorder on my phone to record my thoughts though. I have come up with several great topic ideas and written almost complete blog posts in my head during my morning drive to work. It is the only time of the day that I truly have to myself. So that is really when I can get lost in my own thoughts and really examine what I feel about a particular subject. I am just glad that I have gotten this far into the month without skipping a day. I just hope I can keep it up. I know next week will be rough with Thanksgiving and all the preparations that are going to go into that. But I am sure I will be able to find some time once the Sheriff leaves for work and Kiddo is off to dream land. Let's just hope I am not so exhausted that I forget!

Prompting Again

2010-11-14T22:23:00.000-06:00

I'm tired tonight and the creative juices aren't really flowing so I am going to my trusty list of blog prompts and working from there this evening.

What is the most useful thing you own?

That one is so easy. My iPhone. I don't know how I function without it. I left my phone at home when we went to church tonight and I really felt like I was missing an appendage. I can't believe how much I rely on a silly phone to get through my daily life. But I need access to twitter so I can follow the news, weather and traffic in my area. I need the Facebook App to keep up with my friends. I need the calculator, the tip calculator, the clock, the banking apps...everything that is on there that I use regularly. To think, 3 years ago the iPhone was a fairly new gadget and I swore I didn't need a phone that would do anything more than text and make phone calls. Now I do just about everything with my phone.

Administrative Note: I received several comments about not being able to comment without creating a blog or logging in. I have updated the blog settings so that should no longer be necessary. Please let me know if you have any issues posting comments. Thanks!

A Family Dog

2010-11-13T21:38:00.000-06:00

One thing I realized I hadn't mentioned was how Maverick was adjusting to having two new people living in his house. Since my divorce, Maverick has been the "man" of the house and took his job of protecting me very seriously. The Sheriff was concerned about how Kiddo would react to Maverick, especially since Maverick is basically the same size as Kiddo. He was pretty scared of Mav at first because Mav tends to be a little hyper and doesn't know the difference between 0 and 60. Kiddo has never had dogs as pets. His mom owns a couple of cats but everyone who has owned a cat knows, cats would typically rather leave you alone while dogs just want love from their humans. I was worried that Maverick would be jealous or protective and wouldn't react well to having the Sheriff and Kiddo in the house. However, I was wrong (and should have known better). Maverick has loved having two extra people to take care of him and give him love. Fortunately he is an extremely friendly dog so my biggest concern should have been trying to lick everyone to death. All in all, we are just one big happy family living the suburban dream. It's actually kind of sickening. :)

Date Night!

2010-11-12T22:33:00.000-06:00

Our church hosts Parents' Night Out once a month and tonight was the night. The Sheriff and I always take advantage of this because we don't get a lot of time alone thanks to his odd work hours. Even tonight we had to cut the evening short because he was off to work around 9. We headed to the Melting Pot for dinner this evening because we had a coupon and stuffed ourselves silly. The food was amazing. They are featuring a French themed fondue right now and we selected the special. I highly recommend the White Chocolate Creme Brulee fondue for dessert. I don't even like white chocolate and this was the best dessert fondue I have ever eaten there. I would list Melting Pot high on my list of favorite places to eat. The meal at the Melting Pot usually takes close to 2 hours to complete so I was worried about being rushed to get the Sheriff off to work and for me to pick up Kiddo. However, tonight we were able to finish in less than 2 hours and had a little time to kill before we had to head to the church. It was nice to have some quiet time just the two of us. That is probably what I would say is the hardest part about our situation. Newlyweds typically get a couple of years of alone time before kids are in the picture and they have to figure out how to juggle both. We already have the kid and somehow we have to squeeze in alone time between both our jobs, all of our activities, and make sure Kiddo is taken care of. We definitely struggle with having enough time alone but we work hard to make it happen as often as possible. So I am truly grateful to our church for providing us with the opportunity to have some time alone. Tonight was wonderful...good food, great atmosphere and wonderful company.

Veterans' Day

2010-11-11T21:26:00.000-06:00

Veterans' Day is a day set aside to remember those who have served in our Armed Forces and have fought to protect our freedom. I have watched my brother deploy three and we have been lucky enough to have him return home safely every time. One of the local radio personalities reads the following poem every year and I thought I would share it with you.

What is a Veteran?

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg – or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul’s ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can’t tell a vet just by looking. He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn’t run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. She – or he – is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went away one person and came back another – or didn’t come back AT ALL. He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat – but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other’s backs. He is the parade – riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by. He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean’s sunless deep. He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket – palsied now and aggravatingly slow – who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come. He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being – a person who offered some of his life’s most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That’s all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean a lot, “THANK YOU”.

“It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag.”

Father Denis Edward O’Brien/USMC

I Almost Forgot!

2010-11-10T23:06:00.000-06:00

Apparently balancing my checkbook had me so consumed that I almost forgot to blog today. I committed to 30 days so I am going to do 30 days. I had planned to write about the crazy fog driving in to work this morning. I can't believe how bad it has been the last couple of days since DST. I thought the drive would be easier when it wasn't pitch black out but the fog is worse. The Sheriff has warned me it will get worse. I also debating writing about how our gas bill has doubled this last month since I have started commuting. That is killing me! Instead I am going to babble on for a few minutes because I really don't have any thing interesting to say. So...there you have it. My feeble attempt at blogging this evening just to be able to check the box. Sorry, readers. I promise to do better tomorrow.

Commuting

2010-11-09T22:15:00.000-06:00

I mentioned recently that my company relocated to a new building about 20 miles away from our previous location which increased my commute from 10 miles to 33 miles. This isn't the longest I have ever had to commute but it has been a while since I had to make a long drive to work. My longest commute, from Killeen to NW Austin, was nearly 60 miles and only lasted 6 weeks since I was in the process of moving to Austin. I am one of those people who likes to live in close proximity to everything I do, especially work. I knew the drive to Austin was temporary which is why I was willing to make it. I was relieved when I settled in my apartment 4 miles away and only had to do 2 u-turns to get to work instead of taking the highways and toll roads. This new commute has been rough getting used to. I take the toll way to get to the office because it cuts down on the traffic and is an overall faster route to the new location but it is expensive. Also, since this toll way is fairly new, there isn't much along it so I better have a full tank of gas and pray that I don't break down since there isn't anywhere to stop along the way. The Sheriff's work schedule also limits my choices on when I can arrive and leave work as well as increases the need to travel faster. Daylight Savings Time ending has done wonders for my commute though. The last month found me leaving my house at 0 dark 30 when it is still pitch black outside. I would literally watch the sun come up as I made my way to the office each morning. That was actually kind of cool. On the flip side, I would still have a couple of hours of daylight left when I headed home. The time change brings the opposite effect. The sun is shining when I leaving for work and I get to watch the sun set on my home. Fortunately I am driving north so I am not blinded by the setting sun. I definitely prefer this commute to what I experienced this past month. With it dark outside when I was leaving for work, it was harder to wake up and get going to safely commute. I would stroll at the door with coffee in my hand and my heavily lidded eyes would finally perk up a bit about half down the 130 toll way. I even tweeted that tired was my new normal because I felt like I just couldn't get enough rest (of course blogging at 10:15 doesn't help). The better mornings definitely help me get going a little bit better in the mornings. Who knows...I might even be able to stop taking the coffee with me soon. On second thought...not so much!

Ugh...Exercise

2010-11-08T21:28:00.000-06:00

So I am cheating tonight because I am tired and I can't get the creative juices flowing. I know it is only day two but the end of Daylight Savings Time is kicking my butt. I passed out on the couch last night watching Pirates of the Caribbean. I nearly jumped out of my skin when the Sheriff suggested we go to bed and then I was out again in about two seconds once my head hit the pillow. Maverick even put himself to bed last night because he was so tired. I don't think it helped that we spent most of the weekend cleaning. And by cleaning, I mean moving furniture to sweep and mop behind it before we laid down our new rug in the living room. With the living room and dining room being conjoined we can't clean one without the other. And then the kitchen had to come next because we needed dishes to eat off of and well before we knew it we were almost done with the whole house. And worn out. (and I wrote a lot of ands there but it's my blog and I say it's OK!) So back to my original point which is that I am cheating and using a blog prompt because I couldn't think of anything to write about. (You never would have guessed that from the previous paragraph either!)

What's one thing that you know you SHOULD do for your health that you just can't seem to make happen? And why is it so hard?

That is an easy one. I need to lose weight. I weighed myself recently and I was very upset at what the number was and I know I need to do something to change it. I know I need to watch my diet a little closer and I need to exercise and that is where the problem comes in. I just cannot seem to stick to an exercise routine. I have joined gyms, fitness programs, women only workouts, you name it. But I just can't seem to find something that works for me. For one, I have other things I would rather be doing with my time than spending it working out. I don't get a high from it. I don't enjoy it. To me it is a tedious task that I must suffer through. I blame it on the fact that I never had to worry about my weight when I was younger. But then I was dancing as many as 5 days a week so I was exercising regularly. I just didn't realize it at the time. Once I quit dancing in college and continued to age, the lack of movement took its toll and now more than 10 years later here I am. So now to find a routine that works for me and my family and doesn't cost a fortune so I can see that dreadful number lower to a more decent range.

Challenges

2010-11-07T20:56:00.000-06:00

Tonight was H.Y.M.N at Awana at church. We didn't go. H.Y.M.N. stands for Honor Your Mother Night. I had been thinking about this night ever since we got the Awana calendar. I wasn't sure how to approach it or what Kiddo would think. The Sheriff and I hadn't discussed it so I assumed he thought we would just go and not think anything of it. The truth was I knew it would be a rough night for me. I am not Kiddo's mother and I get subtle reminders of that on a regular basis. Kiddo also frequently tells anyone who mentions his mother that she is far away. Usually the people are referring to me because they have no way of knowing that I am actually the step mother. So then I get a strange look from the person who made the original comment and have to explain our situation to a complete stranger. I didn't want to go to church on a night that was focused on mothers and risk hearing Kiddo tell everyone that his Mommy wasn't there. The Sheriff asked me what I was thinking about going tonight and left the decision up to me. He understood my concerns about the evening and didn't want me in a position where I would be uncomfortable. I knew I would have some friends there and that it probably would have been OK but I just couldn't bear the thought. I am probably being a tad selfish or melodramatic about all this but this full-time step mother business is hard. I have all the responsibility of being Kiddo's mom but I get none of the reward from it. Just tonight the Sheriff was helping Kiddo write an email to his mom and he was so excited about sending the letter to her. All I can think is that there will never be anyone who will hold me in the same regard as a child does its mother. It just makes me sad.

Typical Saturday

2010-11-06T22:26:00.000-05:00

"Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that." ~ Bill Shankly

I am a woman who loves college football. In most places, that is rare unless you are from the South. Southern women know as much if not more about their team of choice as well as all of their opponents. Men are surprised when they start chatting me up about football because I am actually pretty knowledgeable on the subject. Someone made the comment to me while I was waiting in line at Kohl's yesterday that football was the new religion. I turned to him and said you must not be from the South because if you were you would already know that football is religion. This comment came after a conversation with his buddy about the Alabama shirt I was wearing. Sure enough the guy confirmed that he was in deed from California. You see...college football is a whole different beast when you leave the South.

That being said today started out like any Saturday in the fall. I was up and had the TV on in time for ESPN GameDay to start. But that is where my day changed. For some reason, I wasn't really interested in the early games so I opted for some made for TV movies instead. I flipped the channel in time to watch Alabama games versus LSU at 2:30. Truthfully, I wasn't too worried about this game because I felt that LSU's team wasn't that good. They were just lucky. Les Miles had made some poor decisions but the team still managed to pull out wins over everyone but Auburn so far. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed in Alabama's performance on the field this evening. While I don't think they played any worse than LSU did, they just didn't seem into the game. It was almost like they were defeated when they walked onto the field. So, the day ended with our second loss of the season. I am still proud of my team but I am hoping they can hold it together better over the next few weeks. We still have to face an undefeated Auburn in the Iron Bowl the day after Thanksgiving.

Follow Up

2010-11-05T21:56:00.000-05:00

A couple of my friends commented on my Christmas post on Facebook which made me realize there were a couple more things I wanted to say on the subject. I believe that I can thank my mom for being such a planner. I remember watching her run around like crazy the last few days leading up to Christmas and staying up all night to get everything wrapped and under the tree. This was all before cell phones and she would be gone all day with no way for us to contact her or know when she would be home. She was exhausted on Christmas day and that lead to a lot of frustration and annoyance in our household. My mom's procrastination caused me to not have a spontaneous bone in my body. Everything has to planned and detailed so that I know when it is going to happen.

On that note, I am hosting Thanksgiving for the Sheriff's family at my house this year. That means I have been picking out recipes and planning out the layout of the food and how everything is going to be cooked. I have hosted Thanksgiving before but I have cheated using pre-made food that just needed heating to make the meal easier for me. That means that I am really going to have my hands full trying to complete the meal while keeping Kiddo occupied and the Sheriff sleeps. It should make for an interesting day.

Annoyed

2010-11-04T21:51:00.000-05:00

I spent most of my day being annoyed today. It started last night after I got home from dinner with the Sheriff. I got a text when I was leaving work that they were doing work on the road in front of my house. It should be a problem for me to get into our driveway but it was just a head's up. Apparently a water pipe in front of a neighbor's house busted and they were repairing it. They had been working for several hours already when I arrived home because Maverick had to be left in his room so he wouldn't keep barking at the noise outside. We were fortunate to have a night to ourselves without Kiddo thanks to his grandmother so we decided to go on a date. When we returned home around 8:30, they were still working on the road. An hour later I could still hear them out there and so could Mav and he was letting me know it. At 10:15, still there. All the while I was worried about Kiddo waking up from the noise because it was right outside his bedroom window. At 11, I was in bed and could still hear them working outside. Maverick was agitated and, while he wasn't barking, it took him a while to get settled which meant it took me a while to get to sleep. So, yes, I was annoyed. Because I went to bed annoyed, I woke up annoyed and that just carried over to me being annoyed most of the day. And when I am annoyed, my patience and tolerance runs thin. At least I was aware of it and was able to warn the Sheriff before I got home. Fortunately, when I got home, no one was working on the street. Tomorrow should be a better day.

Christmas

2010-11-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year where I start to panic about Christmas gifts for my family. I know most people don't worry about Christmas until Black Friday or later but I am not one of those people. I am way too much of a planner to wait that long to shop. I have been known in the past to start shopping for Christmas as early as July. That has not been the case this year. I do, however, have a plan of attack for the majority of my family. My oldest brother and his wife are always a little difficult but I am sure I will figure them out. The sheriff's family is different story. I have no idea where to begin with them. Plus I am shopping for the Kiddo this year. That is fun and stressful all within itself. I want to make sure he has a nice Christmas but I don't want to go overboard at the same time. He does have 3 sets of grandparents and his mom to buy gifts for him on top of what we are getting.

Christmas is going to be very different for me this year. This is the first year I will be at my own house on Christmas morning celebrating with my own family instead of sitting in the living room at Mom and Dad's. I missed Christmas one year when I was married to the ex and he insisted we spend the holiday with his family. We did head home the day after Christmas to celebrate with my crew but it still made me sad not to be home on Christmas morning. My parents decided long before I was born that we would be in our own house on Christmas morning rather than somewhere else. When my brother had kids, he decided to follow the same pattern. I have always known that it would do the same thing when I had my own family. That doesn't mean it isn't going to be tough on me. I am sure it will be fun playing Santa for Kiddo but I know I am going to miss being home.

Day 2

2010-11-02T10:46:00.004-05:00

OK...so I am cheating a bit today. I am relying on a blog prompt on day two mostly because I don't have the time to try to be creative today. I mentioned in yesterday's post that time constraints are going to be the biggest limiting to factor for me completing an entire month of blogging. Well, Tuesday is my busiest day both at work and at home. I have several deadlines for customer requirements that are due on Tuesdays and our small group from church meets Tuesday nights. I don't even get to go home first before small group. I just head straight there and pick up food on the way. Needless to say, I spend most of Tuesday run around like a chicken with my head cut off. Today is of course no better than normal when you add in two additional meetings and handing out packets to the Race for the Cure participants. So I am going to use a prompt I stole from the NaBloPoMo page that is actually one I could write about for hours.

What is the first play you ever saw live?

Well, that is a surprisingly tough question for me to answer. I don't remember which play/musical I saw first live. I am sure I was taken to one on a school field trip but I can't tell you what it was. I remember going to the ballet as a child. I started dancing when I was 5 so being around the stage and productions were nothing out of the ordinary for me. What I can tell you about was seeing my first show on Broadway. I was 17 and a senior in high school. I was in New York because I was going to be in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and they took us to see Phantom of the Opera. By the time, I saw the show I had nearly worn out my cassette tape of the Phantom highlights. I knew the songs and had visualized the show in my head a million times. But sitting in the Majestic Theatre watching the story unfold before my eyes was better than I could have ever imagined. It was at that point that I knew theatre would always be a part of my life. I really wanted to be on stage but I doubted my talents and was afraid I was too old to receive the training I needed to become a star. Instead, I took roles where I could find them even if it meant being the nameless dancer in the back corner just so I could get the thrill of performing for an audience. It has been years since I have been on stage and I miss it daily. I would love the opportunity to be a part of a show again if my schedule would allow it. However, I have yet to find a place in Austin where I can plug in my talents. Since that first visit to Broadway, I have been back several times and I have season tickets to Broadway series in Austin. I have seen more than 20 shows and I know the words to hundreds of Broadway show tunes (not that I would let anyone hear me sing them). Theatre is one of the great loves of my life. Some might say I have grease paint in my veins.

So It Begins

2010-11-01T08:45:00.000-05:00

November is finally here and that means so is NaBloPoMo. Ever since I committed myself to this, I have been wondering what I got myself into. I love writing. I love having a blog. On any given day, I probably have 2 or 3 posts running around in my head. The writing portion isn't the hard part. Finding time to write the stuff in my head is. I just flipped my calendar at work over to November and it is deceiving. My weeks look uneventful. My days not busy. But they don't tell the true tell of my life. I have always been one of those people who is happiest when I am busy. I don't like having down time because I feel like I should be doing something important, not just sitting around. But then, I am exhausted when I do get a moment's break so my house doesn't get cleaned, my clothes don't get washed, and I am frustrated by the state of everything around me. The truth is the calendar in my office hasn't been updated yet. The one on my phone and the one at my house tell the truth. They show days filled with activities and holidays on the horizon. Even this morning, I, the one who remembers everything, forgot that we have plans to meet my brother and his wife for dinner this evening. How did that happen? It wasn't on the calendar. So, faithful readers, bear with me as I attempt to make it through an entire month blogging every day. I don't want to let you down nor do I want to let myself down. If I miss a day, comment...let me know that I have been missed. Scold me. I need to hear! I want to be held accountable to this endeavor. With that said, day 1 is done. 29 more to go!

One Year

2010-10-30T23:24:00.000-05:00

** I intended to write this post yesterday but ended up not having time to sit down in front of the computer and bang it out. So instead, it is a day late but heartfelt just the same.**

One year ago today, I met you at a cafe near my house for a quick dinner before home team. We had been chatting daily for nearly two weeks and it was time to decide where we wanted to go from here. I was pretty sure of what was going to happen next but continued to be coy until you expressed your feelings. There was no surprise, no pretense. Just I like you and want to get to know you better. And with that, we were together, practically inseparable from that point forward. Somehow, even at that point we knew this was one that would last. That it wasn't temporary.

We are by no means perfect but we are perfect for each other. We got frustrated and annoyed and fight but we work it out. Even in the moments that I don't like you very much, you are still the most important to me. You let me be goofy when I need to be but you also know how to comfort me in those moments when I am lost in my thoughts. My life has drastically changed in the last year and it is all because you are now a part of it. I am so glad I went back to Great Hills and I am so glad I said yes.

To my sheriff: I love you! Thank you for loving me.